May 2009
Rotary District 6930 Newsletter
ROTARYQUEST
DG Betsy Owen
presents new
club charters
(above) to Karl
Steene, president
of Vero Beach
Oceanside
(right) Douglas
Heizer, president
Boca Raton West
Two clubs two cultures
By Bill Menter
Rotary International along
Florida’s eastern shore has taken
another step at becoming international. Two new District 6930
Rotary clubs have been developed
within the last year.
Vero Beach Oceanside grew
as a “frees-standing club” developed from the ground up, with
special thanks to Karl Steene,
District Membership Chair. Karl
gathered a service-oriented people who sought to work around
community service. It’s an unique
method. Most new clubs are
sponsored by already existing
Rotarys. Its meeting follows the
emerging form of “wine and
cheese” in the late afternoon.
1
Boca Raton West Rotary
stands out with a formation developing in different manner. Not
only did this club develop from a
group of people committed to the
ideals of Rotary, it also formed
itself around a Brazilian national
character, a language and a different style of Rotary.
The club gathers people from
Brazil, conducts it meeting in
Portuguese, and forms itself
around the Brazilian model of
Rotary.
Rotarian Douglas Heizer tells
that clubs in Brazil prove more
family oriented. Entire families
join in the meetings. Instead of
meeting for an hour or so, Brazilian clubs extend their club meet-
ings to two, often three hours.
Not only do members become
friends, but entire families join
into friendships. Weekly meets
become the prime social network
of the entire family.
Boca Raton West carries another unique feature. Among its
organizational units stands a
“Committee on Translation.”
With meetings conducted entirely
in Portuguese, it needs to translate
the message of its English speakers into the native language of the
club. It also needs to insure that
visiting Anglophiles are not left
out because of language barriers.
Find more on this unique
club at www. rotarybocawest.org/
RotaryQuest@bellsouth.net
May 2009
ROTARYQUEST
Interact stands for
International Action,
and encourages
members to participate and lead in
humanitarian
projects
Austin Carroll accepts the
Interact citation from District
Governor Betsy Owen
Interact Club Wins
Presidential Citation
from Rotary
by Betsy Owen
Two of the newest Interact Clubs in
the State of Florida were awarded the
Presidential Citation from Rotary International at the District’s conference in
May.
Both the Interact Club of St. Edwards School, and the Interact Club of
Palm Beach Central High received this
high award. This is special high praise
that two such new clubs that gained the
attention of national figures with their
service accomplishments.
Interact stands for International
Action, and encourages members to participate and lead in their community and
in humanitarian projects internationally.
Interact has become a world-wide phenomenon, with 200,000 teens in 109
countries involved. Eight new club have
recently added by Steve Alman.
Led by Jana Koulish, this year’s
charter members have participated in
numerous service projects. Earlier this
year they brought local attorney Sam
Block to an Upper School assembly to
share the devastating effects of polio he
realized as a child, right here in Vero
Beach. The club began fund raising for
international polio immunizations, the
signature project of Rotary International.
The club also completed projects for
a children's home in Barbados, raised
funds for The American Cancer Society's
Relay for Life, sent a member to the Rotary Youth Leadership Assembly, and
have two club members participating in
Rotary Youth Exchange.
Sophomore Austin Carroll accepted
the award for the club from District Governor Betsy Owen on May 2 at the District Conference held at the Marriott
Hutchinson Island Resort.
District Conference
was more than eating
food - it was giving food
But it was more than eating food
Palm Bay’s President aim for another tasty
morsel at the recent District Conference.
2
“Service above self ” stands out at
every Rotary 6930 Conference. One
year, the entire assembly traveled to
Belle Glade for paint, building and refurbishing chores. Other times, Rotarians picked books and read to children.
This year’s conference proved no
different. Rotarians brought food boxed food, canned vegetables and
meat, breakfast cereals and dried foods.
The proceeds were give to the
House of Hope - 1371 pounds of it enough to provide 1600 meals. That’s
making dreams real.
Shelter Box
Each box will contains a ten
person tent, plus a selection
of other equipment to help an
RotaryQuest@bellsouth.net
May 2009
ROTARYQUEST
“Service Above Self”
changes not only
the person who receives
- but also the person who
gives
Youth Act members of Jupiter Middle
School of Technology gather for a
photo of their last meeting of the
school year
Youth Act kids
do wonders
By Trenz Pruca
Rotary District 6930’s YOUTH ACT
The YOUTH ACT club of Jupiter Middle School of Technology recently celebrated its 5th year. Begun in 2005, the
Eau Gallie Rotary
support braille library in
Pune, India
India’s first Multilingual Braille Library Project for Visually Challenged
launched in Pune city – 17th March 2009
!
Blind Students can “read” only Braille format books which are very expensive
The Rotary Club of Eau Gallie is
and bulky.
The Electronic Braille Reader
can store any
text inDistrict
the form of a soft
copy and
instrumental
(together
with
6930
“display” them in Braille form so that the blind student can read the same.
Rotary
Matching
Grants)
in
establishing
! This process eliminates the cost of printing Braille books.
Braille
Libraries
inunlimited.
Pune, India.
!two
Number
of books that
can be stored is
! Exchange of Braille-soft copies between such libraries will ensure that
The project was developed in
maximum students benefit from the library.
withof the
Rotary
of (Considering
Pune
!association
Two Libraries consisting
5 Readers
each have Club
been donated.
that each student
reads for 1 hour per reader and a total working time of 10
Westend,
India.
!
hours of the library, it is estimated that about 100 students make use of the
library per day)
Visually challenged students work with new
electronic equipment that creates brail books
3
youthful leadership has become widely
recognized for its community projects in
the city of Jupiter. Notably, it has raised
more than $5,000 for the “Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.” Goals for
the year include make contributions to
Muscular Dystrophy Association and
Polio Plus. Student’s club membership
requires willingness to “go the extra
mile” in helping others.
Meetings are modeled on Rotary meetings - that begin with breakfast, the
pledge, Four Way Test, business meeting,
and speaker presentations. This club is
sponsored by the Jupiter Palm Beach
Gardens Rotary Club
The Braille Library system used by
visually challenged persons possesses a
number of innovative features, that assist
users to create braille books. It was
designed, manufactured and launched by
Indian-based companies, Modular
Infotech Private Limited and Automatic
Control Equipments.
The objectives of the project are:
(1) To set up reading libraries for
the visually challenged students with a
view to help provide them access to
maximum reading material both for
academic as well as other literary
reading,
(2) To ensuring that the libraries are
located in such a way that maximum
students are benefited.
The libraries use the technology
of Microcomputer based Electronic
Braille Readers with software for reading
Indian Languages and English Braille.
This technology has been developed by
Modular Infotech and manufactured by
ACE both Pune companies, incorporating user-friendly features for visually
handicapped users, and an efficient
storage system for Braille Books which
saves up to 98 % space, and gives a
virtually unlimited life for the books
Vero Beach Sunrise
creates smiles
The Vero Beach Rotary Sunrise
Club has teamed up with Rotary District
5530 and the El Rimac Club of Lima to
bring a surgical team from Rotoplast to
Lima Peru. Five members of the Vero
Beach Rotary Sunrise Club are going to
be part of this Rotoplast Mission from
July 21st to August 1st, 2009.
The objective of the mission is to
provide free reconstructive surgery for
cleft lip and plate children where there is
a need. The mission will also provide an
opportunity to exchange knowledge, develop fellowship and promote international understanding.
See the July 2009 issue of QUEST
for additional information
RotaryQuest@bellsouth.net
May 2009
ROTARYQUEST
Nations honor
Rotary with
postage stamps
75 years of stamps
For Rotary's 50th anniversary in
1955, 27 nations issued commemorative
For more than 75 years, countries
stamps, many featuring the familiar Roaround the world have honored Rotary
tary gearwheel. Images of Paul Harris
with commemorative stamps.
and common scenes from the issuing
The first appeared in 1931, when
country also were popular.
Austria created an overprint -- a later
Rotary's 75th anniversary was honprinting over an officially issued stamp -- ored with commemorative stamps from
in honor of the Rotary International
Benin, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica,
Convention in Vienna.
Ghana, Iran, and others. The postal
Other RI conventions have been
service of the Netherlands Antilles issued
commemorated with stamps, including
several postcards and stamps as well as a
those held in 1940, in Havana, Cuba;
postage cancellation stamp in the shape
1961 and 1978, in Tokyo, Japan; 1981, in of the Rotary emblem. The Maldives
São Paulo, Brazill; and 1987, in Munich, issued a series of stamps based on
Germany.
Health, Hunger and Humanity Grants.
In 2005, Rotary's centennial inspired
stamps from nations including France,
Ghana, Peru, and Togo.
Stamps have also marked the anniversary of Rotary in individual countries
and depicted projects and humanitarian
activities. A 1960 Bolivian stamp bears
the Rotary emblem and commemorates
a children's hospital sponsored by the
Rotary Club of La Paz.
A 1976 stamp honors 40 years of
Rotary in Fiji by highlighting a club project that raised money to purchase an
ambulance.
New club
supports PolioPlus
Vero Beach Oceanside officers: Tammy Adams, Sgt at Arms; Darlene Forage, Treasurer; Karl
Steene , President; Maureen Labadie, President-elect; Ed Smith, Vice President.
4
The Vero Beach Oceanside Rotary
on the day it received its charter, presented District Governor Betsy with a
$1000 check for the Rotary’s Polio
Eradication Campaign.
The 23-member club meets at Indian River Shores Town Hall at 5:30
Tuesday evenings. Its popular new meeting format includes hors d'oeuvres, wine
and soft drinks rather than traditional
luncheon and breakfast or dinner formats. This format has proven popular
at Florida clubs in Boca Raton, Tallahassee, and Jacksonville.
Karl Steene, the clubs new president, recently received the 2008-2009
"Rotarian of the Year" award.
RotaryQuest@bellsouth.net
May 2009
ROTARYQUEST
RotoKids
don’t kid around
Rotakids began in District 6930 at Jensen Beach
Elementary School in September 2000 under the
leadership of Chairman Jane Mills. Those ten third
graders are now juniors at Jensen Beach High
School. Some have joined Interact.
At present there are ten clubs in district 6930,
several in District 6990, one in Naples, two in Iowa,
one in Syracuse, NY, five in Sao Paulo, Brazil, two in
the UK, one in Northern Mexico, one in Nigeria,
one in Grande Cayman Islands, and one in the Philippine Islands.
The purpose of Rotakids is to build self esteem
and develop leadership capabilities of the youngsters
at the elementary school level. The groups do service projects to benefit both their school and community in which the club resides. Examples of the projects accomplished at Jensen Beach Elementary
School during this school year are:
1. To “Make Dreams Real” the goup hung up
posters near the cafeteria and around the school.
2. The 4th and 5th graders cleaned up the
school’s back field and playground.
3. For community service, the group cleaned
the House of Refuge on Hutchinson Island.
4. The 3rd grade decorated the Christmas tree
at the Jensen Beach post office.
5. The entire group gathered 41 pounds of
food for those in need at Thanksgiving.
6. A toys toys drive was initiated.
7. Raised $445 for environmental suitcase for
Peru by selling finger puppets and RotoKids
bracelets.
“Sow an act, and you reap a
habit. Sow a habit, and you reap a
character. Sow a character, and
you reap a destiny.”
Charles Reade - (1814-1884)
8. Saved Campbell soup labels to the school to
gain funds for playground equipment.
9. Sent letters to service men thanking them for
their commitment.
10.Began a recycling program in the school
cafeteria.
11. Served in booths of PTA Sweetheart Carnival
The grand part of RotoKids grows from people
discovering at an early age, the value of self-giving.
Many may believe that the world is changed by massive programs. In some ways that may be true. Still,
society is also changed by the behavior of each individual and by the character of individuals.
RotoKids becomes a “giant step for mankind”
by instilling in children, and possibly their parents,
that there is a life beyond the normal “me-first.”
People who live with the attitude of “us first” seem
to change the world into a better place, and along
the way find meaning for their lives.
Jane Mills, RotoKid leader in Jensen
Beach, shows off one of the school’s
bulletin board created by the RotoKids
of Jensen Beach Elementary School
5
RotaryQuest@bellsouth.net
May 2009
ROTARYQUEST
XL
Forty years or more
in Rotary
Consider this amazing list. The people below comprise over
2000 years of “Service Above Self.” Listed by clubs, these
fifty-two Rotarians each represents forty or more years
serving with Rotary.
Number after name indicates year joined Rotary.
BELLE GLADE
BOBBY HOOKER
FRITZ STEIN 1954
MARVIN UNWIN 1950
BOCA RATON
CECIL W ROSEKE 1965
COCOA
ROBERT A ANDERSON 1966
KENNETH BRONSON 1968
DONALD M BRYAN 1959
JOHN V D’ALBORO 1950
GLENN McCALLISTER 1968
FRANK E SULLIVAN III 1961
COCOA BEACH
RALPH DUNNING 1958
ROBERT J FRITZ 1962
HOWARD McCABE 1968
HAROLD L MOORE 1968
DELRAY BEACH
THOMAS A COOK JR 1967
JAMES V PIGNATO 1959
ERNEST G SIMON 1967
BRUCE B WENZEL 1963
EAU GALLIE
PATRICK J PONDER 1966
DAN RICHARDS 1969
FORT PIERCE
LEONARD BERG 1969
LOUIS I HAYNES 1965
PHILLIP G NOURSE 1955
PHILLIPS S ROWE 1959
Can we say,
“Life begins
at Forty?
6
MERRTIIT ISLAND
CHARLES A VICKERS 1958
OKEECHOBEE
JOHN E BURDESHAW 1956
SINGER ISLAND
RAYMOND R IRWIN 1960
STUART
EVANS CRARY
PAUL HOTTE
DENNIS S HUDSON JR
TITUSVILLE
ROBERT H HUDSON 1948
VERO BEACH
GEORGE BARKETT 1966
BYRON T COOKSEY 1962
NORRIS H OLSEN 1966
WILLIAM B ROBINSON 1946
JOHN J SCHUMANN JR 1956
JAMES J SHARP 1965
LOTHAR K ZERAN 1965
WARREN T ZEUCH JR 1951
WEST PALM BEACH
CARL L BRUMBECK 1951
JOHN J CARTER JR 1955
JOESPH D FARISH JR 1947
RICHARD E LYNN 1965
DR SPENCER C MECKSTROTH 1967
DR DONALD W MILLER 1960
NORMAN N ROBSON 1968
WILLIAM R ZERN JR 1955
INDIALANTIC
W ROBERT UNDERWOOD 1958
LAKE WORTH
ARNOLD G GREENE 1968
ALBERT L MILLER 1968
JOHN H RICHMOND 1968
DAVID H VANVLEET 1968
RotaryQuest@bellsouth.net