| Rotary International District 5930 Vol. 5 No. 6 Newsletter December 2008 Print |
|
Kingsville Sunrise Student of the Month CC Mayor Gets Paul Harris Fellowship
December Visit Schedule
02 Three Rivers |
  Governor
Russell writes . . .
Let's Make Dreams RealThanks to all of you who participated in the District 5930 Raffle Fundraiser. As a result we will be sending $24,746.81 to the Rotary Foundation and maintaining $8,248.94 for District Humanitarian Projects. Clubs will get Paul Harris credit based on their ticket sales. Several of us attended the Annual Bi-National Friendship Reunion in San Antonio. We all found the meeting to be in the best Rotary tradition--fellowship, education, sharing, work, and understanding. See the picture below for District 5930 Attendees.
 Find
reasons to attend the 100th annual RI Convention in Birmingham,
England, June 21-24, 2009. Visit the Birmingham pages located under the Members tab under the
Events subheading. There you'll find information about airline
discounts, hotels, tours, the convention program, and the wonderful Host
events that are being planned for you!You can register online for the convention, reserve your hotel, and purchase tickets to Host Events on one page: 2009RIConvention For more details about Host Events, Birmingham, and England, go to www.rotaryconvention2009.com. Don't forget our District Conference just prior to the International Convention--April 23-25, 2009. This will be a family event at the Radisson Hill Country Resort near SeaWorld-San Antonio. Specific details will be announced shortly. Download a sample public relations PowerPoint presentation (located on the left side of the page in related documents.) Use this presentation template for public relations training opportunities such as a PETS, GETS, Institute, or other large Rotary meeting. You might also consider using the presentation during a club meeting that focuses on public relations. Feel free to use the full presentation or select slides and customize as appropriate. Remember to save the presentation to your computer to review the notes on each slide. This is Rotary Club Election Month. You should have your nominees for the 2009-10 Rotary year and hold an election sometime this month. Please have the results to me by the end of December. Thank you, Gov. Russell Cain and Cherre |
Tom Plumb is recognized in the Island Breeze
Tom Plumb, a former winter Texan who moved to the Rio Grande Valley about
three years ago, was already a member of the local Rotary Club when he
traveled to Honduras in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch.
Back in Vermont he had worked for anti-poverty programs in his home county.
In Honduras, appalled at the primitive living Conditions in many small
villages, he decided to get involved.
Not only did he go to work, but he persuaded his Rotary friends to join him
at it. “We work with villagers to find solutions to many of their problems,"
he said. "We help with water systems, power systems, and education. We build
schools."
Plumb said his group also provides computers for students. "We teach them
how to
use the internet for research." he said. "There are internet cafes just
about everywhere."
Plumb said that more than one Honduran resident told him, "We don't hear
many good things about Americans, but you are a good American"
Today Rotary Clubs all over South Texas assist Plumb in his efforts. He
manned a booth at Sand Castle Days over the past weekend, selling handmade
jewelry from Honduras, with the proceeds to he used to build more schools.
"We raised about $12,000 last year." He said. "That's enough to build a
school and equip three classrooms.”
The hot summers of South Texas and Honduras have been hard for him to adapt
to, he said. "Summers here are tough the way winters are tough back in
Vermont," he said.
He said he began coming to the Valley as a winter Texan because he had
in-laws who were in love with South Padre Island. "We just kinda followed in
their footsteps," he said, “First thing you know, we were hooked."
Plumb never really retired. He merely switched from a paying job to one
without a paycheck, but he's still fighting poverty.
Island Breeze clipping submitted by
Russell Cain Gayle.
Tom's Update:
We now have 63 volunteers signed up. The USA volunteers boil down as
follows: 14 Texans, 13 Vermonters, 34 New Hampshirites, one Floridian and
Lincoln from Virginia.
Our budget is $124,818.90. IF we receive the matching grant from the Rotary
Foundation, transportation fees, and monies from the Rotary District 5930
car raffle, we have raised or have been pledged $85,775.86. This is almost
as much as our 2008 budget,
SOOOOOOO......we still need to raise $39,043.04!!! That is almost as much as
our first year's budget in Trujillo.....we have a lot of work ahead of us.
All of the Rotary Foundation projects do not require labor and that eats up
$61,871.42. Vans, gas and cell phones (all necessary) eat up another
$10,518.68 and that is not the entire support cost budget. So, I am
naturally concerned that I will be driving volunteers around to projects we
cannot afford to do.
Please help us with our fundraising!!!
But remember, if we raise this entire budget, we can: (if the Rotary
Foundation grant is funded, projects are marked "done". There are other
projects that have been funded with donations but are not marked as "done"
because I may need to ask the donors to fund higher priorities if we do not
meet budget):
1. Provide power to the Pech Indian village (done)
2. Wire the new kindergarten in the Pech village.
3. Build two more classrooms with wiring in the Pech Indian village.
4. Bring power to the people of Cunda where we built a new school in 2008
(done)
5. Wire the new Cunda school.
6. Build new latrines at the Cunda school (done)
7. Bring power to the community of Caribbean Mission (done)
8. Wire the existing school in Caribbean Mission.
9. Put a new roof on the original kindergarten in Buenos Aires.
10. Provide new playground equipment in Buenos Aires (income and expense is
"off-budget" based on desires and fundraising of the Warren/Waitsfield
students)
11. Provide minor assistance ($504.00) for the District 5830 matching grant
to provide a community water filtration system for Barrio Cristales (800
households)
12. Build new latrines at the Rio Claro school (done)
13. Build two classrooms with wiring at the Rio Claro school
14. Build a new kindergarten with wiring in Rio Claro.
15. Build two classrooms with wiring in Monte Cristo.
16. Build two new classrooms with wiring in Guadalupe Carney
17. Upgrade the power supply in Guadalupe Carney (done)
18. Build new latrines at the school in Guadalupe Carney (done)
19. Rewire the school in Guadalupe Carney
20. Build a 36,000 gallon water storage tank for the 11,000 people of San
Martin (done)
21. Reforest the watershed of Barrio Cristales and San Martin (done)
22. Provide 150 computers to schools throughout Trujillo.
My current triage...elimination of projects....only amounts to half of our
current budget shortfall....and those projects facing elimination include
the roof at Buenos Aires, the Guadalupe Carney school rewiring (unless we
get a Victoria Texas Rotary grant (We didn't)), the two Rio Claro classrooms, the two
Monte Cristo classrooms, most of the plaques, and the club flags...even with
those eliminations (meaning only 5 classrooms to work on with 63
volunteers), we still need to raise $18,000.00 to get to this point.
In short, keep on fundraising!!!! We can do so much with so little!
The
Port Isabel Rotary Club has sponsored humanitarian aid projects in Trujillo,
Honduras since 2006. Since that time, under the leadership of Rotarian Tom
Plumb of Laguna Vista, the Club has sponsored two series of work crews going
to Trujillo, Honduras, each February. The third work trip will be heading
out in February, 2009, with over 65 people signed up to go so far. The
volunteers are both Rotarians and non-Rotarians and come from Texas,
Vermont, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Florida. Past work crews built three
schools and renovated a fourth in 2007. This past February, the work crews
built five schools, provided power to a village with 30 households and a
school, paid for the construction of a 26,000 gallon water storage tank
providing water to a community of 800 households, provided 153 computers to
17 schools, and provided science equipment to nine schools.
The Rotary Foundation has awarded the Port Isabel Rotary Club a matching
grant of $61,871.42. In order to get this grant, the club had to raise
$19,328.15 of the award locally and $17,676.48 from the Rotary District. The
Foundation matched these sums with $24,867.00.
The Port Isabel Rotary Club is also providing funds to build a new
kindergarten in the community of Rio Claro near Trujillo, Honduras. Last
year, the club provided funds to build a new school in the community of
Cunda. In addition to building nine classrooms this year utilizing
contributions raised from Rotary Clubs and individuals, this matching grant
will provide the resources to:
Provide power to the community of Caribbean Mission;
Provide power to the community of Cunda;
Upgrade power to the community of Guadalupe Carney;
Provide power to Moradel, a Pech Indian village;
Build latrines at schools in Guadalupe Carney, Rio Claro, and Cunda;
Provide 150 computers; and
Build a 36,000 gallon water storage tank for the 11,000 residents of Barrio
San Martin and reforest their watershed.
For more information, contact Tom Plumb at 956-943-1237.
PHOTO CAPTION: The school in Guadalupe Carney, Trujillo, Honduras, provides
an education for 659 students utilizing eight overcrowded, termite-infested
classrooms. Work crews will build two new classrooms here, rewire their
existing classrooms, upgrade their power supply, and build them three new
latrines.
Nina Gage and her three friends in Brandon, Vermont, have raised $400 toward
their $1800 goal!!! Waterbury, Vermont, Rotary has sent their $1,000 pledge.
Thanks!
Tom
Tuberculosis Center in Reynosa is closer to reality
Dear Fellow Rotarians,
It is with great pleasure and positive anticipation that we write to
congratulate you on the announcement of the soon to be built Tuberculosis
Center in Reynosa.
We salute the Secretary of Health of Tamaulipas and the Centro de Salud of
Reynosa for their decision to build a new building to house the
state-of-the-art laboratory and clinical service facility to combat
tuberculosis in Border Area 7.
This facility will serve as a model of preventive health care for other
areas along the Mexico and Texas border and will also serve as a model of
how cooperative partnerships between governments and private and charitable
entities such as Rotary International can work to create positive results
for all of our citizens on both sides of the border.
It is our sincere hope and fervent belief that this facility and others like
it will help to stem the tide of the spread of drug resistant tuberculosis
disease that provides concern to healthcare professionals in both of our
countries.
We are extremely proud that through the Rotary Foundation, a grant of
$300,000 was made to purchase the laboratory equipment. This is an excellent
example of the power of Rotary International and individual Rotarians to
provide meaningful solutions to common international problems.
Once again, Rotary has exemplified our motto of “Service Above Self”.
Those of us in District 5870 offer our sincere congratulations and thanks
for your support of this project and look forward with great anticipation to
the positive results that it will bring.
Ronney Reynolds, District Governor, Rotary District 5870
Clift Price, Chair of Border Health, Rotary District 5870
According to Tom Moore, Rotary is donating $300,000 for the equipment to
outfit the TB lab in Reynosa. The Mexican State of Tamaulipas is obliged to
build the building to house the equipment. He does not think anything
happens until the building is built. Tuberculosis is a real problem on the
Mexican border and it spills into Texas. Submitted by
Tom Moore.
Adoption Awareness picnics held all over the District
Valley: On
November 1, 2008, The Rotary Clubs of San Benito, Harlingen, Harlingen North
and Sunburst joined together to host an Adoption Awareness picnic for
children of the area. Our own Area 8 Asst. District Governor, Lionel
Betancourt, from the San Benito Club, was the originator and instigator of
this program. Since its inception, it has answered the needs of our
community and many adoptions have been made as a result of his dream. There
were about 200 in attendance. A great number of Rotarians were there from 10
a.m. in the morning to 5 in the afternoon. The actual picnic was 2 to 4, but
not only does lots of preplanning go into this function, but there is Set
up—and Take down. The attractions were many, inflatable jumping machines and
slides, a climbing tower, Fire Engines with the Fire Dept to display them,
Police Dept. with exceptional cars, EMS with it’s helicopter, clowns to
paint faces, horses to ride, hotdogs, chips and drinks for all.
It was truly an expression of the Family of Rotary. Many people donated their time, community involvement and their experience to make this a remarkable afternoon. Submitted by Joan Cocozza.
Corpus
Christi Area: On Saturday, November 1, Corpus Christi Northwest
Rotarians participated in the Adoption Awareness Picnic at West Guth Park in
Corpus Christi. The Adoption Awareness picnic provided an opportunity for
potential adoptees from Child Protective Services and adoptive parents to
meet and enjoy the day together. The Calallen High School/Northwest Interact
students were on hand to help with games, pass out goodie bags and other
event activities. Approximately 200 people attended, shared hot dogs, and
enjoyed a variety of inflatable games, fishing, face painting, and frisbee.
The Alice, Corpus Christi Sunrise, Corpus Christi Downtown Rotary clubs, and
Flour Bluff High School Interact also participated to make the picnic a
great success. Submitted by
Mike Carlisle.
Victoria: The three Victoria clubs--Northside, Sunrise, Victoria--held an Adoption Awareness Picnic on November 22 at the Texas Zoo. One young girl was quoted as saying, "This is the bestest time I've had since the picnic last year." Children and foster parents were invited by Child Protective Services and treated to hamburgers, hot dogs, cookies and soft drinks. The children played games, got party favors, visited the clowns, visited the petting zoo, and toured zoo exhibits during the three-hour picnic.
Joan Cocozza asks for your Family of Rotary input
The family of Rotary, begins at home with our own personal families, but it extends out to encompass millions of people all over the world. In between that very small personal group to millions of people…. our clubs, districts, areas and international. To spread the word of what our clubs are doing, I need your input. If your club has a project going that has made a difference, let me know it. I need your input. Pictures are great. They say a thousand things. Along with those pictures, please include names, places, dates, and the object of your endeavor. Please me, Joan Cocozza or call me at 956-428-4702 and even use the snail mail at P.O. Box 530539, Harlingen TX 78553. Submitted by Joan Cocozza.
Are morning people more generous?
PDG Tom Moore awards Past President Tim Brewer, Rotary Club of Harlingen Sunburst, the award for his club being the top donor per capita for the Rotary Foundation 2007-08.
The three Rotary Clubs that donated the most per capita for the Rotary Foundation for 2007-2008 were breakfast clubs!
1. Harlingen Sunburst Rotary Club....$414.13
2. McAllen North Rotary Club...........$224.23
3. Brownsville Sunrise Rotary Club....$180.95
Submitted by Tom Moore.
Aransas Pass focuses on wildlife
On Monday, October 27, 2008, Karen Gayle invited Michelle
Horine with the Coastal Bend Wildlife Habitat Education Program to come and
present Gateways to Conservation, a stunning slideshow presentation of 150
local photographs, to the Aransas Pass Rotary Club. The mission of the
Coastal Bend Wildlife Habitat Education Program is to raise public awareness
and promote wildlife and habitat conservation of the vast and precious
ecosystems within the Coastal Bend region of Texas. The non-profit
organization accomplishes this mission through four programs: The Coastal
Bend Wildlife Photo Contest, Traveling Benefactors’ Photo Exhibit, Wildlife
in Focus and Kritters 4 Kids. The Rotarians enjoyed the presentation and the
wonderful Wildlife in Focus books were made available for purchase at a
discounted price.
Submitted by Karen Gayle.
Victoria Northside Club holds Vegas Night
The Victoria Northside Rotary Club held a “Vegas Night” on Saturday, October 18, in the Agama Event Center. This event served as a fundraiser to support the "Challenged Athletes Dream Complex," a planned sports field for the use of Challenger Baseball, soccer, Special Olympics, and other sports for handicapped/special needs children and youth in the Victoria area. Vegas night was a joint event of the Northside Club and the Boulevard Lions Club of Victoria. Approximately 125 persons attended and the club netted over $7,500 for the support of the Challenged Athletes Dream Complex. Submitted by Joe Dahlstrom.
Mary Beth Horn wins District 5930 raffle
Mary Beth Horn and James, her husband, receive the keys to the District Raffle prize, a 2008 Dodge Caliber SE, from Andy Hagan--Cardenas Motors general manager and Cesar Pena--Cardenas Motors sales associate! Submitted by Barry Lobell.
District Raffle results
| RAFFLE INCOME AND EXPENSE: | |||||||
| INCOME | $50,190.00 | ||||||
| GALA / BANQUET RECEIPTS | $640.00 | ||||||
| COST OF VEHICLE | -$13,000.00 | ||||||
| PRIZE MONEY | -$1,299.00 | ||||||
| RAFFLE PLANNING MEETING | -$133.00 | ||||||
| RAFFLE TICKET PRINTING | -$2,000.00 | ||||||
| GALA / BANQUET EXPENSE (TOWN CLUB) | -$1,402.25 | ||||||
| NET INCOME | 65.74% OF GROSS | $32,995.75 | |||||
| 75% TO ROTARY FOUNDATION | 24746.81 | ||||||
| 25% TO DISTRICT HUMANITARIAN PROJECTS | 8248.94 | ||||||
| 32995.75 | |||||||
Submitted by Barry Lobell.
Rotarians of all ages help Reynosa school
In a spirit of international good will and partnership, members of the Reynosa Rotary Club, Club Rotario Centennario, members of the McAllen Rotary Club, members of the Rotaract Club of U.T.P.A, and Rotary exchange students attending area high schools all came together on Saturday, November 8th to work on behalf of the Villa y Zapata School in Reynosa. The catalyst for this event was the visit by Alejandro Gonzalez, president of the Reynosa club, to a McAllen Rotary club weekly meeting. At this meeting he described his club’s adoption of the Villa y Zapata School, a very distressed elementary school in a poor colonia on the south side of Reynosa. The McAllen Club responded with enthusiasm to the idea of a partnership to improve the school. McAllen Rotary Club members pledged almost $2,000 to install roofing on several classrooms and repair water damage to the interiors. Coincidentally, Ines Lucio, president of the Rotaract Club of the University of Texas Pan American was attending the same meeting. Ines addressed the Rotarians about the activities of her club and reacted with enthusiasm to the idea of helping with this project. The Rotaract Club of U.T.P.A. pledged financial support and asked to be included in the project. Rotary exchange students from Taiwan, France, Thailand, and Germany, when they heard about the project, also asked to help.
Rotarians
from three McAllen area clubs, and the students met Saturday morning and
caravanned to Reynosa where Reynosa Rotarians met them and together all
proceeded to the school. Besides the Rotary volunteers, parents and even
students from the neighborhood served by the school, pitched in and together
the teams installed two new roofs, sheet rocked a classroom and painted
several buildings. They shared lunch and together made this small corner of
the world a better place to learn and live. “This is why I joined Rotary,”
noted one of the volunteers. Julie David, an exchange student from France in
a note to one of her Rotary counselors said, “Thank you so much for giving
me this wonderful chance to help in Reynosa…I think I will never have a
better opportunity to meet so many nationalities and so interesting and nice
people.” Finally, in the same spirit, another Rotarian recalled “it’s better
to light a singe candle than to curse the darkness.”
Rotarians from the McAllen area and Reynosa, joined by students from the Rotaract Club of U.T.P.A. and Rotary Exchange students from around the world join with the Principal of the Villa y Zapata School, Senor Dario Leija, in front of a newly painted building at the Villa y Zapata Elementary School in Reynosa. Submitted by Jim Deuser.
Kingsville Sunrise announces first Student of the Month
From
left to right: Robbie Brown – Sunrise Rotary, Leidy Ruiz – Student of the
Month, Mrs. Christy Brothers – Assistant Principal Bishop High School, Mrs.
Nelda Vilches – Counselor Bishop High School
Leidy Ruiz is the very first Sunrise Rotary Student of the Month. Ms. Ruiz is a senior at Bishop High School. She is an honor student, who is involved with DECA, FCCLA, and Student Counseling. She is originally from Columbia, and has lived in the United States since 2000. Her career goals are in the medical professions - either as a pharmacist or a registered nurse.
Recipients of the Sunrise Rotary Student of the Month awards are chosen by committees at their respective schools and are recognized for their achievements in the classroom and their adherence to the 4-way test outside of school. Each honoree will receive a $500 scholarship from Texas A&M-Kingsville for the academic year 2009-2010. Submitted by Robbie Brown.
Raymondville Rotary supports Safe Haven event
The Raymondville Rotary has been busy in the community. On Thursday, October
30, 2008, Rotary President (L) Frank Torrez and Past President (R) Randle
Hall were busy at the HEB parking lot handing out candy to the children in
the community during the Raymondville Police Department’s Safe Haven
event that it sponsors, annually.
Also assisting with the candy distribution but not pictured were Rotarians
Vilma Cervantes, Mark Brown, Yvette Garza, and Jackie Roberson.
Submitted by
Vilma Cervantes.
McAllen North plans Christmas gifts for young children
The
McAllen North Rotary club under the direction of member-Rotarian Marilyn
Hardison will be purchasing Christmas gifts for the 145 “head start”
prekinder and kindergarten children. The money has come from the generous
donations of McAllen North Rotarians. These are children from mostly Spanish
speaking families that are ages 2 to 5 and most are from poor families.
These gifts will be a real treat. Their Christmas will be a little brighter.
The McAllen North Rotary is giving each child a toy, and a felt stocking
filled with candy, peppermint sticks, and a small toy. Fred Del Barrio has
donated McDonald bears that will be a perfect fit for the stockings. Her car
was loaded after her shopping trip. One of her office assistants has
volunteered to wrap the gifts.
Club President Pat McCarty pointed to Rotarian Marilyn as an example of
finding a need in the community and asking Rotarians to help fill that need.
Submitted by
Jack Wilson.
Ron Flournoy goes to Peru to check on water project
During
Rotary year 2007-08, the Port Lavaca Rotary Club's clean water project was
in Peru. Rotarian Ron Flournoy became acquainted with the the good work in
Northern Peru of a fellow Texan, Larry Johnson, from San Angelo. For the
past 25 years, Larry has dedicated his life to meeting the physical and
spiritual needs of the people in and around the city of Cajamarca. Cajamarca
is in the Andes at 9000 ft. elevation.
One of the ways that Johnson provides help to this region is by drilling
water wells. Clean water is very scarce in this area. Port Lavaca Rotary
provided $6500 to partner with Johnson so that a 150 foot water well could
be drilled at a Technical/Vocational Secondary School. A pump and
miscellaneous distribution equipment were also provided. The well was
completed in October 2007.
Flournoy recently traveled to Peru and visited the well site. He was able to
see and speak first hand with school administrators, teachers, and students
about the impact of clean water on their lives. Ron was amazed at how
grateful everyone was for the water. "They just couldn't say thank you
enough", Ron commented, "for something we so take for granted".
Previously the school of 1,200 students got its water from the government
only for a couple of hours a day and not every day. That water also was
often not sanitary. Consequently, the school could not use their bathrooms
reliably, could not irrigate the crop plots or water the animals for
teaching purposes, and obviously didn't have clean, safe drinking water.
The completed Rotary water well now supplies adequate water on a CONTINUOUS
basis to meet all the school's sanitary, drinking, and agricultural teaching
requirements. Water is even taken home at times by the students when their
nearby communities don't have clean water. Rotary has indeed positively
changed the lives of hundreds of these Peruvians with just one water well
!!!
Submitted by
Ron Flournoy.
Rotary Club of Southside Corpus Christi honors Students of the Month
Each month The Rotary Club of Southside Corpus Christi recognizes and honors top students who exhibit the motto of Rotary to give “Service above Self.” These students are from Moody High School which is Southside Rotary’s partner school in many Rotary-related projects.
November 2008 honorees include:
Alyssa Chavez----Ranked #2 out of 429
Alyssa
Chavez plans to become a Pharmacist and hopes to attend the Irma Rangel
School of Pharmacy at Texas A&M-Kingsville. Alyssa is an ardent student
taking dual credit and AP classes. She is also taking pharmacy classes in
high school through the Health Science Academy towards a certification as a
Pharmacy Technician. Alyssa is also in the Health Occupation Students of
America Organization. She competed on the state level in Medical Laboratory
Assisting, where she placed 5th in the state of Texas. Alyssa is a real home
town girl who is proud of this South Texas area. She has hopes and dreams of
giving back to this community. Alyssa has been a member of the Trojan
Strutters for three years. She is also a member of the National Honor
Society and the National Spanish Honor Society.
David Cervantes ---- Ranked #5 out of 429
David Cervantes is a young man of passion. He is passionate in his desire to
be involved in his community. He has taught Rape Prevention classes, worked
at the Sunny Brook Nursing Home with the elderly and at the Gulf Coast
Humane Society. When asked what he does at the Sunny Brook Nursing Home he
said, "I basically listen, they love to talk and remember the past". David
plans to become a Family Practice Doctor. When asked why, he stated "due to
the fact that his family is pre-disposed genetically to many major
illnesses; he feels an obligation to try and better the quality of an
individual’s life. He would like to attend Baylor University next year after
graduation. David has a rigorous schedule at Moody with classes in AP
Physics, AP Calculus, AP Economics, dual credit English and Government. He
is also taking EMT classes so that he might successfully achieve that
certification.
Submitted by
Lari Young.
Southside Rotary’s Ambassadorial Scholar gives lecture on US election
The
Rotary Club of Southside Corpus Christi is sponsoring Ambassadorial Scholar
Erica Chimelski this year as she studies in Luxembourg. Erica recently
submitted this interesting update on her studies for the December District
Newsletter!
“One of my favorite experiences here so far was the chance to see the U.S.
election from abroad. I will admit that it's a strange feeling to see how
caught up people from all over the world get about the election of the next
president of our country- it makes me feel very privileged to be an American
and even more conscientious to ensure that I made an informed vote.
Thankfully, in this modern age, it is relatively easy to watch the debates
in their entirety and follow the rest of the campaign online. I was excited
about the election, if solely because at 20, it was my first time voting! I
was relieved that my absentee ballot arrived in time for me to have a voice!
As I am sure that everyone is already aware, Obama was by far the most
popular candidate in Europe, in part for the sole reason that he isn't from
the same party as President Bush and in part because his views more closely
match the more socialist-leaning European mindset. I was interested in the
way that the European media portrays the U.S. election, and was reading Le
Monde, a left-leaning French newspaper that the university library
subscribes to, on a daily basis to get a better idea of their perspective
and improve my French at the same time! Almost everyone I've met associates
Texas with President Bush and the Republican party, so they are usually
surprised to find out that it's not as homogeneous as that and that not all
elected officials in Texas are necessarily Republicans. It was fun to show
them a map of the presidential election by counties in the U.S. that owe
thanks to my dad for sharing with me, just to give them a better idea of the
existent political diversity.
Last night, I had the opportunity to share my perspective on the election at
the LISEL dinner that I attend almost every Friday night. Just to give you
the background, LISEL, a non-profit organization that I recently learned is
supported by the Catholic Church, exists to help students with almost
everything imaginable- from housing, to organizing outings, to finding
service opportunities in the community, to giving students a context in
which we can get together and share our respective cultures. There are about
40 students that participate in the dinners on Friday nights from all over,
Luxembourgish students and many foreign students included. Each Friday,
someone volunteers to cook a dish from their home country to share with the
group and we discuss a topic- among which have been ‘conflict in the world’
or the ‘experience of being an immigrant in a European country’ or someone
shares a presentation of their culture and home country. I'm very grateful
to participate.
I will be making a traditional U.S. Thanksgiving Dinner next Friday (which
will be fun to share and maybe make me a little less homesick during the
holidays!) and giving a presentation on Texas the following Friday. After
our discussion about the election last night, during which I was able to
share a contrasting viewpoint on some of Obama's policies, I was tasked with
explaining the electoral college system (which is very little understood
here and the philosophy of which I myself need to refresh my knowledge a
bit) during my presentation on the 28th. I'm excited to get to share! I will
be sure to take and post some pictures of both events, so look for them
later this month!”
Read all about Erica as she continues her studies on her blog: http://rotaryscholarlux.blogspot.com/ Submitted by Lari Young.
Professor Andy Piker selected as summer 2009 Peace Scholar
The
Rotary Club of Southside Corpus Christi is very proud to announce that
Andrew Piker, Ph.D., their candidate for The Rotary Foundation’s (TRF’s)
Summer 2009 Rotary Program on Peace and Conflict Resolution, has been
selected by TRF for the program. Andy’s passions for teaching and practicing
ethical conflict resolution made him an outstanding candidate for this
program.
Piker, professor of philosophy at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, is
our District’s first applicant for this summer program. He will be enrolled
in the Rotary Center at Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok, Thailand, from
June 11 through August 30, 2009.
Andy is one of only 25 people from around the world selected for the
session. In addition to him, there are four others from the US, from North
Carolina - currently living in Indonesia, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and
one US citizen who is currently living in Korea.
Here’s a sample of why Piker was recommended by our Club and our District,
and selected by TRF:
● His activities at the university include
teaching ethical decision-making within the context of conflicting
interests; advising the College Ethics Bowl team, which has had four top-ten
national finishes, one national championship and four top finishes in our
region, and a commendation from Corpus Christi Mayor Henry Garrett; and has
been recognized by his college and the university for outstanding teaching.
He served as co-director of the Core Curriculum Program, 2001-03; chair of
the Humanities Department, 2003-06; and also served as chair of the
university’s Ethics Council, 2000-07.
● His community service is exceptional. These
are just a few a few of Piker’s community activities that make him notable:
He considers his most important contributions to be his work on the ethics
committees at Driscoll Children’s Hospital and the Spohn Healthcare System.
He has spoken to RYLA campers about ethics and leadership. He served as a
judge for a Biomedical Debate at the Area VII Health Occupations Students of
America Spring Conference and Competition, January 1999. He is quite active
in his professional community, having chaired numerous sessions for the
Association of Practical and Professional Ethics. In addition, he has served
as a volunteer mediator at community mediator centers in North Carolina and
Ohio.
● Piker’s scholarship has contributed to
resolving ethical conflicts concerning pharmaceutical company activities in
third world countries, and he continues his scholarship in this very
important area. His soon to be published article, “Liberation, Protection,
and Decisional Impact: A Moderate Approach to Adolescent Health Care
Decision-Making,” is an effort to resolve a dispute concerning whether to
allow adolescents to make their own health care decisions. In addition, he
has given numerous presentations to professional and non-professional
audiences on a wide range of topics in applied ethical decision making.
According to Jenn Weidman, Specialist with the Rotary Peace & Conflict
Studies Program, “We [were] looking to shift our summer session to a
June-August schedule to allow academics, educators, and education
administrators a better opportunity to participate in the program.” That
change in the program dates was necessary for Piker to be able to participate.
Ms. Weidman also stated, “We at the Foundation define experience relevant to
peace and conflict studies very broadly…. We have had folks involved with
the following industries and issues attend the center in Bangkok: academics,
agricultural rights, attorney generals, child soldiers, conflict theatre,
development, education of all levels and methods, environmentalists, faith
based organizations of all faiths, government officials, HIV/Aids work,
human rights, human resources development, immigrant and migrant issues,
indigenous rights, internally displaced people, journalism, judiciary, labor
issues, land issues, law and lawyers, law enforcement and armed forces
personnel, mediation at all levels, members of parliament, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), refugee work, science, technology and infrastructure
development, water management, etc.”
Submitted by
Marilyn Spencer.
Southside Rotary will award honorary Paul Harris Fellow to Corpus Christi Mayor and Rotarian Henry Garrett
The Rotary Club of Southside Corpus Christi will honor their member and
Mayor of Corpus Christi Henry Garrett as guest of honor at a fundraising
dinner to be held at 6 PM on Thursday January 29, 2009, at the Corpus
Christi Country Club. The club will present Garrett with an honorary Paul
Harris Fellow Award. The award signifies collective contributions of $1,000
from club members to the Rotary Foundation throughout 2008 in Garrett’s
honor.
The tribute will celebrate Mayor Garrett’s outstanding community service,
both in his professional role, as well as his volunteer efforts through
Rotary. Festivities will include a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle. But
the main feature will be a video chronicling Garrett’s accomplishments with
interviews family, friends, and colleagues. Proceeds from the event will
benefit community and international service projects including scholarships
to Del Mar College and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the
construction of wheelchair ramps throughout the community.
For more information or to purchase tickets please call Southside Rotary
President Betty Frantum at (361) 808-8991. To learn more about the Rotary
Club of Southside Corpus Christi please go to our website at:
http://www.southsidecorpuschristi.rotary5930.org
Submitted by
Lari Young.
Another Good Score!
The Rotary Club of Mission, Texas held its 3rd Annual Charity Golf Tournament at Cimarron golf course on Monday, November 10, 2008. It was a huge success for the Rotary Club and their local charities. The club has already presented a check for $4,500 to Make-A-Wish Foundation of the RGV.
Club
President Dan Ogletree said, “I would like to specially thank Direct Energy
our major corporate sponsor and partner for the second year” in a row. Dan went
on to say, “thanks and our appreciation goes out to all Sponsors, Players,
Cimarron Golf Pro Shop staff , Chick-fil-A® at Sharyland Towne Crossing for
providing breakfast, L & F Distributors for donating soft drinks, the Rotary
Club members who provided lunch and all the other members helping us make
this event such a success.”
Recognition for the tournament sponsor that participated from the farthest away was Missouri Military Academy (MMA) located in Mexico, Missouri. Their team, placed 4th among 20+ teams. Their team was lead by Paul Petit and included Mario Gonzalez, Mark Cervantes. Along with sponsoring two teams at the tournament MMA donated a roundtrip visit to the academy to the winner of the longest drive contest.
The Rotary Club of Mission is preparing for its next fundraiser which is
Super Bowl Sunday - Chicken BBQ dinner and to be held on February 1, 2009.
Dinners are carry-out only and will be ready for pickup from 11 AM – 2 PM”.
Tickets will be available soon from any Mission Rotary club member.
Photo L-R: President Dan with the tournament winners--BR Whisenhant, Butch
Schwarz, and Rick O’Reily
The Rotary Club of Mission, Texas was chartered in September 1920 and has
been addressing both local and international needs for 88 years. The 47
members of the Mission Rotary club meet every Thursday at 12:00 noon at the
Club at Cimarron.
Submitted by
Fran Ciancarelli.
The Laredo Rotary Club applauds veterans
Veterans’
day was a day of celebration at the Liberty Bowl-a-Thon sponsored by the
Laredo Rotary Club. Numerous teams went into competition after a moving
ceremony took place to highlight veteran Rotarians for their heroic service
to their country. Representatives from all the branches of the military were
present. Impressive trophies were awarded to the first, second, and third
place winners of the bowling tournament. Rotarians and other important
leaders of the community enjoyed hours of fun and competition.
Another very important activity for the Laredo Rotary Club took place at the
Red Cross Clinic in Nuevo Laredo. President Ed Gonzalez and Ma. De la Luz
Estrada, president of Club Rotario Villa in Nuevo Laredo, came together to
highlight a new elevator that was installed at this clinic thanks to efforts
of both Rotary clubs coming together for the good of the community. Numerous
dignitaries from both the United States and Mexico attended.
Submitted by
Juanita Lira.
Laredo Under Seven Flags makes a difference
The
Rotary Club of Laredo Under Seven Flags and its adopted 8th grade class of
Salvador Garcia Middle School made a difference again on Saturday, October
25, 2008 – the official National Make A Difference Day.
“Buckle Up for Safety-A Community United” focused on safety belt safety and
was supported by a grant by State Farm Insurance to celebrate National Teen
Driver Safety Week. With assistance from Laredo Police Department's El
Protector program, Webb County Sheriff's Department, UISD Police and the El
Cenizo Police Explorers (H.S. students), a seatbelt safety rally run by the
students in the community of Rio Bravo, Texas - a poverty-stricken "colonia"
with near 100 percent Hispanic population and many economic difficulties.
Rotarians and students spoke to drivers participating in the voluntary
checkpoint and gave them information to raise awareness and impact drivers
with the students’ interest in their safety. A drawing for drivers needing a
booster seat concluded the day’s seat belt safety rally but it will not end
there. Rotarians will help students develop bilingual PSAs after Oct. 25th,
will continue with seatbelt safety activities and will another seatbelt
safety rally. Submitted by Viky Garcia.
Check this out
As
part of their commitment to literacy and education, the Rotary Club of
Corpus Christi Northwest sponsored a book drive to support the new Keach
County Library. The new library has a desperate need for books to fill the
shelves. Book drops were placed at a number of business locations and
multiple school campuses across the Calallen School District. Through the
hard work and participation of Corpus Christi Northwest Rotarians,
especially Dr. Arturo Almendarez and Donna Weiss, the book drive was a great
success.
Besides the Salon Belleza that collected over 200 books for the drive, the
Calallen School District was instrumental in securing over 625 books to
benefit the library. Pictured here are members of the Calallen High School
Interact club presenting the books to the Keach Librarian, Ida Gonzales.
Pictured left to right: Interact members, Rebecca Knapp, Debbie Drennan, Leah Cowan, Yanet Gonzalez, Joshua Garza, David Marzak, Emily Kunkle, Steve Vasquez, Colby Morris, Sawyer Lambert, Marci Buti, Nell Thompson, Max Power, Myrah Martinez, and Ida Gonzales, Librarian Keach County Library. Submitted by Mike Carlisle.
Harlingen has a busy schedule
Harlingen Rotary Club is hosting their Eighth Annual Golf Tournament
December 5, 2008, at the Treasure Hills Golf Course. Registration is from
10:30-11:30 AM. Tee Time is at 12:00. There are door prizes, gift
certificates, a dinner after the tournament, and plenty of beverages during
play by the beverage cart. For more information call Rick Warner
956-778-9894 or Jim Wooten 956-361-9253.
The club is planning a visit to the Monterrey Rotary Obispado Club December
11-14, 2008. They plan to enjoy fellowship with our fellow Rotarians, see
some of Monterrey's local historical treasures and develop plans for a
school project just outside Monterrey.
They are also working on Thanksgiving Toys for Tots for the
Christmas Season. Their Christmas Party will be held at Golden Palms,
Tuesday, December 9, 2008, at 6:30 PM.
Their annual fund raisers will be the Fifteenth Annual Shrimp Festival,
February 19, 2009, starting at 5:00 PM at the Casa De Amistad on Fair Park
Blvd in Harlingen. For people who are too busy to stay and enjoy the
fellowship, they also have dinners to go.
Submitted by Meg Jorn.