(If you have any comments or questions, please contact the editor)
SPECIAL ED ISSUE MAY 16, 2026
VOL. 6 NO. 29
JOE, KENDRA & MARK PRESENT $1700 CHECK TO EMILY
NEWS-NOTES-NONSENSE
On Thursday we welcomed the Special Education Supervisor from EA-WR High School, Emily Zipprich. She was very grateful for our recent $1,700 donation, the proceeds from our Jambalaya Dinner. She plans to use the donation to enhance the Life Skills lab on campus. She then went on to provide an overview of the Special Ed program at EA-WR. There's a variety of options, depending on the individual student's needs. The program serves 105 students (21% of the school enrollment), with 80 students on campus. Emily has a staff 7 teachers and 9 paraprofessional assistants.
Opening duties were covered by ChrisH, MarkA and BillP. Prez Mark called Bill eloquent, or was it elegant? At any rate, JoeS wanted to know if it was the truth?
LoriP introduce potential member Tanya who works for Heartland Bank & Trust in Alton. She found us via the RI website. That's a first!
It's official-Prez Elect Patti announced that our Installation Dinner would be held on June 25th in the Belk Park event space. Catering by Food A Fare. Additional details and invite to follow.
Birthday wishes go out to GeorgeT on the 20th.
GlennB sent you a Business of the Year ballot on Thursday. Time to vote!
Early arrivals included-KarenJ, Prez Mark and LoriP.
Heading to Grafton this weekend? KarenJ has issued a biker alert!
JoeS announced that the message board has been installed at the Keasler Rec Center. Dedication ceremony info to be announced soon.
PattiA sez we need sponsors (lots of sponsors!), multi levels, and runners for our Color Run on June 13th @ Belk. Registration is now live. Spread the word! Link via the QR code in the flyer below or on our Facebook page.
Our next Huck Finn paint party is slated for this coming Wednesday @ 3PM at the Rotary pavilion in Belk Park.Yellow paint and blue touch-up painting is on tap.We should be able to wrap it up in a couple of hours. See you there!
Our golf tournament is on Saturday July 18th @ Belk. The event needs teams and sponsors. JoeS has hard copy flyers. Please encourage all your golf buddies/work associates/family members to consider joining us for this fun event. See the flyer below for the details.
Our club's 100th anniversary is coming up in 2029. How will we recognize and celebrate?
Slide-right-inners-MikeK and GeorgeM.
Last to arrive included GeorgeM, WendellR, MikeK and KelliD.
There were 17 members dining on spaghetti, mac 'n cheeze, teriyaki chicken, salad, rolls and cup cakes.
SAA RickH recruited BillP to help fleece the flock. Happy Fines were paid by RobinK, Prez Mark and Karen J. We answered all the trivia Q's correctly. It's time to find some that are more challenging. The folks at Zion National Park would be happy to find out that they are undercharging to rent walking sticks @ $9 per day.
The jackpot went unclaimed by Prez Mark and MikeK. Guest Tanyawon the scratch-off.
OUR PAUL HARRIS FELLOWS LINEUP
PRE-MEETING PAIRINGS
TIME TO RUN (AND SPONSOR)
LOOKING FOR TEAMS AND SPONSORS
ALL THINGS TRIVIAL
New taxes are springing up across America-on second what?
A. Marriages
B. Cars
C. Jobs
D. Homes
(Find the answer near the end of the newsletter)
Today is National Barbecue Day
Which of these states has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
Nevada
New Mexico
Montana
Texas
Tied with California, New Mexico is home to three UNESCO sites: Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Taos Pueblo, and Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Carlsbad contains more than 100 limestone caves that feature unique speleothems inside. Taos Pueblo is an ancient pueblo village from the 13th and 14th centuries, while Chaco was a major Puebloan cultural center from the 10th to 12th centuries.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
Sourced from the Eastender News, Make-Up and Banner newsletters
May 2023
Prez Robin led a discussion on the best places to see/eat/visit in MadCo.
LoriP was promoting Baseball Mania ticket sales.
RodneyD was designated as a "super scooter".
SherryT led a table discussion about foreign languages and salty phrases.
We celebrated GeorgeT's natal day.
Prez Robin announced that she recently presented scholarships at the RHS awards night event.
Happy Fines were paid by BillP and PrezRobin.
MarkSp could not locate the joker. JohnP found the scratch-off.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
DATELINE:ROTARY
How a fifth-grader and our Rotary club helped fight hunger
By Derrick Kinney, Rotary Club of Arlington, Texas
I got a call in November that immediately got my attention. It was from our district community service chair, Victoria Farrar-Myers. She shared an idea, “What if our Rotary club partnered with a fifth-grader to fight hunger?” I remember thinking, well, that’s a first.
Our club president, Randy Hendricks, set up a meeting in a coffee shop for a few of our members to talk it through. That’s when we met Leighton and her dad. Within minutes, it was obvious this wasn’t just a “cute idea.” There was a sincerity in how she talked. I could tell she cared and had thought it through. Without hesitation, I was in.
Leighton attended the same school — Oakridge School in Arlington, Texas — as Victoria’s son. The year before, Leighton had worked with an organization called Meals of Hope to raise money and pack non-perishable meals for people facing hunger. Leighton figured that with our Rotary club’s help, she could go even bigger (and she was right).
Victoria first talked with Leighton’s dad about the idea, and when he brought it up with his daughter, she was excited and ready. The meals could be assembled quickly and donated locally, without worrying about spoilage or logistics getting in the way.
Ghosts are bad liars because you can see right through them.
Why couldn’t the bicycle stand up by itself? It was two tired.
Why do bees have sticky hair? Because they use a honeycomb.
THE NUMBERS
U.S. purchases of fitness trackers grew 88% between 2024 and 2025. Smart-ring purchases alone grew 195%-Circana
Morgan Stanley estimates roughly half of the American population will have access to a robotaxi service within the next three years
Gen Z Christians attend church more often than millennials, Gen X and baby boomers-Barna Group
In 2025, 27.5% of high-income shoppers shopped at discount retailers, up from 19.8% in 2021-GlobalData
More than 1 in 5 Gen Z students (22%) search for scholarships on the TikTok platform at least once a week-Sallie
Sports-related travel in the US generated $111.2 billion in direct economic impact last year and a total of $274.5 billion when accounting for indirect effects such as jobs, income and taxes-Sports Events and Tourism Association
(Trivia answer-D)
ROTARY'S AREAS OF FOCUS
These have been identified to help build international relationships, improve lives and create a better world to support our peace efforts and end polio forever
