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President Kristy Vandenberg revisits the status of major Kerrville Noon Rotary Club initiatives for the 2017-2018 period. See some highlights below (with status updates in red):
- Success Measures for 2017-2018 (Selected Items)
- 100% Giving (expectation that all club members give, regardless of amount)
- Status - We are getting closer to our goal. You can also purchase cruise tickets for $10/piece (or a book for $100) to support the foundation. The winning cruise is considered a "Diamond Level" package, complete with a balcony room and all! And remember, the buyer AND seller of the winning tickets BOTH get the cruise. Ticket sales also count towards the Paul Harris Fellow designation. Hurry up and buy! - the drawing is May 6.
- Increase Communication Internally & Externally
- Status - New weekly newsletters to members initiated for 2017-2018 & better coordination with local media achieved for getting word out regarding club news and activities.
- Increase Pride in Rotary Membership through Accomplishments
- Status - Club membership is currently at 172 members! It must be the fine wine! Wear those pins!
- 100% Giving (expectation that all club members give, regardless of amount)
- Service Projects & Activities for 2017-2018
- Plant one tree for every member of club
- Status - Almost complete as over 147 trees have been planted, with many going to schools and local not-for-profits. Let's get the remaining 30-35 trees planted before Arbor Day (Friday - 4/27)!
- Host a Labor Day Community Event
- Status - Done! The trail walk event, held 9/4/2017, drew 160+ participants and 42 Rotarians who volunteered their time to make the event a success.
- Introduce Literacy & Water Safety (for 2nd-3rd graders in our local elementary schools)
- Status - Slated for March/April of 2018. Books, coloring books and stickers have been ordered with funding provided by a District Matching Grant of $1,100! The next step is to contact schools & set dates.
- Continue to Host First Responder's Luncheon
- Status - Done! Event held on 2/7/18 honoring 12 outstanding individuals. The club received great publicity for an amazing event.
- Provide Scholarships to High School Seniors, 1st Responders and College Students (current)
- Status - Will be awarded in April & May of 2018 using proceeds from SuperBall 2018. The scholarships can be used for college or technical school. The deadline for completing the online application (at www.kerrvillerotary.com) is March 9th.
- Revise and Approve Current By-Laws
- Status - Done! The By-Laws and Club Constitution were revised and approved on 9/6/2017. A big thanks to Doug Whinnery for spearheading this process!
- Host SuperBall 2018 with goal of raising over $55,000 (net) for Scholarships & Club Projects
- Status - Done! Event held on 2/3/2018. SuperBall raised $49,000 to help fund scholarships and other club projects!
- Participate in an International Project (in partnership with a non-USA club) to Utilize Global Grant
- Status - Project is still in the works. Club is considering a Magdalene House project (in possible conjunction with a Rotary Club out of Canada) to assist those coming out of human trafficking.
- Host Polio Plus to raise over $10K to Eradicate Polio
- Status - Done! Event held on 10/19 at four different locations (who are already inquiring about helping out next year). Gross revenues of over $14,700 were raised, #1 in the district (which includes our neighbors down south in San Antonio)!
- Participate in Veterans Day Remembrance Event
- Status - Veteran's Day Program held on 11/8/2017. Veteran's Center Food Pantry drive done in conjunction with the Rise Against Hunger event held 3/3.
- Host a Rotary Exchange Student & Recruit an Outbound Student
- Status - Javier (Javi) Ferreras joined us from Zaragoza, Spain on 8/21/2017! We are still working on finding an outbound student for the program.
- Initiate a Child Trafficking Education Program (in conjunction w/ local elementary students, law enforcement, Interact & Rotaract)
- Status - Will begin in April/May of 2018. Awarded a District Matching Grant of $1,250!
- Habitat for Humanity - Increase Member Participation
- Status - Habitat workdays were held 9/9/17, 11/4/17, and 1/20/18. The remaining workdays are 3/24/2018 and 5/12/2018 - see "Rotary News You Can Use" for more detail!
- Participate in Rotary Citizenship Recognition program for 5th graders
- Status - Working with Schreiner University to host luncheon in May of 2018 with 5th graders and their families.
- Coordinate a Rotary Scholarship Luncheon to Recognize Recipient
- Status - Planning is in the works....stay tuned.
- Support Interact, Rotaract & EarlyAct Clubs
- Status - Interact Clubs are active at both Tivy HS and Peterson Middle School with over 100+ members!
- Work with Local Media to Promote "Four Way Test" Essay Competition
- Status - Working with Hill Country Community Journal to hold competition in April of 2018.
- Partner w/ Rotary AM (and other service clubs) to "Rise Against Hunger"
- Status - Done! See "Rotary News You can Use" section for more detail and for pictures from the event.
- New Member Project!
- Status - Veteran's Day Breakfast scheduled for 4/12 at the Hill Country Veteran's Center (8-9:30am)!
- Plant one tree for every member of club
- Other Continuing Efforts
- Cell Phones for Soldiers (Ongoing)
- Networking Social Event - Schreiner Basketball on 11/15
- Other Efforts -
- Blue Santa Program (12/9/17 District Matching Grant of $1,500)
- Salvation Army Bell Ringing – December 2017 - Raised $2,500+
- Local Grant Requests: Chalk Festival, EasterFest, Storage Boxes
- District Governor Visit – January 3rd, 2018
- Quarterly Highway Clean-Up – Completed for 7/8, 10/21 and 1/13. One more to go (4/7)!
- State Hospital Christmas Party – Held 12/8
- Blessings in a BackPack – Holiday Party held 12/13
- Spring Picnic Food Drive – Scheduled for 5/2/18
- Mentoring Center Book Drive (Ongoing)
- RYLA – Jan 12-15, 2018, Sent 4 students!
- Hygiene Kits for Mexico - Kits for Veterans Breakfast on 4/12
