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This has been a busy and rewarding month for a variety of activities in our Rotary e-Club of Houston. I want you to know what our members have been up to and will spotlight some accomplishments. Cristal Montanez and Isis Meijas have been working diligently on helping Venezuelans with a pilot project of proving meals for the refugees arriving across the border in Cucuta, Columbia. Cristal traveled to Cucata and joined with partner Rotarians in the Rotary Club of Cucata to witness the needs of the numerous refugees. They visited seven parishes where lines for meals are long, and she noticed that most were barefoot. Our club has partnered with other Rotary clubs in our district to raise $11,500 for this project to send containers of meals (provided by Rise Against Hunger) to Columbia. Our Membership Director, Nicole Bianchi, became inspired to begin a drive to collect gently used “walking shoes” as many refugees continue their journey to Bogata or even on to Peru. Cristal and Isis have published on Flipboard,a digital magazine, about sharing the “Hope for Venezuelan Refugees” pilot project (http://flip.it/CfupTT). They will present photos and progress of this project during our on-line meeting in October. They have also made a blog to update everyone on the project: https://hopeforvenezuelanrefugees.blogspot.com/?view=magazine

Thank you, Cristal, Isis and Nicole!

Our Community Service Director, Brittany Johnson, is working on helping victims of Hurricane Harvey with their recovery. We have applied for a grant made possible by generous Rotarians in District 6940 (Florida) and we are matching up to $1,000 to purchase furniture or appliances as families return to their remodeled homes one year later.

Also, Past President Wind Nguyen led a successful Technology seminar on August 25th for Rotarians to learn about ClubRunner, Social Media, and Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Marketing/Media. Wind also coordinated a joint meeting with the Houston Skyline Club on August 14^th - a Multi-Club Social & Bond Discussion with Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. And he was the official photographer for DG Carmen Cuneo at the District Membership Kick-Off at August 16^th. A great example of Rotary engagement beyond club level!

I am proud to share that we approved 5 new members during August! Our AG visit was online and on September 10^th we will have an online meeting with DG Carmen Cuneo.

We are a DYNAMIC club and encourage you to invite business associates and friends to participate in our online meetings or to receive our newsletters. Share ROTARY because it is well-worth sharing!

Yours in Rotary,

Robin Charlesworth, President 2018-19
Rotary e-Club of Houston
Rotary District 5890

Rotary Basics: the Rotary Foundation

Source: Rotary.org

In 1917, Rotary President Arch Klumph announced his idea for an endowment fund dedicated to “doing good in the world.” With this short statement, Klumph inspired the establishment of The Rotary Foundation. Today, The Rotary Foundation helps clubs and districts work together to perform meaningful, sustainable service. Our top-rated, award-winning Foundation has spent more than $3.7 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects that help people in need around the world get clean water, medical care, literacy classes, and other essentials. Our members’ and others’ contributions to the Foundation allow us to bring sustainable change to communities in need. Ask your club’s Rotary Foundation committee chair or visit rotary.org/donate to learn how you can support our Foundation. To learn more, download The Rotary Foundation Reference Guide or take the Rotary Foundation Basics course in Rotary’s Learning Center.

Eradicating Polio Worldwide

One benefit of being a Rotarian is that you can take pride in being part of an organization that truly makes a difference in the world. Since 1985, Rotarians have served as community-based mobilizers for polio eradication, motivating international groups, governments, private organizations, communities, and individuals to join the global effort to rid the world of polio. Rotary works with partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), including the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the governments of the world to achieve this historic public health goal.

DID YOU KNOW?

Rotary International began its fight against polio in 1979 with a multiyear immunization project in the Philippines.

As part of the effort, Rotarians contribute their time and money to the cause, raising funds, advocating for government support, serving as volunteers to help immunize children, and raising awareness in their communities. Rotary’s contributions to the global polio eradication effort now exceed $1.6 billion, including matching funds from the Gates Foundation. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers have supported National Immunization Days. Since 1988, more than 2 billion children have received oral polio vaccine, and we’ve achieved a 99.9 percent reduction in polio cases. It may be considered the greatest humanitarian service the world has ever seen, and every Rotarian can take pride in the achievement. To learn how you can support Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio, visit endpolio.org.

Program

Stress. It makes your heart pound, your breathing quicken and your forehead sweat. But while stress has been made into a public health enemy, new research suggests that stress may only be bad for you if you believe that to be the case. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.

How Stress Affects Your Brain – A Short Lesson

How stress affects your brain - Madhumita Murgia

Short Inspirational Video: Don’t Allow Your Life to Be Controlled by These 5 Things

Hope for Venezuela

Our club and many other clubs and organizations are still committed to help the Venezuelan refugees. Our program “Bear Hugs for Venezuela”, led by our members Cristal Montanez and Isis Mejias, our International Service members, was the pilot for our new program Hope for Venezuelan Refugees. The bears and food were delivered, but the situation in Venezuela is shocking, and people are starving. We are now trying to alleviate the humanitarian crisis that arose from the need of Venezuelans to seek other countries to be able to survive. Can you imagine not having food to eat? You can find out more information about the situation in Venezuela and make donations to our club’s project here: https://www.mightycause.com/story/29ixvf

Venezuelans are walking long distances to Cucuta, Colombia and other countries.

http://www.euronews.com/2018/03/26/colombia-s-venezuelan-migrant-influx

This is an interview by our member Cristal Montanez who was in Cucuta, Colombia early this month to make an assessment of the situation. The interview is in Spanish.

http://hopeforvenezuelanrefugees.blogspot.com/2018/08/rotary-e-club-international-committee.html

A message from Cristal Montanez:

Photo credit: Cristal Montanez

“A pair of tennis shoes for the walkers” - Friends we have seen the drama of the Venezuelan walkers who flee from the economic crisis and the violence in Venezuela. They walk many kilometers, from Cucuta to Bogota, and many continue to Ecuador and Peru in search of work to support their families, sending money, food, and medicine to those who stay in Venezuela. Do you want to help? Join the campaign 'A pair of tennis for walkers.' It's very simple: Contact your family, friends, colleagues, Rotary Clubs and tennis shoes collectors to ask them to donate used tennis shoes that are comfortable and in good condition. Place each pair of shoes in a clear plastic bag and label it with the shoe size. Fill one or more boxes with the shoes collected. Send your box(es) through the mailing service of your choice to the following address: Restaurant Rodizio, Avenida Libertadores # 10-121, Malecón Second Stage. Cúcuta Colombia.” #ParaLosCaminantes

September Calendar

September 6 - Online Meeting with Ruby Powers, Immigration Attorney 5:00 pm (see article above for log-in info)

September 10 - Online Meeting with District 5890 District Governor Carmen Cuneo 7:00 pm (see article above for log-in info)

September 15 - Board of Directors Meeting 9:00 am Zoom meeting: https://zoom.us/j/146623729

          Or iPhone one-tap :   US: +16699006833,,146623729# or +16468769923,,146623729#
          Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
              US: +1 669 900 6833 or +1 646 876 9923
        Meeting ID: 146 623 729
        International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/d4DtRlXl

September 22 - Books for the World

September 29 - Fundraising Committee Meeting @ 10:00 am and "Service Saturday" at 11:00 am. Lunch will be provided for those who can stay. Please rsvp to Robin Charlesworth, President (970-880-0960).

See the District Calendar for wherever you live to see additional meeting opportunities such as visiting other Rotary clubs, district committee meetings, Rotary fundraisers, etc.

***Reminder, please report at least two meeting credits for the month via the Attendance Form on our website.

We Want to Hear From You

Members, please send us articles about your service or community projects and include a photo of you doing Rotary work. We would love to receive feedback from our subscribers on how we are doing, and content you would like to see published. Be the inspiration! Please click on the link under the name Adriane Miller to send me an email.

Thank you,

Adriane Miller & Lori Prouty

Rotary E-Club of Houston Newsletter Team

Join the Rotary e-Club of Houston and Help Make A Difference!

Ready to join a great Rotary Club? Click on membership application on the left side of the homepage. Please complete all fields on the application and press submit. You will be contacted by Nicole Bianchi, Membership Director, soon.

On the membership application you will be asked if you have attended two Rotary e-Club of Houston meetings on-line. Look for the Weekly Program and either view the video or read the article, then go to the tab for Weekly Meeting beneath the banner of the page and submit the attendance form to receive credit.