Olayinka Hakeem Babalola received a university degree in engineering in 1988. He worked for 25 years in the oil and gas industry, holding senior positions at Shell PLC. He is the founder of two companies: Riviera Technical Services Ltd., an oil and gas infrastructure delivery company, and Lead and Change Consulting, an executive coaching and organizational performance advisory group.
Out of an abundance of caution, the meeting tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 10, 2025) is canceled.
While I hate to do this on the tail end of a holiday break from regular meetings, I'm going to err on the side of safety rather than ask folks to get out on potentially icy and dangerous roads. Sure as I send this email, they'll be fine.
Our next regular meeting will be Friday, Jan. 17, when we will get a preview of this year's Longview PRCA Rodeo. I know it will be great, and we will continue to need your help to make sure that is the case.
I hope your holidays were enjoyable, peaceful, restful, and filled with family and friends.
We’re beginning 2025, which is about a quarter of the way through this century. That’s hard to believe. We’re also now more than half way through this Rotary year — not that I’m counting down ...
It’s been a fun year so far! That was especially true in December. We had service opportunities with the final East Texas Food Bank distribution at Maude Cobb and then Salvation Army bell-ringing with a group of Interact students!
We also had plenty of opportunities for fellowship with the more relaxed club meeting featuring the Pine Tree Varsity Girls Choir bringing us the sounds of the season and an excellent Christmas party at the lovely Hugmans’ home. What fun!
As we step our toes into 2025, think about what that means for you as a Rotarian. Will you get more involved and pursue a leadership position or attend a district event? Will you get to know a new club member — maybe even become a mentor? Will you try a different job at the rodeo, or maybe even offer to spearhead a new local service project? There are plenty of ways to involve yourself in the community through our club. The possibilities are endless.
More specifically this month, we have the Texas Rangers Caravan coming next week, which is sure to be a great meeting. We’ll hear from Rodeo Chair Ray Bostic about the fast-approaching event. We have an opportunity for service Thursday, Jan. 23, during the city’s Homeless Resource Day at Maude Cobb. This is the recipient of our club project grant for the year.
Welcome to December, everyone. I hope you enjoyed a Thanksgiving with family, friends, and food that was full of fun and rest. It’s hard to believe this time next month we’ll be in 2025.
It’s been a busy past month with some strong programs, the Allocations Committee deciding on recipients from the rodeos, a service project at Heartisans Marketplace, and two new member inductions — welcome Cullen Elrod and Stephen Parton! And we have plenty of opportunities coming up for service and for fellowship with Rotarians.
The final East Texas Food Bank distribution at Maude Cobb will be on Friday, Dec. 13. Volunteers are needed starting at 7 a.m. for what will be the last event of this four-and-a-half year project. We will be ringing the bell for Salvation Army 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21. Spots for the project included two Rotarians for one-hour increments. You can also just show up and help, if you like! Our Christmas party is Thursday, Dec. 19.
We are planning to start in January a new quarterly recognition of first responders and teachers. Watch for more details on that as it is confirmed.
The Rotary District 5830 Foundation Dinner is set for Feb. 1, 2025. More information will be here. Keep in mind that as we approach the end of the year, it’s a good time to put your gratitude into action by supporting the Rotary Foundation.
One of our service projects is coming to an end, at least in this format. We had a good crew of Longview-Greggton Rotarians show up bright and early on Friday, Oct. 11 (photo below), to help with the East Texas Food Bank distribution at Maude Cobb. With the food bank’s opening of its Longview Resource Center here in Longview, the food distributions are coming to an end. We plan to be involved with one more next month.
It’s hard to believe our club has been involved with them for more than four years. This next photo below was taken in September 2020, but we were there even before that.
We’ll be looking for new ways to be involved with the food bank and their new resource center. If you have other ideas for service projects, please share them with our Director of Service Projects Tyler Rainer.
We also said goodbye to longtime member the Rev. Dr. Richard Emerson this month as he transitions away from Longview. With more than 18 years in the club, Emerson joined in September 2006. We wish him well.
World Polio Day was again this year on Oct. 24. If you haven’t seen the recent polio counts that were posted on our website and shared through email by Foundation Director Holly Fuller, you can find them here. The case counts are going in the wrong direction. If this moves you to donate to help with Rotary International’s effort to end polio, you can do so here. November is also Foundation month, so it’s a good time to think about how contributing financially helps fund projects locally and beyond.
Speaking of those projects, we heard from Past District Governor Carroll Greenwaldt (of the downtown club) this past Friday about the important work District 5830 has been involved with in Guatemala. It was inspiring to see how that effort has improved conditions for folks in that area.
The next Interact meeting at Pine Tree High School will be at 4:15 p.m. tomorrow (Nov. 6). We’ll be adding those dates and times to our calendar here on the website shortly. It would be great to have some members attend their meetings.
We have a few things coming up that you’ll want to keep on your calendar:
The club’s Christmas party will be Thursday, Dec. 19, at the Hugmans’ home, 6-9 p.m.
We are ringing the bell for the Salvation Army on Saturday, Dec. 21. When I checked last, we still needed one person for one 1-hour time slot. You can sign up here.
As we near the holiday season, there are several Fridays we will not be meeting. Those are Nov. 29, Dec. 20 and 27, and Jan. 3.
Welcome to October. So far, the days are getting shorter, but the temperature is staying warm.
We’ve had a busy month with
some great programs;
a couple of service projects;
helping with the city’s effort to collect more peanut butter than Tyler for the East Texas Food Bank;
a stellar classification talk by Casey Beddingfield;
Interact meetings;
and more.
Speaking of service projects: We had two folks at Heartisan’s on Sept. 13 and seven people at our quarterly street cleanup on Sept. 14. We’re grateful for anyone who can participate, but we’d also like to increase our numbers. As we let you know they are scheduled, make a plan to be there and call a friend and offer to meet them there. Let’s live up to our image as “Action Club of the Action District!”
We had a board meeting on Sept. 24. At it, Membership Chair Kathy Rae said she had a meeting of her committee for Sept. 30. With six people in attendance, it was a great meeting. Be looking for what’s to come from that.
Also, World Polio Day is coming Oct. 24. That’s a big one for Rotary. As it nears, keep in mind what can happen if we let up on the effort to eradicate polio.
And save the date: Our Christmas party this year will be on Thursday, Dec. 19, at Anne and Jim Hugman’s house. Plan to be there!
… And we had a busy August even with no meeting on the 30th for Labor Day.
In the past month,
We got to hear from District Governor Jeff Johnston during his visit as he told us about the great things we do as a club and relayed his goals for the year.
We inducted four new members. If you see Karen Holt, Dakota Hoover, Alison Little, or Tim Smith, please make them feel welcome.
We saw a new plaque honoring the funding the club gave to Martin House CAC for its interview room. (Photo above)
Our Interact Club at Pine Tree had its first meeting of the Rotary Year.
Chicks N Chaps had its Boss of the Toss fundraiser at Maude Cobb.
We have had some great speakers and a fun trip to the Longview Mall, where President-Elect gave us an update on what’s happening there. (Photo inset)
The club’s Board met on Aug. 24 and voted to increase the number of RYLA spots we request from six to nine.
And as of that Board meeting, the club — that’s all of YOU — had already donated enough to the Rotary Foundation to SURPASS our goal for the year. We will have to create a new goal. What an accomplishment!! Our goal was $6,000. The membership had contributed $6,297 as of August 24. Way to go!
We also have some exciting things ahead. The temperature is going to cool down, but our club isn't!
Club member Pine Tree ISD Superintendent Steve Clugston will give us a great program Sept. 6. His program aligns with the Rotary theme for the months of "Basic Education & Literacy." We have a couple of service opportunities coming up:
Friday, Sept. 13, at Heartisans in the afternoon
Saturday, Sept. 13, at 8 a.m. we'll meet at Pine Tree High School (in the parking lot off Fairmont Street) for our third quarter street cleanup.
Thanks, everyone, for all you do as we continue the year of "The Magic of Rotary."
One month down, only 11 more to make the most of this Rotary year.
We’ve met four times, had several new members proposed, a few more Paul Harris Fellows granted, and convened for our first board meeting of this Rotary year. It’s exciting to see all of the new member proposals that have come from Membership Chair Kathy Rae. We are an engaged club, and bringing in more members helps demonstrate that. As we are bringing these new members on board, be thinking about how we can get them engaged from the start. That’s how we’ll get them to keep coming and to want to be a part of the club. It takes all of us!
The board met for its first meeting of the new year on July 24 in the training room at the City of Longview Development Services office at 410 S. High St. Some of you might remember, it was the location of board meetings several years ago. Even if you are not on the board, you are welcome to attend a board meeting. This is a great idea for a new member to get a closer look at club business. Meetings are scheduled mostly on the fourth Wednesday each month this Rotary year at noon at that same conference room, except for a couple when the day falls on a holiday.
During the board meeting, Fundraising Chair Charles Rader proposed a motion that had been unanimously passed by his committee that the club commit to raising $100,000 over three years for the Martin House Children’s Advocacy Center’s capital campaign to fund a new building. The idea includes bringing back a partnership with LeTourneau University’s Belcher Center for a concert each year starting in the fall of 2025. The club board passed the motion unanimously, which I think is pretty exciting.
We have some fun meetings coming up — including a trip to the Longview Mall on Aug. 23. There is a service opportunity this Friday (Aug. 9) to help with the food distribution at the fairgrounds. I’ve been working to go through the responses to our Visioning session on July 12 to bring to our next board meeting on Aug. 28.
Happy New Year, everyone! Well, happy new ROTARY year, anyway. We had an exceptional end to the 2023-2024 Rotary year with by bestowing nearly two dozen Paul Harris Fellow awards to movers and shakes in the community, several of which are our own club members. Thanks Donna K. for having the idea and pursuing it.
If you missed it, there was also coverage by KLTV and the Longview News-Journal. You can still check them out. Thanks to those who gave points, and congratulations to those who received awards. They were:
Lee Berger;
Lisa Mullens;
Shalonda Adams;
Donald (Chip) Koepke;
Amy Hooten;
Chris Birdsong;
Ricky Norman;
Julee Rachels;
Karen Wright;
Kristen Ishihara;
Brenda Liverman;
Jerry Gardner;
Carmella Davis;
Laura Hill (club member);
Jennifer Eldridge;
Chelsea Cace (club member);
Chad Harkey (club member);
Ray Bostick (club member);
Alicia Taylor;
Anthony Boone;
Sydni Howell;
Lisa Van Burkleo (club member); and
Julie Randolph
I hope everyone had a great Independence Day. Because of the holiday, we did not meet this week. There will be a meeting next Friday (July 12) at the church, where we'll take a look at the upcoming year, review some of the (fairly) recent visioning session and work together to make some progress on completing that vision. I'll see you there!
The Rotary Club of the Lower Keys, Florida, is known for the Independence Day festival and fireworks display it sponsors in Big Pine Key. At last year’s event, the night had a sweet send-off: the creation of a massive Key lime pie in celebration of Monroe County’s bicentennial. Rotarians joined local chefs Kermit Carpenter and Paul Menta as they scooped free samples of the pie, which spanned a precise 13.14 feet in diameter. The dimension, harking back to the mathematical constant pi, squeezed past a 12.25-foot creation made in 2018 by a Florida business; its producers were awaiting certification of the grand concoction — made of Key lime juice and condensed milk spread atop a graham cracker crust — as the world’s largest. The precise tally of servings was unclear, but club member Keara McGraw says it’s safe to say it was “a lot.”
At Folsom State Prison in California, small groups of inmates have shifted gears through a project of the nearby Rotary Club of Cameron Park. Since 2007 the club in the Sacramento area has collected used bicycles and delivered them to Folsom, where inmates repair them. Rotarians deliver as many as 500 of the refashioned rides each year to school children from low-income households and to organizations serving homeless people, veterans, refugees, and families displaced by wildfires. “The bike refurbishing program not only provides valuable skills and opportunities for our inmates, but it also allows them to give back to our community in a meaningful way,” notes Tracy Johnson, Folsom’s acting warden. “Although it’s a step toward rehabilitation, it’s a big leap toward creating positive change.” The club spends about $1,200 a year on the project. “I look at this as a win-win program,” says Don Fuller, the club’s immediate past president. “We’re picking up bikes that people don’t want. The inmates get a sense of satisfaction.”
6,000+ Bicycles distributed by Cameron Park Rotarians
Uruguay
The Rotary Club of Fray Bentos scooped up 320 servings of paella during a cook-off that has raised thousands of dollars for activities since 2016. Under the guidance of chef Eduardo Casales of La Tomasa restaurant, 23 of the club’s members peeled and cut vegetables to fill giant pans with the rice dish in April during this year’s event, which raised about $2,800. The secret ingredient? “The high quality of the inputs used added to the flavor that maintains this traditional paella,” along with the charitable deeds enabled by the proceeds, says Alfredo Batista Fernández, a past club president. The club, which maintains a bank of wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, and canes loaned at no charge to people in need, has devoted the proceeds from the food sales to related causes, including the construction of 16 wheelchair-accessible ramps throughout the city of Fray Bentos, as well as at schools.
330 lbs Vegetables used in average Fray Bentos paella cook-off
Italy
Members of the Rotary Club of Milano International-Net organized an amateur ski race in March to support a local charity’s initiative to donate defibrillators to try to prevent cardiac arrest deaths. The ski event attracted about 20 Rotarians, family members, and friends to Aprica, a resort nestled along a pass between Lake Como and the Dolomites. “There were also many nonskiers who enjoyed a beautiful day of sunshine, friendship, and conviviality,” says Chiara Giudici, the club’s immediate past president. The entry fee and sponsorships brought in more than $1,750 to purchase a defibrillator for a city park, says Giudici. In October, the club again supported the initiative, which raises money through sports events, by sponsoring a 50-participant tournament of padel, a racquet sport compared to pickleball. That competition provided a defibrillator to the police department.
5th Italy’s rank in Alpine skiing Olympic medals
Indonesia
The Rotary Club of Jakarta Metropolitan has offered free health checkups since 2015 for older people, mothers and their children, and others. For its eighth medical fair in February, the club expanded its screenings to include homeless people. X-rays detected signs of tuberculosis, bronchitis, or pneumonia in 97 of the 223 people screened. The club followed up to help them overcome barriers to treatment. “Our solution is to involve the civil registry service office to help with the homeless peoples’ identification so that they can apply for government insurance and later go to a hospital,” says club member Inne Ongkodjojo. “From this incident, we see the need to provide for public health screening, especially for TB, which has a fast and widespread transmission,” says Arry Basuseno, the club’s immediate past president.
2nd Indonesia’s rank in global TB cases
Nigeria
Six members of the Lagos-based Rotaract Club of Gbagada spent three weeks and 810 hours on an extensive renovation of the washroom at the Apostolic Primary School in Ketu. Using about $1,000 from individual donors, the Rotaractors replaced part of the roof and two worn doors, polished the floor, painted, undertook masonry repairs, and hired a plumber to connect the dilapidated six-toilet block to the existing borehole well. “The toilet was in a dirty and deplorable state,” heightening absenteeism at the 500-pupil school because of illnesses such as diarrhea and cholera, says Michael Ekerin, immediate past president of the club. The project, completed in March, was among the club’s 20 service projects during the 2022-23 Rotary year.
This story by Brad Webber originally appeared in the August 2023 issue of Rotary magazine.
July has come and gone and there is no doubt summer is with us. We have some great things planned for August, including a visit from our District Governor, Karen Maines on August 11th, Shawn Hara talking out Longview as a destination and Brenda Keys from Kilgore College. Also, put on your calendars, August 11th is the Food Drive at the Rodeo grounds from 7:30 – 10:30. Come and work whatever time you can.
Chicks-N-Chaps is working diligently on their event, Saturday, September 9th, Boss of the Toss. The event will be held at the ETBA Event Center on Alpine, 4:00 – 8:00. Come join us for the fun to play corn hole or washers, left-right-center and don’t miss the live auction and the bucket auction. Food trucks will be on site and drinks will be furnished. Contact me if you would like to be a sponsor of this great event or sign up for a washer or corn hole team. Spots are limited, so don’t wait.
I want to thank everyone once again for your great ideas concerning programs, service projects, club and Foundation fundraising and general ideas. Please feel free to give me your input and ideas. If you have a program idea, get with Kelly Overby, club or Foundation fundraising idea, get with Holly Fuller. If you have a passion in an area of service, I encourage you to take the initiative to put a plan together and get with Tyler Rainer. Smaller projects may require only a few people, so follow your passion and put something together that we just need to add people and it is ready to go.
I am looking for someone to take on the role of Historian for the Club. Please contact me if you have an interest in this.
I am honored to serve as President of this great Rotary Club and look forward to a year of helping the Club achieve their goals and having a lot of fun along the journey.
The Rotary theme this year is Create Hope in the World. I am looking forward to this Club creating hope in our community through the financial assistance we provide through our fundraising, serving through our street clean up and finding other service opportunities within the community. If you have a service opportunity you would like the Club to consider, please contact Tyler Ranier or myself.
The theme for July is Transition month. As this new Rotary year begins, I am excited to share that we will be bringing back Club Assembly meetings quarterly to review our goals and progress. We will be having the opportunity to have some of our meetings be outings to explore different aspects of our community in person. We also will be scheduling Rodeo updates during meetings. If you have a program or speaker you would like to suggest, please contact myself or Kelly Overby.
We will also continue Rotary After Dark (RAD). That will be the 3rd Thursday of each month, so mark that on your calendar. We will announce the location each month. If you have a suggestion for a location, reach out to Kelly or myself.
Two words I am focusing on this year are participation and growth. Finding opportunities for more members to participate. If you are a member that cannot show up to every Friday meeting, we want to offer a variety of ways you can participate – service projects, fundraising, RAD and having programs that you do not want to miss. I want to say at this time, that John Green did an outstanding job as he filled the position to provide programs for the Club this year. Growth – having a Club so fun and dynamic that every member wants their co-workers, neighbors and friends to join our Club. Growth – being in the community more to expose the power of Rotary. How many of our Rodeo sponsors need to become members? How many of the organizations we have provided funds for need to become members? How many service projects have we or will we be involved in that we should ask them to become members?
I am excited about this year as I see opportunities to do great things, create hope, make some great memories for the Club and have a fun time!
Today’s Interactors are channeling enthusiasm and ideas into projects of remarkable impact. These young people offer more than just volunteer numbers for your club’s service projects. They’re key collaborators from start to finish. And in some cases, they’re leading the way.
Philippines
Typhoon Odette relief effort
When Super Typhoon Odette caused widespread destruction in the central Philippines in 2021, a 17-year-old Interactor navigated debris-choked roads on foot to climb a hill where she could get just enough of a phone signal to put out a call for help.
Only a year earlier, Chynna Dorado had started the Interact Club of Metro Mandaue in her home city of Cebu, one of the hardest-hit areas. But she already had a network of Interact friends in other areas of the Philippines that she knew she could rely on. Together, they organized a large-scale response that raised money and distributed donations of food, hygiene kits, medicine, and drinking water to more than 1,000 families across several cities and islands.
At the same time, Dorado was among those grappling with the personal impact of the storm, which triggered landslides that damaged her family’s home.
IImage: Chynna Dorado
So, Dorado leaned on Interactors in other parts of the country that were less affected. First, she had to find a way to reach them with electricity down and many lines of communication cut. “The internet was best in high places,” she says. “So to get a few minutes or an hour of signal, I would walk up a hill. And I had to do that on foot because there was no gasoline for the cars,” and fallen trees blocked roads.
She worked with her fellow Interactors to create graphics to share on social media, contact corporations for donations, find nonprofit organizations to partner with, and reach out to Interactors abroad. Other Interact clubs in the country hosted donation drives and fundraisers in their schools and communities. The Interactors tapped their families — including some Rotarian parents and their clubs — to volunteer alongside them.
Those connections and communication skills, Dorado says, enabled them to mobilize quickly. “One thing Interactors do very well is networking and communicating with each other,” she says. “They just have this creativity. How well-versed we are with technology is also a big factor.”
More than a year later, Dorado is a high school senior and a member of the Interact Advisory Council that works with the RI Board of Directors. Among her goals, she wants to encourage more Rotarians to start Interact clubs in their communities and learn how Interactors can be strong project partners through the skills, ideas, and perspectives they bring.
Since Dorado started her club, four others have formed in the Cebu area. “We’re more visible to Rotary clubs now,” she says. “And they definitely see that Interactors do make an impact.”
California
Stem cell donation awareness
For most patients with life-threatening blood cancers such as leukemia, a bone marrow transplant is a potential cure. But finding the right donor match is a challenge, and the odds are especially narrow for ethnic minority groups, which are not as well represented on registries of potential donors.
So, members of the Interact Club of Silicon Andhra, California, were thrilled when an attendee of their first donor awareness webinar signed up and a month later received word that he was a match for a person with cancer who needed a transplant. “It’s fascinating to me, because it’s this nebulous concept that you might save a life,” says Aaditya Ravula, the club’s 2021-22 president. “This made it very concrete, very real. This is a person, the same as you or I, he just saw this webinar, he signed up, and he got the opportunity to genuinely say, ‘I’ve saved someone’s life.’”
Aaditya Ravula (bottom center) staffs an information booth during the Hindu festival of Holi.
Courtesy of Aaditya Ravula
The club in the San Francisco Bay Area and its sponsoring Rotary club of the same name started a campaign together to raise awareness about the importance of registering to donate blood stem cells, which enable bone marrow to form new blood cells. They focused on the region’s South Asian immigrants, a group that is especially underrepresented among potential donors, who send in cheek swab samples to be added to the registry.
Through webinars, information booths at community events, and other initiatives, the Interact club has been urging people to sign up to join the donor registry managed by Be the Match and dispelling misconceptions about donation.
The Interactors have brought fresh enthusiasm and ideas to the awareness campaign, says Sneha Vedula, the Rotarian who serves as the Interact adviser. One Interactor even sang south Indian classical music during her pitch. Vedula thinks the Interactors can be more persuasive than older Rotarians when trying to reach potential donors in the target age range of 18 to 35 years old. “It’s about their honesty and the passion,” she says.
The Interactors, too, gain from the partnership with Rotarians. Ravula says he’s more practiced at stepping out of his comfort zone when approaching people to make conversation. Now a freshman at the University of California, Davis, he says learning about the issue of stem cell donation helped him decide to pursue a career in oncology.
Taiwan
Coastline cleanup
For a coastline cleanup project, members of the Rotary Club of A-Kong-Dien, Kangshan, Taiwan, knew they wanted to go big. We’re talking 1 kilometer (more than half a mile) of urban coastline in the large port city of Kaohsiung, some 1,500 volunteers, buses to transport them, as well as food trucks and other vendors.
Image: Lawrence Tsai
So, the Rotarians enlisted the help of Interactors in the A-Kong-Dien club they sponsor, and about 100 of them joined the cleanup day in September. They were also involved in planning the event. “We have a saying, ‘It’s nice to be young,’” says Lawrence Tsai, the Interact chair for District 3510. “Many of our Rotarians are in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. The Interactors, they’re young, energetic. So, it helped bring energy to the event.”
Many of them had Rotarian parents and grandparents, so multiple generations were working together. Tsai says the Interactors were quick to volunteer for labor-intensive duties like carrying bottled water and other equipment. Many were also eager to help with photographing the event, Tsai says.
Among them was Interactor Liu Fang Ci, who enjoyed the chance to “feel useful and make a difference.” He was surprised the Rotarians were asking for the Interactors’ input rather than just directing them. “We can learn from Rotarians not to be afraid to talk with adults and share our opinions,” he says.
Tsai encourages clubs in his district to involve Interactors in projects and events. His top reason: They’re the future of Rotary.
This article was adapted from the May 2023 issue of Rotary magazine.
Friendship: In an increasingly complex world, Rotary provides one of the most basic human needs: the need for friendship and fellowship. It is one of two reasons why Rotary began in 1905.
Business Development: The second original reason for Rotary’s beginning is business development. Everyone needs to network. Rotary consists of a cross section of every business community. Its members come from all walks of life. Rotarians help each other and collectively help others.
Personal Growth and Development: Membership in Rotary continues one’s growth and education in human relations and personal development.
Leadership Development: Rotary is an organization of leaders and successful people. Leadership: – learning how to motivate, influence and lead leaders.
Citizenship in the Community: Membership in Longview Greggton Rotary Club makes one a better community citizen. The average Rotary club consists of the most active citizens of any community.
Continuing Education: Each week at Rotary there is a program designed to keep one informed about what is going on in the community, nation, and world. Each meeting provides an opportunity to listen to different speakers and a variety of timely topics.
Fun: Rotary is fun, a lot of fun. Each meeting is fun. The club projects are fun. Social activities are fun. Serving others is fun.
Citizenship in the World: Every Rotarian wears a pin that says “Rotary International.” There are few places on the globe that do not have a Rotary club. Every Rotarian is welcome – even encouraged – to attend any of the 33,000 clubs in over 200 nations and geographical regions. This means instant friends in both one’s own community and in the world community.
The Development of Social Skills: Every week and at various events and functions, Rotary develops one’s personality, social skills and people skills. Rotary is for people who like people.
The Development of Ethics: Rotarians practice the 4-Way Test that governs one’s ethical standards. Rotarians are expected to be ethical in business and personal relationships.
The Opportunity to Serve: Rotary is a service club. Its product is serving. Rotarians provide community service to both local and international communities. This is perhaps the best reason for becoming a Rotarian: the chance to do something for somebody else and to sense the self-fulfillment that comes in the process and return of that satisfaction to one’s own life. It is richly rewarding.
Rotary Fellowships consist of members who share a common interest in recreational activities, sports, hobbies, or professions. These groups help expand skills, foster vocational development, and enhance the Rotary experience by exploring interests while developing connections around the world.
Gather your friends and join or create a fellowship! Access the following links for more information:
The month of August is dedicated to Membership and New Club Development. It is now time to celebrate your club, your club members, the good Longview Greggton does in our community, and around the world.
This year's RI President, Shekhar Mehta, has challenged each Rotarian to bring a new member to join Rotary. If each one of our existing 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide bring a new Rotarian, our organization will double globally!
Be on the look out for new members who have recently joined the Longview Greggton Rotary Club!!
Click the read more button below for information from Rotary International on how to "Make the Most" of your membership!!
PDG John Jetter of Longview Greggton Rotary was awarded the The Rotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award at this year's District Officer Installation. PDG John's years of work on Club, District, Zone and International Projects has made him a distinguished Rotarian.
The award recognizes those who have demonstrated exemplary service to the Rotary Foundation and have received the Citation for Meritorious Service at least 4 years prior.
This month's theme is "New Leadership Month." Rotary brings community leaders together who have a common characteristic: the desire to serve. As leaders we have a responsibility to our community local and globally to place service above self to make the world a better place.
East Texas Food Bank and Rotary have been working together to help combat food insecurity in East Texas. Longview Greggton has been volunteering along side Longview Midtown Rotary, The Rotary Club of Longview and other community volunteers throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Our Rotary year begins anew on July 1. We will be installing the new board tomorrow under the leadership of President Karen Maines. I know she will do a great job in her year.
Without writing long in what I’ll likely say tomorrow, it’s been an honor to be president of such a great, community-minded club in Longview, Texas, and to be a part of such a hard-working, dedicated board. Y’all are awesome.
The district installation for incoming District 5830 Governor Jim Finstrom and board is Saturday in Jefferson.
I hope everyone is having a good week. I think as this Rotary year comes to a close, my emails are getting shorter – or maybe not. We will induct the 2019-2020 board at our meeting next week.
We have a board meeting at noon Monday at the City of Longview Development Services office, 410 S. High Street, if you would like to attend. We have some year-end business to address, so this one could run a little long.
In case you haven’t seen, club member Merritt Grimm and his wife, Brittany, welcomed daughter Ella Rose into the world this week. Congratulations to them!
If you haven’t paid your dues for the next six months, please get those paid by the 25th. We still have a lot of members who have not paid.
It is Jim Roberts’ week to lead us (or find others to) in the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test, and it’s Craig Strohsahl’s week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
Our program this week is club member state Rep. Jay Dean talking about the recently convened legislative session. It’s always an interesting and educational program. I’ll see you there.
This is my second to last weekly email to the club with only three meetings left in this Rotary year. Whether you’re relieved or saddened by that thought, prepare yourself!
As we are near the end of the Rotary year, please get those dues paid by June 25th. Laura sent a recent reminder, and I’ll emphasize what she said. Also, thanks to those members who have already done so.
I hope those who attended the social meeting last week at Papacita’s enjoyed it. It was fun for me to hear from Karen about her trip to Europe for the Rotary International Convention and Jim Bartlett’s recent trip to Las Vegas. We are back at the Hilton this week.
It is Gary Steffey’s week to bring the prize for Rusty’s Raffle, and it’s Charles Rader’s week to get us lined out for the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test.
Merritt Grimm asked me to share with the club about the Drive to Inspire golf challenge Friday at Wood Hollow. It’s a fundraiser for Partners in Prevention’s Forever Friends and CoPilots mentoring groups. Partners in Prevention has been a recipient of funds raised by our club in the past and is one of the designed recipients of funds from this year’s rodeo. We also have several members in the club who are mentors in the program. A flier is attached with more information.
At our meeting this Friday, we’ll hear from Jim Hurst.
Our club's team, this year with Treasurer Laura Hill and Cassandra Burford, was named the winner of the East Texas Literacy Council Bee For Literacy today. That's the second year for our club's team to be named winner and the second year for Laura to be on the team. Way to go!
Our team was the team to correctly spell a word in the fifth round, and the judges declared them winner as the lone spellers remaining after the round.
Words spelled by Laura and Cassandra were:
Round 1: warden
Round 2: ancestor
Round 3: tenacious
Round 4: carcinogenic
Round 5: seneschal (that might be spelled wrong)
Well done!
Remember, if you're planning to go to the social meeting Friday (at our normal noon time) at Papacita', please let me know if you haven't already.
I hope everyone is having a good week. We ARE meeting at the Hilton again tomorrow.
Just a quick email before the meeting.
Be on the lookout for dues statements coming soon in your inbox for the first half of the next Rotary year.
Our program this week is Mike Gilbert. You might know him as the White Oak ISD superintendent, but this week he’ll be talking to us about judging bass fishing tournaments.
It’s Chief Steelman’s week to bring the prize for Rusty’s Raffle and Shirley Qualls’ week to get us lined out for the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test.
Remember we WILL NOT meet this week due to the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
On Monday, we hosted the Longview Fire & Police Annual Appreciation Dinner and Golf Tournament at Wood Hollow with nearly 30 teams. It was a great time and an honor to do something for the men and women of the Longview Police and Fire Departments.
The police department won this year’s contest. Congrats, Chief Bishop and LPD!
It was also a time to give out our awards to the Officer and Firefighter of the Year. Police Officer of the Year Matthew Cooper was able to be at the tournament, so Charles Rader presented his award. Firefighter of the Year Douglas Pfeiffer couldn’t make it, so Chief Steelman presented him with his award.
Thanks to all of LPD and LFD for all you do.
We’ll be back at the Hilton on Friday, May 31, the day before our final month of the Rotary year begins. As Foundation Chair David Yowell said at last week’s meeting, this is a great time to think about making a donation to the Rotary Foundation.
I’ll see you all then. Have a great Memorial Day weekend.
It’s been nice to have this sunshine the past few days.
Welcome to the club Rusty Fennell, Jim Roberts and Jeff Thomas! We inducted three new members to the club this past week, and they’re sure to be incredible assets to what we do and how we give back to this community.
I’m looking forward to getting to know them better, and I know everyone will make them feel welcome and help get them plugged in and engaged.
Our Police and Fire Golf Tournament is coming up Monday at Wood Hollow. Charles Rader says he’s set on hole sponsors, but he can still use door prizes. Please get with him if you can help, and feel free to come by the tournament.
If you would like to help support our club at the East Texas Literacy Council Bee for Literacy on June 5, we have two spots left. Let Laura Hill or me know.
As many of you know, Service Chair Tyler Rainer’s mother, Sheila, passed away this past week. Please keep him and family in your prayers. Services are set for Saturday at First Baptist Church in Longview. Visitation is from 8:30 to 10 a.m. with the service beginning at 10 a.m.
Our program this week is Wayne Conn with the Christus Good Shepherd Sleep Center. See you there.
If you weren’t at last week’s meeting, you missed when we presented outgoing Rodeo Chair Ray Wright with his belt buckle for a great job well done.
Thanks Ray and to everyone who put so much time into another successful rodeo.
What a great program last week by Richard Manley. It was fun to learn facts our United States and other flags.
This Friday, it’s Ray Spengler’s week to bring the prize for Rusty’s Raffle, and it’s April Moore’s week to get us lined out for the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test.
This week, our program will be the Longview Police Department Police Outreach Services Team. These guys are focused on the city’s homeless populations and will surely offer an insightful perspective and look into what they do.
We’re back at the Hilton this week after a couple weeks of not meeting there.
Remember: Our street cleanup is this Saturday. Meet at 8 a.m. at Pine Tree High School parking lot off Fairmont. The weather is looking great. We did not have very many Rotarians show up last time. I'm hoping we do this week!
This Friday, it’s Phillip P. Smith’s week to bring the prize for Rusty’s Raffle, and it’s Chapin Miller’s week to get us lined out for the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test.
Thanks, everyone, for all your hard work on another successful rodeo and for Rodeo Chair Ray Wright’s coordination and leadership with this year’s event! What a great weekend.
Laura Hill says our gate count Friday was 2,306. On Saturday, it was 783. Saturday wasn’t bad considering the weather reports during the day. We were blessed to largely escape damage in our area and that the rain quit earlier than expected.
Remember, if you helped us put out signs for the Rodeo, those need to be picked up soon and returned to Tyler Rainer.
We do not have a meeting this week. Tyler said you can hold onto them and give them to him when we next meet at the Hilton (April 26) or take them by his office on Airline near Loop 281.
We do have a board meeting at noon Monday at Development Services, if you'd like to attend.
If I don’t see you before next week, I hope you and yours have a great Good Friday and a Happy Easter.
Rodeo time is here! So much time has already been spent on preparation, and we’re almost down to the wire.
Rodeo Chair Ray Wright can use as much help as possible tomorrow at the Longview Rodeo Arena helping to get everything ready for opening night Friday. They’ll start getting ready at 8 a.m., but if you can’t make it then, he says he can use you through the afternoon. Let’s help him get everything in place as much as we can.
DON’T FORGET: We will be at the Longview Rodeo Arena for our noon meeting on Friday. Food is by Texas Roadhouse. Cost is the same. Don’t miss it!
Friday night, be sure to wear your pink shirts. You should already know what time you need to be there and in what area.
We’re also going to need as many Rotarians as can be there Sunday morning to help get cleaned up. That doesn’t happen on its own, so please be there if you can. That will again start at 8 a.m.
The weather looks less than ideal for Saturday night. Keep praying that it misses us and that we have a great crowd in that arena. And keep in mind why we do this: to provide a fun night for the whole family; to generate funds that benefit our community, and to continue this great Longview tradition!
Keith McIntosh gave us a program last week with something to think about when it comes to heart health. It’s an important issue and was a handy way to get to know a little bit more about Keith. Thanks for doing that.
Rodeo time is almost here!
If you have signs to put out, be sure you’re getting them up. Please also take some posters and help distribute those. Don’t forget about the tickets that are your responsibility. We need to help get the word out as much as we can to be sure those stands are filled!
We shared the 2019 commercial spot on the club’s Facebook today. Please also share that on your own pages.
There is a rodeo meeting at noon tomorrow (Wednesday) in the VIP area of the arena. This Friday, the club will meet at the Hilton. The following Friday (April 12), we’ll have our meeting at the Rodeo Arena.
Important (Rodeo and non-Rodeo) dates coming up:
April 6: Rotary District 5830 Training Assembly in Mount Pleasant. There’s still time to register.
April 12: Noon club meeting will be at the Rodeo Arena.
April 12, 13: LONGVIEW PRCA RODEO
April 19: No meeting, enjoy your Good Friday.
April 27: Street cleanup. Meet at 8 a.m. at Pine Tree High School parking lot off Fairmont.
This Friday, it is Michael Shirley’s week to bring the prize for Rusty’s Raffle, and it’s Michael Liverman week to get us lined out for the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test.
Our program will be a man who needs no introduction, our own John Jetter.
Thanks again to Randy Harris for putting together a very nice program for last week's meeting that helped — I think all of us — learn a little bit more about Rotary and in a way that was fun.
Ray said it with all kinds of enthusiasm last week: WHAT TIME IS IT? It’s Rodeo time, and we have just more than two weeks before it opens on Friday, April 12. It’ll be here before we know it. There's been a ton of work happening up to this point, and there will continue to be before it gets here. But it will get here, we'll be ready, and we've all been praying for good weather!
The next Rodeo meeting will be at noon Wednesday at the Rodeo Arena in the VIP area.
Rodeo Chair Ray Wright says there are still 25 Rotarians who have not picked up their tickets for the rodeo or bought a business or sponsorship package. We need 100 percent participation to make the rodeo as successful as possible, and business and sponsorship packages must be finalized by Friday to make it into the program.
Important (Rodeo and non-Rodeo) dates coming up:
April 6: Rotary District 5830 Training Assembly in Mount Pleasant. There’s still plenty of time to register.
April 12: Noon meeting will be at the Rodeo Arena.
April 12, 13: LONGVIEW PRCA RODEO
April 19: No meeting, enjoy your Good Friday.
April 27: Street cleanup. Meet at 8 a.m. at Pine Tree High School parking lot off Fairmont.
This Friday, it is Roger Sage Jr.’s week to bring the prize for Rusty’s Raffle, and it’s Mike Lewis’ week to get us lined out for the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test.
Our program will be Keith McIntosh, who has visited the club a couple of times as a guest of Dave Wright. McIntosh is the Executive Cardiology Services Director at Christus Good Shepherd Health System.
If you have signed up to help put out yard signs, Tyler Rainer will have them at the meeting Friday. Please get them there or arrange to pick them up from his office.
I hope you’ve been enjoying the pleasant weather this week.
I’ll keep it short(er) in this email. First, a note about lunch. Since we’ve been at the Hilton, we’ve run out of meat a couple of times. Because of that, we had one meeting where the staff was serving meat. They don’t want to do that and we’d rather they not, but that means we’ll have to be mindful of the portions of meat we’re taking. That’s how they base how many people to prepare for.
The rodeo is quickly approaching. As Gene recently stated in an email, selling or buying business packages is one way to help attendance. You should have also received your tickets. If not, see Ray Wright.
If you have rodeo signs, Tyler Rainer will be collecting those at his office. It’s the Edward Jones office on Airline by Loop 281.
A couple of important upcoming dates:
April 6: District 5830 Assembly in Mount Pleasant
April 12, 13: Longview PRCA Rodeo
It is Charles Rader’s week to bring the prize for Rusty’s Raffle, and it’s Randall Latch’s week to get us lined out for the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test.
We’ll have a double-barreled program today with a short rodeo update from Chair Ray Wright and Past Chair and President-Elect Karen Maines. Then, Randy Harris is going to have some fun with a little Rotary trivia as we also take a look at the importance of Rotary.
I hope everyone made it through the storms alright. I want to remind everyone that we are NOT meeting this week.
I mentioned during the meeting last week that we’d gotten an email from Hollie Bruce at Newgate Mission about the work done with funds raised during our concert this past fall.
She writes:
"With funds from Greggton Rotary, Newgate Mission has been able to resurface the parking lot. The City removed the curb which was so close to our building that it was difficult to park. This also created a drainage issue, which the City promptly took care of. The City and JR Welborn worked together to make the transition from street to parking seemless, and in doing so have enhanced safety.
We are so thankful to Greggton Rotary for making this possible!"
Remember, the Rodeo is April 12 and 13. If you don’t yet have a place where you’ll be working during the rodeo, please see Ray Wright. There are Rodeo meetings each Wednesday at noon at East Texas Builders Association.
Everyone, have a great week. I will see you at the meeting on the 22nd.
Thanks to club members and Pine Tree ISD Superintendent Steve Clugston and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Eric Cederstrom for sharing with us last week some of their vision for the next five years of the district. There was a lot of passion for the school district, it’s staff and students in the program.
The District 5830 Training Assembly is April 6 at Mount Pleasant ISD. This is the first year in recent memory that it’s not on the same weekend as the Rodeo. If you’re interested in going, let me know. More information is here: https://rotary5830.org/event/district-5830-training-assembly/
Remember, the Rodeo is April 12 and 13. If you don’t yet have a place where you’ll be working during the rodeo, please see Ray Wright. There are Rodeo meetings each Wednesday at noon at East Texas Builders Association. Tickets will be distributed to members soon, and be on the lookout for other announcements.
This week, we’ll hear from Natalie O’Rourke and Jennifer T. Jackson with the Texas Oncology Foundation. You’ll probably remember, they were the recipient of funds raised at this past year’s Chicks ‘N Chaps.
We’ll also hear from Karen Maines about the trip she and Donna Sharp made this past weekend to the President-Elect Training Seminar in Dallas.
It is Shirley Qualls’ week to bring the prize for Rusty’s Raffle, and Jack Jenkins will get us lined out for the song, pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test.
If you haven’t seen the most recent issue of Charm/View, the fashion spread in this edition features four of our club members along with information about the rodeo. Not to plug my employer, but Karen Maines, Chapin Miller, Kari Pickering and Tyler Rainer do look pretty sharp in the spread. It’s nice to get to spread the word about the rodeo, too.
Here’s a look:
Karen and Donna Sharp are headed to PETS (President Elect Training Seminar) in Dallas today for the weekend. They will surely come back energized about Rotary and full of ideas for the club. It'll be good to hear about that experience.
We’ve been trying to get some host families for a 14-year-old German girl in the Rotary Youth Exchange, but we’ve come up short. The Gilmer club has two families ready to go and a third that is interested. They are going to take that exchange student this time around. I’m hopeful our club can make it work again in the future.
The District 5830 Training Assembly is April 6 at Mount Pleasant ISD. This is the first year in recent memory that it’s not on the same weekend as the Rodeo. If you’re interested in going, let me know. More information is here: https://rotary5830.org/event/district-5830-training-assembly/
Remember, the Rodeo is April 12 and 13. If you don’t yet have a place where you’ll be working during the rodeo, please see Ray Wright.
It is Steve Pirtle’s week to bring the prize for Rusty’s Raffle, and it’s David Hayes’ week to get us lined out for the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test.
This week, we’ll hear from Steve Clugston, club member and superintendent of Pine Tree ISD.
We had a pretty weak showing at this past weekend’s street cleanup. Thanks to those who did make it. The weather was cool, but it wasn’t as cold as the previous time. Tyler Rainer, Colt Edwards, Chapin Miller, Dave Wright and Steve Pirtle were there. Thanks, y’all. It was very nice to have four of our Interact members there to help. Let’s see if we can get more Rotarians next time.
Remember the District 5830 Foundation Dinner is Saturday in Texarkana. If you haven’t signed up, there’s still time.
Doug Barnard wanted to make sure the club was aware of an event coming this weekend hosted by the Texas Oncology Foundation. The Texas Oncology Foundation was the beneficiary of funds raised at Chicks N Chaps at last year’s Rodeo. The event is called Survive & Thrive, and is for cancer survivors, loved ones and caregivers. It’s on Saturday. Find more information here: https://www.texasoncologyfoundation.org/event/2019/survive-thrive-symposium-longview
Longview Regional has offered the club a complimentary table at their Dine with Docs event next week. It’s Tuesday, Feb. 26, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. This isn’t a lot of notice. If you are interested, let me know by 8 a.m. Friday. They are tables of 10. If we get enough to fill most of it, we’ll take it. If not, we’ll pass.
It is Kari Pickering’s week to bring the prize for Rusty’s Raffle, and it’s Trey Hattaway’s week to get us lined out for the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test.
Our program this week is Kelly Hall, President/CEO of the Longview Chamber of Commerce.
If you pass by Bill Owens and Loop 281, you might notice how nice the Rotary International sign looks there.
John Green sent these photos. He says Keith Bonds had the sign taken down and that an anonymous friend of Rotary paid to have it refaced, so it could be replaced looking bright and new. It also has the updated meeting locations for our club and the downtown club.
Here’s a look at the signs before and after.
And here’s a look at what the sign looks like hanging back in place.
Thanks, John, Keith and the unnamed friend of Rotary.
There are others that need similar attention, but it's great to see this one looking so sharp.
Don’t forget, we have our street cleanup this Saturday. We’ll meet at 8 a.m. at the Pine Tree High School parking lot off Fairmont Street. We’re expecting to be joined by some of our Interact Club members.
A couple of other important dates:
Saturday, Feb. 23: District 5830 Foundation Dinner in Texarkana
Saturday, April 6: Districdt 5830 Training Assembly. This is usually the same weekend as the Rodeo. It’s not this year, so let me know if you are interested in going.
April 12, 13: Longview PRCA Rodeo. You better already have this one on your calendar.
Great to see he’s doing well, and thanks to Donna for the updates.
We're still looking for possible Rotary Youth Exchange host families. If you know someone who might be a good candidate, please let me know.
It is Judge Phillips’ week to bring the prize or Rusty’s Raffle. It was to be Merritt Grimm’s week to get us lined out for the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test, but he can’t make it this week. So, I’ll be looking for volunteers.
This week, we’ll hear from Karen Maines and others about how the trip with her, Donna Koerner and Tommy Warren went with six RYLA campers this past weekend. They had a cold weekend to be at RYLA!
Enjoy these warm temperatures while they last. It’s about to cool off again.
I hope everyone is having a good week. Thanks to Kimberly Fish for again sharing her knowledge of the unique history of East Texas she writes about in her new book, "Harmon General."
Good luck to our club members headed Friday to RYLA camp. Karen Maines, Donna Koerner and Tommy Warren will have some great stories to share after the weekend, a always.
If you would still like to make a donation to the Foundation in memory of Rusty Roberts, you can do that online. Ingrid shared with me how to do that, and she says it’s really easy. Here’s her instructions:
Go to https://my.rotary.org/en/donate. Follow the very easy steps. One of the first things it asks is if it's a memorial donation. You can log in if you want points for your donation or finish as a guest.
Ingrid says she sent her notification to Jim and Mary Jo Roberts, 1805 Northwest Drive, Longview, 75604.
We are still looking for host families for a Rotary Youth Exchange student from Germany. If you know someone who might be interested, please let me know. I’ll help you convince them!
Don’t forget: We have our next street cleanup on Saturday, Feb. 16, which is coming up soon. Please plan to be there if you can. We'll meet at 8 a.m. at the Pine Tree High School parking lot off Fairmont.
Also, the District 5830 Foundation Dinner is Saturday, Feb. 23 in Texarkana. You can register on the district website here.
It is Kevin Palmer’s week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle, and John Green this week will get us lined out on the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test.
This week, our program will be Jennifer Martin from the Shriner’s Hospital of Shreveport.
I hope everyone enjoyed getting to hear from Rusty’s son last week. He shared some stories that were new to me, and I really enjoyed it.
I also was grateful to have Eric Burger and Hollie Bruce present to talk about their plans for funds raised at the Amy Grant concert and donated to those organizations, along with Bob Metzler and the Arboretum's plans for the sponsorship money they helped raise.
Our next street cleanup will be in the next couple of weeks. We had planned for Feb. 23, but Tyler Rainer, who has moved into the Service Chair position tells me Interact would like to help. He says Feb. 16 works better for them. We'll get that nailed down and let everyone know. Tyler moves into the spot vacated by Colt Edwards who has taken over Wayne Tramel's position of Fundraising/Allocations Chair. Wayne has taken a leave of absence due to changes at work.
The next Rodeo meeting is at noon Feb. 6 at East Texas Builders Association.
The District Foundation Dinner is Saturday, Feb. 23, in Texarkana.
It is Troy Murrain’s week to bring the prize for Rusty’s Raffle, and it’s Ralph Emerson’s week to get us lined out for the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test. He told me he likely won’t make it, so be ready to be volunteered!
At the meeting, Foundation Director David Yowell will talk about what you need to do if you'd like to donate to the Foundation in memory of Rusty Roberts.
Our program this week is author Kimberly Fish, who will be talking about her book, "Harmon General."
We are back at the Hilton Garden Inn this week for our meeting. We will be in a different room, though. This time, we’ll be in Oakmont A. It’s the room at the back from where you walk in on that side entrance.
In case you missed the last meeting, we inducted new member Trey Hattaway. Trey was proposed by John Green, and Charles Rader did his induction. If you see Trey with his red badge, please make him feel welcome.
If you still haven’t paid your dues for this six months, please get that done quickly.
It is Vince Dulweber’s week to lead us in the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test. If he gets held up in court, I’ll be asking for help on this one. It is April Moore’s week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
This week, we will hear from our recipients of funds raised during our Concert this past fall. We will also get a visit by Rusty’s Roberts’ son, Jim, who has offered to come by and talk about the club and how much it meant to his Dad.
Here’s a quick update to remind everyone that we are not meeting this week.
I’ll see you all next week when we’ll hear from club member and Superintendent Steve Clugston about Pine Tree ISD.
Thanks to those who were able to help at the Beds of Hope Build Day this past Saturday. We had fun building some beds, and Colt did not hurt anyone with that drill.
Thanks to Wayne Tramel for sending along this photo of Hiway 80 Rescue Mission's new van paid for with funds raised at our concert fundraiser. That makes another vehicle traveling around Longview with the Rotary gear and our club's name on it. We're still finalizing details of how Newgate Mission will use concert funds.
Remember, services for Mr. Rusty are planned for Monday. Funeral services for Rusty Roberts will be at 2 p.m. Monday, January 21, 2018, in the Chapel of Rader Funeral Home with visitation with family starting at 1 p.m. Burial will follow at Grace Hill Cemetery.
Thanks to everyone who made it to the meeting this past week, and that is most of you. We had excellent attendance for our first official meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn. We do have some adjustments to be made. I had a couple of people offer suggestions after the meeting, and I sure appreciate them. We’ll be making some changes for this week. If you see a way we can best utilize the space to our needs, please keep the suggestions coming.
Laura Hill tells me we had 47 people eat at last week’s meeting. That is probably the largest number we’ve had since our meeting last April at the Rodeo Arena. That’s exciting.
Remember, we have a service opportunity coming this Saturday. Beds of Hope is having a Build Day Saturday. It’s scheduled from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., but the group is consider a later start due to expected rain that morning. I’ll keep you updated as I see information. Colt Edwards plans to be there. I plan to be there. Do you plan to be there? I hope several others of you do. Let Colt or I know. It’s at 692 Sunnybrook Drive.
We had a Rodeo meeting today at East Texas Builders. The next one is set for noon Wednesday, Jan. 23, at the same location. If you can make it, please plan to be there. That is especially so if you are in charge of one of the areas.
It is Vince Dulweber’s week to lead us in the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test. If he gets held up in court, I’ll be asking for help on this one. It is Chapin Miller’s week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
Our program this week is Judge T. Sheldon Parker. Phillip P. says he is a retired Oklahoma state judge and retired general. He was a Court of Indian Appeals Judge who joined the Oklahoma Guard after his service in Vietnam.
It promises to be an interesting program. I’ll see you there.
Remember, this week is our first meeting at the new venue – Hilton Garden Inn. They say they’re ready for us on Friday.
There is a Beds of Hope Build Day scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 12. We’d like to get a group of our Rotarians to help with the build day. Beds of Hope has been a recipient of Rodeo funds. If you can help, please see Colt Edwards or me.
It is Jay Dean’s week to lead us in the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test, and Michael Liverman will supply the prize for Rusty’s Raffle this week.
Our program this week was scheduled to be Richard Manley, but he’s been called out of town for a family emergency. Randy Harris and I are working on coming up with a backup. If you have ideas for a late-breaking program, please let one of us know.
The menu at Hilton Garden Inn will be chef’s choice, similar to how it was when we had our test meeting.
Remember we will not meet this week or next. Enjoy your break as you spend time with family and friends. If I don’t see you, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Thanks again to Michael and Julia Tubb for offering their lovely home as a venue for our Christmas party. It was a great time. You can find a few photos taken at the party by President-Elect Karen Maines by clicking here.
It’s been a challenging and rewarding first half of the Rotary year for me. With help from all of you, we’ve made it this far and helped our community considerably along the way, and we continue to do so. Thanks for all you do. This club and this city are better because of you.
Remember, we will not have a club meeting this week in light of our Christmas party tomorrow at the home of Michael and Julia Tubb. Thanks so much to the Tubbs for offering up their home for our party, and for Donna Koerner for her work on the party!
We had a damp and chilly time this past weekend ringing the bell for the Salvation Army at the Gilmer Road Walmart. Here are photos of some of the bell ringers that I forgot to post on Facebook last weekend:
I’m helping Donna Sharp this week by sending out the winners of the Cowboys pot for their game against the Eagles. Quite an ending to that game with the deflection catch by Amari Cooper. Here are the winners:
Q1: Mary Ann Miller
Q2: David Yowell
Q3: Michael Tubb
Q4: Shirley Griffin
Congrats to our winners.
As Gene wrote in an email a couple of days ago, great work to everyone in the club who has donated to The Rotary Foundation. Reaching $400,000 in total donations to TRF since the club’s beginning is quite a milestone. Don’t stop now.
Stay dry today, and I hope to see most of you tomorrow at the Christmas party for some fun and fellowship.
We had a great meeting last week at the Longview Child Development Center. Executive Director LaToyia Hawkins and crew had a great spread for us, and we got a chance to see the Learning Lab, which was set to open this week for parents and teachers there. Parents with children at the center must be working 30 hours or more per week, be enrolled in a job training program or be a full-time student. The lab will be available to help parents fulfill those requirements, including providing online learning opportunities.
There’s a small (I thought I had more pull than that!) item in the Longview News-Journal today about the lab.
Here’s a plaque they presented to us during the visit:
Donna Koerner is looking for some folding chairs for our Christmas party Friday, Dec. 14, at the Tubbs’ home. If you have access to some folding chairs we could use, please contact her or me to let us know.
Our shift ringing the bell for the Salvation Army is this Saturday. We’ll be there from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Here’s the schedule:
9 a.m.: Colt Edwards, Doug Barnard
10 a.m.: John Jetter, Scott Brunner
11 a.m.: Gene Robertson, Troy Murrain
noon: Tyler Rainer, Karen Maines
I’ve had at least one other club member ask about times. If you’d like to help, you’re welcome to stop by. The more the merrier!
Congratulations to club member Mary Ann Miller’s son, Brady who is one of ten Longview Lobos honored on the Texas High School Coaches Association’s Academic All-State Team released this week. Brady picked up first-team honors!
It is Angela Daughtry’s week to lead us in the song, pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test, and it is Dionne Lott’s week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
We will have our annual business meeting on Friday, which should be relatively short. Then, we will hear live music from the Pine Tree choir.
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, spending time with family and friends.
Reminder: We are not meeting at the church this week. We will be meeting at noon at Longview Child Development Center, 1230 S. High Street.
It’s $10 for lunch, chicken-fried steak, and bring a children’s book to donate if you can. We’ll be seeing the computer lab funded by Longview PRCA Rodeo funds.
If you have signed up to help with RYLA interviews, the ones that remain are Spring Hill ISD at 1 p.m. and Pine Tree ISD at 2:15 p.m.
Other upcoming club events:
Wednesday, Dec. 5: Rodeo meeting, noon, East Texas Builders Association.
Friday, Dec. 7: Club meeting with live Christmas music.
Saturday, Dec. 8: Salvation Army bell ringing at Gilmer Road Wal-Mart.
I hope you’re all having a good Thanksgiving week. I’m sending this as a reminder that we will not be meeting this Friday.
We will be meeting the following Friday (Nov. 30) at the Longview Child Development Center. They’re at 1230 S. High Street. If you didn’t sign the list that you plan to attend, please let me know so we can get them a fairly accurate head count. Lunch will be chicken-fried steak. It’s $10 and please feel free to bring a children’s book to donate.
More upcoming club activities:
Monday, Nov. 26: Board meeting, noon, Development Services.
Wednesday, Dec. 5: Rodeo meeting, noon, East Texas Builders Association.
Friday, Dec. 7: Annual business meeting at regularly scheduled club meeting with live Christmas music.
Saturday, Dec. 8: Salvation Army bell ringing at Gilmer Road Wal-Mart.
Hope everyone is staying warm. If you’re not, at least we’ll be in the 60s by Friday. That should help.
If you missed last week’s meeting, you missed the induction of two new members. If you see Steve Clugston, left, next to Charles, or Eric Cedarstrom at a meeting, please introduce yourself and invite them to sit at your table. Great to have them!
We also heard from Dr. Ben Mack about his mission work in Guatemala.
Ten Rotarians – and one young helper – worked Saturday morning to do our part during the citywide Green & Clean. Thanks to those who were able to make it and brave the cold to do our part.
If you’re looking for another service opportunity, check with Colt Edwards about ringing the bell for the Salvation Army on Saturday, Dec. 8 at the Gilmer Road Wal-Mart.
Also, Mark Dulweber wanted to remind everyone that the Thanksgiving Food Drive is coming up, and that organizers there have a need for donations and volunteers. On Monday, Nov. 19th, three to six volunteers are needed to put together 1,300 boxes of food, and donations are welcome. The boxes will be handed out from noon to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 20, and volunteers are welcome to come help.
If you haven’t , please RSVP for the Club Christmas party. It’s Friday night, Dec. 14, at the home of Michael and Julia Tubb, and it’s sure to be a great time. For more details, check out the flier.
Upcoming meetings:
Nov. 23: NO MEETING. Happy Thanksgiving.
Nov. 26: Rotary Board meeting. Noon at Development Services (410 S. High)
Nov. 27: Interact meeting at Pine Tree ExCEL High School.
Nov. 30: Meet at Longview Child Development Center. $10 donation for chicken-fried steak. We’ll see the computer lab funded by the club. ALSO: Bring a children’s book if you can to donate to the center.
Dec. 7: Annual business meeting at the church and live Christmas music by a choir at Pine Tree.
Dec. 14: NO MEETING. Christmas Party at Michael and Julia Tubb’s home.
Dec. 21: NO MEETING. Merry Christmas.
This week, we’ll hear from the Gregg and Upshur County game wardens.
It is ‘s week to lead us in the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test, and it’s Bob Little’s week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
The menu Friday is sliced ham, yam patties and turnip greens.
I hope you're all having a good week. We have some important service opportunities coming up.
(This) Saturday, Nov. 10: We have our street cleanup this Saturday during the citywide Green & Clean. Meet at 8 a.m. at the Pine Tree High School parking lot off Fairmont. The more Rotarians who show up, the faster it goes!
Saturday, Dec. 8: We’ll be ringing the bell for Salvation Army at the Wal-Mart on Gilmer Road. We have fewer spots to fill. Check with Colt Edwards for open spaces.
and not service, but mark you calendars:
Friday, Dec. 14: Club Christmas party at Michael and Julia Tubb’s home. Check out the flier here. No meeting at the church on this day.
If you've been thinking about making a donation to the Rotary Foundation, this is a good time to do it. November is Rotary Foundation Month. The Rotary Foundation recently received for the 11th consecutive year the highest rating — four stars — from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S.
It is Judge Charles’ week to lead us in the song, Pledge, prayer, and 4-Way Test, and it is Mike Lewis’ week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
The menu this week is beef tips with rice and mixed vegetables.
At the meeting this week, we’ll hear from Dr. Ben Mack about his medical mission trip. We’ll also induct a couple of new members.
Veterans Day is Sunday. Take some time this weekend to thank those who serve to protect and preserve our freedom. Veterans Day stems from the end of the of World War I, which was formally ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 2018. That’s 100 years ago this year.
We heard an inspirational story from Walter Patterson last week. The man who contracted polio when he was 18 months old and still uses braces on his legs to get around was able to make it to the basecamp of Mount Everest. As inspiring as that is, with Rotary’s continued efforts to eradicate polio, it’s an obstacle one day soon no one will have to face.
Here are some important dates coming up:
Saturday, Nov. 10: Street cleanup. Meet at 8 a.m. at Pine Tree High School parking lot off Fairmont.
Saturday, Dec. 8: Ringing the Bell for Salvation Army at Wal-Mart on Gilmer Road. Colt Edwards will have the signup sheet at this week’s meeting.
Friday, Nov. 30: Club meeting moved to Longview Child Development Center, 1230 S. High Street, for ribbon cutting on new computer lab funded with rodeo proceeds. $10 lunch. Chicken-fried steak.
Friday, Dec. 14: Christmas Party at Michael and Julia Tubb’s house. No club meeting.
This week, we will hear from Jennifer Martin of Shriners Hospital for Children in Shreveport. It was the world’s first Shriners hospital. The facility is a specialty hospital treating children with orthopaedic issues, cleft lip and palate and more.
It is Scott Caron’s week to lead us in the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test, and it is Randall Latch’s week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
The menu this week is barbecue ribs, potato salad and baked beans.
As I was standing in the lobby of the Belcher Center Saturday night, I heard a few comments about the long line of cars filled with people anxious to get into the parking lot for the Amy Grant concert. A big thanks to everyone, especially Roger Sage Jr. and Keith Bailey, for the hard work on the concert. Great show! It’s clear our club again brought quality entertainment to Longview in a way that will also help us help local organizaitons. Thanks to the club members who were also sponsors, as well.
Ten of us in all, including a couple spouses, were at the District Concert Friday and/or Saturday at the Holiday Inn in Longview. It was a good turnout, and it was a lot of fun spending Friday night and much of Saturday with Rotarians from our club and others in District 5830. Sessions focused on membership, Rotary Club Central, club flexibility and focusing on the youth. Pastor Jeff asked me Saturday night what I took away from the conference that we could bring back to the club. I told him keynote speaker Greg Yank talked some about what we as club members get out of Rotary and what we want to get out of Rotary. Look for us to be asking that question in the future.
Past President Ingrid Self passed along the sad news about longtime member Archie Tehan's passing. She sent a second email with information about services. Visitation will be tomorrow (Oct. 24) from 5 to 7 p.m. at Rader Funeral Home. A Celebration of Life will be at 2 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 25) at Oakland Heights Baptist Church. He was a great man and is already missed.
We will again be ringing the bell for the Salvation Army this year, although we’ve scaled back some. Our day is Dec. 8 at the Wal-Mart on Gilmer Road. We’ll be manning Door #1. We will have the signup sheet at the meeting this week. Be prepared to sign up for a shift, so we can get them all taken care of during the meeting.
And here’s another service opportunity: Street Cleanup, Saturday Nov. 10, 8 a.m., Pine Tree High School parking lot.
World Polio Day is Wednesday, Oct. 24. Our speaker this week is a man who contracted Polio at 18 months old. He’s overcome a lot in his life, including having trekked to the basecamp of Mt. Everest in 2008. We will be taking donations to PolioPlus during the meeting Friday, so please consider marking this occasion with a donation to help end Polio.
It is Meghan Byrne’s week to lead us in the song, Pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test, and it’s Donna Koerner’s week to supply the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
The menu this week is shrimp etoufee with red beans.
I’m sending this to remind everyone that we WILL NOT be meeting this week since we have the District Conference and the concert with Amy Grant Saturday.
If you said during last week’s meeting that you’d be at the Belcher Center Saturday to help greet, please be sure to be there.
Also, if you’re still thinking about registering for the District Conference, there’s time. I’ll be getting the check for our registrations from Laura tomorrow.
And, don’t forget we’ll be doing our street cleanup on Saturday, Nov. 10, the same day as the citywide Green and Clean. Meet at 8 a.m. at the Pine Tree High parking lot off Fairmont. The more people we have show up, the faster it goes.
Ingrid said she went by to check on Archie this week. She said he was sitting up and eating and that he looked great. Good news!
We'll be back at the church on Friday, Oct. 26, with a presentation that coincides with the week of World Polio Day.
It was an honor for our club to be able to present plaques to the Police Officer (Andrew Allison) and Firefighter (Stephen Winchell) of the Year last week. Thanks to all who made that possible.
Our Interact Club had a meeting Tuesday, and its numbers are growing. Tim Lewis sent me this photo, which shows a nice group.
Our concert featuring Amy Grant is just around the bend. Be on the lookout for some volunteer needs for the night of Saturday, Oct. 20.
That's the same weekend as the District Conference, which is Friday night and Saturday morning through afternoon. We're up to eight people registered to attend from our club. The club can pay for at least four more, and I'd like to hit that number.
It is Gaylon Butler's week to lead us in the song/pledge/prayer and 4-Way Test, and it’s Steve Kattner’s week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
At this week’s meeting, we’ll hear from Chris Miller, executive director of the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority.
The menu this week is fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans.
I appreciate everyone who was able to make it to the trial meeting at the Hilton this past week. I know there were many who simply couldn’t make it, but I’m glad we had such a great turnout. We’ll be talking with them more about what the Hilton can offer in terms of a long-term meeting location. For now, though, we are back at the church this week and beyond.
Our Interact Club at Pine Tree had a lot of fun Tuesday during the district’s homecoming carnival, which coincided with National Night Out. If you haven’t seen the photos on Facebook, the students were taking tickets to let visitors throw a pie into the face of a teacher or administrator. I was there for a while, and those teachers were covered!
Remember, we have a big Rotary weekend coming with the Amy Grant concert fundraiser and the District Conference. We have five people from the club registered for the District Conference at this point. I’d like to have at least 10 from our club there. The club can pay for several more registration fees, all you have to do it show up. Find the registration form here.
And we will not have a regular club meeting the Friday (Oct. 19) of that weekend.
At this Friday’s meeting, we will learn about the Rotary Exchange program, which is something the club hasn’t been involved with since I’ve been a member.
It is Russ Brown’s week to lead us in the song, pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test, and it’s Jack Jenkins’ week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
The menu this week is spaghetti with meatballs, garlic bread and Caesar salad.
REMEMBER: We are NOT meeting at the church this week. We will be having our trial meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn on Hawkins Parkway.
We will be in the Pinehurst A room, which is the side closer to the windows. If you walk in the main doors, go toward the hallway to the left past the restaurant/bar area. Feel free to call me if you’re unsure where you’re headed.
We had a productive and encouraging Interact meeting yesterday. There were five students. We’re hoping to grow on that. The five that were there are interested, and Rotarians Meghan Byrne, Colt Edwards and Tim Lewis have helped them get some plans in place for activities and to attract more members. There was a work day scheduled today to get items prepared for an Interact booth at Pine Tree’s Homecoming Carnival next week. The students were excited to be working on that.
Donna Koerner will be making the Chicks N Chaps $5,000 check presentation Saturday morning to Texas Oncology. The presentation will be made prior to the Celebrate Life Survivors 5K Run, and we’d love for some club members to be present. She says the presentation is at 8:30 a.m. The survivors lap is scheduled for 8 a.m.
Our fundraising concert featuring Amy Grant is coming up quickly on Oct. 20. Watch your inbox soon for information about how you can volunteer to help that day.
That is the same weekend as the District 5830 Conference at the Holiday Inn here in Longview. It is Friday and Saturday. I’ve mentioned this a couple of times in email and during our meetings. If you have any interest and can go, please consider attending, even if it is for only part of it. The breakout sessions Saturday morning and service project Saturday after lunch will be a great experience. The district has really been helping get the word out about our concert, and I'd like us to support them in return. Our club can pay the registration for several of you. Please see me if interested!
Remember, we will not have a club meeting Oct. 19 because of the concert and district conference.
It is Pastor Jeff’s week to lead us in the song, pledge, prayer and 4-Way test, and it is David Hayes’ week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
I don’t know the menu this week. The food will be prepared by the Hilton’s Ronald Porter, so I expect it to be good.
I know some club members are out of town. I'm hopeful we'll have a good group for Laura Hill's presentation about the city's 150th birthday celebration and to get some responses about what people think of the Hilton as a possible new meeting space for the club.
We are still early in our Membership Football game, but there is a clear winner at this stage. The Yellow team is mopping the floor with the rest of you. Here’s the rundown:
Yellow: 30
Green: 12
Blue: 6
Orange: 0
Let’s get on the board, Orange team.
I mentioned during last week’s meeting that we’d had an encouraging increase at last week’s meeting of the Interact Club. Tim Lewis has been working on reinvigorating the club. To help with that, we’d like to get some Rotarians at the next meeting. It will be at 4 p.m. on this coming Tuesday, Sept. 25, in room 706 of the Pine Tree ExCEL building.
Remember, the District Conference is Oct. 19 and 20. It’s the same weekend as our fundraising concert featuring Amy Grant. I’d like to have a good showing from our club at the conference since it’s here in Longview. Let me know if you can make it.
At Friday’s meeting, we’ll hear from Judge Alfonso Charles. He’ll be speaking about the U.S. Constitution.
It is Pastor Russ Brown’s week to lead us in the song/pledge/prayer and 4-Way Test, and it’s John Harris’ week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
The menu this week is baked chicken, roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts.
It’s hard to believe it’s been 17 years since terrorists used planes to attack our nation on our soil. I’m sure many of us took time to remember that day and thank God for the first responders and others who work so hard to protect us day in and day out. I know I did.
Club Secretary Donna Sharp sent the Week 1 winners of our Cowboys football pot to the club on Tuesday. Congratulations to Randy Harris, J.P. Steelman, Colt Edwards and Karen Maines!
Van Patterson will be leaving our club soon as he has taken a new position as a vice president at Galveston College. It's sad to see him leave the club and the community, but I wish him all the best. Please do the same.
Our concert fundraiser featuring Amy Grant is getting closer all the time. Saturday, Oct. 20 will be here before we know it. Remember, tickets to the concert are available at BelcherCenter.com.
That also means the District Conference is getting closer. I’d like to have a lot of members of our club in attendance that weekend since it’s right here in Longview at the Infinity Events Center at Holiday Inn. The club can pay for several people to register. Please come see me if interested. Past District Governor Ted Huffhines would like us all to check out this promo video about the conference that was sent this week to District 5830 club presidents. There’s a plug for our concert at about 1:02.
We are finishing up an agreement to have our Sept. 28 meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn as a trail run to see if it might be a good fit for future club meetings. This is similar to the one we did before at Pinecrest Country Club. I’ll be sure to remind everyone as that is set.
This week, we’ll be hearing from Dan Riegstad of the Kilgore College Police Academy.
It is Keith Bonds' week to lead us in the song, pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test, and it is Merritt Grimm's week to bring the prize for Rusty's Raffle. The menu Friday is fried catfish, pinto beans and cole slaw.
I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend and that the much-needed rain didn’t dampen your plans.
We had a good group Friday of those who were able to make it to GZ’s for lunch. Thanks, Ingrid, for organizing that.
Our club got a little recognition in the most recent Rotary District 5830 newsletter. The item was about our recent check presentations for funds raised at the Longview PRCA Rodeo in April. It’s nice to get some recognition at the district level.
This past week, Tim Lewis met with our Interact officers and the sponsor at Pine Tree ExCEL High School. Our numbers are few to begin the school year, so the focus is on spreading the word and attracting some new young people to join.
Remember: Tickets are on sale for our upcoming concert fundraiser featuring Amy Grant. We’re hoping it sells out. So, get yours early, if you are planning to go. Don’t forget to be looking for opportunities to sell a sponsorship. That’s money the club keeps and gets to put back into the community.
At this week’s meeting, we’ll hear from KLTV Program Manager Pat Stacey as our program.
It is Mike Bishop’s week to lead us in the song/pledge/prayer and 4-Way Test, and it is John Green’s week to bring the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
The menu for Friday is sliced ham, black-eyed peas and sweet potato patties. See you there.
Colt and Kristi Edwards and family welcomed a new addition today. Penelope “Poppy” Edwards was born at 10:16 a.m. at 9 pounds, 9 ounces and 22 ¼ inches. Colt’s comment on Facebook was “Mom is a rockstar.”
Congratulations Edwards family on the addition, and welcome to the world, Poppy!
State Rep. Jay Dean visited the club this past Friday and talked about a number of issues. He touched on education, the opioid crisis and the race to become the next speaker of the Texas House. Jay said he thought the person who will ultimately become speaker might not even have filed to run at this point. It will be interesting to watch.
Thanks to Scott Forbes and David Yowell for their work on the Cowboys pot. All of the squares are sold!
Remember, we will not be meeting at the church this week. If you’re able to make the social lunch Friday, please RSVP with Ingrid. Otherwise, have a great Labor Day weekend, and I’ll see you next week.
If you weren’t at the meeting last week, you missed a fun one.
Not only did we induct three new members into the club, but we also got to hear an interesting program from club member Daniel Wiebracht about dressing intentionally.
Our new club members are, from left, Meghan Byrne, Amber Campbell and Troy Murrain.
Meghan Byrne lives in Longview and is a strong supporter of the revitalization of South Longview. Meghan is a commercial Realtor with Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates – Graham Group. She specializes in multi-family properties.
Amber Campbell is 26. She was born and raised in Jefferson, Texas. She moved to Hallsville when she was 15 and now lives in Longview. Amber attended UT Tyler, where she earned a degree in elementary education. Amber is currently working at Regions Bank and has been in banking for four years.
Troy Murrain is a Community Employment Specialist for The Arc of Gregg County Employment Services. Troy assists individuals with disabilities in finding and maintaining employment in their communities.
Tickets are on sale now for our fundraiser concert with Amy Grant on Oct. 20 at the Belcher Center, and we need to keep selling sponsorships.
At Friday's meeting, we'll hear from cardiologist Dr. Samir Germanwala. CHANGE OF PLANS: We'll be hearing from club member State Rep. Jay Dean this week about the opioid crisis, Hurricane Harvey and the upcoming session.
It is Casey Beddingfield's week to lead us in the song/pledge/prayer and 4-Way Test, and it's Scott Forbes' week to provide the prize for Rusty's Raffle. The menu this week is meatloaf with mashed potatoes and peas and carrots.
We had a great conversation with the head football coaches from Longview, Pine Tree and Spring Hill. That's always a fun meeting.
Tickets are on sale now for our upcoming fundraiser concert with Amy Grant. Get them here. Don’t forget that we still need sponsors! Roger and Keith have set a goal of $75,000 in sponsors, and we need your help to get there. I know we can do it.
We are still working to fill up the squares on the Cowboys pot. Foundation Chair David Yowell said last week that we’re doing better than we have in years past. Let’s keep that momentum.
Rotary International has named August as Membership and New Club Development Month. In that spirit, Membership Chair Martha Griffin is working on a way for us to offer a little incentive for bringing an guest who might become a Longview-Greggton Rotarian. Start thinking about who you might invite.
This week we’ll be hearing from club member and Facebook video star, Daniel Wiebracht. It’s not a classification talk, but it’s not far off. He’ll be sharing with the club how to “Dress for Success.”
It is Richard Emerson’s week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle, and it’s Jim Bartlett’s week to round up club members to lead us in the song, pledge prayer and 4-Way test.
The menu this week is barbecue ribs, baked beans and potato salad.
I meant to take a picture of the crowd at last week's meeting and forgot. We had a lot of people there at one of my favorite recurring meetings of the year — when we hear from the nonprofits who benefit from funds raised at the rodeo.
At this year's rodeo, Karen and her team emphasized four reasons to consider visiting the rodeo. Three of them (it's a fun night for the whole family; there are children's activities after the show; and it's an annual Longview tradition) are evident while we're working those nights. The fourth (All proceeds support the community) we got to see during last week's meeting.
Here's the groups and amounts:
Beds of Hope: $5,000
Asbury House: $2,160
Longview Child Development Center: $5,000
Caring & Sharing: $5,000
East Texas CASA: $4,000
Community Connections: $5,000
And we're already actively involved in getting sponsorships for our concert fundraiser, which is quickly headed our way. Keith Bailey and Roger Sage Jr. have been working hard to get us to about $43,000 in sponsorships. That's great, but the goal is to reach $75,000. YOU CAN HELP! If you bought a sponsorship in the past, please consider doing so again. If you know someone who might, get them the sponsor form Keith sent to club members or download it here.
And as Keith wrote, be sure to make plans to come to the event and enjoy a great evening of music.
This week, we'll hear from our local high school football coaches. We're expecting coach King from Longview, coach Lane from Pine Tree and coach Mercer from Spring Hill. This is always a good one. News-Journal sports editor Jack Stallard will also join us.
It is Vince Dulweber's week to provide the prize for Rust's Raffle. It is Doug Barnard's week to lead us in the song, pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test.
The menu this week is expanded salad bar, but I haven't told our coaches that.
It was great to have Christus Good Shepherd Health System CEO Todd Hancock at our club last Friday to get an idea of what’s happening with the health system and what changes the system has seen since Christus took it over.
This week, we’ll be hearing from the recipients from proceeds raised at this year’s rodeo. Those six organizations are:
CASA
Asbury House
Community Connections
Beds of Hope
Longview Child Development Center
Caring & Sharing Ministries
The meeting is a chance to see how our hard work truly translates into giving back to the community.
It is Julio Arriola's week to help lead us in the song/pledge/prayer and 4-Way Test. It is Mark Dulweber’s week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
Bob Little recently had surgery. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I talked to his wife, Carol, today. She said he's improving in Dallas and that they hope he's headed home soon.
When our Club Visioning team met during this past Rotary Year, one of the areas of discussion was about our Foundation giving. A goal for the club this year is to work toward become a 100 percent Paul Harris Fellow club, and we're not very far off! Foundation Direction David Yowell is working on a plan that will help us do that. Watch for details once that gets worked out.
The menu this week is beef tips and rice with green beans.
We had a great group at our meeting last week when we had a chance to hear from District Governor Judy Guthrie. She talked about some of the ways Rotary is changing and told us of some of Rotary International President Barry Rassin’s goals for the year.
We’ll be hearing this Friday from Christus Good Shepherd Health System CEO Todd Hancock. He has to leave a few minutes early, so expect us to adjourn the meeting a little before 1 p.m. this week. It is Dave Wright’s week to lead us in the song, pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test, and it is Rep. Jay Dean’s week to provide the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
On the menu this week is chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and green beans.
Other upcoming programs are:
Aug. 3: We’ll be handing out checks to nonprofits benefiting from funds raised at our Rodeo.
Aug. 10: Area high school football coaches
Aug. 17: Dan Riegstad with the Kilgore College Police Academy
We will not have a meeting on Aug. 31 ahead of the Labor Day holiday.
If you missed this past week's meeting, then you didn't get a chance to see club member Bob Metzler receive his Paul Harris +7 recognition by Foundation Director David Yowell. Congratulations, Bob! That's quite an accomplishment.
Also this past week, we awarded our perfect attendance certificates as of the close of the previous Rotary year. If you weren't present to receive yours, find me at this week's meeting. I plan to have them with me. Here's the list of those with perfect attendance and the number of years:
Michael Liverman: 2 years
Donna Sharp: 2 years
Scott Brunner: 3 years
Laura Hill: 4 years
Ingrid Self: 4 years
Wayne Tramel: 4 years
J.P. Steelman: 7 years
Ray Wright: 13 years
Karen Maines: 17 years
Scott Forbes: 19 years
Shirley Qualls: 19 years
John Jetter: 22 years
Joe Wallace: 31 years
Gene Robertson: 34 years
Russ Brown: 35 years
John Green: 36 years
Phillip P. Smith: 52 years (Wow!)
At this Friday's meeting, we will hear from District 5830 District Governor Judy Guthrie of the Rotary Club of Carthage. If you see her, please say hi. Here's a photo to the right.
It is Daniel Wiebracht's week to be in charge of the song, pledge, prayer and 4-Way test. It's Angela Daughtry's week to provide the prize for Rusty's Raffle.
On the menu this week is tacos and refried beans.
Here are a couple of important upcoming dates:
Monday, July 23: Board meeting, noon at Development Services, 410 S. High
Oct. 19 to 20: District 5830 Conference, Holiday Inn North Infinity Event Center in Longview
Thank you to all of those were able to make it to our social meeting last week at Butcher Shop. It was a fun way to start the year, and Randy Harris brought some nice table tents we can likely reuse for club events.
Here’s a photo he shot during the lunch.
We're back at the church this week. During our program, we’ll hear from Erik Duerkop, manager of the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
It is Tommy Warren’s week to be in charge of the song, pledge, prayer and 4-Way Test. It’s Alfonso Charles’ week to supply the prize for Rusty’s Raffle.
On the menu this week is hamburger buffet with potato salad and beans.
I'll probably write and talk about this several times during the year: If you haven't downloaded the Clubrunner app, you should! Once you download it, you can use your Clubrunner login info, and it will bring up a handy club directory right on your phone, complete with one-click dialing for club members. It's great if you're not sure if you have added someone's contact.
I’m looking forward to a great year. We already have exciting stuff on the horizon with the recent announcement about the October concert fundraiser in partnership with Heartlight Ministries. Look for more information soon about how you can help make this as successful as our previous years’ concerts.
A big thanks to Ingrid and Stephen Self for opening their home to host the party Saturday celebrating the close of Ingrid’s excellent year as president!
One thing that will be challenging and fun this year will be to start implementing some of the recommendations made by the Visioning team that was created after our larger Visioning meeting with District 5830 representatives. The idea is to keep our club on a path that will get us to where the group said we want to be in three years.
We won’t be meeting at the church this week. We’ll instead have a social meeting at the Butcher Shop with some time for fellowship. Stop on by at our normal time, order your lunch and join us in the back room at the restaurant. Bring some thoughts about what you would like to see the club accomplish this year. Butcher Shop doesn't officially reserve the room; however, the manager said we are welcome to bring our own reserved labels and push tables together however we like. I’ll be showing up early to help make sure we’re set.
Have a safe and happy Independence Day, and I hope to see you Friday for lunch at Butcher Shop.
We’ve met four times, had several new members proposed, a few more Paul Harris Fellows granted, and convened for our first board meeting of this Rotary year. It’s exciting to see all of the new member proposals that have come from Membership Chair Kathy Rae. We are an engaged club, and bringing in more members helps demonstrate that. As we are bringing these new members on board, be thinking about how we can get them engaged from the start. That’s how we’ll get them to keep coming and to want to be a part of the club. It takes all of us! 
The month of August is dedicated to Membership and New Club Development. It is now time to celebrate your club, your club members, the good Longview Greggton does in our community, and around the world. 
PDG John Jetter of Longview Greggton Rotary was awarded the The Rotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award at this year's District Officer Installation. PDG John's years of work on Club, District, Zone and International Projects has made him a distinguished Rotarian.
This month's theme is "New Leadership Month." Rotary brings community leaders together who have a common characteristic: the desire to serve. As leaders we have a responsibility to our community local and globally to place service above self to make the world a better place.
Our club's team, this year with Treasurer Laura Hill and Cassandra Burford, was named the winner of the East Texas Literacy Council Bee For Literacy today. That's the second year for our club's team to be named winner and the second year for Laura to be on the team. Way to go! 
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If you weren’t at last week’s meeting, you missed when we presented outgoing Rodeo Chair Ray Wright with his belt buckle for a great job well done.
Thanks, everyone, for all your hard work on another successful rodeo and for Rodeo Chair Ray Wright’s coordination and leadership with this year’s event! What a great weekend.
Rodeo time is here! So much time has already been spent on preparation, and we’re almost down to the wire.
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And here’s a look at what the sign looks like hanging back in place.
I hope everyone is having a good week. Thanks to Kimberly Fish for again sharing her knowledge of the unique history of East Texas she writes about in her new book, "Harmon General." 
Thanks to Wayne Tramel for sending along this photo of Hiway 80 Rescue Mission's new van paid for with funds raised at our concert fundraiser. That makes another vehicle traveling around Longview with the Rotary gear and our club's name on it. We're still finalizing details of how Newgate Mission will use concert funds. 
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We had a productive and encouraging Interact meeting yesterday. There were five students. We’re hoping to grow on that. The five that were there are interested, and Rotarians Meghan Byrne, Colt Edwards and Tim Lewis have helped them get some plans in place for activities and to attract more members. There was a work day scheduled today to get items prepared for an Interact booth at Pine Tree’s Homecoming Carnival next week. The students were excited to be working on that. 
It’s hard to believe it’s been 17 years since terrorists used planes to attack our nation on our soil. I’m sure many of us took time to remember that day and thank God for the first responders and others who work so hard to protect us day in and day out. I know I did.
Tickets are on sale now for our upcoming fundraiser concert with Amy Grant. 
It was great to have Christus Good Shepherd Health System CEO Todd Hancock at our club last Friday to get an idea of what’s happening with the health system and what changes the system has seen since Christus took it over. 
We had a great group at our meeting last week when we had a chance to hear from District Governor Judy Guthrie. She talked about some of the ways Rotary is changing and told us of some of Rotary International President Barry Rassin’s goals for the year.
