I am pleased to learn of your Club's achievements and accomplishments, and have enjoyed being with you for many special events during this year. We still have much ahead to accomplish. I challenge you to be headstrong and determined and successfully accomplish your 2014-15 goals.
We had a most successful District Assembly on Saturday with District Governor-Elect Doris Lockey beginning to take the reins for another successful year for District 5910. It was good to see everyone there. If you missed the Assembly, please find a way to learn about the things that were shared.
If you have not yet registered for the 2015 District Conference in Beaumont on May 1-3, please do so right away. It is a celebration of the accomplishments of the year and a wonderful time to spend with Rotary friends, We will recognize as many good volunteers and excellent clubs of District 5910 as we possibly can. Let's turn the spotlight on the people and clubs doing great works of service around our communities, our District, and our world. Thank you for what you do, and come - let's celebrate together!
The spotlight is turned on and warming up in preparation for your arrival at the 2015 District Conference in Beaumont, TX. We have much in store and exciting plans in place. Register now to receive a discounted rate on one of many registration options available for you and your spouse/guest.
General schedule:
Friday, May 1 - Pre-Conference activities and tours will start at 1:00 p.m. Sign up for the "Shoot Down Polio!" Clay Shoot with proceeds to benefit the End Polio effort, or tours of local museums and attractions. We flip the switch for the official conference opening at the Beaumont Rotary Centennial Playground; then at dinner in the adjacent Beaumont Event Centre the spotlight will shine on district clubs for the Governor's Spotlight Awards.
Saturday, May 2 - The day will be full of presentations and collaborations about the good work being done across the District. There will be time to exchange ideas and share new plans. In the evening, the spotlight will focus on the District leadership at the traditional Governor's Dinner. We have some "top brass" showing up for the "top brass!" (Click on the attachment below for a sneak preview.) You don't want to miss this!
Sunday, May 3 - The spotlight will turn this morning to light up the great work being done by Rotarians collectively through the Rotary Foundation. You will be moved, motivated, and inspired. Plan to be here until around 11:00 a.m. when the lights will go dim on the 2015 Conference, but participants take the glow back to their respective clubs to continue to "Light Up Rotary!" across District 5910.
Please note: There will be a $25 fee per registration for cancellations after April 1.
Hotel will release unreserved rooms being held for attendees on April 15. Conference rate will be honored if available.
Grant Requests for 2015-2016 aredue May 15, 2015.Requests must be entered in the Grant module of ClubRunner. Be sure you are working in the tab for 2015-16 as nothing entered in the current year can be transferred nor can it be considered for funding if in the 2014-15 tab.
Barbara Emery
Rotary District 5910 Grants Chair Phone: 979-694-7698
The Rotary Foundation's oldest and best-known program is Ambassadorial Scholarships. Applications for the 2015-2016 Rotary Foundation Academic-Year Ambassadorial Scholar Global Grants are now available from the Rotary Clubs in District 5910.
Since 1947, more than 43,000 men and women from 100 nations have studied abroad under its auspices. Today, it is the world's largest privately funded international scholarships program. More than 650 scholarships were awarded for study in 2012-33. Through grants totaling approximately US$20 million, recipients from some 69 countries studied in more than 64 nations.
Vidor Rotarians work on the scholarship breakfast coming up April 17th.
As Vidor ISD students head off to college, Vidor Rotary is proud to aid in their education by providing scholarships. We fund these through our scholarship breakfast, which will be held on Friday, April 17 from 7-9 a.m. at Vidor Casa Ole.
Tickets are $10 and that gets you a plate load of good food! Best of all, Casa Ole gives $8 of that back to Vidor Rotary to fund a scholarship. You can't get that deal anywhere else!
If you can join us, please let me know how to get you tickets. If you can't join us but would like to sponsor breakfast for one of the custodians or bus drivers in VISD, that would be neat! Email Sally Andrews at sandrews@vidorisd.org for more info.
The Woodlands Rotary announced this month that its Annual Wine Dinner netted $92,000 thanks to the generosity of the 420 attendees and the local businesses and individuals who sponsored the event. This year’s dinner honored 8th District of Texas Congressman Kevin Brady, and featured speeches by Texas State Senator Brandon Creighton as well as three of the Congressman’s colleagues in the House. Funds that were raised go toward the good works of the Rotary Club that includes funding scholarships to deserving local high school and Lone Star College students. CB&I was the presenting sponsor and the events was led by co-chairs Mary Matteson Parrish and Norman Parrish. Special thanks to all our volunteers and sponsors. The event exceeded the prior year’s fundraising goal, and a good time was had by all in attendance.
On April 8th, the Rotary Club of The Woodlands hosted local high school students for the Annual Students of the Year Awards Luncheon. The students are selected by school administrators for exemplifying the traits of community Service, character and leadership.
Students from the Woodlands Christian Academy, Oak Ridge High School, John Cooper School, The Woodlands High School and The Woodlands College Park High School were recognized. The seniors from each school shared a little about their school experience and their future plans but most importantly about the impact rendering service to their community has had in their lives and school career. It was truly inspiring to hear these young adults talk about their giving hearts and the ways that they are impacting the community.
District Governor Don Taylor presented nineteen Paul Harris Fellow awards to members of the Orange Rotary Club on April 7, 2015. Those achieving the honor were Mike Umbenhaur, Charla McNamara, Shawn Sparrow, Rick Kinder, Gracie Henry, Cheryl Ray, Amy Peevey, Heather Montagne, Jennifer Burtsfield, Ray Hancock, Skip Moore, Ray McDowell, Bill Hughes, Hershel Stagner, Terry Ray, T.W. Permenter, Robert Currie, David Frenzel and Buddy Cotton.
East Montgomery County Club hosted our annual “Project Connections” event in March. We awarded 25 scholarships of $250 to students from our four local high schools. We also awarded about $1000 worth of door prizes to students. There were several hundred students and parents in attendance. This event is a partnership with Lone Star College Kingwood. Students and parents learn about higher education opportunities at our local community college. Students are actually able to complete their LSCK applications onsite and talk with advisors and faculty about academic and workforce programs.
There was some pretty miserable weather outside, but the inside was full of fun and the great aroma of southeast Texas gumbo! The Port Arthur Taste of Gumbo held on March 21, 2015 netted $17,000!
Pleased with the success of the event was President Russel Buss (pictured left) and Assistant District Governor Bobby Simon.
The second annual Rotary Days Bunny Run and Easter Egg Hunt was held on Saturday, April 4 with a a 5K run, and 1K run for kids. This year, the addition of an Easter egg hunt for kids was a great addition. Proceeds will benefit be awarded in scholarships to students of the local high schools.
Pictured: (L to R) Jennifer Burtsfield (President of Orange Rotary Club), Brigitte Daniel (Presbyterian Day School Director), Steve Aguillard (Rotarian)
The Orange Rotary Club is honored to present $5,000 to the Presbyterian Day School to help fund a portion of the playground equipment that will be used by the school and local community children. Earlier this year, the Orange Rotary Club sponsored a benefit concert as a fundraiser to help raise the funds for this $5,000 donation. With the support of the community, businesses and Rotary members the concert was a success and generated the funds necessary to purchase the playground equipment.
First District 5910 Interact/Rotaract Mixer Named Big Success
by Sally Andrews, District 5910 Interact Coordinator
Building bridges is important. And on Thursday evening, March 26, some bridge work was done at the Vidor High School library. Interact members from Vidor High School, Westbrook High School, Orangefield High School, and the newly-forming Interact at Bob Hope High School in Port Arthur came together with Rotaractors from Beaumont Rotaract, Lamar University, and Lone Star College. The topic? Staying under the Rotary umbrella by bridging from Interact to Rotaract to Rotary.
Also on hand were Rotarians from clubs in Vidor, Port Arthur, Nederland, Liberty, and Lake Conroe. Governor Don Taylor, Governor Elect Doris Lockey, and Assistant Governor Bobby Simon were on hand to encourage the young people to continue in the Rotary life. The iron lung was on display and running, with students hopping in to see how it might feel to have polio and be tied to the lung for life support. Governor Taylor spoke to the students about supporting Polio Plus and how far we have come together in the fight against this disease. Coins were collected to help provide vaccines for polio, with this mixer incidentally falling on the day that, sixty-two years ago, Jonas Salk announced to the world that he had created a polio vaccine. Port Arthur Rotary President Russel Buss shared with the group that he was in fourth grade in a one-room schoolhouse in Michigan and was given one of the first polio vaccines as a test.
After a meal of pizza, soda, and homemade cookies provided by Vidor Rotarians, the group heard from Governor Taylor, GE Doris Lockey, and Beaumont Rotaract member Rebekah Maxwell, who shared her experiences in both the Lamar University Rotaract and the relatively new Beaumont Rotaract. She strongly encouraged the Interactors to get involved in a Rotaract club after graduating high school, and even talked about some of their service projects in other countries.
The groups then did some mixing, moving to different tables every five minutes and meeting students from other schools, sharing project ideas while their sponsors huddled for their own idea exchange. While they mingled, they created about five hundred candy rolls which will be distributed to children in Buckner's, Boys' Haven, Girls' Haven, and other places where perhaps children have been removed from their homes. Another mixer, in which toiletry bags will be made for local women's shelters, is planned.
Lonestar College Rotaract was excitedly getting ready to plan their own mixer with the eight high school Interacts in their area, and felt like they learned a lot from joining this event. It's going to be exciting to see young folks bridging into Rotary in the coming years, so don't close your eyes! You don't want to miss this!
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