RI President Holger Knaack visited our district!
A highlight of this crazy year: we recently hosted RI President Holger Knaack at a virtual meeting to recognize and thank our most dedicated supporters of the Rotary Foundation – members of the Paul Harris Society (those who commit to give $1,000 per year to the Foundation, as long as they are able), plus supporters at the major donor level and above. President Holger talked about why he supports the Foundation, the lifesaving work that is being done in our communities and around the world as a result of our efforts, and how important it is that we continue our ongoing support for the Foundation. He also talked about the positive impact that he expects from the selection of the first woman to serve as president of our organization, Jennifer Jones. It was a great day for Rotary 5910!
As we begin the last quarter of this Rotary year, let’s finish strong with participation in the upcoming events:
- Tuesday, March 2 at 5:30 is the kick-off meeting for our district’s first ever e-club! If you would like to Zoom in on this inaugural event, email Ruth Finkelstein Suhler (leahone@aol.com) for the link.
- Wednesday, March 10 at noon RI Director Suzi Howe will speak to the Beaumont Club in honor of International Women’s Day and Women in Rotary. Suzi has been a great resource for our district in many ways, including helping us make connection with Rotarians beyond our district. If you would like to Zoom in to this virtual meeting, please email Jacque Chapman, Executive Director of the Beaumont Club, at Admin@beaumontrotaryclub.org for the log in.
- March 8 – 13 Virtual PETS - for presidents-elect, presidents-nominee, and assistant governors. It’s not too late to register at https://lonestarpets.org
- April 10 at 9:00 am – District Training Assembly. Training for club officers will be offered plus a session introducing Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI). Make sure that your club’s officers have this date on their calendar.
- April 22, 23, and 24 – Virtual District Conference – stay tuned for details on this unconventional, engaging, and informative conference
Several of our clubs are assisting with COVID vaccination activities. So far, these have been reported to the district:
- Bryan/College Station club members are volunteering with the regional vaccination hub at the Brazos Center in Bryan.
- Lufkin is now a hub for a local vaccination clinic and several of the Rotarians are active volunteers. They have a local volunteer website for those who wish to sign up and to collaborate with one another.
- Beaumont club members are volunteering at the local health department with COVID vaccine distributions. They will assist the medical staff with the lines at check-in, walking patients to the assigned stations, and assist with non-medical tasks as needed.
- The League City club will be working with the Christus Foundation for Healthcare once their mobile unit is launched to do the vaccinations. Some of the members have been helping out with the Galveston county effort and volunteers as well.
- The Galveston club encouraged members to volunteer at the vaccination hubs that UTMB is facilitating and to post a photo of themselves with the “badge” that PDG Ulli Budelmann designed.
Also, see the article in this newsletter about the opportunity for 5910 Rotarians and friends who are close to the Houston area to volunteer to assist with vaccinations at NRG Park.
And to end this article on a light note, here is a quote from one of my governor classmates: "The world has turned upside down. Old folks are sneaking out of the house and their kids are yelling at them to stay indoors."
Stay safe and healthy and have a wonderful March!! We are looking forward to a much brighter Spring and Summer!