Dear Rotarians and Friends,
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, Colombia. Cristal traveled to Cucuta and joined with partner Rotarians in the Rotary Club of Cucuta 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 Colombia. Our Membership Director, Nicole Bianchi, became inspired to begin a drive to collect gently used “walking shoes” as many refugees continue their journey to Bogota 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 14th - 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 16th. 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 10th we will have an online meeting with DG Carmen Cuneo.
Please take a look at the September calendar of activities below. We require attendance at a minimum of two activities (two newsletters, service activity, and/or online meetings, and other opportunities with district activities or visiting other Rotary clubs. Don’t forget to submit your attendance report which is located under the banner on our website.
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