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Revised 8/2016
Awards
Appeals Procedure Under
Community Service Merit Systems
1. Clubs must have submitted their completed
community service reports to the district
governor postmarked (or e-mailed) no later
than October 1.
2. The district governor shall have arranged
for evaluating community service reports
submitted. It is suggested that the district
governor appoint a special knowledgeable
reviewing committee from within the district (e.g.,
past district governors, honorary district cabinet
members, etc.) or from another Ruritan district to
review and evaluate the reports.
3. Clubs having questions about the district’s
evaluation process should direct their concern(s) to
the district governor.
4. In the event a club disagrees with the decision
by the district regarding decision(s) made about
the evaluation and ranking process and awards
recognition, the club should:
a. Within 30 calendar days after receipt of
the district’s official decision (normally, at the time
of presentation of awards at the district convention),
the club president should submit a written appeal
to the district governor asking for a review and
reconsideration. The district governor shall arrange
for an official review of the club’s request and report
back to the club the findings/reasons for the decision
within 30 calendar days from receipt of the club’s
notice.
b. The district governor may request an
advisory opinion from the National Advancement
Committee at any time prior to rendering a final
decision on the club’s initial request. The National
Advancement Committee will provide an advisory
opinion within 30 calendar days after receipt of such
request or defer to the next scheduled National
Advancement Committee meeting, as deemed
appropriate. The Chair of the National Advancement
Committee shall notify the district governor, in
writing, of the time period required to provide an
opinion. The district governor shall notify the club,
in writing, of the reason(s) for the pending final
decision beyond the 30 calendar days.
c. If the club disagrees with the final review
decision rendered by the district governor, the club
may appeal directly to the National Advancement
Committee. The request must be signed by the
club president and contain a detailed statement of
the reason(s) for the disagreement, a copy of the
appropriate Community Service Report(s), and any
other relevant information.
d. The National Advancement Committee
will acknowledge receipt of the request and give an
estimated time for rendering a decision (normally 30
to 90 days from date of receipt of request). A copy
of the notice will be sent to the appropriate district
governor with a request for a written statement with
accompanying supporting documents regarding the
club’s request within 30 calendar days after receipt
of request.
5. If the findings by the National Advancement
Committee agree with the decision made by the
district, a letter will be sent to the club notifying
them of the final decision with a copy to the district
governor.
6. If the findings by the National Advancement
Committee favor the club’s appeal, the National
Advancement Committee will notify the club of the
favorable final decision with a copy to the district
governor. The National Advancement Committee will
notify Ruritan National, in writing, that an award
must be prepared for presentation to the appropriate
club. Ruritan National will send the appropriate
award to the district governor for presentation
to the club. The inappropriate award will be
returned to the district governor by the club
president.
Spirit of the Awards
The purpose of these awards is to encourage and
document the giving done by Ruritan clubs every day
in their communities. These awards are not designed
to punish, judge, or criticize. Clubs are encouraged to
be as honest as they can be when reporting. District
judges are urged to be positive and supportive when
judging community service reports.
Sample Reports
Sample Community Service Merit System reports are
included in this manual for training purposes. Use the
examples as a guideline for judging the community
service achievements of Ruritan clubs in your district.
These sample reports contain many typical Ruritan club
projects, with sample hours and membership totals. On
each report, the calculations have been completed for
you so that you can see the relationship between service
hours, donations, and active members.