Lincoln South Rotary Club's first District Governor is Tom Cardwell. On August 25 Tom presented his official District Governor message to the club. As the Home Club of the District Governor, all members will receive a copy of Governor Tom's District Newsletter this Rotary Year.
Tom started with a Member Moment - talking about how he got started in Rotary, how he ended up at Lincoln South Rotary Club and the experiences that led him to transition from Rotary member to Rotarian.
 
Jenny, Tom's spouse, has been a member of Lincoln South Rotary Club since 1997. Tom learned about Rotary, the service projects and fellowship by attending events with Jenny. Tom joined Lincoln South Rotary in 2004 and immediately found opportunities to engage in the ideals of Rotary.
 
Tom always had an interest in International activities but found a passion for the people of The Republic of Georgia after having an opportunity to host a college student in their home. Tom learned of the challenges in Georgia with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). There a couple of regions in Georgia that have been invaded by Russia, causing the residents to flee to other areas of Georgia.
 
The people who fled found that they were scared and didn't trust others as they spent so much time looking over their shoulders and running. They lost their homes, belongings and family businesses. The residents of the areas where people landed often did not accept them making it hard for them to get settled and to thrive.
 
Tom had an opportunity to coordinate the trip for some young adults visiting the US from Georgia. When he asked Lincoln South Rotary to assist with the program he was overwhelmed by the support. This only reinforced his belief in the power of Rotary.
 
Rotary has continued to work on the social issues in Georgia from providing assistance at an orphanage to provide English language learning to starting a mentoring program similar to TeamMates.
 
As District Governor, Tom has outlined goals for the District. He specifically mentioned:
- - The Rotary Foundation Per Capita Giving to the Annual Programs Fund of $115
- - Polio Plus giving of $32 per member
- - All Clubs Earn The Presidential Citation
- - Tree-planting - hoping that a tree is planted for every member in the District
- - Community Forums hosted by clubs
 
Tom also has a focus on Empowering Women as well and setting up a coordinated effort to fight Human Trafficking.
 
Tom was introduced by Assistant Governor Kiersten Hill. He presented the Rotary Theme Banner (Rotary: Making a Difference). It is a tradition of the club to present the District Governor with a gift. Kay selected a gift specific to Tom and his love of coffee.