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 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!
Ruby was a charter member of the Rotary e-Club of Houston, and is a Rotary Alumna, having served as an Ambassadorial Scholar in 2004-5 in Barcelona, Spain. She became a Paul Harris Fellow in 2008. Attorney Ruby L. Powers is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. The child of a Mexican immigrant, Powers gravitated toward an international life by later marrying a Turkish immigrant. Having lived and studied in Belgium, Mexico, Turkey, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates, Powers speaks Spanish, French, and a hint of Turkish. With a passion for service and justice coupled with cultural understanding and an interest for immigrants, Powers dedicates her law practice to immigration law. Outside of the office, she loves spending time and traveling with her family. She has been volunteering at the Texas border to reunite immigrant families. Ruby has recently been interviewed on MSNBC, Fox 26 Houston, CNN, and Univision 45 Houston. Her nonprofit and volunteer work with immigrants in detention centers has also been featured on the Texas Tribune, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The Mercury News, and Brisbane Times.
During this online meeting, Ruby will share her recent experiences of assisting immigrant families and reuniting families for about 20 minutes. We encourage you to interact with her and ask questions for the remainder of the hour. If you have friends, business associates, or family members who would like to attend, please forward their email addresses to Robin Charlesworth (robinech1952@gmail.com ) so they may receive an invitation and the zoom meeting information to join us.
Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16468769923,,234657216# or +16699006833,,234657216# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 669 900 6833 Meeting ID: 234 657 216 International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/raPO5l5j
Our Official Governor Club Visit - September 10th @ 7:00 pm CST
Carmen is a member of the Rotary Club of the University Area – Houston; Prior District positions include 2 years as District Secretary, 2 years as District Treasurer, 3 years as Youth Exchange Treasurer, 1 year as Assistant Governor.
Carmen is a Major Donor and has traveled with Rotary for a National Immunization Day to India and to Nicaragua Children of the Dump Project. She led an Inbound and Outbound Friendship Exchange with Russia in 2015 and 2016 respectively and will serve as Chair of the US Section of the Russia United States Intercountry Committee 2019-2020.
Carmen has a 23-year career in construction that has seen her travel to Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. During her construction career, Carmen worked as a Laborer, became a Master Electrician, and later served as a Project Manager on major construction projects including a strategic alliance for telecommunications facilities, a joint venture for a hotel reconstruction, and new construction for hospitals and outpatient surgery centers.
In 2014, Carmen was licensed as Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and currently works in private practice. Her accounting firm name is The Cuneo Firm of Public Accountancy.
Carmen has two daughters and seven grandchildren. She is a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Houston, Texas. Carmen enjoys gardening, bike riding, bird watching, photography, and Astros Baseball.
Or iPhone one-tap : US: +16468769923,,867127484# or +16699006833,,867127484# Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 646 876 9923 or +1 669 900 6833 Meeting ID: 867 127 484 International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/cTT0psjRr
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.
The causes we target to maximize our impact are called our areas of focus. Our most successful and sustainable projects and activities fall within these areas. Through global grants and other resources, we help clubs focus their service efforts in the following areas:
• Promoting peace
• Fighting disease
• Providing clean water
• Saving mothers and children
• Supporting education
• Growing local economies
Projects that focus on these causes are eligible for global grant funding from The Rotary Foundation.
The Four-Way Test
Early Rotary members emphasized the importance of acting responsibly and ethically and using our professions as an opportunity to serve. Honoring our commitments, however bold, is an ideal characteristic of a Rotarian. In 1932, The Four-Way Test was developed by Herbert Taylor, a Rotary Club of Chicago member and 1954-55 RI president, to guide his attempt to save a faltering aluminum company. Rotary later adopted it, and it underscores Rotary’s value of integrity. The Four-Way Test has long served as an ethical guide for members to live by in their personal and professional relationships.
OF THE THINGS WE THINK, SAY OR DO:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Object of Rotary
In Rotary’s first decade, members set out guiding principles that evolved into what is now known as the Object of Rotary. They added the advancement of peace in 1921 and made the language more gender-neutral in 1989 and 1995.
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
SECOND: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
THIRD: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
While your club may not emphasize all of these principles, understanding them puts your club experience into perspective and adds meaning to being a part of this organization.
This past August 18th our member Vocational Service Chair Nicole Wycislo was in Pasadena donating books. Other members are collecting books in our fight against illiteracy. Between 2001 and 2016 the number of books shipped was 11,343,058, according to Rotarybooksfortheworld.org. It is a commendable effort by people from several Rotary clubs and districts and from other organizations, local and international communities. Please consider donating your books to those who need them, and not only you will be joining us in caring for education and literacy, but in helping the environment by reutilizing books. To find out more about this project, please visit Rotarybooksfortheworld.org.
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.
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.
“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
This past August 25th our District held training in technology through District Technology & Social Media Committee members Wind Nguyen (past president of our club), Todd Breton, and Rosemary McGreer. The purpose of this training is to empower your club to make a greater impact in the community by using technology. Please stay tuned for future training opportunities.
How do creative people come up with great ideas? Organizational psychologist Adam Grant studies "originals": thinkers who dream up new ideas and take action to put them into the world. In this talk, learn three unexpected habits of originals — including embracing failure. "The greatest originals are the ones who fail the most, because they're the ones who try the most," Grant says. "You need a lot of bad ideas in order to get a few good ones."
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.
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.
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