. Welcome to the Flexible, Friendly, Fun Rotary Family -
Rotary E-Club of Central Texas
Greetings from President Betty:
Greetings Fellow Rotarians and Creators of Hope,
We can be Traditional and Modernvia Zoom.
We started our new Rotary Year with a Live Officer's Installation at Casa Chapala Restaurant in Austin along with a Zoom attendance option. We were honored by PDG Eric Lui from Houston District 5890 in installing all our Club Officers. Zoom attendees were Past President Twyla Weaver from Las Vegas, Dr. Erik Svenkerud from Minnesota, Faith David, Secretary from Providence, Rhode Island, Club Member Juanita Lira from Laredo, Texas and her husband, Juan Lira is District 5930 Foundation Chair and Rotarian.
Mr. Steve Schroeder and Mrs. Elena Schroeder were awarded a Paul Harris Award for their Service Above Self. (pic attached)
Mr. and Mrs. Schroeder volunteered as Host Family for our Youth Exchange Student,Gentaine Calbert from Germany attended Smithville High School. (pic attached).
The Fellowship was Amazing as well as the Food.
How are you Creating Hope in The World?
Serve to Change Lives,
Betty Ramirez-Lara
PROUD Member e-Club of Central Texas
Past District Governor 2017-2018 District 5930
Rotary International District Foundation Chair
Rotary International Avenues of Service Citation Award 2014
"Rotarian of the Year 2011-2012" McAllen North Rotary Club
Rotarian Faith David getting school supplies and backpacks ready for students.
Students happy to have school supplies in backpacks.
Youth cutting firewood as service.
Rotarians Kent and Joan Bohls hosted 11 youth and sponsors to work with the Firewood Angels to cut, split and stack firewood to provide winter wood for heating and cooking in
homes for those most in need in the Moreno Valley in New Mexico. --
Rotarian Alison Ivy and husband Frank visited Muir Woods his month.
Margarine Beaman just got back from Chicago area volunteering with the American Council of the Blind. Met some Rotarians in the area. Always need volunteers. Next will be in St. Louis helping with the Blinded Veterans convention. Hope to have some Rotarians help again.
Dr David Johnson, president of Bastrop Rotary invited our club to a social at Steve Schroder's home. You may remember that Steve and his family were hosts for our exchange student. They live in Smithville and if you can go please give him a call at 512-446-9443. He and his wife, Elena came to our installation and our club gave them each a Paul Harris to thank them for hosting.
August Club Foundation update article is going to focus of the “Plus” part meaning of the Rotary phrase - “Polio+”. These are other steps Rotary International takes, many times with other partners, to make a difference in regions throughout the world.
Borno - Health workers used the polio surveillance system to find people with symptoms of yellow fever. During a 2018 outbreak, 8 million people were vacccinated to address the outbreak, and prevent further spread. Not sure what the polio surveillance system is? Log into the August zoom meeting to hear my Foundation Minute on this program.
During the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria in 2014, health workers prevented the disease from spreading beyond the 19 reported cases by using methods developed for the polio eradication campaign to find anyone who might have come in contact with an infected person.
Regions of the world with a high probability of malaria are provided insecticide treated bed nets for a family home.
Job creation - Polio paralysis left Isiaku Musa Maaji, who lives in Nigeria, with few ways to make a living. At 24, he learned to build hand-operated tricycles designed to provide mobility for adults and children with physical disabilities, and later started his own business assembling them.
Clean water is a major focus for Rotary, besides the eradication of Polio. You may be asking yourself why? “We are not done with Polio yet”. I know I did when I first heard of this initiative several years ago.
The polio virus spreads through human waste, so making sure people are not drinking or bathing in contaminated water is critical to eradicating the disease.
Supplying clean water to vulnerable communities is a priority of the PolioPlus program not only in Nigeria, but also in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Afghanistan and Iraqi are the only other remaining polio-endemic nations where the transmission of the virus has never been interrupted.
Plus, when water wells are controlled by groups to be used as a weapon for safe access against other tribes, groups, or individuals, it is not good. Rotary works with International, and Regional, leaders to install wells in areas were they are needed. This helps to reduce the potential for outlandish controls by less than desirable groups.
Next month in preparation for World Polio Day on October 24, we will look at “Why Hasn’t the World Eradicated Polio” yet.
Green Steps
Service doing a Staycation
As I watch all my friends traveling all over the globe, posting great picture on Facebook and Instagram I keep thinking about the carbon foot print of flying. I read that air travel accounts for about 2.5 percent of all global carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide is Earth's most important greenhouse gas: a gas that absorbs and radiates heat. Unlike oxygen or nitrogen (which makes up most of our atmosphere), greenhouse gases absorb heat radiating from the Earth's surface and re-release it in all directions—including back toward Earth's surface. Yikes! This summer has been miserably. A series of climate records on temperature, ocean heat, and Antarctic sea ice have alarmed some scientists who say their speed and timing is unprecedented.We have all suffered.
As Rotarian wanting to make a difference in the world with Service above Self, it got me thinking about a Staycation and that a Staycation could be service for the environment - Rotary’s newest area of focus. So what exactly is a Staycation? A vacation spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions. As with vacations, staycations vary greatly based on your interests, location, budget, and time. For example, your staycation may be going to a local film festival, camping for a weekend, or taking a day off work and enjoying an at-home spa day. Before embarking on your at-home getaway, do yourself a favor and spruce up your home. Clean your house or hire someone to do it for you. That way, you’ll feel as though you’re chilling in a luxe boutique hotel. A staycation can be anything from simply taking a break from your busy life and relaxing at home to filling your day with activities that you wouldn’t normally do in your hometown or city. Whatever it may be, make your staycation feel special by stepping outside of your normal routine and trying something that excites you. Go to a spa, local art museums, parks, order food delivered, choose vacation movies, make sure you have books to read, prepare to have special foods for a breakfast basket including champagne.
Finally, keep track of what you spend compared to what a flying vacation would cost and then consider making a donation to The Rotary Foundation. That’s a real feel good vacation of Service above Self!
The Rotary Club of Mental Health & Wellness is one of the first cause-based Rotary clubs to focus on mental health and wellness. It meets online and welcomes members to join from anywhere in the world.
Scotsman will take office as president of Rotary International on 1 JulySecond Scot to lead the membership service organization will focus on mental healthEVANSTON,
Support The Rotary Foundations:
Go to My Rotary. Sign in (your sign in is your e-mail plus password) Donate to the Annual Fund either set up monthly of $10 a month or give one time at least $100.
Support The Rotary Foundations:
Go to My Rotary. Sign in (your sign in is your e-mail plus password) Donate to the Annual Fund either set up monthly of $10 a month or give one time at least $100.
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