April 2 - International Service Committee Meeting - Zoom meeting 6:30 pm CST - Anyone interested welcome to join - The project "Hope for Venezuelan Refugees" needs more volunteers. We also have other projects to review.
April 8th - Zoom Meeting 7:30 pm CST. "Museums Around the World" - Club Social for members to share their own travel experiences in a variety of museums any where in the world.
April 11th - 12 pm to 1:30pm, Tibor P. Nagy, Jr., Assistant Secretary for African Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, speaker at Rotary Club of Bellaire. Brae Burn Country Club
8101 Bissonnet St Ste A, Houston, Texas 77074
April 13th - Board of Directors Meeting - 9:30 am
April 22 - Zoom Meeting - Nicole Wycislo "Career Village" - Our banner Vocational Project - all members are encouraged to participate to provide brief online answers to questions from students about choosing colleges and careers
April 26 - Lunch Bunch - 12:30 pm. Picos Restaurant. 3601 Kirby.Dr. - Who? All club members, guests welcome!
April 27, 2019, 8am to 2pm, Motorcycle Ride to End Polio, Rotary Club of Memorial-Spring Branch, 10709 Memorial Dr., Houston, Texas 77024
Join us for a fun-filled Rotary e-Club party with clubs from all around the world! Please RSVP if you're going to Rotary International Convention 2019!
Congratulations to our incoming President for 2019/2020, Mike Miller, husband of past-president Adriane Miller, for successfully completing PETS - Presidents-elect Training Seminar! Mike is the father of Tyler Miller, future father-in-law of Natasha Edwards, and brother of Lori Prouty, all members of our club! He is very excited about serving as our club President, and plans on engaging our members to do great service above self in Rotary.
We were also treated by a wonderful and emotional discussion by Past Rotary International President Rick King. He challenged us all to be an uncommon leader. You can watch the video at this link as posted on District Governor Carmen Cuneo's Facebook page.
The Wisdom High School garden is now a Certified Schoolyard Habitat! Since 1996, the National Wildlife Federation has worked to assist schools in the creation of Schoolyard Habitats, which create and restore wildlife habitat on school grounds while providing outdoor classrooms for learning across the curriculum. There are currently over 5,000 schools and counting that have been certified through this program.
Check out the garden update photos and thank you Wind Nguyen for living Service Above Self, and thanks to ALL of the helpers!
The main objective of the Hope For Venezuelan Refugees pilot project is to help alleviate hunger and improve malnutrition among vulnerable Venezuelan refugees and ‘caminantes’ (walkers) in Cúcuta and Pamplona through the donation of 20 tons of Rise Against Hunger (RAH) meals. In response to this humanitarian crisis, two of our concerned Venezuelan Rotarians in Houston, human freedom activist and former Miss Venezuela Cristal Montañéz, and WaSRAG Ambassador Dr. Isis Mejías, created the Hope For Venezuelan Refugees pilot project. They visited the region, created the project proposal, and put together a coalition of allied organizations to develop the logistics and
Open World Leadership Center, a legislative branch agency, sent a delegation of Ukraine civil servants and professionals focused on expanding energy efficiency programs in the Ukraine to Houston, Texas from March 1, 2019 to March 9, 2019. While in Houston, the Open World delegates were hosted by the Rotary e-Club of Houston. The delegates also meet with the Rotary Club of Willowbrook, Rotary Club of Space Center, and the Rotary Club of Houston.
The delegation of six included: Yuliia Ivaninvna Demkovych, Oleksandr Valeriiovych Tulintsev, Maksym Mykhailovych Vozniuk, Denys Oleksandrovych Nazarenko, and Natalia Oleksandrivna Babanina. The group was accompanied by Oleksandra Afanasieva, a biocultural facilitator, and Alexander Etlin, a bilingual translator who is a Rotarian in Cincinnati.
Prior to their arrival in Houston, delegates completed an orientation in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill. Delegates had policy meetings with several Members of Congress including staff from/or Representative Dan Crenshaw serving Texas’s 2nd Congressional District.
In Houston, delegates collaborated on best practices for Energy Efficiency. Delegates met staff of Rep. Dan Crenshaw and local leaders in the City Hall of Houston. Additional activities included a tour of NASA, Texas Center for Superconductivity, the Green Building Resource Center, and HARC in The Woodlands. Also in the Woodlands, they learned about the Texas Pace Program for Energy Efficiency, Water Conservation, and Renewable Energy Improvements to Commercial Properties. A video conference was held with Mayor Dale Ross of Georgetown since his city is recognized for its 100% renewable power and clean energy program. The delegation stayed in the homes of local residents, serving as hospitality hosts.
For a taste of Texas culture, the group attended the Houston Livestock & Rodeo, toured the George Bush Library, and learned about Texas history at Washington-on-the Brazos during weekend celebrations for Texas Independence Day.
More than 26,000 current and future leaders from post-Soviet era countries have participated in an Open World exchange program. Open World offers one of the most effective U.S. exchange programs to promote mutually beneficial options for depolarized engagement between future national leaders.
Paul Harris once said, “Perhaps dreaming is not so bad if one dreams good dreams and makes them come true.” In Rotary, we make dreams a reality through extraordinary projects and activities here at home and around the world. These projects would not be possible without the generous support of Rotarians and friends of our Foundation. The Rotary Foundation recognizes those individuals who contribute US$1,000 or more annually to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or approved Foundation grants by inducting them into the Paul Harris Society.
Jimmy Leon was recognized for his generous contributions to support the Rotary Foundation as a Paul Harris Fellow +one.
Today we honor a dedicated friend of our Rotary Foundation whose annual generosity distinguishes Akin Olufowoshe as a member of the Paul Harris Society. Akin is honored for his ongoing generosity in support of the Rotary Foundation and was honored with a Paul Harris +six pin.
Paul Harris Society gifts enable Rotary’s worldwide network of dedicated humanitarians to implement projects that address pressing needs in communities around the world. Because of these contributions:
Children are vaccinated against polio and other diseases
Adults and children alike can learn to read and write
Women are given microloans and vocational training that enable them to support themselves and their families in a healthy and dignified way
Teachers and schoolchildren have access to toilet facilities and clean drinking water
Scholars are able to study ways to prevent maternal and child mortality
Professionals from around the world convene to discuss strategies for resolving conflict and fostering peace
This year's District Conference will be in sunny Corpus Christi at the Omni located on N. Shoreline Blvd. from May 2-5, 2019. We are planning a fishing event and golf tournament along with the welcome dinner Thursday night. Friday we will be at the Texas State Aquarium followed by a dinner on-board the USS Lexington. This all culminates into the Princess & Pirates Ball Saturday night at the Omni. We are going to have amazing speakers and tons of fun for Rotarians, spouses and children!
Silence is a rare commodity these days. There's traffic, construction, air-conditioning, your neighbor's lawnmower ... and all this unwanted sound can have a surprising impact on your health, says noise researcher Mathias Basner. Discover the science behind how noise affects your health and sleep -- and how you can get more of the benefits of the sound of silence.
Get your badge before you arrive at the convention venue. If you preregistered and paid in full, you can pick it up at the Hamburg Airport starting at 15:00 on Thursday, 30 May. Look for us in Terminal 1 or 2 at the baggage claim area. Be sure to have your photo ID and registration number. You can use your badge to travel on Hamburg’s public transit system beginning Friday, 31 May. On-site registration at the Hamburg Messe opens at 15:00 on Thursday, 30 May, in Hall A2. You can register additional guests, purchase tickets for Rotary events, pay any outstanding balances, and get your badge if you didn’t get it at the airport. The Registration booth is also where you can pick up all convention materials, including the program book, transportation guide, and convention tote bag, as well as interpretation equipment.
TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION
Rotary is giving every convention attendee complimentary rides on Hamburg’s easy-to-use and eco-friendly public transportation network, the HVV (Hamburger Verkehrsverbund). Use your convention badge as your ticket to travel on HVV’s extensive bus, rail, and ferry system. The badges are valid for the fare ring Hamburg AB (inside the gray circle on this map) and can be used Friday, 31 May, through Thursday, 6 June.
Rotary will not provide shuttle service between hotels and the convention center.
CURRENCY EXCHANGE
There will be no currency exchange services onsite at the Messe. At the airport, currency exchanges are open from 5:45 am to 8:45 pm (Monday through Sunday) in Terminal 1 & Monday through Sunday 8am till 9 pm in Terminal 2. Most hotels offer currency exchange services, however, the rate is not favorable
All airport ATMs are accessible Monday through Sunday and most of them are 24/7. There will be four ATMs at the Messe. Three are available at the central entrance and 1 is available in B4 by the east entrance.
MYTAXI APP
If you’re taking a taxi to or from the convention center, you can order your cab using the mytaxi app on your phone and support Rotary at the same time. Mytaxi, Europe’s leading ride-hailing app, is donating 100 percent of its proceeds to Rotary for all rides to and from the Hamburg Messe during the convention, 31 May-5 June. These proceeds will support Emotions-Training for Autism, the Bees Pasture Project, and the Haiti National Clean Water, Sanitation, and Health Strategy. Download the app before you arrive in Hamburg so you’re ready to travel conveniently and support Rotary: • At the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPad • On Google Play for Android
A funny and creative short video explaining what Rotary is. We hope you are having a great beginning of 2019, and are planning ways to serve above self. We welcome any articles about members who are helping their communities in the spirit of Rotary. Please send your story, article or ideas accompanied by a photo or video to one of the newsletter editors. Share to inspire!
