Whatever your religion or traditions or language, Kathleen and I hope you and your family have a very Happy Holiday.
As the year 2017 comes to a close, and our own Rotary year is half over, I invite you to turn inward for a few minutes to think about how you have been touched through Rotary... through your family and friends... your job or profession... your daily routines.
rejoice. We live in a land of opportunity, and Rotary gives us incomparable opportunities to share our resources and talents with others throughout the world. Let's never lose sight of this gift for service that we have been given.
District 5870 has a unique method to help you become an initial (first-time) Paul Harris Fellow. Over the past six years, 1,207 Rotarians in 76 different clubs have taken advantage of this program, resulting in 619 PHFs. We hope to be able to help you, too.
The Jerry Johnson Testamentary Trust (the "Trust") will generally match contributions of new cash made during the current Rotary year to the Annual Fund-SHARE on a 1-to-1 basis in amounts of $100 to $500 for any active Rotarian in District 5870 who is not yet a first time Paul Harris Fellow.
The Hotel Van Zandt is hosting our December military couple for Operation Vacation. Sgt. Mitchell and his wife Kate were so surprised to find out about this trip and can’t wait to explore Austin! This program is sponsored by the Rotary clubs of Austin and Killeen, the Austin Hotel Lodging Association, County Line and Super Shuttle.
The students in the Pecan Springs EAFK service club were invited to a big citywide school Christmas party sponsored by the Omni Soithpark Hotel. Each school had a tree to decorate with homemade decorations that would’ve donated to a needy family for Christmas. Then the hotel escorted all the students in the ballroom for cookies and milk and Christmas entertainment by Ortega. This trip was arranged by the school counselor and the club’s coordinator, Patrick Salinas, 5th grade teacher and three Rotarians(Betty Richardson, Margaret Curtis, Mary Reynolds) who work with the school came to help. Fun for all, a great cause sponsored by the hotel and a reminder to our service kids that there are lots of ways to give back to your community and city.
On Nov. 18th, KIlleen Heights Rotary honored PDG Rich Kaye with the Patsy Derr Sustained Service Award. Rich is the second club member to receive the award, which is awarded to a club member who has distinguished service at the club and district level.
On Veteran’s Day, one of our own Rotary Club of Austin members, Mary Reynolds was honored by the Georgetown Rotary Club with a flag flying in their hero’s garden from November 5th through November 12th, a tribute to “Service Above Self”. The display of 1400 U.S. flags in San Gabriel Park in Georgetown was in honor of heroes whose dedication to the preservation of freedom in our country, and/or protection and service to our communities both locally and internationally. This new Rotary project is called the Field of Honor and Mary was sent the flag and the ribbon attached to the flag that flew in that garden. What a surprise and such a touching moment for one of our own. Congratulations, Mary and thank s to Georgetown Rotary Club. For more info: www.georgetowntxfieldof honor.org.
RI President Ian Riseley has challenged each Rotarian in each district WORLDWIDE to plant one tree for each member during this Rotary year. It can be planted in your yard, a park, in a business area, wherever your personal desire to plant your tree. It can be a 12" tall sapling or a towering 20' oak. Your choice.
To garner the most publicity possible for our Rotarians' actions, we have designated Saturday, February 10, 2018, as Rotary District 5870 Arbor Day, similar to the district-wide Pints for Polio event last month. So that we can garner the most possible publicity, we are encouraging all clubs in the district to concentrate their planting efforts on or around this specific date. We want to highlight to our communities that Rotarians in District 5870 planted 2500+ dresses locally on a single, united day, to Make a Difference.
More details will be forthcoming. Regional Urban Foresters from the Texas A&M Forest Service will be working closely with us, via regular communiques (to come) and other helpful hints regarding which types of trees to plant where, etc. They will also guide us through proper planting procedures for our respective regions, to assure strong growth.
Please mark your calendars with this district-wide date so you will be ready to join the initiative when further details are formalized.
Killeen Heights Rotary making a big difference in their community with their Annual Food Drive. They kicked off this annual effort during their weekly Club meeting on 10 November 2017, where the members contributed funds for the local food center. Since the Killeen Food Care Center can provide seven meals per dollar donated, their Club effectively provided 31,300 meals to the needy in their community! Next, they had 11 volunteers pack 600 bags of dry goods for sale at the local Walmart on 13 and 15 November 2017. Finally, on 17 November, 36 members of their Club worked at the Walmart selling the bags of dry goods to Walmart customers - they sold all 600 bags in 11 hours; the last 42 were bought by one generous woman who really wanted to help those in need. They also collected $1,365.98 in cash donations that day - the equivalent of another 9,562 meals! What an awesome project!
The Gates Foundation is matching all Rotarian Raised Polio Donations $2 for each $1 Contributed (Up to $50 Mil/Yr.) Our Rotary-wide 2017-18 Rotary Year Polio Fundraising Goal is $50 Million + the $2 for $1 Gates Foundation Match
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