| Rotary International District 5930 Vol. 5 No. 4 Newsletter October 2008 Print |
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Port Isabel Twin-Club Celebration
Membership Dinner & Raffle Drawing October Visit Schedule
15 Goliad |
  Governor
Russell writes . . .
Let's Make Dreams RealJust want you to know that District 5930 has been in touch with two districts torn apart from Hurricane Ike. We are addressing several options for relief through the Houston and Galveston districts. They have set up relief funds and it will be several days before the other options they suggested can be fully examined. (When people return home.) Hopefully! Check out http://www.rotary5890.org to see the generous offers that have been extended. Everyone is working from cell phone since there is no electricity. We have received emails from across the US from districts who thought Port Lavaca was in the storm path. Rotarians are so kind . . . please send a special thanks to who immediately arranged Laredo housing to anyone in our district who was affected. Gilbert, Dennis, and I are on top of this relief project. Thanks to all and please forward any requests you receive to us.  We had a very productive, well-attended assistant governor training session in Corpus Christi on September 20. Ten of the 13 assistant governors were there. Thanks. For more pictures go to our online scrapbook. Thank you, Gov. Russell Cain and Cherre |
Pat McCarty muses about McAllen North
We have such a wonderful Club. I was updating the list of continuing
contributions and activities in which our members are involved on behalf of
Rotary. Basically, fully 65 percent of our members are very active in current Club
projects, administration, and events. In some instances, some of our members
are actually involved in more than one activity. Another great
characteristic of our membership is their practically unfailing aptitude to
respond positively and immediately when asked for input or to participate.
The essence of Rotary is service and I feel our Club certainly demonstrates
through its’ individual member’s performance that we fully support this
objective.
As Marilyn briefly stated today during the meeting, our Club has encountered
a drop in membership. Five years ago our Club had 65 members. Today we have
41. The most disconcerting is that at least two more of our loyal and active
members are about to leave the Club. Maren is moving from the Rio
Grande Valley and Shawn is going to have to transfer his membership to
McAllen South due to work scheduling. We need to increase our membership.
Marilyn is going to lead a membership drive and we would like suggestions
and recommendations.
Thanks to District Russell Cain and Cherre for being with us and making
excellent presentations. District 5930 has been fortunate to have Tom Moore
and now Russell Cain as DGs.
Submitted by
Pat McCarty.
Note: There will be a membership dinner and speaker at the Corpus Christi
Town Club on Oct 25 at 3 PM with the raffle drawing at 6:30 PM.
Click for details
Honduras work project needs District-wide support
By now club presidents and secretaries should have received a fundraising
letter from Tom Plumb. We can do an amazing amount of work with small
amounts of money, recognize all club donations on plaques, and would love to
have Rotarians join us next February. Please give it some thought! Tom is
still available for presentations to your club.
For a Hands to Honduras update contact Tom Plumb, 956-943-1237,
, or go to http://www.handstohonduras.com.
We have 33 confirmed volunteers so far.
The Rotary Foundation has approved a Volunteer Services Grant for the
October Engineering trip!!
Fundraising for 2009 is underway: We have raised just over $25,700.00 so far
this year. The McAllen North Rotary Club has just sent $2,000.00!!! The
Edna, Texas, Rotary Club has pledged $750.00!!
Budget $121,572.71
Raised to Date $25,713.09--21.15%
Still needed $95,859.62
If District 5930 approves our request for $17,646.48 (and then the Rotary Foundation approves their portion of $24,866.79) we will only need to raise an additional $2,150.06 to finalize fundraising for the power, latrine, and computer projects...and then we can focus totally on the new schools!!!! If District 5930 is not able to provide that entire amount--we will have to raise additional funds locally for those projects.
Thanks to those who have reimbursed us for unexpected hotel tax levies totaling $671.12 (received).
Tom is close to applying for a Matching Grant to the Rotary Foundation for
five power projects, a new addition requested by an adjoining
orphanage (they have raised $5,000.00 toward the local match), three
latrine projects, and 150 computers. The
request anticipates our raising $19,328.15--District 5930 providing
$17,676.48 and the Foundation coming through with $24,866.79. Total budget
for these requests: $61,871.42.
Clubs and Rotarians may send tax deductible donations to:
McAllen North Rotary Fund
c/o Tom Plumb
P.O. Box K
Port Isabel, Texas 78578
Send $100.00 transportation fee and/or non-deductible donations to:
Hands to Honduras, Inc.
P.O. Box 1733
Port Isabel, Texas 78578
Upcoming programs (if you want to catch Tom's presentation):
November 14 12:00 Harlingen Rotary Club
January 7 12:00 Brownsville Rotary Club
Call Tom if you would like to have him speak to your club. Submitted by Tom Plumb.
Goliad Rotary is holding its annual Hunters Ball
James Young would like all District Rotarians to know that the Annual Hunters Ball sponsored by Goliad Rotary Club will be held on October 25, 2008, at the Memorial Auditorium beginning at 5:00 PM. This has become a large part of the Club's efforts to raise money for student scholarships and other community projects. The Club sells corporate tables as well as individual tickets. The corporate table idea has been well received. The Club encourages area clubs to purchase a table and help recognize Rotary in District 5930. Tickets are $20.00 per person, which includes a happy hour followed by a dinner catered by Werner's from Shiner. In addition, they have a Chinese auction, a silent auction, and a live auction following dinner. There will be entertainment and fun for all ages. Bring your children or grandchildren...they will enjoy the Ball. If anyone is interested, please call Lenney VonDohlen at (361) 645-3296. He is in charge of the corporate tables or call Trey Wimberley at (361) 645-3226, he is the chairman and will send tickets. Submitted by James Young.
Here's a warm Family of Rotary story
Mary Curtis, President of Rotary Club of Historic Brownsville Rotary Club,
had a serious accident (August 15) on a family trip with her young daughter.
With her right ankle broken in three places, and under “no weight bearing”
orders for nearly two months, Mary is very much stuck at home in a
wheelchair. The members of her club have rallied to her support. Members of
Historic Brownsville took up a collection to help with immediate expenses,
conference called from a club meeting, and volunteered for chores around the
yard. Such help is invaluable. Their prayers continue to be with her.
For the horribly curious, Mary was taking her eight year old daughter on her
second solo horseback ride. After a beautiful hour observing the deer and
the flowers of Texas hill country, the mishap occurred in the middle of the
dismount. It took two ambulances and two hospitals to find an orthopedic
surgeon able to rebuild the right ankle. Mary jokes that she can open her
own hardware store (including nine screws, two pins, and a plate) since she
is “permanently screwed!”
Prayers, good wishes, and other support may be offered to Mary through her
club.
Submitted by Mary Curtis.
Port Isabel celebrates a 50-year relationship
For those who missed it--Port Isabel Rotary Club celebrated its 50th anniversary as a twin club with the Obispado Club in Monterey, Mexico, on the September 13 weekend with a visit from their members....and two sheet cakes commemorating their long term relationship and friendship.
Ralph Ayers, President of the Port Isabel Rotary Club, exchanges gifts
with Enrique Ayala, President of the Monterrey Obispado club. Their most
recent collaborations entailed matching grants to provide medical
equipment to a clinic in Monterrey and a children's library at the
public library in Port Isabel as well as providing a bus for a rural
community near Monterrey.
Submitted by Tom Plumb.
Mission Rotary donates to Make-A-Wish Foundation
During
a special meeting on Thursday, September 18, the Rotary Club of Mission
welcomed Ava Sandlin, Executive Director of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of
the Rio Grande Valley, as a guest speaker. There, Mission Rotary Club
President Dan Ogletree presented Sandlin with a $4,500 check to the
Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The Make-A-Wish-Foundation is a not for profit organization that has been in
the Valley for eleven years. The donation will be used to grant a wish for
one sick child.
"We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to
enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy," Said Sandlin when
explaining what it is the Make-A-Wish Foundation does.
Qualifying children are allowed to choose their own personal wish or dream
within the constraint of their personal safety and well being. The average
cost of a child's Make-A-Wish gift is $4,500. Ms. Sandlin proudly told those
present that their organization prides themselves on granting agency
qualified children's wishes.
Ms. Sandlin spoke with great enthusiasm about the fact that her office and
the governing Board of Directors were closing in on their goal of granting
their 500th wish in south Texas. At present, 489 wishes have been granted.
With this donation the members of the Rotary Club of Mission showed their
support of Rotary International (RI) President D.K. Lee's 2008-09 theme
Make Dreams Real. The Rotary Club of Mission was chartered in September
1920 and has been addressing both local and international needs for 88
years.
Submitted by Francis Ciancarelli.
Kosovo Youth Exchange student arrives in Laredo
Miss Rona Nushi, a Rotary Youth Exchange student from Peja, Kosovo, arrived
at the Laredo International Airport recently. She received a very warm
welcome from Ed Gonzalez, the Laredo Rotary Club President and a committee
of Rotarians including Javier Compean, Jorge Verduzco, Fernando Cuellar,
Bernie Posadas, Joe Trevino, Juanita Lira, and Ed Medina and his family. The
Medinas are the first host family and Rotarians Juan and Juanita Lira are
Rona’s counselors. Rona’s dream was to come to America and represent her
country with pride. She is enrolled at Alexander High School and is actively
participating in many activities, such as playing the flute in the high
school band. She is very grateful to the Laredo Rotary Club for the
wonderful opportunity.
PDG Fernando Cuellar was the first to donate Spanish books to the Laredo Rotary’s international literacy project, Say si to Books. Books and donations collected will be used to help provide books to Lauro Aguirre elementary in Mexico. Anyone wishing to participate please contact Juanita Lira at . Submitted by Juanita Lira.
Donna Swanson reports from Northern Ireland
Ambassadorial
Scholar Donna Swanson sends greetings from Belfast! How are things in ... Rotary? I am doing well and
enjoying the excitement of being in a new place. I have already learned many
new things just from my surroundings and from the people I have met; I'm
also learning to adjust to lifestyle, cultural, and language differences
like walking instead of driving as a main mode of transport and using the
Northern Ireland lingo (for example, "Hello mate" = "Hello friend").
On September 11th, I had the opportunity to attend my first Rotary meeting at the Antrim Rotary club. Antrim is a 40 minute bus ride from Belfast. The club is small, eight members in attendance at the meeting, but very hospitable and welcoming. I had the opportunity to get to know the members and to share with them a little about myself and about Mission, Texas.
After the meeting I spoke with the club president; he expressed his desire to see change in his group and district and even asked me for suggestions. I'm not sure yet what I can do to help, but I definitely want to serve in whatever way I can. Tomorrow I will leave for the District Conference in Sligo. I am excited to meet more Rotarians from all over Ireland as well as more Ambassadorial Scholars and to see another new place!
... I started a web photo a gallery with Google Picasa. It's more convenient than trying to e-mail photos. You can tell by the titles which albums contain photos from Ireland. The one titled "Rotary" has a picture of me and the Antrim Rotary club. The most recent ones are the "Belfast Bus Tour," "Hiking in the Mourne Mountains," and "Queen's University Belfast." Just click on the link ... http://picasaweb.google.com/ambassador.ds.
I started classes on Tuesday; both of my classes are small, between 8 and 10 students. The album of Queen's University has pictures of the campus and different events from the international student orientation days last week. I had the opportunity to attend an evening of Irish dancing and to meet students from all over the world. I made some new friends from Germany, Zambia, and Norway. There are over 400 students from between 30 and 40 countries here. I even met someone from Mauritius, a tiny island off the coast of Madagascar. I had to go home and look that one up on my world atlas!
... Let me know how you like the photo albums? I'm sure I'll update the site early next week with photos from the Rotary conference.
Take care and thank you for everything! Sincerely, Donna Swanson. Submitted by Francis Ciancarelli.
Harlingen Rotary has a busy schedule
In the Spirit of “Vocational Service Month” they are sponsoring Career
Pathways. This project is headed by Crisanne Zamponi and Ruthie Ewers. They
are focusing on women as leaders and not necessarily “degreed” leaders, such
as plumbers, electricians, farmers, etc. The target audience is middle
school and high school student who are trying to figure out how they can fit
into successful leadership roles in the community through better
understanding specific careers, character, leadership, morals, and ethics.
On October 2 the Rotary Club of Harlingen will be participating in the 16th
Annual Literacy Center Spelling Bee. They will be doubling their annual
sponsorship to help the Center which suffered damages from “Hurricane
Dolly”.
They are hosting their Eighth Annual Golf Tournament October 17 at the
Treasure Hills’ Golf Course. Registration is from 11-12:00. Tee time is
12:30. 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.
November 1, 2008 they will be supporting their neighboring San Benito
Chapter in the Adoption Awareness Picnic held at the Cameron County Fair
Grounds on FM510 in San Benito from 2:-5:00 PM.
Their club is planning a visit to the Monterrey Rotary Obispado Club
December 11-14. They plan to enjoy fellowship with their fellow Rotarians,
see some of their local historical treasures, and develop plans for their
school project just outside Monterrey.
They are also working on Thanksgiving baskets for the needy and Toys for
Tots for the Christmas season.
Their annual fund raiser 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 will have dinners to go.
Submitted by Meg Jorn.
Send the right kind of press release
To share your stories effectively, it's vital to send the right kind of press release. Read how to organize and compose a press release to promote your club's efforts. Consider sending a release in conjunction with the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October; the current theme is Human Rights and Dignity of People Living in Poverty. Let local media know what your club is doing to fight poverty, and plan to send out the release on 13 October.
World Food Day, 16 October, provides an opportunity to highlight club or district efforts to address health and hunger issues. One week before World Food Day, share with local media your projects related to fighting hunger and disease. Learn more about World Food Day and gather additional ideas on how to get involved here.
Join Rotary leaders and fellow Rotary members for Rotary Day at the United Nations, 8 November in New York City. Presentations and panel discussions will highlight water, health, literacy, and hunger issues, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is slated to speak. Should you attend, consider sending a press release or letter on Rotary's history with the UN to the editor of your local newspaper. Sponsored by the RI Representatives to the United Nations/New York, the day will also highlight Rotary's key humanitarian efforts and how they relate to the UN Millennium Development Goals.
Laredo Daybreak is busy, busy, busy
Jessie Hernandez is a busy Rotarian. As 2008-09 president of Laredo Daybreak
Rotary Club, Jesse is steering this group of early risers toward three
community projects, continuing to mentor new club members by involving them
in committees addressing education, health and scholarships and planning an
ambitious celebration of the 25th anniversary next year for the Daybreakers.
The club has embarked upon providing an outdoor basketball court for a south
Laredo middle school, a peace garden for a Catholic middle school, providing
water connections to homes in Webb County colonias, and awarding $1000
scholarships to all Laredo high schools.
"I believe in the principles of Rotary, which include community service,
fellowship, and world health," says Hernandez. "My years with Daybreak
Rotary have been the most rewarding of my life besides, of course, nurturing
my own family," he adds.
Daybreak Rotary meets early Friday mornings at the Laredo Country Club and
boasts as members: bank executives, logistics managers, and education
specialists. Averaging 40 members through the years, Daybreak's men and
women join about 250 other Rotarians who belong to the four other clubs in
Laredo and the million strong throughout the world.
Chief Carlos Maldonado was their guest speaker on Septembers 2. He is the
new Chief of Police for Laredo. He recently retired as Head of Security (New
Mexico DPS) from the border state just west of our great state. He says he
likes seeking innovation and change in an organization, even when it is hard
to do. He is "tocayos" (shares first name) with Border Patrol Chief Carlos
Carrillo who is a new member of their club. Chief Maldonado might also join.
Laredo Daybreak is replete with stars of TV, newspaper and magazines. Their
longest serving Rotarian, Juan Riojas, has become a celebrity, starring in a
television commercial for Laredo Medical Center. Rotarian Luis Casso, with
Wachovia Financial, was featured in the Laredo Business Journal
which comes out in the local newspaper and Henry (only his hairdresser knows
for sure) Flores was featured in the magazine Divino as a
participant in Laredo's version of Dancing with the Stars. Their
members have to share their success with the club by paying a (small) fine
to the Sergeant at Arms, Neto Lopez, at the meeting immediately following
the media feature. Who would have thought it...a club of celebrities!.
Submitted by
Henry Flores.