Contemporary Thanksgiving centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been on offer when the Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621. It is likely that the majority of our club members will be cooking or dining on turkey this Thanksgiving or a "Friendsgiving". Some may enjoy Thanksgiving parades, Fun Runs to burn off some calories in anticipation of the grand feast, and football games. If you find yourself in another country where Thanksgiving is not a typical celebration, a feast can often be had in some hotels who cater to Americans abroad.
Today, however, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird—whether roasted, baked or deep-fried—on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation. Other traditional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fortunate.
The Rotary Club of Greater Houston Veterans has organized a huge project to give away turkeys to families.
As part of Operation Turkey, the event has been in Houston for 10 years. The event has been growing each year.
In 2017, 4,500 meals were delivered and in 2020 8,000 were delivered. Despite the pandemic, the team plans to provide 10,000 meals to deserving Houstonians. Volunteers helped cook, prep and deliver the meals.
As you give thanks this year for family and friends, hopefully good health, business opportunities and more, remember to give thanks for our Rotary family and the opportunities to serve those in need.
At one level, this story shows gratitude for a special teacher. Imagine in the place of the teacher, that the hand drawn was the hand of a Rotarian who gave of time and talents to help a child, a mother, someone needing a job, a community needing clean water or medical supplies, or Rotary dollars for Global Grants or college scholarships. Support our Rotary Foundation so we can continue to help others in our community and around the world.
Next week we will have a speaker on Thursday, December 2, who will share about the Rotary Youth Exchange program in Rotary District 5890. We have several members who are passionate about RYE and have been engaged with youth for many years. We appreciate all that these members contribute to RYE: Anais Watsky, Dr. Nick Giannonek and Lynette Wilkins.
Watch for the Zoom login on WhatsApp. Are you on WhatsApp - Rotary e-Club of Houston? If not, please let us know so you may be added as this is an important communication tool for all club members.
We are still needing for some members to pay membership dues for the Rotary year beginning in July, 2021. We have already spent club funds on RI Dues, Rotarian magazines, ClubRunner website, and Rotary District 5890 dues on behalf all every member on our active membership roll. We have another payment due January 1 based on the names listed on our membership list with no chance to delete anyone after January 1 until from financial commitments until the next July 1, 2022. Please pay online or send a check to Edward Charlesworth,
11407 Hylander Dr. Houston, TX. 77070 to be received prior to December 15. Otherwise, we will need to terminate your membership, yet still need to bill for the amount already paid by our club to allow the dismissal in good standing.
If you must leave our club, be sure to send your notice in writing (email) to Charles Mickens, Club Secretary.
ccmickens@gmail.com. Notification must be received prior to December 15th.
A Business Network Social will be sponsored by the Rotary Yellow Pages on Tuesday, December 7, from 5 pm until 7 pm at Sense Mortgage 9235 Katy Freeway #360, Houston, TX. 77024. This will be the first District 5890 Yellow Pages Business Network Social hosted by Dan Monson, All Rotarians in District 5890 are invited.
What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness
What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? If you think it's fame and money, you're not alone – but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you're mistaken. As the director of a 75-year-old study on adult development, Waldinger has unprecedented access to data on true happiness and satisfaction. In this talk, he shares three important lessons learned from the study as well as some practical, old-as-the-hills wisdom on how to build a fulfilling, long life.
Why you should listen
Robert Waldinger is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and Zen priest. He is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and directs the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the longest-running studies of adult life ever done. The Study tracked the lives of two groups of men for over 75 years, and it now follows their Baby Boomer children to understand how childhood experience reaches across decades to affect health and wellbeing in middle age. He writes about what science and Zen can teach us about healthy human development.
Dr. Waldinger is the author of numerous scientific papers as well as two books. He teaches medical students and psychiatry residents at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and he is a Senior Dharma Teacher in Boundless Way Zen.
To keep abreast of research findings, insights and more, visit robertwaldinger.com.
This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxBeaconStreet, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.
Linda Blanch - Lives in Pearland and retired from IBM in mergers and acquisitions. previously was a member in the Rotary Club of Harrisburg. She enjoys reading, bicycling and home improvements. She has some experience with ending Human Trafficking.
Armand Kambou - Just moved to Houston and was a member of Rotary e-Club of Silicon Valley. He was in Rotaract as a pathway too Rotary. He enjoys traveling, cooking and family activities. Welcome to our e-Club of Houston!
The "Survivor Pool" has a single "Survivor" - Robert Stein! He actually chose all of his teams prior to the start of the season. The object was to pick the winner of only ONE NFL game each week. Participants COULD NOT PICK THE SAME TEAM TWICE during the entire season. If the team picked won in that week, they survived to the next week and remained in the game another week. The game ended when only one person was left at successfully choosing winning teams. We had six members involved this season.
This fundraiser has really been fun and we hope that next year we will have more members participate.
At the end of September, a fifth apartment opened to provide housing for firefighters receiving cancer treatment in the Houston Medical Center. The Texas State Association of Firefighters will pay the lease for this apartment for two years. Mattress Firm in Houston has donated two twin bed mattress sets for the new apartment. A registry is listed at Target with a shipping address to Dianne Gebhard, Ambassador. Dianne is the wife of Past District Governor Bob Gebhard and is the contact person for firefighters to reserve their stays. The mission of the Rotary Fire Fighters Home (RFFH) is to provide short-term housing at little or no cost to firefighters and other first-responders while they are undergoing treatment at The Texas Medical Center (TMC). Firefighters have occupational risks from exposure to toxins and hazardous chemicals. As a result, firefighters suffer illnesses, particularly cancers, at a statistically higher rate than the average population. Both professional and volunteer firefighters may apply. There are no other restrictions based on gender, age, religion, national origin, financial status or language. Nor are there any restrictions as to residence. Specialized treatment for these illnesses often requires an extended stay near the Texas Medical Center. The cost of hotels and short-time housing for patients and their families coming to Houston for such treatment can be crippling and health insurance usually does not cover lodging expenses. We are currently leasing apartments at The Maroneal Apartments Complex (2222 Maroneal St., Houston TX 77030) located near the Texas Medical Center (5 minutes drive from apartment)!
Our club made a donation to provide kitchen supplies such as pots and pans needed to outfit this new apartment.
