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.
There will not be a meeting at the MCM Eleganté this week.
"Our 1.2 million-member organization started with the vision of one man—Paul P. Harris. The Chicago attorney formed one of the world’s first service organizations, the Rotary Club of Chicago, on 23 February 1905 as a place where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. Rotary’s name came from the group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of each member."
In the initial years of the organization, Rotarians learned about one another and the various diverse professions of the members by meeting in the offices, factories, businesses and firms of the club members. We repeat the practice annually and learn more about one another in the process.
Thank you to our hosts and the host sites for inviting Rotarians to visit and enjoy lunch with you.
HOSTS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5
Tim Sudela
American Valve & Hydrant
3525 Hollywood Avenue
Beaumont
Lynn Castle
Art Museum of Southeast Texas
500 Main Street
Beaumont
Jennifer Burch
Best Hospice Care of Texas
3120 Fannin
Beaumont
Pat Anderson
Jefferson County Sheriff's Department
5030 Highway 69 S
Beaumont
Coby Roberts
Sandy Moschettieri
Primerica
6432 Concord Road
Beaumont
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CALENDAR OF ROTARY EVENTS
(Club events & opportunities for meeting makeups)
FEBRUARY
5
No meeting at the Elegante; meetings are at locations of Rotary Goes to Work hosts
12
Meeting at the Elegante; Service Day with hands-on projects; bring a friend
25
Board of Directors meeting; 11:45 a.m. at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas (make reservation by Friday, January 24.)
29
Service Above Self: "Sleep in Heavenly Peace" project constructing beds (see article and sign up below)
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BOARD ACTION
In recent Board Action, the Board of Directors approved membership changes which were announced at the meeting on January 29:
Members terminated, effective December 31, 2019
Tish Cornell
James Farren
Robert Laughlin
Resignations, accepted with regret from"
Patrick Calhoun
Scott Hatcher
Roy Huckaby
Toni McPherson
George Perrett
Joy Walker
Shelly Vitanza, Director of Public Affairs, Lamar University
Classification: "University - Public Affairs"
Proposed by Paula Bothe
If you have an objection to the proposal, please express your objection in writing within 10 days.
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Rotary dues were due by January 1.
If you have not paid yet, please do so this week.
Thank you to those who submitted payment so promptly!
You can easily pay online using the link on your invoice or visit the secure payment page (click here).
If you prefer, mail a check to:
2355 IH 10 South, Suite 213
Beaumont, TX 77705
Please save the office staff and the Board of Directors considerable time and expense by paying your dues now!
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FEBRUARY 12: Club Service Day
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!
We have plans for several different hands-on service projects to work on and possibly complete on Service Day. The first priority is to assemble 150 Layette bags for women and children of Nicaragua. Everyone will have the opportunity to roll up his/her sleeves and lend a hand to this project, funded in part with a grant from District 5910.
If you sit on a board or work with an agency in Beaumont that has a need for help with a hands-on project to be done that day, please contact Jennifer Gregory or the Rotary office to learn what will be needed to be included. Jennifer can be reached at 409-791-5418 or jgregory@coburns.com.
Plan now to bring co-workers and friends with you to the meeting on February 12 as the more hands and hearts we have working together, the more we will be able to accomplish on this day of service!
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T. Kelsey Lamb, Sr. Award for Business Ethics
NOMINATION INFORMATION: DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 12
The T. Kelsey Lamb, Sr. 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.
T. Kelsey Lamb, Sr.
1942-43 President of the Rotary Club of Beaumont
The original criteria for the award explains:
Nominees must be a member in good standing of the Rotary Club of Beaumont.
Nominees will have exhibited high ethical standards in their chosen vocation arising from a specific incident or by their consistent actions over a period of time.
First presented in 1996, the T. Kelsey Lamb, Sr. Award for Business Ethics has annually recognized some of the Club's outstanding members. In 2019, this prestigious honor was presented to Phil Dunlap.
2019 chair Henry Venta presented the T. Kelsey Lamb, Sr. Award for Business Ethics to recipient Phil Dunlap.
An annual tradition since 1996, the Award is named in honor of the late T. Kelsey Lamb, Sr. who served as 1942-43 President of our club and as 1951-52 District Governor. It is presented to a Beaumont Rotarian who consistently exhibits the highest ethical standards represented by the Rotary 4-Way Test in his or her chosen profession.
RECIPIENTS
1996 Thomas K. Lamb, Jr.
1997 Benny Hughes, Jr.
1998 Lum Edwards, Jr.
1999 Douglas E. Steinman, Jr.
2000 Dan Hallmark
2001 Roberta Applegate
2002 Floyd McSpadden
2003 Floyd McSpadden
2004 Charlie Weinbaum, Jr.
2005 Alex Broussard & James Broussard
2006 Jeff Dyson
2007 Earl Hines
2008 Larry Beaulieu
2009 Gerald Condon
2010 Charles "Chuck" Mason
2011 Jerry Carl White (posthumously)
2012 Patrick Anderson
2013 Enrique "Henry" Venta
2014 Tim Sudela
2015 Joe Domino, Robert Turner &
Jimmy Simmons
2016 Becky Mason
2017 Dana Timaeus
2018 Steven R. Lucas
2019 Phil Dunlap
Our Club will award the coveted honor at the February 26th meeting, according to this year's chairman, Steve Lucas. Dr. Toni Mulvaney, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Administration and Professor of Accounting and Business Law at Lamar University, has been selected as the guest speaker on the topic of ethics.
The deadline for nomination is Wednesday, February 12th.
Can you imagine your children or grandchildren having to sleep on the floor every night? It's hard to bellieve that there are hundreds of children in our local area doing that. The request for beds is well over 400! Let's do something about that staggering number. A local non-profit named "Sleep in Heavenly Peace" is working diligently to construct twin beds and fulfill the needs. A mattress and bedding is also given to each child so they can sleep in their own bed "in heavenly peace."
On Saturday, February 29, the agency has set up a special day for our Club and friends to work together and build beds. No tools are needed and no carpentry skills are required! Wear your "Rotarian at Work" shirt and come get a little sawdust in your hair and let's see how many beds we can complete that day. Work will begin at 8:15 and last until Noon. Children and teens are invited to take part too, but a parent must be present with each minor child.
If you cannot work that day, perhaps you would like to support the effort by donating a "bed in a bag" set of sheets and bedspread for a twin size bed. You can bring to the Rotary office or any meeting between now and February 29 and we will see it is donated to the project.
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The Rotary Club of Beaumont is pleased to announce its scholarship to be awarded to two high school students graduating in 2020.
The application must be completed by all students wishing to be considered for a Rotary Club of Beaumont Scholarship. The Scholarship Committee will review all applications and recommend to the Board those two students whose academic success, leadership potential, and community service activities demonstrate a commitment to “Service Above Self.”
Specific requirements can be found on the application which is available through the link below.
Deadline for application is March 1st. Only applications that are completed and received by the deadline will be considered. No electronic submissions are accepted. Application can be delivered (address above left) or mailed but it must be RECEIVED (NOT postmarked) by March 1. A copy of this application is available at www.beaumontrotaryclub.org/Scholarship Application.
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Have you ever considered hosting a student from another country? What a great experience for the host family!
In order to arrange exchanges in other countries for our local students, we must host students from other countries as well – so host clubs are needed for the coming Rotary year! The students from Beaumont who want to go on an exchange need to have a Beaumont club agree to host an incoming exchange student as well. It is a wonderful experience for everyone who participates in the program – students, host families, schools, and host clubs!
Before we commit our Club's participation in this District program of service, we must secure one to three families who are excited about opening their home and family for an exchange student for a few months of the next school year. With three families serving as hosts, the student's time in the USA would be split among the three homes so you would only host for approximately 3 months.
Host families do not need to be Rotarians. If you have a neighbor or friend who might be interested in becoming a host family, please put them in touch with us.
If you need more information about what is (and what is not) involved in hosting, please contact Cindy Cherry or Lynn Castle. Lynn and her family have hosted a student before, and she would be happy to share with you what is involved and what you can expect by participating in the experience. Please contact Cindy to express your interest too as she is eager to have the Club participate in the program next Rotary year if hosts can be secured.
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Dan Jeans
February 9
Teresa Simpson
February 9
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CELEBRATING
ROTARY ANNIVERSARIES!
Your membership in our Club is important to us!
Honorary
Karen Bourdier
February 6, 2013
7 years
Chad Mason
February 8, 2012
8 years
Wesley Shipley
February 8, 2017
3 years
Charles Wall
February 8, 1978
42 years
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Rotarian Gary Hidalgo was recently tapped for state-wide leadership when he was named President-Elect of the Arc of Texas.
The Arc of Texas has been instrumental in the creation of virtually every program, service, right, and benefit that is now available to more than half a million Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Today, The Arc continues to advocate for including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in all aspects of society.
Congratulations, Gary!
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We send wishes for a quick recovery to our friends and fellow Rotarians who are ill, are anticipating or recovering from surgery, or just in need of encouragement, support and good wishes.
Beverly Hatcher
Roy Huckaby
Sharen Kirksey
Ray Baker (Angela Baker's husband)
If you know of others who should be added to this list, please advise the office staff at 409-842-1913.
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PROGRAM PREVIEW
January 29, 2020
"How Does the Census Benefit You and Your Community"
Bridget Johnson
Partnership Specialist
U.S. Census Bureau
by Bobbie Applegate
The Census Bureau is the largest statistical agency in the U S government. The Bureau collects data in two basic ways: census and surveys. The census collects population data every decennial. The other census areas concern economic and governmental data. The surveys range from month to annual reporting and they provide information concerning demographic populations (which directly effects the number of districts that indicate the number of representatives per state in Congress). In 2010 Texas added four districts due to increase in population. There are also economic and sponsored surveys.
No personal information is given out from any surveys. Only statistical information may be obtained. The census has its formation in the Constitution. All states and territories are included in the gathering of data. The census is funded in the budget.
Federal programs are impacted by the census results. In total there are 13 programs that rely on the census from Medicare/Medicaid, Pell Grants, CHIPS, SNAP and Community Development Block Grants.
As individuals, we will all receive notice of the census and response may be made via internet, phone, mail or in-person. The notices will be sent on March 12th. All persons residing in the US and territories should be counted. The census is based on the number of persons residing in a residence, whether you rent or own, sex, age, race and relationship of residents to each other. If you do not respond to the census, you may receive a phone call or a knock on the door in order for the census taker to resolve any open cases. The census must be completed and presented to the President by December 31, 2020.
In Beaumont one of the areas in the city had a non-response percentage of 30. It is important to respond. The hardest populations to count are children 0 to 3 years, highly mobile individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, non-English speaking and low income.
The Census Bureau needs help in getting the best information possible out to the public in order to get an accurate count in order for our community to receive funding in federal programs.
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The Rotary Club of Port Arthur is holding their annual Taste of Gumbo fundraiser on Saturday, February 8, 2020.
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Rotarian Gary Hidalgo was recently tapped for state-wide leadership when he was named President-Elect of the Arc of Texas. 
