At last year’s Fall Forum, we recognized the winners of the inaugural Exemplary District Awards. Our hearty congratulations to Norfolk, Algoma and Toronto. These districts, representing small, medium and large by membership, were the best of the best, but all the entries deserve kudos.
I helped to review the 18 entries and was proud of and impressed by what I saw. I observed a wide variety of district clubs, activities and events – from book clubs and movie nights to yoga, local theatre and foodie groups. There were also terrific examples of creative newsletters and websites. A few districts had the added challenge of building member-focused activities over a vast geographic area.
The Exemplary District Awards were created to help promote awareness of RTOERO’s strategic goals:
- Be the trusted voice of the broader education community.
- Improve the lives of members and seniors.
- Broaden the membership base.
Applicants also score points by demonstrating how they promote the values of accountability, community connection, giving back/making a difference, inclusion, leadership/vision, service to members and well-being.
The winning districts received a digital tool kit with the Exemplary District Award emblem to help them celebrate their award throughout the year. Each of the winning districts was invited to bring an additional guest to the Fall Forum banquet, someone who contributed greatly to the award or success of the district initiatives, so they could share in the recognition.
The inaugural Exemplary District Awards were adjudicated by a committee of the Board of Directors. Moving forward, representatives from each of the winning districts will serve on the evaluation committee for the following year’s awards. In this way, the winning districts help to support the program, and no one district can win two years in a row.
The application deadline for this year’s Exemplary District Awards is June 27. I invite you to strut your district’s stuff.
Looking forward to your entries.
John
