Rotary International District 6980 Profile
Rotary International District 6980 administratively serves, on behalf of Rotary International, 48 Rotary clubs in five Central Florida counties; Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Lake and Sumter with a total membership of approximately 2,100. The first Rotary Club in Central Florida was the Rotary Club of Orlando club, chartered in 1920. The Rotary Club of Sanford chartered one year later. The newest club in District 6980 is the Rotary Club of The Villages-Evening, chartered on June 15, 2013.
Rotary International is an association of Rotary Clubs. Each club is chartered by and is a member of Rotary International. The individual Rotarians are members of their respective Rotary Clubs. There are more than 1.2 million Rotarians in more than 32,000 Rotary Clubs in more than 200 countries and territories world-wide. For administrative purposes, Rotary International has established Districts and Zones to better serve the member Clubs. There are 532 Districts and 34 Zones which serves as a link between Rotary International’s Board of Directors and its member clubs.
Each District is led by a District Governor who serves a one-year term beginning July 1 and ending June 30. The District Governor is an Officer of Rotary International. The Rotary Clubs are autonomous with regard to how they conduct their business and are expected to follow the Standard Rotary Club Constitution. The role of the District is to assist the Clubs in their pursuit of the Object of Rotary.
The Zone is an administrative grouping of Districts. District 6980 is one of fourteen districts in Zone 34, which serves all of Georgia, Florida and the island countries of the Caribbean. The Zones are represented by one member of the Rotary International Board of Directors, who serves a two-year term.
The Rotary International Officers who serve the Clubs of District 6980 in 2013-14 are:
Rotary International President Ron Burton (Rotary Club of Norman, Oklahoma, USA)
Rotary International Director (Zones 33 & 34) Ann Matthews (Rotary Club of Columbia East, SC USA)
Rotary International District 6980 Governor Pete Edwards (Rotary Club of Kissimmee, Florida, USA)
The District Governor’s (Pete Edwards) responsibilities include:
- Assisting the Clubs in furthering The Object of Rotary
- Assembling a Leadership Team of experienced Rotarians to serve as Assistant Governors and Committee Chairs
- Convening training seminars for representatives of the Clubs to attend
- Encourage participation in and support for the programs of The Rotary Foundation
- Conduct one Official Visit with each Rotary Club in the District
- Help the Clubs in their efforts to achieve the Rotary international Presidential Citation
- Convene a District Conference
