Deming Rotary Supports "Cancer Warriors"

Lorraine and I were hosted this past weekend by IPDG Tom and Linda Lindsay for Deming’s 5th Annual Celebration of Life Walk. The Rotary Club of Deming partnered with Cancer Support of Deming and Luna County to raise $45,000. The money is used to transport patients from Deming and Luna County to their appointments in Las Cruces and El Paso or provide them airline tickets to their treatments.

The Walk is a community event with more than 1000 participants and 20 organizations involved.

During this year’s event, a memorial was unveiled and dedicated to the “Cancer Warriors” of Deming and Luna County. The memorial was designed and constructed by the FFA at Deming High School.

The first lap of the walk is lead by Deming Rotarians pushing one of the "Cancer Warriors" in the club's 3 wheeled outhouse.

(Photo courtesy of The Deming Headlight)

Sandia Rotary Club Achieves Provisional Status

Tuesday I visited District 5520’s newest Rotary Club, The Rotary Club of Albuquerque Sandia. It was during this meeting that I had the privilege of officially announcing that the Club had achieved provisional status. Provisional status is the first step a club takes in becoming a full pledge Rotary Club.

Provisional status is granted after a club begins meeting weekly and has elected club officers who will subscribe to the Standard Rotary Club Constitution. This designation entitles the provisional club to issue meeting make-ups for visiting Rotarians.

Mollie Papen-Eatinger will serve as the Club’s first president and Governor’s Special Representative.

The Club’s membership is already involved with two ambitious service projects. In Albuquerque, they are remodeling the home of a lightning strike victim so that her family can properly care for her. Internationally, the Club has been working to provide relief after the Haitian earthquake. The Club has acquired a delivery truck (pictured above). They will fill the truck with tents, sleeping bags, and medical supplies before driving the truck to Florida and shipping it to Haiti.

Joining me in welcoming the members of the Sandia Rotary Club into District 5520 were DGN Bobby Wallace, PDG Rick Akins, Rotarian Extraordinaire Fred Bryant, President of the Rotary Club of Albuquerque John Shoemaker, and Del Norte Rotary Club President Chuck Brown.

James Morrison, District Extension Chair, deserves special recognition and a big THANK YOU for his work organizing the Club.

105 Years of Service

As Rotary begins its 106th year of service, RI President John Kenny reminds Rotarians worldwide that the eradication of polio remains our #1 Priority and a promise to the world that Rotary will keep.

To support this promise Rotary International will
· support the International PolioPlus Committee,
· promote participation in PolioPlus Partners,
· focus our collaborative partners on polio eradication.

I would encourage each Club in District 5520 to raise the awareness of Rotary’s efforts for polio eradication by having a Club program on polio’s eradicate, donate to Rotary’s $200 million Gates Foundation challenge grants, or undertake a project to raise awareness in your community.

This year’s Rotary Theme, “The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands,” is a reminder and challenge that we, each and every Rotarian in District 5520 and the world, are responsible for answering this latest call to “End Polio Now.” The first step is raising awareness. For ideas on how you can raise awareness in your community contact District Polio Eradication Chair Mark Glenn at markglenn5520@msn.com or visit the Rotary International website at

http://www.rotary.org/en/ServiceAndFellowship/Polio/HelpEradicatePolio/Pages/ridefault.aspx
As Rotarians we are committed to “End Polio Now”. The children of the world are counting on us and we have never failed them.

"Peers at Work" Interact Club

Last fall during a visit to El Paso, I had the privilege to meet with the students of the Fabens High School "Peers at Work" Interact Club. President Stephanie Garcia introduced the members of the club (pictured above) and vice President Juan Hernandez briefed me on the club's activities and projects for the remainder of their Fall semester. Some of the activities included a visit to surrounding high schools during National Interact Week to encourage them to form interact clubs, a Student Leadership Seminar modeled after the Institute for Leadership, several food drives, and an "Adopt a Grandparent" event scheduled during the Christmas so the residents of the Cambria Senior Home would not have to spend the holidays alone.

There is no question that the future of Rotary is in good hands with a group of students like these.

Please e-mail me with activities of other Interact and Rotaract clubs with the District. I'd love the opportunity to visit them, too.

Official Club Visits Completed

It was with mixed emotions that I drove home last Wednesday having just completed my 69th and final official Club visit. I hit the road on July 1st driving to Taos to participate in the installation of their club officers and the presentation of four new Paul Harris Fellowships. Last Wednesday I visited the Rotary Club of Eunice, a club of 22 members in a community of 3,000. It is an energetic club dedicated to the work of Rotary in their community.

I returned home tired and exhausted after seven months of hard traveling, but realizing that I had just completed a once-in-a-lifetime journey.

Along the way I chunked pumpkins in Estancia, rode in the West El Paso 4th of July parade, enjoyed a wonderful evening of fellowship with the Tucumcari Rotarians at their annual Shrimp Boil and Air Show, and during my travels I learned about the variety of ways Rotary happens in New Mexico and West Texas.

Now that my travel schedule isn't as hectic as it was last Fall, I'll be sharing more of the Rotary stories I learned along the way.

But I also want to invite you to experience the excitement of Rotary in District 5520 first-hand by attending the District Conference, May 6-9, 2010, at Buffalo Thunder in Santa Fe.