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.
Weekly meetings are being held in a hybrid format - meaning some members will attend in person at the Elegante while others will continue to meet using Zoom. The buffet at the hotel will open at 11:30 and those using Zoom may begin signing into the meeting at 11:30 a.m.
Members attending at the Elegante are asked to follow the Covid safety guidelines of seating only four to a table, wearing masks when not seated at the table, standing three-feet apart through the buffet line and while visiting with others. Namebadges will not be used at this time; attendance will be taken from the reservation list. Members are asked to make a reservation before 4:00 p.m. every Monday preceding the Wednesday meeting.
MEETING PREVIEW
April 7, 2021
"Cattail Marsh: an Incredible Nature Experience”
Christina Lokey
Director
of
Marketing
John Beaver
Ecotourism
Development
Coordinator
Beaumont Convention & Visitors Bureau
Come enjoy some warm and beautiful scenes of the natural beauty in our own backyard, Cattail Marsh Scenic Wetlands, with our two guest hosts: Christina Lokey, Director of Marketing, and John Beaver, Ecotourism Development Coordinator, both with the Beaumont Convention & Visitors Bureau.
"Cattail Marsh includes 900-acres of wetlands and offers a variety of recreational activities with a new boardwalk and more than eight miles of gravel levee roads for jogging, hiking, biking, horseback riding, bird watching and wildlife photography along the banks of Hildebrandt Bayou and Willow Marsh Bayou. Cattail Marsh is a wildlife refuge for a variety of aquatic mammals and more than 250 species of birds annually, including: pelicans, egrets, roseate spoonbills, ducks, ibis, doves and red-winged blackbirds." (from the website https://www.beaumontcvb.com/).
Christina and John will share the story of this beautiful natural refuge, how it was created and developed into the great tourist attraction that it is. They will tell us about the many opportunities and events you can enjoy - from kids crafts to yoga classes - that are available inside the Education Center.
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Beginning April 7, the Beaumont Rotary Club will again offer members the opportunity to attend meetings in person. The meetings will continue to be offered on Zoom so you will have the choice of two ways to attend weekly meetings. We are making changes to ensure everyone attending the meeting in person is safe and comfortable.
We will have seating for only four at each table to create additional distance. (Chairs will not be moved to expand table size, please.)
We ask - and strongly encourage - you to wear a mask when you are entering and leaving the building and when you aren’t seated at your table.
Elegante employees will serve the food from the buffet.
The Elegante needs to know in advance how many tables to set up and how many meals to prepare. We ask that you specify in advance whether you will attend in person and eat a meal at the meeting. You can go to the Google form (https://forms.gle/7UKBUGH5X2CJRA6g8) to respond OR CALL the Rotary Office at 842-1913 BY MONDAY at 4:00 p.m. each week to make a reservation to attend.
We ask that you help us consider the concerns of other club members and make sure that everyone enjoys the meeting. Thank you for your patience through this trying time and we look forward to your return when you are personally ready to do so.
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Virtual Head Table for April 7
Invocation:
Ty Coudrain
Owner
Ty Coudrain Aflac Insurance Agency
Pledge to USA Flag:
Lori Higgins
Assistant Vice President, Business & Community Development
MobilOil Credit Union
Introduction of Guest Speaker:
Bel Morian
Public Programming Director
The McFaddin-Ward House Museum
If you would like to serve on the head table at a date in the future, please sign up online at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/904054ba5a62fa3f49-head or phone chair, Mandy Clayton at 409-718-7056 or email arclayton@lit.edu
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CALENDAR OF ROTARY EVENTS
(Club events & opportunities for meeting makeups)
April
7
Weekly meeting as HYBRID; members can choose to attend using Zoom or in-person at the Elegante; reservations required.
8
N.E.S.T. at Martin Elementary Kickoff with check presentation at Lamar University; 1:30 p.m.
10
Beaumont Rotary Centennial Playground "Super-Spreader!"; 8:30-1:00; 600 Crockett Street
21
No weekly meeting today; District Conference meeting on Thursday or Friday or participation in the Rise Against Hunger Project on Saturday substitutes as meeting of the week.
22
District Conference - Day 1; 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; on Zoom; sign up to attend
23
District Conference - Day 2; 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; on Zoom; sign up to attend
24
District Conference - Day 3 - Rise Against Hunger project in Conroe; sign up to attend
27
Board of Directors monthly meeting; 11:30 a.m.; as a hybrid meeting
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We are going to have a great day giving the Beaumont Rotary Centennial Playground a spring cleaning & refreshing day! It's going to be the best kind of "Super-Spreader Event" ever, according to Chair John Lee! Plan to come join us as we replace the ground cover that has been worn away by lots of children having fun through the years!
Projects will also include washing down the equipment that is in almost constant use and doing a little touch-up painting here-and-there. It will be a great day to socially distance while having some great outdoor fun with other Rotarians. We have some Lamar Rotaract members committed to helping and hope to have some Lamar students join us, too, as part of "The Big Event" day of community service.
If you can come, we need wheelbarrows, shovels and rakes, cleaning supplies and towels/rags. You will want to bring some personal items like work gloves, a hat, and sunscreen too. Remember to wear closed-toe shoes. See you there!
The Rotary Club of Beaumont is hosting the District 5910 Conference, and YOU should be a part! As a virtual conference, everyone can attend at no cost. The Club meeting on Wednesday, April 21 has been cancelled and attending either the Thursday or Friday Zoom sessions or the Rise Against Hunger project (in person) on Saturday will count as your attendance for the week. Please register to attend any of the sessions through the links below.
Rotarians, we really need you to become a part of the weekly meeting! We need volunteers for leading the invocation and the pledges. Please consider volunteering! Look at your calendar and select a date that is convenient for your schedule. Red Badges are strongly encouraged to volunteer for this opportunity so you can move closer to your blue badge and members can get to know you better too.
On March 31, 2021, Caitlin Clay, the Curator of Exhibitions at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas gave a wonderful presentation on Delita Martin, a native of Arkansas, whose art is currently displayed at AMSET. Martin’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally. In 2015 she was featured in the International Review of African American Art as one of sixteen “African American Artists to Watch” who are gaining national and international recognition.
Martin is the first African American woman to have a solo exhibition at AMSET. Her exhibition, Conjure, principally depicts black women and children using a technique called mono prints. Her pieces portray women models in creative poses using striking colors, decorative papers, mirrors, wood block cuts, acrylic, charcoal, hand stitching, and gold leaf. Throughout many of her pieces, Martin incorporates birds and circles to symbolize the moon and women. For inspiration, Martin draws upon her childhood as well as other experiences with her grandmother and mother. In many of her works, the viewer can perceive Martin’s unique ability to illustrate the dual form of women, meaning women as they exist in reality and as part of a spiritual realm. In addition to these pieces, AMSET displays a collection of “dinner plates” in the education portion of the museum. Each dinner plate portrays a different woman or child, drawn by Martin using a graphic crayon.
Martin’s beautiful work will be on display at AMSET until May 23, 2021.
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Link to the Zoom page which includes this and all the recorded meetings for January- March 2021.
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Beginning April 7, the Beaumont Rotary Club will again offer members the opportunity to attend meetings in person. The meetings will continue to be offered on Zoom so you will have the choice of two ways to attend weekly meetings. We are making changes to ensure everyone attending the meeting in person is safe and comfortable.
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