West U Rotary Happenings for the week of May 8th

Posted by Greg Faldyn 
on May 10, 2016
 
Roll out the red carpet ...
 
... And this year's winners are ...
 
This week's speaker is Bill Orlin - the Holocaust Museum
 
West U Rotary Happenings for the week of May 8, 2016 ….
 
What a fantastic week! If you missed our meeting this past week you missed one of our best meetings of the year – truly a meeting of celebration! We had the honor of recognizing so many individuals in our community for their Service Above Self.
 
Our first honoree needs no introduction. He has committed hours and hours (and hours) of his time towards Rotary’s causes. He has held multiple positions within the club and at the District level. He is known worldwide for educating Rotarians about the global eradication efforts of Polio. Terry Ziegler is the recipient of one of the most prestigious awards in Rotary – The Citation for Meritorious Service.  This is one of the highest honors bestowed to an individual in the District by TRF.
 
Our second honoree – our RYE from Poland Maciej Aniukiewicz received an MVP medal for tennis from Episcopal High School.
 
Varun Bansal is this year’s recipient for our annual Rice University Scholarship – awarded to a student who exemplifies Community Service. Varun is the Founder of Music MDs – a group of youth musicians providing personalized music and conversations with patients, family and staff in hospitals. Clarence Miller and the committee once again did a great job in selecting an amazing student.  
 
Our other exchange student Lara Knigge presented her year in Texas. Lara and her Texas families have had an outstanding year. Wow, I wish I had known about the RYE when I went to school. Lara, have a fantastic next few weeks!
 
 
And all these were our part of Act I. Act II included our annual Vocational Awards for Educator, Non Rotarian and Rotarian of the year.
  • Vocational Educator of the year – Julie Davis – Spanish Teacher at Lamar High School. Julie has been a promoter for Rotary for several years. Since her time as an RYE, she has often promoted Rotary and our involvement with student exchange programs including our new outbound student Emma Reagan.  Julie is very dedicated to her students and loves the opportunity to enhance their lives.
  • Vocational Non Rotarian of the year – Amy Barnes  co founder of Books Between Kids a local not for profit organization dedicated to improving the staggering literacy statistics by providing books to economically disadvantaged families. A recent study shows that middle incomes children have 13 books per child but in low income neighborhoods, the ratio is 1 book per 300 children. Since 2013, Books Between Kids have assisted in distributing over 434,000 books.
  • Vocation Rotarian of the year was presented to Janice Stooksberry. Janice, a member of WUR since 2000 is retired after 25+ years in the banking industry. Janice uses her professional skills as a banker to service the community. She has served on the Board of the Greater Houston Women’s Foundation and the Houston Area Women’s Center. She has spent several years emphasizing women’s issues and assisted with financial education.
All of this year’s winners truly exemplify this year’s theme of being a Gift to the World. Congratulations to everyone!! And thanks to Sharon Williams and the entire committee for their efforts in selecting all the winners. Job well done!  
Other activities going on with our club this week:
  • May 10th, we are hosting our Paul Harris Society (PHS) dinner at Union Kitchen to thank our club members who have committed to contributing $1,000 each year to The Rotary Foundation.
  • May 12th – our semi annual blood drive. Please consider donating as there is always a need for more blood donations.
  • May 14th – Camp for All service day
  • June 17th – Installation dinner for Eric Liu. Please let me know if you are interested in attending.
  • June 28th – Installation dinner for Carol Lester at Maggianos. Come join us for a great evening as we induct our newest officers.
This week our guest speaker will be Bill Orlin to discuss the Holocaust Museum. Bill and his family lived on the run in Europe between 1939 – 1945. He was born in Poland and his family fled from the Nazis. You are in for a fantastic presentation of life of a family in hiding. Please join us for a very informative presentation.
 
Did everyone figure out the plates from last week? The answers to last week and this week’s selections are provided below.
Last week:
  • 8NOD9 – Ain’t no denying
  • YBNRML – Why by normal?
  • ICULAFN – I see you laughing
This week:
  • IRIGHTI
  • ULIV1S
  • YYUUUU
Have a great week. Peace!
 
Greg Faldyn
West U Rotary Prez