An update from the Rotary Club of Southlake's  Global Scholar, Abbey Walsh:

"Classes and final assignments were completed by the end of May and now I'm embarking on my primary research for my dissertation. Because of COVID I'll be engaging with all of the participants online, but I'm choosing to see this as a good opportunity because now I'll be able to connect with people from many different places. My research is going to focus on how people understand their own power and under what circumstances people may choose to give up or dismantle their power in the pursuit of social change. I'll be staying in Brighton until September to work on my dissertation and then I plan to move back to Washington, DC.

The past couple of months in Brighton have been really lovely now that the weather has gotten warmer and restrictions have eased up a bit. It's a really beautiful place to live! We have access to amazing hiking trails as well as the ocean, so I've been spending a lot of time outside. The ocean is quite cold here (about 50 degrees F) but I've started going on short swims with friends because there are supposedly a lot of benefits to swimming in cold water. It's quite a shock to the system when you get in but feels really nice afterward! It's been a great new experience.

Hoping all is well with you and the rest of the Rotary Club!  ---- Abbey Walsh

We heard a presentation from  Joe Berninger, Executive Director & Founder of the Guatemala Literacy Project &  the Director of Guatemala Rise, a literacy/education project for young students in Guatemala. For many families in Guatemala, continuing school past 6th grade is not an option as, after this grade, families must pay for their child's education. What results is a population of young adults who do not have the skills and education necessary to join the workforce, ultimately resulting in the lack of a middle class and the perpetuation of extreme poverty. 

Guatemala Rise's mission is to bridge that gap and allow students to continue their education to pursue career opportunities that better their families, community, country, and ultimately the world. 

How can you help? 

One of our newest members, Lynda Warner, put forth an extremely generous proposition. If our Club raises $1000, Lynda will match and give an additional $1,000. Lynda’s generosity resulted in many of our members, who were in attendance, pledging $40, and another one of our new members, Carl, pledging an additional $1,000. WOW is all I can say. And a sincere THANK YOU to all who have pledged so far! 

I want to extend an invitation to those who couldn’t attend but want to participate in helping to maximize Southlake Rotarian's Lynda Warner's matching donation. Please respond to this email with your pledge amount. If every member gives $40, we will raise the $1000 needed for one scholarship for a child.  All commitments to this project will be billed on the July quarterly invoice, which you will receive early next month.

Here is the website to learn more about the Guatemala Rise Project. Also, the program was recorded for anyone who would like to watch. 

This is one of those opportunities that a small amount of money can literally change a life and the world. Thank you in advance for your generosity! 

• DPS (Department of Public Safety) Appreciation Day/Officer of the Year Award;
• Scholarships for the children of Southlake DPS police officers and firefighters;
• Quarterly Trash Pick Up for the City of Southlake’s ‘Adopt a Street Program’;
• GRACE Christmas Cottage Toy Drive & GRACE Pantry food drives;
• Providing resources & support to the Community Storehouse & Metroport Meals on Wheels;
• Delivering winter garments to area Homeless Shelters; and
• Sponsorship of a Rotary International foreign exchange student;  and
• Sponsorship of a dental clinic in Costa Rica

I just wanted to update you on the past two weeks. I had a great time attending the Rotary District Conference the previous weekend! District 1130 brought in some great speakers and chose a great location by the ocean. I had fantastic time meeting all the Rotarians based in London and interacting with the other Rotary Scholars at the conference. Unfortunately I did not meet anyone from the Hammersmith Club. Nevertheless, I was able to secure a chance to present to the Enfield Rotary Club in November! I have also enjoyed the chance to meet Rotarians at my host club. Stella Russell took great care of us at the conference. Last night, I also had a great time grabbing dinner with my councilor Anil Dhiri. Overall, it's been a great two weeks of Rotary events and meetings! On a separate topic, would it be possible to visit the Southlake Rotary Club during Christmas break? I plan to be home from December 17th to 28th. I would love to come visit on the 21st or 28th if there are meetings!

Very respectfully,

Danny Vegel

By Stephanie A. Urchick, chair of Rotary’s Strategic Planning Committee

We are now more than a year into the process of revisiting Rotary’s strategic plan, a process that will allow us to examine our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in order to move the organization in a direction that will allow Rotary to thrive in the years ahead. Our new vision statement is the first lap in that three-year journey.

You may have seen the vision statement and wondered what its relevance is to you. If Rotary were a ship approaching land, our new vision statement would be the lighthouse that keeps us from running aground. Our vision statement explains what we want to achieve, in the same way that our mission statement explains our focus, and our strategic plan represents how we are going to get there.

Strategic planning is a process, not an event. And it is certainly not limited to activity conducted in the board room. Almost 30,000 Rotarians, Rotaractors, and alumni participated in the 2017 triennial strategic planning survey sent out last January. Our strategy office and our consultant partner, Grant Thornton, then conducted countless focus groups, in-depth interviews, and discussions with Rotarians, non-Rotarians, Rotary leaders, alumni, Rotaractors, and others to gather more insight. Over the course of all these sessions, more than one million individuals had an opportunity to provide input.

Out of these focus groups, different elements emerged that were then tested around the world to be sure they were culturally appropriate to both a Rotarian and non-Rotarian audience. These elements became our 24-word vision statement.

“Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

President-elect Barry Rassin did a masterful job of unpacking the vision statement to incoming district governors and other leaders at the 2018 International Assembly in January. More and more leaders and members are having a chance to see and hear the vision statement and think about how these words reflect the impact we wish to have on the world.

Entering the second year of the process, we will begin to test “priority concepts” that will move Rotary toward our vision statement. These concepts are being tested in every part of the world through additional focus groups, to ensure these concepts resonate in all geographies, all languages, and all cultures. In the third year, the rubber will hit the road. Strategies and tactics will be created and approved, and districts and clubs will be asked to try them and give us feedback.

Why is all this important? Let’s look at Amazon, a great example of the power of strategic planning. Amazon was the very first company to endorse free shipping. Amazon, researchers have noted, rose to power not by inventing a new product or service, but by analyzing the entire industry and making multiple moves into the future, much like a chess game.

Our three year-process allows for many checkpoints along the way to determine if we are still on the right track, if external or internal aspects have changed, and if a response to these changes requires altering our trajectory. When the strategic plan finally rolls out two years from now, there will be more than one million people who — because they had input — can say, “I helped shape that plan.”

What would we like you to do? Share the vision statement with your fellow club members. Think about what it means to your club. And look for opportunities to give your input into our strategic planning process. Help us chart a course for taking action to create lasting change.

We are proud to announce that at the District Conference (May 13), our club was recognized as the Rotary Club of the Year for small clubs.

There are about 25 clubs in the district that qualify as small clubs. Southlake Rotary was recognized and awarded in almost every category:

Vocational Service Award – 1^st Place

Foundation Award – 1^st Place

Public Image Award – 1^st Place

International Service Award – 1^st Place

Youth Service Award – 2^nd Place

Membership Award – 2^nd Place

Club Service Award – 2^nd Place

Although we don't do it for awards, it’s nice to be recognized by our peers and fellow Rotarians for our achievements. Thanks to the team efforts of our growing membership and others the community, we have been able to accomplish a lot for a small club. With your help, we look forward to accomplishing more in the years to come.