We may be in the midst of a global pandemic but Rotary 5910 is still going strong by serving our communities, raising funds to support those activities, and continuing to meet – not in the usual ways but adapted to the health guidelines.
Some clubs are finding ways to support their communities’ COVID vaccination efforts including promotion of local efforts, volunteering for non-medical support activities at vaccination sites (helping with paperwork, monitoring people after they get their shot, etc.), and posting pictures of themselves getting their vaccination to encourage others.
In other pandemic-related news, RI President Holger Knaack announced that the Taipei, Taiwan convention scheduled for June will be virtual. Like so many other events that have been moved to a virtual format, we are disappointed that we can’t meet in person, but it will allow more people to participate since it won’t involve expensive travel. The 2022 International convention will be in Houston, and we plan to assist them since we are their neighbors. I hope that many of our members will be able to attend.
An exciting development for our district is that we are in the process of forming a new type of club – an EClub! Members can be from literally anywhere in the world because all meetings will be virtual. Many other Rotary districts are forming EClubs, and they are proving to appeal to a wide variety of people – people who can’t get away from work to attend a meeting in person, former members who dropped out because of the expense, or those with scheduling conflicts. Service projects will be non-traditional as well.
Be sure to read the article about the new club to get a better understanding. The people on the membership subcommittee who did the research did a thorough job of surveying former members and designing this club to hopefully re-engage them. Think about people you know who either dropped out of your club or are possibly considering resigning. They might be interested in checking it out.
This year’s virtual mid-year meeting will be Thursday, Feb. 11 from 6:00 – 7:30. See the notice with more information and the registration link in a separate article.
Lone Star PETS – February 22 – 28 - will also be virtual. Cub presidents-elect and presidents-nominee (will be president in 2022-23) along with assistant governors are strongly encouraged to participate. For more information, go to LoneStarPETS.org.
The district conference will be very different this year. It is scheduled for late April, and the conference planning committee is developing some innovative ways to make the virtual conference interesting and compelling. Stay tuned for more details.
In Rotary service,
Becky
Becky Mason
2020-21 Governor
* * * * * * *
Important dates to remember:
February 11 - Mid-Year Meeting - Thursday, February 11; 6:00 - 7:30 pm
February 13 - Youth Exchange interviews in the morning and orientation for long term exchanges in the afternoon.
February 20 - Virtual Foundation Donor event (Paul Harris Society members, Benefactors, Major Donors, Bequest Society members, Arch Klumph Society members). Keynote speaker - Rotary International President Holger Knaack. 11:00 am - 12:00 pm - by invitation.
February 22 - 27 - Virtual Lone Star PETS
March 13 - District Leadership Team Training (details TBD)
April 24 - Virtual District Conference (details TBD)
June 12 - 16 - Taipei, Taiwan
June 19 - Jerry Springfield’s Governor Installation at 2:00 pm at Woodville United Methodist Church
By now we have sadly grown accustomed to hearing of the need to shift major public events to being held virtually rather than face to face. Unfortunately, the Rotary Board of Directors was compelled to again make the difficult decision to celebrate this year’s International Convention as a virtual event. While this may not be an unexpected decision, it is still a deeply disappointing one — for us and for our friends in Taiwan who have been planning an exceptional event. I want to thank the Host Committee for the admirable job they did building support for what surely would have been one of Rotary’s finest events.
District gives green light to develop district sponsored,
District-wide EClub!
By Julie Martineau, District Club Extension Committee Chair
Growing Rotary and giving great people the opportunity to be a part of this service focused organization is always at the top of the district’s agenda. Last Fall, the District appointed an Alternative Club Exploration (ACE) Committee to explore how to:
Re-engage former Rotarians,
Attract new members by minimizing cost and scheduling conflicts, AND
Retain members who may be on the verge of leaving Rotary.
Two surveys were distributed to gather satisfaction levels from current and past members of District 5910 Clubs.
Current members: the #1 reason our members are Rotarians is community and international service. They are proud to be Rotarians and they enjoy their meetings. Our traditional clubs are doing a great job meeting the needs of the majority of their members.
Past members: also expressed their love for community and international service but found that traditional weekly meetings often posed hardships related to work and family conflicts, and cost.
Both surveys also provided a description of different innovative Club models. The outcome from both surveys reflected interest in the EClub model which is an online Rotary Club of like-minded people who believe in and live Rotary’s 4 Way test, and support Rotary’s global initiatives, but cannot commit to the requirements of a traditional club.
The ACE Committee has identified a number of key components and resources regarding the formation of a proposed Rotary District 5910 EClub, but ultimately decisions must be made by the Charter membership of the proposed EClub. Several members of the ACE Committee have agreed to support the charter members with this initiative, so, if you are interested in being a charter member and craft its direction, or you know someone who may be interested, contact either Julie Martineau at jmartineau@mccfoundation.org or Ruth Suhler at leahone@aol.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
We give sincere thanks to the other Rotarians who composed this dynamic committee:
Leland Dushkin, Conroe Club; Craig Escamilla, Beaumont Club; Julie Martineau, The Woodlands Club; Chuck Meyer, The Woodlands Club; Bunny Pratt, District 5910 Rotary Membership Chair and Bryan Club; Real Provencher, Magnolia Club; Ruth Suhler, AG and Galveston Club; and Jim Wiggins, Conroe Club.
Our RYLA steering committee has given a great deal of effort and thought into formulating a viable plan for having a RYLA camp in the 2020-21 Rotary year. We have poured over numerous date changes and program adaptations that would allow us to hold RYLA while mitigating the risk of COVID-19 exposure. Ultimately, we feel that we do not have a plan with which we are 100% comfortable. At this point in the Rotary year, we have made the decision to cancel any further plans for trying to make it work.
RYLA 2021 will be Jan 7-9. We will likely allow clubs to register both Juniors and Seniors so that students you really wanted to send this year can still be sponsored for next year if your Club wishes.
Thank you for your support. I know that for some this is a huge disappointment, but we will be back next year better than ever. To the woods!
Lone Star PETS is Rotary’s training program for Rotary Club Presidents-elect and President-nominee throughout the State of Texas. The goal of Lone Star PETS is to prepare Presidents-elect and President-nominees for their upcoming roles through provocative plenary speakers, in-depth breakout sessions, and informal fellowship and networking with Rotary peers throughout Texas. Lone Star PETS is a joint effort of ten Rotary International districts in the States of Texas and Oklahoma.
Each year, over 550 Presidents-elect attend Lone Star PETS and leave well-prepared for their Rotary year. Lone Star PETS is organized by an Board of Directors and an Operating Committee that work in concert with the District Governors-elect of each of the ten participating Rotary Districts.
For the first time in over 25 years, our District has not exchanged students this current Rotary Year. That does not mean, however, that our District Youth Exchange Committee is not busy as usual. Since exchanges have to be prepared almost one year ahead of an exchange, we have already interviewed applicants in late November and more will be interviewed soon.
And just recently several members of the Committee participated in a virtual conference of SCRYE (which stands for South Central Rotary Youth Exchange and includes exchange programs of 37 Rotary Districts). The conference was held over two Saturday mornings.
Our District 5910 had by far the best representation at SCRYE and a heartfelt “Thank You” goes to all our 12 participants: first and foremost to DGE Jerry Springfield (Woodville) and our District YEO Carol Mattingly, as well as to Marcus & Nisa Gillespie (Huntsville), PDG Brenda Walker and PDG Hugh Summers (Palestine), Charles Gilliland (Bryan), Mynde Kessler (College Station), Chris Turner (Friendswood), Birda Gaskin (League City), and PDG Ulli Budelmann and Ming Tzeng (Galveston). Without their hard work and dedication our exchange program would not exist.
Roll of Fame Call for Nominations: Deadline March 1, 2021
As chair of District 5910's Role of Fame Committee for 2021-2022, I, again, am requesting you to submit nominations for this year’s Roll of Fame. Attached are copies of the District's (a) requirements for Role of Fame nominees, (b) Nomination Form and (c) Master List of Previous Roll of Fame Recipients. Please attach a picture of the nominee to the application for use in the Powerpoint presentation.
The nomination must be submitted before 3/1/21.
Please have your club review its membership and, if appropriate, nominate one Rotarian that you feel deserves our District's highest honorary award. Prior recipients are not eligible for a second award. The nominee should be able to attend the District Conference (Covid dependent) later in the spring to receive the award in person.
Professional development is right at your fingertips with the Rotary Learning Center, which offers members a range of interactive courses on navigating Rotary's online tools and developing leadership skills to prepare for new Rotary roles.
Anyone with a My Rotary account can take a free course in the Learning Center. Among the many courses available are How to Run a Webinar, How to Propose Legislation, Rotary Club Central Resources, and role-specific selections.
Get started by finding the Learning Center under the LEARNING & REFERENCE tab on Rotary.org. If you are already registered on the site, you will have a profile. If not, it's easy to create an account. From the MY PROFILE tab, you can modify your profile, find announcements about new and upcoming courses, and join a community to discuss what you're learning.
A great way to begin is by viewing the How to Navigate the Learning Center video tutorial, which covers what's available and how to make the most of it.
The center's catalog allows users to browse a list of subjects or see a complete rundown of all the courses offered. When registering for a course, you can either proceed to the material immediately or save it for later, returning to it from the MY COURSES tab.
One of the most popular courses is Strengthen Rotary, which teaches members to incorporate Rotary values into everyday activities. The Rotary Club Central Resources course, another popular offering, helps members set goals and improve membership information.
The Rotary Club of Galveston has launched a publicity campaign by creating immunization stickers proclaiming that Club members have done their part in the war against COVID-19 by taking the vaccine. This initiative arose from Rotary International President Holger Knaack and DG Becky Mason's Call to Action to "spread the message about the power of vaccines to save lives." RI is leading the way again and has committed Rotary's "knowledge of vaccine safety and efficacy based on our polio eradication experience" to help with the world-wide COVID-19 vaccine effort.
A special thanks to Club Executive Secretary and PDG Ulli Budelmann who designed and produced our stickers.
The calendar only recently says "2021," but be reminded now: the deadline for submitting District Grant Final Report is May 1, 2021. You may use either the pdf or Word version available on the District website.(website tab "Service" and "District Grants" on drop-down menu.) Please remember to attach copies of supporting documentation including receipts, invoices, bank statements or canceled checks (remember to redact bank account numbers), and photographs showing “Rotarians At Work” on your project. Scan and email your report and supporting documentation to Bobby Chapman < bobbychapman.5910@gmail.com > by May 1.
Many in District 5910 knew Tommie Daniel, Rotarian in the Cleveland Club. Tommie helped with some of the district trainings for club secretaries as he knew the many tasks of the position well because he expertly held that position for numerous years in his club. He was diligent about sharing information of his club's activities and achievements in this document each month because he was genuinely proud of every accomplishment of his club and his fellow Rotarians. He will be missed.
This excerpt is from Tommie's obituary.
"Tommie’s last passion that filled his life of recent years was the Rotary Club. Rotary indeed lost one of its best and most fervent ambassadors when Tommie passed. He served in virtually every official capacity for Rotary but generally took on the arduous task of secretary year after year. Many can claim membership in Rotary but few worked as hard as Tommie did. If they sold raffle tickets, Tommie sold the most; if they needed volunteers at fundraisers, Tommie was the first in line. He gave not only of his talents but financially as well – and was a Paul Harris Fellow many times over in financial support of all that Rotary stands for, from promoting education through scholarships, to digging wells in third world countries, to eradicating polio all around the world – he has and always will be what every Rotarian and decent human being should strive to be – a Godly man who gave generously to help all those in need. Tommie received the highest honors bestowed on a Rotarian including the Roll of Fame, the Paul Harris Society and Avenues of Service."
2021-01-12 – Conroe’s new Mayor Jody Czajkoski stopped by the Rotary Club of Conroe on Jan. 12 to give a “State of the City” update about Conroe. He’s pictured here with Club President Chris Sadler.
The Dickinson ISD Gator Wellness Center will soon have extra resources to support students with anxiety, grief and loss, divorce and separation and hygiene awareness thanks to a $6,508.12 grant awarded from the Rotary Club of Dickinson. Each year, local Rotary Clubs can apply for a matching grant through the Rotary District 5910, which includes clubs in the Southeast and East Texas areas. The grants can range from $1,000-$3,000 to support service projects that address needs in the community. If a club is awarded a district grant, the club must match the amount of the grant with local funds. The Rotary Club of Dickinson heard of a need at the Gator Wellness Center for Gator CORE (Campuses Offering Resilience in Education) Kits to provide school counselors and support staff with resources when working with students in need. With $3,000 from Rotary District 5910 and the remaining $3,508.12 from the local Rotary Club of Dickinson, Gator Wellness Center will be creating age-appropriate kits in four groups – elementary, middle school, junior high and high school. The kits will include items to assist the school counselors and behavior coaches to work with small groups of students. The hygiene kits will help teach students how to keep themselves safe during the pandemic and in the future, as well as teaching social skills.
Story continues...
Pictured are: (left) Amy Cmaidalka, DISD Social Emotional Learning Specialist; (right) Kimberly Rich, Dickinson Rotary Club President and DISD Executive Director of Human Resources
On Tuesday, January 5, the Rotary Club of East Montgomery County kicked off their first meeting of the new year with speaker Dr. Charles Campbell. Dr. Campbell gave the Rotarians information about the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, two types of vaccines are authorized and recommended to prevent COVID-19:
Dr. Campbell also spoke how this vaccine is different from the flu shot. Messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA) vaccines are a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases. To trigger an immune response, many vaccines put a weakened or inactivated germ into our bodies. Not mRNA vaccines. Instead, they teach our cells how to make a protein—or even just a piece of a protein—that triggers an immune response inside our bodies.
Rotarians appreciated the information and will donate an elementary library book in Dr. Campbell’s honor to Timber Lakes Elementary School in Splendora ISD.
For the past two consecutive years - 2019 & 2020 - the Rotary Club of Galveston has been the #1 fundraising team in the USA in raising contributions for the WALK TO END ALZHEIMER'S. Presenting the club's award was Stephanie Fitzgerald (front, right), Regional Manager for the Bay Area/Galveston Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
Accepting the award for the Rotary Club of Galveston was Club President (front, left) Mike Guarino. Also pictured are Rotarian Sally Byrom (back, left), Current board member, Alzheimer's Association and 2019 Chair "Walk to End Alzheimer's); Rotarian Kyle Albright, 2020 "Walk" Chair; and Rotarian Trey Dibrell (far right), representing the the Dr. Leon Bromberg Trust. The 2021 Chair for the "Walk" will be Rotarian and immediate Past President,Jim Byrom, not pictured. (photo by Robyn Bushong)
The Rotary Club of League City held their 7th Annual Polar Bear Plunge for Polio Plus on Saturday, January 23, 2021 at South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center.
Always the FUN Fundraiser of the year, Rotarians and community participants collected donations for Polio Plus and gathered at 9:00 a.m. on a cold, misty Saturday morning to take the plunge and lap around the pool. All the pledges are not in, but it looks like the Club’s goal of $7,000.00 is going to be met. Rotarians Amy Killgore and Ryan Smith are running a close race vying for the top spot with almost $2,000 raised by each. They have until February 6 before the door closes on the competition.
Three Rotarians and two League City Fire Fighters being photographed by The Galveston Daily News as they finish the plunge….
She is the recipient of the 2020 Roll of Fame by Rotary Club of Lake Conroe for her dedication to Service-Volunteering-Commitment for what Rotary stands for! Ashley is our current past president and has served on the board for several years. She has chaired different events and service projects over the years - RYLA, Kids Clothing and fundraisers just to name a few.
Induction into the Roll of Fame is the highest award conferred by District 5910 and is intended to recognize those Rotarians who have distinguished themselves by outstanding service to their clubs, communities, and District 5910.
The Rotary Club of Orange started 2021 with a strong slate of programs. President Natasha Garrett led a session reviewing the accomplishments of 2020 and looking forward to 2021. Kari Gaudet of The Flower Place gave demonstrations of flower arranging, and several lucky members were able to take home her examples. Judge Courtney Arkeen, who is President of the Bridge City-Orangefield Rotary Club, spoke on the resumption of jury trials in Orange County; she described the safety measures in place to make the trials possible while protecting the jurors. Officers of the Interact Club, along with their sponsors and high school principal, addressed the Club and described their recent service projects. Orange Rotary members are very proud of these young people.
Members of the Interact Club from Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School visited Orange Rotary.
Palestine Satellite member Sharon Grizzle organized the December service project and delivered a basket full of baby items to Palestine Regional Medical Center for the 1st Baby of the Year 2021. Palestine Rotarians donated the items.
Spindletop Rotary has had some amazing speakers kick off 2021, including Seth Wells of The RISE Center for Independent Living and Dr. Robin Pearson with the Shorkey Center.
On January 12, 2021, Holly George-Warren, two-time Grammy nominee and the award-winning author of sixteen books, including three biographies, "Janis: Her Life and Music"; "A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton"; and "Public Cowboy #1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry" joined us.
George-Warren has written for numerous publications, including the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Entertainment Weekly, and has been a producer on such documentary films as Muscle Shoals, Nashville 2.0, and Hitmakers. She teaches at the State University of New York at New Paltz and serves on the nominating committee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Rotarians are invited to receive an autographed copy of her book, "Janis Her Life and Music". Call the Golden Notebook, a local bookstore in her hometown, to place an order at 845-679-8000. Let them know what you want transcribed in the book and she will sign it for you. It was especially nice to have several visitors from the Rotary Club of Beaumont join us to hear Mrs. George-Warren.
Each year the Texas City Rotary Club in conjunction with the City of Texas City and Texas City Independent School District have a program where students run for office and are voted on by their peers. They spend a day meeting their City counterpart, such as Mayor, Chief of Police, etc. and tour various City offices and places. They have a luncheon and the Rotary Club President presents a girl and boy senior student with an award as the “Outstanding Senior Student” for Exemplifying the Ideals of Rotary in Service Above Self. Then in the afternoon the students have a Mock City Commission Meeting where they run the whole meeting.
Pictured are Guest Speaker and Rotarian, Dr. Warran Nichols, President of College of the Mainland, Current Rotary Club President Peggy Davenport, Outstanding Senior student Breanna Ministerio, Mayor Dedrick Johnson and Outstanding Senior student Mitchell Tortorici.
The Vidor Rotary Club recognized Students of the Month on Monday, January 25th.
The club will host a food drive for the United Christian Care Center on Saturday, February 13, at three locations in Vidor, where they will collect canned goods and money to help the UCCC feed those in Vidor who are in such need at this time. The club will also host a clothing giveaway on Saturday, February 20th. New or gently used clothing will be distributed to needy families at First United Methodist Vidor, where the Rotary Club meets.
.png)
As chair of District 5910's Role of Fame Committee for 2021-2022, I, again, am requesting you to submit nominations for this year’s Roll of Fame. Attached are copies of the District's (a) requirements for Role of Fame nominees, (b) Nomination Form and (c) Master List of Previous Roll of Fame Recipients. Please attach a picture of the nominee to the application for use in the Powerpoint presentation. 
The calendar only recently says "2021," but be reminded now: the deadline for submitting District Grant Final Report is 
2021-01-12 – Conroe’s new Mayor Jody Czajkoski stopped by the Rotary Club of Conroe on Jan. 12 to give a “State of the City” update about Conroe. He’s pictured here with Club President Chris Sadler.
On Tuesday, January 5, the Rotary Club of East Montgomery County kicked off their first meeting of the new year with speaker Dr. Charles Campbell. Dr. Campbell gave the Rotarians information about the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, two types of vaccines are authorized and recommended to prevent COVID-19:
Palestine Satellite member Sharon Grizzle organized the December service project and delivered a basket full of baby items to Palestine Regional Medical Center for the 1st Baby of the Year 2021. Palestine Rotarians donated the items.
On January 12, 2021, Holly George-Warren, two-time Grammy nominee and the award-winning author of sixteen books, including three biographies, "Janis: Her Life and Music"; "A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton"; and "Public Cowboy #1: The Life and Times of Gene Autry" joined us. 
