We had one of the best Club meetings in recent years this past Thursday! It was "Four-Way Test Day", the highlight of which was the award recognitions of the 4-way test essay contest winners from Annunciation Catholic School.
Our third place winner was Thien Pham, our second place winner was Anthony Tannaz, and our first place winner was Alex Lucero (Alex was unable to attend as he was sick, so his father attended in his place). We also awarded the Eighth-grade English teacher, David Wahler, for coordinating this with his students. Huge Kudos also go out to our Club Youth Programs Chair, Jennifer Huffaker, for doing such an outstanding job taking the lead on this important effort!
As part of our focus on the four-way test, our own Rotary Wranglers performed the four-way test song. We also had Alex's father read his winning essay. Here are the two links to the videos (both on our Club YouTube page):
https://youtu.be/Q-gTxpjH6j8
https://youtu.be/-95gSrIzGw8
This week, at our Twilight Meeting, we'll be inducting our newest member, Elizabeth Romero! We'll also continue work on our bike ride fund-raiser to support our Nepal Global Grant. Please consider joining us at Nexus Brewery (or on Zoom) this Tuesday to welcome Elizabeth into the fold!
And this Thursday, our special guest presenter will be Geoff Cochran, our Annual Giving Officer for the Rotary Foundation. Geoff and the other Annual Giving Officers apply giving trends, data analysis and connections to empower Rotary Leaders to acquire, retain, and upgrade donors, fund more grants, and create a strong pipeline of philanthropic support for the Rotary Foundation. It should be an excellent and informative program!
2. Another Successful Ramp Build!
Thanks to Phil, Mitch, Ron, Brad, Brad, Wayne, and everyone else who helped build this wheelchair ramp Saturday morning! "Service Above Self" is what Rotary is all about.
3. Don Chalmers Memorial Grant Recipients!
Congratulations to this year's Don Chalmers Memorial Grant Recipients!
Albuquerque Museum Foundation ($9000)
Beds4Kidz ($19,000)
Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation ($9000)
Global Give-A-Book ($19,000)
New Mexico BioPark Society ($9000)
Talking Talons Youth Leadership ($9000)
Like we did with the first group of grant recipients, we will invite them to speak at future Club meetings about their projects.
4. Upcoming Birthdays and other dates to celebrate, support each other, etc.
We are mourning the recent passing of our dear friend, Past District Governor and Honorary Member, Andy Anderson. Andy was a member of our club for many years and made significant contributions to our community. His leadership, dedication, and commitment to service will be remembered for many years to come.
We would like to express our condolences to Andy's family and friends during this difficult time. We will miss Andy's passion, his wit, and his ability to inspire us to be better Rotarians.
The memorial service will be later this summer in Indiana where much of Andy's family lives. In the meantime, please join us in extending our deepest sympathies to Andy's family and friends.
You may reach out to his wife, Marleta, also an Honorary member of our club, to express your condolences. Marleta # 505-280-1911 and their address is 310 Camino de Las Huertas, Placitas NM, 87043.
April Birthdates!
April 1 - Jennifer Huffaker
April 1 - David Ring
April 14 - Robert Brown
April 18 - Sara Beltran
April 23 - Cindy Chavez
April Anniversaries of joining our Rotary Club!
Joe Corazzi
Kent Cravens
5. Rotary Fellowships and Rotary Action Groups
Besides all the great activities we do at the Club level, members have the opportunity to join Rotary Fellowships and Rotary Action Groups. The Fellowships tend to be more social in nature (Golf, Wine, etc.), while the action groups are aligned with Rotary's Areas of Focus and the work we do through the Rotary Foundation (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene; Polio Survivors, etc.). Please consider joining one or more of these groups to add to your Rotary experience:
6. Rotary Foundation Banquet on Wednesday, April 26th with special guest presenter (and good friend of our Rotary Club) Rotary Foundation Trustee Greg Podd!
On Wednesday, April 26th, the Albuquerque Rotary Clubs will be hosting a Rotary Foundation banquet with special guest presenter, Past Rotary International Director and current Rotary Foundation Trustee Greg Podd. We will be recognizing those who have supported the Rotary Foundation, educate those new to Rotary about the work of the Foundation, and celebrate the accomplishments made possible by the Foundation. Tickets are $40 per person. For more information, please contact Rotary 5520 District Secretary Donette Wagner (505-269-4634, secretary5520@gmail.com) or Fred Bryant (505-280-4118, fredbryant300@gmail.com). Greg is a very good friend of our Club, so let's have a strong turnout for this important event!
Rotary Happenings
April's Rotary Theme is Maternal and Child Health - a perfect alignment with our work in Nepal!
And here's the theme for this upcoming Rotary year!
District Happenings
1. District Conference on April 20-22 in Roswell!
Our annual District Conference ("Imagine the Possibilities") will be in Roswell from April 20-22.
The Conference kicks off officially with a catered reception inside the UFO Museum (roswellufomuseum.com/) from 6-8 pm. Re-unite with friends from across our District and make some new ones (maybe some Inter-Galactic ones). There’s the option for a round of golf at the Roswell Country Club Thursday afternoon or Disc Golf at Enchanted Lands park that same afternoon (udisc.com/courses/enchanted-lands-5T3w).
Friday events begin with registration at 8 am on the campus of Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell(roswell.enmu.edu/) in the ITC building and continue through Saturday’s emphases on youth featuring the Youth Exchange Talent Show in the Performing Arts Center following lunch.
A reception for Major Donors and above takes place at 5:30 pm Saturday at the Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art (rair.org/about-amoca). There will be a Cocktail ½ hour at 6 and Conference Banquet (MIB Themed) following. Come in your best MIB attire or alien costume and we’ll have fun while celebrating the accomplishments of our Clubs and District!
2. District Newsletter
Below is a link to the latest District Newsletter with all the District Happenings. Please check it out!
Central Area (Albuquerque and surrounding area) Happenings
Please check out the link below for up-to-date happenings in the Central Area of our District (e.g., Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Socorro, etc.)! There are a number of projects and activities that we can support.
Please feel free to call, text, or e-mail President Jeff (1-505-400-1403, jweinrach5520@nmia.com) if you have any feedback or suggestions for future Bulletin content or if you have any feedback or questions about any aspect of our Club.
Let's all have a great week in Rotary putting Service above Self!
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