International Service
Good Day fellow Rotarians, friends and family who are reading our weekly bulletin. Today’s minutes are from TUESDAY October 3, 2023
DID I MAKE A DEFFERENCE IN SOMEBODY’S LIFE?
Pledge of Allegiance: Boyd Morrison
INSPIRATION: Renee Hyde: “The World is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” St. Augustine
“Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life” Michael Palin, So perfect for Renee, she could have written herself.
SONG: Heather Cullen filled in as song master and lead us in You’re a Grand Ole Flag.
No VISITING ROTARIANS:
President Doug thanked Joan Mora, Maureen Merrill and all Rotarians that assisted in organizing a great SCARC meeting that was hosted by the Rotary Club of Windsor last Thursday.
Monica McCabe thanked Leah Hansen and Art Diaz for all their efforts in coordinating Windsor Rotary’s participation in the Windsor parade. Monica said it was a great event, felt like downtown Mayberry, and thanked all the Rotarians that helped clean the Rotary Balloon and walked the parade keeping the cold air Balloon afloat and in place.
Last week was the last night of our Rotary Bar, our main source of funding for our International Projects. It has been a great season; Renee Hyde will have an income report in the near future. A Big Thank You to everyone that participated throughout the summer.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
John Hackenburg announced we will be hosting a BBQ Lunch at the Veterans Village in honor of our Veterans November 11, 2023. A head count is needed to provide lunch please sign up at a meeting or contact John Hackenburg: [email protected] . This lunch will be our 5th Tuesday event.
NO MEETING October 31st, 5TH TUESDAY
Kurt Mitchler announced a project with Russian RiverKeepers: October 28, 2023 9am – 12 noon. Volunteers are needed to work with Russian RiverKeepers to remove Arundo Donax along the River. It is not only a water hog, it kills the native plants and it turns our river from a natural fire break to a bridge for fires to intensify and spread. It is incredibly flammable. Sign up for this great project: https://givingtime.org/sonoma/ or contact Kurt; [email protected]
Windsor Community Circle is kicking off the season of giving by giving you a “Screaming Good Time” Halloween Dance & Costume Party October 21, 2023, 7pm – 10pm. Proceeds will support the Windsor Holiday Christmas Food & Toy Drive, and it is going to be a blast! More information and purchase tickets: www.windsorcommunitycircle.org or Contact Larry McCabe; [email protected].
Bill Bolster announced tonight will be a Short Term Youth Exchange informational meeting at the Windsor High School Library, 6pm. This program allows a student from WHS to travel to another country and stay with a family that has a student of the same gender and close to the same age for three weeks, in exchange the student of that family will come to Windsor Ca. for a three week exchange with that student’s family. We have had a couple of our long term Youth Exchange students and others, that could not commit to the long term program, participate in this program. It is a wonderful opportunity for students to explore and immerse themselves in another country and language.
Program: International Service
Susan Cole shared she joined Rotary when she learned of Rotary’s Polio project. She was impressed with an organization that could dream big enough to eradicate polio worldwide, that was in 2011, today there are only two countries left to complete our mission; Afghanistan, & Pakistan. We Are This Close!
Susan handed out a flyer; International Influence Rotary Club of Windsor in the World, pretty impressive list of projects the club has accomplished.
Pam Moulton (presented beautifully dressed in her Indian dress) said she was drawn to Rotary’s International projects, to be involved with kids, moms, generally the people.
Pam had the opportunity to be involved with many international projects even before she became a Rotarian; she was married to Rotarian Ken Moulton, as our District Governor they traveled to several countries
Pam was leader of Group Study Exchange in France, Friendship Exchange in India, a Rotaplast (cleft lip) project in India, and Polio eradication in Nigeria; Pam was involved with Festival of Brotherhood in Mexico for several years and she has hosted youth exchange students and attended several Rotary International Conventions.
Pam shared with us a charming story of her shopping adventures while in India.
Steve Klick was drawn to international travel as a young man, while attending college he and a group of friends went backpacking in Budapest, from there they decided to go to Egypt, in Cairo they joined a guided horseback riding tour around the pyramids. After their ride their tour guide, Mohammad invited them to his village, where they were welcomed into his home. Steve realized his attraction to international travels is the people and the relationships created.
Steve has been involved with several Engineers without Borders projects, primarily in Peru; Rotary Club of Windsor has supported three of these projects bringing clean drinking water to villages. Steve stated he is very pleased they are able to provide clean drinking water to the villages, but loves meeting and being with the people.
Kurt Mitchler DDS, was first introduced to Rotary when Bill Conklin DDS and Windsor Rotarian, ask Kurt to join him in a Dental & Eye care project in Nicaragua in 2012. There was no dental care available, when the team set up their portable clinic people walked for hours to receive treatment.
The dental and eye program is a project headed by the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Sunrise, Sunrise Dental Project coordinator professor Ezbon Jens of SRJC was able to secure the portable dental equipment necessary from the Santa Rosa Jr. College for the trip to Nicaragua.
Kurt returned on a private trip to Nicaragua in 2014, he was able to see the progress in the building of a medical clinic in Sabalos Nicaragua, While in Nicaragua Kurt was able to visit a Girls Orphanage our club has had connections with through Rotarian Leslie Lewis and former Rotarian Frank Rogers. Before Kurt’s trip the club communicated with the Sisters that run the orphanage and gathered items on their “wish list”, including shoes, clothes, pencils, paper and backpacks. Kurt was loaded up with all the goodies to take with him on his flight, when he arrived in Nicaragua he was greeted by Frank’s wife Cecilia who crammed them into her car and delivered the goods to the orphanage. A project that will long be remembered by members of our club, Thank you Kurt.
Maureen Merrill with husband Mike visited Vietnam in 2002; thru East meets West, an International program in Vietnam providing clean water. Due to the communist rule in Vietnam there are no Rotary Clubs. Through a matching grant Rotary was able to provide a $30,000.00 for a water project to bring clean water to a village that did not have access to clean water. On that same trip Rotarian Don Johnson and his wife donated $1,000.00 and were able to provide a concrete house to a woman that became a widow due to landmines left in the fields after the war. In recognition of the gift the house displays the Rotary Logo.
Maureen has visited India where she was stunned to discover they have no stop signs or signals, she stated the kids laughed and thought they talked funny. Maureen has visited Mexico and viewed many projects with Festival of Brotherhood. A sister club was adopted in Tepic Mexico whose name translates to Birds of Paradise.
Maureen took her first trip in 1989 with Windsor Rotary Club founding father John Lewis and then Club President Phil Trowbridge to Seoul Korea. Maureen and Mike have attended 15 International Conventions and participated in numerous international projects.
Maureen shared that the clubs first international project was in 1990 when Earleen Rash was our club President. Earleen discovered a need for bathrooms in the Dominican Republic and wanted the club to sponsor one for a village, hence our first international project, “Earleen’s Latrines”.
Maureen shared that sometimes people will question our international projects when there are needs here in our community, she clarified that approximately 10-20% of our giving is international and balance stays in our community.
All the presenters shared stories that were exciting and motivating, I also appreciated Maureen’s last comment,
“Even if you cannot travel, as a Rotarian you are still a part of all the changes made and the lives changed”
President Doug thanked all the presenters, sharing his appreciation for all the projects Rotary has been involved with. He thanked those that help set up the meeting. Wished all a good week,
President Doug closed the meeting 8:30am