PORT ISABEL ROTARY CLUB
AUGUST PRESIDENTS PROGRESS REPORT
Let’s start by saying…I probably will forget something in this report but I wanted to try and recap what we have accomplished since I started my presidency….so I am sorry if I left something out.
MEMBERSHIP
Yes, I have started with membership…since it is so critical to our “survival.”
- Traci has created committees of three to each come up with at least one new member.
- Traci would like each committee to come up with a prospective member by September 18—hoping for inductions in mid-October. So, please help her with this!
- We inducted one new member in August: Terri Lievanos
- Due to non-attendance we had to remove Rob Nixon as a member—once he has more time, we will welcome him back! Marie Ferrier chose to resign due to health reasons.
- Medical leave has been given to: Debbie Holliday to care for a family member in Oklahoma.
- Paul Estrada, who had an employment leave (temporarily working out of the area) is back and, therefore, his leave has ended.
- We now are back to 40 members…the number we started the year with.
- 21 of our members had 100% attendance in July, 3 had 80% attendance, 8 had 60%, 3 had 40%, 3 had 20%, and 4 had 0%. The 0% attendance included Rob (who is no longer a member), Paul E. and Marie who had or were given leaves of absence, and Paul C. who was on vacation—AND DID NOT MAKE-UP : ) Many of the other lower attendance levels were due to summer vacations.
- Tom attended a membership training seminar in McAllen.
The Membership sub-committees are as follows (please meet and start recruiting):
Group 1-Jerry Adams, Terri Lievanos, Duane Rasmussen
Group 2-Deeonda Ahadi, Bill Foster, Bob White, Debbie Holliday
Group 3-Ebbie Ahadi, Bob Fudge, Tom Plumb
Group 4-Daniel Alaniz, Roxanne Guenzel, Dan Quandt
Group 5-Ralph Ayers, Jeff Hughes, John Reed
Group 6-Ron Boudreaux, Ken Irwin, Sammy Reyes
Group 7-Paul Cardile, Beckie Johnson, Rick Ridolfi
Group 8-Jeff Church, Mike Krieder, George Riley
Group 9-George Colley, Dave Krummel, Ginny Riley
Group 10-Pam Dean, Traci Lichtensteiger, Robert Rodriguez
Group 11-Diane Delgado, John Magee, Charles Rogan
Group 12-Jacqui Dempsey, Darrell Mangham, Phil Taylor
Group 13- Paul Estrada, Tony Meyn, Bettina Tolin
For quite a while we have enjoyed the presence of about 25 of our 39 (now 40-41) members each week—this is a 64% attendance record. We all have other commitments and many times we cannot attend. However, part of the membership lane responsibility is to keep on top of this and contact those that have slipped in their attendance—so please do not be offended by that contact. Fortunately, many people who cannot attend the weekly meeting do participate in activities during the week—THANKS!
Thanks to Duane’s work, we have an updated directory. If you have not gotten one—ask Sammy!!
SEPTEMBER SCHEDULE
7:00 AM Flag Raising, meet at Curves 12:00 Club meeting, DeeOnda hostess 5:00 PM Flag lowering, Marcello’s unless previously planned Evening Pot Luck with Monterey , First National Bank, PI
- A basketball fundraising committee was established with the following members: George and Ginny Riley (as chairs), Tom Plumb, Ralph Ayers, Paul Cardile, Bob Fudge, John Reed, Ken Irwin, Tony Flaig, Dan Quandt, and Robert Rodriguez.
- The committee met on August 24.
- Dan Quandt has obtained an autographed Spurs basketball and Spurs tickets for the raffle.
- The South Padre Bank is our first $500.00 sponsor—we are looking for $500, $300, $100, and $25 sponsors or items for a raffle……
- The team requires lodging for the night of the event….Ginny and George are contributing the use of their two condos at the Sheraton and a friend of theirs is contributing a third.
- The next meeting is September 14 at noon at White Sands.
Pirates Landing has agreed to let us set up our machine on their property during the Heritage Festival planned for October 10.
Bettina and Robert have redesigned the routes/grids for the next flag-raising. There will be 3 routes on the island and two in Port Isabel.
Saturday, July 4, 2009 - COMPLETED
Patriots Day, Friday, September 11, 2009
Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, 2009
President's Day, Monday, February 15, 2010
Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, 2010
Flag Day, Monday, June 14, 2010
Thanks to distribution of the draft budget some items we missed were added back in via member input—including donations to the Boys and Girls Club and Boy Scouts. We also addressed the need to balance the budget—since we have been depleting reserves for the past two years. The basketball game, a new pancake breakfast and margariteville (no income factored into budget—gravy) will improve our income. Due to a last minute request to increase the allocation for Monterey from $2,000.00 to $4,000.00, our projected income is now $30,850.00 and our expenses are projected to be $30,285.00.
This Rotary year the District has a GSE team planned for a visit to France. This is an excellent opportunity to provide a meaningful experience for someone in our area—at no cost to us. Applications are due October 31 and the applicant must speak French and be between 25 and 40 years old. The leader has to be a Rotarian of any age. The outgoing team heads to France on May 9 and returns June 6. Please help recruit someone from our area for this great experience. Does anyone want to lead the group???
Through Darrell’s and Laurie Howell’s contacts at UTB we may have found someone interested in becoming an Ambassadorial Scholar. Hopefully, she will present an application. She is from Port Isabel.
August 7 Jessica Gonzalez, SBA Business Development Dan was host via Darrell
August 14 Michael Jones, Bus. Dev. Dir. Brownsville Airport Bettina was host (via Rick)
August 21 Ed Mesa, PI City Manager. Ebbie was host.
August 28 Paul Cardile, 9/11 remembered Paul was his own host
Ralph reports that Garriga is very interested in this and he and the EarlyAct committee will pursue this now that school is back in session.
Our four scholarship recipients have picked up their $1,000.00 checks. They are Desiree Borchers, Tommy Daniel, Lucilia Salina, and James Binford.
Provision of electricity for the community of Cunda, Honduras--PI Press
Provision of electricity for the community of Moradel, Honduras—PI Press
Also, cited by DG Dennis Roberts for Tom’s Foundation challenge and license plate effort.
Jerry Adams has agreed to be the Foundation czar…he is in need of a committee to educate us about the Foundation and encourage our members to help out financially. Every year we receive two Matching Grants so we need to keep this in mind when we are asked to give back to the Foundation.
The Polio Plus jar has reached $292.84. Rotary International has asked us to try and raise $1,000.00 for polio plus this year. Please throw your spare change in the jar each week—so we won’t have to tap our budget!! Thanks!
Tom has initiated a challenge to match new donors to the Foundation up to $1,000.00—no takers to date.
Wendy Hauschildt has been hired to redesign our website (www.pirotary.org) and the site is under reconstruction. We will be establishing a PayPal account so that basketball tickets, flag subscriptions, dues, etc. can be paid on-line.
We have “booked” the community center at Paradise Cove in Laguna Vista for a Saturday night dinner--$25/person.
Our visit to Monterey will be November 6, 7 and 8. The cost will be $150.00 per person. We actually have about 20 people signed up so far. Yes, we will have a golfing outing for the golfers but we are also hoping to arrange alternative side trips for those who wish to go on better shopping trips, do ecotourism, and visit cultural sites. A city tour has also been suggested for one of the afternoons. To participate we will need to sign up ahead of time and probably pay additional fees. We hope to have these activities planned for Friday and Saturday afternoons…on Friday you can choose from column A and on Saturday you can choose from Column B : )
Robert Rodriguez and Bob White have prepared a Matching Grant application to purchase Radiology equipment for the Clinica Teresita. The total project cost is $60,950.00. The hoped for funding sources are as follows:
Port Isabel Rotary $4,000.00
District 5930 funds $4,000.00
District 4130 funds $4,000.00
The Rotary Foundation $12,000.00
Clinica Teresita clinic $30,450.00
This project will require $2,000.00 more from our club than originally planned. This change was discussed/blessed at the board meeting on August 12.
OUR DISTRICT APPROVED THE $4,000.00 IN DDF FUNDING!!!!
THE FOUNDATION IS OUT OF FUNDS—SO THE $12,000.00 WILL NEED TO BE CUT FROM THE BUDGET OR MADE UP SOMEHOW.
During July, the Honduran power company and villagers completed the installation of a power supply for the community of Cunda and completed the installation of power for the Pech Indian village of Moradel in August. The power company is providing the labor free of charge—saving our matching grant money. We have two more power projects ahead of us—La Brea and Caribbean Mission. All are funded through a matching grant approved last year. The monies saved due to the free labor have been assigned to the La Brea power project and a new dam for San Martin.
Tom is applying for a Matching Grant for Honduras again this year. Our budget allows for $4,785.00 for Honduras this year. These funds will either be applied to the Matching Grant or a school as needed. Tom is applying for a matching grant to build a community slow sand water filtration system and clean water tank for the 11,000 residents of Barrio San Martin (we built them a 36,000 gallon water storage tank this year); pipeline to connect the Barrio Cristales dam (3,000 residents) to the 26,000 gallon tank we built in 2008 and then to the new slow sand community filtration system and clean water tank (to be provided by a $27,776.00 Matching Grant that was just awarded to District 5830) and then to a central distribution system; and a filtration tank that will allow for the settlement of sand, gravel and silt out of the water supply serving the 4,000 residents of Barrios Buenos Aires and Miramar.
Barrio San Martin $25,000.00 (free labor)
Barrio Cristales $24,611.68 (free labor + half cost)
Barrio Buenos Aires and Miramar $33,014.84 (half cost)
Rotary Foundation $23,062.82
Barrio Cristales $12,305.84
Barrio Buenos Aires $16,507.42
OUR DISTRICT APPROVED $11,375.22 IN DDF FUNDING FOR THE PROJECT!!!
The Rotary Foundation is out of funds—so Tom cut his budget by $18,500.00—eliminating half of a filter and a clean water tank for Barrio San Martin.
GINNY AND GEORGE’S OLD CLUB IN SEBASTOPOL, CALIFORNIA HAS AGREED TO PROVIDE $4,716.00 IN LOCAL FUNDS!!!!!
Tom has been partnering with the Pittsburg, Texas Rotary Club in District 5830 to apply for a matching grant to construct a community-size slow sand filtration system and clean water tank for Barrio Cristales in Trujillo, Honduras. A grant for $27,776.00 was approved…Tom provided $504.00 in local funds for it.
We have budgeted $2,500.00 to help the orphanage with an air conditioning system. I believe this is a part of another Club’s Matching Grant application.
Members are always needed to help out with starting an EarlyAct Club at Derry, getting involved in an adoption picnic, helping sell margaritas and water at the Heritage Festival in October, helping start and perpetuate the new Social Club, assist with the Fish Fry, raise and lower flags, help Jerry with the Foundation committee, orchestrating a visit to the Matamoras orphanage, and many other activities. If you haven’t gotten involved with an actual activity—as opposed to “sit” on a lane—please consider volunteering—or step forward, if asked.
Bettina Tolin, President-elect (and Community Service lane chair)
Ralph Ayers, Past President
Robert Rodriguez, International Service Lane Chair
Pam Dean, Club Service Lane Chair
George Colley, Vocational Service lane chair
Traci Lichtensteiger, Membership lane chair
Marcelo’s has been impacted by a/n (merited) increase in the minimum wage and needs to pass on that cost to us. Therefore, the amount we need to pay Marcelo’s out of our $10.00 meal cost has gone from $8.50 to $9.00.
Consequently, the $10.00 we assess for each meal will now be strictly for meal cost and minor profit to pay for guests.
In recent years, we have allowed raffle winners to keep all the winnings. This is illegal.
Raffle tickets will now be an additional cost--$1.00 per ticket/3 for $2—and winners will win half of the proceeds and, on occasion, a bottle of wine. You can buy as many tickets as you wish…Traci and/or Pam will sell these tickets during the meal.
We have always made-do with a make shift projection screen. Traci was able to get WalGreens to donate a small pull down screen for our use—thanks Traci!! It has now been hung!
The next meeting will be Thursday, September 17 from 5:30-7:00 at Pier 19.
The Rotary sign as you enter Port Isabel is in great need of repainting and straightening…Jerry Adams has taken it down and is taking care of it. Thanks, Jerry!!!
Many of us live in Laguna Vista and pass by lots of litter on our way home. Pam has scheduled a litter clean-up of the area from Laguna Heights to the wall at Paradise Cove for October 3 starting at 3:00 PM. There is a pile of mattresses one lot prior to the Laguna Vista town line—can anyone help get rid of them?
When I arrived here from Vermont, I approached TxDOT about getting a Rotary license plate—similar to the one I had in Vermont. They did not exist—despite numerous attempts to create one. So……..the quest to create one began. The first three years were spent going through channels to get the 10 Texas District Governors to sign off on it—which required an $800.00 per district commitment—and there were always 2 or 3 who did not have it in their budget and the concept died. There is also the potential for $22.00 of the $30.00 additional fee for a specialty plate that could go to a project chosen by the plate proposer. TB was chosen by the 2007-2008 DGs—so we approached the Health Department to be our sponsor (a plate requires a state sponsoring agency if we want to tap that $22). All ten DGs have now signed off on it and RI has authorized the use of the Rotary emblem on the plate. The Health Department is now finalizing the agreement to sponsor the plate and administer the funds on behalf of TB (clubs can apply for the funds). Hopefully, we will be on TxDOTs agenda this Fall authorizing the manufacture of the plates. We will be the largest state in the USA with a Rotary plate. Recent attempts in California and Florida failed.