A guest writer will be doing the bulletin this week (namely ME!) since Caryn is out of town. Bear with me since I haven't done this in over a year.
Craig Engelage and I hope you have enjoyed the programs this year. We have had many good comments as to selection of speakers and contents of what they have shared. The next month will also be full of good topics to enjoy. Try to make it to every meeting to see your Rotary friends and to enjoy the camaraderie at each table. We all enjoy seeing each other.
For the World Peace and Understanding meeting, a joint meeting with all the other Rotary clubs in town, we are honored to have our President Elect's mother speak to us. Look at the website to see what Dr. Mary Gullatte will be sharing. She is an extraordinary woman who has accomplished so much in her lifetime...now we know where Rodney gets his talent!
Be sure to let Annie Valades know if you are aware of anyone in Rotary with an illness or a family member who is sick so that we can provide support to him or her and also if someone has passed away. We want to be there for each other.
With the addition of eight new members recently, be sure to introduce yourselves to those with red badges and get to know them. Our club is expanding our roster with interesting and quality members who will feel more at home if we keep them engaged and let them know we are happy to have them in our Rotary club. They joined to be part of the oldest and largest service organization in the world and to discover all the good that we do, especially in Colorado Springs. Our pride will definitely "rub off".
We have a new location for our Flight event this year, which will be unique and great fun. I can hardly wait for it. Mark your calendars for September 26 and save your nickels to bid on some great art. The Flight Committee is adding some new additions to the event this year.
We have some of our members speaking to the club including Marv Thomason, Martin Cook, and Trevor Dierdorff as upcoming programs. Don't miss them!
Join the Colorado Springs Rotary Club in a non-perishable food drive for One Nation Walking Together and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Your donations will also support Rotarian, Cass Daley's daughter, Emerald, in achieving her Girl Scout Gold Award for her ongoing project.
Emerald will be present at the Friday meeting on January 31st to collect any non-perishable food donations like:
She is also collecting hygiene products as it has recently come to light that most teenage girls on the Reservation do not attend school one week a month due to the lack of money to purchase personal hygiene products. Often times these teenagers are faced with dropping out because they are so behind.
Emerald has walked to 2,400 houses door-to-door passing out flyers and requesting donations and it would be amazing if the Rotary Club can assist Emerald in achieving her goal.
Last year Rotary raised over 800 lbs. of food in two weeks. Let's see if we can surpass that in the month of January and support One Nation Walking Together and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
Charlie Brown is looking for Rotarians who can sit and listen (no law-related experience needed but Rotarians with speeding tickets accepted) to sign-up to judge our local high schools' mock trial tournament on February 7 (afternoon), February 8 (morning or afternoon) and February 11 (evening). Our high schoolers have put a lot of time and thought into their presentations. All they ask of us is that we listen and give positive feedback and constructive criticism. This is a one-time three-hour service opportunity.
From the earliest days of the organization, Rotarians were concerned with promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. One of the world's most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics is The 4-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor (who later served as RI president) when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy.
This 24-word code of ethics for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The 4-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways.
Making simple lifestyle changes such as walking to work and getting enough sunlight could help boost your health this year.
If you want to boost your health in 2019 but resolutions seem too daunting, then read on for five easy ways to improve well-being each day and throughout the new year.
Cut out soda
Even making small diet changes can boost health, and cutting out soda and other sweetened beverages is one of the biggest small changes you can make, reducing both calorie intake and sugar consumption. A high intake of sugary drinks has been linked with a variety of health problems including increased risk of diabetes, chronic kidney disease, lower chance of getting pregnant, an increase in visceral fat (the type of fat that wraps around internal organs such as the liver, pancreas, and intestines) and even an increased risk of death.
Walk more
If the thought of a gym membership or marathon training is too big a fitness goal, simply walking more will still bring benefits for health. One study found that walking at least four hours a week, or just 35 minutes a day, may reduce the severity of a stroke, and walking to work has been linked with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and death, with an even lower risk for those who also walk in their leisure time. Picking up the pace can also bring extra benefits, with walking at an average pace linked to a 20 percent lower risk for all-cause mortality compared with walking at a slow pace, and walking at a brisk or fast pace reducing the risk even further, by 24 percent.
Get some daylight
Getting enough natural daylight has previously been linked with a lower risk of depression, a lower risk of postnatal depression in women, and more recently with improved eye health. Previous research has suggested that getting outdoors in the morning is most beneficial; those who struggle to get outside are advised to open the curtains at home and sit by windows in offices to try to maximize the amount of light, or use light therapy lamps to help fight depression in winter months.
Enjoy a massage
A massage is a great way to help you de-stress, which is important for health, but recent research is suggesting the benefits may go further than simply helping us to relax. A recent study also linked regular massages with improved arthritis symptoms, while a study published back in 2014 also suggested that shiatsu massage could aid sleep. So, if you choose just one way to improve health this year, booking yourself in for a massage might be the most enjoyable one.
Visit blue and green spaces
If you live in the countryside this one is easier, but even in a city most of us have access to blue spaces, such as lakes and rivers, and green spaces, including parks and nearby forests. Taking in these locations can not only help you also get more active through walking, but many recent studies are uncovering a variety of benefits of being near nature and natural space, including fewer respiratory problems, reduced risk of breast cancer in women, improved mental health and a lower risk of depression, and improved overall well-being.
