My Dear Friends, As a Rotarian and a father, there is nothing more gratifying than watching your own son get inducted into Rotary. I am happy to report that last Wednesday, during my official visit to my home Club in Weatherford, I had the privilege of watching my son, Rouben, join our great organization. I was a very proud Dad! To be fair, Rouben has been a "Rotarian" all his life. He thinks like a Rotarian and he acts like a Rotarian – he
just never took the time to join a Rotary Club. Now, that minor oversight has been rectified. Another “first” happened during my Club Visit to the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City (Club 29). I had the honor and privilege of presenting President Chuck with the Club’s 100 Year Certificate. I also had the honor of presenting friend Will Beckman (DGE) with the Credentials of a Major Donor. Last Saturday I joined our District Rotarians in saying good-bye to another Past District Governor. PDG Don Hellwege passed away last week in Kingfisher and friends and family got together to pay their final respects. Don was a great Rotarian and will always be remembered as the Father of the Wings of Rotary Exchange Program. Our sincere condolences go to his wife Virginia and his entire family. Later this week, we will go to Rockwall, Texas, for the 2011 Zone Institute. District 5750 will be very well represented both within the participants and with the Staff. I am really looking forward to seeing my Classmates and “experiencing” a lot of Rotary. As always, let us go out there and make good things happen. Moush Tourian District Governor
District Governor’s Letter
District 5750 News
November 2011
DISTRICT GOVERNOR Moush Tourian
1804 Pamela Lane Weatherford, OK 73096
(H) 580-772-7175 (C) 580-650-9483 [email protected]
DISTRICT GOVERNOR-ELECT
Will Beckman [email protected]
DISTRICT GOVERNOR-NOMINEE
Art Bode [email protected]
DISTRICT TREASURER Myra Reid
DISTRICT SECRETARY Myra Reid
DISTRICT 5750 OFFICE Courtney Lynch
DISTRICT WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER Megan Elliott
DISTRICT 5750 WEBITE
www.rotary5750.org
ROTARY INTERATIONAL PRESIDENT
Kalyan Banerjee
Page 2 November 2011
DISTRICT NEWS
Zone 2011 Conference
District 5750 was well represented at the recent Zone Conference in Dallas. Twelve Rotarians and spouses attended, including Moush Tourian and Annig, Will Beckman and Sally, Art Bode and Pam, Karl Mengers and Dea, David and Myra Reid, Chuck Musgrave and Michelle Schaefer. PDG Tamie Babb was one of the coordinators, and her husband Mike was there also. Will and Art attended District Governor Elect and District Governor Nominee sessions, and Karl attended a leadership program. The speakers included RI General Secretary John Hewko, who reported on his five main goals for Rotary. These include ending polio worldwide including a robust public relations campaign, operationalizing the strategic plan in preparation for rolling out Future Vision in 2013, creating "Rotary Club Central", developing regional strategic plans to address issues relating to membership and focusing on branding Rotary with a universal image that reflects what Rotary is, including a revised website and increasing the use of social media. We got to know RI President Elect Sukuji Tanaka, and listened to former RI president Frank Devlyn tell us to be Rotary "headhunters". We also heard from our friend RI Director Noel Bajat about the financial position of Rotary, and RI president nominee Ron Burton (from Norman!) who gave us more information on Future Vision. The highlight of the seminar was the presentation of the District Governor Elects for both our Zone 27 and Zone 21-A, which covers Mexico and South America. Many of the ladies enjoyed a disco dance with Mr. Tanaka, who was quite the life of the party! We were also energized by speakers about new ways to use social media to promote Rotary, and new ways to think about how a Rotary club can be structured.
Page 3 November 2011
Register for the 2011-12 RI Convention by Dec 1 & Save!
Join us for the 103rd annual RI Convention, 6-9 May 2012, in Bangkok, Thailand, Land of a Thousand Smiles!
Why does the RI Convention in Bangkok promise to be the experience of a life-
time? Value! Thai government support allows RI to offer the lowest registration fee in years at 160 USD for Rotarians and guests. And the cost of food, lodging, and transportation is very reasonable. Register online through Member Access! Inspiration! Exemplary speakers such as Nobel Laureate, founder of the Grameen Bank, microcredit pioneer, and social business innovator, Dr. Muhammad Yunus and the 2004 Young Australian of the Year, co-founder and past director of the Oaktree Foundation, and co-Founder and current CEO of the Global Poverty Project, Hugh Evans. Fellowship! The HOC (Host Organization Committee) will create a garden of exotic flowers within the House of Friendship that will also feature computer cafes, Thai cuisine and entertainment, and more. Also, expect a very special Host Hospitality "Kitchen of the World" Night on Monday, 7 May, in the Land of a Thousand Smiles and it will be! With 6,000 seats, 285 international food stations, 10 cooking demonstration areas, and 10,000 samples, this promises to be a night to remember at the IMPACT Center. Through the generous support of the Thai government, tickets for this event are 10 USD, a fraction of the actual cost. Check out the HOC ticket special offered through the HOC website -- Buy ten tickets and get one free. Then, take a look at other Host Events and tours! Entertainment! Enjoy the multicultural entertainment planned for the plenaries including international acts from Thailand, India, Bulgaria, and the United Kingdom! Information! Download the tentative breakout session schedule. Register for the convention and reserve your hotel online or by submitting forms by fax or mail. The hotel form includes an updated map and newly added hotels. Please note: Flooding is restricted to some areas of Bangkok near the Chao Praya River. According to Dr. Anond Snid-vongs, the worst of the crisis is over. RI will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates on rotary.org if conditions should change. Whether planning an exotic adventure or returning to a favorite destination, you can be sure that your trip to Bangkok will be special this year — because of the warm reception you'll receive at the RI Convention, 6-9 May 2012.
Page 4 November 2011
2011-12 District Conference - Save the Date!
That’s right folks, it’s time to mark your calendars for the 2011-12 District Conference! Our conference returns to Downtown Oklahoma City again this year and promises to be another fun, informative, and fellowship building conference.
Rotary 5750 District Conference May 18-20, 2012
Sheraton Oklahoma City Hotel One North Broadway Avenue Oklahoma City, OK 73102
CLUB NEWS
Bricktown - Mocktails Competition
Bricktown Rotary is doing a Mocktails competition for local bartenders to compete with their favorite specialty non-alcoholic drink and win prizes. They will get their recipe printed in a brochure we will distribute encouraging people to make non-alcoholic drinks for parties over the holiday. This will also promote them and where they work, so I expect we will have a good turnout from people competing. This will be on Monday, Dec. 12 at the Bricktown Brewery prior to our normal meeting. For additional information, please contact Bricktown Rotarian, Joe Dorman at [email protected].
East Oklahoma County - Valentine Wine Dinner
Valentine Wine Dinner Monday, February 13th, 2012
Time: 6:30pm Tickets go on sale December 1st, 2011 Ticket price: $100.00 each Just in time for Christmas giving! Gift Certificates available. First 30 tickets only, sold at special price of : $75.00 each (offer expires 12-31-11) Dinner includes: Champagne and Godiva Chocolates A beautiful rose for each lady in attendance. Five course dinner with complimenting wines for each course. Sweet Adeline Quartet to serenade you during your meal. European seating
Page 5 November 2011
Northwest Oklahoma City - Santa Project As the holidays approach, NWOKC Rotary gears up for its largest annual fundraiser that we lovingly call the Santa Project. Each year during the holiday season, members volunteer along with their friends, family members and co-workers to put on a complete Santa picture operation. Children from all over the State come to visit the only Santa with proceeds that go back to the community. This is a friendly environment for families to bring their children who might need some time to acclimate to Santa or for those who want to bring their beloved pets. On December 7th and 8th, we invite children who are hearing impaired and have special needs for their own time to meet with and take a picture with Santa. It’s truly magical! We are available every weekend after Thanksgiving and provide more weekday availability as we approach Christmas. For a complete view of our schedule, please visit www.northparkmallokc.com. Please visit us during the holidays for your Santa picture needs.
Eugene E. Baker May 15, 1925 - November 10, 2011 Baker, Eugene (Gene) E. passed away on November 10, 2011 at the age of 86. He was born in Amarillo, TX. May 15, 1925 to Katherine N. (Smith) Baker and Ernest E. Baker. After graduation from Amarillo High School, Gene served 34 months in the Navy Seabees in the Pacific theatre. After WWII, Gene attended TCU in Ft. Worth, graduating in 1950. He is preceded in death by his parents and his brother E.L. Baker. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Jane Husband, also a native of Amarillo, whom he married June 2, 1951. He is survived by his two children Brian E. Baker and his wife JoAnn of Bethany and Rebecca (Becky) Douglas Also surviving are six grandchildren, Nathan Baker, Cody Light and his wife, Anna,
Madison Light, Jessica and David Thionnet, Matthew Dennis and his wife, Kayce, Sarah Torrey and her husband, Jordan and four great-grandchildren Grace and Ben Thionnet, Olivia Triana and Ethan Light. He is also survived by his brother , Gordon & Charlene Baker of Kingwood, TX. Gene was employed by Hobbs Trailers for 37 years. He served in sales in Ft. Worth, San Antonio and Lubbock and as manager of branches in Amarillo, Oklahoma City and Dallas. He moved to Ft. Worth from OKC as Vice-President of Sales in 1983 and returned to OKC upon retirement in 1988. Gene was a dedicated Rotarian. He became a charter member of the SW Lubbock Rotary club in 1957 and after moving to Amarillo ten years later became a charter member of the East Amarillo Rotary Club in 1968. In 1971 he moved to OKC and was a member of the OKC club two years and the West OKC club a total of 22 years. He was a member of the Ft. Worth and Irving Rotary clubs from 1983-88. He was past-president of the Lubbock, Amarillo and West OKC Rotary clubs. In 1995-96 he served as District Governor of Rotary Dist. 5750 with a responsibility of 40 Rotary clubs. He had almost 50 years of perfect attendance in Rotary at his death. Gene enjoyed his membership in Church of the Servant where Memorial Services were held on Monday, November 14th at 2:00 p.m. The family has asked that memorial donations be directed to The Children's Center in Bethany, OK.
West Oklahoma City - Farewell to a Friend
Page 6 November 2011
Alva - Family Readiness Group Alva Rotary Officers Pat Headlee and Steven Bramlett present a check for $500 to Stepahnie Peedoom of the Family Readiness Group, National Guard Bravo 179.
Bricktown - Oklahoma Prader Willie Association Everyone loves a day at the farm and Bricktown Rotary and the Oklahoma Prader Willie Association are no different. For the third year The Orr Family Farm was the site of the OPWA's annual conference and for the 12th year running Bricktown Rotary was there to entertain, contain, teach from, learn with, calm, chaperone and laugh loud with 20 children that look forward to their day with Rotary every year. Prader Willie kids have a genetic disorder that eliminates their ability to know when they have eaten enough so lunchtime is ALWAYS the most popular part of the day. The Rotarians love it too because everyone can gather from the 4 corners of the farm to eat, relax and share their mornings. We love having this event at the Orr Family Farm because the kids can choose to go fishing, sliding, riding trains and horses, petting hogs and then they can learn how to pan for gold. PW also comes with a myriad of other mental and physical disabilities that make the day a challenge, but also allows for plenty of achievements along the way. It was another successful year, as everyone had a great time, and as all of those that have participated in "Prader Willie" over the years know, you just do not walk away from this day without a smile. We look forward to next year and would welcome anyone that want to help with a great, hands on project to join us next year. This is what Rotary is all about!
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Del City - Children’s Hospital Band-Aids The Del City Rotarians have been collecting Band-Aids for about 2 months. With the help of very generous Del City Rotarians, the hospital was given many (to many to count) boxes of Band-Aids. The Band-Aids went to The Children’s Hospital, The Jimmy Everest Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders in Children. Thank you for helping our children!
Our club has partnered with a Rotary Club in Uganda to build a series of wells in communities and schools in Uganda. In these communities children often have to walk miles to gather water for their families to drink every day. The wells that we have installed are made with local materials by local workers. We partnered with Water4 to train local workers on how to drill and install wells. This helps put individuals to work, as well as provide clean drinking water where it often times has never been before. We named this project after Midwest City Rotarian Ed Bodenheimer. He was passionate for service and in particularly this project. He unfortunately passed away before the project was completed and it was dedicated in his honor. All of the wells have a plaque installed on them to memorialize Mr. Bodenheimer. Our club is very proud of this project and feel it will continue to serve these communities for years to come. We have planned a similar project for next year and look forward to another successful effort.
Midwest City - Wells in Uganda
Page 8 November 2011
NW Oklahoma City - Junior Achievement & Village Fun NWOKC Rotary Sponsors 2nd Place Team in Junior Achievement’s Second Annual Investor Challenge
Jun ior Achievement of Oklahoma held the Second Annual Investor Challenge in Oklahoma City on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2011 on the campus of S o u t h e r n N a z a r e n e University. 25 teams of four students from seven metro area high schools were paired with local business mentors to guide them through a simulated stock market. Throughout the two-hour simulation (60 days of trading), breaking news stories and
fictitious world catastrophes affected the fluctuating market and the way the students bought, sold, and traded their $500,000 worth of fictitious stocks and cash. Students remained aware of these changes and reacted accordingly. The Northwest Rotary Club of Oklahoma City sponsored “The Fantastic Four” the team representing John Marshall High School. These students had a great learning experience and won medals as the 2nd Place Team, along with their Mentor for the day, Josh Parsons with Redbud Financial. Northwest Oklahoma City Rotary Club President, Linda Cumpton, and Becky Walls, Immediate Past President, attended the event and saw first-hand the unique opportunity for students to work as a team, make decisions under pressure and take calcu-lated risks. NWOKC Rotary Volunteers for Village Fun Fair Each year, the Northwest OKC Rotary Club volunteers to help with the Village Fun Fair to promote the local park and raise money to make it a better place for families in the Village Community. Funds raised this year through the Village Fun Fair were dedicated to building a Sprayground. And, while we volunteer to demonstrate Ser-vice Above Self, we also have fun doing it!
Page 9 November 2011
Oklahoma City - Governor’s Visit & New PHF 11-1-11 Rotary Mtg Pres. Chuck Wiggin D.G. Moush Tourian DGE Will Beckman
11-1-11 DG Moush Tourian, New Paul Harris Fellow John Currie DGE Will Beckman
Weatherford - Governor’s Visit & Special New Member! Our District Governor Moush Tourian visited the Weatherford Club on November 2nd. The Rotary Board met with him earlier in the day to discuss ideas for fundraising and to review current service projects. He was delighted that we are participating with Club 29 in an international project for the purchase of medical equipment to a hospital in Bulgaria. A special moment during this meeting was the induction of Rouben Tourian as a new member. Rouben is the son of DG Moush and Anig Tourian. The service projects our club implements include the following: the weekly program guest speaker/book donation to one of the five local Weatherford Public School libraries. One of the local businesses “Hooked on Books” partners with the club on this project. Additionally the club members set out flags on each federal holiday, and special occasions requested by Weatherford mayor; organize and implement the July 4th celebration in partnership with the City of Weatherford; support of the local 355 Boy Scout Troop; and the annual fund raiser last year was to support DG Tourian with a project of his choosing. We appreciate DG Tourian for his ideas and information in the program he presented. We are delighted he represents our club, our district, and Rotary International so professionally. Thank you DG Tourian!!!!
Do you have exciting club news, photos or fundraising projects you’d like to share? Send in all of your information to share with the District on the
website and in our monthly newsletter.
Send all information to: Megan Elliott
DISTRICT EVENTS
December 31, 2011 2012-13 Club Officers due
at RI Offices
March 2-3, 2012 President Elect Training
Seminar
April 21-May 20, 2012 Inbound GSE Brazil D4740
May 6-9, 2012 RI Convention
Bangkok, Thailand
May 17, 2012 District Conference
Kick-Off Party
May 18, 2012 Bi-District Foundation
Banquet
May 18-19, 2012 District Conference
November 2011 Page 10
South Oklahoma City - Veterans Day & Halloween
Our Veterans Day Salute A dynamic slide show of family members, friends and Rotarians who served in the Armed Forces filled the screens. Highway Patrol officer Stan McConnell sang the powerful songs of our nation. Rotarian past president Jim Johnson played “Taps” as we had a moment of silence for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Our speaker, Col. Leroy Stuz, told us of his capture, torture and imprisonment during the Viet Nam War. The presence of the Color Guard from Capitol Hill High School ROTC gave us hope that the young people of today would step up and serve our country proud. God bless America!
Halloween Party The Halloween party threw a perfect strike with food, fun, foolishness and fright. Over 100 people gathered at Penn 44 Lanes for the treat (Rotarians hosting the Baptist Children's Home) and the trick (winning the best-costume prize without looking goofy). Our host, Tom Miskovsky, once again put on a tremendous party and everyone had a great family night. President Ted Conway (as Caesar) gave out valuable prizes (ha!) for best costumes. As our annual coat drive began, the spokesperson from the Salvation Army recognized the South Rotary Club for providing over 50% of all their collected coats in 2010.
