Julia Lukomnik is currently in the second year of a Two-Year Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bellaire/Southwest Houston, studying at the Centro Latinoamericano de Economia Humana in Montivideo, Uruguay.  Since 2002, the Catholic University of Uruguay has run a community service office aimed at connecting university students with communities in need. & nbsp;Julia has been working with the community service department at the University regarding this project. Through this program, she was able to work all of last year with an afterschool program targeting children from disadvantaged families and neighborhoods. These children have a high incidence of behavioral problems, low selfesteem and violence. While carrying out this project, it became clear that the adolescents were interested in photography as a means of self-expression. She is attempting to establish a self-esteem photography project, during which the adolescents will have an hour-and-a-half long photography class every week. The classes will be taught by communication, psychology and arts students from the Catholic University and, on occasion, a professional photographer.

Digital cameras of a variety of makes and models, memory chips, camera cases, batteries, and battery chargers are needed

Because only the basic functions will be used, and because students will rotate the cameras that they use, there is no need to use uniform cameras. Julia is asking the Rotarians of District 5890 to donate any digital cameras that we no longer use, by bringing them to the District Conference in Horseshoe Bay, or by giving them to someone in your club who is coming to the Conference. District Ambassadorial Scholarships Chair, Bill Barmore, will have a collection box at the Ambassadorial Scholarships Exposition table at the Conference Expo.

New Rotarian Robert Berleth, pictured here with President John Mitchell, was inducted on May 18.

We had not TFTW, but we did have a Rotary Minute from Bob Ullom. Bob noted that Vocational Service is the lane of service that is most frequently shortchanged so he thought that we should pause and reflect about the nobility of honest work. He was reminded of the desk clerk at the Hyatt in Dallas who always remembers his name and keeps a stash of his favorite tea. He thought about his horse groomer from St. Lucia who works long hard hours tending horses, or about his lawnkeeper Mr. Gomez who keeps his lawn looking great.

Tom Lewis shared in his 60 second commercial that he has 4 kids ranging in age from 12 to 20 (one adopted). He likes Scouting. He grew up overseas with both parents being Diplomats. He's been in the Army since attending West Point. His real job is as a Financial Advisor. He likes to bike and swim. He's a Katrina evacuee and his family loves Spring.

We had lots of guests today who mostly came to see what they had done on their trip since the wine was free and they couldn't remember. Peggy Jo, Kit, and Louella were there along with a friend of Mark Boudreaux's who's name I missed.

Announcements: REACH Birthdays will be celebrated by Anais and Rich. The District Assembly will be (was) Saturday as well as Habitat. Interviews were held for our scholarships. We had 11 qualified applicants and awarded 6 scholarships. Thanks to the interviewers and to Tom Sr. for the use of his office.

Good News:

1. John Maxwell was pleased to have been an interviewer and stressed that we are giving a hand up, not a hand out. Also, Linda had started therapy and got run ragged by her therapist - Drill Sgt Carter.

2. Robert Berleth (our newest member) successfully won his election to the EMS Board and was please to note that the tax increase had been rejected by 92%.

3. Ed Charlesworth popped back into town briefly after attending International Convention in Bangkok and a few days at Boudreaux's Timeshare in Bali. Robin has forced him back to work until Sunday when they head out to spruce of the new hotel in Lake City. Good luck with that!

4. Shanaz Kureshy thanked all of the interview helpers to include Maxwell, Jr., Anais, and perhaps others?

5. Randy Thompmson reported only two cases of polio, and that Chuck Norris has been in Galveston last weekend. He had some lame joke about Alexander Graham Bell and Chuck Norris, but I forgot the punch line.

6. Anais Watsky said that she had been covering District Youth Exchange for Alan Wiley while he was in Bangkok and was glad that he was back.

7. Tom Lewis will be roughing it again in Disneyland, and his son got a music award for his trumpet playing.

8. Rich Bills noted that it was the  32nd anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. Also, his daughter-in-law and grand kids had arrived from Alaska at 6AM Thursday.

9. Tom Jackson Jr. found out that his son Ben will be on Ted's Talk.

Our program today was a multi-media presentation by Gary Aguren, Tom Jackson, Tom Swanson, and Elbert Coker about their recent cruise on the Rhine from Switzerland to Holland.

School has started and now I am studying for an MBA in Finance at the Universidad de Belgrano.  I have classes Monday through Friday from 7 pm to 11pm and Saturdays from 9 am to 7 pm.  I have classes with students from countries throughout South America and also from Europe.

With eating lots of pizza and ice cream, I have lost about 18 pounds since arriving in Buenos Aires.  The only thing I do differently now, compared to my old regimen, is that I walk/stand 13 more hours a week in taking public transportation and I don’t own a car.  Who knew? 

This past month I spoke at the Rotary Club of Martinez, my host club, and talked about the Global Grant Scholarship and about Houston, Texas.  I showed a 2 minute video and the Rotarians were very impressed.

Many thanks to Bill Barmore for sending me Texas Rotary pins in the mail.  I am excited about giving them to Rotarians here!

Attached, in a separate file, are photos from April, including touring a hospital and meeting with two World Peace Fellows, Amanda Ottman and Justin Peele.

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Have a great day,

David Lichte

Rotary clubs serve communities around the world, each with unique concerns and needs. Rotarians have continually adapted and improved the way they respond to those needs, taking on a broad range of service projects. The most successful and sustainable Rotary service tends to fall within one of the following six areas:

• Peace and conflict prevention/resolution
• Disease prevention and treatment
• Water and sanitation
• Maternal and child health
• Basic education and literacy
• Economic and community development

Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation recognize these six areas of focus as organizational priorities, and there are countless ways that Rotarians can address these needs locally and internationally. For ideas, consult the publication Rotary’s Areas of Focus.

Clubs and districts participating in the Future Vision pilot can apply for Rotary Foundation Global Grant funding by targeting specific goals for one or more of the areas of focus. Learn more about these goals.

Areas of focus resources

• Peace and conflict prevention/resolution
  • Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution
• Disease prevention and treatment
  • Rotarian Action Groups specializing in this area
• Water and sanitation
  • Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group
  • RI/USAID International H20 Collaboration
• Maternal and child health
  • Rotary's strategic partnership with Aga Khan University
  • Rotarian Action Group for Population Growth & Sustainable Development
• Basic education and literacy
  • Rotary's partnership with the International Reading Association and the Dollywood Foundation's Imagination Library
• Economic and community development
  • Oikocredit International
  • Rotary Community Corps program
  • Rotarian Action Group for Microcredit

By U.S. Sen. John Cornyn

Texas-born General Ignacio Seguín Zaragoza—one of Cinco de Mayo’s most revered heroes—led his Mexican army to defeat French forces sent by Napoleon III in the critical Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Zaragoza was born on March 24, 1829, in a stone house in La Bahía del Espíritu Santo near present-day Goliad, Texas. Today, the General Zaragoza State Historic Site, managed by Texas Parks and Wildlife, includes a replica three-bedroom stone house and commemorates his birthplace two miles south of Goliad.

In 1844, Zaragoza’s father, an infantryman, was transferred to Monterrey, where Zaragoza entered seminary. However, it was not long before he changed course and set out to become a businessman. After delving into the mercantile business for several years, Zaragoza’s true calling finally became clear – military service. He joined Nuevo León’s militia as a sergeant and was promoted to captain soon after.

Zaragoza eventually joined the liberal faction of the army led by Benito Juarez, who sought to remove Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna from power and establish a democratic government and constitution. This effort, called the Plan of Ayutla, paved the way for the War of the Reform, which took place in the late 1850s. Zaragoza fought against Santa Anna’s armies in the battles of Saltillo and Monterrey. He became so engrossed in his mission, he was not present for his own wedding ceremony. Rather than postpone it, Zaragoza sent his brother Miguel to stand in his place in his marriage to Rafaela Padilla in Monterrey.

Zaragoza led troops in Comonfort’s rebellion in 1867. He fought in the battle of Guadalajara and finally in the battle of Calpulalpan, which marked the end of the War of the Reform. Zaragoza’s dedication and military skill were quickly recognized and he was promoted to the rank of general.

After the war, Mexico’s newly-elected President Benito Juarez named Zaragoza as Minister of War and Navy, and shortly after, made a decision that would give Zaragoza the military challenge of his lifetime. In July 1861, President Juarez attempted to save the national economy by placing a two-year moratorium on Mexico’s debts to Europe. Mexico’s lenders were not receptive. By year’s end, a fleet of Spanish ships had made its way to Mexico and forced the surrender of Veracruz. The Spanish were soon joined by French and English forces.

Zaragoza left his post as Minister of War to make a return to the battlefield and lead the Army of the East. Though the English and Spanish soon retreated, the French army was considered the most powerful in the world, and it set its sights on Mexico City under the charge of Gen. Charles Latrille Laurencez. Before he could reach Mexico City, however, Laurencez had to conquer Puebla, which was about 100 miles east of Mexico City and heavily fortified.

Unbeknownst to Laurencez, Zaragoza and his men were entrenched in Puebla and anticipating the attack. On May 5, 1862, Gen. Laurencez threw caution to the wind and stormed the Mexican lines at Puebla, believing the population was friendly to the French and would assist them in defeating Zaragoza. Despite being outnumbered and poorly equipped, Zaragoza and his men pushed back against the French in a day-long battle and succeeded in forcing them to flee to the coast. Zaragoza’s victory not only delayed the French invasion of Mexico City, but it served to unify the Mexican people and renew their fight for independence.

Sadly, only months after his historic victory, Zaragoza died at age 33 from typhoid fever. He was honored in a state funeral and only days later President Juárez issued a decree making Cinco de Mayo a national holiday.

While celebrations are held across Texas, Zaragoza’s hometown of Goliad is recognized by the Texas Legislature as the only official venue for Cinco de Mayo. Each year, Goliad hosts one of the nation’s most elaborate Cinco de Mayo celebrations, complete with the coronation of Little Miss Cinco de Mayo, a street dance, food booths serving nopales and taquitos, Mexican arts and crafts, and commemorative speeches from dignitaries and historians.

The deadline for the negotiated special room rates at  the 2012 District Conference is rapidly approaching.  The deadline is May 9, only 8 days from now.  At that point the rate will increase from $165 per night to the Marriott Hotel standard rate.  If you are considering participating in the District Conference, please make your hotel reservations now, AND while you are at it, make your Conference registration also.

The 2012 District Conference will be held May 31 - June 2 2012, at the outstanding Horseshoe Bay Resort - Marriott in Horseshoe Bay / Marble Falls, TX.  Horseshoe Bay Resort, a premier hill country lake and golf resort, lies along the panoramic shores of Lake LBJ in the heart of the Texas hill country.  Come celebrate the many accomplishments of District 5890.  District 5890 is alive and vibrant.  See how to make your club grow and maintain membership.  Learn why the Rotary Foundation is important to your Club, District 5890 and the World as a whole.  

Horseshoe Bay Resort has 249 luxurious rooms and suites, as well as one, two and three-bedroom Paseo Villas (extended discounted hotel rates apply before and after Conference) To register on-line, click on Reservations

Lots of fun activities are planned during the conference, including a golf tournament at Apple Rock, yacht cruises (happy hour cruise) on Lake LBJ, wine tasting, spouse events (wine tour and food pairing), plus local humanitarian project partnering with Marble Falls Rotary Clubs.  Lots of fun activities are scheduled for the kids too, so make plans to bring the kiddos along too.

Registration fee is $195 with a first time attendee discount of $20. 

Click on the "Conference On-Line Registration" now and  register.

Make new Rotary Friends, reconnect with old Rotary Friends, connect for new projects with other Rotarians and Clubs.  See how we help the youth of District 5890 and other Rotary Districts.

For additional information, contact:

Jerry & Laura Lewis

2012 District Conference Chairs

(979) 244-2966 or (979) 244-7089

glewis@stpegs.com

Australia

More than 200 children with disabilities played modified cricket during the second annual Dream Cricket Day in October. The Rotary clubs of Bowral-Mittagong, Berrima District, and Moss Vale worked with the Movement Disorder Foundation and the Bradman Foundation to organize the event, which took place in Bowral, home to Sir Donald Bradman, one of Australia’s best cricketers.

Canada

Hospital visits can be frightening for children. To help provide comfort, the Rotary Club of Ajax, Ont., has donated stuffed animals to the Rouge Valley Ajax and Pickering hospital for the past eight years. In November, the club presented 463 plush toys, bringing its total to 10,000. The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and local Walmart stores and Canadian Tire locations have contributed funds to the program.

England

The Rotary Club of New Milton hosts families in need for weeklong vacations in the bungalow it maintains by the English Channel. The families enjoy access to pools, tennis courts, and the nearby New Forest national park. Other Rotary clubs sponsor the guests, and members of the New Milton club are on hand to greet them and provide help during their stay. Over the past 45 years, 945 families – 21 each summer – have vacationed in the bungalow.

Guatemala

As part of a project to improve care for newborn babies in Santiago Atitlán, the Rotary clubs of Guatemala Norte and Sunnyvale, California, USA, distributed an educational DVD in Tz’utujil, the language of the municipality’s Maya community. The video, which touches on nutrition, common illnesses, maternal and child health, hygiene, alcoholism, and domestic violence, is shown in the hospital waiting room and will air on the local cable television station. The clubs have provided the video to another Maya community as well.

India

The U.S. government estimates that 893 girls are born in India for every 1,000 boys, as compared with 955 girls in the United States. Although sex-selective abortion is illegal in India, many experts believe the disparity is a result of that practice. In response, the Rotary Club of Chandigarh renewed its campaign against female feticide in July by joining with Panjab University’s School of Communication Studies to present a radio series entitled Hamari Beti . The show focuses on issues such as the societal reasons for sex-selective abortion and the role of doctors in preventing it.

Nigeria

Last spring, the Rotary clubs of Lagos Central and Dunwoody, Georgia, USA, began implementing water and sanitation projects in 12 schools in the states of Lagos and Ogun. While assessing community needs, the Rotarians discovered that sanitation systems would be as vital as clean water, as waterborne diseases were rampant. The US$62,000 effort – supported in part by a Rotary Foundation Global Grant – has provided renovated toilet facilities as well as training on efficient water use and hygiene.

North Korea

The Rotaract Club of Shanghai, China, led a project to renovate the South Pyongan Pediatric Hospital in North Korea, which experienced severe flooding in 2008. The club donated US$11,300 and, in partnership with Rotaractors in Hungary, collected additional funds from donors in Canada, China, France, and the United States. The contributions will help replace damaged windows and floors, and provide new surgical equipment for the pediatric operating room, where doctors perform 1,200 procedures every year.

USA

More than 1,000 Rotarians from three Southern California districts bought discounted tickets to an Anaheim Angels baseball game in August as a fundraiser for polio eradication. A tailgate chili cook-off and the sale of rally towels and End Polio Now T-shirts brought in extra funds. In three years of working with the Angels, Rotarians in District 5320 have raised $65,000 to help end polio.

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Life As We Know It

“Exchange is not a year in a life, it is a life in a year”

I wake up at 7:30 am with the sound of the alarm clock ringing in my head.

Another day.  Another life.

I look at my clock and stare at the minute hand and cannot help but realize how slow it moves when I know that in reality, time flies so much faster, especially when my return date seems more and more real to me. It is April 10, 2012 and I have exactly 49 days left. 49 DAYS! It is nothing, yet I feel like it is a lifetime. Life in the states seems so surreal to me. I can’t help but feel anxious and excited but also remorse and regret. Regret that I didn’t spend more time at home. Regret that I didn’t make as many Argentinian friends as I should have. And regret that I didn’t learn as much about my country as I had wanted. But I also feel a sense of accomplishment. I feel proud that even though I was living in Argentina, I had the will power to take on another language and speak it fluently. Proud that I made use of every second of every day during my exchange. Proud that I was able to make a difference in the lives of the exchange students, the mindset of the Argentines, the girls without homes to call their own and above all the lives of my host families and those I considered family as well.

As I am thinking all of this I remind myself, I still have a LONG way to go (speaking from the mind of an exchange student where every second of every day counts). I still have to go to Dourados and the Amazon and meet SOOO many new people.  I roll myself out of bed, take a deep breath, and prepare myself for what is going to be a very long day, as usual.

Cycling class, French Class, lunch, Pilates, Portuguese, gym,  shower,  Brazilian dance lessons,  Italian and then FINALLY Dinner at 11 o’clock at night… so yeah busy day I guess you could say, but the busier I am the faster the weeks go. Next thing I am packing at 1 in the morning to catch a bus to go to Dourados Brasil at 3 in the morning. Now keep in mind, this is no DIRECT route. I go from Posadas to Iguazu, Iguazu bus station to the bridge, from the bride I make the cross to the other side, take another bus to the bus station in Foz, take another bus to the bus station for Dourados and then WAIT for 7 hours…. To take a bus to Dourados which will arrive 12 hours later.

So here I am safe and sound in Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul. I honestly do not know how I did it, my guardian angel must really love me, because the trip could not have been any smoother. Tomorrow, I leave for the Amazon. I am BEYOND psyched! I cannot believe these 13 days have gone by so fast. I feel as if Dourados is my new home and leaving it for good is going to be very hard. I guess this is a preview of what it really is going to be like. When I do leave for good.  All I can say is that I do not regret a thing I did and am happy I got the opportunity to come here. But once again… this chapter of my life is over and instead of mourning it’s finish, I will reminisce in the moments I was able to share with such a wonderful family and group of friends in this small town of Southern Brazil.

Tomorrow holds a whole new adventure, and all I can say is that I am ready because I have all I need. My courage, my strength, and above all my fortitude that no malady nor carnivorous  fish can take from me.

Amazonia…here I come.

Our talk today was about Charitable Giving, and President John was reminded of the story about the CEO of KFC approaching the Pope and offering him $10M if he would change the Lord's Prayer to say "Give us this day our daily chicken". The pope was a little shocked and promptly declined. The KFC gentlemen was not going to give up, so he kept upping the ante until he finally reached $100M. The Pope thought - Wow, we could do a lot of good with $100M, so the deal was closed. At the next Bishop's convocation, the Pope shared the news - "Gentlemen, I have good news and bad news. First, we have $100M to spend, but the Lord's Prayer will now be "Give us this day our daily chicken". The bad news is, we lost the Wonder Bread account!"

Randy Thompson presented the Rotary Minute and shared about the CEO of Pure Water for the World being honored with 9 other Rotarians being honored by the White House as Champions for Change. She is the Past District Governor of Vermont, and has donated her house as a Casino Night prize in the past.

Rich Bills presented the 60 second commercial and shared his experience of being an Associate Professor of Engineering at West Point and having the fun of teaching non-Engineers a basic engineering course affectionately called Engineering for Poets and Lovers. 

Our visitors today included Robert Berleth and Graham Sharp plus the Speaker Max Cameux and his assistant whose name I missed.

Announcements:

Bob Ullom updated us on Linda Maxwell's hip injury. They sailed from Spain to Italy and while boarding a bus for a tour of Florence she fell and had to have hip replacement. They are trying to figure out when she can be released to travel home.

We wished Linda Honig and Tom Lewis Happy Birthday. The Early Act Jousting Tourney has been rescheduled for 9am on May 1st, and the year's final awards ceremony will be at 1:30PM on May 3rd.

There will be a Board Meeting on May 8th, and the Installation Dinner will be June 26th at Champions.  

Good News:

1. Tom Lewis said for his birthday he received a call from the Army offering him command of a unit in New Jersey which was great, but would require a lot of travel. He was participating in an Order of the Arrow Scout Camping trip this weekend. He had been to Disneyland last week and had a great time. In the bad news category, he had $10K worth of mold damage at his house.

2. Graham Sharp needed a makeup so he took the opportunity to sell his Golf Tourney on May 15th. Let's form a team. Sponsorships are available for $100. He then tried a lame joke about lions eating clowns that tasted funny.

3. Anais had a new experience. Having daughters, she had never experienced getting a boy ready for the prom, but she had taken Nico to get a tux.

4. Linda Honig gave one last pitch for the Northwoods concert this Sunday. Good old Presbyterian Gospel.

5. Ed apologized for stealing the mike. Thanks to all for the support of the concert. Music was great. He's heading to Bangkok and then staying in Mark Boudreux's timeshare in Bali. Finally, he's closing on his hotel next week and will hold an open house the 29th of May. Also the owners of Blue Bell are donating $1000 to Pure Water.

6. Gary Aguren and several other club members are heading out for the Rhine Cruise - free wine at dinner!

Our program detailed ways to donate to charity and get tax advantages.

by Charlesworth, Robin

Jim Kite, Rotarian in Brenham, is announcing the July 2012 Trip to Nicaragua. If you interested, the dates are July 18-25.  

This is an uplifting experience that will stay with you for life.  During this trip you will have the opportunity to visit the projects that we have developed over the past twelve years thanks to your generous contributions.  You will be able to see: The School of the Children of the Dump, Santa Lucia ( children’s house of the blind), Refugio Belen (pregnant women’s shelter) Betania (the trade school), The Village of Aldea Rotaria , The new village of El Menco (Our latest project) and much more.

Date and time of departure: July 18,2012 @ 6:50pm on United # UA1421 from Bush Int. Airport, Houston, Tx. Arrive at Managua at 9:10pm.

Date and time of return: July 25,2012 @ 7:01am on Continental # UA1423  arrive at Bush Int,  Airport, Houston, Tx. Arrive at 11:27am.

 (Cost of hotels, most meals and ground transportation, etc. is $665.00 per person (add $210.00 if you require a private room).  Please send payment to: Hope Relief International Foundational Inc., 10700 Gerke Rd. Brenham,Texas 77833 no later than Nov. 1st. You should BUY YOUR OWN TICKETS making sure that they coordinate with these flights to arrive and leave Managua within more or less one hour of the times shown above.

Deadline for reservations:  June 15, 2012 in order to allow time to secure hotel reservations.

by Charlesworth, Robin

Looking for a great, hands-on, international service project? If you have books to donate please deliver them on April 28th.

Sign up a group and join us a week from Saturday 4/28/12 (10:00 AM - 12:30 PM at Total Quality Books - 3802 Leeland) for a District-wide Book Sorting.  We will be sorting, palletizing and shrink-wrapping thousands of books for shipment to literacy starved children and adults in South Africa, Nambia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, India, Pakistan, and Malawi .

Yes - We will give you on-the-job training, if you have never sorted before.

New Family, New Life

This month has been so diverse and sporadic; I honestly don’t know what to think of it. With me switching host families, my parents coming in to visit, and taking so many classes that my schedule is overbooked I honestly can’t help but say it all went by, by the blink of an eye.

But yet here I am, one month later, writing about events that seem like ages ago, when in reality they were a mere two weeks ago. I feel like I have matured A LOT in these past couple of weeks and surprisingly even more with the end of my parent’s visit. Yes, it was very bizarre having them here and at first I felt as if I let them out of my sight for a mere second, they would be gone for good. Thank goodness, that never happened.

Before their arrival, I was nervous beyond belief.  I didn’t know if things were going to be the same between us….if they were going to still think of me as their little girl… if they were going to judge me by my appearance and accept me even if I had changed, it was all so nerve racking, but what I wasn’t prepared for was how my host families and the people here were going to treat them and not how my family was going to treat me.

To my surprise, everyone was more than excited to meet my family than I had hoped for. They were only able to stay in my city for two days, but within those two days met practically everyone. Fortunately, I have two amazing host families who treated my family like royalty and spent most of their day with them showing them around the city and taking them out to eat. My family was very impressed and relieved that I had had such good luck with the families that had received me.

Because I had just moved in with my new host family a week before their arrival, I did not have that bond I had with my first host family and so, as they spoke with my parents they learned a whole lot about me. Some good, some bad, but nevertheless were well informed about my mannerisms, likes and dislikes within a day’s time.

Another thing I was not prepared for was going from having pretty much as much liberty as an exchange student could get to having 6 concerned parents watching your every move, and having to run my plans by each one of them so that everyone knew what I was up to. Now, that was exhausting! But hey… that just means A LOT more people care about me now… so I guess it wasn’t so bad after all J

Within that week, my family visited what I had in 6 months. It felt nice to be in charge although, at times, my dad didn’t like it so much and decided to take control every once in a while. But for the most part, I called the shots and was actually considered as an adult, which I was not used to in any way ESPECIALLY with my family.

I guess that was what was the hardest part, having had the liberty of voicing my own opinions and calling the shots this entire year abroad and then having it stripped away by those who were not used to me having my own opinion and giving myself permission to do what I needed and/or wanted to do. I know that that is what being an exchange student is all about, not only adapting to your host families in a foreign country but also readapting to yours… and giving them time to adjust to you as well.

So I am not going to lie and say that it was all “rainbows and butterflies” the week my parents were here. Yes, we got into arguments which impacted me a lot more than they did when I was back at home because it had been so long and I had not anticipated arguing with them the few days they were going to visit me. But that just reminded me that, that is how it will be like when I get home and it is good that I can see a little bit of how I should react when in those situations.

I am honestly happy they were able to make the trip down here because it helped me realize what I did miss the most about the states wasn’t the food or my friends but my family. Because now, with them having visited and left… I have no intention or drive to go back to the states. The only thing that kept me wanting to go back was to see my family again, but now that I have, I am happier than ever and can stay here for a couple more years now.

I also think that switching host families was a good thing because now I get to meet new people and visit other parts of the city I had no idea existed. So all for the better, right?

All in all, I have had a wonderful exchange and it saddens me to know that it will soon all come to an end. But that just means I should appreciate every moment I have and not take anything for granted or wish I was somewhere else… because with the blink of an eye I shall be there.

In honor of the upcoming Earth Day this Sunday, President John shared with us facts and data about our planet. Did you know that more than 1/2 the planet is under 3000 meters of water? Or that 1/2 the weight of the world is Oxygen? Or that the earth moves at 66,700 mph as it orbits the sun. Or that it is 4.5 billion years old. Or that 27 tons of dust descend on us from space each year (no wonder dinosaurs are buried). Or that only 10% of the water is fresh and only 1% of that is available for our use. Preserve Planet Earth!

Roseangela, freshly back from Turkey, shared a Rotary Minute. She enlightened us all about Global Grants and the 8 Principals that govern them. I did not write them down and you probably would not have read them if I did.

Our visitors today include Brad England, Sylvana Stanzar, Jennifer from EMS, Robert Berleth, and Peggy Jo Coker.

Announcements - REACH Birthday celebration will be held today with Shanaz and John Mitchell. Don't forget the Earth Day Concert at Ed's - 2PM Sunday. The Early Knight Jousting Tourney was rained out and will be re-scheduled in May.

Good News:

1. I think it was an announcement, but Patricia Fraske updated us on scholarships. She verified that all 4 of our current recipients are in good standing at Lone Star. Interviews for this years scholars will be May 12th at The County Line. David Smith will be the coordinator and if you are interested in helping call Patricia, Shanaz, or David.

2. Randy Thompson attended the boot camp graduation of one of our former scholars who had arrived in this country at the age of 12 from Vietnam with no knowledge of English. He also added that there were only 6 new polio cases. He had also written an article about the methods of our very successful Polio Fundraiser which was on some blog online. Finally, the CEO of Water for the World was meeting with Obama and his staff today.

3. Linda Honig was pushing hard to bring culture to us to offset Ed's country music by pushing the upcoming concert at Northwood Church April 29th at 4PM. She and Ernie will be performing.

4. Roseangela says her daughter Fernanda is doing great in Istanbul. She had attended a Rotary Meeting while visiting and noted that the club was all women!

5. Ed Charlesworth said that Alison is doing great at Tech with a 4.0 and had been awarded another scholarship. Robin is getting excited about their new hotel, The North Face Lodge, and is buying up stuff to decorate the rooms. Each will have a different theme, like the Bear Room, The Mountain Bike Room, The Ed Shed, The Vegan Vestibule - suggestions are welcome. They will be having a Chamber Open House in May, so if you find yourself in Lake City....

6. Anais Watsky thanked everyone who showed up this morning to receive training as Rotary Youth Exchange Counselors.

7. David Thompson reminded everyone of the Habitat Workday on may 19th. Also, his daughter had been in Alaska for a week so he hoped she had safe travels.

8. Elbert Coker noted that his son was receiving an award for outstanding entrepreneurship. Also, Shanaz had knitted up another Baby Blanket that Peggy Jo had tried to buy at Casino Night, so there was another $100 for Monte Carlo.

9. Newest Member Mark Leonard told us that his son is a high jumper, and had won District with a leap of 6'-6" despite being only 5'-10" and he had cleared 6'-10" in practice!

10. Our Speaker, Brad England threw in a dollar as he started his talk because he said it was all good news.

Brad shared with us the inner working of the Cypress Creek EMS.

So President John was pleased to see all the teachers in attendance today. He was reminded of a quotation about teaching which said that it was 1/2 bureaucracy, 1/2 crisis, 1/2 monotony, 1/8 epiphany - never mind the math.....

Our visitors today included Graham Sharp from Champions Sunrise, Greg Jones - Principal of Eiland, Carol James - Principal of Neitsch, Pam Ogletree - Counselor at Neitsch, and Anais's guests Margaret Valentine and Jack Jacobsen who both have kids involved with Youth Exchange as well as hosting themselves.

Announcements:

1. Linda announced that former member Herb Kleinmann had passed away and the service was Friday afternoon.

2. The restaurant staff donated 10 tickets to the Aeros game, but there were no takers.

3. There will be  Knights of the Guild jousting tourney on April 18th at 9am at Klein Intermediate School. 

4. Scholarship applications are due by May 3rd.

5. Champion Sunrise is hosting a Golf Tourney on May 15th.

6. April - 22nd - Earth Day Concert at Ed's.

7. May 19th - District Assembly and Habitat - be at one or the other, or Junior will get you.

Good News:

1. Anais Watsky had a couple of bucks for her two guests.

2. Tom Jackson Jr said his magical son had gotten a gig in Dubai.

3. David Smith had $5 for Graham and all of his excellent work on Early Act, for all of our guests from the schools, and for the fact that Principal Carol James had just been named Principal of the Year for Klein ISD.

4. Graham Sharp plugged their Golf Tourney - it will be a great day with lunch, dinner, drinks and golf. He also extolled the great bang for the buck that we get from Early Act.

5. John Maxwell was happy to see the principal, but begged off attending the jousting since he had to be in Barcelona, Spain for the start of a Mediterranean Cruise.

6. Tom Jackson Sr was sad to announce that Louella Rouch's motehr had died so Wayne and Louella were back in Ohio.

7. Rich Bills said he had run into David Thompson walking thru Meyer Park listening to opera, and had seen Rusty tooling down 1960 in his Porsche.

Our program today was a presentation by the leadership of two of the schools hosting Early Act First Knight. They were unanimously enthusiastic about the great benefits of the program, and it made you proud to be a Rotarian to see the positive impact on kids and families of this program.

“Unfortunately, if you’re looking to the media, you’re struggling for female role models other than celebrities going in and out of rehab,” she says.

In 2009, she founded Women Who Lead, a nonprofit that aims to provide positive examples and foster leadership skills.

A year ago, she joined the Crawley club and learned that only 2 percent of Rotarians are under age 30, and 16 percent are women.

“I couldn’t get those statistics out of my head,” the 22-year-old says. She told David Goldstone, one of the club’s charter members, that she wanted to get more involved; soon after, Ransom became president-elect.

She’ll take office in 2012-13, shortly after graduating from the University of Western Australia with a degree in law and economics.

“Our club members are so different in composition and mindset,” she says. “It’s invigorating to be a part of the energy in the room every time we’re together.”

Read more stories from The Rotarian or sign up for the digital edition.

On 30 March, Fary Moini, a fellow member of the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle, and I left San Diego for Afghanistan.

I have been to Afghanistan a number of times to oversee various educational projects of our club. But this trip was different. This trip had been arranged on a top secret, need to know basis, and was destined to make history. For the first time, an RI president was scheduled to visit Afghanistan, and meet with the country’s president, Hamid Karzai.

Only now, with RI President Kalyan Banerjee safely out of Afghanistan, can I release details of the visit.

On the polio front, there are many causes for concern in Afghanistan. Last year, Afghanistan had 80 cases of the crippling virus, where in the previous year there had been only 20 cases. The primary reason for the increase is difficult access to some areas due to hostilities and lack of government control of these areas, and also the difficulty with contending with the cross-border traffic with Pakistan.

The reality is that some of the more difficult areas are not under government control and are subject to ongoing hostilities. Last week a (non-Rotarian) vaccinator was killed in cross fire. (The details are still sketchy but it is believed the vaccinator was not targeted specifically).

At 7:30 a.m. on 1 April, we emerged from the Kabul airport and were greeted by long time Rotarian friend Mohammad Ishaq, charter president of the Rotary Club of Jalalabad, along with Qaher, a local driver we have used for years.

After meetings, we had lunch in a café called the “Duck and Cover,” the same words written on various bunkers visible throughout the embassy compound. There was a cute picture of a duck on the outside of the café. My eyes lit up when we walked in and I saw two large refrigerators with glass windows fully stocked with hundreds of Heinekens. I failed to notice the huge padlock on the doors of the refrigerator and was told they were only available after 6 p.m. The fact that my body clock was on a different time schedule made no difference to them.

The rest of the day included talks with high level representatives from the Afghanistan office of USAID, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF. On 2 April, we met with President Karzai in the Presidential Palace.

As you would expect, security was tight. The president met us outside his office, shook hands with us, and gave us an audience of 45 minutes. The dialogue was primarily between Banerjee and the president. Banerjee went out of his way to thank the president for his leadership in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and talked about what we have learned. He was very complimentary toward the Minister of Public Health and also offered ways in which India can help.

The atmosphere was warm and friendly; sometimes jovial, sometimes very serious. Karzai suggested he would like to help us more in the public awareness and communications, and get the mullahs involved publically by using radio to transmit their messages.

We had been requested to leave all gifts outside but when Banerjee mentioned he had a medal to give to the president to honor him for his support, the president said “I like medals. Please have the protocol folks bring in the gifts and alert the photographers for the photo opportunity.” The gifts were brought in and the photographers reappeared.

When the president asked if there are Rotary Clubs in Afghanistan I pointed out that Mohammad Ishaq, who was present for the meeting, was the charter president of the Rotary Club of Jalalabad. I then took a minute to describe the work Fary and I and our Rotary club have been involved in during the last several years in Jalalabad.

I believe one of the results of the meeting will be for President Karzai to have direct communication with the prime minister of India to talk further about polio eradication. On two occasions the president asked how he can be helpful and also commented he must do more to assure the success of this important endeavor.

See the RI News story about President Banerjee’s trip to Afghanistan

It’s March and the summer heat is beginning to transition to cool, fall weather, here in the Southern Hemisphere. On Leap Day I spoke at the Rotary Club of Vicente Lopez, and was presented with a certificate by the club president. The club is located at a yacht club and the parking lot was filled with boats parked above water. I’ve never been to a parking lot like that before. It’s about 30 nautical miles away from Uruguay and it was neat.

I went to MALBA (Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires), the Museum of Latin American Art in Buenos Aires. They had many different pieces of art from Latin American artists and had an exhibit which was sponsored by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. This particular exhibit had different samples of optics and variations in lighting. I was nostalgic of having seen similar exhibits in Houston and it goes to show how interconnected the world is.

For March I went with Rotarians to visit non-government organizations (NGOs) in which members of the Martinez Club are active. The first we visited was Hogar Santa Rafaela Maria Fundacion. This is a foster home/orphanage for children, for ages ranging from babies to 17 year olds. The director, Cristina Solari, [www.fsrafaelamaria.org.ar] was very kind and showed us the property which houses over 25 kids. The organization has a very spacious property and it was evident that the kids were well taken care of. I asked Cristina what needs they had and she said they needed help with paint (for 30 rooms), repairing broken windows, and needed to hire a carpenter to get doors and walls repaired. I’m mentioning their needs here because I told Cristina that I would let people in Texas know.

The second organization we visited was called “Casa de Galilea” (Home of Galilea). [www.casadegalilea.org.ar/ ] This organization helps 600 families in a community of 2,500 low-income families, near San Isidro in Buenos Aires. Casa de Galilea has several programs to help and their mission is to create equal opportunities and rights in society. The program we visited included an area to help expectant mothers get medical care, training for nurturing their baby, and occupational training to support their family.

Much of March was dedicated to getting paperwork and administrative tasks done. I am excited about starting school in April and am scheduling upcoming visits and speeches to local Rotary clubs. Buenos Aires is a very large and enchanting city, with many more places to explore. Hope all is well in Texas.

President John reminded us that by his calculations, this would probably be our last weekly meeting in March. It's hard to get stuff past John. He did caution us that with March winding down, April Fools Day is not far behind. In researching this great Holiday, he discovered that in 1996, Taco Bell issued a press release that they had purchased the Liberty Bell and it would henceforth be called the Taco Liberty Bell. When the riots cooled down they pointed out the date. After the uproar, there was a press conference at the White House, and the Press Secretary said that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold and would now be the Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury Memorial. Enough of this foolishness - just be careful what you believe this Sunday.

David Smith shared in his 60 Second commercial that he was born in Kansas City, but at the ripe old age of one, his father decided to go to seminary, so they moved to the booming metropolis of Forsyth, Missouri which was near Branson before Branson was cool. After 5 years, it was on to Carthage (near Joplin), and then as he started High School, they moved to Houston where he met and married a native Houstonian and she convinced him that Houston was the place to be, so here he is still.

We welcome Tom Jr. back from PETS. Tom noted three things about his training. 1. Thanks to the Club for sending me into that great abyss. 2. Lots of Clubs don't have a clue. 3. I'm in deep trouble!

We had a rash of visitors and I did not do a great job of catching names, but here's my best guess - Kira Elliot and Stacy Morella from the Y, Robert Berleth - a friend of Randy's I think, Shanaz's husband and son, Tarik and Nassir, plus friend Dee and Bob Robertson, Marlyn Knighton - a visiting Rotarian from Idaho, and Roseangela's husband.

Just a couple of announcements - Habitat Feeding tomorrow at 11:30. Not a lot of help needed, but if you want to come out and show the flag feel free to join us. Rotary Replant Houston - Earth Day Concert at Ed's - April 22nd - Details at www.earthdayconcerts.org. Great Music and a great cause.

Good News:

1. Randy Thompson - only 5 new cases of polio, and "we are this close."

2. Roseangela Catunda is heading out to Istanbul to visit her daughter who is on an outbound exchange. Her son and his wife are joining them from Brazil so it will be a family affair.

3. Ed Charlesworth described the excellent music at the fundraiser last weekend by the Houston NW Sunset Club. There were 9 Willowbrook Rotarians in attendance.

4. Ernie Honig said that Linda had returned to the hospital for a check up on her stints, and now has three.

5. Shanaz Kureshy had a dollar for her niece who is raising money for a scholarship. I missed the details, but call Shanaz to help.

6. Tom Swanson tells of his love of Paris, but on his last trip, a French soldier accidentally dropped a live hand grenade in his kitchen. He is now nicknamed Linoleum Blown Apart. (Careful Tom, you're liable to end up as President with humor like that)

7. Bob Ullom (aka: Viral Bob) noted that hi AOL account had been hacked so if you get an email from him, don't open the attachment like John Gilligan did. Fortunately, Ken Dwight (Dr. Virus) has been able to salvage the situation.

With our Speaker today talking about Toilets of the world, President John did a little research and came up with a crappy poem as his TFTW. It was title Ode To A Toilet. Fortunately, I was unable to write down the words.

David Thompson shared a Rotary Minute. Having picked up the Rotarian Magazine, he shared that he had often found them stacking up until he discovered that it had a crossword puzzle. The crossword drove him to read articles searching for clues, and he discovered that it was really an interesting read. He focused on this month's issue about the End of Free Water. It's quite interesting.

Our visitors today included Roseangela's friend Adriana, Jinni's aunt Nancy and her mother-in-law (I think??) Also, Bill Barnes from Copperfield Rotary was visiting. Robin Charlesworth also popped in with a surprise birthday cake for Ed.

An awful rendition of Happy Birthday was performed in honor of Rich Bills, Ed Charlesworth, and Bill Moyer.

Announcements: Junior is attending PETS this weekend so he will be well trained to take over in July. The will be a Habitat Lunch Project next Saturday at 11:30am at the build site at Champions Forest and Richey. See Tom Jackson to help. In a shocking announcement, Beth LaPenna has resigned. Mark Boudreaux is trying to round out sign ups for REACH cookie distribution.  

Robin's Club, the Houston NW Sunset will be hosting a music fest fundraiser this Saturday at St. Timothy's Lutheran Church on Hargrave. It's only $10 - LOTS OF LOCAL MUSICAL TALENT - FOOD AND DRINK WILL BE AVAILABLE AS WELL AS A SILENT AUCTION. TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR.

Good News:

1. Anais Watsky says that our inbound exchange students for next year have finally been finalized. We will have kids from Taiwan, France, and Germany. Also, she and Buddy head out Monday to Cleveland for grand kid's birthdays.

2. Wayne Roush had $5 for an excellent article in either Time or Scientific America about the demise of polio.He was also excited about the success of Ohio teams in March Madness.

3. Robin Charlesworth had a dollar and a cake for Ed's birthday and told Ed that a former German Exchange student had called him that morning to wish him a Happy Birthday.

4. Ed Charlesworth shared his obsessive habit of running a mile for each year of his life which has evolved from running to kilometers, to biking. He started early this morning on the Faulky Gully bike trail and it was beautiful until he nearly crashed into a fallen tree.

5. Rich Bills said he had experienced the same tree on Wednesday and a large group of bikes had arrive on the scene and attempted unsuccessfully to move it, but it was too much. Anyway, in Ed's traditon, Rich had run 6.1 miles for his 61st birthday.

Our Speaker today was Jinni's aunt Nancy Lehmann who spent 40 years teaching school and also moonlihts as a tour guide to exotic places around the world and has developed a morbid curiosity about toilets. A little different program than most!

By U.S. Sen. John Cornyn

“No other flower – for me at least – brings such upsurging of the spirit and at the same time such restfulness.” – J. Frank Dobie

After one of the worst droughts and wildfire seasons in Texas’ history, a sign of renewal is springing up along Texas highways. It is the State Flower of Texas: the bluebonnet.

For decades, poets, authors and artists of all kinds have been drawn to the bright blue flower, which typically makes its debut for a few weeks each Spring, decorating the Texas landscape in a sea of blue. It is believed that the first to observe and write about the bluebonnet were European naturalists who traveled to Texas, then part of Mexico, in the early 1800s to collect and document specimens of new plants and animals.

The first of these was 20-year-old Jean Louis Berlandier, a Franco-Swiss botanical explorer who was sent to Mexico by his professor to serve as the botanist for the Mexican Boundary Commission, which was tasked with establishing the border between Mexico and the U.S. While traveling from Ciudad de Bexar (San Antonio) toward Nacogdoches, his company camped overnight by the Salado Creek. It was here that Berlandier first described the bluebonnet in his journal: “The fields, strewn with flowers, were yet only a small thing compared with what we saw in the upper regions of Texas. A lupine, verbena, delphinium, some lilies, and a great many evening primroses contrasted with the tender green of the grasses, from which sprang flowers of various colors.”

Berlandier called the bluebonnet a “lupine,”  which is a genus that includes mostly perennials and stems from the Latin “lupinus,” or wolf. Lupines were classified as such because many were believed to rob the soil of its nourishment, much like wolves rob shepherds of their sheep. In fact, the bluebonnet is not predatory in nature and actually has the opposite effect, nourishing the soil through nitrogen nodules on its roots.

Over the next several decades, the blue lupine continued to draw attention as a new specimen for naturalists and a beautiful sight for weary travelers. In 1901, State Representative John M. Green, of Cuero, Texas, made a compelling argument before the state legislature as to why the bluebonnet should be the official state flower. When he rose to the podium to suggest the bluebonnet, someone on the floor called out, “What the devil is a bluebonnet?” One explanation was given comparing the bluebonnet to the sunbonnets worn by Texas women in the pioneer days to protect their faces from the sun. Another called the bluebonnet by its Spanish nickname “el conejo” or “the rabbit” because of its resemblance to the tail of a cottontail rabbit.

After the legislators were shown a painting of the blue flower, the bluebonnet stole the show. A resolution making the bluebonnet, specifically the Lupinus subcarnosus, the official state flower of Texas was signed by then-Governor Joseph D. Sayers on March 7, 1901.

The debate did not end there, however. Different groups argued that the Lupinus subcarnosus was not the most attractive of the bluebonnet family. They claimed another species, the Lupinus texensis, was bolder, more beautiful and should be named the official flower. For the next 70 years, this debate would ensue. Finally, in 1971, then-Governor Preston Smith signed a resolution designating both species of the bluebonnet as the official state flower, along with "any other variety of bluebonnet not heretofore recorded.” As it turns out, three other species have been discovered.

The 70-year debate did prove one thing: Texans are passionate about bluebonnets. Over the years, this flower has been a source of inspiration for many. In Tales of Old-Time Texas, Texas historian and author J. Frank Dobie wrote, “Every dauber in the country tries his hand at painting it, and bluebonnet chromos are as plentiful as cowboy figures on pulp magazine covers.”

Towns across Texas have developed wildflower tours and festivals to showcase their bluebonnets as the best and most colorful in the state. Every April, thousands of visitors flock to the historic cotton town of Chappell Hill for the official “Texas Bluebonnet Festival,” complete with bluebonnet contests and crafts.

I hope this spring we can all pause to enjoy the beauty of our state’s flower—in any of its five forms. Indeed, the bluebonnet runs wild throughout Texas and deep in our state’s history.

Sources: Legends and Lore of Texas Wildflowers, Elizabeth Silverthorne; Tales of Old-time Texas, J. Frank Dobie; The Texas Bluebonnet, Jean Andrews; Texas State Historical Association

By Ryan Hyland and Megan Ferringer
Rotary International News -- 9 March 2012      

John Skerritt, a research scientist who is deputy secretary of the Department of Primary Industries for the state of Victoria, Australia, has been chosen by The Rotary Foundation Trustees as the recipient of the 2011-12 Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award.

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Carlingford, New South Wales, Skerritt studied as a 1983-84 Ambassadorial Scholar at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. A member of the Rotary Club of Hampton, he will receive the award on 8 May at the 2012 RI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand.

“An award like this has so many well-deserving candidates. I’m honored and humbled to be recognized,” says Skerritt.

Over the past 30 years, Skerritt has led a wide range of training and assistance projects addressing agriculture, medical science, environmental, and public administration issues in India, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian and African countries.

Skerritt, who manages a staff of 1,250 and an annual budget of US$250 million, is one of the government’s top public policy architects for fisheries, forestry, and agricultural emergencies. In 2010, he led a successful response to a major locust plague in eastern Australia, which otherwise would have caused $2 billion in damage. And last year, his team helped the farming community in that region recover quickly after unprecedented flooding.

A former Rotaractor and Interactor, Skerritt has received numerous awards for his research and governmental work in agricultural science and development.

“I learned during my Ambassadorial Scholarship how international collaborations are such a powerful way of addressing big issues,” says Skerritt. “Whether it’s medical, food security, or environmental causes, the basis of my work is to improve the lives of others. Rotary showed me the importance of giving.”

German alumni group recognized

Rotary Foundation Alumni Deutschland (RFAD), the alumni association in Germany, has been selected as the recipient of The Rotary Foundation 2011-12 Alumni Association of the Year Award.

“We are thrilled to receive this award, which honors the joint effort of many generations of RFAD presidents and members,” says Christoph Saenger, president of the group. “We feel like appreciated members of the Rotarian family, and hope the award will raise the awareness for TRF alumni among Rotarians.”

Chartered in 1998, RFAD is dedicated to maintaining and strengthening contact between alumni and Rotary. The group’s 270 members organize seminars for participants in inbound and outbound Foundation programs and regularly meet with Rotarians. They support a variety of humanitarian projects internationally and fund their own Rotary scholarship through the Foundation every five years.

In 2010-11, RFAD raised about US$13,500 to complete a water project in Costa Rica, provide water wells in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and help a school in a tsunami-affected region of Japan.

“This gives our alumni the wonderful feeling to make a difference by, for example, helping an incoming scholar to overcome the cultural shock of arriving in Germany, or by engaging in service projects,” Saenger says.

Among other activities, RFAD’s International Oktoberfest Alumni Event, open to alumni worldwide, includes workshops on how to improve alumni collaboration and cultural activities.

The issues are myriad: a scarcity of schools and learning materials, insufficient government spending on education, and cultural stigmas that limit education for women and girls, to name a few. And the problem goes far beyond the inability to decipher words on a page. In an increasingly complex world, poor reading comprehension condemns adults to the lowest rungs of society.

Rotarians, however, are committed to improving the situation. Rotary clubs worldwide have been carrying out thousands of literacy projects for decades. Basic education and literacy is one of Rotary's areas of focus.

Rotary's work in literacy has included rebuilding schools destroyed by natural disasters in Sri Lanka and Haiti, partnering with the Dollywood Foundation's Imagination Library to promote early childhood reading, and teaching students to read and write through the concentrated language encounter method in Brazil and Turkey.

Enjoy a gallery of Rotary literacy projects above. For more information:

• Read about Rotary's work with the Imagination Library to promote early childhood reading.
• Learn more about the basic education and literacy area of focus.
• Read " Vocational Training Teams Give Kids an Edge"

I arrived a little late for the meeting due to a conflict so if President John had a gem of a TFTW, it will go unreported. This may be a blessing in disguise. I did arrive in time for the introduction of our single guest - Robert Berleth who is running for the Emergency Services District Board, and warns that the Board is preparing to double your taxes. As a volunteer firefighter himself, he advises that this tax increase is unnecessary and suggests that everyone participate in their election on May 12th. Go to www.RobertBerleth.com for polling locations (normally fire stations)

Announcements: There will be a Board Meeting Tuesday at 6PM at Jacksons. We will have a couple of Habitat Projects - Serving Lunch on Mar31, and actually working on May 19th. (Screwholders are qualified to work says Jinni)

Good News:

1. Tom Jackson Sr. had a cryptic message about David Smith and Elbert Coker surviving the frozen motor vehicle incident. No responsibility was acknowledged about the mystery driver.

2. Linda Honig said that she's been secretary on and off for 11 years and was flabbergasted to report that Rusty Schlattmann has perfect attendance!

3. Jinni Kaltenbach said that their trip to Big Bend was fantastic and she's ready to go again.

4. Phil Baker said that Mike Donahue had been a non-Rotarian on our recent trip, and had shared with Phil that these Rotarians are a pretty nice group of guys. (and gals, but you weren't there)

5. Gary Aguren had gone to Alvin for the Interact District Conference, and reported that there were 420 kids there to include 14 from Klein Forest and 19 from Klein Collins, our two clubs. Also, Tom Lewis had arrived to chaperon the evening in a real "Service Above Self" moment.

6. Randy Thompson was pleased to only have to pay $2 for 3 polio cases. We are "this close."

7. Ed Charlesworth had a buck for Tom Swanson's hosting of cross country skiers in Lake City for the past 20 or so years and suffering through 2 totaled vehicles and "Geezers Gone Mild."

8. Beth LaPenna began by Slip Sliding Away for unknown reasons, which led to an awkward segue into the fact that a friend had invited her to Windwood Church last weekend to hear Andy Early preach. He did a great job, and is doing well as the Youth Director.

Our presentation today was a most interesting presentation by COL Tom Lewis about his assignment in Iraq and everything that is going on there (or at least as much as he was authorized to share)

Canada

Two Interactors and three Rotaractors were among 120 young Canadians who attended an invitation-only barbecue with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Ottawa in June. David Johnston, governor general of Canada and a former Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar, hosted the event with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to celebrate service and give the attendees an opportunity to tell the royal couple, government officials, and other dignitaries about their work.

USA

Rotarians in District 6960 (Florida) worked with high school students and other volunteers to package more than 1.3 million meals during a one-day event in May. Over 70 percent of children in the Rotary district receive free or reduced-price meals at school, but during the summer, many don’t have enough to eat. The packaged meals – rice and bean casserole and macaroni and cheese, fortified with vitamins and minerals – went to local food banks, which distributed them over the summer months.

Mexico

A partnership between the Rotary Club of San Diego and nurses and doctors at Scripps Mercy Hospital has brought medical care to 9,000 people in remote Mexican villages since 1988. Rotarian volunteers include medical professionals, those providing logistical support, and members of clubs in Mexico. The Mercy Outreach Surgical Team has completed more than 40 weeklong missions, performing procedures to remove congenital tumors, correct cleft lips and palates and crossed eyes, and address other health problems.

Austria

The Rotary Club of Mürzzuschlag-Semmering found a sweet way to support a community project: a 365-foot-long pastry created by a local bakery and displayed on a “pastry coaster” specially designed and built by club members Gerd Tomazic and Oswald Ebner. The club sold pieces of the pastry, raising €5,000 for medical equipment for a Red Cross ambulance, which now sports the club’s logo.

Lebanon

The Rotary clubs of Beirut Center and Tucson Sunrise, Ariz., USA, worked together in April to install a wastewater treatment system at Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut. The project, supported by a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant, will reduce the concentration of residual pharmaceuticals in the hospital’s wastewater, which helps irrigate gardens or travels through the sewer system into the Mediterranean Sea.

Kenya

A five-day project brought Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors to Nyumbani Village, home to more than 700 children who have lost family members to HIV/AIDS, to install two solar-powered irrigation wells. The Rotary Club of Greater Portage County (Stevens Point), Wis., USA, joined with the Rotary clubs of Karen-Nairobi and Machakos, Kenya, to carry out the effort, funded by a District Simplified Grant from District 6220 (parts of Michigan and Wisconsin). The group also helped with planting. The solar pumps will be the primary source of irrigation for the community, and will cost less to operate than the old diesel-powered pumps.

Korea

For the second year, District 3650 delivered 10,000 charcoal briquettes to low-income families in Seodaemun-gu, a subdivision of Seoul. Briquettes are a popular source of heat in Korea. Over 450 volunteers, including 120 Rotarians, 167 Interactors, and 142 Rotaractors, participated in the distribution, along with Seodaemun-gu President Suk Jin Moon and National Assembly member Sung Hun Lee.

Australia

The Rotary Club of Wynyard celebrated the 40th anniversary of its Music Hall show in 2011. Originally organized as a one-time event called the Old Time Music Hall, the production has been held every year, despite setbacks including a fire in the 1990s that destroyed a shed containing all the props and costumes. The performances have raised more than A$1 million in support of local and international projects – in particular, educational programs for rural medical students.

More briefs from around the globe

With a sense of relief, the first post Monte Carlo meeting kicked off. President John mentioned that our speaker today was going to talk about Rice Owls which led him to speculate about where Ernie, who graduated from Rice, hangs out looking for chicks when Linda is out of town. The obvious answer was "Hooters!" 

The Rotary Club of Willowbrook celebrated their 26th annual Monte Carlo Charity Gala on February 18th at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel.  Guests enjoyed fine dining accompanied by music vocals from Tony Mack and Camille. Especially significant was Camille’s memorable performance of “I Will Always Love You”, a tribute to Whitney Houston.  A live auction  was enjoyed with excited bidding for exceptional vacation values. Participation in the bidding for "Lives Saved" by funding Polio inoculations was particularly generous by the many participants. The silent auction offered the chance to obtain a special bargain while contributing to Rotary charities. The Casino Gaming tables were hot after dinner with guests seeking to parlay their "casino bucks" into prizes for the winning players.  This was a grand evening and we thank all members who made it a success.

Major gains have been made in the fight to eradicate polio, Rotary’s top priority. In January, India reached a historic milestone by marking a full year without recording a new case of polio. The country has been an epicenter of the crippling childhood disease.

Worldwide, fewer than 650 polio cases were confirmed for 2011, less than half the 1,352 infections reported in 2010. Overall, the annual number of polio cases has plummeted by more than 99 percent since the initiative was launched in 1988, when polio infected about 350,000 children a year. More than 2 billion children have been immunized in 122 countries, preventing 5 million cases of paralysis and 250,000 deaths.

Also in January, Rotary leaders announced that Rotary clubs raised more than US$200 million in response to a $355 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In recognition of Rotary’s commitment, the Gates Foundation contributed an additional $50 million. All of the resulting $605 million will be spent in support of immunization activities in polio-affected countries.

“We’ll celebrate this milestone, but it doesn’t mean that we’ll stop raising money or spreading the word about polio eradication,” Rotary Foundation Trustee John F. Germ told Rotary leaders at the International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA. “We can’t stop until our entire world is certified as polio-free.”

It is my pleasure to report to you the outcome of the selection process for the 2012-2013 Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarships Program.

This year there were 8 applications received from District 5890 Rotary clubs, competing for a total of 4 scholarships.  The District Scholarship Committee selected 4 Ambassadorial Scholars at the interviews on February 4, 2012.

The successful candidates and their sponsoring Rotary clubs are as follows:

Derek Marchant           (sponsored by Cypress-Fairbanks Rotary Club)

Scott Nimmons             (sponsored by Space Center Rotary Club)

Amy Parker                  (sponsored by Memorial-Spring Branch Rotary Club)

Samantha Webb           (sponsored by Bellaire/Southwest Houston Rotary Club)

It is always a pleasure to meet these fine young men and women, and the district committee would like to thank those Rotarians who identified potential candidates for this very worthwhile program.   In addition, I would like to personally thank the presidents of the clubs who submitted candidates for the interviews; the quality of all of the students was truly exceptional and all of those interviewed would have been outstanding representatives of our district.

Best wishes,

Bill Barmore, Chairman

Rotary District 5890 Scholarships

By U.S. Sen. John Cornyn

Across Texas this Valentine’s Day, many young men will present their sweethearts with the ultimate Valentine’s gift – an engagement ring. From the moment she says “yes,” the planning will begin. Reception venues and churches are booked, showers and parties are planned, invitations are sent and the many details involved in planning the modern wedding are given careful consideration.

It is amusing to consider, therefore, that not long ago, our predecessors on the Texas frontier were similarly busying themselves with preparations for their own weddings—but with a little less fanfare and a lot less in the way of access to supplies.

According to Texas historian and author Betty J. Mills, weddings on the Texas frontier “took place wherever space permitted—at home, in church, or even on the back of a buggy with the guests standing around to witness the nuptials.”

Until the late 19^th century, invitations were circulated by word of mouth, and most everyone in a 30- to 40-mile radius was invited. Guests had to consider weather conditions and schedule plenty of time to make the trip to the wedding. Many of them began arriving days before the big event. For the lucky groom, obtaining a marriage license sometimes required traveling on horseback up to 200 miles to secure the document.

The wedding date was normally selected depending on when the next circuit preacher was expected to come through the region. This might be a Methodist minister or a Baptist missionary. At times, their arrival was unexpected and a wedding had to be quickly pulled together to accommodate the officiant.

Many pioneer brides had to weave their own fabric for their wedding gowns, with assistance from their mothers and sisters. Some towns were visited by traveling peddlers who sold fabrics like gingham and calico. Those with the financial means often ordered their wedding dresses in mail order catalogs or from French dressmakers in Fort Worth. While some brides were married in white, it was not uncommon for a bride to wear a dark dress that “was to be her best dress for years to come,” wrote Mills.

While the wedding ceremony was typically simple and brief, held on the front porch of the bride’s parents’ house, the celebration feasts were more elaborate with dancing that often carried on until the morning hours. Cake was served, fiddles and other instruments provided the music, and a washtub full of coffee kept the guests awake and dancing.  

The following morning, guests took some time to rest and recover but were soon summoned again for the “in-fair”—yet another feast and dance hosted by the groom’s parents.

One observer, Noah Smithwick, who arrived in Texas in 1827, wrote down his observations after attending several weddings on the frontier: “The houses of early Texans were small but their hearts were large enough to cover all deficiencies. No candidate for hospitality was ever turned away.”

Sources: Calico Chronicle: Texas Women and Their Fashions, 1830 – 1910, by Betty J. Mills; Eats: a folk history of Texas foods, by Ernestine Linck and Joyce Roach; “What Were Weddings Like in Days of Yore?” by Barbara Mayer, The Associated Press; “A Frontier Wedding,” by Gay Schlittler Storms, The Graham Leader; The Book of Texas, by Harry Yandell Benedict and John Avery; and Abilenetexashistory.com.

By Arnold R. Grahl
Rotary International News – 20 January 2012      

Rotarians who support the Rotary Peace Centers program are helping to change the world by investing in young people with a track record of good works.

That’s what David LaMotte, a 2008-10 Rotary Peace Fellow, told attendees at the International Assembly, a training session for incoming district governors. He thanked Rotary leaders for giving him the opportunity to broaden his skills and become part of the network of peace fellows.

Unlike many academic scholarships, LaMotte said, Rotary Peace Fellowships require applicants to be more than promising young leaders. "Rather, it targets people who are midcareer and already have a track record of doing good work."

Rotary International News – 31 January 2012     

Rotary Foundation Alumni Deutschland, the alumni association in Germany, has been selected as the recipient of The Rotary Foundation’s 2011-12 Alumni Association of the Year Award.

The association’s mission is to maintain and strengthen contact between alumni and Rotary. The group’s more than 270 members organize outbound and inbound seminars for Foundation program participants and regularly meet with Rotarians. They support a variety of humanitarian projects internationally and fund their own Rotary Scholarship through the Foundation every five years.

Representatives of Rotary Foundation Alumni Deutschland will receive the award on 4 May before the 2012 RI Convention in Bangkok, Thailand.

Willowbrook Rotary Club with support from Rotary International District 5890 has published new videos developed to educate students and parents about the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.  Willowbrook Rotarians Anais Watsky, Gary Aguren and former Rotarian Lois Alberts were instrumental in development of this new media.    These new videos present students and parents who have participated in this program to tell about their experiences.  If you are interested in applying to become an exchange student; these videos may have the answers to many of your questions. For more information, please call Anais Watsky at 281-370-4200.

These videos may be viewed by clicking the following links:

RYE STUDENT VIDEO               RYE PARENT VIDEO

So with the excitement of Monte Carlo in the air, President John reminded us that he's not much of a gambler, but he does have a son living in Las Vegas, so he finds himself in sin city now and then. He sometimes wanders down to the strip to see what's going on and sometimes makes mental bets to see what might have been. The last time he did this, he lost his mind! While on a roll, he continued the tell about the Doctor's wife who called the casino and asked them to page her husband. They flatly refused saying "the House does not make Doctor Calls." Still rolling (that's what happens when you are on a hill going down), he finally made a real bet and lost big time and had to sell his car to meet his obligations. Hertz was very upset with him.....bada boom!

By Arnold R. Grahl
Rotary International News -- 24 January 2012      
          

A number of major initiatives are underway that will help Rotary International’s professional staff, the Secretariat, be a more effective, efficient, and useful resource for clubs and districts.

Addressing the fifth plenary session of the International Assembly, an annual training event for incoming district leaders, RI General Secretary John Hewko spelled out five priorities for strengthening the organization, ones he said would put Rotary on the best footing possible as it begins its second century. (Watch a video of the speech )

“Rotary is an organization with an incredible history and there is no question that its best years are yet to come,” Hewko said. “These five priorities, as well as many others, will strengthen our great organization and have a significant, positive impact down to the level of the club and individual Rotarian.”  

So the turnout was pretty low Friday, but we had a great meeting nonetheless and missed you if you weren't there. Since our topic was bodybuilding, President John was reminded of Arnold who said "I didn't leave bodybuilding until I went as far as I could - I didn't leave films until I went as far as I could - and then I went into servce for my state and country." (or something like that. We were all waiting for a punch line so we were distracted when it was serious). He did add that when someone annoys you, that it takes 42 muscles to frown, but only 4 muscles to smack them in the head!

by Charlesworth, Robin

Saturday,January 28, 2012, 10 AM - 12:30 PM, at Total Quality Books,3802 Leeland (near Scott & the Gulf Freeway).  This is a"hands on" project at which we sort and palletize donated books inpreparation for shipment to countires in Africa and around the world.  You are also welcome to bring books you care todonate.  Your family members and friends are also invited!

For more information about thisproject, go to www.rotarybooksfortheworld.org  

Can't make it this Saturday?  Wehave also scheduled Rotary Books for the World - Book Sortings forSaturdays 2/11, 3/31, and 4/28  

By Arnold R. Grahl
Rotary International News -- 20 December 2011     

From the tsunami in Japan to the launch of strategic partnerships that will help Rotary expand its reach, 2011 was an eventful year for Rotary International and Rotarians. As the year winds down, we share our list of the top five Rotary news events of 2011.  

Rotary International News -- 17 January 2012      
     

Rotary International has succeeded in meeting the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s US$200 million match in funding for polio eradication, raising more than $202.6 million as of 17 January.

“We’ll celebrate this milestone, but it doesn’t mean that we’ll stop raising money or spreading the word about polio eradication,” Rotary Foundation Trustee John F. Germ told Rotary leaders at the International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA. “We can’t stop until our entire world is certified as polio-free.”   

While we are supposed to avoid religion andpolitics, President John could not resist the story of a lonely Adam walkingaround the Garden of Eden. He told God he was lonely, so God suggested that hemight create a companion for him called Woman. This companion would be there tofix his meals, to serve all of his needs, to talk to him when he talked to herand to be silent otherwise, to be full of passion and to never have a headache.Wow! Adam exclaimed what would I have to give for such a companion? Godreplied, "a woman like that will cost you an arm and a leg.""oh", said Adam. "what can I get for a rib?"

The Rotary Minute was presented by Tom Swansonwho took some liberty in the fact that WillowbrookRotarians are suckers fordogs to update us on the saga of his recent guest. Having failed to give thestray dog away, he just happened to be at a function recently, and overheard ateacher in attendance make some remark about taking in her last stray. Onething led to another and he shared the dogs picture with her. Later the sameday, she called back and told him to go to a particular website and see if acertain dog might not be his guest. It certainly looked like the same pup, sohe called the owners who lived 12 miles away on the other side of IH45. They werea little skeptical, but came over in hopes that it was their dog. As soon asthey walked in the door, the dog jumped into the man's arms! Happy endings -wags and licks to all!

The Rotary Minute (or 3) was followed by a 60second commercial by Ed Charlesworth who came prepared with a bag of his books.He shared about starting his practice many years ago and 30 years agopublishing his first book. It has been updated, translated, mutated, and all ofthose things, and in it's most recent revival in honor of its 30th anniversary, it will even be aNook Book.

We really had a nice turnout today with lots ofguests to include Linda Letkusappearing on behalf of Carl Pittman, candidate for Harris County Sheriff. Tom Lewis had his son Danielas a guest. Local groupie, Buddy Watsky was there. Graham Sharpe of ChampionsSunrise. Former member Mimi Davis (who plans to re-join) and Jamie Hartwell(formally of NAM now with KBR).Also, we had John Hathaway froThe Woodlands, and our speaker, Larry Lipton.

Announcements:

1. Graham Sharpe shared with us details of theirClub's fundraiser which is a classical piano concert at the Centrum on Feb 16th.

2. Feb 2 - Early Act First Knight Ceremony1:30PM

3. Feb 3 - Regular meeting will be in theevening at Pearl Fincher6:30PM. Guest welcome. An evitewill be sent.

4. Feb 5 - Superbowl Party at Ed and Robin's. Bring some wine to drinkand an extra bottle to make Casino Night gift baskets.

5. Feb 9 - All Club Meeting at the Crown Plaza -Let President John know if you will be attending.

6. You can have a few days off now, but selltickets and get prizes for Monte Carlo on Feb 18th.

Good News

1. Beth LaPenna shared her success in sellingraffle tickets, but on her second sale, found that she had short changed herfirst buyer since she failed to note that they are 6 for $100.

2. Anais Watsky had a buck for Tom's dog story.(I think it was Tom's dollar). She also said she had a slow start on ticketsales, but had turned the corner and sold a bunch.

3. Graham Sharpe said that if you could notattend their fund raiser, you could buy a ticket and they would invite astudent to attend.

4. Tom Jackson reminded members that there is ablock of discounted rooms at the Marriottthe evening of our event.

5. Rich Bills recommended Jackson and Companyfor Financial Planning, but hesitated to recommend following Tom's nutritionaladvice wherein he suggested that drinking half of your body weight in waterdaily was good for you. (Shouldabeen ounces) 

6. Jamie Hartwell was glad to see everyoneagain.

Larry Lipton shared his philosophy of community involvement and the power ofvolunteers when they get active. He accepted Tom Jackson's challenge to help recruit some new members.

By Dan Nixon and Wayne Hearn
Rotary International News -- 12 January 2012     

Rotary club members worldwide are cautiously celebrating a major milestone in the global effort to eradicate polio. India, until recently an epicenter of the wild poliovirus, has gone one year without recording a new case of the crippling, sometimes fatal, disease.  

India’s last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal State on 13 January 2011. The country recorded 42 cases in 2010, and 741 in 2009.

A chief factor in India’s success has been the widespread use of the bivalent oral polio vaccine, which is effective against both remaining types of the poliovirus. Another has been rigorous monitoring, which has helped reduce the number of children missed by health workers during National Immunization Days to less than 1 percent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Rotary has been a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative since 1988, along with WHO, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is also a key supporter of the initiative.   

Rotary International News -- 27 September 2011  
 

Do your friends and co-workers know that you're a Rotarian? Do you tell acquaintances about your club's good works in the community or internationally?

Did you know that talking about your involvement in Rotary could significantly enhance the organization's image and boost public awareness? It’s up to every Rotarian to tell the world what Rotary is and does.

According to a public image survey commissioned by Rotary International in 2010, people are much more likely to know about Rotary and perceive it positively as a charitable organization if they personally know a Rotarian. The finding is just one of many that could shape how clubs and districts promote Rotary in their communities.

RI commissioned the survey of 1,000 individuals in each of  six countries -- Argentina, Australia, Germany, Japan, South Africa, and the United States -- to gauge the general public's awareness and perception of the organization. The results are consistent with those of a similar survey conducted in 2006: While respondents had heard of Rotary, they did not know much about what it does.

Building familiarity is not easy, says Pauline Leung, Rotary public image general coordinator. "Sometimes Rotarians are doing too many things and can get people confused about Rotary. We must have consistency when promoting the image of Rotary. Rotarians should receive training so they can clearly express our position, our vision, our values, and our areas of focus."

By Arnold R. Grahl 
Rotary International News -- 8 December 2011 
  

When Bill Simmermon joined the Rotary Club of Highlands Ranch (Littleton), Colorado, USA, six years ago, he wanted to be an active member without sacrificing time with his family.   

So the father of two brought his sons along to lunch meetings and involved them in club activities. His eldest son, Denver, has taken part in community and international service projects, is a member of Interact , and has been the featured speaker several times at the club's weekly meeting. And Simmermon's wife has been an active part of the club. 

"My family is all in," Simmermon says. "My involvement with Rotary doesn't conflict with family time. It has actually enhanced our family time, because we are all there together." 

Things are busy, stores are full, streets arecrowded. John's wife asked him to take her Christmas shopping which he likenedto a root canal, but he was going to anyway. For the English Majors in theClub, John noted that there were 100's of Santas to be seen and he wondered ifthese were "subordinate clauses?" (I think I screwed this up andmissed something - it was funnier when he said it)

My dear brothers and sisters in Rotary,

In late August, Binota and I were in Ghana, where Rotary Foundation Trustee Vice Chair Sam Okudzeto and enthusiastic local Rotarians took us to the ribbon-cutting for a water project in a little village, Abutia Teti, about 60 miles from Accra. We arrived at about 11 a.m., and the whole village seemed to be there. Everyone had been waiting since early morning to welcome us. In the past, the women had to walk over 3 miles to carry pails of water from a river. Now they had a supply of safe, clean water from tube wells in the village itself. It was a simple but effective project in which Rotary and USAID had worked together. But what struck us most that day was family: The men, the women, the children were all there together, dancing, singing, and welcoming us. It made me think about how everywhere around the world, people come together in families, and families join together as communities.

as told to Stephen Yafa 
The Rotarian -- December 2011 
  

Nearly 10 years ago, I spent my days learning hallway diplomacy as student body president at Lamanna High School in Priest River, Idaho, USA (population 1,700 – give or take a few elk). I was an Eagle Scout and regularly volunteered at Scout camp and in other activities around town; I was starting to make a name for myself, or so I thought.

But I learned the hard way that, having been a California transplant in my freshman year, I still wasn’t embedded in the culture of this small town. I was an outsider, and nothing brought that home more forcefully than when I was passed over for a college scholarship.

By Ryan Hyland 
Rotary International News – 9 November 2011 
  

More than 1,000 Rotarians, UN officials, Rotary youth program participants, and guests celebrated the special relationship between Rotary and the United Nations on 5 November. 

Rotary-UN Day, held annually at United Nations headquarters in New York City, included panels on health, water, and literacy, highlighting Rotarian projects that advance the goals of the UN and improve lives around the world.  

It was bound to happen - President John ran outof funny material and attempted a "serious" TFTW. He said that he hada lot of confidence in Warren Buffet. With the market down 300 one day and up500 the next, we get very concerned about the economy. Buffet observed that inthe last century, we experienced WWI, WWII, many other wars, a depression, theoil shock, etc. and the stock market went from 66 to 11,497 so keep up thefaith!

John noted that our editor in absentia, TomLewis, had not issued a bulletin so he did not know who was scheduled for theRotary Minute and the 60 Second Commercial, so we would have a double bypass onthose features.

Willowbrook Rotarians David Smith and Elbert Coker celebrate December Birthdays with Reach staff member and clients.