Neither rain, sleet nor snow could dampen the fun of RYLA 2015 which concluded on Sunday. Each year, the impact this program has on students from across District 5910 is amazing and inspirational.
We will get to hear about the event and vicariously share in some of the experiences. Our team of volunteers, led by Tim Sudela, and some of the student participants will share photos and tales of the weekend with us. This will be great fun and you will be energized too; don't miss it!
Please note we are no longer able to announce the week's menu. Diners can expect a salad bar, soup, two entree buffet and sides of vegetables or starches. Desserts and coffee will be available on the sidebars.
The Rotary year is approximately at the mid-point which means half the goals for the year should be completed and accomplished! How is your committee doing? Do you need some motivation, ideas and support? Consider attending the District 5910 Mid-Year meeting on Saturday, February 7.
Click on the image to open the document of information and sign up to attend!
If you need assistance with registration or more information, contact the Rotary Office.
The T. Kelsey Lamb Award for Business Ethics is presented annually to a Beaumont Rotarian who consistently exhibits the highest ethical standards represented by the Rotary Four-Way Test in his or her chosen vocation.
In 2014, this prestigious honor was presented to Tim Sudela, pictured center above, flanked on the left by the speaker Floyd McSpadden, John Paschall who announced the recipient, and on the right by Award Chairman Craig Escamilla and President Chad Blanchard.
Our Club will award the coveted honor at the February 25th meeting, according to this year's chairman, Ken Evans.
The deadline for nomination is Wednesday, February 4th.
Indeed, “Rotary has heart,” and the Rotary Club of Beaumont has a BIG heart, giving time and resources in Service Above Self year round. How appropriate that we designate a date close to Valentine’s Day, as our Club Service Day, providing hands-on service to multiple projects and collectively having a BIG impact!
President Vernon Pierce envisions a day when, rather than a speaker presentation, Club members become actively involved in hands-on service projects. Including the annual assembly of Layette bags for women and children of Nicaragua, everyone will have the opportunity to roll up his/her sleeves and give of themselves in service to one or more projects.
Will your favorite nonprofit, service organization be involved? Is there something the club members can do to help you get a project started and/or completed at the weekly meeting? Perhaps it is as simple as folding papers or affixing stamps to a mailing, assembling items for client giftbags, repairing small toys, or any other task* for which a service organization (please, no for-profit business projects!) needs volunteer assistance. We need to hear that you have an idea for the Club Service Day!
For more information and to express your interest, please contact the Rotary Office at 842-1913 or stay briefly after the meeting on Wednesday, January 14. We are looking forward to this exciting day and hope your favorite service organization will be a part.
*Please remember, we are planning to have projects done in the Ballrooms of the Elegante. Any materials needed for the project will need to be brought to the hotel and removed when completed.
We send wishes for a quick recovery to our friends and fellow Rotarians who have been ill. We hope you are better soon!
Tolbert Chisum
Oney Fitzpatrick
Chuck Kalkbrenner
Carolyn McGuire
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We were delighted to see Connie Szuch and Tolbert Chisum back at Rotary this week.
Tolbert is more than halfway through his chemo treatments and reports doing well.
Connie is feeling much improved after a third back surgery and, though still required to restrict activity, she is beginning to get back into her usual busy routine.
Please let us know of others who should be included in our weekly good wishes article.
Smythe Shepherd joined the Rotary Club of Beaumont in April, 1939. After 50 years of active membership and service, Smythe became an Honorary member in 1989. He was a Paul Harris Fellow.
Public Meetings Scheduled for Superintendent Search
The Beaumont Independent School District Board of Managers has employed Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Executive Search Services to assist with the search for a new superintendent to replace Vernon Butler, current Beaumont ISD Superintendent. The Board has requested that school personnel and the public be involved in developing the qualifications and characteristics of the person the Board should seek to become the new superintendent.
Community involvement meetings will be held Tuesday, January 20 – 22, 2015.The TASB search consultant will facilitate discussions with community members. To view the schedule for these meetings please click below.
Lisa Boler is with Harvest House, an organization working to call public attention to the issue of sex trafficking. Lisa works with the Beaumont Police Department and especially Officer Joe Ornelas, the officer charged with training and education about this problem in our area.
Officer Ornelas gave some staggering statistics concerning this crime and the persons who become victims.
The global cost of a slave is about $90.
There are 27-30 million people who are or have been victims of sex trafficking.
The profits of sex trafficking are estimated to be $30 to $32 billion dollars a year (unrecorded income of course).
The victim’s average ages are between 12 and 14.
Officer Ornelas explained that trafficking applies to three general areas: sex, labor and organs. Victims who have been smuggled have all identity taken from them and they are often “beaten into submission.” Smuggling results in a person being on their own once they arrive in the location.
The I-10 corridor is the primary route for trafficking. The victims are sold many, many times over, and their only escape may be from someone recognizing what is happening and calling 911.
Two brief videos of teenagers, one 18 and one 13, presented the strategy of the traffickers in dealing with teenage girls. The accounts were very sobering and enlightening.
Sponsor ads appear on the website continuously and are included in the sidebar of the RotaryGrams each week. One will be spotlighted weekly to express our appreciation.
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