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Rotary assistant district governor visits
Galena Park/Jacinto City club
JOSH HARDWICK
In keeping with Rotary International’s 2008-2009 theme, “Make dreams real,” clubs across the area are outlining their goals to do just that.
Members of the Galena Park/Jacinto City (GPJC) Rotary Club welcomed assistant district governor Charlie Ward at their Aug. 27 meeting, where he discussed some of the club’s plans for the upcoming Rotary year.
Ward is a member and past president of the neighboring Rotary Club of Highlands.
Each Rotary “district” consists of several localized clubs that collaborate to contribute funding and personnel to the international Rotary organization.
“A Rotary district has only one job, and that’s to serve the individual clubs. We assist in everything from membership growth and retention to activities,” Ward said.
As assistant governor of District 5890 – which includes Galena Park, Baytown, LaPorte, North Shore and Highlands clubs – Ward announced that this year’s goal is to contribute $450,000 in donations to the Rotary International fund.
Rotary International uses money contributed to the fund each year to participate in numerous charities and community service projects throughout the world.
Three years after an initial contribution is made the foundation will return half that amount to the donating club, in turn enabling it to fund its own localized activities, Ward said.
District Governor Rhonda Kennedy said she has also made it her to see to it that every club in her district receives a presidential citation.
Kennedy stressed the importance of obtaining these citations, which are awarded to those Rotary clubs that achieve a predetermined list of goals set forth by Rotary International such as recruit a certain amount of new members or perform an international project.
“I remember a time when District 5890 was always on the ball about presidential citations. Somehow we have fallen short of that and so one of my goals this year is to get back to being a 100% presidential citation district,” Kennedy said.
Ward said that another focus of the district will be on helping to eradicate the deadly polio virus. For nearly 20 years Rotary International has endorsed its PolioPlus program, seeking to vaccinate children against the disease that can cause irreversible paralysis and often death.
Ward said that the district’s goal is to contribute $50,000 this year toward PolioPlus campaign.
The organization has already received considerable support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the form of a $100 million grant toward the polio eradication initiative, which must be matched by Rotary International over the course of the next three years.
To draw in more contributions Ward also announced a goal of boosting Rotary membership in the district by 10 percent this year. “We currently have about 3600 members in the district, so that would be a pretty strong boost,” he said.
GPJC board president Ramon Garza said that his organization is already working to do its part via a fundraising raffle. From now until the drawing at the District 5890 conference in Louisiana next May members will be selling tickets for a chance at a $5,000 dream vacation.
“We’re going to encourage everyone to sell $120 worth of tickets, but we’ll take up the slack for whatever tickets don’t get sold,” Garza said. “The winner gets to pick a vacation anywhere in the world up to $5,000.”
For more information about the GPJC Rotary Club, visit http://www.galenaparkjacintocityrotary.org/
In keeping with Rotary International’s 2008-2009 theme, “Make dreams real,” clubs across the area are outlining their goals to do just that.
Members of the Galena Park/Jacinto City (GPJC) Rotary Club welcomed assistant district governor Charlie Ward at their Aug. 27 meeting, where he discussed some of the club’s plans for the upcoming Rotary year.
Ward is a member and past president of the neighboring Rotary Club of Highlands.
Each Rotary “district” consists of several localized clubs that collaborate to contribute funding and personnel to the international Rotary organization.
“A Rotary district has only one job, and that’s to serve the individual clubs. We assist in everything from membership growth and retention to activities,” Ward said.
As assistant governor of District 5890 – which includes Galena Park, Baytown, LaPorte, North Shore and Highlands clubs – Ward announced that this year’s goal is to contribute $450,000 in donations to the Rotary International fund.
Rotary International uses money contributed to the fund each year to participate in numerous charities and community service projects throughout the world.
Three years after an initial contribution is made the foundation will return half that amount to the donating club, in turn enabling it to fund its own localized activities, Ward said.
District Governor Rhonda Kennedy said she has also made it her to see to it that every club in her district receives a presidential citation.
Kennedy stressed the importance of obtaining these citations, which are awarded to those Rotary clubs that achieve a predetermined list of goals set forth by Rotary International such as recruit a certain amount of new members or perform an international project.
“I remember a time when District 5890 was always on the ball about presidential citations. Somehow we have fallen short of that and so one of my goals this year is to get back to being a 100% presidential citation district,” Kennedy said.
Ward said that another focus of the district will be on helping to eradicate the deadly polio virus. For nearly 20 years Rotary International has endorsed its PolioPlus program, seeking to vaccinate children against the disease that can cause irreversible paralysis and often death.
Ward said that the district’s goal is to contribute $50,000 this year toward PolioPlus campaign.
The organization has already received considerable support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the form of a $100 million grant toward the polio eradication initiative, which must be matched by Rotary International over the course of the next three years.
To draw in more contributions Ward also announced a goal of boosting Rotary membership in the district by 10 percent this year. “We currently have about 3600 members in the district, so that would be a pretty strong boost,” he said.
GPJC board president Ramon Garza said that his organization is already working to do its part via a fundraising raffle. From now until the drawing at the District 5890 conference in Louisiana next May members will be selling tickets for a chance at a $5,000 dream vacation.
“We’re going to encourage everyone to sell $120 worth of tickets, but we’ll take up the slack for whatever tickets don’t get sold,” Garza said. “The winner gets to pick a vacation anywhere in the world up to $5,000.”
For more information about the GPJC Rotary Club, visit http://www.galenaparkjacintocityrotary.org/
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