Second notices for January - June 2014 dues are being sent this week. If you have not paid your invoice, please check your email for it. Members without an email on file will receive a copy in US Postal mail. Please submit payment as we have paid Rotary International dues on your behalf.
The Agenda is quite full of special events and important business this week. The opening bell will ring very shortly after Noon. Please plan to arrive early in order to get your lunch before the program begins.
PROGRAM PREVIEW
March 12, 2014
"The Neches River Adventure Program"
Michael W. Hoke, Ed.D.
Director
Michael Hoke, retired Director of Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center, is not retired from his dedication to education and making the world a better place. Mike is currently volunteering as the Director of the Neches River Adventure Project for the Big Thicket Association.
Mike is Founding Director of the Nature Classroom Project, and founding and current Director of the DuPont Science SuperStars program which is said to have impacted more than 30,000 elementary students in its initial seven years of operation.
Mike is well-known as the Founding Director of Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center and was a science teacher at all levels of the educational system for 29 years. He was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching by President Bush in 1989.
When Mike retired from Shangri La in 2013, The Record, Orange County News reported, "There is no doubt in the future, Hoke will continue to teach all who meet him the importance of taking care of the world we live in and how to make it a better place."
Ever wish YOU had the opportunity to ring the opening bell at the meeting?
For a donation of $25 to the Beaumont Rotary Foundation, you will be allowed to do just that. You will be called up to ring the bell to start the meeting.
When he rings the bell to conclude the meeting, President Chad Blanchard will match your donation with another $25 donation to the Beaumont Rotary Foundation!
Bell Ringer
on March 12
Anonymous
at the request
of donor
Would you like to be the Bell Ringer at a meeting and support the Beaumont Rotary Foundation at the same time? Please volunteer by contacting President Chad Blanchard or the Rotary Office today.
Rotarians and friends will visit all Beaumont schools and deliver personalized "I Like Me!" books to every first grade student.
Whether the Rotarian reads the book aloud or has the children take turns reading, Rotarians have the pleasure of seeing the children's eyes widen and the smiles appear as they hear, see and read their own name in the story.
Be a part of the fun. Pick your favorite school and sign up yourself and your friends and co-workers. Spread the love of reading!
WE HAVE A NUMBER OF SCHOOLS THAT STILL ARE IN NEED OF VOLUNTEERS. If you have not signed up to participate yet, please click on the link below to view the online sign up sheet and choose the school you would like to visit or sign up at the next meeting.
A few weeks ago, Rotarian Kristie Fuselier, Director of Student Activities at West Brook, was seen toting in a number of plastic bags of tee shirts from the school. A number of Rotarians have also been spotted delivering bags, boxes and stacks of shirts for a District-wide service project: collecting tee shirts for Nicaragua.
A tee shirt can be cut front and back, hemmed and turned into a diaper. Nicaraguan youths are trained to operate foot pedal powered sewing machines so the cutting and hemming are taken care of locally. This becomes a win-win situation for them, the children earn income for their family, and Nicaraguan mothers have access to inexpensive diapers.
Members of the Interact Club at Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School helped to fill the truck with shirts they collected from fellow students. The students were happy to stay after the school bell rang to help load the boxes and bundles into the delivery van.
Thank you, Kelly Interact Club!
We thank Major Florian Estarada and the Salavation Armyfor helping with the success of the project by providing the delivery truck and storage of the shirts until they can be brought to the District Conference in April.
It's not too late! If you still have closets and drawers to empty, bring your clean, used shirts to any Rotary meeting or to the Rotary office and we will see that your donation goes to a good purpose.
If you have not yet paid the January - June 2014 invoice for dues, please do so as it is now considered past due. Second notices are being sent this week to your email inbox.
Remember, you don't even have to leave your desk to make a payment. Simply access your personal account through the link on the bottom of the invoice you receive, or use the homepage link, in the righthand column, that looks like this:
If you need assistance or a printed copy of your invoice mailed to you, please phone the Rotary Office at 842-1913.
Two Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Beaumont, Connie Szuch and Uliana Trylowsky, were among a group of five honored by the Pioneering Women--a grass-roots organization founded to enhance the lives of women/girls.
The mission of Pioneering Women is to motivate, educate, activate, and lift up women for the benefit of humankind. Their fundraising efforts each year are used to support many needs of women, including textbooks for higher education students, exam fees for GED's, scholarships, Ben's Kids, Girls Haven, other needs in our area.
This year Pioneering Women is celebrating the 94th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which provided women the right to vote in America.
The Honorees, identified as "The Amazing Greats," are being recognized for their contributions and charged with "Running the Race that is set before them!" Special events will continue for several months. Connie says, "I am especially humbled to be recognized for 'making a difference' in our community."
Have you considered becoming an advertiser in the RotaryGrams and on the website for the Rotary Club of Beaumont? What a great opportunity to support the club and have your business name in front of hundreds of potential customers or supporters every day.
For $600 per year, your company's ad will run continuously on the homepage and on every subsequent page of the website. The ads can be linked to your company's website to increase your visibility and customer service. The ads will be shown at weekly meetings as well.
If you would like to pay in quarterly or semi-annual installments, please phone the Rotary office so we can accommodate your needs.
Renewal letters will be sent to current subscribers soon. Thank you for continuing to include Rotary in your advertising budget. Please respond with your payment quickly so we can continue your ad without interruption.
President-Elects attending a specially designed training conference in March (for our Rotary District/Zone) that prepares them for service as club president. District and Zone officials facilitate the sessions of the President Elect Training Seminar.
The delegation from the Rotary Club of Beaumont included President-Elect Vernon Pierce, and his wife Sheree, and President-Nominee Pat Anderson. PDG Roger McCabe serves on the PETS Board and presented sessions, assisted by Sharon McCabe. Becky and Chuck Mason were responsible for the Spouse Program.
An entire slide show of pictures can be viewed on Facebook and will be in the District Newsletter at the beginning of April.
Kyle Hayes gave members a State of the City address today that encompassed objectives of the city and projects that are in the works now and the near future.
The objectives of the City are clear:
Do we have the right team? (best people we have ever had);
Where are we going? (making our City a desirable place to live, work and play);
Did we get it done? (evaluate every project objectively).
The City’s mission is to provide quality services and that includes maintaining great financial condition, improving the facilities we have, addressing capital programs and revitalizing downtown. Of the $250 million annual budget: 34% comes from sales tax, 29% comes from property taxes and 13% comes from industrial partners.
Kyle updated us on the oil and gas royalties at the airport. The City has received $54.5 million dollars so far and most of it has been used on road projects: 7th Street from Wall to IH-10, Washington Blvd from MLK to IH-10, Old Dowlen Rd to 105 and the NW Parkway which will clear traffic congestion around the mall area.
The Concord Road project (E. Lucas to 105) is being managed by TXDoT and Federal funds (result of Hurricane Ike). Other road projects include Delaware and Magnolia.
Other projects in the City include:
new tennis courts and building at the Municipal Courts on College;
relocation of Fire Station 1 and 11;
new hike and bike trail from Major Drive to Dowlen at Folsom;
improvements at River Front Park (5 railroad tracks have been removed: a new playground, walking paths, spray park and a small arena are in the plans);
new senior center adjacent to the Event Center;
new public health facility in the Old Armory on College;
excess office space in the Civic Center will house exhibits for the future Children’s Museum; and,
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