Stories

Dear Rotarians, Thank you so much for giving me the experience of RYLA! This summer was amazing. I made many friends with similar interests as me and I  have done a lot of things I never thought I could accomplish. RYLA has empowered me to be more social and to utilize my leadership skills in everyday activities. RYLA has changed my personal reality in so many ways making me feel like I can be/do anything I put my mind to, and I am completely grateful for your all giving me that opportunity. Sincerely, Charli Gonzales.

The Interact Club had a food drive at the high school last week. 

They collected 1827 cans of food which they delivered to Puerto Seguro! ​

Is that cool or what!

The Rotary Club of Socorro joined in the District Rotary Day on October 25^th to help end polio.  Members volunteered to man tables at Smith’s, Walmart and the Plaza not only to collect funds but also to raise awareness of Rotary in Socorro.

Note from our Secretary:

We have the final accounting for our fundraising efforts on Saturday. We raised a whopping $876! This will be matched by the anonymous District Donor to $1752. Then it will be matched 2:1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation making the final amount $5,256! This doesn't include the $100 check we will present to our District Governor, Lonnie Leslie, next week. That check should also be matched 1:1 by the donor and then 2:1 by the Gates Foundation resulting in an additional $600..... 

for a grand total of $5,856.00!!!

Lynn  

A BIG!! THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO PARTICIPATED AND TO THOSE WHO DONATED.

Photos of our table person power are shown below.......

Our 2014 Calendar

The longest-serving district judge in New Mexico was with 
Assistant D.A. Rosa Armijo at last week’s meeting.
Rotarian Kase will retire as District Judge
concluding a lifetime career in the legal profession,

Seventh Judicial District Senior Judge 
Edmund Kase III has retired from the bench after 
43 years. Rotarians responded to the news with 
accolades for a respected community icon.

He did not wear a tie to todays meeting!

Judge Kase did the honors, and members stepped up to the podium as new officers were 
installed at the June 25 meeting of the Socorro Rotary Club. New officers are: 

Chuck Zimmerly, President, 

Penny Lommen, President-elect, Lynn Brandvold, Secretary; 

Cuatro Bursum, Treasurer; and Dan Klinglesmith, Sergeant-at-Arms. 

Directors are Dan and Gerry Klinglesmith, Steve Edmondson and Penny Lommen. 

Outgoing President Len Truesdell graciously thanked Rotarians for their contributions, and then turned the gavel over to Chuck. 

Will, Len and Chuck

Congratulations to Walter Apachito,  Alamo Navajo High School, winner of the annual Socorro Rotary Club $2,000.00 scholarship. 

Because there were four additional qualified students Rotary decided to award an additional $2000.00 to:

Arianne Estopace also at Alamo Navajo HS   $500 Honorable Mention

Danielle Gordon of Magdalena HS    $500 Honorable Mention

Ashley Pyke Socorro HS     $500 Honorable Mention

Clara Baeza Socorro HS     $500 Honorable Mention

.

We are pleased to announce five new members have joined our ranks!!

Welcome to Jessie Otero

Welcome to Steve Edmondson

 Welcome to William Baker

Welcome to Rosa Armijo

Welcome to Charlie Wagner

Will you be next?

                                                                                                     .

The city has teamed with the Socorro Rotary Club to maintain a recycling program for white paper.

            In order to participate in this “green” project just do the following:

            Segregate your white paper products in a separate box or basket  

            (This includes copy paper, white envelopes and correspondence/letters

            being discarded, any totally white paper even if well covered by any color ink)

            Take your box to any of the following locations and find a large blue bin with the

            imprint of the Rotary Club/ Socorro Chamber of Commerce. Blue bins are located

            in the County managers office, County Clerk (in the courthouse) the Library,

            the County Annex building, the High school and Cottonwood Charter school,

            and on the Tech campus in Brown Hall, Fidel Center 2^nd floor, Cramer, Wells,

           Jones Halls and the NRAO reception area.

Your participation will be appreciated !!

.

Joel Partridge coach and administrator of the Socorro Warrior Junior Wrestling program was the speaker at our meeting on June 11.

He told us about the program, showed us some pictures, handled a number of questions and passed out the Team Bio. There are between 18 and 28 boys and girls involved between the ages of 4 and 15 years old. He is looking to grow the team and needs a full sized mat before they can invite other teams to compete in Socorro. Fund raising is continuous. Picture below is a 4 year old wrestler warming up!

See DChieftain article:   http://www.dchieftain.com/2014/06/26/life-lessons-through-takedowns​

..

Picture Courtesy of El Defensor Chieftain

These RYLA Campers are all Juniors at Socorro High School:

Dushan Gacanich, Camilla Aitbayev,

Naomi Garcia, Charlene ("Charli") Gonzales,

Leanne Jojola, Ekaterina Magedova.

Have fun and tell us about it when you get back! 

 

The wine tasting event was hugely successful.

Lots of food, drink and folks having a good time.

THANK YOU PENNY

FOR A JOB WELL DONE !!!

.

Our Bill Weiss Wine Tasting was held on

April 25th at Bodega Burger  

Ticks were a mere $25, good for wine and appetizers.

Rotarians brought the appetizers. Bodega supplied the wine. 

Many items (bottles of wine?)  were silently auctioned. Some great gift baskets were won.

 
Proceeds benefit the club's scholarship program open to high school seniors in Socorro County.

 HOPE YOU DIDNT  MISS THIS ONE!

Please take a survey !!! 

Our local radio station KYRN - Mine Country 102.1 FM is a new member of Socorro Rotary and would really like your input.

Take a moment to fill out the survey on their Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/MineCountry1021

Thanks

.

Bill Bottorf accepted an award for white paper recycling. 

Our Interact Club at SHS received an award.                                                                                                                                                                       

Dear District 5520 Rotarians and Friends:

“Thank you to everyone who showed that Rotary Unity is working all over the world!"

3.368,099 United Air Miles is to be awarded to Rotary!!!! In United's 10 Million Charity Miles Giveaway, Rotary got 3,368,099 airline miles -- or 36.64 percent of the total votes! These miles can be used for about 33 international airline tickets for humanitarian projects. Last year, Rotary got 2.5 million miles in the giveaway.”

Tom Walker, DGN

On behalf of New Mexico tech, thank you for your gift of $500 in support of the 28th New Mexico Science Olympiad. The Recognition of outstanding New Mexico students is an important aspect of the Science Olympiad. Your donations support our efforts to continue to acknowledge the outstanding achievement of New Mexico students.

As you know, New Mexico Science Olympiads goal is to increase student interest in the fields of science and engineering, Your support assists our office in providing the necessary resources to achieve these student's goals.

I look forward to working with you again next year. Contact us if we can be of any further assistance.

Sincerely, Rose Baca-Rivet, Director

Socorro Rotary Club Students of the Month

January 2014

Two Socorro High School students were recognized at the Jan. 29 meeting for their academic achievements as this year’s first Rotary Students of the Month. 

Naomi Garcia (left) was honored for her work in social studies. She plans to study graphic design at the University of New Mexico. 

Sarah Moncrief (right) was honored by the SHS vocational education department for her achievements. She plans to study early childhood development after graduation. Accompanying the students was SHS teacher Pam Vega.

The officers are:

Sarah McClain, President

Bryn Boyko, Treasurer

Ashley Bustamante, Charity Chair

Richard Flores, Secretary

These folks took over the Highway Cleanup project.  On November 16th Ashley, Bryn, Sarah, Michael Romero and Sean Lujan all pitched in to get it done

The highway sign will be changed to reflect Rotaract is doing the work!

Thanks for your participation and Good JOB!!

Rotary Members: You are such a blessing to us! So supportive of our various programs. Your embracing a celebration of our families was so appreciated! Thank you! Beth 

Your support of our program and our community is deeply appreciated! Deb

Dear Rotary Members: Socorro General Hospital-Community Based Programs has been very fortunate to benefit from your wonderful charity and support of our program in helping us to meet the needs of the children and their families. The donation of toys as well as your time and effort were key factors in our successful Christmas Party for our families. Thank you so much for all you do for our community. Sincerely, Kent Howell

Valerie Kimble has taken over the job of Bulletin Editor now that George Austin has moved to Albuquerque.

We are most  fortunate to have Valerie in this position as she is a gifted writer and a good photog.

Thank you Valerie for your Service Above Self !!

.

Welcome Noah Rickenbacher!

Our Rotary Exchange student from Solothurn, Switzerland

Noah arrived in Socorro on August 10, 2013 and will be with us for the 2013-2014 school year. He is attending Socorro High School.  

His first host family is Vannetta Perry and Jeff Miller. His second host family will be Janet Coursey. Janet’s son, Nico Seamons, was a Rotary Exchange student in Taiwan last year.

Noah has an older brother and a younger sister. His brother was an exchange student two years ago. His family has an exchange student in their home this year.

He is a fine soccer player and a welcomed addition to the SHS team. He was the high scorer in their first two games.

Thank you for your generous donation to The Dictionary Project.

 Your support makes it possible for students to receive a dictionary for their own personal use that they will be able to use for a lifetime. For some children, this may be the very first book that they have owned. You are truly making a difference in their lives by giving them such an important tool.

Our goal is to reach every third grade student in the United States and you are helping us make this possible. So far this school year, we have reached an estimated 8,880 students. 

Cumulatively, we have been able to reach an estimated 19,704,957 students. 

Of these, 751 were sponsored by the Rotary Club of Socorro.

With gratitude, Mary Frend

The Dictionary Project

www.dictionaryproject.org

We are pleased to announce:

Brownbilt Shoes & Western Wear

 http://www.socorro-nm.com/brownbilt.htm

will be a new advertiser in our 

Socorro Rotary Club's

2014 Community Calendar

SHOP LOCALLY !!!!

DON'T WAIT IN LINE FOR YOURS. PRE-PUBLICATION SALE PRICE IS ONLY $10.00

TO PLACE YOUR ORDER CALL: 575.838.4314 

From: Sally McGovern <smcgovern@socorro.k12.nm.us>
Date: May 2, 2013, 3:56:02 PM MDT 
To: "George S. Austin" <gaustin@sdc.org>
Cc: anissa vega <avega@socorro.k12.nm.us>

 
Subject: RE: The Anti-Meth Program

Thank you, Mr. Austin!  We are very pleased that you brought your program here to Midway, and I hope all the students get the message about avoiding meth.  You are performing a great community service, and thank you for your time and efforts. 
I'm forwarding this to Ms. Vega so she can supervise the shirt size 
situation.  Thank you again.
Sally

April 24, 2013

Mayor Ravi Bhaskar addresses The Socorro Rotary Club

Mayor Bhasker started off by telling us about the Soccer Field/Rodeo Arena area that is just off U.S. Highway 60 southwest of Socorro. It is about a year away from completion and is being paid for by the Lodger’s Tax ($1.4 million) and about $295 thousand from last year’s legislature and $400 thousand from this year’s legislature. The city is trying to get the National Guard Armory, which isn’t used very much, so that it can be used for indoor events. There is to be a 1-mile walking path around the new sports complex as well as a road to the Socorro County fairgrounds. The city is using the Grefco water well to service the complex. They also want to widen U.S. 60 and have turnoffs, maybe double lane turn offs to accommodate large events and more facilities. The basic idea is to turn this all into the Central New Mexico Sports Complex.

The recent upgrade of city water to meet federal standards cost about $4.5 million, of which about 75% came from the federal government. A current project to upgrade the city sewer system is going to cost about $5 million. The mayor mentioned the problem of septic systems having to meet new federal standards.  This has meant that many old septic systems will have to be abandoned, and residents, like those on Evergreen, will have to be on the city sewer system.

There is a plume of the solvent TCE from a spill in the 1970s at the Eagle Pitcher plant on the north side of town that is moving south.  The Daniel B. Stephens environmental company is drilling wells to find out more about the plume. The possible cleanup is estimated in the $30 million area.

Mayor Bhasker finished his presentation by talking about the transportation system operated by the city at minimal cost to users. This includes movement around town, bringing people to town from outlying areas like Magdalena, and going to the Roadrunner in Belen. The newest effort is to provide low-cost transport for dialysis patients to and from the treatment center in Los Lunas.

Gov. Susana Martinez announced late Thursday that Solaro Energy will be relocating from California to Socorro.

Solaro manufactures residential and commercial solar products, including solar generators and solar fans, lighting and ventilation systems.

The move is expected to create 100 jobs in Socorro, which will be the company’s new headquarters. Solaro has leased space in the Socorro Industrial Park and has begun construction on a 12,000-square-foot building. Solaro plans to construct two additional buildings in the park, and will apply for Job Training Incentive Program funding.

Martinez will be at the facility on Friday morning for a press conference with company owner Dennis Grubb and Jon Barela, state secretary of economic development.

Hello Mr. Rushing, My name is Dezirae Armijo. I am a Senior at Socorro High School. I also play soccer, basketball and run track. My passion is animals, as I was also a volunteer at Socorro's Animal Shelter. It also makes me really happy to help other people that are in need. It was about a year ago that I received an invitation to your Rotary Club meeting at K-Bob's. A week prior and unbeknownst to me, I had been observed helping an unfortunate sole outside of El Camino Restaurant. This observer informed your Club of my actions, which was the basis for the invite.

Today, I am writing for a couple of reasons. First and most importantly, I want to Thank You and the Rotary Club, not only for acknowledging me, but especially for the help and compassion you guys show our community. Although I did not or was not looking for any type of attention, your recognition of my 'Random Act of Kindness' really meant and still means a lot to me. It is very encouraging to me, as I will soon graduate, to know that there are still many good soles out there, as I will soon be on my own in the "real world". I also wanted you to know that the recognition I received from the Rotary Club has served as a powerful confidence booster to myself and has given me the will to continue serving our community and giving all I can to those in need.

Respectfully, Dezirae Armijo SHS Senior Recipient of Rotary's "Random Act of Kindness" award. 

by El Defensor Chieftain Reports |  

Socorro General Hospital was named one of the top 20 critical access hospitals for quality in the United States.

SGH was the only critical access hospital in New Mexico to have received the award for quality.

“On behalf of Socorro General Hospital, we are extremely proud of the efforts of our physicians, providers, nurses, caregivers and staff as well as the board’s leadership,” said Bo Beames, SGH administrator. “Collectively, everyone has contributed towards achieving this designation.”

Quality of care data was compiled by iVantage Health Analytics. iVantage Health Analytics Hospital Strength Index ranks critical access hospitals throughout the country in terms of three aspects; quality, patient perspective and financial stability. The quality index is a rating of hospital performance based on the percentile rank across five categories of Hospital Compare Process of Care measures. Those include heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care and outpatient measures. Each measure is indexed to national performance and then averaged with all five measures which produce a composite score. iVantage Health Analytics is a private health care business intelligence and technology company that provides health care information.

Beames said establishing quality of care standards can be challenging although the work of the hospital’s clinical leadership has made all the difference.“Vernie Pound and Dr. Darla Bejnar have really embraced the quality protocols and processes for all care provided at Socorro General Hospital,” Beames said. “They have united providers and staff in delivering high caliber care.”

“Our results as a top 20 critical access hospital in the country for quality means area residents can count on us to deliver the services they need and expect,” said Beames.

Presbyterian Healthcare Services exists to improve the health of patients, members and the communities we serve. Presbyterian was founded in New Mexico in 1908, and is the state’s only private, not-for-profit healthcare system. Presbyterian offers eight hospitals, a statewide health plan and a growing multi-specialty medical group. Presbyterian is the second largest private employer in New Mexico with more than 9,500 respected employees and growing.

BO BEAMES IS A MEMBER OF SOCORRO ROTARY