After entering the Huntsville Rotary Club meeting, I unloaded my briefcase, set up for my speech and then fixed my plate of BBQ. I sat down to eat and kept hearing someone say, “Hello, My Family!” It did not take long to discover the source of this unusual hello. It was the pride and joy of Huntsville Rotary, Frank D. (Poncho) Roberts.
Rotarian Poncho has been a member since 1986. That was the year he moved to Huntsville after retiring from SW Bell Telephone. (If you recognize SW Bell, you probably remember Humble Oil & Refining). Poncho and Sugar Roberts have been married for sixty five years and she has provided support for his community involvement throughout their married life. His main Rotary service project is I like Me! books.He initiated, found funding, promoted and distributed these books to Huntsville kindergarten students. Huntsville Rotary bestowed a Paul Harris Fellow on Poncho for this work. Our District also named him to the 5910 Roll of Fame for his Rotary work.
President Lemmon took me over to meet Poncho and after talking with him for a short while, I realized I needed help remembering everything he told me about his eighty four years. I want to thank Maureen McIntyre for sending me his bio. While at SW Bell, he was in charge of all NASA communications especially for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo launches. He was named Huntsville Citizen of the Year in 2002 and was recognized by both the Texas House and Senate for his community service work. The Huntsville Aquatic Center opened in 2007 and is named in his honor, the Chamber of Commerce gave him the “Mance Park Lifetime Achievement Award” and just this year, he was named “Volunteer of the Year”. It is well known in Huntsville that there is no point in telling Poncho “NO”. He will just keep coming back until you finally say “YES”.
Now, when you think Poncho has lived a full life, let me tell you one more facet of this extraordinary man. His college career was interrupted at age 18 by having to work to support his family but he graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2009 as the oldest male to ever receive a degree from SHSU.
If you makeup at Huntsville, you will certainly meet Poncho who will be up front wearing one of his 150 colorful vests and welcoming you with, “Hello, my family!”
PS: Frank D. Roberts was nicknamed “Poncho” when he worked in San Benito and fell in love with hot tamales.
Each year our Rotary District 5910 year end financial statement is reviewed by a district audit committee.
Per our D5910 Bylaws, The annual Statement and Report shall be presented for discussion and adoption at the next district meeting to which all clubs are entitled to send a representative and for which 30 days notice has been given that the Statement and Report of district finances will be presented.
Attached please find the June 30, 2016 Financial Statements and the committee's recommendation. We will vote on the recommendation at our next District 5910 meeting on Saturday, October 22, 2016 to be held in Cleveland.
This is the official notice that District Governor Gig Langston has issued a request for all clubs in the district to propose individuals to serve as the District Governor-Nominee-Designate (DGN-D) position, which will determine the governor for our district during the 2019-2020 Rotary Year. As the Immediate Past District Governor, I, Doris Lockey will serve as the Chair of the District Governor-Nominee Committee.
The current Governor succession is as follows:
2016-2017 Gig Langston – Rotary Club of Angelina (Lufkin)
2017-2018 Rhonda Herrington – Rotary Club of Palestine
2018-2019 John Hathaway –Rotary Club of The Woodlands
2019-2020 – To Be Determined
The application period for District Governor for the Rotary Year 2019-2020 is now open and will remain so through December 31, 2016.
Yes, you too can become one of the important volunteers who make this experience happen each year! Volunteer registration for RYLA has begun.
The online registration page can be found on the district website under New Generations / RYLA / 2017 Volunteer Registration. More registration details will be sent out by e-mail to all regular attendees as well as Club RYLA Chairs and Club Presidents. Any questions can be sent to Michael Perez (perezink@gmail.com).
District 5910 Chairs are positioned to enhance your club and remain a vital asset to our membership. Contact your Chairs to visit your club for a program today!
Clubs are beginning to complete the projects for which District Grant money was awarded. The reporting forms are now available for your use. The forms in two formats (Word and .pdf) can be linked to here and are available on the Grant page of the District website. For questions and assistance, contact Bobby Chapman at 409-554-4876 or bchapman@masonconstruction.net
New and Exciting Changes Coming for Books for the World
Rotary's Books for the World program is working on changing its focus, and those changes will impact the way the program can be used by each clubs. These changes will allow a much larger participation from each and every club and hopefully shine a brighter light on the program. Contact Tim Andrews, the program coordinator for the district, to schedule a presentation and learn how these changes can help your club to participate.
Tim is also receiving help from a newly-formed committee who is enthusiastic about getting the program more widely accepted and used by the clubs. The two new members are Kristie Young and LaTanya Afolayan, both affiliated with Lamar University. If you would like to serve on the committee to represent your area clubs, please contact Tim and let him know. Help in the Houston area would be greatly appreciated.
As of the latest statistics received, so far this calendar year, BFTW has loaded 35 40’ containers and delivered 18 containers. There are 2 containers in storage, loaded and ready to go. There are nine in transit and six which will be shipping in the next 2-3 weeks. This represents shipments to 10 different countries. Overall, BFTW has shipped 306 containers to at least 20 different countries in 16 years.
Learn more about this program by having Tim present to your clubs at your weekly meetings. His email is timandrews56@yahoo.com, and his phone number is 409-656-3549.
As we approach 2017 we want to prepare for what will make our membership embark upon the phrase "You'll Love LUFKIN!" As Conference Director Nancy Westbury and her team prepare for what will be a remarkable moment in history, District 5910 membership should mark your calendars as we look forward to seeing you in LUFKIN! Our District 5910 Governor is impressed by your phenomenal support and looks forward to recognizing your service.
The Rotary Outbound students from District 5910 have now enjoyed the first month of their exchange experience. We hope you are following their journey on Facebook pages.
This is Julia from Beaumont arriving in Japan.
This is Garrett from Lake Conroe arriving in Brazil.
And here is Kara from Nacogdoches arriving in France.
The 2016 Manual of Procedure (MOP) is now available!
Please click here to download your PDF of the MOP. You may also access the MOP, along with other governance documents, from Rotary.org. If you prefer to receive your club’s copy of the 2016 MOP as a hardcopy, please complete this brief form. Additional hardcopies can be ordered through the Rotary Shop at shop.rotary.org.
As you will notice, the 2016 MOP is smaller than in years past. It consists of Rotary’s governance documents, which were included as the yellow pages in previous versions, and a chapter on Rotary’s guiding principles. The former white pages have served as a reference guide for Rotary policy; however, the information quickly became out of date and was inconsistent with the Rotary and The Rotary Foundation Codes of Policies.
Instead, the Rotary Code of Policies is being translated into key languages, which will allow Rotarians to reference the most up-to-date policies. The Rotary Code can be found here. In addition, Rotary is providing a resource guide which lists helpful resources by subject. Both the guide and the Rotary Code can be found on the governance documents page of the Rotary.org.
We hope you enjoy the updated MOP, but if you have any questions, please let us know at council_services@rotary.org.
"Rotary is a huge part of my life. Hopefully, it is an enormous part of your life too.
Margaret Mead said, 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.'”
The Magnolia Rotary Club from District 5910 hosted their first Stop Hunger Event on Saturday, September 17, 2016. The club packaged 10,000 meals in 2 hours with over 50 volunteers. The volunteers included the Interact Clubs from Magnolia High, Magnolia West High and ALPHA Academy. The club also had several parents and community members participate in the fun.
Stop Hunger Now meal packaging events are a volunteer-based program that coordinates the streamlined packaging of highly nutritious dehydrated meals. Rotarians have packaged over 20 million meals which is 10% of the overall meals Stop Hunger Now has delivered since 2005.
The Rotary Club of Friendswood welcomes new member Morad Kabiri along with Rotary President Jerry Ericsson, Club Member David Smith.
The Rotary Club of Friendswood welcomes new member Robin Bresler along with Rotary Presdient Jerry Ericsson, Club Members Charisse Arning and Linda Thomas.
The Rotary Club of Galveston was the host for this year's annual United Way kick-off luncheon, held at Moody Gardens Hotel, August 31st. John Zendt, president of the Rotary Club of Galveston, presided over the annual luncheon. Pictured here is keynote speaker Rotarian Leonard Woolsey, who is also publisher of the Galveston Daily News. (Photo by Jennifer Reynolds, Photo Editor, Galveston Daily News.)
The Rotary Club of Galveston introduced its newest member at a recent luncheon meeting. Michael Smith (center), Editor of the Galveston County Daily News,was welcomed into the Club by President-Elect Kristen Carlson (left) and Robyn Bushong, Smith's sponsor. (Photo by Ulli Budelmann.)
Rotarians were happy to visit the downtown Beaumont Children's Museum with all its hands-on exploration and learning for children, but this trip was for a different kind of fun and exploration!
The group got busy and built an interior wall to create a large "Maker's Space" that will serve as a learning and exploration center for older children and adults, while restricting toddlers and younger children to other more age-appropriate areas.
The Club takes on "Done in a Day" projects like this on at least a quarterly basis as part of the overall service work of the club. Wildly popular with local non-profits, the Club supplies skilled (and unskilled!) woman and manpower to small project needs of these agencies. Rotarians have built a wheelchair ramp, painted a multi-room study center for Lamar students, built a fence and planter beds for Nutrition and Services for Seniors and more.
About a year ago, the Rotary Club of Galveston Island and the Galveston Rotary Club began a campaign asking fellow citizens to demonstrate support for the community’s first responders. To date, approximately 8,000 bumper stickers have been distributed throughout our county. It’s a rare day that one does not see at least 3 or 4 cars carrying this message and the Rotary name. As residents of a community prone to natural disaster, we have first-hand knowledge of what a critical role our first responders play in our lives. We chose blue as this is the color of most uniforms worn by our firstresponders. We chose the “Love You Blue” theme, as it harkens to the heyday of the Houston Oilers andexemplifies how a community can rally behind its heroes.
We would encourage other Rotary Clubs of District 5910 to adopt a similar campaign. It’s rather
inexpensive and easy to do. Every car with a sticker becomes a rolling advertisement for the local Rotary,and more importantly, it displays the fourth tenet of Rotary, as supporting our first responders is beneficial to all concerned.
If you have a Texan or Cowboys, or UT or A&M sticker on your car, you need to have a First Responders sticker as well. After all, those men and women are our real champions. They are our real heroes.
Angelina Rotarians volunteered at CISC (Christian Information Service Center) and stuffed over 150 Backpack Buddy sacks for local school children. The Backpack Buddy program provides nutritious child-friendly food for children to take home over the weekend to ensure they have access to food. The food sacks are distributed to children every Friday during the school year.
We made a monetary donation on behalf of our club to the Concerned Black Men of Lufkin to continue the work they do for our local children who live in poverty.
We began our first HPV Immunization Clinic on the Angelina College Campus as part of our district grant project. Through the grant project, we have partnered with our local Health District to provide shots to adults ages 18- 26 that will help prevent cancer. Rotaract members helped with the clinic as well.
The Dayton Rotary Club had a great program Thursday. Rotarian, Pastor Garry Masterson introduced Ms. Dawn Graham who is with the Family Time Crisis and Counseling Center. The Center assists those in need in a variety of ways including shelter, food, clothing, and counseling. Ms. Graham also talked about the upcoming 6th Annual Purple Ribbon Luncheon. The luncheon will be held on Oct. 14 and will benefit and help build awareness for domestic violence.
Pictured (left to right) Mary Anne Campbell from Liberty-Dayton Chamber, guest speaker Dawn Graham, Dayton Rotarian member Kim Mulkey, and Paula Moorhaj, Dayton Chamber.
September and October are the months that the Dayton Rotary Club has designated for their membership drive. Other guests at the meeting included (left to right) Hector Herrera, Andy Conner, Pastor Ken Davis and Roy Flora.
Cleveland Rotary Club was proud to welcome District 5910 Governor George “Gig” Langston
and his wife Lou. Members of the club gathered at the home of Cleveland Rotarian and
Assistant Governor Ernestine Belt for a Club Board meeting and wonderful barbeque dinner. A
review was made of all the support by Cleveland of international projects (such as eradication of
polio and building of water wells) and local projects (Don’t Meth with Me Program, College
Scholarships for Cleveland and Tarkington High School Seniors). Pictured (back row): Don
Belt; Rotarians T. W. Garrett, Larry Middleton, James Leach; District Governor Gig Langston;
Rotarian Bob Coleman; (front row): Rotarian Tommie Daniel; Rotarian, Assistant Governor, and
hostess Ernestine Belt; Cleveland Rotary President Eisha Jones; Rotarian Claire Garrett; Melanie Leach; and wife of District Governor and Rotarian Lou Langston.
Cleveland Rotary Club had a great turnout for Tarkington Athletic Director and Head Football
Coach Stan Howard as speaker. Coach Howard centers his program on the student, encouraging
not only athletic dedications but also positive peer pressure. He has also instituted a program
where the athletic team members are assigned younger students to mentor. Cleveland Rotary
Club scholarships for seniors are given to Tarkington High School, as well as Cleveland High
School. Everyone is proud to see the students learning to make good decisions both on and off
the field. Pictured (left to right): Rotarian and Tarkington Superintendent Kevin Weldon;
Tarkington Athletic Director and Head Football Coach Stan Howard; Rotarian and Program
Sponsor Scott Lambert; Rotarian and Constable John Joslin; Rotary President Eisha Jones.
Visit Cleveland Rotary on the web at http://rotaryclevelandtx.wixsite.com
Vidor Rotaract Growing and Jumping into Action for Louisiana
Vidor Community Rotaract held a mixer at the home of Sally and Tim Andrews on Saturday, September 24. There were six of the current members in attendance, as well as six guests, all of whom are interested in joining the club! The group played horseshoes and washers, had a great meal, and discussed plans for this year.
Vidor Community Rotaract held a school supply drive for students and teachers near Baton Rouge, LA. They collected many items from the community, such as copy paper, post it notes, erasers and pencils, staples, and rulers to replace what they lost in recent flooding. The Rotaractors met on Sunday, September 25 at Vidor WalMart with Vidor Rotary's green bus, taking a busload of items from community members and businesses.
We would love to have you come and join the Rotary Club of Beaumont for the 2016 "Wine Down With Rotary" on October 6! In its second year, it will be another successful fundraiser and a great time as Rotarians and friends will enjoy tasting six wines and appetizers. Proceeds will go to the Beaumont Rotary Foundation which funds the club projects and The Rotary Foundation for End Polio Now. Tickets are $35 in advance and a limited number will be sold at the door for $45. Purchase now on the website or by phoning 409-842-1913.
The next Rotaract mixer will be in the Beaumont area on November 17 from 6:30 -8:00 p.m. at Monsignor Kelly High School in Beaumont. Interact members from the area, or others who may wish to drive in, are invited. The service for the evening will be to assemble items for delivery to local hospitals and nursing homes.
District Rotarians can help by saving empty toilet paper rolls to be stuffed with a mixture of treats. The students also need gift wrap (good size scraps and partial rolls) and something to tie the ends closed, like yarn or ribbon. They also request candy, small trinkets, stickers, etc. If you can donate any items, it would be convenient to bring things to the District Seminar in Cleveland on October 22 and give to someone returning to Beaumont.
We will eat, mix, and do a service project, all while learning a little about Interact, Rotaract, and Rotary!
Thanks to the Monsignor Kelly High School Interact team for hosting this event!