During World Immunization Week, 24-30 April, join with Rotary to combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation by spreading the facts about why #VaccinesWork.
With decades of experience fighting polio, Rotary plays a key role in informing people about the power and effectiveness of vaccines. As COVID-19 vaccines become more available, Rotary members are using our experience in fighting polio to help communities with their vaccination education and organization efforts.
Members of White Rock Rotary purchased, delivered, and helped plant a vegetable garden for the Sisters of Charity (Mother Theresa's Order) in a 'food desert' area of South Dallas. We hope that this garden will grow and provide fresh produce for the local community. This would definitely benefit all concerned!
White Rock Rotary Helps Plant a Garden in a 'Food Desert'
Congratulations to all our RYLead campers and staffers--we wrapped up our virtual camp RYLA this last month, and we have so much to celebrate! All students who were selected to attend the in-person Camp RYLA were invited to participate, and in the end, about 90 students participated in our first virtual camp, RYLead.
Spring has arrived. The days are warmer, the trees are turning green, the flowers are blooming. And my lawn is filled with dandelions!!! As of now, the State of Texas no longer has any restrictions on Covid-19 vaccinations for anyone 16 or older. So, I ask, no encourage each of you to please get your shots…2 shots (unless the vaccine is Johnson and Johnson).
Mesquite Rotary Club President Dr. Angel Rivera presented a $3,500 donation check to the Mesquite ISD Education Foundation on March 24th. Foundation Executive Director Randy Lewallyn accepted the check.
For anyone unfamiliar with Bonton Farms, it was started by Daron Babcock several years ago as a way to bring food and jobs to a very poor South Dallas neighborhood in an area designated as a “food desert.” The farms have prospered and expanded to include the Bonton Market and a café that is open to the public for lunch, among other projects benefiting the community.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have understandably allowed limited interaction on campuses during the school day, which has changed the way we as Rotarians honor our local students. They’re no longer able to attend our weekly lunch meetings off campus to accept their Student of the Honor awards in person.
The Melissa Rotary and Interact clubs combined to make up "little Dresses for Africa" BY teaming up with other local groups we successfully carried off the 5th year of this project. Kellie Maynard posted the following about the project:
The Rotary Club of Greenville and The Rotary Club of Cozumel are teaming up for an amazing fundraiser! Cozumel Vacation for 2 ... How many tickets do you want?
Join us on Saturday, April 10th at 8:30AM for our virtual District Assembly. Meet incoming District Governor Max Duplant for Rotary 2021-22 Club Leader Training. Courses: President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Membership, Foundation, Public Image, and Strategic Planning. This is a free training event however you must register to receive the Zoom link. All Rotarians are welcome!! Click to Register.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! We need your support with our DISTRICT SERVICE PROJECTS for District Conference. Our theme is Sanitation, and clubs will be able to participate in multiple ways, working to assemble three types of Hygiene kits for our North Texas community. For more info & to sign up: https://rotary5810.org/sitepage/hygiene-kits-service-project
Rotary’s Learning Center now available on mobile devices! You can now take Rotary’s online courses on most mobile devices. See our how-to guide for detailed instructions or follow these steps to get started:
Congratulations to our essay winners for the Four Way Test essays from the Bobby Summers Middle School interact Club! Avery Bilotte -1st, Bernabe Solis 2nd, and Marissa Flores 3rd.
On February 26th, the University of Dallas Rotaract club held a service project called the Brown Bag Lunch Program. 200 brown bag lunches were prepared for Mother Teresa food pantry and the following day they were distributed to the homeless in downtown Dallas.
White Rock Rotary assisted the White Rock Rock Center of Hope (WRCH) with collating their quarterly newsletter. WRCH is a non profit that serves several Zip Codes in East Dallas. WRCH assists with food, clothing, and sometimes, financial assistance to those in need. The newsletter helps keep donations coming in for these activities.
On February 27th, Richardson East Rotary Club held its Games and Gala, the first ever virtual! When planning started back in July 2020, there was still a chance to hold an in-person event, however rather quickly it was apparent that it would be very questionable and therefore all efforts were put into a virtual event.
Our 3rd District 5810 Flag Summit will be a Zoom Meeting on Saturday, March 20, 2021 from 9:30 AM to Noon. As in the past our primary focus is on Sharing Best Practices. District 5810 has over 20 clubs that have flag subscription programs, each with unique ways of organizing and implementing their program.
When the Covid-19 Pandemic struck, it seemed as if most of our activities came to a stop. Now, it seems the District is getting busier and busier. In February, our District Governor-Elect participated in a virtual International Assembly where our incoming Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta introduced his theme for 2021-2022, “Serve To Change Lives”.
... and a whole new set of challenges for the North Texas Food Bank and all the people they serve. Trisha Cunningham, CEO of the Food Bank, knew that the demand was increasing with little way to mobilize for immediate action. Their trucks were grounded, the supply change to grocery stores was fragile, and most people were trapped in their homes. For those with food insecurity, this was a crisis in the making.
Some caring Rotarians in Rockwall reached out to spread a little cheer for Valentine’s Day. They created hundreds of homemade Valentine’s Day cards for seniors living in local nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
The week before the Super Bowl, Metrocrest Services asked for soup donations. The Addison Midday Rotary Club of 25 members was challenged to fill up the trunk of Club Member Mary Jo’s car with soup for Metrocrest Services at our weekly meeting. The challenge was met and exceeded expectations - the soup donations ‘spilled’ over to the back seat of her car.
The Addison Midday Rotary Club had a Souper Meeting
"We cannot do great things on this earth, only small things with great love." - Mother Teresa Rotary has two official mottoes: 1) Service Above Self, 2) One Profits Most Who Serves Best. Plano West Rotary leads outdoor, mask required service projects each month. It also leads "passive" projects volunteers can do from the safety of their home.
It is time to CeLeBrAte what WE as a District have done this Rotary year. Friday, April 23 and Saturday, April 24, those are the dates – write them down. You can attend in person or virtually.
Plano Rotary Club was on track to celebrate 2020-2021 as its 75th anniversary when Covid-19 hit and our club saw an opportunity to serve the community in a new way. Since our dues included our lunches, we took that part of our dues and bought meals for various non-profits that are busy serving others every day.
Seventy-five residents at Heritage Nursing Home received essential goods (shampoo, conditioner, body wash), a warm blanket, and a stuffed animal thanks to the Grand Prairie Metro Rotarians! Even Grand Prairie Police Officer Seitz stopped by Main Event to lend a hand!!
Rotarian Kathy Mixson of the Melissa Rotary Club has been serving at one of the Collin County Covid Vaccination sites for the past few weeks. The large site has been working daily to admirer the available vaccines to first responders and those over 65. Thank you Kathy for service above self.
Last Friday, one of our White Rock Rotary members, Enid Jones, arranged a wonderful joint Zoom with Regina Edwards of the Farmers Branch Club and Dominica Pradere of the Montego Bay Rotary Club in Jamaica.
The Rotary Club of Allen Sunrise supported a local blood drive at Watters Creek at Montgomery Farms in Allen, TX. The drive occurred on a chilly afternoon on December 30, 2020. In one afternoon, 15 units of whole blood were collected, which has the potential to impact 45 community members. Due to Covid-19, blood donations are critical, and the club's donations will help address a a nationwide shortage.
Rotary Club of Allen Sunrise Supports Local Blood Drive
President-elect Shekhar Mehta encourages members to be changemakers and announces his theme for the 2021-2022 Rotary year, Serve to Change Lives. Learn more: http://on.rotary.org/3j6bVuc
Since we have spent so much time apart, who’s ready for a party? 5810 Rotarians, that’s whom! Let’s gather VIRTUALLY on Fat Tuesday evening and enjoy some visiting with District Rotarians. Dust off that Boa, get out the beads, wear a funny hat, or beautiful mask, sequins and let’s PARTY!
John Edward Gay, a 3-term Mayor of McKinney, passed away at the age of 91 on Tuesday, January 26, 2021. He dedicated his life to public service, family, church and community.
Here’s hoping each and everyone is looking towards a very happy Valentine’s day, and a really great month.
It looks like the vaccine for Covid-19 is starting to hit the public and will become more available in the coming months. I encourage each and every one of you to take of advantage of this vaccine to protect yourself from this pandemic.
Plano West Rotary Club is being honored with the privilege of having Rotary International's General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, John Hewko, speak to their club at on Rotary's 116th Anniversary on February 23rd club meeting over Zoom. All Rotarians are welcome to join!!
The Rockwall High School Interact Club, in conjunction with the Rockwall Rotary Club, recently spearheaded a project to raise awareness and much needed items for Women in Need, Inc.
We are excited to announce that CASH PRIZES will be earned for the Public Image Olympic Games! These games were developed to help your Club MAXIMIZE your Rotary Club Public Image. Clubs that complete all six games will be entered into a raffle at our District Conference on April 23-24. There will be 3 Clubs chosen - with the top prize of $500 and (2) $250 prizes.
The Melissa Rotary Club performed a Service project at the Melissa Community Outreach. A local youth group collected over 10,000 hygiene items over the weekend and the Club sorted all of them into categories for placement into hygiene kits to be handed out to local clients. Half the club sorted and the other half made up the hygiene kits. The club was joined by District Governor, John Moser who helped to make up the kits. Thanks John for your support to our club.
RYLead 5810 is halfway through this year's " virtual camp"! We have completed three of our six modules and are ready to have fun and work hard with the final three, beginning on January 10, 2021.
Santa’s elves were busy in Rockwall making Christmas brighter for the men and women of our military this year. For troops on duty during the holidays, in addition to the important job of protecting our freedoms in all corners of the world, it’s tough to be away from friends and loved ones.
2020 has been an incredibly challenging year and it’s still not over. Hopefully, the end is coming given the vaccines are here. The Rotary Club of Dallas has made a difference in a number of ways this year.
Some brands are recognized around the world just by their logos. When people see the logo, they instantly know what it means and what to expect from the product. Building that kind of visual recognition requires effort, including years of using a logo widely and consistently. Companies work at this because earning that global recognition benefits their business.
On the afternoon of December 9, members of the Addison Rotary Club continued the Club's long legacy of service to the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas (RHMD) by hosting visitors to the "Trains at NorthPark" (Trains) exhibit.
On December 21, the Rotary Club of Addison gave the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas an early Christmas gift - a check for $170,000 from the proceeds of the 30th Addison Rotary Open, held on September 14, 2020.
From a smaller beginning thirteen years ago, the Snider Plaza Tree Lighting has become one of the signature events of the Rotary Club of Park Cities, attracting about 6,000 people last year. The community was entertained with music, food and beverages, while the kids could visit the Fun Zone or talk to Santa. Well, that was last year!
WOW! What a year 2020 was. I know I’m glad it’s over, and I’m looking forward to a new and improved year – 2021.
As a District, we did actually pull off some pretty neat things:
RYLA – While the RYLA camp was cancelled, the RYLA management worked to create a new virtual camping model, giving a chance for those who didn’t get to go to camp a chance to experience RYLA, make new friends and learn new lessons.
YOUTH EXCHANGE – Again the pandemic struck. Long term and short term exchanges were cancelled, but again the RYE management team pulled together to create a virtual exchange experience.
The Melissa Rotary conducted a service project at the Melissa Community Outreach, a food pantry for the area. The Club came out to help sort items and organize the MCO Food Pantry.
Thanks to our 9 volunteers of Plano West Rotary club, other Rotarians, and friends who helped with their Adopt-a-Highway clean-up they do every other month, over on Avenue K, between Spring Creek Parkway and Parker Road. It looks "marvelous"! :)
Plano West Rotary didn't want to just 'write a check' to support veterans. Its members wanted to serve veterans. They partnered with American Legion and Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center to give over 450 comfy pajamas to children of veterans.
Richardson Rotary Club reached a momentous milestone in December 2020. The Club's Foundation Committee Chair, Radi Al-Rashed had a vision at the beginning of his term as Chair to make the club "100% Paul Harris" by the end of the year. That goal has now been achieved.
In January, Rotary International will send each Rotary Club its semi-annual dues invoice for all active club members on the club roster as of January 1, 2021. Also reflected on the Rotary International statement is a pro-rata dues invoice for any active club member who joined the Rotary Club between July 2, 2020 and December 31, 2020.
Invoices from Rotary International are payable to Rotary International upon receipt.
Member, Dr. Joel Davis, gave members a hands-on lesson on his new hobby teaching us how stained glass art is created. We had a great time and lots of laughs and walked away with a special ornament.
Rotary Club or Wylie East Fork launched a toy drive as we made the decision to cease our in-person meetings. We understood this would create enough of a challenge that our participation might suffer.
The Greenville Rotary Club’s 24th annual Cotton Patch Challenge was a big success this year. The bike ride held on the third Saturday in September had a large participation and fantastic weather.
CFB Rotary celebrated its sixtieth birthday with a festive lunch at noon on Thursday, November 19, at the Brookhaven Country Club. President Sonja Dodds joined two of our most senior members, John Dodd and Dick Calvert, in displaying the Club's original charter!
Feeding the hungry is one of Park Cities Rotary’s strategic priorities. This has become increasingly important as the COVID pandemic reemerges, especially around the Holidays.
Two Rockwall Rotarians saw a need and jumped into action to fill it. In the weeks before Thanksgiving, Nancy Parkes and Robin Chouteau noticed that the local food bank, Rockwall Helping Hands, was calling for assistance in restocking their empty shelves.
A group comprised equally of members of White Rock Rotary and Lake Highlands High School Interact picked up trash during a shoreline spruce up at White Rock Lake.
You have the power to increase people's understanding of Rotary by showing your members as people of action!Our Public Image Olympic Game II was created to introduce Clubs to the People of Action public image campaign.
Rotary Club of Wylie East Fork looks forward to this project every year. Members of the club bring items that might interest teen boys and pack 20 boxes for Operation Christmas Child, a project of Samaritan’s Purse.
Holiday Season! We all have so much to be thankful for, and a season of love and giving. Since Service (Giving) is essential to Rotary, I would like to encourage everyone to remember that any funds contributed to the Rotary Foundation help those in need. There are so many in need, and our Foundation helps people locally, nationally and internationally. So, if your circumstances allow, remember the Rotary Foundation in your gifting plans.
On Nov. 8, several members (their children & grandchildren) from the Rotary Club of Allen Sunrise (and proposed members-to-be) turned out to help package food for Honduran families under the Kids Against Hunger program.
On October 14, members of the Rotary Club of Addison gathered at the Metrocrest Food Pantry in Farmers Branch to pack and distribute food 'care packages' for over 100 families.
The Grand Prairie Metro Rotary Club of Texas shopped until they dropped for families in need. In support of the Grand Prairie Police Department's Santa Cop Foundation, Rotarians masked up and headed to "Santa's Workshop".
On November 17, 2020, the Garland Rotary club had a joint meeting with our sister club, the Rotary Club of Chennai Renaissance, India. Our guest speaker was Garland Rotarian, Dr. Grace Smart, DDS.
Melissa Rotary observed Veterans Day with a gathering of Vets, family and neighbors. Melissa Mayor Greer spoke thanking the Veterans for their service and for allowing us to live in a Free Nation.
At today's Club Assembly, on a unanimous vote, the club confirmed initiating a scholarship granting relationship with the Collin County College Foundation. The scholarship granting will be a partnership relationship whereby the Rotary Club of McKinney Sunrise will provide the initial funding of one scholarship Endowment by seeding the endowment with $5000.
Local Rotarians hit the pavement with both feet to exceed our shoe drive goal. With 203 pairs donated, our club doubled our goal and was glad to support the work of Rotary District 5810 - North Texas. Pictured Wylie East Fork Club President Brenda modeling the haul as she drops them off.
Rotary Clubs of Rockwall Breakfast and Wylie East Fork serves beyond our city limit. Sachse, Texas tucks right in with our service area with many of our members residents so we feel it’s a natural and companionable fit.
Wylie East Fork club members Lynn Fagerstrom and Brenda Byboth manned a stop for Sachse Chamber of Commerce’s Fallfest Wild Goose Chase Scavenger Hunt.
Facing a year of extreme challenges, the Rockwall Rotary Club gets creative to raise money for student scholarships—and successfully hosts a modified version of their premier annual event.
The Plano West Rotary Club in partnership with American Legion, VA are seeking donations of pajamas for kids of Veterans all through the month of November. Donations can be dropped off at the Greek Isles in Plano.
District 5810's RYLA programming is busier than ever as we head into the fall academic year. We kicked off Modules One and Two of RYLead, our online leadership training program that launched in order to fulfil our promise to the students who were unable to attend camp in person this summer.
Wow! The year 2020 continues to Open Opportunities for Rotary. We’ve still to visit two clubs, however we are really impressed with the clubs who have hosted Rotary Clubs have distinguished themselves with their dedication to service, even during this period of pandemic.
A big team of Mesquite Rotary members, Poteet High School football players, and volunteers under the leadership of Mesquite Rotary past president John Taylor and PHS coach Joseph Huber assisted a disabled Mesquite resident on Addressing Mesquite Day, October 3rd.
Club President Robert Allsup presents to the YMCA Serves Irving an annual check for $5000 to support Youth/Children Programs in Irving to Tricey Love (Executive Director), Brandy Perryman (YMCA COO), Mazhar Ali (Irving Board Chair) & Sandhya Padala (Irving Board Member).
The Melissa Rotary Club purchased and delivered dictionaries to the Melissa ISD High School students and also the Third Grade students again this year.
In early October, the Addison Midday Rotary Club conducted a Virtual Food Drive for Metrocrest Services. The number of families assisted by Metrocrest Services has skyrocketed and there is real continuing unmet need in our community. The Metrocrest Services Pantry has a critical needs Wish List on Amazon!
It’s finally fall; the weather is inviting. The Rotary Club of Park Cities continues to have informative and interesting speakers, but the club is taking it a step further. Our always happy President Elect Happy Franklin has been planning field trips to some of the locations represented by our speakers.
The Rotary Club of Dallas requests your attendance for our free on-line event; the 16th Annual Salute to America’s Veterans. Capacity is limited, so we encourage you to register early! Register here: https://sav.hosted.events/
Coppell Rotarians, met on one warm Saturday to build over 200 flags to meet the growing demand for lease flags in the Coppell area. Veterans Day is the last flag holiday of the year, our customers will enjoy the US Flag for an entire week. After that, our Rotarians will get back to work building more flags to support our growing program.
Every year, Rotarians and Rotaractors across the globe mobilize for World Polio Day to raise awareness about eradicating polio for good. If we stay committed, polio will be the second human disease ever to be eradicated.
Two recent grants by the Prestonwood Rotary Club Foundation have added to the club‘s long-standing dedication toward helping children throughout Dallas.
Let the (virtual) race begin! COVID-19 is changing a lot of things this year, but Grand Prairie Metro's mission is to raise money for Alzheimer's Association, Rotary International, and our local Grand Prairie Charities remains the same.
With the continuing impact of COVID-19, many in our community are in serious lack of sanitation and hygiene supplies. To help, CFB Rotary's Bill Bexley (center) hand-delivered a check for $1,150 to Metrocrest Services Chief Operations Officer Nicole Newkham-Binkley (left) and Chief Executive Officer Tracy Eubanks (right).
Do you have a dynamic guest speaker that you believe other Rotarians will enjoy? Every Rotary meeting benefits from dynamic, informative, and entertaining speakers. Exciting and worthwhile meetings keep members engaged and attract new members. We're excited to launch the new ROTARY DISTRICT 5810 SPEAKERS BUREAU! Check it out today!
Trudy and I have had a really great time visiting District 5810 clubs, both virtually and in person. We’ve visited 45 clubs so far with 16 left to go. I continue to be very pleased at the way our Rotarians are handling this Pandemic and continuing to meet as a Rotary Club.
The Rockwall Rotary Club recently partnered with the Rockwall High School Interact Club to help those in need. The groups joined forces for the District’s Shoe Drive to help with local and international community development. The effort garnered a ton of support!
On September 5th Tommie Wright and her husband Roy from the Richardson East Rotary Club delivered SEVENTEEN pallets of diapers, paper goods, cleaning products & food to the Network of Community Ministries.
The Addison Rotary Club held the 30th Annual Addison Rotary Open (ARO) was held on September 14 at Gleneagles Country Club. The club took extra efforts this year to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines including staggered starting times, barriers in golf carts, social distancing and mandatory masks.
The Melissa Rotary participated with the Melissa High School Football team to honor the memory of 9-11 and first responders. Melissa Cardinals Football team came onto the field carrying Rotary Flags with a tribute to those who lost their lives on 9-11 and the first responders.
The Mesquite Rotary Club recently surprised John Todd during a club Zoom meeting with ceremonies honoring him for attaining 50 years as a club member. After praising Todd’s record of service to the club and community, Rotary president Dr. Angel Rivera turned the ceremonies over to club member Todd Price.
On July 18, 2020, District 5810 comprised of 60 clubs, conducted a virtual “Awards Night for the Rotary Year 2019-2020”. McKinney Rotary Club member CC Theophine Chamakala received the District Leadership Award.
Frisco Sunrise Rotary Club Sponsored Friendship Baptist Church of The Colony (FBCTC) Food Pantry Program. The Food Pantry provides a significant supply of groceries for families to prepare nutritional meals for a family of four.
The Rotary Club of Denison recently raised $25K to present to their local Denison Police Dept. to purchase a new k9 unit. The money was raised by two years of golf tournaments. The funds were received through sponsors, players and raffle items.
On Saturday September 19th, the Irving Sunrise Rotary Club participated in the City of Irving's 29th Annual Trash Bash. We added this to our monthly Adopt-a-Spot program.
Congratulations to the following clubs for earning the 2019-20 Rotary Citation: Addison Midday, Dallas Uptown, Grayson County, Greenville, McKinney, Park Cities, Waxahacie, East Dallas, Plano East, Plano West, Prestonwood and White Rock.
Camp RYLA has not been "business as usual" in 2020, but when we make a promise, we keep our promise. The students you chose are still getting a change to take part in something incredibly special and powerful.
WELCOME to the 2020 PUBLIC IMAGE OLYMPIC GAMES. These games were developed to help your Club MAXIMIZE your Rotary Club Public Image. The Games will be played throughout Rotary 2020-21. Here is GAME 1:
Preston Center Rotary Club is very committed to help flatten the curve for COVID-19. One effective way is to not only “mask up” but to use face coverings that shields the eyes as well.
Allen Sunrise is partnering with the Allen Noon club on a Blood Drive on Wednesday, September 2nd at Watters Creek at Montgomery Farm in Allen, TX. The drive is open to both Rotarians and to members of the community and is being managed by Carter BloodCare, which is one of Texas' largest blood donation centers.
Our club had a flag subscription explosion after Memorial Day. Subscriptions increased by over 20% causing Rotarians to build and install over 200 flags.
For the past four years, at the beginning of the school year, the Principal of the George Bush Elementary School (the only public school in Addison) has spoken to the Addison Midday Rotary Club.
Blood is in short supply right now nationwide. COVID-19 has caused many blood drive events to be shut down across the country, and Rotarians are reaching out to help.
The Melissa Rotary Club installed their new leadership board. Past President Brian Riddle was honored for his service to the club and presented with a thank you gift, his ever own Rotary Bell.
Three Dallas Independent School District teachers who go above and beyond their job descriptions to help their students were honored by the Rotary Club of Dallas on Aug 12.
Rotary Club of Wylie East Fork adopted Hartman Elementary years ago and looks for ways to show our support and appreciation the teachers and students. This year is different with outside meals requiring different management.
Here we are, six months after the first shelter-in-place order, still masked and distanced. Yet with every problem comes opportunity. One of Park Cities Rotary’s collaborative partners, Agape Clinic in East Dallas, has been open throughout.
Mose Stimpson was a slave transported to a small farm town in Texas called Plano. The master bought him to be his daughter’s playmate. When she grew up and got married, she gave him his freedom.
White Rock Rotary decided to have an in person Board Meeting in the great outdoors. We were all masked and distanced and enjoyed a great view of the lake. We followed the meeting with our usual monthly shoreline spruce up at White Rock Lake.
The Mesquite Rotary Club held induction ceremonies for the group’s 2020-2021 officers and board members at their Zoom meeting on August 4th. All 33,000 local clubs in Rotary International change their leadership in July each year.
On Saturday August 8th Circle Ten Council recognized all the Scouts who attained the rank of Eagle Scout during Calendar year 2019, as well as adult volunteers involved in Scouting. The 2019 Eagle Scout Class, totaling almost 1,000 young men, was named in honor of Past Rotary Club of Dallas President and Past District 5810 Governor, Linus D Wright.
Jennifer E. Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, has been nominated to become Rotary International’s president for 2022-23, a selection that will make her the first woman to hold that office in the organization’s 115-year history.
As rallies for racial justice happened throughout Plano and the rest of the U.S. this summer, Alex Johnson, president of Plano West Rotary Club, wanted to get involved but didn’t feel safe attending events in person because of the COVID pandemic.
We’re almost through July and the Covis-19 pandemic continues cloud our horizons. But, being true Rotarians, District 5810 continues to fight on.
Congratulations to all those who submitted applications for District Award, with special congratulations to those who brought back the trophies. Now is the time to start working on an awards program for your club.
The Rotary Club of Coppell is working hard virtually to make a difference in our community. We donated 500 masks to the City of Coppell for Texas State Primary Runoff Elections.
Two women of the Rockwall Rotary Club have recently been selected to lead as public servants in their county. Anna Campbell, who is also currently the club’s Youth Services Chair, was hand-picked by the Rockwall City Council to fill a vacant seat for Place 6. Anna is a Spanish teacher at Rockwall High School, who also heads-up the Interact Club for the school. Her passion for serving in the community runs deep. While she volunteers with several organizations in Rockwall, she says she loves the ability Rockwall Rotary provides for her to make a difference on a grand scale.
This past week, Rotary Club of Irving Sunrise was to proud honor the service of 7 Rotarians as they join the international network of the Paul Harris Fellows:
To host a Rotary Club Blood Drive is a great and easy way to do some good and to introduce new people to Rotary. What a great community service, and to help add new members to any Rotary club.
In 2018 the Coppell Club received their first Global Grant for Train and Help Babies (TaHb). This grant provided equipment and training for hospitals in India to save premature infants from death and chronic disease. As a result of this grant, Rotary District 3170 adopted this project and Coppell collaborated on our 2nd global grant. This grant resulted in the first NICU that is available to a population over a million. It's amazing what a difference a small club can make worldwide.
Rotary Club of Coppell Makes a Big Difference Internationally
This initiative helps Rotarians connect their business with Rotarians, find assistance for challenges both professional and personal, and access career advice and leads. It's Rotarians helping Rotarians! Check it out now. www.therotarynetwork.org
Established in 1996, the Greenville Texas Cotton Patch Challenge is ready to roll out for 2020. Coming on 9/19/2020 you can look forward to great biking and lots of family friendly events while you ride.
In keeping with Prestonwood Rotary’s long-standing commitment to international service, our chair for these projects, Glen Campbell, was able to provide the near completion of yet another water and sanitation project in Africa:
For seventeen years the Rotary Club of Park Cities has put on the Park Cities Fourth of July Parade, which draws as many as 10,000 people who line the streets and who participate in the festivities in Goar Park after the Parade. NOT this year!
Congratulations to Glen & Vickie Campbell from the Rotary Club of Prestonwood for being awarded "Rotarian of the Year" this past year. Thank you for your dedication to Rotary International and our District!
Congratulations to PDG Bill Dendy on receiving the Rotary Interantional for Service Above Self! This is a top award at Rotary International and only 150 of these awards are given out annually throughout the world.
The Carrollton-Farmers Branch Rotary Club awarded 2020 Community Service Grants to both local libraries–the Carrollton Library and the Farmers Branch Manske Library. CFB Rotary has long supported the libraries' work.
Wow, what a finish to the 2019-2020 Rotary year, and it appears the upcoming year is going to present more new and challenging opportunities, But that’s our theme this year, isn’t it…”Rotary Opens Opportunities”.
Please plan to attend the Annual Awards Celebration Saturday, July 18 at 5:30 p.m. All clubs who submitted award nominations should plan to attend and celebrate the winners. And those who didn’t submit should attend for inspiration next Rotary year.
One of the innovations this past year was the Flag Summit held to discuss best practices of clubs who utilize this fundraiser. Sharing this information proved to be economical. Recently, the Rowlett Rotary Club needed to purchase some additional flags.
Oh what a year! Every year we participate in DREAMTeam, it just gets better! DREAMTeam (which stands for Dallas Rotarians Enabling Achievement through Mentoring) is a group of Rotarians who work with students at Woodrow Wilson High School starting in their sophomore year.
The Rockwall High School Interactors were pretty busy despite not able to physically attend school and the required quarantines. In May and early June, they completed two projects. First, the Interactors wrote 174 letters Mother’s Day cards to three nursing homes in Rockwall.
The Rockwall Noon Rotary, in conjunction with the Edward Jones office of Kelly D. Connel, celebrated seniors in the Rockwall Community this year by delivering Mother's Day and Father's Day baskets.
As they have done for over 30 years, the Richardson East Rotary Club of Texas, through their annual scholarship application process, once again responded to the needs of the local community’s graduating high school seniors.
Club President Jerry is pleased to report the Addison Midday Rotary Club raised $2,400 for Education Plus Nicaragua, a charity he worked with on his Rotary trip to Nicaragua. members donated $1,200 and the Addison Midday Foundation matched the donations for an additional $1,200.
Addison Midday Rotary Club Donates to Education Plus Nicaragua
Jack E Singley Academy Interact students just finished their 1st Full Holiday (Flag Day) Flags Over Irving volunteer opportunity. This club has doubled in size from last year & has a full head of steam with service projects, volunteer opportunities, & revenue producing ideas.
The McKinney Rotary Club participated at the BATTLE OF THE BADGES between Law Enforcement and the Fire Fighters sponsored by CARTER BLOOD BANK. They donated 28 units.
McKinney Rotary Particpates in the Battle of the Badges
In keeping with Prestonwood Rotary’s long-standing commitment to international service, our chair for these projects, Glen Campbell, was able to provide the near-completion of yet another water project in Africa:
Even prior to COVID19 shutdowns, select members of the Plano East Rotary club have been leading the effort towards a 100% virtual Rotary experience. This effort is referred to an “eClub,” in anticipation of its spinning off, once the required numbers are reached.
The Carrollton-Farmers Branch Rotary Club has long supported the work of Bea's Kids, a local non-profit whose mission is "to provide educational and personal development programs to children from low income families so they will stay in school and break the cycle of poverty."
Celebrate Coppell has always been a celebration of people, events, and traditions; encouraging the citizens of Coppell to celebrate our nation’s independence.
The Melissa Rotary Club held a Flag Day Food Drive in support of the Melissa Community Outreach. MCO supports those in need in the greater Melissa community with food twice a week.
Rotary has dealt with many crises and changes recently, but our diverse, inclusive organization has issued a policy statement based on the recent social injustice activism that has taken place. Please review, embrace and help Rotary connect the world but change the world!
Plano Metro Rotary Club (PMRC) members welcomed Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere as their first virtual speaker, on May 13, 2020. PMRC had been meeting remotely for weeks, but with live meetings cancelled, the club has not had a speaker scheduled since early March.
Come join us of our Virtual Aloha Farewell Party on Friday, June 19 at 7PM. We are going to take a virtual tour of the Hawaiin islands and recap our year. Plus, we will be joined by special guest Rotary International President Mark Maloney. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7367348174
Plano Metro Rotary Club (PMRC) has not held an in-person meeting since early March—but that has not stopped its members from giving back to their community in its time of need.
While the world is moving so much of their content online, RYLA 5810 already has that space established. The RYLAcast--a unique podcast for current students, RYLA alumni, Rotarians, and anyone interested in leadership--has been in circulation since March of 2019.
The McKinney Rotary Board decided to keep collecting the meal portion of the quarterly dues. These funds were to be allocated to helping members in need $325 TD, buying meals for frontline public service & health personnel
In early 2020 WHITE ROCK ROTARY CLUB [DISTRICT 5810] embarked on a matching grant project with Rotary Club District 5240 Carpinteria, CA called “Unite to Light” that concluded this month.
Prestonwood Rotary did not neglect one of its primary missions – helping those who need our help. When it became obvious that the economy was suffering in direct proportion to the nationwide quarantine, Prestonwood Rotary was able to donate more than $2,200 to the North Texas Food Bank
The Melissa Rotary Club sponsored a Memorial Day observance honoring those who have given their lives in service to our country, our First responders, and the Health Professionals who are servicing our community during the COVID pandemic.
Faced with the “previous present,” which we are glad will not be the “new normal,” RCPC’s Leadership and Committee Chairs began to adapt for life during shutdown – and the complications that would bring.
The Mesquite Rotary Club has presented scholarship awards of $1,500 each to students from each of the Mesquite and Sunnyvale area high schools, and to a student from the Mesquite Academy.
City of Allen Fire Chief Jon Boyd of Allen Rotary is Allen ISD’s 2020 Friend of Education. Allen ISD presents the award to community members who make a significant impact on the students and school district.
Zoom Rotary meetings have become the new norm for many clubs during this world crises. While clubs would rather meet in person, one of the huge benefits is the opportunity for those members and clubs that have a connection to a club, can join in from around the world.
The Rotary Club of Dallas has launched Rotary Feeds The Need a matching fund supported by The Rotary Club of Dallas encouraging members watching via Facebook to donate their lunch funds through the Dallas Rotary Club Foundation to a worthy organization that supports our affected Dallas community by feeding those left hungry or our first responders working tirelessly.
A really unique opportunity was presented to Plano East Rotary from Darren Collins, a Rotarian in the DeSoto Rotary club. He called PDG Ean Sullivan, a member of our club, to tell him that the Kenyan Ministry of Health had contacted him and asked him to create a video for Kenyan TV using puppets to teach the WHO procedures for hand washing, social distancing, and coughing techniques, specifically targeting children.
When the national, state, and local governments added ’stay-at-home’ to the collective vernacular and called on Americans to practice new social distancing guidelines in an effort to help flatten the pandemic curve, Lindsey Lloyd, a retired army veteran military bandsman and Rotarian in the Allen Sunrise Club, placed calls to his friends and neighbors around the country to cheer them up during the quarantine by playing requested familiar eventful songs on his trumpet. (https://youtu.be/Oiwj8qr6Nek)
Coppell Rotary continues to meet via ZOOM in place of our regular meetings, the 1st and 3rd Thursday’s of each month at 6 pm. Attendance has been stellar as we have learned to lean on each other during these hard times. Coppell Rotary, a proud supporter of Metrocrest Services, had Tracy Eubanks, CEO of Metrocrest Services as our first ZOOM speaker.
District 5810, despite having a generous year of sharing Local and world-wide grants, scrambled to identify any surplus funds that could be used to help during the Crisis. It was decided that local food distribution points needed help, and a challenge was issued to the clubs, allowing for a matching grant.
Life is a little different for us now. You will not see many fun photos of Rotarians at work in person at the moment.. However you can find a plethora of evidence of Rotary at work! This somewhat 'boring' photo show fruits and vegetables growing in the Sisters' Garden, an enclosed garden run by nuns (Mother Theresa's order) as part of a convent in South Dallas.
Agape Clinic, which provides medical services in East Dallas to the homeless, the poor and the working poor, and a collaborative partner of Rotary Club of Park Cities, remains open to provide crucial medical care.
“The mobile food pantry giveaway is expected to be one of the largest in North Texas,” and “North Texas Food Bank to distribute free food at Fair Park with mobile pantries” are just two of the recent headlines as more and more families seek assistance. The North Texas Food Bank is a collaborative partner of RCPC. As one of our major projects, in 2015 Rotary Club of Park Cities raised the funds to donate the first mobile food pantry to the North Texas Food Bank.
Interview with Jeet Solanki regarding Preston Hollow Rotary Club project supporting Inspired Vision Food Bank in Dallas. Click photo to listen to interview.
When local non-profits in McKinney described mounting needs at a time when their scheduled fund-raising activities were cancelled due to the coronavirus quarantine, McKinney Sunset, a satellite of the Rotary Club of McKinney Sunrise stepped up.
Frisco Sunrise Rotary Club sponsored Frisco Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) graduate, founder and CEO of Generations Hope’s mission to bring memorable experiences and meaningful relationships to underprivileged youth living in multi-family residences.
There is a company called Trusted World that provides services to a variety of 501 C 3 entities. It is a unique company started by Michael Garrett from his garage about 10 years ago. If you think of them as a clearinghouse for other 501's to shop for the needs of their recipients that is accurate.
Join this live event on Saturday, May 2, 2020 at 10AM to hear stories of hope, inspiration and gratitude from Rotarians, Rotaractors and friends of #Rotary from across the globe as they share what they are doing to help their communities. The telethon will also showcase how our polio eradication infrastructure is helping to combat COVID-19. The goal is to raise more than $1 million dollars! To watch, visit facebook.com/rotary. Here is how you can participate:
Just when you think things are going smoothly, a far less than microscopic virus on the other side of the world brings our economy to a halt, and with it a crisis for many of those most in need of help. One of Rotary Club of Park Cities' collaborative partners, the Salvation Army, funds its Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) through their Family Stores. The ARC provides access to a new life for the men who live there hoping to overcome their addictions. However, with the Family Stores closed, 98% of the funding for the ARC was gone.
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed our healthcare system to its limits. We can take action now through a citizen volunteer opportunity called Volunteer Surge! Rotary Clubs across the country are partnering with Volunteer Surge to recruit one million volunteers to participate in a new program that provides training online, for free, to become a Telehealth Worker or a Community Health Worker. Rotarian founded nonprofit The Global Impact Group is leading this effort. Click here to join the effort called Volunteer Surge!
On March 24, 2020 the Board of the Addison Midday Rotary Club approved a $2,000 donation to Metrocrest Services to support their programs including their food pantry.
Last week, the Rotary Club of Allen Sunrise decided that their community’s spirits might welcome a boost.This week, volunteer-teams began a special deployment of 600+ flags to their flag customers’ neighborhoods, without financial impact to their current dues and in addition to the year’s seven flag holidays.
Mesquite Rotary president John Taylor has sent donation checks of $500 each to support the work of Sharing Life Community Outreach and Mesquite Social Services during this time of the coronavirus crisis.
For more than a century, Rotary has connected the world through fellowship and service. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered our daily routines and forced the cancellation of many in-person Rotary and Rotaract club meetings and events. But even when we can’t hold our usual events, members have lots of ways to stay engaged, connect with one another, and serve their communities.
Well, life gets stranger everyday. With many of us now firmly sheltered in place, it is time to get Rotary moving again, maybe redefined for 2020. I challenged the Presidents Sunday to go virtual... use Zoom, Vimeo, Facebook Live ... whatever vehicle works. Anyone with a telephone can call in, but on a computer or an IPAD, we can actually see each other! The cost is low for it the benefit received. Rotary gets a discount from Zoom. Call Lynne McNamee, our District Public Image guru, if you need any help with set-up or acquisition. Let’s get back to the Business of Rotary... it is an essential organization!
Consider the creative use of technology to host “virtual meeting” experiences for your members until you can resume in-person meetings and events. Below are a few ideas and favorite tools for virtual meetings. Each suggestion includes links to helpful how-to guides and/or other information to assist you in navigating these tools.
Rotary International just announced that the Rotary International Convention, scheduled for 6-10 June 2020, in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, has been canceled in response to the ongoing threat of COVID-19. Read more at riconvention.org
Every hour we have dramatic changes from our National and Local health officials, and reflecting those changes, here is some late breaking news for 5810 Rotarians.
1. District Assembly will now be scheduled for May 16, at the same location in McKinney. If you had registered for the original date, your registration will be transferred to the new date automatically. If you cannot make the May 16 date, it is important to let us know so that a refund may be given. You can send an email to Pam Blankenzee or Sandra Moudy, John’s aide. This training is so important for all club officers and committee chairs, So please make every effort to attend.
The COVID-19 coronavirus is affecting every aspect of our lives in real time, and this puts Rotarians in an unfamiliar place. As People of Action, we are most comfortable when we are fully engaged in the world – moving freely, meeting openly, and offering helping hands. These are very difficult times for people who, like us, are at our best when we are learning, growing, and serving—together.
We are also leaders in our communities, and these times call for leadership. In many ways, this also is our time. We have proven abilities to reach out and collaborate to offer immediate help to people in need at a rapid pace. These are precisely the skills needed all over the world today. The global effort against COVID-19 depends on actions taken in every country. Rotary has the unique ability to help improve those efforts in every community and every country.
Due to the coronavirus epidemic, some activities may be moved or canceled. Please check then local Rotary club’s website to confirm Meeting times and events.
The Mesquite Rotary Club has created a new personal care bag program that is designed to assist area homeless people in need. Suggested by John Heiman, a past president of the club, the bags are kits that include such items as
Get ready for Rotary 2020-21 and prepare for Rotary opportunities at District Assembly on Saturday, March 21, 2020 at Collin College in McKinney. Meet incoming District Governor John Moser for Club Leader Training. Play video for more details. Cost is $20. Click here to register.
D5810 Rotarians are invited to join the Rotary Club of Frisco for a night of steak: Rotary Night at Steak 101 on March 21, 2020. We’ll get to sample 15 different cuts of steak (including Wagyu) and enjoy the humor and knowledge of famed rancher Matt Hamilton on the different types and cuts of steak and insights into the meat industry – all in a fun, party environment with other Rotarians. $120 per person or $200 per couple (or sponsor a table of 8 for $1200 and have your sponsorship info on the table for all to see). For more info and to buy tickets: https://friscorotary.org/event/rotary-night-at-steak-101/
You're Invited to Frisco's Steak 101 event March 21st
RYLA student scholarship selections are now underway across the district. Your club is looking for the right recipient(s)— high school juniors with leadership potential who can expand their leadership in a growth-oriented, fun, high energy week at camp.
The Rotary Club of Dallas is working very hard to recognize outstanding teachers in the Dallas Independent School District. If you know any really special teachers, please have them consider submitting an application for our awards program.
Rotary Club of Dallas held it’s 11th Annual Safer Dallas Awards on Wednesday, February 26th at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. The program recognizes a Dallas Police Officer for Distinguished Service.
With the festivities of the holidays completed for another year and Spring not yet in evidence, the Fellowship Committee, under the leadership of John Brown and VP Happy Franklin, have made some great plans.
Sharon Scott, Community Service Chair, delivered a check and the donated items to the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary, our January Charity of the Month.
The Rotary Club of Waxahachie was honored to receive Congressman Ron Wright as their Thursday meeting guest speaker. Pictured with Congressman Wright are Rotary Club of Waxahachie President, Mickie Hill and Mayor of Waxahachie, David Hill.
A crew from White Rock Rotary braved chilly temps to do their monthly trash pick up at White Rock Lake. It was sorely needed after recent rains. Coffee and doughnuts definitely contributed to our energy levels!
The Plano Sunrise Rotary Club and N. Texas Pioneers Rotary Club, for their joint Blood Drive, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Catholic Church. Through the efforts of the Parishioners, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the Carter BloodCare, teams and Rotarians,this Blood drive secured 67, good units of blood, which has the effect to possibly save up to 201, lives.
Are you aware of our District's Youth Exchange Program? Are you involved with the Exchange Program? Do you know where our outbound students are this year? To find out the answers to these questions and much more let our Youth Exchange Program make a presentation to your club.
Click on the photo above to get a sneak peak at some of the fun we are going to have at the Roaring Twenties Casino Night Foundation Gala on Saturday March 28, 2020. You will not want to miss this opportunity for fun and charity! All proceeds go to End Polio Now, so come for dinner, dancing, a casino night and a silent auction.Tickets are $100 per persons. To register: http://bit.ly/D5810CASINO
You're Invited to the Roaring Twenties Casino Night
Mesquite Rotary Club president John Taylor presented a $7,500 donation check to the Mesquite ISD Education Foundation at their meeting on January 28th. Foundation executive director Randy Lewallyn accepted the check.
White Rock Rotary hosted their annual Chili Gala for Family Gateway in Dallas on Saturday. The WRR volunteers supplied food for and served well over a hundred shelter residents. Rotary members and friends also distributed some children's books and enjoyed visiting with the families. A good time was had by all!
“Rotary is not just a club that you join, it is an invitation to endless opportunities. We believe that our acts of service, big and small, create opportunities for people who need our help. Everything we do opens another opportunity for someone, somewhere,” said President-Elect Holger Knaack.Therefore, the theme for year 2020-21 is -- Rotary Opens Opportunities.”
On Saturday, February 29th at 10:00AM, the Rotary Club of Dallas will be preparing meal packages for "Feeding Children Everywhere" at Dallas Scottish Rite Hospital located at 2222 Welborn Avemue, Dallas, TX. The event will last about 2 hours and everyone is invited. Members and spouses of the Rotary Club of Dallas, Woodrow Wilson High School and Faith Family Academy Interact will all be participating.
The Greenville Rotary club had several members recently visit their sister club in Cozumel in January 2020. Club members carried supplies and other items to help the students attending the CAM Laboral Cozumel, a school for students age 12-18 with attention or sensory problems like, blindness, deafness, autism.
The Waxahachie Club of Rotarians and friends planted 25,000 tulips, in the shape of Texas, to be used to advertise for the TULIPALOOZA!! This event (in the Spring) will benefit Daymark Living, whose purpose is to help adults with learning differences and intellectual delays live, learn and thrive.
Over forty-one years ago a Park Cities Rotarian had a great idea! Rather than have their usual Friday lunch, they would eat chili and donate the cost of their usual lunch to the Salvation Army! So, a tradition began. This past December, Park Cities Rotary members, family and guests gathered at the Salvation Army to eat chili. For the forty-first year RCPC member Bob Grossman, Chili Master Extraordinaire, worked overnight to cook gallons of chili. Using donated venison, fifty pounds of onions and a proportional amount of garlic, he cooked enough to be enjoyed by at least two hundred people.
The Plano West Rotary Club would like your help in advertising our Plano senior scholarship opportunity. Graduating seniors that attend a PISD school or any another school system based out of Plano is eligible to apply. If in doubt, have the student apply anyway.
Every year we assist Plano seniors in continuing their education by awarding 3 – 5 two thousand dollar ($2,000.00) scholarships. This is a senior’s invitation to apply for one of these scholarships.
With a great turn out of Rotarians in attendance, we leaped into Camp RYLA 2020 (our 30th camp!) at our RYLA Kickoff held January 18th. Each club's RYLA Chairperson is now equipped to recruit, interview, and select the best-fitting RYLA scholarship recipient in the local junior class. Look to your club's chairperson to see how you can get involved--this may be the most fun you have all year. More information also at www.RYLA5810.org
Rowlett Rotary provided 64 sleeping bags to the Austin Street Shelter in downtown Dallas. The snow had just started snowing when we pulled up. We also voted to add a service project that we learned about on delivery day: to provide much needed women’s and men’s underwear to the shelter by the end of January.
Joe Henderson, Rotary Club of Lake Texoma, and Blake Utter of Blake Utter Ford, Denison, Texas are shown with a Ford Corporation Check for $1840 being donated to the Lake Texoma Club. The donation is a result of a “Drive for Your Community” event sponsored by Ford and Rotary wherein drivers are provided the opportunity to test drive new Ford products. This is the second such event held by Utter Ford and Rotary.
Rotary eClub WOKE has partnered with the Girls Education Collaborative (GEC) based in Buffalo, NY. Millions of girls around the world are out of school, simply because they are girls.
Put on your “Glad Rags” and grab your Sheba or your Sheik and join us for the “Glitziest” party of the year – District 5810’s Roaring 20’s Casino Gala. A “Bee’s Knee’s" kind of a night, all designed to raise money to donate to Polio Plus.
The RYLA Information Roundup for the District 5810 Camp RYLA Program will be held Saturday, January 18, 2020 at the Addison Conference Centre, 15650 Addison Road, Addison, TX 75001. Rotary Club RYLA Chairpersons should attend this training program designed to get Camp RYLA 2020 recruiting and selection started. The meeting is the only chairpersons training of the year so every club should be represented.
The training is from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. RYLA manuals and recruiting materials will be distributed, including copies of the new Camp RYLA and Making a Difference video. The meeting is also open to any Rotarian interested in learning more about Camp RYLA prior to the 30th annual leadership camp. July 26 – July 31, 2020.
RYLA Roundup for all clubs to kick off the 2020 RYLA Year
Volunteers from the RYLA Student Advisory Group and RYLA Alumni enjoyed their annual Angel Tree event at North Park Mall on November 30th--the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The Plano Sunrise Rotary Club is proud to announce with their last Blood Drive they generated 627 units of blood. Through this effort, theyhave created the potential to possibly save up to 1887, lives.
Allen Sunrise Rotary is seeking volunteers to join them for their "Kids' Against Hunger" Service Project on March 28th, 2020 at the First United Methodist Church of Allen. This project is intended to package food to be sent
Addison Midday Rotary Club Members Corky Pledger and Cynthia Allison spent December 11 buying $2,000 worth of presents for ‘Santa's Heroes’, sponsored by the Addison Police and Fire Department.
The Guerrero Rotary Clinic in Chihuahua, Mexico is the longest active Rotary clinic of its type as it approaches 40 years of operations. 60,000 indigent patients (Mexicans, Tarahumara Indians and Mennonites) have been treated at no cost to them. While every patient is an eye patient, the clinic provides additional medical services like dental, general medicine and certain specialties.
For the thirteenth year the Rotary Cub of Park Cities joined with the City of University Park to kick off the season with the Snider Plaza Tree Lighting and street party. An estimated 6,000 people attended to enjoy the fall weather, the music, the Fun Zone, and the food and beverages. Even Santa attended
Every year, Coppell Rotary Club participates in the Metrocrest Services Holiday Basket Program for Seniors. Many Seniors are forgotten this time of the year, Coppell Rotary Club supplied food and gift items from gift lists supplied by the Metrocrest Seniors.
Coppell Brings Holiday Cheer to Metrocrest Seniors
The 15th Annual Salute to America’s Veterans was held on November 6th at the Frontiers of Flight Museum. The keynote speaker was Admiral Patrick Walsh, USN, Retired, last serving as the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
The Plano Flags of Honors program ran from November 8-16th and was sponsored by the Plano East Rotary Club. A special higlight, was presentation of Bronze Star and POW medals to a WW II veteran's family that survived the Bataan Death March.
One of RYLA 5810's great programs is Day 7. This year's event was held on November 23rd (as usual, the Saturday before Thanksgiving) at RL Turner High School for 140 students and 55 alumni staff helping out.
The Rotary Club of Rockwall recently hosted a celebration to mark its 80th Anniversary. On April 6, 1939, there were 20 charter members forming the city’s oldest civic club.
Do you remember why you became a Rotarian? What about Rotary inspired you then, and what inspires you now? We all have our reasons for joining and staying in Rotary, and we want to hear your story! We are challenging all Rotarians to share their WHY ROTARY story in 50 words or less. Deadline March 5, 2020. The winner gets free admission to the Foundation Gala to be held March 28. Submit your story.
Come for and evening of Holiday cheer on December 10th at the Escape Expert, 2201 K Avenue, STE A-200, Plano from 7:00Pm to 9:30PM! Dress will be casual or Holiday theme! If you are bold enough, We encourage you to wear a tacky Holiday sweater and we will have an Ugly sweater contest! Come for fun, conversation, snacks and Santa Shenanigans-everyone will have the opportunity to have the picture with Santa! Cost is $5 per person, family special: If a family has more than 5 kids/ grandkids, all will be admitted for $25. We are asking all attendees to each bring an unwrapped toy for hospitalized children and/or socks for Veterans. Click to buy tickets
For the ninth year the Rotary Club of Park Cities members hosted Dentistry with a Heart to provide dental services to those who could not otherwise afford them. Led by RCPC members, dentist Dr. Michael Rainwater, and Past President Fred Brown, this year provided over $37,000 in dental services
The Coppell Rotary Club began partnering with a local Coppell non-profit, Train and Help Babies trainandhelpbabies.com, three years ago and the collaboration continues to grow. Recently, the Coppell Rotary Club, along with Train and Help Babies, partnered with the Dallas Rotary Club to bring water, sanitation and hygiene skills to, Ghana.
The Rotary Club of Carrollton-Farmers Branch in partnership with the City of Carrollton, officially opened the All Assessible Playground at Rosemeade Recreation Center on Saturday November 9th.
Dozens gathered near City Park in Commerce on a chilly Friday night to honor local veterans. There, they witnessed the official dedication of the new “Waves of Glory” installation across the street from the park. Created by the Commerce Rotary Club, “Waves” has been a big undertaking for the local club.
At today's, Mesquite Rotary Club meeting, we asked our members to help Sharing Life with their holiday food drive, and the members performed very well. We literally collected a truck load of food and cooking supplies to be donated to the Sharing Life food pantry. This will help many families have a better Thanksgiving.
McKinney Rotary is once again going to collect items to be sent to some of our active service members who are overseas as a way to help them celebrate the Christmas holidays and know folks back home are appreciative of their efforts to keep us safe.
We are proud to announce the Addison Rotary Club presented a check for $175,000 to the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas from proceeds of the Addison Rotary Open held on September 9th.
The MRC packaged 360 meals and made a financial contribution on Friday Oct.18th to Kid's Against Hunger. Each package will serve 4 meals. These meal packages went to elementary school children in Honduras.
Finding a unique way to say “thank you” to our family, friends and neighbors who have served, or are currently serving, in the armed forces is a constant effort. The Commerce Rotary Club would like to provide a venue whereby you can do just that.
Beginning this November, The Commerce Rotary Club will begin a new tradition in our community. A venue will be provided for businesses, families and individuals to say “thank you” to those who protect our freedom – the Veterans of Hunt County.
Members of White Rock Rotary enjoyed volunteering at the Texas Discovery Gardens during the State Fair of Texas. (Photo taken by a member of Midlothian Rotary Club, who was also volunteering there).
What are your desires in your own personal education of Rotary?
As I attended the Zone Institute this past month, the word training was mentioned several times but not what you typically think in Rotary. RI Larry Dimmitt was the first one in his speech to share about training and the importance of education in Rotary. He defined training as more like what we do with our animals, such as how to shake or catch a stick. And education is more about understanding and knowing. So Rotary is not about training but rather about education.
December 29-January 2 Travel to California, December 30- Decorate the Rotary Float & Join Local Rotarians for Dinner with the RI President, December 31 New Year Eve in LA, January 1st, Excellent Tickets for the Tournament of Roses Parade
District 5810 partners with the Cozumel Rotary club for service projects. Providing clean water and sanitation systems is an international goal of The Rotary Foundation. The Sunspring Water Purification System in Cozumel bears the Rotary International emblem and a plaque expresses gratitude for the TEXAS Rotarians.
From November 9 - November 17 at Oak Point Park, the Plano East Rotary Club will hold the third annual Plano Flags of Honor program at Oak Point Park. For seven days 1,000 3’ x 5’ American flags fly in honor of those who have served and continue to serve today.
This will be the Rotary Club of Dallas’ 15th Annual Salute to America’s Veterans. This event honors our veterans and raises funds to benefit two extraordinary organizations: USO DFW and the George W. Bush Military Service Initiative. Come join us: https://dallasrotary.org/sitepage/events/sav
The Keynote speaker is Admiral Patrick Walsh, USN, Ret. He is a former four-star Admiral, retired (2012) after 34 years of service in the US Navy. He last served as the Commander of the Pacific Fleet, the largest naval force in the world with over 180 ships, 2,000 aircraft and 125,000 personnel.
The Rotary Club of Dallas-Uptown will be hosting our sixth annual Men Who Cook on Saturday, Nov 2 from 4 to 7 PM at the Lawley Art Group, 1507 Dragon St. in the Design District. The event features 25 celebrity Rotary chefs, a wine pull, silent and live auctions and live music for an elegant evening of gustatory adventure and fun. For more information and to purchase tickets and/or donate online please check our website at dallasuptownrotary.org."
Howard berg of the E-Club of North Texas presented a 4 1/2 national webinar on Sept 7 for 50 wounded warriors to prepare them for new careers. He worked with Sgt. Major Bob Burton at Ft. Bragg NC who coordinated with the wounded warriors around the country to help put this together for us. The wounded warriors were taught 1) how to read 100% faster 2) increase comprehension of even techincal information 3) develop sharp memory 4) how to study for degrees and 5)eq skills. Another seminar is planned for next spring.
As many of you know, Howard holds the Alec Guiness record for the world's fastest speed reader ar 25,000 words per minutes.
North Texas Pioneers and Plano Sunrise Rotary Clubs joined togetther to hold blood drives at Collin College. Our Carter BloodCare friends, did a great job of screening and taking blood from the 106, students that attempted to donate, today. At this blood drive we solicited 106, students to attempt to donate and we did secure 68, good units of blood. Thus giving the potential of saving 162 lives.
The first meeting of the Coppell Rotary Interact Club of Coppell was a success! Sponsored by the Coppell Rotary Club, this is a service organization for students in grades 9-12. Members have fun, develop new friendships while gaining leadership skills and serving our local and international community. Home schooled and students from all 9-12 grade campuses in Coppell are welcome to join. For more information, please email info@coppellrotary.org
We wanted to share our new sign with our friends around the District. We had this made by a local family and it is now installed outside our Melissa ISD administration office, the location of our weekly meeting. We’re excited to increase our visibility in Melissa!
Last spring, all the members of Skyline Interact Club graduated. The club, sponsored by White Rock Rotary, is regenerating this school year with new members. Five of them attended the Interact Leadership Summit, along with their White Rock Rotary sponsors.
When one thinks of Rotary, blood-curdling screams and zombies don’t usually come to mind. But the Rotary Club of Greenville has been bringing the scares at their “Haunted Landmark” for eight years while helping preserve a historical landmark and funding scholarships for area youth at the same time.
Almost 12 years ago, a small group of Rotarians from Club 1832, aka “The Noon Club,” helped rescue the town’s historic 1910 post office –the Landmark on Lee. At the time, they had no idea the site where Audie Murphy signed up for the Army would become of one of the most thrilling attractions in Northeast Texas.
McKinney Rotary Club expects to collect in excess of 110 stuffed animals for Adam's Animals this month. Adam’s Animal’s has donated 75,000 new stuffed animals to the oncology wards and ERs in various Collin and Dallas hospitals. Adam Hurst was a vibrant 18 year old Collin College students who was diagnosed with leukemia July 1999 and suddenly died 26 days later. During those 26 days he kept a stuffed frog that had been given to him as a gift on his head or shoulder during chemo, blood transfusions, spinal taps and many sleepless nights—it became his friend and ally. To honor his memory his parents started Adam’s Animals.
This was a particularly inspiring kickoff to the Interact year. This is the eleventh year of Interact at Hillcrest H.S., sponsored by the Rotary Club of Park Cities, and it just seems to get better every year. This year the kickoff speaker was Congressman Colin Allred, who graduated from Hillcrest H.S. in 2001.
The Habitat House in Royse City is nearing completion and the Royse City club has done some painting, caulking and clean up. They are planning on helping with a kitchen shower when it is completed! Pictured, Mike and Jackie Gilbert work on finishing touches.
The Coppell Rotary Club has been awarded the distinguished "District 5810 International Service Award" for the club's work in 2018-2019. Coppell Rotary Club partnered with Rotary host club, Hubli Mid-Town (India) and our local Train and Help Babies(TaHB) organization.
ShelterBox is sending an assessment team to the Bahamas to work with Rotary International and other local partners. They will be assessing the damage from the Category 5 storm to determine if there are any gaps in the need for emergency shelter that we can fill. Learn more about Hurricane Dorian and how you can help families affected by disaster here: https://www.shelterboxusa.org/hurricane-dorian/
Thursday evening, August 29th, more than 30 Rotarians from our Club showed up to surprise Joe Turecky and present him our Club’s Lifetime of Service Above Self Award. Joe is a highly decorated war hero and longtime member of the Rotary Club of Dallas. Now in his 90’s, Joe lives in an assisted living facility in Addison.
24 October is World Polio Day! World Polio Day is a time for Rotarians all over the world to raise awareness about our efforts to eradicate polio for good. Join us by hosting an event in your community. Not sure what to do for World Polio Day? Here are a few ideas:
White Rock Rotary hosted their three Ryla Campers and heard about their experiences. The camp was a life changing experience and even lead to a family reconciliation after camp in one case. The campers came from three different high schools, Conrad, Bryan Adams, and Lake Highlands. White Rock Rotary sponsors an Interact Club at Lake Highlands High School.
Syria is experiencing the worst humanitarian Crisis since World War II. Over 400 lives have been lost, 5 million refugees, and 6.5 million internally displaced people. Click the photo to see how ShelterBox is helping.
Allen Rotary Club members answered the call recently and provided 5,000 meals for local children. The Allen Community Outreach agency provides lunch for approximately 500 needy students each day over the summer. The ACO food supplies were gradually running low and a call was put out to help fund meals for 500 students for the last 10 days of summer before school began.
Rockwall Rotary is a proud supporter of the North Texas Food Bank Mobile Food Pantry. They have supplied volunteers to help sort fruit and vegetables for all of the 24 months that the Mobile Pantry has been coming to serve hungry families in Rockwall County. The Mobile Pantry comes to the Church Of Prayer on the third Thursday of each month.
The Mesquite Rotary Club’s president John Taylor presented the City of Mesquite’s manager of neighborhood vitality Yolanda Wilson a donation of $2,500 at their meeting on August 13th, to assist with underwriting expenses for the annual Addressing Mesquite program.
After more than 54 years of McKinney Rotary Club membership former Mayor John Gay stepped down from the Club. On August 2nd, the club honored John and the current Mayor read a proclamation making 8.2 John Gay Day in McKinney. Texas House Rep and McKinney Rotary Club member Scott Stanford presented John with a Texas Flag from the capital and Club President, Mike Bell presented John with a plaque from the club. There were over 80 members/guests in attendance.
The Rotary Club of Carrollton-Farmers Branch embarked on a Signature Project back in 2012/2013 when, then President Ben Cunningham, challenged us to come up with a significant multi year project. After almost a year and realizing our club is all about the support of kids in our community, we decided to raise money and purchase All Accessible Playground Equipment for the two cities we serve.
Det. Derek Fowler, of the Frisco Police Department, was recently honored with the Rotary Club of Frisco’s 1st Responders “Service Above Self” Award. Det. Derek Fowler, of the Frisco Police Department, was recently honored with the Rotary Club of Frisco’s 1st Responders “Service Above Self” Award.
District 5810's Camp RYLA 2019 is a huge success! Almost two hundred students and over ninety alumni and staff members were on site at Camp Hoblitzelle in Midlothian for a week of leadership training, personal development, and a ton of fun. Students were grouped into eight cabins, all of which seemingly focus on friendly battles of athleticism, talent, humor, and strategy, but the most important lessons are in the undercurrent--goal-setting, growth, and grit.
Allen Sunrise Rotarian Vatsa Ramanathan is proud to announce that she and her brother have started an Interact Club in the school that they own and run in Mysore, India. The school is called Sri Sharada Public School ( http://www.srisharadaschoolmysore.com/ ). The Interact school is sponsored by her brother's Rotary Club and will partner with the Allen High Interact school sponsored by Allen Sunrise Rotary.
Don’t forget! August 15 is the deadline to submit District Grants. If you have any questions, contact district5810grants@gmail.com
For Global Grants, there is no deadline! Invite Paul Gorman, Global Grants Chair, to your club meeting, and discover how you can be a part of our annual theme, Rotary Connects The World! To have him speak at your club, contact Paul Gorman pgorman@san.rr.com.
What would be the Fourth of July without a parade! For the seventeenth year the Rotary Club of Park Cities’ Fourth of July Parade brings the community together – and out on the street – to celebrate Independence Day. Approximately 10,000 residents and guests lined the streets to watch the over 300 entries this year, ranging from the children’s bicycle parade, to city, county and state dignitaries, to antique vehicles, riders on horses, and floats.
The Rotary E-Club of North Texas will be sponsoring a free workshop for the Wounded Warriors given by club member and Sec'y Howard Stephen Berg, the world's fastest reader.
The workshop is on September 7th from 12 PM to 4:30 PM CDT. The link to sign up for wounded warriors is howardwarrior.com.
Howard recently trained the U.S. Special Forces at Fort Bragg, and was told about the high suicide rate amongst the wounded warriors. They can't find work because of their injuries.
Congratultaions to Jadan Cro of DeSoto High School, DeSoto Rotary, and the entire state of Texas Rotary Youth Leadership for representing us at the RYLA North American Conference in Washington D.C.!!
About 5 years ago we had 5 exchange students, one of those was a girl from Japan. During her inbound orientation in early September, she said maybe 3 words and only if asked. A very shy and quite person. In October, we took the exchange students to the Texas State Fair. Expecting our Japanese girl to be shy and might need some help in fitting in on this event we were blown away to have her talking up a storm with our Austrian exchange student. Rotary Youth Exchange is amazing program that is enjoyable & enlightening for both the student and host family!
We need a host families for an inbound exchange student, a girl arriving from France in late August! If you happen to know these previous host families, Bill Moser, Fritzie Roop and Toni Collins, you know that their time hosting has been very positive.
On July 14, White Rock Rotary supplied and served a hamburger and hot dog dinner with all the trimmings to the residents of Family Gateway Shelter in Dallas. There were 10 volunteers serving the meal for about 85 residents, adults and children. A good time was had by all.
White Rock Rotary Serves Up Burgers at Family Shelter
The Mesquite Rotary Club held induction ceremonies for the group’s 2019-2020 officers and board members at their meeting on July 9th. All 33,000 local clubs in Rotary International change their leadership in July each year. This provides for fresh vision and energy throughout the worldwide organization of business and professional leaders, which was established in 1905. The ceremonies were performed by the Rotary District 5810 governor-elect John Moser.
We’ve had a Wonderful year together! I’ve been blessed to have Rotarians that have worked tirelessly in serving their community and in projects around the world. Innovative thinking, organization and action have allowed us to grow in new ways. We continue to experiment with our meeting structure and service. Our efforts will continue to harvest dividends for many years to come.
Our focus this year has been on supporting our Rotary Clubs. We have emphasized finding, involving and training young people. Our emerging leaders are the key to Rotary’s continued success.
The past two years saw Mother Nature rain out the City of Plano’s hot air balloon festival and, in doing so, also washed away the Rotary Club of Plano West’s funnel cake fundraiser, a primary source of income.
The McKinney Parks and Recreation Department held a grand opening celebration June 15 for Phase II of Bonnie Wenk Park. Renovations to the 170-acre park include an all-abilities park, a skywalk, zipline and ropes courses, concrete hike and bike trails, two additional parking lots, five play pods and two multipurpose sports fields.
The all-abilities playground is designed for children of all ages, abilities and needs. This playground is a joint effort between the city and the Rotary clubs of McKinney. It was the biggest donation in District 5810 to date when the Rotary Clubs of McKinney collab to bring Bonnie Wenk park Phase II to life.
The Sherman Rotary club was proud to donate $10,000 to make this playground at Cherry Street Park possible. Last year the Club donated funds for the Hawn Park. The club has a goal of donating $10,000 per year for more equipment for the next few years.
Sherman Rotary's Cherry Street Park Dedication Ceremony
After requesting nominations from the membership for the 2019 Fourth of July Parade Grand Marshal, the decision has been made! Qualifications for nominees are that they are individuals who have made a meaningful contribution to the Park Cities, who demonstrate the Rotary ideals of the 4 Way Test and Service above Self, and who is well-known and respected in the community. The announcement is made at the Annual Announcement Luncheon honoring the current Grand Marshal and all past Grand Marshals. This year Park Cities Rotary is pleased to recognize Francie Moody-Dahlberg as the 2019 Grand Marshal.
Come join us kick-off the new Rotary year at the District Officer Installation on Thursday, June 27 at 6:30pm to 9:30pm at Ruthe Jackson Center in Grand Prairie. This event will include dinner along with the festivities. Register before June 15 for Early Bird pricing of $45. After tickets are $58.10. To register: http://bit.ly/2VoJmvr
The Mesquite Rotary Club inducted former Mesquite ISD superintendent of schools Dr. James Terry into the Mesquite Rotary Grove of Honor at the site in DeBusk Park, adjacent to the Kidsquest playground, on May 28th.
Grand Prairie Metro Rotary Club Members came together this Memorial Day with their Mayor, Key City Leaders and Distinguished Veterans, to Honor and Remember those who served and gave their lives to Preserve our Freedom and Way of Life.
On Saturday April 13, 293 Rotarians, Interactors, and volunteers came together at McKinney North High School to celebrate the accomplishments District 5810 achieved over the course of the year at Spring Fling. Twenty eight Interact clubs were named as a Club of Excellence and six were recognized for some of their greatest achievements such as the Highest Earning Fundraiser by John Paul II High School Interact Club ($6000) and the Most Service Projects by Singley Academy Interact Club (16 service projects).
The Rotary Club of Lake Texoma completed its second annual NoPolio 100 Bike Rally in April 2019. Proceeds from the two rally’s resulted in a total contribution of $11,000 donated to RI’s polio worldwide polio eradication effort. The rallies were held in south Grayson County with riders coming from as far away as Round Rock, Texas.
Saturday, June 15th, at 9:00 AM, “trumpets will sound, bands will march” and McKinney Rotarians will celebrate the fruition of the largest fund-raising project in District 5810’s history! Okay…no trumpets or bands but the two McKinney Rotary clubs, Sunrise Rotary Club and McKinney Rotary Club joined into a public/private partnership with the City of McKinney in the spring of 2015 for the first All-Abilities Playground in McKinney to be a part of Bonnie Wenk Park Phase II and just a few short years later, four to be exact, the Grand Opening will give children and young adults with special needs a place to be outdoors and play!
A photo of some White Rock Rotary members with our 2019 scholarship winners from Lake Highlands High School. Several of the students had overcome great hardships in their lives before finishing high school. We were glad to be able to help them on their future college journeys.
Bonham Rotary with the assistance of Alicia Caylor Lewis, a teacher at the I. W. Evans Elementary School, they have for the past 5 years helped teach their 6th graders about water conservation and why it is so important.
Mesquite Rotary acting president John Taylor presented a donation of $5,000 to support the work of Sharing Life Community Outreach at the club’s meeting on May 7th. Sharing Life’s Executive Director and CEO Teresa Jackson accepted the check, and expressed her gratitude for the funds that will assist area families in need.
New Generations Irving Las Colinas Service Above Self Park Cities Rotary Foundation East Dallas Membership DeSoto Club Service Greenville Vocational Service Mesquite Community Service Richardson International Service Coppell Spirit of Cooperation North Texas Pioneers Public Image McKinney
For the past 20 years, the Rotary Club of Dallas has provided personalize "I Like Me" books to thousands of Dallas ISD kindergarteners. This year, over 580 books were distributed to 11 Dallas schools.
The Mesquite Rotary Club hosted its annual Scholarship Recognition and Awards Luncheon at the Dallas Athletic Club on April 23rd. At the event, the top one percent students in the Class of 2019 from each Mesquite ISD high school, Sunnyvale High School, and Dallas Christian School were honored.
Volunteers form White Rock Rotary and several other Rotary clubs helped with Project Safe Neighborhoods. This was a joint project between Rotary, the Department of Justice and the local police.
Prestonwood Rotary presented awards & gifts to Lieutenant Jon Henson, Lieutenant Jeffrey Aleem, Fire Rescue Officer Tamika Denise Lamb, & Fireman EMT Jeremy Hill for their service to the city.
Prestonwood Presents Awards to Firefighters and EMTs
We are so excited to announce that our 2nd global grant application for funding to provide neonatal equipment to Vivekananda Hospital and a vocational training team will provide
The Rockwall Breakfast Rotary Club was very pleased to present a check for $2000 to Carol Miskin, the President of Rockwall County Rainbow Room. This non-profit organization works closely with Rockwall County’s Child Protective Services and provides physical needs for neglected and abused children in Rockwall County.
Again this year, the Addison Midday Rotary Club made 50 Easter Baskets for Hope Supply. Hope Supply told us that they were about 200 Easter Baskets short of requested baskets. This is a good project for a Rotary Club, group or individual. We make the baskets for less than $10 each and we assemble them in 20 minutes.
(L to R) FINALISTS - Peter Brown, Midlothian Rotary Club, Midlothian High School; Emily Henry, Rockwall Breakfast Rotary Club, Rockwall High School; Kayson Bridges, Sherman Rotary Club, Sherman High School 1ST Place - Natalia Simons, Grand Prairie Metro Rotary Club, South Grand Prairie High School 2nd Place - Gouzia Sivarajah, Frisco Sunrise Rotary Club, Heritage High School 3rd Place - Jordan Favors, Dallas Trinity Rotary Club, Tyler Street Academy
A team of Mesquite Rotary Club members worked side-by-side with retired Mesquite teachers on March 28th to sort and label books to be delivered to all Mesquite ISD first graders.
On Saturday, March 23, Rotary Club of Allen Sunrise members, along with members from three (3) other local Rotary Clubs, and volunteers from the Young Men’s Service League from Lovejoy High School, gathered at the First United Methodist Church of Allen’s Fellowship Hall;
Park Cities Rotary has been selected by the national awards committee of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge to receive the George Washington Honor Medal Award for the annual special event, the July 4th Parade: A Hunger-Fighting Affair.
The Mesquite Rotary Club hosted its annual "Four Way Test" Speech Contest at the Mesquite ISD Professional Development Center on March 19th. Contestants from all Mesquite I.S.D. high schools, Dallas Christian School, and Sunnyvale High School participated in the event.
It’s been an exciting start to the planning for our Rotary Year of 2019-2020. All Governor - elects gather in San Diego annually for one last training, and their RIPE Mark Maloney revealed his theme: Rotary Connects the World! The next task was training all of the Texas President -Elects, and 5810 Pes and PNs attended Lone Star PETS, the largest gathering in the United States for training President -Elects. We had a whirlwind weekend, crammed with new information, incredible speakers , and a new way to define and energize our Rotary Clubs. Next Step: get everyone else TRAINED!
Coppell Rotary Club and all Coppell civic organizations recently participated in ‘Allies in Community”. This program that builds relationships through common ground, and helps to foster a deep sense of belonging to enhance Coppell residents active engagement in the City of Coppell. The event included speakers Rotarians Mayor Karen Hunt and Deputy City Manager Vicki Chiavetta.
Coppell Rotarians Participates in “Allies in the Community Summit”
On February 6, 2019, a team of volunteers and staff working with the charity Mayan Families delivered 40 Eco Filter water filters to the small village of Peña Blanca in the municipality of Camotan, Chiquimula, Guatemala. They were thrilled to receive the gift of clean water!
The Rotary Club of Denison is proud to announce the sponsoring of a new Interact club at Dension High School. Pictured are chart members and advisors. Looking forward to seeing how this group will make an impact in their community!
Thank you to all who participated in anyway in making our Mardi Gras PolioPlus fundraiser a terrific event. Our party was an amazing success! We had 218 Rotarians and guests registered. On the night of the event we received $9,240 in contributions. When added to amounts sent directly to The Rotary Foundation for PolioPlus, a total of $54,860 has been contributed by District 5810 this Rotary year!
Rowlett Rotary members partnered with Life Message at their food pantry to prepare 200 boxes of food for needy north Texas families in February. The monthly event is called ‘Pack a Box’ where food is boxed assembly line style for maximized efficiency. We plan in making this a quarterly volunteer project.
White Rock Rotary has adopted part of the shoreline of White Rock Lake. Each month, usually on the second Saturday, we clean up the shoreline and help keep the lake beautiful for all to enjoy. Sometimes, members of our Interact clubs from Skyline and Lake Highlands High schools help us. Come join us, it's good exercise and fun!
Originally the plan was for four North Texas Rotary Clubs from District 5810 -The Rotary Club Of Frisco, Sunrise Rotary of Frisco, Rotary Club of Celina, and Rotary Club of Prosper to be building on two separate habitat for humanity houses on that day, however, the massive rainfall the days before, left both home sites unavailable to be worked on.
Dental professionals and volunteers worked together for the benefit of area people in need at their 11th annual “Dentists with a Heart Day” on February 15th. The event was sponsored by the Mesquite Rotary Club, and occurred at the Mesquite dental offices of Dr. Byron McKnight and Dr. Ken Taylor, who donated their services and facility for the day. In a very successful effort, this team served over 50 area patients in need, providing them with life-changing care through free dental services that would normally have been worth a total of $55,000. The patients were referred for the event from Sharing Life Ministries, Grace Place, International Church Street, Mesquite ISD, and even from people in need that the participating dentists had met throughout the year.
Members of the Coppell Rotary gathered to support the Coppell Arts scene in February. The Theatre Coppell feature of “Arsenic and Old Lace”, starred Coppell Rotarian George Ritcheske and his wife, Bobbi Ritcheske.
The Richardson Rotary is proud to support the City of Richardson Employee and Supervisor of the Year program for over 30 years. On Monday, February 4, Richardson Rotary Club honored the 2018 City of Richardson Employee of the Year, Edward Martinez, and Supervisor of the Year, Eric Robison.
North Texas Pioneers created smiles for some children in Uganda with their donation of backpacks, school supplies, tooth paste and brushes. The supplies were distributed by Rotarian Jolly Grace Okot Andruvile of the Gulu Rotary Club.
The Rockwall Breakfast Club has begun their 5th year with their US Flag program, which covers 7 national holidays each year. They started in 2015 with 61 initial flags in Rockwall County. It has steadily grown each holiday and they placed 441 flags for Presidents Day 2019.
On February 16 was the Raise The Wall Ceremony for the Habitat of Humanity Build sponsored by the Rotary Club of Frisco and Frisco Sunrise for the Flores Family.
Royse City Rotary Club finished their day of service by packing food bags for Paw Packs, a program organized by Luna Burke & Associates. The program helps to feed students that may only get meals at school.
Enter the Rotary District 5810 North Texas "My Rotary Story" Contest. Prizes will be given out for: Most Creative, Most Moving and Best Overall Story. Submission requirements - video (2 minutes or less). Open to all Rotarians in the district! Must include your name, Club Name and date with submission. For rules & guidelines: https://rotary5810.org/sitepage/my-rotary-story-contest.
Combating Hunger and Malnutrition are service focus areas that many of our clubs work. This month Rotarians and Rotary Clubs have an easy way to participate in a regional food drive that has been conducted in north Texas for two decades by Scout. On, February 16th approximately 500,000 donation bags, which this year features the Rotary Logo, will be distributed by Scouts in North Texas
The Rotary Club of Dallas is on the hunt for potential mentors for the Dream Team for our high school kids at Woodrow Wilson High School! Many of our students are first generation students. To qualify for the program, the students have financial challenges and may not even consider attending college.
Members of the White Rock Rotary Club gave and were given a warm welcome at their annual Chili Gala at Family Gateway in Dallas. They prepared and served a nourishing meal for about 150 residents and staff. It was truly a heartwarming and tummy warming event!
Rotary Club of Coppell provides support to many around the globe and in Coppell. In our own backyard, we are especially proud of our supporting Metrocrest Services. In times of crisis, Metrocrest Services assists individuals in the Coppell, Carrollton, Farmers Branch and Addison.
What's better than raising money for local charities? Watching local dignitaries compete against an out-of-their-league basketball team to do it. That's the idea the Rotary Club of Frisco had when coming up with plans for its annual fundraiser this year.
On February 23rd, on World Rotary Day, the Rotary Club of Celina, the Rotary Club of Prosper, Frisco Sunrise Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Frisco are getting together to do a Habitat for Humanity Build in McKinney. They will be building a home for the Quintanilla family. Mauricio and Irene are no strangers to hard work and determination. Mauricio works for Hopper Mechanical and Irene works with Mckinney ISD. Within two months of being approved by Habitat for Humanity, they completed over 25% of their required 500 community service hours. They are excited about their opportunity for homeownership in their local community of McKinney.
On January 15, the Addison Midday Rotary Club partnered with the Addison Athletic Club staff to expand their annual open house into a “Health and Fitness Expo”. The Addison Athletic Club showed off their exercise facilities to the town of Addison.
Greg Dreyfus, Rotary Youth Exchange student hosted by the Rotary Club of Fair Park, has won an award for his digital art project and was selected to represent Woodrow Wilson HS in the Dallas Young Artist Exhibition at the Blue Print Gallery, 2701 Fairmount Street, Dallas, Tx 75201 on Thursday, 1/17/19.
The Rotary Club of Lake Texoma (Pottsboro) will be holding its second annual No Polio 100, Bike Rally, April 13, 2019. Last year’s rally resulted in raising $7000 for the RI Polio Plus Program. This year’s rally will attempt to raise even more money for polio eradication. Joining Lake Texoma Rotary is the Rotary Club of Melissa who has signed on as a rest stop sponsor. All bike enthusiasts are encouraged to register at www.nopolio100 Contact Joe Henderson at joehend@myrhinomail.com for additional information.
Lake Texoma Annouces 2nd Annual No Polio 100 Bike Rally
The receipts have been gathered and the bills have been paid. The proceeds from the twelfth annual Univeristy Park Tree Ligting in Snider Plaza on November 18, 2018, have been calculated. Despite the inclement weather, the event generated $10,000.00, through sponsorships and contributions, to be donated to the North Texas Food Bank.
Richardson East Rotary Club, with assistance from the Rotary Club of Richardson, did a incredible job of raising over $500K for the Ann Eisemann Inclusive Playground at Cottonwood Park in Richardson. The ground breaking was very well attended despite frigid temperatures. Congratulations in helping getting this done Rotarians!
Rotary International President-Elect Mark Maloney has revealed the 2019-2020 theme "Rotary Connects The World". In his address at International Assembly, he explained his vision for building a stronger Rotary, calling on leaders to expand connections to their communities and to embrace innovative membership models. Read the story.
This year the Coppell Rotary Club, for the 2nd year adopted 5 needy Seniors from Metrocrest Services for the holiday. We appointed 5 Team Captains, their responsibility was coordinating a basket for each senior and Club members have been assigned to a team.
Our Mardi Gras Party is coming fast and the room is reaching full capacity! Join us on Saturday, February 16, 2019, for our Mardi Gras party at 6:30 in the evening at Prestonwood Country Club, 15909 Preston Road, Dallas,TX 75428. Everyone is invited. Bring your friends and neighbors! Tickets are $50 each. You can find all the information to register on the District website: https://rotary5810.org/sitepage/mardi-gras-party
The 19th Annual McKinney Rotary "Parade of Lights" held in downtown McKinney on Dec 20, 2018. It was a huge success after rescheduling and was enjoyed by all. The McKinney Rotary Club parade attracts groups from all over McKinney and Collin County area such as: Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops, McKinney High School Marine Corps JROTC Color Guard Cadets, McKinney Fire and Police personnel, and many other worthy participants. This annual McKinney Rotary Club event has proven to be a great way to continue expanding our Rotary brand, visibility and service effectiveness within the City of McKinney and surrounding communities. See the photos
As a professional Santa Claus, it’s not unusual for Bill Dendy to get Christmas requests and letters from kids. What is unusual is the email he received just a few weeks ago. “Yeah, I got a letter and it was not from a kid, but it was actually from their mom,” Dendy said.
The RYLA Roundup for the District 5810 2019 Camp RYLA Program will be held Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the Addison Conference Centre, 15650 Addison Road, Addison, TX 75001. Rotary Club RYLA Chairpersons should attend this training program designed to get Camp RYLA 2019 recruiting and selection started. The meeting is the only chairpersons training of the year so every club should be represented. The training is from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. RYLA manuals and recruiting materials will be distributed, including copies of the brand new Camp RYLA video. The meeting is also open to any Rotarian interested in learning more about Camp RYLA prior to the 29th annual leadership camp. July 28 – August 2.
RYLA Roundup for All Clubs to Kick Off the 2019 RYLA Year
Volunteers from the RYLA Student Advisory Group, RYLA Alumni, and the Dallas Trinity Rotary Club enjoyed their annual Angel Tree event at North Park Mall on November 25th--the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Historically, this particular Angel Tree, on this particular day, is the busiest Angel Tree in the nation. Our district is always well-represented, as volunteers offer smiling faces while they assist folks selecting angels to adopt, document angels that have been chosen, receive and safely store gifts as they are received, and answer questions all along the way. This annual experience is a holiday favorite for everyone involved.
North Texas Pioneers Rotary brought some much needed Christmas cheer to the Plano Animal Shelter this season. Each member choose an angel off the tree and bought the items listed. They gathered many small beds for cats and small dogs, lots of toys, cat nip, dog and cat treats, cat litter, etc.... And many other items the shelter needs to keep all the sweet creatures comfortable.
The Rotary Club of Carrollton-Farmers Branch in partnership with The City of Carrollton is raising money to purchase and install All Assessible Playground Equipment for the park located at Rosemeade Rec Center.
When years ago the polio epidemic necessitated specific programs to treat the children, some of the pediatricians of the time did not want the children to dread coming to a place that smelled like a hospital. Their solution was to pop popcorn and keep popping it, so the children would be greeted by a much more appealing smell.
The McKinney Rotary Club collected items in November 2018 to send to U.S. Troops that are overseas. We joined a group collecting for 33 soldiers and collected 11 donation boxes of goodies. The boxes were shipped this week in order to reach the troops before Christmas, and also included 33 Holiday Cards signed club members. We not only wanted the soldiers to have something for Christmas but we wanted to express our appreciation for all they do for us. We were told many do not receive anything from family members or home so we wanted to ensure everyone received something. This was our first time on this project and feel it was a great success.
On Saturday, December 1, five Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Allen Sunrise met at Frito Lay in Plano, Texas to volunteer and serve lunch, provided by the Club, to about 40 veterans and their family members.
A 501(c)(3) non-profit charity, this organization creates alternative no-cost therapeutic programs that relax, rehabilitate and reintegrate through kayak fishing and the outdoors, while providing much-needed camaraderie and support. Founded in 2007, Heroes on the Water is dedicated to providing these services to veterans. In 2018, services opened up to first responders and their families.
On December1, 2018 the Nominating Committee for District 5810 selected Max S. Duplant for the district's District Governor Nominee Designate for Rotary Year 2021-2022. Ms. Duplant is a longtime Rotarian and is a past president and current member of the Rotary Club of Irving/ Las Colinas,Texas.
Please join us in congratulating Max on her selection and wish her well in the new chapter of her Rotary leadership.
Formal Notice Of Selection Of The 2021-22 District Governor
Carrollton Farmers Branch Rotary partnered with the Carrollton Farmers Branch ISD in conjunction with the Dallas County Promise. It was their first year to participate and they furnished 1000 hotdogs!
Carrollton-Farmers Branch Serves It Up At Dallas County Promise
White Rock Rotary got into the Christmas spirit early by helping at the Salvation Army Angel Tree in North Park Mall. Their club members and Interact students volunteered in shifts over 4 days. It was great to see holiday shoppers think of others while buying for their own families and friends.
Despite the cold weather an enthusiastic crowd filled Snider Plaza on November 18 for the twelfth annual University Park Tree Lighting. The Tree Lighting is a project of the Rotary Club od Park Cities and the Snider Plaza Merchant’s Association.
Just as Rotarians strive to follow their motto of “Service Above Self,” Scouts keep their promise “to help other people” and their slogan “Do a Good Turn Daily” through the annual Scouting for Food service project, which provides needed resources to our community food banks.
Among the more than 300 guests at Love Field’s Frontiers of Flight Museum celebrating the 25th anniversary of Challenge Air for Kids and Friends were members of the Prestonwood Rotary Club, and they had a particularly good reason to join the festivities.
Congratulations to Bailey Wilson from the Plano Community Rotaract Club for being selected as 1 of 60 Rotaract Leaders from around the world to attend the Rotary International Assembly in January!!!
Bailey started her Rotaract career as a member of Collin College Rotaract, eventually becoming President of the club in 2015. She successfully campaigned for herself and 2 other Rotaractors to attend the 2016 Rotary International convention, where she decided that she wanted to pursue a position of leadership to help guide the education and growth of Rotaract. Upon her return she joined the Plano Community Rotaract Club.
Richardson Rotary partnered with the Rotary Club Bratislava to help support a local shelter of theirs. One of their members, Radi, was able to visit the Rotary Club Bratislava in Slovakia and the shelter they are helping. Richardson Rotary is extremely proud of the positive impact they can have by working with Rotary clubs around the world!
Richardson Rotary Partners With Rotary Club Bratislava
Each year the Rockwall Breakfast Club plants many smiles on many faces as we provide coats for underprivileged elementary school children in Rockwall. The event is held each November in partnership with Old Navy and the Rockwall ISD.
Beautiful day for a ribbon cutting at the new Fitness Court at Jaycee Park. The Rotary Club of Ennis was a major donor to getting it made. Be sure to check it out. Free to the public! For more information about the Fitness Court, please visit the pagehttps://nationalfitnesscampaign.com/fitness-court/
Cheers to the Sherman Rotary Club for their Rotary Reads service project which has the members read to the classroom. Today members had the honor to meet many gifted students and dedicated staff members at Neblett Elementary School.
Addison Rotary presented a check to the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas for a whopping $185,000! Their members worked so hard to be able to give so much to their partner charity, and we are proud of every single one of them!
Has your club done projects with Peace Corps Volunteers? Rotary and Peace Corps has just signed their second three year partnership agreement. The agreement was initiated by a group of RPCVs Rotarians in Colorado District 5450. That group is looking to leverage the partnership at a local district level. If you are an RPCV Rotarian, please contact Michael Wald (mwald999@gmail.com) of the Prestonwood Rotary Club with Peace Corps in the subject line, and also go to RPCV Rotarian input form and add your name to the database.
President Jeff Caserotti presented Bruce Heller, board member of the ShelterBox USA program with a check for $2,000 from McKinney Sunrise Rotary Club for two ShelterBoxes, and the weekly basket collection for the month of November will also be donated to ShelterBoxUSA. This is a huge operation that serves millions of people around the world.
From the time a man or woman enlists in the military, through their days as a veteran, the heavy loads they carry – from the travel costs to spend time with family, to accessing to high quality medical care, to jobs that allow them to best use the skills developed during service when they return to civilian life - should be a shared responsibly of all Americans. That’s why a group of Rotary Club of Dallas members decided 14 years ago to do something to support these men and women and thus, Salute to America’s Veterans was born.
On Saturday, November 3, Rotarians around the area should be prepared for an abundance of hearty home-cooked food, delicious wines, exciting opportunities and warm spirit as the Rotary Club of Dallas-Uptown presents its fifth annual Men Who Cook fundraiser. The event takes place at The Lawley Art Group, 1507 Dragon Street in the Design District from 4-7 o’clock PM. Tickets are $35 each. Click here to purchase.
President Bob Wales and members of the Rotary Club of Melissa were on hand at this week's City Council meeting to present a check for $4,000 to the Melissa Fire Department in support of a new KNOX Home Box program being launched in the coming weeks.
Frisco Sunrise Rotary Club requested and received a proclamation from the Mayor of Frisco for World Polio Day on Oct 16th! Pictured left to right, Krista Ryan FSR President and the City of Frisco Mayor Cheney.
Dentistry With a Heart is a collaborative project between the Rotary Club of Park Cities, Agape Clinic, volunteer dentists and hygienists, and student dentists from the Texas A&M College of Dentistry. It was begun ten years ago by the three dentists who were members of RCPC to provide free dental care to people who could not otherwise afford it. Among the thousands of dollars worth of services provided include cleanings, fillings, extractions, root canals and partials.
Some members of White Rock Rotary organized and helped serve lunch for about 200 refugees from Burma and various African countries last Sunday at St. Patrick's Church. The refugees enjoyed their meal and the Rotarians shared in the happy vibe, as you can see!
On October4th, the McKinney Rotary Club celebrated its 100th year of service in the city. “We are so fortunate to have a Rotary Club that is active and engaged in our community,” Lisa Hermes, president of the McKinney Chamber of Commerce, said in a news release from the Rotary Club. “As they celebrate their centennial anniversary, it’s really a celebration of the dedicated men and women who roll up their sleeves and serve not only our community but people and places around the world.” Adding to the celebration, was the recipient of a Texas Senate Resolution for the Centennial and a proclamation naming Oct 4., 2018 as "Rotary Club of McKinney Day".
On Oct. 12, Addison Rotarians volunteered to feed guests at the Ronald McDonald House in Dallas. They love what this organization stands for and enjoyed being able to make a difference!
Addison Rotary Volunteers At Ronald McDonald House Dallas
White Rock Rotary is a small, friendly, and growing club. We enjoy many community service projects, including White Rock Lake clean up, provision and serving meals for Family Gateway, lunch service for refugees, and newsletter assistance for White Rock Center of Hope. We recently sent students from three different Dallas schools to Camp Ryla. We sponsor two Interact clubs, one at Skyline High School and one at Lake Highlands High School. Here is a picture of some of our Interact students and club sponsors at the Interact Summit. Come visit us, you will be made very welcome!
The Mesquite Rotary Club presented a donation of $2,500 to the Mesquite Association of Retired School Employees book project at their meeting on October 2ndt. In accepting the check from Rotary president-elect John Taylor, MARSE president Elaine Whitlock expressed her thanks for Rotary’s assistance, and noted that the funds would greatly support the project’s goal of providing a book of their own to each Mesquite ISD first grader.
Now’s the time to start planning your World Polio Day event. Spread the word in your community about the ongoing fight to end polio. Together, we can — and will — make history by ending polio for good.
World Polio Day Competition – Your Club could win $500 for its WASH Projects!
World Polio Day is celebrated on October 24th. World Polio Day was established by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis. Use of this inactivated poliovirus vaccine and subsequent widespread use of the oral poliovirus vaccine, developed by Albert Sabin, led to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Polio is a disease caused by a virus that affects the nervous system and is mainly spread by person-to-person contact. Polio can also be spread by drinking water or other drinks or eating raw or undercooked food that are contaminated with the feces of an infected person.
The Mesquite Rotary Club’s president Les Clark presented Mesquite Mayor Stan Pickett a donation of $2,500 at their meeting on September 25th, to assist with underwriting expenses for the annual Addressing Mesquite program.
Since 2017, students who attend Riverchase Elementary School, a Spark STEM Academy CFB ISD school, located in Coppell (serving Coppell & Carrollton families), have the opportunity to participate in a Coding Camp sponsored by Coppell Rotary & UTD Computer Science Outreach.
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Dental professionals and volunteers worked together for the benefit of area people in need at their 11th annual “Dentists with a Heart Day” on February 15th. The event was sponsored by the Mesquite Rotary Club, and occurred at the Mesquite dental offices of Dr. Byron McKnight and Dr. Ken Taylor, who donated their services and facility for the day. In a very successful effort, this team served over 50 area patients in need, providing them with life-changing care through free dental services that would normally have been worth a total of $55,000. The patients were referred for the event from Sharing Life Ministries, Grace Place, International Church Street, Mesquite ISD, and even from people in need that the participating dentists had met throughout the year.
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