| Rotary International District 5930 Vol. 6 No. 5 Newsletter November 2009 Print |
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Historic Brownsville Supports Family Outreach Port Isabel Boys & Girls Club Donation N Harlingen at Loaves & Fishes Banquet San Benito Honors Former Members McAllen Centennial Wine Tasting
Governor's Advisory
November 14
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RIPE Ray Klinginsmith will be visiting our District at two different
locations on December 10th and December 11th. The first location is the
originally scheduled Harlingen Club invitational visit on the evening of
December 10 at the Marine Military Academy in the Harlingen at 7:00PM.
The second reception will be in Corpus Christi the following day,
December 11, at the downtown Ortiz Center at noontime. It is my request that all our District clubs plan the week of December 6 as an open program week to provide their membership the opportunity to participate in welcoming RIPE Ray Klinginsmith to South Texas. It is a historic week for all Americans with our national history and it will be a historic week for our District with his visit too. Harlingen Rotary Club already has their invitations out and Corpus Christi Rotary Club will have RSVP point of sign-up information announced shortly.
My thanks to Foundation Chair Art Zeitler, all our Foundation related
chairs, and others who held an interesting and informative Rotary
Foundation Seminar at the Town Club in Corpus Christi early last month.
If you missed it, you missed a great program. The District Facebook page is up and running. Anyone with a Facebook page may become a fan. Just click on the button at the bottom of this page, below the November event schedule. Check the page to see scheduled events, discussions, and pictures from the Rotary year. Fans will receive posts as they are made and may make comments to add to the information. Please share with everyone what a pleasure it is to be a Rotarian. And, ask all to view our website.....Rotary5930.org .....they will be amazed at the level of activity within our wonderful South TX District.
YIR Governor's 2009-10 Club Visit Schedule
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Governor
Dennis writes . . .
Terri
McGraw inspires Port Isabel to grow
Terri McGraw, District 5930 membership chair, spoke to the Port Isabel Rotary Club on October 9 "rallying the troops" to bring in new members. Port Isabel inducted four new members in October adding to the three already inducted during this Rotary year. Submitted by Tom Plumb.
Stamp Out Polio stamps a big hit at Zone meeting
ADG Jo Anne Settles took 20 sheets of stamps to the Zone Governor Elect Training Seminar in Oklahoma City. She sold them all and gave out another 300 order forms. Everyone who saw them thought they were a great idea. Thanks, Jo Anne.
If
all clubs in the US would purchase 30 sheets of Stamp Out Polio stamps to supplement their PolioPlus fundraising efforts
the Rotary Foundation would receive over $700,000 to meet the Gates Foundation
challenge.
Clubs and individuals ordering 30 or more sheets have a donation given to the
Rotary Foundation in their names--$100 for the first 30 sheets and $3.33 for each
sheet over 30. It will take many small sales to make this project a success. Clubs that find a market
for the stamps can earn one Paul Harris Fellow for each 300 sheets of stamps
sold. Seems like an easy way to supplement any planned PolioPlus fundraising
plans while helping the Rotary Foundation meet its fundraising goals.
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PolioPlus Challenge Stamps $10.00 Sheets of 10 US first class stamps Shipping per order: $1.00 How many sheets? |
Order by mail
- All profits go the Rotary Foundation for polio eradication.
- The use of a stamp will promote Rotary International.
- Your company or business needs stamps and these can enhance your mailings.
- Make your personal correspondence unique with a Rotary stamp.
- Your club mailings will promote polio eradication with the Challenge Stamps.
Please order a few of the $10 sheets (10 stamps per sheet) to help support polio eradication and promote the Rotary Foundation PolioPlus grant challenge. Contact Jack Whitmire, 361-433-5354, with your questions.
Gear up for the Ironman Rotary District 5930 Fundraiser!
Attention
District 5930 Rotarians! Here is a great way for you to support one of our
current Ambassadorial Scholars and at the same time raise funds for the
Rotary Foundation and District Humanitarian Grants. This year’s District
Ambassadorial Scholar Chris Vera sponsored by District 5930
Victoria
Northside Rotary Club is headed to New Zealand in February 2010
to start his schooling and is going to participate in the popular Ironman
Triathlon there in March. Chris served as a hospital corpsman in the Navy
and served in Iraq as part of a fleet hospital based out of Pensacola. And
his deployment to Afghanistan was with a Marine Corps Infantry Battalion. He has designated his Ironman effort to raising funds
for our District and International projects. He is training now and getting
fired up for the race. You can help the District and Rotary Foundation with
its important projects and show your support for Chris by donating as much
as you can to this worthy cause. Become a part of this exciting event with
updates from Chris as he trains and competes.
“Ironman New Zealand is the oldest qualifying race on the Ironman circuit,
having started 22 years ago, and seems to get bigger and better all the
time. Bonita Ironman New Zealand takes place in the beautiful resort
destination of Taupo, which is about three hours drive south of Auckland.
The swim course in the beautiful, clear, waters of Lake Taupo is a one loop
affair around a rectangular course, which, if the water is calm, is laid out
nicely for a fast first leg of the day.
Once out of the water, the athletes run past the Lake Taupo Yacht Club to T1, and then start the bike course by riding along the lake next to where they just finished swimming. The initial few kilometers are flat, but a quick left turn takes the athletes up a hill that is a precursor of the fun to come.
The beautiful two-lap run course follows Lake Taupo down to Five Mile Bay and then returns back to town. The course could be described as "rolling," although there are a few good hills to be negotiated along the way.”
Click here to pledge! Let’s help this young veteran achieve his goals while helping our District and the Rotary Foundation. There are 2 ways to pledge:
1. I pledge click per mile.
Total mileage is 140.4 miles--swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, run 26 miles.
Or
2. Here is my donation now to support his effort and our District Goals.
Thank you for your support. Those donating will be eligible for a drawing for an Ironman mystery gift from New Zealand.
If you wish to mail a donation toward this great cause please make it payable to RI District 5930 and mail it to:
Lari Young, President
Rotary Club of Southside Corpus Christi
2637 Wool Drive
Corpus Christi, TX 78414.
Submitted by
Lari Young.
Annie reports from Scotland
District 5930 Corpus Christi Rotary Club is sponsoring another
Ambassadorial Scholar, named Annie
Ramirez, who recently embarked on her year-long adventure at the University
of Edinburgh. She began this journey almost two years ago, and now her
efforts have come to fruition when she arrived in Scotland in August.
Her host counselor, Ken Donald, and his wife Rose met Annie at the airport.
She was very thankful to be greeted by the welcoming committee – especially
since she had missed a connecting flight and the airline had lost her
luggage! She lived out of hotels for a couple of weeks while she looked for
a flat, but she has outgrown the vacation mentality now--she has even
developed a habit of having hot tea each afternoon! Annie found a flat near
a grocery store, in a Victorian-era building complete with tall windows,
squeaky hardwood floors, and a beautiful fireplace.
She was able to attend a fireworks show at Edinburgh Castle which marks the
end of the month-long festival held each year. She has registered for
school and is taking three classes--one is about ritual and religion and
another is about cultures. She earned her undergraduate degree in
anthropology from UTSA, and she is pursuing her masters in anthropology
during her year at the University of Edinburgh. Her courses consist mostly
of independent study, with not much lecture time, as she is expected to
devote a lot of time to writing her thesis.
Annie gave her first speech to a Rotary Club in Edinburgh, where she
exchanged banners with the club’s president, Sandra Watson. Fifty-four
Rotarians and their guests attended the meeting. She also met the other
eight Ambassadorial Scholars assigned to Edinburgh.
She attended a weekend in Leicester called LINK, where she met other
Ambassadorial Scholars assigned to the UK and Ireland. Her host couple,
named Howard and Jane, showed Annie and three other Ambassadorial Scholars
around Leicester.
The last night they enjoyed a dinner and barn dance at Leicester University
where they were entertained by the Morris Men Dancers. This group performs a
500 year old traditional English folk dance in costume for the audience.
The
following week, the Portobello Rotary Club hosted an International Night and Ceilidh (pronounced “kay lee”) in the Ambassadorial Scholars’ honor. A
ceilidh is a Scottish gathering with music and dancing--and Annie learned
to dance a Scottish jig. She exchanged banners with the president of the
club and she reports that the food was delicious!
Annie’s hosts Ken and Rose took her to Falkirk Wheel (pictured), which is similar to a Ferris wheel for boats. It transfers vessels from one canal to another, so that they don’t have to wait for hours to proceed through the locks. The Donalds hosted a dinner where they introduced her to Graham Smith, president of the Polmont Rotary Club, which is her host club.
Annie is very grateful to Rotary for this opportunity! For more information about her adventure or to read her current updates, please check out her blog at http://annieramirez.blogspot.com. Submitted by Ellen May.
D.
Michael Forbes dies
ADG Michael Forbes died Friday, October 9, 5:30 PM, in his home. A memorial service was arranged by Michael's home Rotary Club of McAllen North on October 20th at the chapel within the Salvation Army facility in McAllen with over 75 in attendance. Mike was an outstanding Rotarian who joined District 5930 from District 6060 in Missouri. He was serving his second year as ADG Southern Region Area 11. He will be truly missed by all. Submitted by Tom Moore.
Russian Rotarian remarks
Rene Kovalev a member of the Rostov-on-Don Rotary Club in Russia spoke to the North Harlingen Rotary Club. On a visit to the United States with his wife Olga, he spoke to Rotarians about his travels and compared his sector of Russia to Texas, saying he felt quite at home here. He also spoke of the kindness and friendly people he had met during his travels. Talking about Rotary, Rene said his large club was heavily involved in providing care and service to handicapped children. He talked about the special camp the club funds for these orphaned youth. The Rotarians not only support the children financially, but provide the adult contact they need through visitations and instruction and play. Rene and Olga are hosted during their South Texas visit by long-time friend Rotarian Ron Burgamy, CEO of Camelot Retirement Village in Harlingen. Submitted by Thomas Segel.
Historic Brownsville Supports Tip of Texas Family Outreach
Alma Herrera, Administrative Assistant for Donna Barron, Executive Director of the Tip of Texas Family Outreach (TOTFO), a United Way sponsored program, extended her gratitude on behalf of TOTFO to the Rotary Club of Historic Brownsville and its group of 18 members for its continuous support throughout the year. Thus far, Rotary Club of Historic Brownsville has donated approximately $350 worth of baby food, pampers, wipes, and bottles for those that TOTFO serves. As Alma Herrera states in her letter to Rotary Club of Historic Brownsville, "Many families in need have received the assistance through our agency's rainbow room and this could not have been possible without your help. As always, thank you for supporting our child abuse prevention efforts."
TOTFO mission statement reads, "Tip of Texas Family Outreach is a non-profit organization established to strengthen families through parenting classes, casework educational programs, youth programs and referral services for the prevention of child abuse." Submitted by Bob Lawrence.
Italian Rotarians invite us to a celebration in Venice
Dear Governor,
Please
find here attached the programme of a tour
itinerary called PALLADIO & FRIENDS, planned by Rotarians for Rotarians.
To celebrate the 500th anniversary of Andrea Palladio's birth - the great Italian architect - some Rotarians from the province of Vicenza studied a tour itinerary to give Rotarians and their friends the opportunity to visit the Palladian sites in an exclusive way.
All Palladian sites are in the northeast of Italy, in a region called Veneto, its main town is Venice.
We do not mean to make money from this tour. If there is a profit, we will transfer it to Rotary Foundation.
I would really appreciate if you could forward this programme to the Clubs of your District.
I am looking forward to welcoming you in my country.
Very best regards.
Ida Zanetti
Rotary Club Vicenza
District 2060 – Italy.
Submitted by Dennis Roberts.
Port Isabel in first stage of establishing an Interact club
William Roach, the new principal of the Port Isabel High School, presented a program to the Port Isabel Rotary Club. Mr. Roach also brought along Christian Morgan, a student at the high school, who has expressed an interest in starting a service club at the high school and during his discussions with the principal, decided upon Interact. A committee of Rotarians will be meeting with Christian in the near future to get the ball rolling. Submitted by Tom Plumb.
With Support of District Simplified Grant Corpus Christi community prepares for future disasters
The Rotary Club of Corpus Christi partnered with the Food Bank of Corpus Christi to prepare disaster relief boxes on Thursday, October 1, 2009, in the evening. Rotarians brought their families to help assemble the boxes. The club prepared just over 1,000 boxes filled with nonperishable food items to be used in the event a disaster were to strike the coastal bend area. The project took just over an hour to complete. Members and their families were treated to a hamburger and hot dogs afterwards. Thank you to all who volunteered to put this project together and to all the members and their families who came out to support their event. Additional pictures are available on the Corpus Christi Rotary Club Facebook page. Submitted by Odette Perkins.
Freer
honors two freshmen
Freer Rotary Club President Ann Jenkins presents freshman students Ashlinn Guidry and Austin Gonzales Student of the Month for September. They were selected by the Freer High School Counselor as being outstanding students. Submitted by Norman Jenkins.
Port
Isabel donates to Boys and Girls Club
Tom Plumb, President of the Port Isabel Rotary Club, presents a $1,000.00 donation to Robert Rodriguez, Rotarian and President of the Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors. Submitted by Tom Plumb.
Port
Isabel raises money at Heritage Festival
Tom Plumb (l), Port Isabel Rotary Club
president and Hands to Honduras coordinator,
sells jewelry to raise money for projects in Honduras at the Port Isabel
Heritage Festival.
Port Isabel Rotarians (r), Jerry Adams and Ron Boudreau, mix margaritas at the
annual Heritage Festival raising money for Rotary projects. Submitted by
Tom Plumb.
North Harlingen members attend Loaves & Fishes Honors Banquet
Loaves
and Fishes Board of Directors members Velma Bowman and Colonel Glenn Hill
were recognized at the annual L&F Honors Banquet for their many years of
philanthropy and services to the organization. Colonel Hill is past
president of the Harlingen Rotary Club. Velma Bowman is a decades long
Rotary supporter and was married to the late Major General George S. Bowman,
Jr., one of the original members and a past president of the North Harlingen
Rotary Club.
North Harlingen Rotary Club was represented at the Fourth Annual Loaves &
Fishes Honors Banquet by (l to r) Dennis Woolam, Tom Segel, Emily Reyes, Bob
Johnson, Minerva Simpson and John Kutzenberger. The club and individual
Rotarians donated $3,500 to the homeless shelter organization as part of its
ongoing support of Loaves & Fishes.
Submitted by
Tom Segel.
Let
there be light
The village of Caribbean Mission near Trujillo, Honduras, has been provided with power thanks to a Rotary Foundation matching grant awarded to the Port Isabel and Trujillo Rotary Clubs. The village of 31 homes, a church, a school and a kindergarten was established for victims of Hurricane Mitch about 10 years ago. However, the village was not provided with a power supply. This has now changed and the homes now have electricity. Additionally, Rotary volunteers from around Texas in conjunction with a Honduran electrician wired the school and kindergarten. Submitted by Tom Plumb.
What is 80 + 21 + 2?
Clyde
Fincher celebrated his 103rd birthday. Clyde has been a member of the San
Benito Rotary Club for 68 years and maintained perfect attendance for 67 of
those. Clyde is as sharp as he was when he left Chillicothe, Texas, in 1924
to attend Texas Tech in Lubbock. Clyde is a member of the second class
graduating from Texas Tech and the only surviving member of his class.
Pictured are some of the Rotarians attending the meeting to help celebrate this major event in his life. Since there were no birthday cards available commemorating 103 years of age, the next best thing was done. A card for 80 years was put with a card of 21 years and a card of 2 years to make up the correct total. Total appreciation would be an understatement by simply watching Clyde during this event. Is he the oldest living Rotarian? Submitted by Lionel Betancourt.
San
Benito honors past service
Pictured are Rotarian Bill Weekly--son of Rotarian Chuck Weekly, President Ray Quiroga, and the widow of Rotarian Wilton Jordan. San Benito Rotary Club lost members Chuck and Wilton this past year and as is their custom a commemorative plaque was presented to the survivors. This meeting was one of gladness and sadness for their club, but still a celebration of the lives of their lost ones. Submitted by Lionel Betancourt.
Pablo reports from France
Pablo
Ybarra, Exchange Student sponsored by Rotary Club of Mission and hosted by
Rotary Club of Vannes, France, in District 1650 is pictured on the right in
his host town about one hour from Nates, France.
Hello Tamara,
Wooooooooww :) I am having the most amazing time of my life. My three
families are super super cool (I already met them all). At school everything
is great, I already have my group of friends who are very kind with me. I go
to school and during classes like Spanish or English I go to a private
institute, five minutes away from my school, to take private French classes.
Also, I have many trips planned (I will be in London for four days in
December with my third family, I will visit the south of France and Spain in
February and visit Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, and some cities in
France with my district club. This Saturday, I will get to visit 170 Rotary
students at Mount St. Michelle..........that is just simply incredible hah,
I am very excited.
I am progressing very quickly with my French. Right now I can communicate
pretty good and of course I make mistakes but I am actually very impressed
with how much I have learned in a month and a half.
Thanks for this wonderful opportunity. I am very happy with everything the
Rotary club has offered me.
Pablo.
Submitted by
Tamara Sanchez.
Victoria
asks for organs
On October 3, the Victoria Rotary Club participated in the Health-A-Rama held at the Victoria Mall. Several of its members manned a booth to encourage, educate, inform, and sign-up individuals for organ donation. There was a display showing the organs which made it interesting to young people and helped inform adults of the need and importance of being an organ donor. The club recruited 88 donors this year, a few less than in years past. All in all it was a great success. Clara Prater is pictured with the organ dummy. Submitted by Lorene Bothe.
Small club, large results
The
Miracle League of Corpus Christi project started three years ago when Brian
Devaney and the
Evening Rotary Club of Corpus Christi
(10 members) adopted it as its
next project. Over the last three years the goals of raising funds and
awareness about the Miracle League was not easy. However, with the help of
organizations like the Corpus Christi Hooks, the No Bats Baseball Club, and
several local companies and organizations the project moved forward.
The Miracle League of Corpus Christi is a non-profit organization providing opportunities for children with mental and physical disabilities to play baseball. They actively promote community support and sponsorship of The Miracle League. They, also, promote the construction of special facilities that meet the unique needs of Miracle League players, their families, and friends.
A year ago a Board of Directors was formed to take the project to the next level and to get the field to home plate. Through their hard work, diligence, and persistence the project is about to become a reality. Through a partnership with the City of Corpus Christi land has been donated to host the field. Funds by the city have already been allocated and infrastructure work including utilities and a parking lot will begin in November.
Through projects they have raised about $100,000. At the Miracle League Dinner recently, they raised over $250,000 and, along with other projects, have a total now of $500,000. Their overall goal is to raise $750,000 to complete the building of the field. Submitted by Nancy Ross.
Laredo Next Generation receives Simplified Grant
Laredo Rotary clubs attended a District 5930 Foundation workshop in
Corpus Christi on October 10. Information was captured for their use in
Laredo. All four Laredo Rotary clubs were represented. Pictured (left to
right) District Governor Dennis Roberts, Laura Narvaez (Next
Generation), Jose Caballos (President Next Generation) Chuck Owen
(Secretary/treasurer Laredo), Ed Ramirez, Jr. (Daybreak), John Kidd
(President Daybreak), Luz Serna (Next Generation), Governor Elect
Gilbert Serna (Gateway), and PDG David Leyendecker (Laredo). Jose is
holding a $5,000 Simplified Grant check Next Generation received from
District 5930 and will be used to fund Sacred Help playground equipment.
Submitted by
Chuck Owen.
Raymondville selects two top students
The Raymondville Rotary Club recognized its students of the month for October 2009 at its meeting on October 21. Selected as students of the month were Travis Hernandez and Jaime Reta. Travis Hernandez was selected as the male student of the month. Travis is currently ranked ninth in his class of 132 students. He is a devoted band member who enjoys playing the saxophone. Travis plans to join the Navy for four years and then plans to attend Sam Houston State University where he plans on majoring in Forensic Science. Jaime Reta was selected at the female student of the month. Jaime is currently ranked seventh in her class of 132 students. Jaime plans to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. Submitted by Vilma Cervantes.
District Governor has the honor to present three Paul Harris Fellows awards during Corpus Christi Northwest club visit
During the official visit to the Corpus Christi Northwest club, District
Governor Dennis awarded three Paul Harris Fellow Awards to Mary Barrera,
Artie Almendarez and Brandon Marshall. Mary and Artie received the awards as
recognition for their long standing support and tenures, while Brandon was
recognized for his club leadership as president, establishing the first of
our traditional fish fry fundraisers. A fourth award is in the mail and will
be given to Donna Weiss, recognizing her work as the glue that keeps the
club together. Submitted by
Mike Carlisle.
Judge Mary Barrera made front page news!
Judge Mary made the international project in Hidalgo, Mexico, front page news for the Corpus Christi Northwest Rotary Club. Tim Olmeda of the Nueces Record Star interviewed Mary, far right, about her and her husband, Blackie (far left), about their efforts. Mary explained that a number of people have commented on the story and were pleasantly surprised by Rotary's involvement in the community and internationally. She hopes the story will get the word out about the needs in Hidalgo and Rotary's reaching out beyond the local community. Read the story online at http://www.recordstar.com/articles/2009/10/09/slideshow/local01.txt. Submitted by Mike Carlisle.
First Torres students knighted
On
October 20 nineteen students at Torres Elementary were recognized for
Rotarian values such as tolerance, responsibility, loyalty, friendship,
integrity, honor, good citizenship, and honesty.
The Victoria Sunrise Rotary Club is sponsoring the EarlyAct FirstKnight (EAFK) Program at Torres Elementary in Victoria. EAFK is a character-building program based on knightly values. Dr. Randall Parr, founder of EAFK, told the students that knights used their skills and talents to help others in need and that they too could become very important in this world if they learn to do this.
Students walked the red carpet and kneeled on the royal pillow to receive their medals. Each grade received bronze, silver, or gold medals while the fifth graders were knighted. Teachers nominated their students and the students did not know they were recipients until their names were announced. Parents were invited to attend the ceremony, which was a surprise as well.
Torres is the first school in both Victoria and District 5930 to have this program and Sunrise Rotary Club is very excited that they have been able to bring it to the school. Submitted by Tammy Barben.
Aransas Pass makes semi-annual literacy donation
In lieu of “Speaker Gifts”, the Aransas Pass Rotary Club donates $100.00 to a local literacy program in October and March. The 2009 October donation went to the Faulk Elementary School Library with the instructions that the Librarian, Ms. Sarah Alvarado could buy books, or any teaching tool, that would promote literacy. Ms. Alvarado was invited to the October 19 Rotary Club meeting for lunch. Ms. Alvarado brought a hand-made card created by the students in one of the several elementary classes who spend time in the library. Ms. Alvarado, on the left, and Rotary Secretary Karen Gayle held the card for the Rotarians to admire. Submitted by Karen Gayle.
Port Aransas planning a busy November
Friday November 6th from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM will be their
annual food drive to benefit the Helping Hands Food Pantry, which assists
low-income families in Port Aransas. Bring your non-perishable food or
monetary donations to the parking lot of the Family Center IGA Food Store at
418 S. Alister St. in Port Aransas.
Wednesday November 11th from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM the Port
Aransas High School will host a Veterans Day program to honor our service
men and women. The program is open to the public. The featured speaker this
year is Todd Hunter, District 32 State Representative.
Wednesday November 11th - in honor of Veterans Day their
club will again post 125 flags around the community at the homes and
businesses of subscribers to their flag fundraiser program. This project,
spearheaded by Francis Stokes, is expected to net approximately
$5,000-$6,000 for their club in its first year. If your club would like more
information about starting a successful flag program, contact Francis Stokes
at 361-749-5264 ext. 7400 or Kim Fon at 361-749-0552. Submitted by
Jodi Goike.
10 Fundraising ideas to meet the PolioPlus Challenge
1.
Hold a Dinner – To raise a million dollars, sell 200 tickets at $5,000 per
ticket. If you don’t think you can find enough people to buy a $5,000
ticket, sell tickets for $20, serve “Happy Meals” and everyone goes home
with a door prize.
2. Kiss a Pig – For a donation, the donor can nominate someone to “Kiss a
Pig” or donate money to vote for someone already nominated. The nominee with
the most donations wins the right the Kiss the Pig.
3. Arrange a Concert - Arrange a date the New York Philharmonic with
yourself as the featured artist. If you aren’t Itzhak Perlman, find a local
band and arrange for a local concert to ENDPOLIO with the proceeds going to
PolioPlus.
4. Issue a challenge – If your goal for PolioPlus is met, the Club President
will shave his/her head. If you can’t talk anyone into head shaving, pick a
day and match donations made by others to PolioPlus.
5. Donation Boxes – Set out a collection box or jar and ask for loose change
or whatever amount people are willing to donate. Remind donors that 60
cents, the cost of a single dose of polio vaccine will save a life.
6. Sell Something – The Victoria Club is selling stamps. Other clubs may
sell Victoria furnished
stamps and get Rotary Foundation points. Clubs in Kansas and Switzerland
are selling sunflower seeds.
7. Text Message – If you text “polio” to 90999, you will be donating $5 to
PolioPlus. Encourage your technologically gifted friends, neighbors and
co-workers to do this.
8. Purple Pinkie Day – For a donation, give a purple pinkie (to mimic the
dyed finger used to identify children who have been immunized in those
countries still experiencing polio). This is a great project for Rotaract
and Interact Clubs. Encourage competition among various school groups to
raise the most money.
9. Rummage Sale – Corpus Christi Sunrise used this idea. Raid your garage
and get rid of all those “white elephants” and raise some money for
PolioPlus.
10. A Special Event Dinner – Southside Corpus Christi is holding a Hometown
Hero dinner to honor the Nueces County Judge with a Paul Harris Fellow. Part
of the proceeds from the dinner has been designated to PolioPlus. Submitted by
Betty Frantum.
Southside Corpus Christi builds ramp for Day in a Life of Rotary
To celebrate Rotary International’s Day in a Life of Rotary on
October 10, the Rotary Club of Southside Corpus Christi built a wheelchair
ramp for Mrs. Connie Rodriquez who has twin daughters, now aged 37, who were
both born with cerebral palsy. For years she had been transporting her
daughters to their doctor appointments one at a time due to the hardship of
getting them to her car. One daughter would go one week, and the other a
couple of weeks later. Now, due to the Rotary Club of Southside Corpus
Christi, she can take both the girls to the doctor at the same time. They
had 15 members including university students in their affiliate Rotaract
Club from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi working on this project.
Pictured clockwise from top Left: Dyke Henderson, Gary Jeffress, Skip
Barnes, Melissa Fabela (obstructed, Rotaract), Rod Vaughn, Edgar Sanchez,
Erasmo Nava, Zach Murray (Rotaract), Katie Zweifel (Rotaract). Submitted by
Lari Young.
Southside Corpus Christi recognizes Merit Scholars
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 were chosen by Sandra Gonzalez, counselor at Moody High School, which is Southside Rotary’s partner school in many Rotary-related projects. The students were introduced to the club in front of their families and were given a certificate from Southside Rotary Club President Lari Young.
This month’s honorees include:
National Hispanic Merit Scholars Adrian Gallegos (l) and Jeremiah Boatright.
Adrian
Gallegos plans to attend Rice University. He would like to study
cognitive science due to his interest in the processes of the brain in
relation to societal interactions. His main focus is to attend medical
school, however, he also feels that he may enjoy psychological research. The
reason for Adrian's course of study pertains to his realization that our
lives are all interrelated with the world environment. The subjects Adrian
enjoys in school are math and science. He really enjoys math and working
with numbers. Adrian's favorite past time activity is participating in cross
country and track. He runs the 5K in cross country and the 800 meter relay,
the 400 meter dash, and the distance medley in track. He hopes the Moody
Trojans will go to the State Championship.
Jeremiah Boatright plans to attend the University of Texas at Austin. He plans to study medicine and someday become a neurosurgeon. This decision to study medicine is resulted from an incident that occurred with a member of his family who needed expert care and attention. He was so impressed with the surgeon who cared for this family member and seeing the end result of successful surgery that he decided he wanted to help in the same way. Jeremiah sees himself working in a hospital or in private practice. However, he also plans to donate time to work in underprivileged areas. The subjects Jeremiah enjoys most in school are math, history, and science. His favorite past times are reading fiction and non-fiction history and playing on the Moody Trojan tennis team. Submitted by Lari Young.
Mission brags on two programs
The
Mission Rotary Club has been very active with local projects. They continue
to honor the students of the month from Mission High School, Veterans High
School, and Sharyland High School. This month they honored two students from
each school and will continue to do so. They had the pleasure of honoring
students who had perfect attendance throughout their entire school career.
The
Anzaldua International Bridge is completed and will be open for traffic in
December. This bridge spans from the Mission to Reynosa. This bridge has
been in the works for over 20 years and has finally been finished. John
Ramon the bridge director presented a very complete description of the
entire facility. Mr. Ramon showed the entire bridge from the U.S. to Mexico
and all the facilities on the U.S. side including the primary and the
secondary screening areas, the administrative buildings, and other ancillary
facilities. Primarily, the bridge will be used for pedestrian and vehicular
traffic and, eventually, for commercial traffic. Submitted by
Rudy Pena.
Submitted by
Jesus Ramos.
PDG J.D. Moore passes
PDG
J.D. Moore died September 30. At North Texas State University he earned
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees and received All-Conference honors in
football, basketball, and track. Later he was inducted into the University of
North Texas Athletic Hall of Fame. After graduation he was high school
principal, teacher and coach in Salesville, Dublin, and El Campo. Upon moving
to Victoria in 1941, he served simultaneously as dean of Victoria Junior
College and principal of Patti Welder High School for three years, as
manager of Victoria Chamber of Commerce for a year, and as a partner with
Dysart & Moore Insurance and Real Estate. In 1948 he became the first
president of the Victoria College and led that institution for 27 years. One
particular accomplishment recently recognized was establishing, with Dr.
John Stormont, the Vocational Nursing program 50 years ago. Upon retiring
from Victoria College, he was appointed Victoria County Judge to fill the
unexpired term of Judge Joseph Bumgardner. He actively participated in
leadership positions of many local and state organizations, including
chairman of the State Board of Examiners for Teacher Certification;
president of the Association of Texas Colleges and Universities; long time
secretary of the Texas and Junior College Association now known as the Texas
Association of Junior Colleges; one of the pioneers in building the modern
Texas community college system and thus was highly regarded by his peers;
member of the Christian Education Commission and the Christian Education
Coordinating Board of the Texas Baptist Convention; received an Honorary
Doctor of Laws from Baylor University for his work in education with Texas
Baptists; president of the Victoria Rotary Club (1943-44), and Rotary
International District 5930 Governor (1959-60). He received the Boy Scout
Silver Beaver Award and directed numerous fund campaigns including the YMCA,
United Way, Red Cross, and Senior Citizens Center. He was a deacon, teacher,
choir member, and served on various committees at Baptist Temple and First
Baptist Church.
Edited from obituary from the
Victoria Advocate.
From: Chuck Owen, Laredo Rotary Club
Comments: As usual, good work. A good way for district Rotarians to keep up with the flow of Service above Self. With your work, Jack, 'We've come a long way baby.' See you on Facebook.
From: Mario Rodriguez, Laredo Rotary Club
Comments: Great newsletter, very informative.
From: Ana Maria Constantin, colonia valdense rotary club
Comments: I had the possibility to meet Mike Forbes when I was in South Texas as a GSE leader last April. He was an enthusiastic and hospitable rotarian. I am so sorry he died, I'm going to miss him!!
| The South Texas District 5930 Newsletter is published the first day of each month. , Victoria Rotary Club, edits and distributes it. by the 24th of the month prior to publication. Jack is, also, our webmaster. |
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