2007-08 GSE D7150 Team Leader Penny Poling D-7150 '07-'08 Committee Announces Team Leader & Team to India December 2, 2007 - The Group Study Exchange Committee of District 7150 announces they have chosen Penny Poling from the Oneida Club to lead the team in our exchange with District 3200 in India. Penny is the Agency Manager at Access Associates, Inc. in Oneida, NY. She oversees all operations of the business including offering auto and homeowners insurance policies, reviewing customers coverage, and claims handling. She also is a Driver Improvement Instructor teaching safe driving techniques. She is a member of the Oneida's Club, and an AWANA Leader at her local church. Since joining Rotary in 2000, Penny has served in many capacities. She has served on and chaired several committees as well as a board member. Currently President of the Oneida Rotary Club, and very active within the Club, Penny is married to Paul and has a daughter Ashley (24) and three step children, Bethany, Valerie, and Vanessa. She enjoys knitting, cross country skiing, hiking, and bird watching. Penny also recently celebrated 5 years of Cancer Survivorship. She reports she is thrilled to be leading the D-7150 team and reconnecting with the India D-3200 team. December 29, 2007 - The GSE Committee of District 7150 announces the Team members that will travel to India as part of our exchange team! Robert J. Bird is an Assistant Manager at Walmart Supercenter in Oneida, NY. Married, with two children, ages 6 and 16, Bob has been in Management Retail most of his life. At one time, Bob raced cars at Utica/Rome Speedway. He helps with marketing for a sister of his who runs a bakery. Since meeting D3200 TL Maddy when his team was in our district, he's looking forward to learning from and sharing with the people of India. Elizabeth Carroll is the Library Media Specialist at Westmoreland Rd Elementary School in Whitesboro, NY. At one time in her life, Beth was a puppeteer in NYC. She loves teaching and is very fond of her cat. As a child, she traveled on a boat with her parents, drove cross-country, has been to Spain & Morocco. She has been fascinated with India for some time, is looking forward to different kinds of food, sharing with and learning from this exchange. Ashley Hanry is the Features Editor for The Citizen, a newspaper in Auburn, NY. She grew up in Texas, studied Journalism at Syracuse University, and is engaged to be married. Ashley went to London with the marching band in her Senior year of high school, then returned to go to school in the U.K. for a summer. Last year she visited Korea, her fiance's home country. She would love to meet another culture, and hopes to be able to write about her experience. Brenda White is a Planner in the Madison County, NY Planning Department. With an initial degree in Photography, Brenda did retail design work for H & M in Sweden, eventually opening stores for them in NYS. She then acquired her degree in Environmental Design. Her work today as a Planner includes zonging and land use planning and education. Brenda thinks it's awesome to be able to study another country's planning, to learn from them and share back with them. The District 7150 GSE Team excited to be exchanging with District 3200! Pictured above during one of their Team Training Sessions with GSE Chair & Trainer, Mac. Also pictured with the owner of Minar Restaurant (Governor Marlene had Indian food delivered for a surprise lunch!)   Back to Top

2007-08 District 7150 GSE Committee

Group Study Exchange Team, serving with District Governor Marlene Brown:
Chair & Team Trainer: Henry McDonald, Auburn RC
— Area 1 Coordinator: Dave Kobernuss, Rome RC
— Area 2 Coordinator: Dr. Anthony Piana, Little Falls RC
— Area 3 Coordinator: Jim Turnbull IV, Utica RC
— Area 4 Coordinator: Jim Yonai, Sherrill RC
— Area 5 Coordinator: Dr. Nathan Keever, Oriskany Falls RC
— Area 6 & 7 Coordinator: Larry Richardson, Chittenango RC
— Areas 8 & 9 Coordinator: Rosa Kemmis, Fulton Sunrise RC & Dick Kemmis, Fulton RC
— Area 10 & 11 Coordinators: Michele Ann Tarnow, Skaneateles RC

 
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Qualifications for Team Leader & Team Member

• All interested candidates needed to have their candidacy endorsed by a Rotary Club in the community where the applicant works or lives. Endorsed applications were sent on for district level consideration. Download the Press Release.
• Team members must be between the ages of 25 and 40; be employed in a full time recognized profession; not be a Rotarian, honorary Rotarian, Rotary employee; or lineal descendant or spouse of a Rotarian; or spouse of another team member, an honorary Rotarian, or an employee of Rotary; or anyone who has been affiliated with Rotary for the past 36 months.
• Team members must be a citizen of the country in which they reside, and in good health. The candidate must be neat in appearance and able to express himself or herself clearly and logically. They should have a sound general educational background, be interested in and clearly enthusiastic about their chosen vocation or profession. They should be open-minded, tolerant and flexible. The candidate should be comfortable working as part of a team with a schedule that is at times physically and emotionally demanding but incredibly rewarding.

A team member must 1. Be able to participate in team orientations and take the four weeks away from work and family 2. Be non-Rotarian and not a blood relative of a Rotarian, 3. Be between ages 25 and 40 to insure maximum impact on long term career development, 4. Be a US citizen in good health, 5. Be neat in appearance, 6. Be articulate and able to speak before a group, 7. Have a sound educational and professional background, 8. Be enthusiastic about his/her chosen vocation, and 9. Be currently employed on a full time basis - engaged in that business or profession for at least two years. Team member applicants should be open-minded, tolerant, flexible and above all be able to live within and adopt a different culture during the exchange period. They must be willing and able to follow the direction of the Team Leader. An essay of intent is required from each applicant. A brief resume would also be helpful to the selection committee.

There are many ways to recruit team members. Contact the CEO or owner of companies or establishments in your area. Contact your local government heads. Make them aware of the program and ask if they have an employee to nominate. Point out that team members return to work with an understanding of how a similar job is performed in another country and can potentially become better employees. Explain that the program expenses are paid by Rotary and that the employer needs only to provide four weeks off work using a method of his/her choosing i.e. vacation time, leave without pay, etc. Offer a copy of the RI GSE brochure and then follow?up. Encourage your club members to talk with friends and fellow employees to identify potential participants and then ask your Club's International Chair or GSE Chair to followup.

As a Rotarian reading this, you can help find the young men and women who will make up the District 7150 outbound team. They may be someone you work with, or works for you. They may be your child’s teacher. They may be a friend, or a friend’s child. They may be a neighbor, or your neighbor’s child. We need the help of every Rotarian in District 7150 to identify and encourage young people to apply for this wonderful all expense paid vocational adventure.

The 2007-08 D7150 GSE Committee needs your help in spreading the word at your meetings to assist us in selecting the very best team members possible. Download the Team Member applications (161en) that can be printed and distributed. . Mail completed applications to District Governor Marlene Brown, P. O. Box 840, Clark Mills, NY 13321 by December 26th, or fax to her at 315-853-4636. The Team interviews will be held on Saturday, December 29th.

If you are a club that has not participated in this program in the past, but would like to get more involved, please contact incoming Governor Marlene Brown by email so we can identify clubs wishing to host the incoming GSE Team. This is a great opportunity to meet and get to know people from another culture, and to improve opportunities for understanding and world peace. GSE Brochure.

 
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