Our Rotary year of Serving to Change Lives is rapidly coming to an end. Our final Roundtable will be held on June 18 and will include discussion of the significant accomplishments we have had as a District this year.
For clubs that are interested in providing aide to those impacted by the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, I have received the following information from the District Governor for that area:
In response, and in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Uvalde, our Rotary District 5840 has set-up a Uvalde Community Relief Fund within our 501c3 Foundation. The purpose of this fund will be to assist and comfort, where possible, those who are grieving and who are most affected by the shooting as well as to aid in the restoration of the shattered world view of the children, families, educators, and first responders of Uvalde.
You may make your tax deductible donation by check payable to “District 5840 Foundation” with a memo line of "Uvalde Community Relief Fund". Send the check to Rotary District 5840 Foundation, P.O. Box 13, Boerne, TX 78006. Or you can donate through Zelle using this email ROTARYUVALDECOMMUNITYFUND@GMAIL.COM. Note - if using Zelle, please add your email address and/or contact information in the comment section if you want a tax receipt.
In May the 4-Way speech contest was held in person in Frisco and all 18 students participating were fabulous, ranging from gender issues to moral relativism, the war in Ukraine to challenges immigrants to the U.S. face, and so, SO much more. Many thanks to Jim Bullock for the excellent job done on such a well organized and well run event.The top 6 finalists as follows:
1st place: Madhalassa Iyer of Plano Senior High (sponsored by the Rotary Club of Plano West)
2nd place: Joshua Li of Plano West Senior High (sponsored by the Rotary Club of Plano East)
3rd place: Rudy Lea of Dallas Christian H.S. (sponsored by the Rotary Club of Mesquite)
4th place: Samuel Cavanna, home-schooled (sponsored by the Rotary Club of Irving Sunrise)
5th place: Andie Abell of Plano Senior High (sponsored by the Rotary Club of Plano)
6th place: Hailey Williams, J.J. Pearce H.S. (sponsored by the Rotary Club of Prestonwood)
Speaking of youth events, Camp RYLA is also back in person. I had the pleasure of welcoming the 170 campers last week and what an energetic group they are! Many thanks to Dana Makison and Jim Duffy for seeing to it that the participants have the very best experience!
The Rotary International Convention is being held in Houston this week. District 5810 is well represented with 118 of our members in attendance. If you have not travelled to Houston, you can still sign up to attend virtually.
Finally, be sure to register for the Banquet to be held on June 23 to not only install incoming District Governor Howard Templin as well as the other District and Club leaders for 2022-2023.
It has been an absolute pleasure to serve you as District Governor over this past year. I have made so many new friends and am amazed at all the ways that our Clubs continue to Serve to Change Lives.
You are invited to join us on Thursday, June 23rd at 5:30PM as we launch into the Rotary Year with a festive celebration at the Hall of State at Fair Park. We will install the incoming 2022-2023 District Governor Howard Templin, District Leadership, and all Rotary Club Presidents of District 5810. Our Keynote speaker & installer is Past RI Director Robert K, Knuepfer.
We invite you to join all Rotarians as we celebrate the annual changeover of Rotary leaders and our collective power in service to the community. Tickets are $70. Click to Register.
Congratulations to the following Clubs for winning our PUBLIC IMAGE CHAMPION GAMES: Plano West Rotary, McKinney Rotary Club, McKinney Sunrise Rotary Club, Grand Prairie Metro Rotary Club, Rotary Club of Park Cities, Rotary Club of Coppell, DeSoto Rotary Club, Prestonwood Rotary Club, Melissa Rotary and Rotary Club of Dallas! THANK YOU for being a Public Image Champion!
Extraordinarily bright and articulate students participated in Saturday’s district-wide 4-Way Test speech contest with impressive speeches ranging from gender issues to moral relativism, the war in Ukraine to challenges immigrants to the U.S. face, and so, SO much more. The top 6 finalists are as follows:
The horror of the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School in the community of Uvalde has been felt around the world, and Rotarians everywhere have reached out to the Rotary Club of Uvalde and District 5840 asking where they can send donations which will go towards healing.
In response, and in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Uvalde, our Rotary District 5840 has set-up a Uvalde Community Relief Fund within our 501c3 Foundation. The purpose of this fund will be to assist and comfort, where possible, those who are grieving and who are most affected by the shooting as well as to aid in the restoration of the shattered world view of the children, families, educators, and first responders of Uvalde.
To quote Rotary International President, Shekhar Mehta, "The biggest gift we are given is the power to touch a life, to change, to make a difference in the circle of life..."
Sunday June 5th: contact DG Max at mduplant@gmail.com to attend the 1:00 pm Shen Yun dance performance at Jones Hall and/or drinks afterwards.
Monday June 6th: join the Greenville Rotary Club for a cocktail party at either 6:00-7:00 pm, 7:30-8:30 pm or 9:00-10:00 pm to meet members from the Rotary Club of Cozumel, Mexico to discuss upcoming projects for the Day of Service in Cozumel on April 28, 2023. Katy Ridge of the Greenville club will be there to discuss past successful projects in Cozumel and what you can do next year. Contact Katy at 903-456-3514 or k.ridge@whycornerstone.com to sign up for a party.
Tuesday June 7th: join the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Rotary Club for a cocktail party at either 6:00-7:00 pm, 7:30-8:30 pm or 9:00-10:00 pm to meet members of the Rotary Club of Roatan, Honduras and myself to discuss how clubs can support projects in Honduras in 2022-2023 and plan for the Day of Service in Roatan on April 26, 2023. Contact Regina at 972-955-9997 or regina.edwards888888@gmail.com to sign up for a party.
Pictured: Walker Students Crape Myrtle Project 2022
The month of May is a busy month for Collin County Rotarians! Collin County Rotary Club Crape Myrtle Trails, Online Auction, Rotary Youth Exchange, Flag Project and more!
Carrollton-Farmers Banch Rotary invites you to join them at their Annual Golf Tournament on Friday, June 17th at Indian Creek Golf Club! Click here for more details and to register.
The Rowlett Rotary Club & RHS Interact Club cleaned up Kentwood City Park, Canal, & adjacent city lot on May 14 in Rowlett, Texas. Over 20 bags of debris were collected. An awesome turnout of Rotarians and 18 Interact students. Extra note: the donuts went by by very quickly.
The Rotary Club of Melissa hosted an evening program for the Community to learn about Human Trafficking to grow our community awareness of the problem.
It looked like the 25th Bike Rodeo was going to be cancelled this year due to Covid restrictions at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children who has hosted it in the past. But Faith Family Academy stepped forward in a huge way by combining it with the District 5810 Interact Spring Fling.
Promoting peace is an area of focus for Rotary, and Plano West Rotary Club (PWRC) members were honored to support Plano Asiafest in downtown Plano’s Haggard Park on May 7.
Plano Asiafest is an annual celebration of Asian culture, showcasing Asian music, food, clothing, art, performance and more. The annual festival helps all Plano residents better understand and appreciate our Asian neighbors, and it promotes peace and goodwill within our community.
The Rotary Club of Coppell gang gathered to celebrate Bobbi Ritcheske, wife of Rotarian George, for the fabulous role she played in Steel Magnolias at The Coppell Arts Center!
The next time you’re driving down Avenue K in east Plano, you can thank Plano West Rotary Club (PWRC) for the clean stretch of roadside you’re traveling on.
The Mesquite Rotary Club has awarded scholarships of $1,500 each to students from each of the Mesquite and Sunnyvale area high schools, and to students from the Mesquite Academy and Dallas Christian School. This investment by the club in the future of these deserving area scholars totaled $12,000.