Events

Raj Salhotra is a native Houstonian. He attended Rice University and graduated in 2013 with majors in Economics and Policy Studies. After Rice, he joined Teach For America and was placed at YES Prep Southwest where he taught Pre-Calculus and AP Statistics.  After YES Prep, he attended Harvard Law School where he focused on researching public policy issues and representing tenants being evicted from their homes. After returning to Houston in 2018, Raj deferred a job with Baker Botts to run for Houston City Council At-Large 1. He secured a spot in the runoff; however, ultimately lost to an incumbent. Now, Raj has launched Momentum Education to serve under-resourced high school and college students get to and through college and into the workforce.

 Pete Gershon is a writer, researcher, and the curator of programs at the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art. He’s the author of ‘Collision: The Contemporary Art Scene in Houston, 1972-1985’ and ‘Painting the Town Orange: The Stories Behind Houston’s Visionary Art Environments.’  Previously he’s worked with the Core Program at the Glassell School of Art and with Nameless Sound, and he was the founding publisher and editor of ’Signal to Noise: the journal of improvised and experimental music’ from 1997 to 2013. 

 The non-profit organization provides intensive after school academic intervention programs for at-risk students in grades 1-6 and is licensed through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. The YDC operated its programs in a local church nearby until it moved into the new building location.

The state-of-the-art 22,000 square foot building has three technology-based learning labs, two homework study halls, counseling rooms, a library, covered bus entry, enclosed playground and more to ensure every aspect of a child’s needs are met including:  Security, physical, educational , and creative.   

Memorial Day Flag Launch will be on Tuesday, May 23--Saturday, May 27.  Please contact your teams and schedule your launches!
 

West U Rotary will gather at "The Owl" for our next social. 

2424 Dunstan Rd. Suite 150, Houston, Texas  346-802-3948

Retrieve West U flags with your team!

Ann Svendsen-Sanchez MS, is a fulltime faculty member at the University of Houston. Her area of emphasis is in the field of commercial food production, community nutrition, general nutrition. She has been involved in research on nutrition education in foodbanks.  She has developed school-based gardens, food bank community garden and UH kitchen garden for commercial use.  Svendsen-Sanchez has been published in 2 peer-reviewed journal articles and 4 book chapters. She teaches undergraduate nutrition courses and volunteers doing nutrition education to homeless organization participants.  Svendsen-Sanchez has developed school nutrition education programs for ages pre K to high school for the 4^th largest school district in the US.  She developed nutrition education programs for low-income populations in Houston. 

Ann Svendsen-Sanchez received her masters from Texas Woman’s University, Denton Texas. Her research during her Master’s was on Nutritional Indices Predicting Mortality in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.

Ann Svendsen-Sanchez has received funding as Director of Nutrition of Programs from national and local donors to educate low-income clients served by Houston Food Bank providing outreach activities.

She received grants thru the Houston Food Bank to provide Serve Safe certification for incarcerated felons learning food service skills at the food bank community kitchen. 

Ann Svendsen-Sanchez mentors undergraduate in unpaid internships for non-profits and homeless shelters providing nutrition education.  Her undergraduate students obtain dietetic internships to become Registered Dietitians/Nutritionist. 

Invited by Lisa Bunse

Keith Brown currently serves as the Director Of Development at The Immunization Partnership (TIP), for the last 11 months, an organization that has as its mission., “TIP advocates for disease prevention using an impactful network of vaccine champions who promote education and evidence-based public policy on the health benefits of childhood and adult vaccinations. TIP aspires to be the trusted resource for increasing immunization rates to create healthier communities.”   TIP works to significantly increase state immunization rates by being a source of leading research, industry expertise and specialist knowledge; keeping communities informed of vaccination benefits and advising them on how they can use that knowledge to promote change; and advocating at the Texas Legislature for public policy that improves access to vaccination and permits healthcare professionals to build healthy communities.

Prior to joining TIP, Keith Brown spent four years at Bayview Baptist Church in San Diego California as Executive Pastor. While serving there Keith organized and oversaw a Covid-19 testing site on the Church campus as well as at some local high schools and administered over 30,000 tests in an 18-month period.  He also organized and oversaw a Covid-19 vaccination clinic on the Church campus which administered over 5,000 vaccines over an 18-month period.  Keith witnessed the hesitation to get vaccinated from people in the Church and surrounding demographics which was composed of people identified as members of the black and brown community, but was able to encourage some of them works to significantly increase state immunization rates by being a source of leading research, industry expertise and specialist knowledge; keeping communities informed of vaccination benefits and advising them on how they can use that knowledge to promote change; and advocating at the Texas Legislature for public policy that improves access to vaccination and permits healthcare professionals to build healthy communities.

Keith is a graduate of Washburn University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in C.J. Corrections and an Associates of Arts in Mental Health.  Next, he earned a Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies from Faith Evangelical Seminary and a Master of Divinity degree from Faith Evangelical Seminary.  Keith was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from Next Dimension University for 20 plus years of excellence in Church Administration.  Keith earned his Certification in Church Administration in 2005 from the National Association of Church Business Administrators (currently known as TCN, The Church Network) and currently serves on the board of Directors of TCN.  Rev. Brown was awarded the “Church Business Administrator of The Year” for 2018.  Keith recently attended Boston University where he received his Certificate in Professional Fundraising.

Keith is married to Saundra Brown for over 40 years and is the father of two children Keith, II, Erica and has three grandchildren, Kylie, Kaysie, and Zhuri.  He loves attending his grandchilds various activities from school and babysitting the youngest grandchild, Zhuri who will soon be 2 years old.

Invited through Stacey Brevard 

Bio forthcoming. 

Invited by Lisa Bunse.  

As our Rotary fiscal year comes to an end, WU Rotary is having a meal packing event at Rise Against Hunger on June 17 at 9:00 a.m.  The club will help package approximately 14,000 meals, bringing our total meals packed to approximately 155,000 since 2018!

Meet at the Rise Against Hunger offices--8901 Jameel Rd., Houston, TX, and enjoy the fellowship while making the world a better place!

Jack Wallace
 

West U Rotary flag launch will take place during these dates.  Please get with your team to coordinate the launch.

Please get with your flag team to retrieve the flags.

Join us in kicking off the new Rotary year with the installation of our new servant leaders by District Governor Heather Rimato. Leaders, members, and Rotary friends, bring your family and friends along for the celebration!

Our Mission
Have Shears Will Travel is a non-profit hair care ministry organized to serve the local community with special needs that restrict their ability to obtain these services due to physical impairment, lack of transportation, or financial means.

What is next for Barbara and Have Shears Will Travel?  The organization is currently in the fundraising stage of opening the Shear Success Barber & Cosmetology Training Center to provide an educational arm with lower-than-market tuition rates and scholarships to those who cannot afford the tuition.  In this way, low-income men and women have the opportunity to earn a livable wage, ensuring their sustainable independence. In addition to running a successful nonprofit, Barbara is married to her husband, Steve, with three children, two bonus children, fourteen grandchildren, and the first great-grandchild on the way.  Her family and her work in the community through Have Shears Will Travel continue to bring her great joy. Barbara lives life in the true spirit of her motto – “Blessed to be a blessing.”

Visit :  https://haveshearswilltravel.org/

Invited by Cecile Schutter

The Ion (ionhouston.com)

Greg will line up a speaker and get with Kim/Stephen

leon.g.hamilton@gmail.com

Invited by Irene Sadkowski

Bio forthcoming.  Mental health is a major topic for Rotary this coming year.  Evelyn was at leadership conference.  

EbtrLr@aol.com

281 794 0687

Debbie Korth is Deputy NAA Administrator at the JSC Houston. She is the ARTEMIS program director.

Details forthcoming.   J.McGary@remindsupport.org.  Recomnended by David Redford, who's wife Jan works with  this organization.  

Bio forthcoming. 

Invited by Kim McPhillips 

Space City Weather portal discussion. Hurricane and storm  forecasting. What does the climate future hold for the Gulf Coast.

Launch flags for Veterans Day with your flag team.