| Rotary International District 5930 Vol. 4 No. 10 Newsletter April 2008 Print |
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Membership and Extension Award Adoption Awareness Convention Breakout
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  Governor
Tom writes . . . .
We are looking forward to the District Conference
The Nominating Committee met on February 23 in McAllen. This committee made these two recommendations: Gilbert Serna, Jr. of the Laredo Gateway Rotary Club for our Rotary District Governor 2010-11. Jack Daniels be our representative to the 2010 Rotary International Council on Legislation, and PDG FJ Brewerton as alternate. Rotary Clubs have until April 5 to challenge these nominations and to recommend different candidates for 2010-11. For the Celebration of Life at our District Conference we want to remember all our Rotary friends who have died in the last year. Please tell me their name year of birth, year of death, photo if possible, and club. The Conference golf tournament on Friday is not required. It is just
fun and prizes, and rather goofy type of golf. Friday is just fun and
fellowship. Students in the District Four-Way Speech Contest will be invited to the luncheon. The luncheon costs $20 apiece for the contestant and accompanying parents and is usually paid by the sponsoring Rotary Club. Lionel Betancourt will be presenting a breakout session at the Rotary
International Convention in LA. Thank you, Gov. Tom Moore and Carol |
Corpus Christi funds bio-sand filters
The Rotary Club of Corpus Christi funded 50 bio-sand filters to provide
safe, clean drinking water for families in the rural towns of southern
Honduras. In February of 2008, these filters were delivered and
installed in the communities of La Permuta, Yusguare, and San Rafael,
Choluteca.
La Permuta, Yusguare |
Area 8 ShrimpFest expected to be best ever
Area 8 consists of
five clubs, Harlingen, Harlingen Sunburst, North Harlingen,
Raymondville, and San Benito. These five clubs have combined their efforts
for the past five years in putting together a ShrimpFest with the five clubs
as partners. The ShrimpFest has actually been in existence for 14 years. The
clubs begin their meetings early in the fall—assigning the various
committees with a live auction and a bucket auction as part of the event.
This year the event promises to be one of the largest revenue income years
that the clubs have experienced. Part of this is due to corporate sponsors
who gave of their money to help the ShrimpFest.
The profits are divided among the five clubs on a percentage basis of
tickets sold in accordance with the number of members of each club. The
profits stay in the community for use by local recipients—such as, Salvation
Army, Loaves & Fishes, literacy, scholarships, abused and battered women,
homeless children, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, and other
charitable organizations. This year as a result of higher profits, there
will be that much more to give to deserving organizations.
We commend Area 8 clubs for their SERVICE ABOVE SELF!
Submitted byJoan L. Cocozza
Laredo volunteers help with Air-Show
Almost
half of the Laredo Rotary Club volunteered Sunday, February 17, to work at
the Air-Show, one of the highlights of President Washington Birthday ( WBCA
) Celebration. Annually, this group of Rotarians participates in selling
beer to the crowd of hundreds who watch the different airplanes and
acrobatic performers. They manned four booths this year.
The event organizer invites the club to man the booths for a $1,500.00 donation to the Rotary Club. Mike Kazen, Past President 2004-2005, started this fun and fellowship that members always enjoy. Families share in giving and sharing quality time there.
President Guero Benavides is proud to announce what camaraderie can do!! Submitted by Terri McGraw.
Membership and extension award available
Membership development and extension are essential to achieving Rotary's
goals of providing community and international service. The continued growth
of our clubs and international association depends on our ability to bring
new, qualified volunteers into our ranks. Rotary's vitality and longevity
depend on our success in creating new, effective Rotary clubs and nurturing
their growth and development.
While the responsibility for Rotary extension falls to the district
governor, every Rotary club member shares the responsibility of proposing
qualified new members. It is an obligation born from the privilege of
membership.
Few things are more rewarding than sharing Rotary with others ; however, the
RI Board is offering an additional incentive: the RI Membership Development
and Extension Award.
This program recognizes membership growth in existing clubs, retention of current club members, and the establishment of new clubs. Districts that meet or exceed their membership goal also receive recognition. The program is outlined here.
Description
The annual RI Membership Development and Extension Award is given to clubs within a district based on their achievements during the 1 July - 15 May time frame in the following categories:
* Overall growth: club with the highest growth rate (percentage)
* Recruitment : club with the most new members inducted
* Retention : club with the highest retention rate* (percentage)
* New Clubs: club(s) that sponsored a new club(s)
* The retention rate is the percentage of club members who joined the club
on or before 1 July and are still members of the club on 15 May.
In addition, governors of districts that meet or exceed their membership goals by 15 May receive special district membership recognition from the RI president.
Terri McGraw, District Membership Chair 2007-08, requests that each club in our District forward its membership figures; starting from July 1, 2007 to present and, also, their newly inducted members to the present. She wishes each and everyone a wonderful year of Sharing Rotary Membership. Submitted by Lisa Brown.
Sylvia G. Mahoney invites Rotarians to two additional Western Trail marker dedications
The first Western Trail marker in North Dakota will be dedicated at Medora on May 1, 2008. Our Rotary friend DG District 5580 Jim Ozbun has been planning this dedication since our Ogallala, NE, dedication ceremony. I hope that you will join us there in adding the sixth state to dedicate a trail marker of the nine states that the Western Trail crossed. Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming are the final three.
Our Regina Rotary Trail Friends will dedicate the first Western Trail marker in Canada at Regina, Saskatchewan, on Saturday, July 26.
I hope that you will make plans to join us for these historical events. Submitted by Sylvia G. Mahoney.
Dear Rotarian Betancourt
On behalf of RI president Wilf Wilkinson, I am pleased to inform you that your proposed session on Adoption Awareness was approved for inclusion as part of the 2008 Rotary International Convention program.
This session is scheduled to take place on Monday 16 June from 14:00-15:00 in Room 153B at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
In coming weeks we will begin promoting the session on the RI Web site and in other publications. For these purposes I’m requesting that you send me a brief promotional description (approximately 50 words or fewer) by Friday 28 March. RI staff will edit this description as necessary for the official convention program.
Registration: All Rotarian participants in your breakout session must register for the convention and pay the appropriate registration fee. If you or other people from your group have not yet registered, I encourage you to do so as soon as possible, as registration rate increase after 31 March. You may register online at www.rotary.org.
Kind Regards,
Norah Webster
Program Development Specialist, International Meetings
Rotary International
So it goes in Honduras
3/8/2008 Just thought you would be interested in the trials and tribulations of the last
few days in Honduras....
Pam's group had no snafus until they boarded the plane in La Ceiba....mechanical
problems. They eventually got the airline to drive them to San
Pedro....missing three pieces of their luggage....but they are home now.
That afternoon, farmers near the Rodriguez project blockaded the road out of Trujillo.....to last three days.....and Interact needed to go out the next day. I got caught in it returning from taking Pam to the airport and ended up finding someone to lead me around the blockade....one and a half hours to go less than the ten miles it would have been....done a muddy, one lane dirt road. Lincoln got caught up in it a little later and went to find the town leader...he eventually did....and convinced him to let us through the next morning with the Interact group. It was still in question whether or not we would get through...but we did....as we passed people sleeping under their trucks and in their cars.
Carol and I are now in Roatan for a few days....the entire plane did not get
their luggage....so Roatan is not the island of lost luggage...it is the
island where luggage gets lost. It arrived the next evening. Now a windstorm
is going strong.
I shall return home on March 15!!! Thanks everyone for making the trip so successful. I will report on progress when I return to Trujillo next week.
I will also be sending out an evaluation form....please fill it out as soon
as possible!
Thanks!
Tom
3/17/2008 Yes, I am home at last....and Lincoln
has also arrived back in the states. Sorry if I overloaded your computer
with photos....I kind of confused my computer with it all and had to give it
a rest....so I will be sending more : )
Lincoln, Tesla, and I continue to strive to make your experience
rewarding...both to you and to the people of Honduras. Consequently, we
would love to have you respond to the following questions as soon as
possible.
1. On a scale of 1 to 10 how was your overall
experience?
2. What did you like most?
3. What did you like least?
4. What would you improve?
5. How did you like the hotel?
6. Were your project sites satisfactory?
7. If you were to organize the trip, how would you do it differently?
8. Would you consider going again next year?
9. Is Lincoln really a chico sexy???
10. Testimonials.......comments.....etc.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!! ASAP......
3/22/2008 Unfortunately, I have only received 32 evaluations....and would love input from everyone else. Only about 18 to go.....PLEASE!!!!!!
3/27/2008 Article appearing in La Prensa, http://www.laprensahn.com/index.php/ediciones/2008/03/13/espaldarazo_a_la_educacion.
Tom
Submitted by Tom Plumb.
Cancer......Early detection can save your life
By Armando G. Avalos,
Health Committee Chair
What is cancer? Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled
growth and spread of abnormal cells. If the spread is not controlled, it can
result in death. Cancer is caused by both external factors; such as tobacco,
chemicals, radiation, and infectious organisms, and internal factors which
are inherited mutations, hormones, immune conditions, and mutations that
occur from metabolism. These causal factors may act together or in sequence
to initiate or promote carcinogenesis. Ten or more years often pass between
exposure to external factors and detectable cancer.
Why is it important for regular screening? Regular screening examinations by
a health care professional can result in the detection and removal of
pre-cancerous growths, as well as the diagnosis of cancers at an early stage
when they are most treatable. Screening can prevent cancers of the cervix,
colon, and rectum by allowing removal of precancerous tissue before it
becomes malignant. Screening can detect cancers of the breast, colon,
rectum, cervix, prostate, oral cavity, and skin at early stages. For most of
these cancers, early detection has been proven to reduce mortality. Cancers
that can be prevented or detected earlier by screening account for at least
half of all new cancer cases. The 5-year relative survival rate for these
cancers is about 85%, a reflection of real reductions in mortality and
earlier diagnosis because of screening.
Who Is at risk of developing cancer? Anyone can develop cancer. Since the
risk of being diagnosed with cancer increases as individuals age, most cases
occur in adults who are middle-aged or older. About 77% of all cancers are
diagnosed in persons 55 and older. Cancer researchers use the word “risk” in
different ways, most commonly expressing risk as lifetime risk or relative
risk. Lifetime risk refers to the probability that an individual, over the
course of a lifetime, will develop or die from cancer. In the US, men have
slightly less than a 1 in 2 lifetime risk of developing cancer; for women,
the risk is a little more than 1 in 3. Relative risk is a measure of the
strength of the relationship between risk factors and a particular cancer.
It compares the risk of developing cancer in persons with a certain exposure
or trait to the risk in persons who do
not have this characteristic. For example, male smokers are about 23 times
more likely to develop lung cancer than nonsmokers, so their relative risk
is 23. Most relative risks are not this large. Another example, women who
have a first-degree relative (mother, sister, or daughter) with a history of
breast cancer have about twice the risk of developing breast cancer compared
to women who do not have a family history. About 5% of all cancers are
strongly hereditary, in that an inherited genetic alteration confers a very
high risk of developing one or more specific types of cancer. However, most
cancers do not result from inherited genes but from damage (mutation) to
genes that occur during one’s lifetime.
About 1,437,180 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2008. The
National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 10.8 million
Americans with a history of cancer were alive in January 2004. Some of these
individuals were cancer-free, while others still had evidence of cancer.
Can Cancer Be Prevented? All cancers caused by cigarette smoking and heavy
use of alcohol could be prevented completely. The American Cancer Society
estimates that in 2008 about 170,000 cancer deaths are expected to be caused
by tobacco use. Scientific evidence suggests that about one-third of the
565,650 cancer deaths expected to occur in 2008 will be related to
overweight or obesity, physical inactivity, and nutrition and thus could
also be prevented. Certain cancers are related to infectious agents, such as
hepatitis B virus, human papillomavirus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV),
Helicobacter pylori (H pylori), and others, and could be prevented through
behavioral changes, vaccines, or antibiotics. In addition, many of the more
than 1 million skin cancers expected to be diagnosed in 2008 could have been
prevented by protection from the sun’s rays and avoiding indoor tanning. The
National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 10.8 million
Americans with a history of cancer were alive in January 2004. Some of these
individuals were cancer-free, while others still had evidence of cancer.
Cancer can be treated by various means, such as, surgery, radiation,
chemotherapy, hormone therapy, biological therapy, and targeted therapy, but
early detection can affect the severity of the treatment and add years to
your life.
For additional information and pamphlets on cancer, the disease and treatment, see the website for the American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org and/or Texas Health Department, http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/, or contact the nearest city or county health department office within your area. If you would like to have a club program or sponsor a health project with your local health department in your area, email or call Armando G. Avalos at (361)857-2220 or email. Submitted by Armando Avalos.
Edinburg Rotary Club gives library a new look
The Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library, the city of Edinburg’s new
library is pleased to announce a brand new look. With the completion of a
major landscaping project, the outside of the library now looks just as
fantastic as the inside and provides a welcoming appearance that invites the
community to come explore the opportunities and literary adventures that lie
within.
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| Manuel Cantu, Elias Longoria, Mark Peña, Ronald Case, Mark Magee, Lisa Sekula, Bryon Lewis, Bob Kaufold, Marti Brewerton, Stephen Reynolds, Bitsy Reynolds, Frank Mendieta, Letty Martinez, Ruben Canales, Sonia Quintero, Dr. Charles Ellard, Ph.D., Letty Leija |
Financial contributors included the Edinburg Rotary Club, Stephen and Bitsy Reynolds, owners of the Echo Hotel, and the Edinburg Kiwanis Club. Landscaping services were generously provided at a reduced cost by Southern Landscapes and owner John Klement. Robert Gandy of First National Bank volunteered his talents in creating the landscape design for the project, and Byron Jay Lewis, President and owner of Edwards Abstract and Title Co., and former Edinburg Mayor, Ronald Case, were contributing project coordinators.
Reflecting on the success of the project, Mr. Peña said “there is so much that can be accomplished in our community when people and organizations come together for the common good of service over self, and the Edinburg Rotary Club wants to thank each contributor to this project and hopes this is just the beginning of many more environmental projects to come.” Submitted by Tamara Sanchez.
Mission Rotary Builds for Habitat
President Paul Petit of the
Mission Rotary Club led a contingent of a dozen
Rotarians on a work party to help Rio Grande Habitat for Humanity (RGHfH) finish the
building of affordable homes for families who would not otherwise qualify
for home ownership. These families are below the income level which would
allow them to secure home financing in the usual mortgage market. They live
in substandard rental housing.
The Rotary party was met by Jack Tierney, Executive director RGHfH and a
long time member of the Mission Rotary Club. The group was then put to work
by Dale McNallen Construction Manager RGHfH on a home at 412 Habitat Circle
North in the Casa Ingles subdivision.
The work party put up sheetrock in the house and cleaned up the
construction debris from the site of the six houses under construction by RGHfH.
President Petit stated he would like his club to adopt 412 N. as a project
and in conjunction with other Rotary Clubs help fund the material for the
house. He said they would like to have subsequent work builds, concentrating
on the 412 N home. If possible the Rotarians will work side by side with the
homeowners as those homeowners complete their “sweat equity” of 300
hours work in the house.
The group was briefed that the homes would be sold to the qualifying
families at no profit and a zero interest mortgage taken by RGHfH. This
program is a “Hand Up not a Hand Out”.
President Petit said his group would be meeting with the Edinburg Rotary
Club to coordinate a joint effort and talk about ways to interest other
Rotary Clubs in Hidalgo and surrounding counties to participate.
As the temperature approached 100 degrees the hot and weary Rotary party
called it a break until the next “Rotary Build Day.”
Submitted by Paul Petit.
Harlingen Sunburst has books to give away
Harlingen Sunburst Rotary Club had a book sale and raised $700 for their
homeless shelter. They have enough books left over for some other club to
have a sale. Any club who wants to have a sale may contact
Tim Brewer
to work out the details. (They may have 1,000 to 1,500 books.)
Submitted by Tim Brewer, Pres., Harlingen Sunburst
Rotary Club
Team training held in Kingsville
DGE Russell Cain conducted team training in Kingsville on March 15. He showed an address from incoming Rotary International President D.K. Lee. He explained how he developed the 2008-09 theme, Make Dreams Real. He is concerned about the number of children who die each month from preventable causes. See this YouTube video for highlights.
Billy
Settles talked about grants and their relationship to Rotary Foundation
giving. The more we give, the more comes back to the District. Foundation
training will be held in Kingsville on July 19.
Jo Anne Settles gave an update on PolioPlus. We keep making progress, only 164 cases so far this year. The program is going to start using monovalent vaccine--a single polio strain. Past vaccines used all three wild viruses.
Tamara Sanchez and Jim Deuser talked about the youth exchange program and offered to give programs at any club. Just ask.
Art Zeitler discussed ambassadorial scholarships, cultural exchanges, and world peace scholars.
Russell closed with a description of the 2009 District Conference to be held in San Antonio at the Radisson resort near Sea World. It will be a family affair. Picture submitted by Mario Jimenez.
Ingleside getting mileage from Four-Way Test Speech Contest
Ingleside
Rotary Club held its local Four-Way Test Speech Contest on February 19. They had
four high school students compete in the contest. A panel of
judges selected one candidate to move on to the Area Competition. Their website designer and photographer, Roger Wright,
submitted this photo to the local newspaper and Ingleside Rotary Club
received front page coverage for the program. Secretary, Bob Perry, is
heading up the Area Four-Way Test Speech Contest and they are looking forward to
their
Area representative's competing at the District competition.
Submitted by
Michael Ladewig.
GSE Teams started arriving in March 21
| GSE Team - Spain | |||
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Virginia Morcillo (Team Leader) |
||
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Mari Luz Garasa |
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José Daniel Ameneiros Rodríguez |
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Jaume Vives Roig Salvador Dalí, 3 |
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Diego López González |
Governor Tom congratulates the
Rotary Club of Rio Grande City for their most
excellent hosting of the Spanish GSE team. Rio Grande City Rotary Club
has just completed their first hosting of a Rotary GSE team.
Club President Baldemar and Secretary Billy had concerns about the
ability of their small Rotary Club to host the Spanish GSE team. By last
night (after two days of hosting) at their club social there was a lot
of ¡mi casa es su casa! being said by the Rio Grande City hosts.
If you have any questions about the Spanish GSE team,
Baldemar and Billy
are the experts. They show that GSE hosting can be fun and very
meaningful.
Submitted by
Tom Moore.
| GSE Team - Germany | |||
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Michael Trierweiler (Team Leader) Pharmacist |
||
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Karin Ailland Civil Engineer |
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Thomas Riek IT-Professional |
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Jérôme Janke Manager (retailtrade) |
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Gernot Pehnelt Consultant |
Brownsville Sunrise is proud to have Deborah Sears
Deborah
Sears has been attending Rotary club meetings since 1990. Since then Debbie
has served as President of Brownsville Sunrise Rotary Club and Assistant
District Governor. In addition with her arduous work schedule and
executorial responsibilities at the city’s biggest outpatient and nonprofit
clinic for children, she has also given even more of her time in regular
attendance with the Brownsville Sunrise Club’s weekly meetings and walked
through voluntary activities in the club’s undertakings that benefit more
children and adults. Rotary International can be proud of Debbie‘s
courageous perseverance and generous disposition, where she exerts her care
and skills with patients and employees at Moody Clinic and where her
exertion for voluntary connections with Sunrise Rotary projects, such as
collecting money for parking lot duty and poling flags on patriotic days,
have helped to make a difference in her community on both sides of the Texas
and Mexican border. Truly, Deborah Sears is an exemplary citizen and
professional whose membership with Sunrise Rotary has helped to enhance the
purposes of the club.
Submitted by
James Seguin.
Area 6 has a Speech Contest winner
Area
6 Rotary Four-Way Test Speech Contest was held March 15 at Texas A &
M-Kingsville. The winner is Myra Barrera a senior from Freer High School.
She will advance to the District competition at the District Conference in
McAllen, April 19. The Freer Rotary Club congratulates Myra.
Left to right: Norman Jenkins Club President, Dr. Belia Blanton English teacher for the Freer High School, Myra Barrera Area 6--Speech winner, Ann Jenkins, and Arturo Martinez Submitted by Norman Jenkins.
Mission acts after Rotary Youth Exchange presentation
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| Mission Rotary Club President – Paul Petit presents information packets to two brothers who will be RYE Outbound students in Rotary Year 2008-2009, Benjamin Villarreal (left) and Reynold Villarreal (right). |
An Outbound Student equates to an Inbound Student…
A “long term” Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) is built on the premise that one out
means one into District 5930. That basic formula allows two high school
students from different countries, cultures, religious beliefs to understand
one another better which is the first step to a enhance understanding and
promote world peace.
The Rotary club of Mission listened to the overview of the RYE program by
Tamara Sanchez.
She highlighted the scope of a “Long Term,” exchange as being aligned to the
academic school year for a typical exchange student. Our visiting guest
speaker and fellow Rotarian Tamara addressed our club about the RYE program
with her deep passion and a strong commitment to its success, especially
here in District 5930 with upcoming exchanges to Austria, Belgium, France,
Germany, Taiwan, and Thailand to include three short-term and five long-term
exchanges.
As soon as Tamara concluded her presentation, Jim Deuser (not pictured)
challenged our club to host an exchange student. Immediately after the
meeting, the Board of Directors met and approved participate in the 2008-09
the RYE program, the paper work was signed and turned in. Rotarian Tamara
Sanchez says that no other club has done it this fast.
For RYE information contact Tamara Sanchez (956) 585-4226, www.SouthTexasyouthExchange.org. Submitted by F M Ciancarelli.
Corpus Christi Evening offers a fundraising opportunity
Brian Devaney, President of Corpus Christi Evening Rotary Club and The
Miracle League of Corpus Christi, a local non-profit benefiting children
with disabilities says, "We have teamed up with Whataburger to raise money
for our charity and provide a fundraising opportunity for your Rotary Clubs.
Whataburger is printing several thousand coupons to be redeemed at specific
locations (Mostly Corpus Christi area and cities to the north). We are
offering a split of the proceeds with Rotary Clubs in order to help them
raise money for their projects and assist us in building a baseball field
specifically designed for children with disabilities. This is a great
opportunity for a win-win partnership. I know that Victoria Northside Rotary is
wanting to raise money to build a Miracle Field to support the disabled
youth in their area."
For more information, please contact: Brian Devaney at 361-815-6805 or
Danell Spelhaug - Whataburger Marketing Coordinator, West Division at
361-854-7561 or
Elisa Macias - Corpus Christi Hooks Sponsor Services Director at
361-561-4665
| Date | Event | Location or Sponsor |
| April 2008 - Rotary Magazine Month | ||
| 1 | Deadline to submit Presidential Citation | DG Tom Moore |
| 3 | Submit March membership attendance report | David Carrales |
| 12 | Corpus Christi Northwest 3rd Annual Fish Fry | VFW Post 3837, 4:00 PM |
| 16 | GSE Team from Spain arrives | Terri Whitman |
| 18-19 | District Conference | McAllen Convention Center Holiday Inn Express |
| 24 | Submit May Newsletter Articles | Jack Whitmire |
| 26-27 | Victoria Charity Sporting Clay Shoot | Lorene Bothe |
| May 2008 | ||
| 1 | Submit Fund Development Club Goal Report form to RI, and Tom Moore | DG Tom Moore |
| 1 | Our GSE Team goes to Spain | Terri Whitman |
| 3 | Submit April membership attendance report | David Carrales |
| 15 | ADG submit memo of club visit forms to Governor | DG Tom Moore |
| 16 | College of Governors Social | |
| 16 | Governor's Executive Committee Meeting | DG Tom Moore |
| 17 | District Assembly | Kingsville |
| 24 | Submit June Newsletter Articles | Jack Whitmire |