Latest News Blog

Our Zoom meeting was called to order at Noon by President Allan. The Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-way test followed with a moment of silence and reflection.

Visiting Rotarians:    Michael P       Frank Rivera, AG

Guests:           Paula Getz

April is– “Magazine Month”

Following our weekly roll call,

Our Trivia Quiz for the day from Sgt-at-Arms Cheryl:    

1.     Yesterday was the birthday of an important person in Rotary history. Whose birthday was it and where was he born? Answer: Paul Percy Harris was born in Racine, Wisconsin on  4/19/1868. At age 3 he moved to Vermont where he was raised by his paternal grandparents. After his grandfather died, Harris could not return to a second year at Princeton and sought work as a law clerk in Iowa.

2.     Where did Paul Harris first meet his wife Jean? Answer: According to Wikipedia, Harris met Scotswoman Jean Thomson at a nature club meeting. They were married on July 2, 1910 in Chicago.

3.     Advertising Jingle Trivia: What product was being promoted by this 1971 jingle: "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing”? Answer: Coca Cola. “Buy the World a Coke" was produced by Billy Davis and portrayed a positive message of hope and love, featuring a multicultural collection of teenagers on top of a hill in Italy appearing to sing the song. The idea originally came to Bill Backer, an advertising executive working for McCann Erickson, the agency responsible for Coca-Cola. Backer, Roger Cook and Billy Davis were delayed at Shannon Airport in Ireland. After a forced layover with many hot tempers, they noticed their fellow travelers the next morning were talking and joking while drinking Coca-Cola. Backer wrote the line "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" on a napkin and shared it with British hit songwriters Cook and Roger Greenaway. It was a hit single in 1971 and The Seekers went on to produce a full song and album with the same name that also achieved success.

4.     Now that you have your covid vaccination card, where should you keep it? Answer:

            *. Make a copy of your CDC covid 19 Vaccine card

            *. Carry the copy in case it is needed, (like to show your primary care physician)

            *. You can laminate the copy (never the original) Reason: more vaccines may be needed in future

            *. Using your cell phone camera, take a picture of the original to have a backup.

            *. Store* the original card with your other vaccination records and important documents like

                passports, etc.

            *Before you store it, Emily says you can show it at a Krispy Kreme for a free doughnut every

              day thru 2021. Warning – this could add poundage!  

Announcements/Sad-Happy-Brag Bucks:  

Cheryl has received our Club’s new Rotary masks !!!

President-Elect Emily is still looking for member volunteers to fill the following 2021-2022 Club officer and director positions:  President-Elect Nominee, Project manager/chair and R.I. Foundation chair.

Club, District & R.I. News and Business:

Our Club was recognized as one of the 2020-2021 ShelterBox Hero Clubs at the District conference!

Club members provide program speakers for our meetings. Please get in touch with Judy to supply a program for the months of May & June. Judy is considering a meeting at Rotary park!

Then, there’s the District Assembly on May 8^th for training incoming Club Officers, Directors, and Committee Chairs. It’ll be a combination of plenary and breakout sessions. The Assembly will run all day with three scheduled breakout sessions. There’s a single registration to attend one or more of the breakout sessions. Jeff will send registrants a detailed agenda. Here’s a registration link for the assembly, which is also accessible through the District website. Rotary District 5520 Assembly | District 5520 www.Rotary5520.org   Questions? Contact Jeff Weinrach, District Trainer 1-505-400-1403  jweinrach5520@nmia.com

Today’s Program:     The New Mexico Legislative Session

President Allan introduced Karen Bash, District 68 NM Legislature Representative.

Karen updated us on the doings of the 2021 New Mexico legislative session. She also filled us in on those bills on which she has worked. Her priorities have been schooling, child welfare and food insecurity.

A $7.4 billion budget has passed both chambers. It offers long-term, low-interest loans up to $150,000 to eligible New Mexico businesses and nonprofits.
Legislators also charted an economic exit from the COVID-19 pandemic and set up priorities on policing reforms, abortion rights and child poverty.

Legislators have ramped up state tax breaks for working families — a finishing touch on a broad package of economic relief measures.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed bills that provide grants and minimal-interest loans to small businesses, a $600 tax rebate to low-income workers and a four-month tax holiday to the food service industry.
Lawmakers also passed an overhaul of the state’s liquor laws which will help the tourism and hospitality industries. The new law makes it easier for restaurants to serve mixed drinks and allow home alcohol delivery. At the same time, the legalization of recreational cannabis was also passed.

With backing from Native American and Black activists, lawmakers approved a bill that bans hair-based discrimination in the workplace and schools.

But, bills fell flat that challenged police procedures on use of force, chokeholds and misconduct reviews.

A budget bill from the Legislature directs new financial resources toward public education.

The session highlighted shifting attitudes toward abortion, as legislators made good on promises to rescind the state’s dormant 1969 ban on most abortion procedures — ensuring abortion access in case the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down its Roe v. Wade decision.

In another political change, a bill to ban the use of traps, snare and poison on public lands won final approval from the House of Representatives by a one-vote margin.

The testing of self-driving vehicles in New Mexico has been authorized, putting our state at the forefront of that industry and creating a new economic driver for our state.

New Mexico has been positioned on the cutting-edge of space tourism by facilitating the uninterrupted operation and growth of the commercial space flight industry in our state. 

A centralized, comprehensive plan is now provided to deliver broadband internet to every home and business in our state. This legislation establishes a director of broadband for New Mexico and leverages federal and state resources to build this infrastructure. The plan also establishes an office of broadband, resulting in a comprehensive broadband program in New Mexico. 

Another bill provides terminally ill, mentally competent adults in New Mexico, who are given six or fewer months to live, with the option to obtain medication allowing them to pass away peacefully. The bill contains strict eligibility requirements and extensive safeguards to protect patients and regulate the practice.

There being no additional Rotary business, our meeting was adjourned at 1:05 PM.

Programs, Happenings and Stuff & Such:

24 April          Governors’ Charity Ball Telethon

27 April          Regular Zoom meeting- Scandalous Women of the Old West w/Donna Pedace.

1 May            Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 1, Via Zoom.

4 May            Regular Zoom meeting- Human Trafficking with PDG Tim Parker.

8 May            District 5520 Assembly

9 May            Mother’s Day

11 May          Board meeting at 11AM

11 May          Regular Zoom meeting - Cecilia Sadler

18 May          Regular Zoom meeting –

22 May          Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 2, Via Zoom.

25 May          Regular Zoom meeting -

30 May          A celebration of Fofo’s life – 3P-8P at the event palace.

31 May          Memorial Day

1 June           Regular Zoom meeting -

8 June           Board meeting at 11AM

8 June           Regular Zoom meeting -

12-16 June    Rotary International Convention.

15 June         Regular Zoom meeting –

19 June         Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 3, Via Zoom.

20 June         Father’s Day

21 June         First Day of Summer !!!

22 June         Regular Zoom meeting -

29 June         Regular Zoom meeting -

1 July           The new Rotary Year begins.

Following this morning’s monthly board meeting, President Allan called this Zoom meeting to order at Noon. The Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-way test followed with a moment of silence and reflection.

April is– “Magazine Month”

Announcements/Sad-Happy-Brag Bucks:  

President-Elect Emily is still looking for member volunteers to fill the following 2021-2022 Club officer and director positions:  President-Elect Nominee, Project manager/chair and R.I. Foundation chair.

Club, District & R.I. News and Business:

Club members provide program speakers for our meetings. Please get in touch with Judy to supply programs for the months of May & June. Let’s consider another meeting at Rotary park!

There’ll be a District Assembly on May 8^th for training incoming Club Officers, Directors, and Committee Chairs. The Assembly will be a combination of plenary and breakout sessions with a special guest presenter for the opening session, RI Chief Strategic Officer Tom Thorfinnson. Breakout sessions will be by Club role (e.g., Club Secretary, Club Membership Chair). The Assembly will run all day with three scheduled breakout session times. 

There’s a single registration whether participants attend one or more of the breakout sessions. Jeff will send registrants a detailed agenda. Here’s a registration link for the assembly. It's also accessible through the District website. Rotary District 5520 Assembly | District 5520 (rotary5520.org)

If you have any questions about the assembly, contact Jeff Weinrach, Rotary District 5520 Trainer 1-505-400-1403  jweinrach5520@nmia.com

Today’s Program:     The Gourmet Farmer

Pat introduced Ms. Tammy Farmer-Stocker.

Tammy presented her program on health promoting foods & nutrition as medicine.

Responding to the need for healthy food choices in the West Texas area, The Gourmet Farmer launched as the only organic food choice within 100 miles and quickly grew to a following of 800+ in the community. Without access to organic food suppliers (they did not stock organics in distribution centers at the time), Tammy grew produce at her family farm and developed relationships with area farmers and ranchers to establish a supply chain for the business.

She closed her cafe in 2009 when the farm was killed by a crop duster spraying a neighbors GMO cotton field with RoundUp. That event led to an interesting journey toward writing a book on the topic and obtaining a masters degree in the study of living systems and interrelatedness of sentient life forms.

With the intention of inspiring local farmers to once again grow gardens and share their bounties, Tammy created and organized Scurry County's first-ever farmer's market, attracting regional farmers, ranchers, and artisans. The market quickly grew to more than 850 followers and continues to thrive today.

“It’s hard to be 100 percent organic in West Texas due to the amount of crop dusting that happens in the summer and fall, unless you are growing in a green house,” she said. “But we all do our best to protect our garden areas.”

Subjects covered today were:

Your relationship with food, toxic & damaging elements; your bodies and reactions to food intake.

Food used to prevent disease (the microbiome).

Covid-19 & what it does to you- Defenses against viruses & boosting the immune system:

Fight it with mushrooms, broccoli sprouts, extra virgin olive oil, pomegranate, blueberries, blackberries, oysters, pecans & omega-3 and pistachios.

Super foods for stem cells are tomatoes (3x per week reduces the risk of prostate cancer by 30%) and chocolate (73% dark).

The development of new blood cells (Angiogenesis) (vitamin K12) is helped by some cheeses.

To quote Tammy, “The future of medicine is food.”

Her ‘phone number and email to follow.

There being no additional Rotary business, our meeting was adjourned at 12:38 PM.

Programs, Happenings and Stuff & Such:

20 April          Regular Zoom meeting- The Legislative Session – Rep. Karen Bash

24 April          Governors’ Charity Ball Telethon

27 April          Regular Zoom meeting- Scandalous Women of the Old West w/Donna Pedace

1 May            Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 1, Via Zoom.

4 May            Regular Zoom meeting- Human Trafficking w/ PDG Tim Parker

8 May            District 5520 Assembly

9 May            Mother’s Day

11 May          Board meeting at 11AM

11 May          Regular Zoom meeting - Cecilia Sadler

18 May          Regular Zoom meeting -

25 May          Regular Zoom meeting -

30 May          A celebration of Fofo’s life – 3P-8P at the event palace.

31 May          Memorial Day

12-16 June    Rotary International Convention.

20 June         Father’s Day

1 July           The new Rotary Year begins.

President Allan called this Zoom meeting to order at Noon. The Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-way test followed with a moment of silence and reflection.

April is– “Magazine Month”

Announcements/Sad-Happy-Brag Bucks:  

Maggie reminded us of the scheduled “Celebration of Life” for Fofo on 30 May.

Following our weekly roll call,

Our Trivia Quiz for the day from Sgt-at-Arms Cheryl:    

  What do Jimmy Carter, Boris Yeltsin and Jonas Salk all have in common? Answer: They are all Paul Harris Fellows.

  Which was created first, Paul Harris Fellows or Paul Harris Society ? Answer: Paul Harris Fellows – 1957 (Paul Harris Society – 2006)

  Which one is administered at the district level and is given to those who donate $1,000 or more each year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, or approved global grants? Answer:  Paul Harris Society (about 2% of the RI members, but 17% of the annual fund raising!!)

  What do the following Rotarians have in common? Allan, Pat, Vivien, Penny, Gloria, Pam, and Barrie? Asnwer:  They all have birthdays in April!  Happy Birthday!

  On April 6, 1909, Americans Robert Peary and Matthew Henson become the first men to walk on… Answer: The North Pole

  The Games of the I Olympiad, was the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. Organised by the International Olympic Committee, which had been created by French aristocrat Pierre de Coubertin, it was held in Athens, Greece, from 6 to 15 April of what year? Answer: 1896, no women but yes to track suits.

  American composer Leon Carr struck ad jingle gold when he sang, "Sometimes you feel like a nut Sometimes you don't “What was the product and what was the year of the jingle? Answer:”Almond Joy’s got nuts… Mounds don’t” The Hershey Company, which produces both Almond Joy and Mounds, advertised both products in tandem in what became an iconic song. At the end of the commercial, the slogan appeared along with the candy bars. The Carr jingle was in 1970.

  On Apr 6, 1982 what spaceflight once-in-a-lifetime event occurred in New Mexico- Answer: Space Shuttle Columbia returns to Kennedy Space Center after landing at White Sands. STS-3 was NASA's third Space Shuttle mission, and was the third mission for the Space Shuttle Columbia. It launched on 22 March 1982, and landed eight days later on 30 March. The shuttle was forced to land at White Sands due to flooding at its originally planned landing site, Edwards Air Force Base. Astronauts Lousma and Fullerton chose to land at White Sands instead of the new Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center because they had trained there. A large-scale equipment movement (reportedly "40 train carloads") from Edwards AFB to White Sands was undertaken. The choice to move the support equipment by rail instead of air cargo planes saved NASA approximately $2 million in transportation costs. High winds at White Sands reduced visibility and delayed the landing by a day. The famous “white sand” (gypsum) got into every crook and cranny of the space shuttle and showed up on every mission after that.

Club, District & R.I. News and Business:

Club members provide program speakers for our meetings. Please get in touch with Judy to supply programs for the months of May & June. Let’s consider another meeting at Rotary park!

There’ll be a District Assembly on May 8^th for training incoming Club Officers, Directors, and Committee Chairs. The Assembly will be a combination of plenary and breakout sessions with a special guest presenter for the opening session, RI Chief Strategic Officer Tom Thorfinnson. Breakout sessions will be by Club role (e.g., Club Secretary, Club Membership Chair). The Assembly will run all day with three scheduled breakout session times. This provides participants an opportunity to attend breakout sessions for roles other than their own if they wish to learn more about and collaborate with (e.g., Membership Chairs attending the sessions for Public Image Chairs, Service Projects Chairs and Rotary Foundation Chairs). 

There’s a single registration whether participants attend one or more of the breakout sessions. As we get closer to May 8th, Jeff will be sending registrants the detailed agenda and a poll to find out what sessions they plan to attend. Here’s the registration link for the District Assembly. It's also accessible through the District website. Rotary District 5520 Assembly | District 5520 (rotary5520.org)

If you have any questions about the District Assembly, contact Jeff by phone, text, or e-mail.

Jeff Weinrach, Rotary District 5520 Trainer   1-505-400-1403  jweinrach5520@nmia.com

Pat spoke with the manager at North Domingo Baca Multigenerational Center. It seems that the Senior Centers are reopening on a "reservation only" basis. The multigenerational centers' activities have been redirected by the State to serve as child care centers. No one except “cared for children” and their care givers are allowed into those buildings. N. Domingo Baca is also making up meals to hand out to folks who come for a meal. This is the situation until at least 7 June.

Today’s Program:     Induction of Barrie Segall into our Club’s membership

Today, we inducted Rotary’s Barrie Segall into our Club. President Allan did the honors and Barrie is now a most valued member of our family. Welcome to the fold Barrie!

We then got to know a little more about Barrie by hearing about his life experiences.

Barrie shared some stories about his family life, business life and Rotary life.

He began life in Pittsburgh and then to Toronto and back to the USA in Minneapolis, then to Connecticut, followed by Scarsdale, NY, Atlanta, Los Angeles and finally in Albuquerque, NM where there are no earthquakes or hurricanes.

A career in Non-Profits took up most of his time, followed by his working as a consultant to non-profit organizations for 5 years. He has daughters Michelle & Shari and grandchildren.

Barrie was sucked into Rotary during 2010 back in LA (Los Angeles 5). In 2017 he joined up with NM’s Del Sol Club.

During his stint in Rotary, Barrie has served as membership chair in both Clubs and as our District 5520 central region membership chair.

Our Club will be fortunate to have him serve as our Club’s membership chair and fundraising chair during the 2021-22 Rotary Year.

 

There being no additional Rotary business, our meeting was adjourned at 1:00 PM.

Programs, Happenings and Stuff & Such:

9-10 April       District 5520 Annual Conference via ZOOM!

12 April          Ramadan begins at sundown

13 April          Board meeting at 11AM

13 April          Regular Zoom meeting- The Gourmet Farmer- Tammy Farmer-Stocker

20 April          Regular Zoom meeting- The Legislative Session – Rep. Karen Bash

24 April          Governors’ Charity Ball Telethon

27 April          Regular Zoom meeting- Scandalous Women of the Old West w/Donna Pedace

1 May            Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 1, Via Zoom.

4 May            Regular Zoom meeting- Human Trafficking w/ PDG Tim Parker

8 May            District 5520 Assembly

9 May            Mother’s Day

11 May          Board meeting at 11AM

11 May          Regular Zoom meeting-

18 May          Regular Zoom meeting-

25 May          Regular Zoom meeting-

30 May          A  celebration of Fofo’s life – 3P-8P

31 May          Memorial Day

12-16 June    Rotary International Convention.

20 June          Father’s Day

1 July            The new Rotary Year begins.

President Allan called this Zoom meeting to order at Noon. The Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-way test followed with a moment of silence and reflection.

Visiting Rotarians:    Barrie Segall

March has been– “World Understanding Month”

Announcements/Sad-Happy-Brag Bucks:  

Pat’s doing well & we all hope for a timely remission. It looks like she’s got herself a great MD & health plan… Wonder what it is…

Cheryl & Penny have attended grant training as planned.

President-Elect Emily has attended her last session of President training!

The members present today, are considering a hands-on project for the month of May.

Following our weekly roll call,

Our Trivia Quiz for the day from Sgt-at-Arms Cheryl:    

1.     When was the first observance of April Fools Day?  (1582,1721,1805) Answer: Historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582, when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, as called for by the Council of Trent in 1563. In the Julian Calendar, as in the Hindu calendar, the new year began with the spring equinox around April 1. People who were slow to get the news or failed to recognize that the start of the new year had moved to January 1 and continued to celebrate it during the last week of March through April 1 became the butt of jokes and hoaxes and were called “April fools.” Pranks involving fish were played.

2.     What are some modern day pranks? In 1957, the BBC reported that Swiss farmers were experiencing a record spaghetti crop and showed footage of people harvesting noodles from trees. In 1992, National Public Radio ran a spot with former President Richard Nixon, saying he was running for president again… It was an actor, not Nixon, and the segment was all an April Fools’ Day prank that caught the country by surprise. (Unlikely that NPR will do that again!)

3.     What company is being advertised in the following jingle? “I don’t wanna grow up…..” Hints: Company is now out of business. A giraffe was their animal mascot Albuquerque had a store in Uptown area. Answer: Toys “R” Us! WW II ended and vet Charles Lazarus predicted the baby boom. He started selling cribs, strollers and furniture in the DC area. He added toys to keep parents (and grandparents) coming back to the store.After the lean years of WWII, shoppers were AMAZED by the “megastore”, which quickly drove other mom ‘n pop toy stores out of business.  Toys “R” Us filed for bankruptcy in 2017, after the advent of even bigger box stores (Walmart) and ecommerce (Amazon). Plus a few risky business decisions.

4.     New Mexico Trivia:  Besides being a hideout for Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch, Whitewater Canyon served as a sanctuary for what  Native American Chief? Answer: Geronimo, Apache Chief.  (Note: Whitewater Canyon, NM is in the southwest part of NM, near the town of Glenwood, NM and better known now as the location of the CATWALK. Read more: https://www.desertusa.com/desert-new-mexico/catwalk-national-recreation-trail.html#ixzz6qdGBw4Fc  When we can cautiously travel, this makes a great stop on the way to Silver City.

5.     What NM County is largest in land size? Answer, Catron County    6,928 sq mi, then Chaves County 6,071 sq mi , then Cibola County      4,540 sq mi.

Club, District & R.I. News and Business:

Club members provide program speakers for our meetings. Please get in touch with Judy to supply programs for the months of May & June. Let’s consider another meeting at Rotary park!

What’s a Paul Harris Fellowship (PHF)??? PHFs are people like Jimmy Carter, Boris Yeltsin, Jonas Salk and James Lovell. You can be a Paul Harris Fellow too! Go to www.Rotary.org/donate/recognition

Michael will not be able to host our meetings after today. He’ll be travelling to Ghana on All Fool’s Day. So, Cheryl has volunteered to host our meetings on her account ‘til we can eyeball each other once again. Thanks Cheryl!

Today’s Program:     Recruiting New Members

Cheryl showed some slides and discussed Club membership, with a discussion to follow.

A Rotarian from Portland Oregon believes that service clubs are recruiting using “old school methods” and that we need to embrace some new science based approaches. The video clip flopped, but here’s the link to watch it for yourself!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPff-gC9w8g

Cheryl presented a few thoughts about Membership. Our club is getting smaller!

This makes it more difficult to find speakers for our small group.

It limits our Service chair in finding enough people to volunteer for projects.

We become less attractive to charities needing a group to volunteer.

We have less grant money to donate and have a smaller impact in the community.

Fewer friends, Less comradeship, less FUN!

Subjects covered today were:

Reasons that Clubs are getting smaller

How small size impacts a Club

New concepts for recruiting members- Is there a shortage of altruistic people?

From the December issue of Rotary Magazine headliner article on Altruism (Joe Queenan) There aren’t enough altruists around anymore (But do we agree with this??) “It’s the thought that counts is incorrect. If you’re going to do the right thing, you have to do it the right way”

More people need to be recruited to spread the work load.

He wonders about embarrassing people into volunteering work? (We think that’s unlikely!)

He sees the bright light of the pandemic as the number of new people involved in volunteering and tipping service workers and showing our thanks to medical people.

Review of why people say that they volunteer- Working with others; Motivations to volunteer.

New methods of recruitment…

What about the tried method of each member bringing in one other?

Should self interest motivate service?

Perhaps we should not focus on altruism. Instead, we could focus on the value of connection with others, i.e. reaching out to others – enjoyment of being with and doing with others & having fun.

Pitch self interest NOT altruism. People like to “do stuff”- not just go to meetings.

Perhaps we could focus on “come along with us & do some good & enjoy.”

Members then related the reasons why they joined our Club.

In the near future, we should explore the matter of membership recruitment further.

There being no additional Rotary business, our meeting was adjourned at 1:00 PM.

Programs, Happenings and Stuff & Such:

4 April            Easter Sunday

6 April            Regular Zoom meeting- Barrie Segall – Can’t get him to stop talking about himself!

9-10 April       District 5520 Annual Conference – It’ll be via ZOOM!

12 April          Ramadan begins at sundown

13 April          Board meeting at 11AM

13 April          Regular Zoom meeting- The Gourmet Farmer- Tammy Farmer-Stocker

20 April          Regular Zoom meeting- The Legislative Session – Rep. Karen Bash

24 April          Governors’ Charity Ball Telethon

27 April          Regular Zoom meeting- Scandalous Women of the Old West w/Donna Pedace

1 May            Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 1, Via Zoom.

4 May            Regular Zoom meeting- Human Trafficking w/ PDG Tim Parker

9 May            Mother’s Day

11 May          Board meeting at 11AM

11 May          Regular Zoom meeting-

18 May          Regular Zoom meeting-

25 May          Regular Zoom meeting-

31 May          Memorial Day

12-16 June    Rotary International Convention.

20 June         Father’s Day

1 July           The new Rotary Year begins.

President Allan called this week’s Zoom meeting to order at Noon. He led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-way test followed by a moment of silence and reflection.

Visiting Rotarians:    Michael Podolny & Barrie Segall

Guests:           Mary Menefee, guest of Pat

March is – “World Understanding Month”

Announcements/Sad-Happy-Brag Bucks:  

The Bear Canyon Center will soon begin access to some group meetings. Maybe North Domingo Baca will also do the same. We’ll be calling the Domingo Baca manager to verify…

Following our weekly roll call,

Our Trivia Quiz for the day from Sgt-at-Arms Cheryl:    

1.     What was Spring called before it was “Spring”?  Possible answers- Lent, Springing Time, or Late Winter. Answer: Before Spring was called Spring, it was called Lent in Old English. Starting in the 14th century, that time of year was called “springing time”—a reference to plants “springing” from the ground. In the 15th century this got shortened to “spring-time,” and then further shortened in the 16th century to just “spring.”

2.     Which of the following would NOT be an activity under the new Rotary focus? Possible answers: Solar lighting,- Reducing food waste, - Recycling, - Indigenous water conservation, - Water diversion, - Eco-stoves, or - None of the above. You guessed it, it is None of the Above! All listed are included in the new Rotary Environment focus.

3.     What environmental issue did RI Foundation celebrate globally yesterday? Answer: International Water Day! “Everyone Should Have Access to Clean Water” was the UN slogan. So many don’t, including in our state.

4.     On March 11, 1997 what famous musician was knighted by QE II? Answer: Sir Paul McCartney

5.     Today in history: On March 23, 1983, which President introduced the Strategic Defense Initiative?  Answer: Reagan.  Extra Credit – what is the nickname of this initiative?  Answer:  “Star Wars “. What a smart group!

Club, District & R.I. News and Business:

Club members provide program speakers for our meetings. Please get in touch with Judy to supply programs for the months of April, May & June. Let’s consider another meeting at Rotary park, since most of us have been immunized!!

Today’s Program:     NM-NEW (New Elder World)

Pat introduced Paula Getz, President and Tammy Stocker, both co-founders of NM-NEW.

NM-NEW, Inc. is a social enterprise on a mission to capture the genius and provide pathways of engagement for New Mexico’s age 50+ professionals and executives. NM-NEW is a non-profit startup, soon to become a 501C3.

The group will be a single source “clearing house” service to seniors with resources for the retirees and near retirees. They’ll be committed to the well being and economic growth of members.

Members will be exposed to the opportunity to capture & share new elder wisdom & a time to give back.

After the age of 65, 72% want to work. Either they need to work, want to work or want to volunteer or mentor. Persons over 60 in NM comprise 17 ½% of the population. Additionally, AARP says that 25% retire into poverty, so they must work.

NM-NEWS will take a proactive approach to engage seniors into a vibrant community and will offer three pathways: Continuation of learning, Social engagement and ways to volunteer.

We also suggested to Paula, that the program additionally offer a medical contact services network to their program.

The group plans to launch during the 3^rd ¼ of 2021, by hosting interactive “salons”. Their projected costs to start up are $60k to $100k for the first year. At present, approximately 10 supporting organizations exist. They’ll be applying for grants and soliciting contributions to help raise the necessary startup costs.

We will soon offer a link to a survey provided by Paula, in order to obtain some feedback from the 50+ community.

It appears that NM-NEW doesn’t have a website as yet.

There being no additional Rotary business, our meeting was adjourned at 1:00 PM.

Programs, Happenings and Stuff & Such:

27 Mar           President-Elect Training Part 3 via zoom.

27 Mar           Passover

29 Mar           Grant Management Training- 6PM-7:30PM

30 Mar           Regular Zoom meeting –

4 April            Easter Sunday

6 April            Regular Zoom meeting-

9-10 April       District 5520 Annual Conference – It’ll be only via ZOOM! (What a bummer!)

12 April          Ramadan begins at sundown

13 April          Board meeting at 11AM

13 April          Regular Zoom meeting-

20 April          Regular Zoom meeting-

24 April          Governors’ Charity Ball Telethon

27 April          Regular Zoom meeting- Donna Pedace

1 May            Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 1, Via Zoom.

9 May            Mother’s Day

12-16 June    Rotary International Convention.

20 June         Father’s Day

1 July           The new Rotary Year begins.

Today’s Zoom meeting was called to order by President Allan at 12 Noon. He led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-way test followed by a moment of silence and reflection.

Visiting Rotarians:    Michael & Barrie

March is – “World Understanding Month”

Announcements/Sad-Happy-Brag Bucks:  

Pam has sold her condo in FL!!

We all discussed our various successes in receiving our Covid vaccinations. Cheryl’s going how far West to get hers???

Following our weekly roll call,

Our Trivia Quiz for the day from Sgt-at-Arms Cheryl:    

1.     Rotary Trivia: Rotary has 5 Core Values. Which one of the 5 is missing from this list?  Leadership, Diversity, Fellowship, Integrity?  It’s FUN ?

            (Actually, the correct answer is SERVICE!)

2.     Why Is St Patrick's Day Celebrated On March 17th? Was it because St. Patrick was: born on Mar. 17;  Died on Mar17;  he was canonized on March 17, OR Hallmark needed a March holiday? Answer: He died on March 17at age 79. St Patrick's Day has been celebrated since the 9th or 10th century.  P.S. Turns out that Karen Bash is Irish so she got several of these trivia questions!

3.     Where was St. Patrick born ? Ireland, Great Britain, US, or Scotland?  Answer: At 16, St Patrick was kidnapped by Irish raiders who attacked his family's estate in Great Britain. They took him to Ireland where they sold him as a slave. He spent many years herding sheep and learning about the Irish people. It wasn't until he was 22 years old that he was able to escape. He had a dream in which God told him to flee Ireland and where he could find a ship to leave. The trip to the coast was estimated to be a 200 mile walk. Once he got to the coast of Ireland, he boarded a ship to take him home to Great Britain.

4.     Why was St. Patrick sainted? He escaped slavery and the “pagan Irish”; he went back to Ireland to “convert the pagan Irish”; he founded the soap brand “Irish Spring”, or he chased the snakes from Ireland.  Answer: He became a priest and returned to Ireland to minister to Christians and convert more! P.S. That whole snake thing is apparently a myth.

5.     Why do some people wear orange instead of green to celebrate St. Patrick’s day? Answer: to show unity with the Protestants in Ireland. P.S. Friendly warning you might still get pinched (or punched) if you aren’t wearing green tomorrow!

6.     What percentage of Americans are or descended from Irish immigrants? 15 million, 26 million, 36 million or 66 million?  Answer: 36 million, including 144,000 who are first generation Americans. Irish is the second most reported ancestry in the United States. The first one is German.

7.     How many miles from New Mexico to Haiti?  Answer: 2,300

Club, District & R.I. News and Business:

Club members provide program speakers for our meetings. To supply programs for the months of April, May & June, please contact Judy. Let’s consider another meeting at Rotary park!!

We’re on the way to getting grant requests from RGFP, Horizons, PB&J, The Womens’ Housing Coalition and The Ghana project.

Today’s Program:     Hands of the Caribbean

Judy introduced Kandrise Voltaire-Snow, VP of Hands. Kandrise has taken over the non-profit from her mother, FoFo. (Current President – Cecilia Sanders (?), past member of the Del Norte Club)

Hands of the Caribbean Inc., a nonprofit 501 c3 organization was founded in 2008 by Fofo, a native Haitian herself, from Ley Cayes, Haiti. Her vision has always been to help the people of her country, and what better way than by education. Her motto has always been to teach people to fish vs. giving them a fish.

Hands of the Caribbean Inc. was organized to help people who have fallen between the cracks in the Caribbean Countries. In 2010 the focus point was the Earthquake victims of Haiti. From 2012 to the present day, the focus point has been education; to help people to learn to survive and make a future for their families. Their trade school teaches nursing and culinary arts.
Hands of the Caribbean supports local African-Caribbean-American people.
Their mission is to help the people of the Caribbean Islands achieve a better way of life by providing short-term emergency relief assistance and long-term educational grants.
Currently they’re working in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew to provide support to an orphanage operating in Les Cayes, Haiti.

Hands of the Caribbean Boulangerie Haiti.

On 24 August, 2020, graduates from the culinary program opened their bakery in Haiti.

The clinic in Jacmel Haiti desperately needs an ambulance for emergency transport and medical supplies. Visit their Go Fund Me to donate. https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/ambulanceforhaiti

Hands is currently trying to tap into the Clinton Foundation and they’re looking for grants from other foundations. There’s a great deal of kidnapping going on in Haiti. Their currency and government is not stable, pregnancies are up and hunger exists.

There’ll be a “garage sale” soon, to sell remaining artwork. We could assist by helping label pieces of that artwork. Fofo’s family will attempt to hold a celebration of Fofo’s life on 30 May.

Note that some of her lemonade mix stock still exists… However, the recipe has been lost!

Our Club has voted to donate $500.00 to Hands of the Caribbean. Today, we announced that donation during Kandrice’s visit and will send our donation to her.

For more information, go to https://HandsoftheCaribbean.com  (The website is temporarily down)

There being no additional Rotary business, we adjourned at 1:00 PM.

Programs, Happenings and Stuff & Such:

17 Mar           St. Patrick’s Day

20 Mar           Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 3, Via Zoom. 7:30AM-1:10PM

20 Mar           First Day of Spring!

23 Mar           Regular Zoom meeting – Paula Getz - NM-NEW (New Elder World).

27 Mar           President-Elect Training Part 3 via zoom.

27 Mar           Passover

29 Mar           Grant Management Training- 6PM-7:30PM

30 Mar           Regular Zoom meeting –

4 April            Easter Sunday

6 April            Regular Zoom meeting-

8-10 April       District 5520 Annual Conference – It’ll be only via ZOOM! (What a bummer!)

12 April          Ramadan begins at sundown

13 April          Regular Zoom meeting-

20 April          Regular Zoom meeting-

24 April          Governors’ Charity Ball Telethon

27 April          Regular Zoom meeting- Donna Pedace

1 May            Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 1, Via Zoom.

9 May            Mother’s Day

12-16 June    Rotary International Convention in Taipei (We Hope!).

20 June         Father’s Day

1 July            The new Rotary Year begins.

15 July          Saint Swithin’s day.

4-8 June-2022  International Convention – HOUSTON, TX !!

Following our March board meeting this morning, today’s Zoom meeting was called to order by President-Elect Emily at 12 Noon. She led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-way test followed by a moment of silence and reflection.

Visiting Rotarians:    Michael & Barrie

March is – “World Understanding Month”

Announcements/Sad-Happy-Brag Bucks:  

President Allan’s getting stronger & he’s home with home therapy and he’s gotten himself a new cel phone number (505) 238-5334.

Vivien’s doing OK; Pat’s on chemo… call her & tell her what’s happening.

Following our weekly roll call,

Our Trivia Quiz for the day from Sgt-at-Arms Cheryl:    

1.     What is the new 7^th focus of Rotary?  Answer: The Environment!  In January RI published the categories of grants that can be applied for under this new focus.

2.     Yesterday was International __________ Day.  Answer: International Women’s Day.  Started in what year?  2007 was the year that the UN adopted International Women’s Day, but 1911 was the first celebration of the day. Some things take a long time to take off.  One reason to celebrate the day is to bring attention to the facts of pay inequity, so women globally are paid 23% less for doing the same work, and in New Mexico (in 2017 report) it’s 26% less than male counterparts. 

3.     First country to “give” women the vote?  (UK, New Zealand, Canada were the choices)  Answer: New Zealand in 1893, beating Canada and the US by a quarter century.

4.     Which actor has won more primetime Emmys than any other actor in history? (Mary Tyler Moore, Cloris Leachman or Julia Louis-Dreyfus) Answer: Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld and VEEP)

5.     The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted it’s FIRST female performer in 1987. Was it Etta James, Aretha Franklin or Whitney Houston?  Answer: Aretha Franklin (Cheryl gave her “cash”!)

6.     Daylight Saving time starts when?  Next Sunday at 2:00 am. Roll those clocks forward an hour!

Club, District & R.I. News and Business:

Club members provide program speakers for our meetings. To supply programs for the months of April, May & June, please contact Judy. How about another meeting at Rotary park???

Today’s Program:     Mr. John tells untruths about his life to date…

Judy introduced John, because no one knows him well enough.

To his great surprise, John’s life began in Brooklyn, NY. According to his few relatives, when he first came to this country, he couldn’t speak a word of English.

A recounting of his misspent life in the broadcast and music industries followed, during which several attendees had to be rudely awakened.

In retrospect, the total of his 77 years on the earth will result in leaving behind one gourmet chef and one past officer & gentlemen (according to an act of Congress) to carry on the family name.

There being no additional Rotary business, we adjourned at 1:00 PM.

Programs, Happenings and Stuff & Such:

13 Mar           President-Elect Training Part 2 via zoom.

14 Mar           Daylight Savings Time Begins. Stay up & change your clocks at 2AM

15 Mar           Beware… Stay away from the forum today!

16 Mar           Regular Zoom meeting – Hands of the Caribbean - Kandrise Voltaire-Snow

17 Mar           St. Patrick’s Day

20 Mar           Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 3, Via Zoom.

20 Mar           First Day of Spring!

23 Mar           Regular Zoom meeting – Paula Getz - NM-NEW (New Elder World).

27 Mar           President-Elect Training Part 3 via zoom.

27 Mar           Passover

30 Mar           Regular Zoom meeting – Donna Pedace

4 April            Easter Sunday

9-10 April       District 5520 Annual Conference – It’ll be only via ZOOM! (What a bummer!)

12 April          Ramadan begins at sundown

24 April          Governors’ Charity Ball (Maybe) – Albuquerque Convention Center- 5PM to 11PM

1 May            Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 1, Via Zoom.

9 May            Mother’s Day

12-16 June    Rotary International Convention in Taipei (We Hope!).

20 June         Father’s Day

1 July            The new Rotary Year begins.

15 July          Saint Swithin’s day.

4-8 June-2022  International Convention – HOUSTON, TX !!

Today’s Zoom meeting was called to order by President-Elect Emily at 12 Noon. She led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-way test followed by a moment of silence and reflection.

Visiting Rotarians:    Michael, Barrie Segall & Shari Storm from Edmonds, WA.

March is – “World Understanding Month”

Announcements/Sad-Happy-Brag Bucks:  

President Allan couldn’t be contacted directly today. However, Karen says that he’s getting stronger with much therapy and he plans to return home on Friday. If you wish to give him a call (after 3PM) dial up his room ‘phone: (505) 563-4171

John was good for $6: Two bucks for Gretchen’s both eye cataract surgeries & $4 for G&J’s two immunization shots.

Following our weekly roll call,

Our Trivia Quiz for the day from Sgt-at-Arms Cheryl:    

1.     Rotary Clubs in what country will distribute $5 million from USAid to help their communities recover from the Covid pandemic? Answer: Italy! Announcing the grant, USAid Assistant Administrator Brock Bierman said “With Rotary’s knowledge of local needs, we’re now able to target our support to help those most affected by this pandemic, while building stronger and more resilient communities” and  “I am proud to support Rotary because of the organization’s enduring commitment to community-led development.” 

Italy’s 13 regional Rotary districts can each apply for a minimum of three $100,000 grants to support health, education and community development. Eligible activities include providing: equipment for medical facilities, educational supplies and equipment to schools, students and families; and resources to help businesses remain open safely. 

2.     Last week was the anniversary of the 1st mass inoculation against what disease in the US in 1945? Answer: Polio of course! 

3.     Extra Credit: What city/state the above mass inoculation took place in and why there? It was Pittsburgh, Pa, because Salk was doing his primary research at Univ. of Pittsburg.

4.     481 years ago (1540) an expedition sets off from Mexico to explore the Southwest. They discover the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. There’s a nearby State park named for him! It was Francisco Vázquez de Coronado. Born in Spain, Coronado arrived in New Spain (Mexico) in 1535 and was later made Governor of one of its provinces. In 1540, after reports by a Franciscan Friar of the existence of 7 golden cities, he led a large expedition north in search of riches. Finding just villages, his expedition continued on, discovering the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. Returning to New Mexico in 1842 without finding sources of wealth Coronado's expedition was considered a failure. Oh well…..

5.     Who did the Buffalo Soldiers in New Mexico pursue? Answer: Pancho Villa. General Pershing led a punitive expedition against Pancho Villa after the 1916 raid on Columbus, NM.  2 regiments of Buffalo Soldiers who had been guarding the New Mexico Territory border were part of the raid (1 mounted, 1 walking). By 1920 the 3,600 Buffalo Soldiers stationed in Columbus at Camp Furlong represented one of the largest black military communities ever to have resided in the US West, until it’s removal in 1922.The nickname “Buffalo Soliders” began with the Cheyene warriors in 1867, and was a term of respect for the fierce fighting ability of the all-black regiments.

6.     The 14th Academy Awards honored film achievements in 1941 at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony is now considered notable, in retrospect, as the year in which -------------------- failed to win Best Picture, which instead was awarded to John Ford's How Green Was My Valley. Ford won his third award for Best Director. Who were the stars of “Green Valley”? Answer: Maureen O’Hara, Anna Lee, Roddy McDowell & Walter Pidgeon.

7.     Who was projected to be the Best Picture that year? Answer: Citizen Kane starring Orson Welles

8.     On this date in 1933, the film named the “4^th Greatest Horror Movie in Modern Times” was released in NYC. What was it?  Hints: It had dinosaurs but they weren’t the stars, it took place partially in NYC, there was an ape.  Answer: King Kong!

9.     Who was the leading female actor?  Answer: Fay Wray. According to her autobiography, On the Other Hand, Wray recounts that Cooper had told her he planned to star her opposite the "tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood". She assumed he meant Clark Gable until he showed her a picture of Kong climbing the Empire State Building.

Club, District & R.I. News and Business:

Club members provide program speakers for our meetings. To supply programs for the months of March, April, May & June, please contact Judy. What do you want us to know?

A consensus of Club members present agreed to donate $500 of Club funds to Hands of the Caribbean Inc. a 501C3 NM nonprofit at http://handsofthecaribbean.com to support education and health services in Haiti . We’ll “present” the donation to Fofo’s daughter when she speaks to the Club on 16 March.

Today’s Program:     How To Work Together When We Can’t Be Together

Shari Storm had to introduce herself today, since President Allan & Judy didn’t quite touch base on today’s program.

Shari’s vision is to improve peoples' lives by contributing to their success and being enjoyable to work with.

Maintaining Momentum / How to Work Together When We Can’t Be Together Social distancing creates all sorts of stressors on working relationships. Learn a few tips that can be used to ensure interaction with co-workers, teams, clients, or anyone else, with grace and empathy. Small changes in the way you communicate can have a long-lasting impact on the connection you have with those you value the most.

Today’s hints and subject matter:

Don’t run a business (or a Club) like a battlefield but, like a sport.

A problem well stated is a problem ½ solved.

Speak directly to someone when dealing with anything sensitive.

Find your go to phrase (or noise) to use when you don’t want to say anything at all.

Be deliberate about what & how you celebrate… Start new rituals.

Also discussed were unique stressors, i.e. we’re all on edge, with a lot of uncertainty.

For more info, go to www.category6consulting.com                Or call (425) 367-8818

Covid rules: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=adley+covid+rules+video

My book:https://category6consulting.com/purchase-motherhood-is-the-new-mba/

There being no additional Rotary business, we adjourned at 1:00 PM.

Programs, Happenings and Stuff & Such:

6 Mar              President-Elect Training Part 1 via zoom- 9A to 12:30P

9 Mar              Board Meeting at 11AM

9 Mar              Regular Zoom meeting –

13 Mar            President-Elect Training Part 2 via zoom.

14 Mar            Daylight Savings Time Begins. Stay up & change your clocks at 2AM

16 Mar            Regular Zoom meeting –

17 Mar            St. Patrick’s Day

20 Mar            Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 3, Via Zoom.

20 Mar            First Day of Spring!

23 Mar            Regular Zoom meeting –

27 Mar            President-Elect Training Part 3 via zoom.

27 Mar            Passover

30 Mar            Regular Zoom meeting –

4 April             Easter Sunday

9-10 April        District 5520 Annual Conference – It’ll be only via ZOOM! (What a bummer!)

12 April           Ramadan begins at sundown

24 April           Governors’ Charity Ball (Maybe) – Albuquerque Convention Center- 5PM to 11PM

1 May              Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 1, Via Zoom.

9 May              Mother’s Day

12-16 June      Rotary International Convention in Taipei (We Hope!).

20 June            Father’s Day

1 July              The new Rotary Year begins.

15 July            Saint Swithin’s day.

4-8 June-2022  International Convention – HOUSTON, TX !!

Today, Rotary’s 115th Birthday Zoom meeting was called to order by President-Elect Emily at 12 Noon. She led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-way test followed by a moment of silence and reflection.

Visiting Rotarians:    Barrie Segall (Del Sol)

February has been – “World Understanding Month”

Announcements/Sad-Happy-Brag Bucks:  

President Allan could not be with us today… He’s gettin’ better and the prognosis is good & he’s now at Encompass Health Rehab Hospital – room 150 and they even loaned him Bed A. Get better soon, Allan!

He can be reached by ‘phone from 3PM to 4:30PM. Main # (505) 344-9478

Today is World Understanding and Peace Day.

Emily parted with $20 ‘cause she was so proud of her son, who received a US Army achievement award.

Pamela noted that her Bobby will be moving into his new home very soon.

Gloria was good for a fiver since her arm is healing well. Also (a sad buck) for her daughter who came close to being bombed out! However, she’ll be relocating with her family to Shanghai very soon.

Club, District & R.I. News and Business:

Did we all go to  cvvaccine.nmhealth.org  ???         

February birthday:  Richard

Club members provide program speakers for our meetings. To supply programs for the months of March (2 weeks worth), April, May & June, please contact Judy. What do you want us to know?

Here’s an interesting thought from Ben Franklin: In wine, there is Wisdom; In beer, there is Freedom; In water, there is Bacteria!

We were reminded that a consensus of Club members will be necessary to donate $500 of Club funds to Hands of the Caribbean Inc. a 501C3 NM nonprofit at http://handsofthecaribbean.com to support education and health services in Haiti. We’ll try to have Fofo’s daughter speak to the Club next month.

Cloud Dancers is in the process of moving their operation to another location! They hope to be in residence by 1 April.

Today’s Program:     Wild Birds Unlimited

Judy introduced Claude Vallieres. Claude is a volunteer at Rio Grande Nature Center and Albuquerque Open Space as a bird walk guide. Today, he spoke on the bird species to be found in our area and how to attract and feed them.

In addition to the approximately 550 species of birds in the NM area, there also exist a few raptors (carnivores) in our state, i.e. coopers hawks (ABQ has the most), great horned owls, some bald eagles (in winter near the river) and, of course, we’ve also got roadrunners, too!

We can’t do much about raptors… you’ve just gotta live with them.

Here’s a lot more info about our local birds -

Roadrunners: you can tell males by red & blue around their eyes (always wondered about that).

During the winter we’ve got Junkos (described), starlings and gulls too.

We also have lesser goldfinches year ‘round, robins, threshers, house finches, British house sparrows, bush tits (year ‘round), juniper titmice and woodpeckers (flickers are biggest).

We also discussed bird strikes into windows and some solutions.

For even more info, go to Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, 2901 Candelaria Rd., NW  505-344-7240

Accessible CarouselOpen Space Visitor Center (Westside)   6500 Coors Blvd. N.W., (505) 897-8831

To create habitats and bird identification, go to www.Audibon.org

For Wild Birds Unlimited,  https://albuquerqueeast.wbu.com      Or call   (505) 883-0324

There being no additional Rotary business, we closed up shop at 1:00 PM.

Programs, Happenings and Stuff & Such:

2 Mar              Regular Zoom meeting – John tells lies about his life…

6 Mar              President-Elect Training Part 1 via zoom- 9A to 12:30P

9 Mar              Board Meeting at 11AM

9 Mar  `          Regular Zoom meeting –

13 Mar            President-Elect Training Part 2 via zoom.

14 Mar            Daylight Savings Time Begins. Stay up & change your clocks at 2AM

16 Mar            Regular Zoom meeting –

17 Mar            St. Patrick’s Day

20 Mar            Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 3, Via Zoom.

20 Mar            First Day of Spring!

23 Mar            Regular Zoom meeting –

27 Mar            President-Elect Training Part 3 via zoom.

30 Mar            Regular Zoom meeting –

4 April             Easter Sunday

9-10 April        District 5520 Annual Conference – It’ll be only via ZOOM! (What a bummer!)

12 April           Ramadan begins at sundown

24 April           Governors’ Charity Ball (Maybe) – Albuquerque Convention Center- 5PM to 11PM

1 May             Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 1, Via Zoom.

12-16 June     Rotary International Convention in Taipei (We Hope!).

1 July              The new Rotary Year begins.

15 July            Saint Swithin’s day.

4-8 June-2022  International Convention – HOUSTON, TX !!

Our Fat Tuesday Zoom meeting was called to order by President-Elect Emily at 12 Noon. She led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance and the 4-way test. A moment of silence and reflection followed.

Well, no Mardi Gras parades today…

Visiting Rotarians:    Michael Podolny & James Morrison

February is – “World Understanding Month”

Announcements/Sad-Happy-Brag Bucks:  

President Allan could not be with us today… Why? He’s had a stroke yesterday AM and is at UNM hospital! The stroke appears to have affected his right side. He’s somewhat better now and the prognosis is good & he’ll be out on Friday (rehab follows). Get better soon, Allan! (NO, you can’t visit him.)

Pat called in an update on how she's doing. Friday she had enough energy to use the phone. She got out of bed and walked a few steps to a chair. She’s off the morphine and is getting oral pain meds. Needless to say, she's wiped out. She was under anesthesia for five hours during the surgery and everything looked as it should after having the three rounds of chemo. She’s home now.

Following our weekly roll call,

Our Trivia Quiz for the day from Sgt-at-Arms Cheryl:    

1.     Abraham Lincoln stopped his train on his way to his 1st inauguration to thank 11-year old Grace Bedell in person & to gain more votes. What was her advice? Answer: Her advice to grow a beard.

2.     This town was founded around 1900 and was located 18 miles southwest of Roswell. Until the mid-1920s, about 300 African American people lived there. What was the name of the town? Answer: Blackdom represented an opportunity to those who wanted to shape their own destiny at a time when choices for African Americans were extremely limited. (History: Francis Boyer was a well-educated man who had graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta. His wife Ella Boyer also graduated from college, having attended Atlanta University. They were both teachers.  Sometime in the late 1890s, Francis witnessed the murder of a black barber who was executed in cold blood because he nicked a white patron’s cheek as he gave him a shave. He started collecting stories about atrocities but the Klan threatened him. Francis and his wife decided to found a community in New Mexico because Francis’ father had noted that there was less discrimination in New Mexico when he was in the Army during the Mexican American War.

Francis and his brother-in-law walked 2,000 miles from Atlanta to the Roswell area. Ella followed the next year. The community of Blackdom grew to over 15,000 acres. It then folded because of drought.)

3.     On Feb 16, 1923, Howard Carter opens the inner burial chamber  of ??????.  Answer: King Tut – the child king of Egypt.

4.     Feb 16, 1938, the film "Bringing Up Baby" directed by Howard Hawks made its debut. Who were the 2 stars of the film? Answer: Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. 

5.     In the above film, who was “Baby” Answer: A leopard. Side note: Bringing up Baby was a commercial flop upon its release, although it eventually made a small profit after its re-release in the early 1940s. Shortly after the film's premiere, Hepburn was labeled as "box office poison" by the Independent Theatre Owners of America and her career would not recover until The Philadelphia Story two years later. Who knew?

6.     February 16, 1959, What Caribbean gentleman, son of a sugarcane farmer, became the 16th Prime Minister of what country? Answer: Fidel Castro – Cuba (And not by a certified popular vote!)

7.     February 16, 1968, who flew (with their wives) to India for transcendental meditation study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi ? Answer: The Fab Four of Course (The Beatles)

Club, District & R.I. News and Business:

District 5520 leadership has created a 501(c)(3), corporation identified as “District 5520 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, Inc.” The new corporation will function as a foundation; therefore, scholarships and  funding provided by District Clubs and private individuals and companies will be treated as donations meeting all of the guidelines outlined by IRS.

February birthday:  Richard

Club members provide program speakers for our meetings. To supply programs for the months of April, May & June, please contact Judy. What do you want us to know?

Today’s Program:     Rotary Cycling Fellowship

Judy introduced our Club’s founder direct from San Diego’s Point Loma Club, James Morrison ,Vice President and member of the International Fellowship of Cycling Rotarians, USA/Canada.

First, James reviewed some of the many (95 of them) international Rotary Fellowships that are available for us to join.

It’s all about fitness, fellowship and some fundraising along the way. It doesn’t matter if your cycling is on the road, mountain, electric-bikes, competitive or just weekend family fun rides. The International Fellowship of Cycling Rotarians (Cycling to Serve Fellowship) is a group dedicated to promoting cycling as an opportunity for fellowship. The fellowship has 600 members spanning 14 countries and has accomplished 51 fund raisers.

The objectives of this Fellowship are to develop and promote world-wide friendship through cycling competitively and recreationally; to serve the community locally, nationally and internationally through cycling activities; and to promote international understanding and peace through cycling activities.

Today, more people of all ages are discovering the health and mental benefits of cycling. Let’s face it, we’re all getting a little older, even if you’re a millennial. What better way to stay in shape? Cycling, fellowship and service. It just doesn’t get any better.

Rotarian cyclists were hard at work on World Polio Day. Our General Secretary John Hewko set an example by riding (and raising funds) around Evanston ; Past District Governor Ernie Montagne in Tucson, Arizona; District Governor Tom Drennan around St. Louis, Missouri; Ildus Yanyshev, District Governor of Russia, in Kazan; a Cycling to Serve booth with its chairman Jean-Luc Berger in Aix en Provence, France.

ROTARY PEDAL is a collective that brings together 20 Rotary clubs in Peru, which organized major cycling events and road safety education campaigns called “Respect the cyclist” since 2015.
ROTARY PEDAL promotes the use of bicycles as a sustainable means of transport, to promote healthy lifestyles, to preserve the environment and to develop Rotary’s public image in our community.

The fellowship publishes a newsletter, a membership directory, an event calendar and they have a website. Yup, they pay dues ($20/year) as do most Rotary fellowships and they have neat jerseys too!

Many events are scheduled throughout the year, i.e.: Tour de Cookie (November in Tucson), Tour de Blast and the Rodeo Road Rally. There’s also “Team Rotary RAAM” which is a ride across America, which takes 7 days and runs for 3000 miles. They’ve raised $1 million! The fellowship has run a Polio ride, a centennial ride and an End Polio Now ride (for 30 years).

Also, there’s the Rotary International Cycling Championships 2021, which will take place on August 27 (Friday) - 29 (Sunday) in Nancy, France.

Want to get involved with the International Fellowship of Cycling Rotarians?

Click onà Contact us today!

Cycling to Serve is one of the recognized Rotary Fellowships. Throughout the month of June, we’ll be celebrating Rotary Fellowships Month by sharing inspirational services stories from various Rotary Fellowships. We hope these stories inspire you to join or start a Rotary Fellowship.

Want more information? Go to  https://www.cyclingtoserve.org

Also, see www.RideToEndPolio.org

There being no additional Rotary business, we closed up shop at 1:08 PM.

Programs, Happenings and Stuff & Such:

23 Feb             Regular Zoom meeting – Wild Birds Unlimited - Claude Vallieres

23 Feb             Rotary’s 115th Birthday. That day is also World Understanding and Peace Day.

2 Mar              Regular Zoom meeting –

6 Mar              President-Elect Training Part 1 via zoom- 9A to 12:30P

9 Mar              Board Meeting at 11AM

9 Mar  `          Regular Zoom meeting –

13 Mar            President-Elect Training Part 2 via zoom.

14 Mar            Daylight Savings Time Begins at 2AM

16 Mar            Regular Zoom meeting –

17 Mar            St. Patrick’s Day

20 Mar            Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 3, Via Zoom.

23 Mar            Regular Zoom meeting –

27 Mar            President-Elect Training Part 3 via zoom.

30 Mar            Regular Zoom meeting –

9-10 April        District 5520 Annual Conference – It’ll be only via ZOOM! (What a bummer!)

24 April           Governors’ Charity Ball (Maybe) – Albuquerque Convention Center- 5PM to 11PM

1 May              Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 1, Via Zoom.

12-16 June      Rotary International Convention in Taipei (We Hope!).

1 July              The new Rotary Year begins.

15 July            Saint Swithin’s day.