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.
Bill Gates needs no introduction and certainly not to a Rotary Club. Gates is known for founding and building the overwhelmingly successful Microsoft Corporation which placed him among the wealthiest people in the world. In 2000, he and his wife, Melinda, founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and through the Foundation, they have donated generously to many, many charitable endeavors including Rotary's work to eradicate polio.
Some would say the idea of having Bill Gates as the speaker for a meeting of the Rotary Club of Beaumont is an impossible dream. However, the beauty of the Internet is that almost anything is possible! On Wednesday, April 1, Bill Gates will be the speaker at the Club's meeting, and that's not an April Fool's joke! We will post two very interesting video presentations made by Bill Gates regarding the health crisis affecting the world.
Set aside the time on Wednesday to "attend" your Rotary meeting!
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Club weekly "in person" meetings are cancelled.
The Board of Directors cancelled the Club's weekly meetings to reduce the possibility of exposure of our members and guests to COVID-19 and to mitigate the spread of the disease in Beaumont. Weekly "in person" meetings will resume when the ban on social gatherings is lifted by state and local officials.
The Board of Directors will continue to meet monthly online. If you would like to participate in one of the online meetings, phone Jacque Chapman for more information.
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After a very successful day of work at the Sleep in Heavenly Peace warehouse at the end of February, the volunteers knew their work was not over. They built about 50 beds that could be distributed to children who have to sleep on the floor of their home. However, the bed cannot be delivered to the new owner until it is completely ready to be used. Each one needs a mattress, pillow, and linens to complete it. The charitable organization's organizers explained to our volunteers that they had the greatest need for pillows and linens. We asked you - club members - to assist by donating "bed-in-a-bag" sets and with your generosity many were provided to the charity. The Beaumont Rotary Foundation committed $1,000 for the purchase of pillows, and another $1,000 to purchase mattresses.
President Elect Cindy Cherry and her son Daniel, Gary Moncla, and Pat Anderson answered the call to service and delivered the large boxes to the warehouse.
Now, the beds are ready for delivery to some anxious children and teens!
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Before the current "Stay Home - Work Safe" order went into effect, President Elect Cindy Cherry was busy making preparations for next year when she will serve as Club President. Cindy took time to attend an informational training session for the BISD Mentor program, thinking of personal involvement in making an impact on a child's life. Moreover, she is considering how our Club can become more involved with the children at Martin and have an even bigger impact. She was featured in an article that appeared in today's Beaumont Enterprise.
"Cindy Cherry, who is a retired probation officer and member of the Beaumont Rotary Club, completed her training to become a mentor before the closures impacted the district."
“We have about 250 people in the club, and we want a transformative project, so we partnered with Martin Elementary after (Tropical Storm) Harvey, because they were exceptionally hard hit,” Cherry said. “We were able to give every student there a pair of shoes and coats, and for the last couple years we have been giving them books.”
But the desire to do more came after Homer Drive Elementary School Principal Belinda George talked with Cherry at a Rotary Club meeting. “She said you can give money and you can build things and do all of these, but what they really need is your time,” Cherry said."
More than ever, we would like to hear from our members! We would like to know if you are not doing well through this time of crisis and if there is anything we can do to assist you. We have been through hurricanes and floods together, and we can get through this together also!
Please let us hear from you!
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
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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Congratulations & Best Wishes!
Alicia McKibbin and Don Harkey
were married on
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Best wishes, Alicia!
We wish you both much happiness!
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Is your small business feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic? Rotarian Ty Coudrain supplied this information that will be helpful to small business owners.
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