West U Rotary Newsletter Week of Oct 8th (Oct. 05, 2026)

Bentley Sanford

Hey Gang,

Good morning and I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend.

I just got back from having an espresso and putting up one of our West U Rotary handouts (courtesy of Kim McPhillips, Past President) on the community bulletin board at Merit Coffee. Somebody who reads the community postings may be our kind of folk? Maybe there's some spot you go to that has an area for posting business cards and notices? Put up our West U Rotary handout - there is no downside!

The big district wide event this month is on Saturday, October 24th, World Polio Day walk, starting over at the Dillards-Galleria. It will set you back $100.00 but you will become a Polio Plus Society Member! Our man Terry Ziegler, Past President, has been announcing this for several weeks and we hope to have a strong turn out from West U. We will not be setting any Guinness World Records for distance as I believe it is a total of a mile, but it will be fun and the money goes to a good cause! I will definitely be there.

Rotary After Hours (RAH) will also meet this week with another great speaker. RAH is a much more convenient time to meet (6:00-7:00 pm) for lots of folks so please pass it along to interested friends. We will need to find a new venue for RAH starting in November so any thoughts or ideas can be passed along to Anthony Convington.

Do you know Don Raskin (Past President of West U Rotary), or Big Don as I call him? To show you how good of a friend he is to me, I hate golf- and he's the only one I will willingly play with. He's had some health issues but would welcome a brief visit. Reach out to me or Marcia Raskin for a contact number.

Lastly, I really enjoyed hearing our Italian exchange student, Gaia Chevrere last week. That kid is a ball of fire and she's off to a tremendous start for her year abroad. Rachel Mills, our club counselor and Brennan Riley, our Youth Exchange officer are in charge of that program. If you have thoughts or ideas about the program or just want to get involved, please reach out to them.

Bentley

Last week's meeting

Beer, Blankets & Blood

Thanks to our members who participated in last week's blood drive. Roldan got a pic in action as he helped save a life with his blood donation. Appreciate all of our Rotarians who continue to give- even when it hurts.

Rotary After Hours

Our After Hours companion club members meet this Thursday evening at the home of Kim & Jay Anderson. Regular club members are always welcome to attend, so don't be shy.

Thank you again Kim & Jay for temporarily hosting us as we find the perfect spot for our monthy meet ups. WURC members, if you know of a great spot with a quiet room that could host our RAH club once a month, please connect with Anthony Covington. We appreciate Kim & Jay for hosting us, but we'll need to find a permanent spot since Kim will be taking on the role of West U public servant once a month at the same evenings RAH meets.

World Polio Day Walk

This year, we will be celebrating World Polio Day on Saturday, October 24 by Walking The Walk. Rotarians and their families and friends from all over our District will be walking from the Galleria (Dillard's parking lot, 4925 Westheimer) to the Waterwall Park (roundtrip distance one mile) in support of our END POLIO NOW effort. Meeting time is 9:30 AM.

Each Rotarian is asked to donate $100+ to Rotary's Polio Fund between now and 10/24/26 to participate in the walk. Please donate even if you are unable to participate in the walk. And please donate more than $100 if you are able as the Gates Foundation will be matching our Polio donations with $2 for each $1 we donate again this year!

Our club is making your Polio donation extra easy this year. Just make your $25 Rotary Foundation donation as usual with your upcoming West U Rotary Club dues invoice and it will go to the Polio Fund and will be matched by our club Foundation. Or you can increase your dues invoice donation to $50 and have that matched for a total of $100. You are also welcome to donate by logging on to your account at MyRotary.org. Just click on the Donate tab at the top and specify that this donation is for Polio. You can always also give me a check (made to The Rotary Foundation) or cash and I'll send it in for you.

One last match - if you donate between $100 and $500, your donation will be matched with Rotary Foundation Recognition points to make you a Paul Harris Fellow or next level PHF sooner. The points match does not apply if you are already a Major Donor.

Please wear your End Polio or Rotary shirt to the Walk if you have one. Terry Ziegler, Rotary Regional END POLIO NOW Coordinator, will give you an END POLIO NOW shirt (X-tra large size only) to wear if you need one for the walk.

Thanks for Creating Lasting Impact in our world.

Club Board Meeting

Oct. 13, 2026
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.

Books of the World Book Sorting

Oct. 24, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

World Polio Day - Walk for those who can't

Oct. 24, 2026
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

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Oct 08, 2026 7:30 AM

Lee Cisneros, Upper Kirby Redevelopment Authority

Upper Kirby Area Latest Developments

Lee Cisneros has served as Director of Operations for the Upper Kirby Redevelopment Authority since 2017, overseeing the design, construction, and operation of utility, street, roadway, and public infrastructure improvements, as well as district investment properties. Prior to joining Upper Kirby, he was a Development Manager with Midway Companies and spent more than 20 years as a Project Architect with Gensler. He is a graduate of the University of Houston College of Architecture. Lee resides in the Clear Lake area with his wife and two sons and is an active member of the Knights of Columbus.

Oct 08, 2026 6:00 PM

Rotary After Hours--Speaker--Linda Brooks

Rescued Pets Movement

Rescued Pets Movement saves hundreds of animals from area shelters, often from the euthensia list. RPM has saved over 100,000 lives since 2013. They transport homeless pets from the over-populated South to areas of the country with a shortage of adoptable pets.

Oct 15, 2026 7:30 AM

Roger L. Bertholf, Ph.D.

Can a blood test detect cancer?

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