Sign Up Now for P.E.T.S. 2019 Before Early Bird Registration Ends on February 10th

November 6, 2018

Annual Human Trafficking Seminar - Hear Texas Assistant Attorney General Kirsta Leeburg Melton discuss this Rotary International focus.

Oct 31

• Traveling internationally?
• Living in another country?
• Being fluent in another language?
• Having a network of friends from around the world?

Nov 10

Club Leaders: Want to learn more about Rotary's digital world?

Subscribe to the District 5840 Technology Newsletter - click here

Celebrate with us:  outgoing District Governor, Carol Holmes, and install our incoming District Governor, Kathy Hubbard, the District Governor Elect, John Hutcherson, and the District Governor Nominee, Xavier Toson.  

CELEBR8 SUCCESS 2018

2017-18 Club Officers:

To learn more about how you and your club can help, please click ShelterBox in the Philippines.  There is a DONATE NOW button right on the page which will accept credit card donations.

ShelterBox's mission is to deliver humanitarian relief in the form of equipment and materials that bring shelter, warmth and dignity to people made homeless by natural or other disasters worldwide. ShelterBox was founded in 2001 by a British Rotarian, and now has affiliates around the world. ShelterBox is the world's largest Rotary club project; the American affiliate, ShelterBox USA, is project of the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota, Florida. 

For more information, contact ShelterBox Ambassador Judy Hutcherson (Rotary Club of Fredericksburg Morning) at judybhutch@yahool.com or (830) 456-7323.

 Above: Contents of a typical ShelterBox. Contents can be customized to meet specific needs of the area where disasters take place, such as cold-weather equipment or mosquito nets, for example.

More on ShelterBox's response:

• So far, ShelterBox has committed aid for 4,000 families in the Philippines
• Supplies previously positioned at Clark Air Base on Luzon have all been deployed
• Additional aid positioned in neighboring countries are en route to impacted areas
• 504 ShelterBox tents have now arrived in Manila, Philippines.
• 224 ShelterBoxes and 576 ShelterBox tents are currently en route to Cebu
• Nine response team members are on the ground with more members on the way
• An extra 200 ShelterBoxes were packed by warehouse volunteers at ShelterBox HQ

Our vision is of a world in which basic emergency needs for survivors of disasters are rapidly met. 

Our goal is to help 50,000 families who lose everything in a disaster every year.

http:/// 

Sydney Harbor Paddle Wheeler

Cowboy Dinner Cruise

for Zones 21 and 27

During the RI Convention

Sunday, June 1, 2014

8:00 p. m.

Register early as seating is limited!

$80.00 per person

Click HERE  to register online

Contact Al Muniz for a brochure:   ermodels@msn.com

DGE Jan Livingston is our District 5840 Convention Promotion Chair and she has some great options for your trip to Australia. PDG Ross Butterworth of Melbourne (District 9800) was GSE Team Leader to D5840 in 2010-2011, and he's invited District 5840 Rotarians to spend some time in Melbourne before or after the convention. Jan will have more details soon; check here on the website and watch your email for the latest. Questions? Contact Jan at jliving@swbell.net for all the details.

For more information about the convention, click "More" below--

The District 5840 Nominating Committee is now accepting completed application forms for Governor of District 5840 for the Rotary Year 2016-2017. Application deadline is October 1, 2013.

All suggestions must be submitted on the Club Suggestion for District Governor Form and Governor-nominee Data Form which can be downloaded from the District website. Both forms are available in "Download Files" on the right side of the Home Page.

Please note that suggestions must be approved by the club’s Board of Directors. Fully completed application forms accompanied by a recent digital photograph should be submitted via email to:

sherri5840@msn.com

or mailed to:

Sherri C Muniz, PDG

Chair, District 5840 Nominating Committee

5602 US Hwy 87 E #2

San Antono, TX 78222

Our Rotary District 5840 will be hosting a GSE team from District 3212 in India from April 10 until May 10, 2013.  At this time we are taking applications from Rotary Clubs to serve as hosts to this team. What is needed to apply is a tentative agenda including a vocational day and a list of potential host families.

If you club is interested in hosting the Team based on the tentative schedule below, please provide the following information NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 17TH

 1.       Name of Rotary Club, Club President’s contact info and GSE Club Chair’s contact info

 2.       A brief outline of activities for the team, including Rotary club meetings and/or projects as well as cultural activities

 3.       A brief outline of at least one day’s activities devoted to the vocations of the team

 4.       Verification that your club has host families available to meet the needs of the team

 Send your TENTATIVE ITINERARY by e-mail to:

 Sherri C Muniz at scmuniz@msn.com

 Your request to host will be considered and you will be notified at once if your club is selected. At that time, a full itinerary giving names, street addresses and contact information of each host family, a schedule of host families and all planned activities, specific locations of all planned activities, names and contact information for any Rotarians escorting the team, details of at least one day’s activity devoted to the vocation of each member.

In the past few days, several polio immunization workers have been killed in Pakistan. Here is a link to a recent CNN story about this tragic event:

 CNN: Polio Workers Killed

Here is a message from Rotarian Bob Scott, Chairman of the International PolioPlus Committee:

Dear Rotary Leaders:

 Over the past 48 hours, several polio vaccinators have been killed in Pakistan. You may have heard about this through media reports as news of this tragedy is quickly spreading and garnering global attention. I am sharing the official statement that has been issued as Rotary's immediate response. Please be assured that Rotary and its partners within the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) are actively monitoring and responding to these events as they develop.

 I have spoken with Pakistan Polio chair Aziz Memon who has visited some of the relatives of the deceased to express his personal and Rotary's sincere condolences indicating that Rotary will continue to eradicate polio so that the loss of these victims will not be in vain.

 We will work to keep you and the Rotary world advised, particularly through Rotary's social media channels which allow for the speedy dissemination of updates.

 Yours sincerely

 Bob Scott

 Chair, International PolioPlus Committee

Below is the text of an official statement from Rotary international:

 The attacks prompted the Government of Pakistan to temporarily suspend the vaccination campaign due to concerns over the safety of health workers.

From the Governor’s Desk:

June 15, 2012

I walked a tiger!  A real, live, 450 pound , fully grown adult, male, Tiger! . . . on a leash!  With my hand on his back! Yes, he had all of his teeth!. . and as we walked the thought came into my mind that indeed this could be the very last thing I ever do on the face of this earth!

And at that moment I thought, “at least it can never be said that I led a humdrum life!”

The very next thought was, “This tiger smells . . . and now I’m going to smell just like him.” . . .and the only reason it mattered was that I was in Bangkok, Thailand and just a few days away from representing all of you on stage as RI President Kalyan presented the top 15 districts in our Rotary world!

Well, showers in Thailand work very well, and by the time the stage day came, I no longer smelled like a tiger! . . . but as I exited the stage I realized that in many ways, I have been walking a tiger all this Rotary year!.  . .

What a great way to start off the month of May!  Al and I have arrived in Bangkok for the Rotary International Convention – Rotary’s biggest annual event.
This celebration of Rotary fosters fellowship, creates learning opportunities, and helps attendees experience the scope and power of Rotary – we have enjoyed several such conventions, but none will be as special as this one . . .

On Wednesday, May 9th, our Rotary District 5840 will be recognized on stage as one of the top 15 districts of our Rotary world for 2011-12! 

If only all of you could be there with me for that special moment! . . . It is your hard work this year and your accomplishments in the area of membership and Foundation support that earned this award! To be one of the top districts out of over 531 districts worldwide is an honor for each of us to be extremely proud of! 

Just what have we been doing in our clubs this year to lead us to this point?  I’d like to believe we have been shooting high – shooting for the stars!  Our upcoming DistrictFest (June 1 -3 in San Marcos) will allow all of us to get a glimpse of all that has happened around our district, especially Friday evening when we have the opportunity to attend the  “ClubCrawl” – a road tour of our district where each club showcases its accomplishment s for this year!  The entire weekend is packed with opportunities to celebrate all that is Rotary in our great district . . .and to see just how much we have accomplished!  Saturday evening the tight race for Best in District will end with the winning club being recognized – along with several very special Rotary International awards being presented – believe me, you will be impressed to see the impact we have had in helping change our word for the better!

Registrations are available at www.rotary5840.org – just click on DistrictFest 2012 and either register on line or select the offline forms to download, fill in and mail.  Either way, be sure to get your reservations in before May 6th to enjoy the special full package pricing that includes 2 nights at the hotel along with your registration for the event itself.  The full package is the best value – but it is only available until May 6th!

Harriet Tubman wrote:  "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."  Rest assured that all we celebrate – both in Bangkok and in San Marcos – is  the evidence that Rotarians are indeed dreamers.  Dreamers with strength, patience, and passion – with a willingness to shoot for the stars . . and just look at all you are doing!

As Kristin noted, we passed through a roadblock on our way, but even the well armed police officers were smiling and friendly and didn’t mind posing for the camera. We also stopped to examine a tarantula crossing the road. It seemed more annoyed than friendly, probably because our vehicles were blocking its path and we all know how aggravating it can be when your travel plans get delayed.

Our first destination was the enormous Afobaka Dam, where we donned hard hats and ear protection and got an inside peek at Suriname’s largest power supplier. Afterwards we drove up to a lookout point to view the vast Brokopondo Reservoir, a beautiful lake larger than San Antonio and surrounded by thick jungle.

Next we continued to the Bergendal Resort, where we enjoyed a buffet lunch, including some amazing fish in green curry sauce. Shortly after lunch it started to rain (who knew it would rain in a rainforest?) and the downpour was so intense that there was little else we could do but take shelter in the resort and look out at the small boats passing by on the Suriname River. The rain got so hard that one of the boats pulled in so its passengers could take cover in the resort as well.

On the return trip to Paramaribo, we marveled at the strange cola colored creek at Carolina, watched wild parrots fly over the jungle treetops, bought handmade souvenirs and purchased a strange local fruit that was very tough and stringy but tasted like bubble gum. For dinner we paired some tasty fast food roti with delicious homemade cuisine made by Ed’s family.

By the end of the evening everyone was well rested… ready for the next day, which would be our first vocational exchange and first Rotary Club presentation…

"Tell everyone what you want to do and someone will want to help you do it." wrote W. Clement Stone. 

In just a few short days the four-member GSE team led by Rotarian Scott Rote of the Rotary Club of San Antonio begins their journey to District 7030 – home to more than 2,000 Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors in 14 countries of the Southern Caribbean, speaking English, French and Dutch.  District Governor Lara Quentrall-Thomas writes “Rotarians of District 7030 are amongst the most unique and remarkable in our Rotary world – not only because of (their) passion for, and commitment to, service, but because (their) spirit of kindness and fellowship is beyond compare.”

I am certain that as they learn about the culture, the ways their own vocation is practiced in the four countries they will visit, and as they meet the Rotarians who will become their family, they will learn firsthand the truth in Stone’s words.  I am sure you each join me in well wishes for our team – and ask them all to return home with new ideas and new project ideas as we continue to “Reach Within to Embrace Humanity.”

Glenn E. Estess Sr., who served as 2004-05 RI president during Rotary’s centennial year, died on 7 February. He was 84.

In 1993, Estess retired as chief executive officer of Glenn Estess Associates Inc., a sales and marketing personnel consulting firm, to devote himself full-time to Rotary.

“I am sure the word most often used to describe Past President Glenn is ‘gentle,’” says Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair William B. Boyd. “He was strong in his beliefs but always gentle in expressing them and treated all people with respect and courtesy. He served the world through Rotary in many ways and always with a smile. The Rotary family will miss him. Our hearts go out to his wife, Mary.”

Estess, who joined Rotary in 1960, was a member of the Rotary Club of Shades Valley, Alabama, USA. In addition to his term as RI president, he served in numerous capacities including Rotary Foundation trustee chair, RI vice president and director, president’s aide, PolioPlus national coordinator, RI Audit and Operations Review Committee chair, International Assembly group discussion leader, and district governor.

Assistant Governors will be bringing Cruise Raffle tickets to all District clubs in the next couple of weeks! Tickets cost $10 each, with all proceeds going to The Rotary Foundation. You will be able to get Paul Harris Fellowship credit for your ticket purchases. The winner of the Cruise has a choice of locations. The seller of the winning ticket will also win a cruise out of Galveston. Stay tuned for more details! 

Congratulations to Past District Governor Jim Berg of the Rotary Club of San Antonio on being selected as Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator (RRFC). This role will require a significant commitment of time and energy from PDG Jim.

As RRFC, PDG Jim will work with the district governors and the district Rotary Foundation committees to promote The Rotary Foundation, to train and manage his Zone team and the district leadership, and to ensure district fundraising and program goals are met. Promotion of The Rotary Foundation's Future Vision Plan will also be an important aspect of this position during his term as RRFC.

Please take a moment to email or call Jim and congratulate him on this great achievement. 

District Governor Suresh Pahwa of District 5870, which includes the Austin and Bastrop areas, thanks fellow Rotarians for their concern. Several Rotarians have lost their homes in the Bastrop fire, and one exchange student has lost everything except the clothes on his back and his passport. Among the items he lost were an acoustic and an electric guitar. Fortunately, he and his host family are safe. The following Facebook link is the best source of up-to-the-minute information about how we can help our fellow Rotarians. (This is a public Facebook page; you don't have to be a Facebook member to view the page.)

Follow this link to a Facebook page, Rotary D5870 2011 Brush Fire, to learn the latest news from our Rotarian brothers and sisters:

Rotary D5870 Brush Fires

Fred Hansen is the District's Commander for this disaster. He can be reached at (512) 659-6019 or fredhansen@hotmail.com.

DG Suresh Pahwa can be reached at (512) 458-8855 or D5870dg12@gmail.com.