Notes from October 16, 2025 by Colton Heinrich
President Cara Sauceda rang the bell to start the meeting at 12:05 p.m. She then invited Dave Hartman to lead the invocation, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the song America the Beautiful, led by David Spencer.
This week, we were honored to have our exchange student, Paulina, in attendance. As a reminder, we are currently holding a membership competition between Noros Martin and Alan Donaldson. Everyone was encouraged to bring guests to future meetings, and Cara reviewed the guest assistance program. Our goal is to grow membership, so on a case-by-case basis, members may request reimbursement for guest lunch dues.
We also honored Tamaya Douglas, the October 2025 City-Wide Youth of the Month from the Northwest Club. Tamaya is a 7th grader at City View. She is very active at home, church, and school. She hopes to attend MSU and become either a politician or engineer.
I didn’t pass on the note-taking duties during the Brag Bucket, but I did collect a few dollars for some great brags this week! Josh Phillips presented a check to Jeff Spoeri and MSU for the Peter Pan display at the MSU Burns Fantasy of Lights.
We had a few announcements this week. Braden Wood announced that this is the final week for nominations for the Outstanding Citizen Award. World Polio Day is October 24, and there are two district events:
· Pedaling for Polio on October 26 in Grapevine
· Ridin’ With Red on October 21 in Weatherford
The Rotary Foundation Gala will be held on November 8 in Grapevine. This year will celebrate 120 years of Rotary. Additionally, the 110th birthday party for our club will be held in January, with more details to come.
Today’s program was introduced by Josh Phillips and featured Ashley Davis, who spoke about Life Skills & Essential Development (LSED Life). LSED is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening families and supporting children connected to the child welfare system. Guided by its mission of prevention, intervention, and connection, LSED empowers parents, youth, and caregivers with tools, education, and community resources to build safe, stable, and nurturing homes.
LSED offers a range of evidence-informed programs focused on life skills training, parenting education, and foster care and adoption support. These services help families improve communication, decision-making, and self-sufficiency while deepening their understanding of positive parenting and healthy family dynamics.
The organization also partners with local agencies and community providers to ensure families receive comprehensive wraparound support—from early prevention efforts that help keep children safely with their families to reunification and post-adoption assistance.
By addressing the root causes of family instability and promoting long-term skill development, LSED Life plays a vital role in reducing child welfare involvement, supporting family reunification, and strengthening the overall well-being of children and communities.
Ashley concluded her program by sharing information about YET Camp. This past year marked the first session of the three-day camp held at MSU. The camp is designed for foster youth ages 14–18 and offers a unique experience that simulates college life. They will be offering the camp again this year, and members are encouraged to reach out to Ashley if interested in volunteer opportunities.
The meeting concluded with the speaker's gift presentation and the Four-Way Test.