The Rotary Club of Beaumont, TX, is a large and diverse fellowship of inspired business, professional, and civic leaders with significant community connections that foster the ideals of Service Above Self and high ethical standards.
Entergy Texas plans to build the Orange County Advanced Power Station (OCAPS) which will play a critical role in providing reliable, low-cost energy to customers across the region. Construction for OCAPS is planned on the footprint of the current Sabine Power Plant. Entergy expects the addition of this facility to replace end-of-life legacy gas generation and to provide over $1.5 billion in net benefits to customers. This modern and efficient facility will provide reliable, low-cost energy which directly translates to fuel savings for our customers. These fuel cost savings are substantial—roughly $105 million projected in the first full year of operation. The addition of Orange County Advanced Power Station greatly benefits the Golden Triangle area and the surrounding region.
Speaking about the new Power Plant, we welcome Blake Flowers. Blake joined Entergy Texas in March 2021 as the manager of region customer service for the East Region. In this role, he leads a team responsible for account management, stakeholder relations, and community engagement activities.
Prior to accepting his position with Entergy Texas, Blake worked in the electric utility industry for over 16 years and most recently led the customer service organization at Talquin Electric Cooperative, a distribution cooperative that provides electric and water services to over 80,000 metered locations throughout four counties in northwest Florida.
* * * * * * *
Head Table on June 1
Invocation
Dean Conwell
Director
Beaumont Convention & Visitors Bureau
Pledges to USA & Texas Flags
Zach Celeste
Managing Partner
Wells Peyton Partain Baldo & Lighty, LLP
Introduction of Guests
Introduction of Guest Speaker
Deborah Drago
Customer Service Manager
Entergy Texas, Inc.
Please volunteer for Head Table responsibilities through the sign-up at:
New Member Orientation; 10:30 a.m.; Rotary Office-Ste. 213
14
"Show Your Colors" Flag Project for Flag Day
28
Board of Directors meeting; 11:30 a.m., Fountainview Room
28
President's Club dinner; by invitation only
29
Toast to Leadership & Swan Song for President Brad; 6:00 p.m.; Art Museum of Southeast Texas
* * * * * * *
BOARD ACTION
The Board of Directors reported membership action taken.
Two new membership proposals were approved:
Annette Harmon-Edwards
Recruitment & Retention Coordinator
Court Appointed Special Advocates of Southeast Texas
Classification: "Associations – Court Appointed Special Advocates"
Proposed by:Virtue Alexander
Emily Ross
Director of Community & Culture
New Path Therapy & Wellness
Classification: "Mental Health – Behavioral Health Care"
Proposed by: Misty Fountain
If you object to either proposal, please contact President Brad Brown by June 4th.
Two resignations were accepted with regrets, to be effective on June 30, 2022. They are:
Angela Baker
Deborah Drago
Members terminated were:
Derina Holtzhausen
Bridget Johnson
Rhonda Marks
Barbara Newhouse
Jeremy Pavich
Stephanie Roberts
Brian Shajari
Others requesting a change of membership status are asked to notify the Board, via the Executive Director, immediately before invoices for July 2022-June 2023 are issued.
The Board of Directors meets monthly and the meetings are open to all members. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, June 28. If you would like to attend the lunch meeting, please make a reservation in advance with the Executive Director.
* * * * * *
The Board of Directors has appointed a Search Committee and approved the search process for a new Executive Director of the Rotary Club of Beaumont.
Rotary operates financially at the club, district, and international levels. Dues, along with contributions to the Beaumont Rotary Foundation, support the work done at each level. Dues are billed to the individual at the club level, andthe club pays District and International dues on behalf of every member who is on the membership roster on January 1 and July 1. In order for the club to pay dues to Rotary International on July 1, each member must be up-to-date on his/her dues to the Club no later thanJuly 1, in advance of the July 1 assessment by Rotary International.
If you are currently a member yet your January-June 2022 dues are unpaid, please contact the Executive Director immediately to speak about payment options. If your dues remain unpaid on Thursday, June 30, you will be terminated in bad-standing which means you are ineligible for membership in this or any other Rotary Club until your past due amount has been paid. If your January 1 dues were not paid on time or if you have not responded to the emails sent to you or the phone call messages, you will be sent a letter by certified and registered mail with the past due invoice and the new July 1 invoice within the week. You are required to pay both invoices or be terminated on June 30.
Beginning with the July 2022 invoice, members will be billed dues of $400 and the room assessment fee of $70 for an ANNUAL period of July - June. The annual amount is due by July 1. Members may choose to continue to pay semi-annually, but a second invoice will not be issued in December for the January payment. Only a reminder statement will be sent to you in December, requesting payment of the remaining balance by January 1.
Electronic invoices will be sent to all members who are in good-standing and do not have instructions for other payment procedures in place. If you requested to have a printed invoice mailed to you, it is being mailed to you. Please phone the office or email admin@beaumontrotaryclub.org to request a different method of billing or payment. Members with a credit card on file will receive a receipt by email when your card has been charged, or you will be contacted if your credit card information needs to be updated.
If you do not have a credit card on file, you can submit your credit card information to be kept on file so that payments are processed for you in advance of the deadline each time. Additionally, if you wish, you can make arrangements with the Executive Director to have your charge card processed for your dues in regular installments until the account is paid in full.
If you do not receive your invoice, have questions, or wish to change your membership status, call 409-842-1913. Thank you.
* * * * * * *
Meet the Newest Rotarian in the Club!
On Wednesday, May 25th, President Brad Brown was happy to welcome the newest member to the Club. Meet Catie Miller.
Catie is a proud Beaumont native and a graduate of Lamar University with a BBA in Management. She is employed as Controller for Dragon Industrial Wrap. This former Vice President of the Lamar Rotaract Club has proven leadership ability and has a heart for service.
Catie has two young sons who fill her life with joy and activity! She also enjoys baking and is a leader within in her church community too.
Welcome, Catie!
* * * * * * *
On Wednesday, May 25th, PDG Roger McCabe, Scholarship Committee Chair, announced and introduced the two students who will receive the Rotary Club of Beaumont Scholarship to attend college for the next four years.
Elizabeth Paak graduated from West Brook High School and will be attending Lamar University to pursue a degree in social work.
Ahmed Raza Qayyum is a graduate of West Brook High School also. He plans to double major in computer science and pre-med and is still considering which university he will attend.
* * * * * * *
Rotary Goes to the World Series of Beep Baseball
Play ball! On Wednesday, July 27, 2022, instead of attending the weekly Rotary Club meeting, Rotarians will serve as base judges or switch operators for the 2022 World Series of Beep Baseball being held in Beaumont! Come join the fun! (Don't worry! The duties of each position will be explained to you.)
Sign up for a slot or two or plan to spend the day! Volunteers will be given a t-shirt to wear so please indicate your size when signing up.
The final Rotary After Hours of the year was a very special event. The Club was allowed to meet at the new, not really open yet for the public, Nature Center and attendees learned about the newly-refurbished facility and even more features that will be added in the future.
Along with the usual social fun of After Hours, this year the annual Club Assembly was also included with great success. President Brad Brown and President-Elect Joanne Brown encouraged members to look forward to the new Rotary year that is about to begin. There was ample time for members to indicate how they would like to be involved in the 2022-23 year.
Thank you to the the After Hours Committee members who made all the events for 2021-22 fun and thoroughly enjoyable! Pictured are Kara Timberlake, Cheryl Bilyeu, Kevin Reed, Sheree Pierce, Deborah Drago and Chair Amanda Ellis.
* * * * * * *
THANK YOU, FLAG VOLUNTEERS!
Thank you to the Rotarians who demonstrated "Service Above Self" by posting the flags for "Show Your Colors" subscribers on Memorial Day, May 30. Great job and thank you, team!
Pat Anderson
Robert Kocot
B. Eddie Arnold
Joey Kressman
Larry Beaulieu
Dee Lane
Brad Brown
John Lee
Lynn Castle & Kris
Helen Lou
Cindy Cherry
Lane Olson
Ty Coudrain
Gigi Mazzola
Deborah Drago
Michael Perez
Phil Dunlap
Vernon Pierce
Carolyn Fernandez
Terri Potter & Lee
Jacques Gagne
Kevin Reed
Chuck Heare
Stephanie Shoemaker
Allan Higgins
Julie Strassburger
David James
Tim Sudela
Cindy Jeanis & Stacey
Mitch Templeton
Dan Jeans & Paula
Ellen Zimmerman
We are grateful for the spouses of Rotarians who love this project and devotedly help with "Show Your Colors! too" You are the best!
You are all great examples of Service Above Self!
* * * * * * *
New member
Proposed by
Status
Barbara Newhouse
Teresa Simpson
welcomed on 7-21-21
Deborah Tomov
Leonard Juncker
welcomed on 7-21-21
Joey Kressman
Sheree Pierce
welcomed on 8-04-21
Jacquetta Walker
Jay Wilson
welcomed on 8-04-21
Amy Wilson
Jay Wilson
welcomed on 8-04-21
Rebekah Patin
Cindy Cherry
welcomed on 8-04-21
James Kersh
Diane Bass
welcomed on 8-04-21
Marco Born
Craig Escamilla
welcomed on 8-18-21
Erika Harris
Teresa Simpson
welcomed on 9-01-21
Nicholas Ganjei
Dana Timaeus
welcomed on 9-01-21
Shawn Javid
Dana Timaeus
welcomed on 9-01-21
Misty Fountain
Kevin Reed
welcomed on 9-22-21
Brian Shajari
Ty Coudrain
welcomed on 10-06-21
Shelby Brannan
Deborah Drago
welcomed on 10-20-21
Kym Johns
Dee Lane
welcomed on 11-10-21
Matt Ueding
Uliana Trylowsky
welcomed on 11-10-21
Julie Strassburger
Jay Wilson
welcomed on 12-8-21
Carl Lambeth
John Lee
welcomed on 12-8-21
Jes Prince
Lynn Hill
welcomed on 3-2-22
Ashly Key
Joanne Brown
welcomed on 3-16-22
Carrie Broussard
Dean Conwell
welcomed on 04-27-22
Jessica Hogan
Rebekah Maxwell
welcomed on 04-27-22
JoLynn Mills
Jay Wilson
welcomed on 04-27-22
Mark Sonnier, II
Rebekah Maxwell
welcomed on 04-27-22
Jae "Catie" Miller
Rebekah Maxwell
welcomed on 05-25-22
Rabbi Chava Koster
Michael Wolf
awaiting Orientation
Matthew Lighty
Zach Celeste
awaiting Orientation
Annette
Harmon-Edwards
Virtue Alexander
awaiting membership approval
Emily Ross
Misty Fountain
awaiting membership approval
Do you know that when asked why they aren't a Rotarian, many people say that no one has asked them to join!
Haveinvited someone to become a Rotarian?
* * * * * * *
Would you like to be a member of the
President's Club?
Explain to someone why you are a Rotarian,
and why he/she should be too!
* * * * * * *
James Kersh
June 2
Kevin Reed
June 2
* * * * * * *
PROGRAM REVIEW
May 25, 2022
“Rotary Global Grant
Scholarship: Final Update”
Sakurah Fisher
Global Grant Scholar
Rotary District 5910
by Chuck Heare
Sakurah Fisher, the 2020 Rotary Grant Scholar for Rotary District 5910, spoke last Wednesday about her experiences during the past two years studying in Rotary’s area of focus in Peace and Conflict Resolution/Prevention at the Graduate School of International Studies at Korea University in Seoul, South Korea. Ms. Fisher served in Rotaract at Lamar University for four years and served as the President of Rotaract during her membership in the club. She graduated from Lamar in 2019 with a Batchelor’s degree in Psychology and decided to pursue a career in International Humanitarian Affairs. She was encouraged to apply for the grant by several members of the Beaumont Rotary club, and the process to apply and receive the grant took over a year. Once she received the grant, she traveled to South Korea just as the COVID pandemic broke out but was determined to press on with her studies. She was hosted by a Rotary club in Seoul, and her immediate host contact was a trustee of the Rotary International Foundation.
Ms. Fisher said the Rotary club in Seoul that hosted her was very friendly and asked her to speak at the club meetings on a couple of occasions. She said she had to learn to adapt quickly to their method of socializing which usually involved drinking together. Throughout her time at Korea University, the pandemic caused most her studies to be conducted online, though she was able to attend some Rotary meetings in person. She also participated in several fellowships including one research study through the United Nations office in Seoul. Her research group placed third overall in a competition held there. She also participated in a fellowship with the South Korea Commission on Foreign Affairs and her policy paper placed second in a competition there. Her thesis for her studies was on Refugee Protection Policy Development and Its Limitations Within the Context of East Asia.
Ms. Fisher also participated in a Student Exchange Program at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan to further study the differences between South Korea and Japan refugee protection policies for her thesis. She wanted to examine some of the archives there in Tokyo, as well as visit family there, since she was originally from Japan.
Ms. Fisher graduated earlier this year Summa Cum Laude with a Master’s Degree in International Peace and Security from Korea University. She just recently accepted an internship with the United Nations Development Program headquarters in New York. She said Rotary Service Above Self remains an imperative principle to her as she continues to pursue her career in International Peace and Security. She is very thankful and appreciative to our Rotary Club for sponsoring her in this grant program and hopes to stay in touch with our club and those who encouraged her throughout her time in Korea.
.png)
.gif)
Rotary operates
Catie is a proud Beaumont native and a graduate of Lamar University with a BBA in Management. She is employed as Controller for Dragon Industrial Wrap. This former Vice President of the Lamar Rotaract Club has proven leadership ability and has a heart for service.
n Wednesday, May 25th, PDG Roger McCabe, Scholarship Committee Chair, announced and introduced the two students who will receive the Rotary Club of Beaumont Scholarship to attend college for the next four years.
Along with the usual social fun of After Hours, this year the annual Club Assembly was also included with great success. President Brad Brown and President-Elect Joanne Brown encouraged members to look forward to the new Rotary year that is about to begin. There was ample time for members to indicate how they would like to be involved in the 2022-23 year.
.jpg)
