Congratulations on “making it through” the pandemic and now working toward being on the other side of it! District 5910 can celebrate the fact that our members and our clubs have found ways to adapt in order to continue meeting and providing service in your communities in ways that conformed with the guidance provided by health officials. Many Rotary districts were not so lucky, having lost clubs due to the lockdowns.
Through your commitment and dedication, you kept going in whatever manner worked for your club and your members, and we can hopefully now begin the return to normal activities as more and more people are vaccinated.
As we near the end of this Rotary year, our International President Holger Knaack has reaffirmed his focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Our district has made some progress on those priorities, but more work is still ahead:
Increasing the role of women Rotarians by encouraging more women in leadership roles. District 5910 has been more successful in this endeavor than some, especially those in other parts of the world. The district is thriving as a result.
Increasing racial and ethnic diversity, which our district needs to continue to find ways to address; and
Promoting Rotaract clubs in the district by supporting the current clubs and adding new clubs and more members. District Rotaract Chair Birda Gaskin has kept her focus on keeping Rotaract alive in 5910, and we expect to see a lot of growth in numbers of Rotaractors and Rotaract clubs as things get back to normal in our schools. Birda is hoping to involve more Rotarians on her committee next year, so if you have an interest in helping, please contact her at gaskinbirda@gmail.com.
President Holger’s theme for this Rotary year, Rotary Opens Opportunities, has served us well. You have indeed focused on the many opportunities to adapt, learn new ways of interacting and carrying on your service projects, and staying in touch even when you couldn’t meet in person and function as your normally would. You have proven that you are resilient and that you will find a way to serve, no matter what!
Calling all Club Leaders!! District Training Assembly continues!!! All club leaders are invited to learn more about their respective roles. Below you will find the schedule of the remaining Training Assembly dates and registration links. All will be held virtually.
Rotary District 5910 Learning Center Quarterly Report April 2021
The Rotary Learning Center provides Professional Development right at your fingertips!
Chance to Win Recognition Points towards your next Paul Harris.
For every course you complete between April 1st and June 30th, will each earn you a chance to win!
In August of 2018 the First Course was taken in our District by Janet Ricketts from the Rotary Club of Conroe - Club Secretary Training.
As of March 31, 2021, 890 Courses in the Learning center have been started by 77 Rotarians. Of those 890 … 270 have been completed by 39 Rotarians in our District.
During the First Quarter of 2021 7 individuals completed 49 different courses.
Paula Jones-Woodville
Sally Reigle-Aggieland
Doris Lockey Lake Conroe
Mary Brechtel-Galveston
Roger Lindsey Lufkin
Cindy Cherry-Beaumont
Brenda Walker –Palestine Satellite Club
The Big Winners- The Rotarians in our District who have completed the most courses are:
51- Jerry Springfield-Woodville
33- Suann Hereford - East Montgomery County
17- Sally Reigle-Aggieland
16- Brenda Walker-Palestine Satellite
16-Jacque Chapman- Beaumont
Chance to Win Recognition Points towards your next Paul Harris.
For every course you complete between April 1st and June 30th, will each earn you a chance to win!
Questions or Concerns? Please call, text or email Ava Sloan 832-315-0502 ava@rodinconsulting.com.
Thank You to the following District 5910 Clubs who have entered at least some, if not all of their goals for the 2021-2022 Rotary Year. Congratulations to Cleveland, Galveston, League City, Hardin County, The Woodlands, and Woodville.
Instructions for Entering Goals
Make sure all of the 2021-2022 Officers are entered into the Club Central Data base.
Go to www.rotary.org , then select My Rotary on the top menu bar, and create your own password and sign-in. You will then receive an e-mail from RI to activate your account before you can reach step #3.
Your My Rotary page will open up, then scroll down the left hand menu column in the section named My Club Snapshot.
At the bottom of this section, you will see in blue, View Club Goals
You should now have reached the Rotary Club Central main page!! The Dashboard will show your Club’s trends for the last 5 years.
Click on Goal Center. In the far lefthand column. This is where you would enter and keep track of your goals for your 2021-2022 year.
VERY IMPORTANT- Be sure you are working in the Correct Year.
Click EDIT Button to make the changes.. BE SURE and SAVE afterwards.
There are FIVE SECTIONS of Goals
Members and Engagement
Rotary Foundation Giving
Service
Young Leaders
Public Image
Citation for Rotary Clubs
Your Rotary club can earn a Rotary Citation for achieving goals that strengthen Rotary and your club. Goals include increasing club membership, developing sustainable service projects, giving to The Rotary Foundation, and building awareness of Rotary in your community.
Citation goals can be found in Rotary Club Central. To achieve the Rotary Citation, review the 25 available goals, select at least 13, achieve those goals, then report your achievement in Rotary Club Central.
The Rotary International office sent a reminder to each of the clubs to update your club membership and officer information in preparation for the July 2021 club invoice.
The messages are tailored to each club individually whether they update club information using ClubRunner or directly via My Rotary.
Governors, past district governors, district leadership and chairmen, and all interested Rotarians are invited to attend the Zone Institute in Houston. These annual institutes are like mini international conventions, offering opportunities to hear from Rotary thought leaders from around the world and find out what’s going on in Rotary beyond our district.
The Rotary Club of Aggieland hosted an evening meeting at the home of President Barbie Patterson and Past President Fred Patterson. The owner of the Brazos Valley Vodka Company, Jimmy Byrd, was on hand to discuss his locally distilled BackPorch Vodka, NorthGate Vodka, and Bonfire Bourbon. Samples were provided by Distributors Phil & Kyndra Shackelford, a wonderful spread of food was provided by the Patterson’s, and a great deal of fun and fellowship was had by all.
Members of the Rotary Club of Beaumont had a great evening helping at "Market to Hope," a food pantry run by Catholic Charities. This agency supplies food to those in need, usually allowing the recipient to shop the market shelves for the items they need for their family. Because of COVID restrictions, Rotarians did the shopping and delivered the items to the recipients. This project and others being done in Beaumont by Rotarians are made possible by generous donations from Rotarians in the York, Pennsylvania Rotary Club who asked Beaumont Rotarians to be their "boots on the ground" in the days following the February ice storm. See more photos below.
At the end of April, the Rotary Club of East Montgomery County (RCEMC) partnered with New Horizons New Caney (NHNC) to expand their horticultural program. NHNC is a sheltered workshop for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. While they train on a variety of tasks, a favorite of the patrons is their horticultural program. RCEMC assisted NHNC in building two additional garden beds for growing herbs. Thriving herb gardens are vital in producing the plants used in making their all-natural tea blends and herbal-infused apple cider vinegars. Patrons work in all phases of the growth of the plants needed to produce their products. These products are then sold to the public at their local shop as well as community events. The funds generated are then used to continue to provide quality programming and activities for the NHNC patrons.
This week's program featured inspiring talks by the Bryan Rotary Club’s scholarship recipients. Our Club is awarding $3,000 scholarships to each of the following students:
Garrett Avery of Bryan High School, who will be attending Texas A&M University
Cade Conrad of Bryan High School, who will be attending Texas A&M University
Riley Foster of Bryan Collegiate High School, who will be attending University of Texas
Audrey Vestal of Bryan High School, who will be attending Texas A&M University
Congratulations to these outstanding students and their parents; and Bryan ISD teachers and administrators led by Bryan ISD Superintendent - Rotarian Dr. Christy Whitbeck. Special thanks to Rotarian T Getterman and the Scholarship Committee. Service Above Self.
A group of Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Conroe came together recently to put together some tables for students at our partner school, Runyan Elementary. RCC President Chris Sadler joked it’s the only Rotary project that’s ever brought actual blood, sweat and tears. The students are using the tables as an outdoor classroom.
The Rotary Club of Conroe is bringing back a tradition to the club. A Pancake Supper fundraiser will take place on Tuesday, June 8, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Honor Café, 103 N. Thompson Street in downtown Conroe. It’s going to be a great breakfast for dinner and all are welcome.
Several members of the Rotary Club of Galveston were recognized at a recent meeting for their generous financial contributions to their club. Each member pictured was honored either with a higher category recognition as a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow, or for special recognition as a VIT member (Fifth in Texas) of the club's Galveston Rotary Foundation, Inc. Pictured (from left, Gary Peters, Cissy Matthews, Sally Byrom, and Immediate Past President, Jim Byrom. Club President, Mike Guarino (far right) presented the awards. (photo by Robyn Bushong.)
Hardin County Rotary Club was chartered on May 1, 2008, and our Club is still going strong with a busy May 2021.
We had our most successful Driving For Rotary golf tournament to date, with 21 teams and raising approximately $11,000 for our projects and scholarships.
The Rotary Club of League City celebrated the success of their Polar Bear Plunge for Polio held earlier this year at South Shore Harbour Resort, at their lunch meeting Thursday, May 20th. The goal was to raise funds for Rotary International’s Polio Plus campaign. The Polio Plus campaign has been making headlines lately, continuing its partnership with the Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization. The club’s successful campaign raised a little over $7,000.00. The three top fund raisers were Ava Sloan in third place with $1355.00, second place Ryan Smith with $1925.00 and in first place was Amy Killgore raising $2,055.00
Polio cases have declined rapidly since 1985, but the fight isn't over. Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease, and for as little as 60 cents a child can be protected against the virus for life. If we don't finish the fight right now, more than 10 million children under the age of five could be paralyzed by polio in the next 40 years.
The Rotary Club of Lufkin is pleased to show their completed project: the renovations to the local Scout House. Everyone admits it was a total transformation! The Lufkin Rotary Club met in the newly completed Scout House for a weekly meeting to celebrate its completion.
The Rotary Club of Nederland had an excellent Mother's Day fundraiser. They sold hibiscus plants. The cost was $16 each and they sold them for $30 each. They were beautiful and a good size. This, also, supported one of local Nederland businesses, so win-win!
The Orange Rotary Club celebrated the success of its Sip and Shop fundraiser for Scholarships. Tina Romero of Mathews Jewelers Orange presented the club with a check for proceeds from jewelry sales at the event.
The Club had a great array of programs during the month of May, including Jack Seeley, with Sleep in Heavenly Peace; Kristin Walker, Dean of Workforce and Technical Programs at Lamar State College Orange; Mark Delavan with Entergy Texas; and Tara Tyndell, with Tidy Spaces.
Over 150 copies of the Spindletop Rotary Cookbook, "Cooking for the Club: Building Goodwill & Better Friendships in the Kitchen", have been sold and delivered! Check out photos on our Facebook page (Spindletop Rotary Club), as well as a video about CASA of Southeast Texas, who will receive a portion of the proceeds. Over 300 recipes for only $25! Order TODAY at http://myrotarycookbook.square.site! A Rotarian will hand-deliver books locally; only $5 to ship each book for purchases out of town.
The Rotary Club of Texas City received a matching grant to provide an outdoor bench and two trash receptacles to the Resource Crisis Center. Rotarians Sonny Tholcken, Tommy Toups and President Peggy delivered the items to the center April 23. Dennis Ferguson was excited to have these for the women and children who stay there.
WOW - ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS - The Event that pulled us Out of COVID and raised $58k for Scholarships
It has been the talk of the town, The Woodlands Rotary Fourth Annual Rotary Crawfish & Cornhole event held at Stillwater Back Porch.
Our Community, Rotarians, made it HAPPEN and under a glorious sunny sky, a windswept Rotunda and Super Pergola setting together WE raised $57,680 for our Community Youth (Six South Montgomery High Schools and Lone Star College students) to further their education and in the process had what this humble writer is tagging as “The Event that Helped US ALL turn the COVID Corner”.
Rotary District 5910 Learning Center Quarterly Report April 2021
Update Your Club Membership in RI Files
The Rotary Club of Aggieland hosted an evening meeting at the home of President Barbie Patterson and Past President Fred Patterson. The owner of the Brazos Valley Vodka Company, Jimmy Byrd, was on hand to discuss his locally distilled BackPorch Vodka, NorthGate Vodka, and Bonfire Bourbon. Samples were provided by Distributors Phil & Kyndra Shackelford, a wonderful spread of food was provided by the Patterson’s, and a great deal of fun and fellowship was had by all. 
Members of the Rotary Club of Beaumont had a great evening helping at "Market to Hope," a food pantry run by Catholic Charities. This agency supplies food to those in need, usually allowing the recipient to shop the market shelves for the items they need for their family. Because of COVID restrictions, Rotarians did the shopping and delivered the items to the recipients. This project and others being done in Beaumont by Rotarians are made possible by generous donations from Rotarians in the York, Pennsylvania Rotary Club who asked Beaumont Rotarians to be their "boots on the ground" in the days following the February ice storm. See more photos below.
At the end of April, the Rotary Club of East Montgomery County (RCEMC) partnered with New Horizons New Caney (NHNC) to expand their horticultural program. NHNC is a sheltered workshop for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. While they train on a variety of tasks, a favorite of the patrons is their horticultural program. RCEMC assisted NHNC in building two additional garden beds for growing herbs. Thriving herb gardens are vital in producing the plants used in making their all-natural tea blends and herbal-infused apple cider vinegars. Patrons work in all phases of the growth of the plants needed to produce their products. These products are then sold to the public at their local shop as well as community events. The funds generated are then used to continue to provide quality programming and activities for the NHNC patrons.
A group of Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Conroe came together recently to put together some tables for students at our partner school, Runyan Elementary. RCC President Chris Sadler joked it’s the only Rotary project that’s ever brought actual blood, sweat and tears. The students are using the tables as an outdoor classroom.
Several members of the Rotary Club of Galveston were recognized at a recent meeting for their generous financial contributions to their club. Each member pictured was honored either with a higher category recognition as a Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow, or for special recognition as a VIT member (Fifth in Texas) of the club's Galveston Rotary Foundation, Inc. Pictured (from left, Gary Peters, Cissy Matthews, Sally Byrom, and Immediate Past President, Jim Byrom. Club President, Mike Guarino (far right) presented the awards. (photo by Robyn Bushong.)
their lunch meeting Thursday, May 20th. The goal was to raise funds for Rotary International’s Polio Plus campaign. The Polio Plus campaign has been making headlines lately, continuing its partnership with the Gates Foundation and the World Health Organization. The club’s successful campaign raised a little over $7,000.00. The three top fund raisers were Ava Sloan in third place with $1355.00, second place Ryan Smith with $1925.00 and in first place was Amy Killgore raising $2,055.00
The Rotary Club of Nederland had an excellent Mother's Day fundraiser. They sold hibiscus plants. The cost was $16 each and they sold them for $30 each. They were beautiful and a good size. This, also, supported one of local Nederland businesses, so win-win!
The Orange Rotary Club celebrated the success of its Sip and Shop fundraiser for Scholarships. Tina Romero of Mathews Jewelers Orange presented the club with a check for proceeds from jewelry sales at the event.
Over 150 copies of the Spindletop Rotary Cookbook, "Cooking for the Club: Building Goodwill & Better Friendships in the Kitchen", have been sold and delivered! Check out photos on our Facebook page (Spindletop Rotary Club), as well as a video about CASA of Southeast Texas, who will receive a portion of the proceeds. Over 300 recipes for only $25! Order TODAY at 
