Rotary International District 5930 Vol. 4 No. 1 Newsletter July 2007                        Print

Butch Martin Eagle Pass Relief Encourage Sponsors Paul Harris Coming Raffle Success GSE Opportunities Membership Training PR Tip Presidential Citations DSG Makes Impact Jack Moser Brownsville Sunrise International Project Brownsville Sunrise PI Grant Recruiting President Wilkinson Ambassadorial Scholars Jo Anne Settles Award Membership Awards CC Southside Flag Program Grant Writing

Governor Tom writes . . . .When does Rotary begin??? It is time to get in gear for the Rotary year. President Wilfrid J. Wilkinson has chosen the slogan Share. Rotary Shares is an appropriate term. We Rotary leaders enjoy so much of the good life; it is our quest to share our good fortune with the less fortunate. Start with your family. Your family deserves your first efforts to assist others. Your second concern should be your fellow Rotarians. Your Rotary Club is your larger family, and you should have concern for your fellow Rotarians misfortunes. Fellow Rotarians experience a death in the family, divorce, illness in the family, or the loss of employment or a sudden illness. Often just lending your ear is all the help they need. They need to know that someone understands their situation and cares. That is true sharing. When Rotarians lose their jobs, encourage them to share their resume so fellow Rotarians can help find a new opportunity. Take them to other Rotary club meetings to increase their exposure and the opportunity to network with fellow Rotarians to find employment. Rotary should be fun, and it should be fun for the whole family. Rotary activities should include the family and help provide enriching experiences for our families. Rotary can be the magic that helps people in your area. From helping hands to matching grants, Rotary can be a powerful force for accomplishing good things. Look around you, opportunities to help others people are everywhere. You are the most magic ingredient! You make it happen. Share your Rotary. Tom July Visit Schedule 9 Ganado 10 Calhoun County 11 Edna 12 CC Evening 16 Victoria Sunrise 17 Victoria 19 Victoria 23 Aransas Pass 24 Taft 25 Sinton 26 Port Aransas 30 CC Sunrise 31 Portland

Mildred G. “Butch” Martin dies

Mildred G. “Butch” Martin, devoted wife PDG Leland M. “Pappy” Martin (1995-96), died June 16, 2007 at Golden Palms Nursing home in Harlingen. Born June 4, 1923, in Quicksands KY to Anderson Greer and Sarah Jane Combs, Butch grew up in Knoxville, attended Central High School, and graduated from Fort Sanders Nursing School as a Registered Nurse. Her first job as a nurse was with the Veterans Administration Hospital in Johnson City TN. Then she married newly commissioned U.S. Air Force pilot, Leland M. Martin, in 1956. They moved to Sacramento and she nursed at the Mercy Hospital until her first daughter, Lee Ann came along. Butch became a full time mother about a year and a half later when her second daughter, Mitzi Jo, joined the family. At Butch’s urging, they decided on an Air Force career and she moved and set up housekeeping in 32 locations in the U.S., the Territory of Hawaii, Germany, and England before her husband retired and selected Harlingen as their home. In Harlingen Butch continued her lifelong community involvement as a volunteer. At her death she had accumulated nearly 15,000 hours as the most active volunteer of the Rio Grande State Center Volunteers, was a member of the Treasure Hills Presbyterian Church, and was also an officer of the Town and Country Garden Club. Much of her time was spent as an exceptionally active supporter of her husband’s activities in the Confederate Air Force, the Air Force Association, and the Retired Officers Association. She was an enthusiastic participant of Rotary International during the year her husband spent as District Governor. She was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by the Harlingen North Rotary Club and became a Benefactor of the Foundation. Butch is survived by her husband, “Pappy”, and two daughters--Lee Ann Geneve of Sonoma CA and Mitzi Jo Martin of Harlingen.

Annette Alonzo reports on District contribution to Eagle Pass disaster relief

As a whole the District raised almost $4,000 for relief efforts and clubs have sent supplies, too. Annette  carted three large boxes of supplies to Laredo where a Rotarian from Eagle Pass met her and transported them to the relief site. Another club has more supplies for pick up and she is arranging transportation

She forwarded the thumbnail article to the President of the Rotary club assisting with relief efforts in Eagle Pass and thinks we are going to receive a "thank you" letter addressing our whole district. Submitted by Annette Alonzo

New Rotary members are important and so are their Rotary sponsors!

When you have your Rotary Club installation of officers, please recognize the Rotarian who sponsored you into your club. If it weren't for your sponsor, you would not be President!

We are using the Rotary Sponsor pins this year to recognize the Rotarians who recruit new members. Most of the soon to be club presidents have a Sponsor pin. Fourteen Rotary Club presidents say they intend to bring in more than one new member this year and Governor Tom has issued them extras to challenge their members to recruit by earning a pin.

Several people asked for the script that Laredo Gateway used to induct their newest member at our District Assembly. Alex has shared a copy of the induction ceremony they performed for us. On paper it looks so simple; in delivery it sounded so complete. --submitted by Tom Moore.

Paul Harris is coming for the District Paul Harris dinner

Carol and Tom Moore went to California to hear Paul Harris impersonator, Jim Young. They report he  puts on a terrific Paul Harris Show and is coming February 23, 2008, for Dinner with Paul Harris in McAllen.. Submitted by Tom Moore.

Truck Raffle a Success!

Andy Hagen, member of the Brownsville Sunrise Rotary Club and Annual Programs Fund Chairperson for the District, drove all the way from Brownsville to present Assistant Governor Ellison Crider with his brand new red truck during the Southside Corpus Christi Club meeting, May 30. Ellison won the District raffle, which benefited the Rotary Foundation and the District’s humanitarian fund. District Governor Marilyn Spencer thanked Cardenas Motors for their contribution.

The truck raffle netted $26,363, after paying for the truck tickets, and awards to the top ticket sellers. Of that net amount, one-half, or $13,182, will go to the Rotary Foundation (TRF). The other half will go into the district’s humanitarian fund for construction and renovation projects, which do not meet TRF criteria for matching grants or District Simplified Grants.

Special thanks are due to PDG Bill Janecek for organizing the effort and for having the tickets printed; all Assistant Governors for distributing tickets, inspiring their clubs to sell them, collecting ticket stubs and funds, and reporting top ticket sellers; Andy Hagan for working throughout the district; District Treasurer, Kathy Funk-Baxter, for processing all of the checks and figuring out various winning sellers; PDG John Bedgood for once again providing the drum into which ticket stubs were placed; and most especially to Cardenas Motors for their generosity in providing the truck at very low cost.

In this photo: DG Marilyn is handing the keys to AG Ellison Crider as their own Club President, John Seaman (Rotary Club of Southside Corpus Christi), congratulates Ellison, with the new Dodge truck in background.
 

Group Study Exchange opportunities

Your Foundation money at work! Two teams of one Rotarian and four non-Rotarians from our Rotary District will go to Barcelona, Spain, in May 2008 and Germany in June 2008. You are qualified to be the team leader! The tour is for 30 days and we also need non-Rotarians to apply. If you employ a young professional, ages 25 to 40, invest in 30 days of their future by encouraging them to apply. Rotary pays for everything except their passport, health insurance and lost pay.

We outfit our GSE teams with their choice of matching uniforms. They are individually hosted in Spain and Germany in the homes of Rotarians. They will have two vocational visits each week. They will spend at least half a day visiting with people within their profession in the other country exchanging ideas, and solutions. They will, also, tour as a team to Rotary projects and points of interest as defined by Rotarians of the host country. Twice each week they will speak to host Rotary clubs about the United States and about the teams' home lives.

Group Study Exchange is a Rotary funded international four to six week exchange for non-Rotarian young adult professionals. District 5930 will participate in two exchanges in 2008--to Spain in May and to Germany in June. Our GSE chair is Terri Whitman, Rockport Rotary Club, PO Box 2142, Rockport TX 78381, (B) 361-727-2311, (F) 361-790-8625, (R) 361-205-7122, . Submitted by Tom Moore.

Membership Training available

CONTACT INFORMATION Conference Information Contact  PDG Pete Snider  Rotary International President (2007-2008) Wilf  Wilkinson invites clubs, districts, and Rotarians to a Presidential Membership Conference in Denver on Friday, August 3 and Saturday, August 4, 2007. Rotarians from 27 districts in Zones 25 and 26 as well as other Rotarians from around the country will attend this outstanding event Targeted to Rotary clubs, this conference will focus on the need for change and practical ways to increase new membership, retain existing members, and extend  Rotary through new clubs. Keynote speakers will include RI President Wilf Wilkinson, General Secretary Ed Futa and an outstanding line up of speakers with experience in membership development. Speakers will include non-Rotarians exploring changing community demographics and volunteering trends. The conference will feature interactive roundtable discussion opportunities to exchange ideas and best practices.  Who should attend: · Club membership committee chairs and members · Club presidents and club officers · District membership committee chairs and members · District governors, DGE, assistant governors, and officers · All Rotarians enthused about strengthening Rotary   Click For Complete Conference Details  Please consider asking your club board to invest some of the club's budget to send a few club leaders to this important conference.  Conference organizers are confident that this investment will pay off in terms of stronger club membership growth.  Council on Legislation changes affecting membership The 2007 Council on Legislation adopted 97 items, 59 of which were enactments that change the RI constitutional documents. All policy changes take effect on 1 July. Some of the changes that affect membership administration are summarized below. (Each adopted enactment is identified by number so you can easily locate it in the Report of Action.) ATTENDANCE 07-11: The club board can cancel a club meeting for commonly recognized holidays. 07-14: Club members are required to attend or make up 50 percent rather than 60 percent of regular meetings in each half of the Rotary year. 07-334: Assistant governors are excused from the requirement of attending at least 30 percent of their own club's regular meetings in each half of the Rotary year. CLUB MEMBERSHIP 07-42: Rotaractors who have ended their Rotaract membership within the preceding two years and have been accepted into a Rotary club are exempt from paying a club admission fee. 07-57 and 07-330: Clubs can elect Rotary Foundation alumni into active membership, even if the classification of the alumnus is filled. 07-329: Clubs can elect into active membership people with good reputations in the community who have demonstrated a commitment to service and the Object of Rotary through personal involvement in local affairs. DUES 07-283: RI per capita dues will be US$23.50 per half year in 2007-08, $24.00 per half year in 2008-09, $24.50 per half year in 2009-10, and $25.00 per half year in 2010-11. Dues will remain at $25.00 per half year until changed by the Council on Legislation. 07-287: For each new member, clubs will pay prorated per capita dues until the beginning of the next semiannual period for which dues are payable. The amount payable for each full month of membership will be one-twelfth of the per capita dues.

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Congratulations, Presidential Citation Clubs!!!

Each year the President of Rotary International selects goals for all 33,000 Rotary Clubs and the more than 7,000 Rotaract Clubs around the world. President Bill Boyd, 2006-07, set five major goals for earning the Presidential Citation:

Minimum of one net new club member
Minimum of one of 15 listed categories of Club Service activities
Minimum one of 11 listed categories of Vocational Service activities
Minimum one of nine listed categories of Community Service activities
Minimum one of eight listed categories of International Service activities

Just over half of our Clubs – 28 of 55 Rotary Clubs - applied for and earned the 2006-07 Presidential Citation and both of our Rotaract Clubs earned the Presidential Citation:

District Simplified Grant makes an impact

Early this Rotary year, one of our District Simplified Grant applications was from the West Corpus Christi Club, to provide a set of literature anthologies to the GED program of Del Mar College (DMC). With that grant and additional matching funds from the club, the books arrived sometime during the fall. Read on to see the impact this grant has made according to Chris Palacios, director of the GED program at Del Mar College.

I thought you would like to know the impact the World Literature Anthologies have had on our students.

On May 31st, Mrs. Paula Harrison's Literature & Arts class was treated to a movie: Freedom Writers starring Hilary Swank. Swank plays the role of the teacher: Erin Gruwell who taught a group of gang bangers throughout their four years of high school at Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California.

After seeing the movie, our students remarked that we treat them like Ms. Gruwell treated her students because they get to read and study the greatest literature in the world thanks to your gift.

Here is a brief report card depicting how our performance compares to the national GED Testing Performance.

GED in the United States--2005

National Pass Rate: 71.2%

State with Highest Pass Rate: Iowa at 98%; Texas: 86%; DMC GED Program: 99%

Highest GED Scores: Language Arts-Reading with a mean score of 555; DMC GED Program: Language Arts-Reading--570 (mean)

Lowest GED Scores: Math with a mean score of 496; DMC: Math--505 (mean)

Overall Average Standard Score for the five tests: 522; DMC: 535 (mean)

Total number of testers who passed the GED in 2005: 423,714

Perfect Score for each content area: 800

Perfect Score on all five tests: 4000; DMC Valedictorian 2005: 3460--Top 1% in the U. S.

Passing scores are set at a level sufficient to ensure that just 6 in 10 graduating high school seniors will pass.

Information Sources:
American Council on Education 2005 GED Report at www.acenet.edu. 
Texas pass rate from the Adult Education Texas LEARNS 2005 Performance Report Card.

Again, let me thank you on behalf of our students who have told us repeatedly that they feel privileged to be given the opportunity to read and understand some of the finest literature in the world.

M. Christina Palacios
Director
Department of GED Instruction
Del Mar College

 Submitted by Dana Sisk.

Brownsville mourns Jack Moser

Jack Moser passed away in Brownsville on June 2, 2007, at the age of 90 years. He had been a member of the Brownsville Rotary Club for over 35 years. He will be remembered for his quick and sparkling wit, his strong sense of humor, and his ability to make a friend out of everyone he met. Jack enjoyed a long, useful, and enjoyable life. He is survived by his wife, Lucretia Cargile Moser, known to all as “Lou”, and his sister Mary Moser Hellums of Corpus Christi. Jack and Lou were married for 58 years. His surviving descendants are his daughter, Lucretia Ann Kelly and her husband Mike of Houston, and his son, Ronald Dean Moser and his wife Vicki of Brownsville, and three grandchildren Kyle Flynn Kelly, Jennifer Lee Moser and Andrew Dean Moser. Born in Brownsville, he was a product of the public school system. Following his graduation from Brownsville High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942. He was accepted into the U.S. Army Infantry School, earned his commission as a second lieutenant in 1943 and entered service in the 97th Infantry Division. He served for a period of 26 months in the Pacific Theatre as a company commander with the 6th Army, emerging with the rank of captain. Following his discharge, he remained in the U.S. Army Reserves for another ten years. Upon receiving his Army discharge in 1946, Jack returned to Brownsville and was hired as manager of the El Centro Grocery. After acquiring an ownership interest in the business, he eventually rose to become its President, serving as such until his retirement in 1984. Previously Jack had been named a director of the First National Bank of Brownsville and served as the bank evolved through several changes of ownership. He enjoyed learning about the banking industry following his career in retailing. Jack loved his family, his church, and the Brownsville community. He served as deacon and elder of the First Presbyterian Church for many years. He was elected, first, as a Brownsville ISD trustee and, later, in the 1970s, a city commissioner. He enjoyed membership in the local Propeller Club and for many years was active in the Chamber of Commerce. Always interested in developing character in young people, Jack served with and sponsored various Little League programs, the Rio Grande Marine Institute, Boy Scouts of America, and the Palmer Drug Abuse Program. When swapping war stories, Jack would relate various happenings during his years of service in the South Pacific as company commander and he loved to recount his experiences with the company members. He was obviously dedicated to his command, and his tales were always interesting and entertaining. Jack was a true jewel and one of those genuinely interesting, loveable, and truly remarkable people one occasionally encounters along the road of life. He loved being a member of the Brownsville Rotary Club, was one of its strongest contributing members, and always ready to do his part. His presence among us will certainly be missed. Submitted by C. Fount Ray

Brownsville Sunrise teams with Matamoros Professional

On June 16 members of the Brownsville Sunrise Rotary Club attended what they thought was going to be the second visit to “Destellos” a rehab center and school for the blind.

This past year the Sunrise Club agreed to donate $1,500.00 matched by the Matamoros Professional Club which was to be used for the purchase of software and other instructional material. Their intent was to host a workshop with a few therapists and install the software and share some tips. They even increased the ante with a few “Mr. Potato Heads” and board puzzles.

WOW, what a surprise to find the media and over 100 people waiting for a press release. Ms. Lolita Ayala, a well known news anchor and philanthropist, pledged to DOUBLE their contributions and presented a check, along with words of gratitude. Also present was the Mayor's wife, Marcela R. de Hinojosa, and her DIF staff Leading the Way. Special thanks go to Ms Christine Aistrich, Brownsville Sunrise Rotary International Lane Chair, for taking time away from her family and extending her professional resources across our border. Submitted by Hector Hernandez.

Brownsville Sunrise Rotary Club becomes underwriter for KMBH TV 60 – PBS

Brownsville Sunrise Rotary Club became the first Rotary club in the Rio Grande Valley to join Underwriters and Prime Circle members of KMBH TV 60, Harlingen. This television station is the only Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) in the Rio Grande Valley.

The Brownsville Sunrise Club's application was approved by Rotary International for a $3000 Public Information Grant which allowed the Club underwriter privileges with KMBH TV 60 and FM 88 Public Radio. Public service announcements and advertisements for Rotary International and the Brownsville Sunrise Club have already begun airing on both television and radio.

Club members participated under Rotary Night on June 7, 2007, with KMBH TV 60 Membership Drive. Before the end of the three-hour Membership Drive, over $3,000 was raised by KMBH TV 60 viewers calling in their pledges. Sunrise Club member and Social Security's Public Affairs Officer, Anna Lopez, along with Richard Loya, TV 60 Membership Director, delivered several, live 6 - 7 minute membership messages throughout the night. Other Club members participated with the phone banks along with some members from Rotaract. Participating Club members included, Andy Hagen, past Assistant District Governor, Luis Cavazos, President-Elect 2007-2008, Maria Serna and Fabriel Cisneros. Pictured: Maria Serna Club Service Lane Chair and Fabriel Cisneros. Submitted by Anna Lopez.

How do you Propose a potential Rotary Member?

Rotary Method of Electing Members:

Section 1 - The name of a prospective member, proposed by an active member of the club, shall be submitted to the board in writing, through the club secretary. A transferring or former member of another club may be proposed to active membership by the former club. The proposal for the time being shall be kept confidential except as otherwise provided in this procedure.

Section 2 - The board shall ensure that the proposal meets all the classification and the membership requirements of the club constitution.

Section 3 - The board shall approve or disapprove the proposal within 30 days of its submission, and shall notify the proposer, through the club secretary, of its decision.

Section 4 - If the decision of the board is favorable, the prospective member shall be informed of the purposes of Rotary and of the privileges and responsibilities of membership, following which the prospective member shall be requested to sign the membership proposal form and to permit his or her name and proposed classification to be published to the club.

Section 5 - If no written objection to the proposal, stating reasons, is received by the board from any member (other than honorary) of the club within seven (7) days following publication of information about the prospective member, that person, upon payment of the admission fee (if not honorary membership), as prescribed in these bylaws, shall be considered to be elected to membership. If any such objection has been filed with the board, it shall vote on this matter at its next meeting. If approved despite the objection, the proposed member, upon payment of the admission fee (if not honorary membership), shall be considered to be elected to membership.

Section 6 - Following the election, the president shall arrange for the induction of the new member; the club secretary shall issue a membership card and shall report the new member to RI; and the Rotary information committee shall provide appropriate literature for presentation at the induction and assign a member to assist in the assimilation of the new member.

Rotary has a new President

Wilfrid J. Wilkinson a retired chartered accountant was a founding partner of Wilkinson & Company, a public accounting firm. He is a past-president of the Public Accountants Council - Province of Ontario, and a past Treasurer of both the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. He is also a member of the Institute of Charged Accountants of Quebec and the Royal Canadian Military Institute and was elected a Fellow of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants.

After retiring from accountancy, Mr. Wilkinson was the part-time executive director of the Quinte Ballet School of Canada. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Morris Industries Ltd., a company that manufactures advanced air seeding and tillage systems. He has also been chairman of the Trenton Memorial Hospital fundraising committee, a founding chairman of the Belleville Cheshire Home for Physically Handicapped Adults, chairman of the Board for Loyalist College and president of the district council of the Boy Scouts of Canada.

A Rotarian since 1962, Mr. Wilkinson is a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Trenton, Ontario. He has served Rotary International as vice-president, director, trustee of The Rotary Foundation and district governor. He has also been an International Assembly discussion leader and chairman and member of several Rotary committees including chairing the Rotary International Centennial Convention in Chicago.

As a member of the International PolioPlus Committee, Mr. Wilkinson has been dedicated to the global effort to eradicate polio. He participated in National Immunization Days (NIDS) in Kenya, Tanzania, India and also administered polio drops to children of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. He has also been a Health, Hunger and Humanity Program volunteer to India. In addition, Mr. Wilkinson has had Rotary assignments in South African, Namibia, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand and many regions of the United States and Canada.

Mr. Wilkinson has been recognized for his humanitarian service by the Knights of Columbus, the Province of Ontario, the government of Canada and in 2001 was honored by Pope John Paul II with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal. He is also the recipient of many of Rotary's honors, including the Citation for meritorious Service, The International Service Award for a Polio-free World, the Distinguished Service Award and Service Above Self Award.

Mr. Wilkinson has been married to Joan since 1953 and they have four sons and eight grandchildren.

Ambassadorial Scholars selected

and the Rotary District 5930 met in Kingsville to select three college applicants from a pool of five to study abroad. This Rotary District scholarship is for $23,000 and is paid from our Foundation Funds. These scholarships are possible because Rotarians in our district donated money to the Rotary Foundation three years ago. Next year we will need college student applications from students who wish to study abroad for a year. Please encourage your college age friends or college age students of friends to apply for these valuable Rotary scholarships. Rotary empowers more college age scholarships abroad than all the other study abroad scholarships put together. Scholarship applications are available on our District Website www.rotary5930.org or on the Rotary website of www.rotary.org. Deadline for applications is May 28, 2008.

Jo Anne Settles Wins Prestigious Polio Eradication Award

Jo Anne Settles was one of this year’s recipients of the Rotary Foundation’s (TRF) regional award for service to the PolioPlus Program, winning the Regional Service Award for a Polio-Free World. She received this high honor for her many years of outstanding contributions that continue to encourage Rotary’s final efforts to eradicate the disease.

TRF bestows this regional award to at most 10 Rotarians in each of the six World Health Organization (WHO) regions. We are in the Americas Region, which includes all of North America and South America.

The International PolioPlus Committee recommended that Jo Anne receive this award, and it was then granted only after being approved by the Chairman of the Rotary Foundation, Luis Vincente Giay.

Past President and board member of the Victoria Sunrise Rotary Club, Jo Anne might be best known to most members of our District for her PolioPlus presentations. If you ever want an inspirational and educational program on Rotary’s PolioPlus efforts and accomplishments, you’d best try to schedule to visit your Club.

Even before becoming a nursing professor at Victoria College, Jo Anne knew all about immunology. And her passion for eradicating polio and other diseases led her to organize local immunization programs even before she joined Rotary.

Rotary has given Jo Anne greater opportunities for her continuing work to teach and to help with immunization programs. In return, Jo Anne has given our Rotary Clubs and many other levels of Rotary a much greater understanding of Rotary’s PolioPlus efforts, and what we can all do to help. If you haven’t heard her speak at your own Club, you’ve perhaps heard her speak at one or more District Assemblies or District Conferences.

More than a year ago, Bill Boyd, the 2006-07 President of RI, and several past RI presidents heard her as a panel member at our Zone meeting in Corpus Christi. After that, Jo Anne was invited to make presentations at several other Zone meetings and PETS in other states, in California, Washington, and elsewhere.

Hearty congratulations to Jo Anne Settles for her well deserved Regional Service Award for a Polio-Free World! Submitted by Marilyn Spencer.

Three clubs win membership awards from Rotary International

Rotary International (RI) has awarded 2006-07 Membership Awards to three Rotary Clubs in our District, based on three different aspects of membership development:

The Victoria Rotary Club won for bringing in the most new members, with a total of 18. President Omar Rachid accepts the award.

The Corpus Christi Sunrise Rotary Club won for its strategies for retaining members. Corpus Christi Sunrise retained 100 percent of its 2005-06 members.

The West Hidalgo County (Tobasco) Rotary Club won for the highest membership growth rate, which was 70 percent, based on new members reported to RI.

Congratulations! Please share your membership development and retention secrets with the rest of us.

Corpus Christi Southside reports successful flag program

Picture a humid South Texas morning with coffee and donuts balancing on the top of a pickup truck at 6:00 AM and there you will find a hardy band of Boy Scouts, their leaders, and Rotarians from the Southside Rotary Club of Corpus Christi poring over maps leading to eager patrons waiting for their flag to be placed in their yard to show patriotism. This is the scene on most national holiday mornings when Southside Rotarians help the local Boy Scouts prepare to place some 110 flags around the community.

Past Southside Rotary President David Walker has been a part of the flag program since its inception in 2001 born from an idea by Southside’s own Past District Governor and Past President Don Ratcliff. Dave stated, “at the request of Don Ratcliff, through a description of a successful flag program run by the McKinney Rotary Club, he thought it would be a wonderful program for our club with only a $10.65 buy-in for our start-up supplies.” By the end of 2002 the club had ordered materials for the first 50 flags, poles, and mounting pipe. Subscriptions were solicited; Jim Still signed numerous subscriptions in the Carriage Park Townhome neighborhood. Everything was in place for Troop 232 to begin placing flags on the first major holiday.

The flags are housed at Grace Presbyterian Church and at homes of Scout leaders and our current Southside President-Elect Zan Hackely prepares the subscriber list for each team. Rotarian Craig Hardy brings maps and lists to help each team know what area they will be covering. When the day is finished Rotarians and Scouts meet at 6:00 PM to pick up the flags.

There were originally five teams to cover five geographic areas of the city. Some subscribers became self-service--they place their own flags allowing the Scouts and Rotarians to serve other areas. The same fee applies for the subscription whether it is self-serve or placed by Scouts--the Scouts receive payment either way.

Today the Boy Scouts and Southside Rotary members place some 110 flags all across the south and east portions city and provide patriotic support for subscribers on President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day through Patriot’s Day, and Veteran’s Day. The cost for this service is just $40 per subscriber per year netting some $4,000 in proceeds each year. $1,000 benefits the Boy Scouts which provides them with funds to attend summer camps while $3,000 goes to Southside Rotary Club charitable projects including College scholarships to Del Mar College and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and funding for the new Ramp Project designed to build residential access ramps for the disabled.

Without the effort of the Scouts and Southside Rotary volunteer members for this program, including among the many Rotarians who began the program Jim Still, Bruce Hamende, David Walker, Don Ratcliff, and Dwain Harris, this flag program would not have grown into the success it is today. The benefit to Scouts, future scholars, and the disabled in the area is immeasurable and that is what Rotary is all about. Submitted by David L. Walker and Lari Dianne Young, Ph.D.

Grant writing seminar scheduled

Governor Tom strongly encourages Rotary Clubs to send members to a free Grant Writing Clinic in Kingsville on August 11. He reflects that Rotarians generally see the Foundation as a place to send money and wants them to understand Clubs can get money from the Foundation, also.

AGENDA

Foundation Seminar
August 11, 2007

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