President Barry Bondurant called the October 26, 2023 meeting to order. Barry welcomed everyone to the meeting. Barry called “Dr. Nuns” to the podium to give the invocation. It was observed that several individuals who attended catholic school in their youth gave involuntary shudders at the word “nuns.” There being no “Dr. Nuns” present at the meeting, Dr. Nuñez approached the podium and gave the invocation. The Rotarians then sang “God Bless America.” The singing was performed a cappella as Kathleen Smith was not present.
David Keal introduced the visiting Rotarians and guests. There were two guests, Carol Coady and William Branner, Bruce Banner’s cousin. Bruce got angry and did not attend the meeting. You wouldn’t like Bruce when he’s angry.1
Barry started the announcements by displaying the volunteer hours QR code and reminding members to log their volunteer hours.
Barry then encouraged members to sign up for Prayer & Pledge and Greeter for the meetings. You may sign up online through Sal Capuli’s clipboard.
Barry announced that the Annual Meeting and photo would be December 7. Please attend the Annual Meeting as a quorum is required for that meeting.
Members of The Rotary Club of Arlington have purchased a table at the District Foundation Gala. If there is enough interest in attending, an additional table may be purchased by the members of the Club.
Past President, Victoria Farrar-Myers announced that The Rotary Club of Arlington was awarded the Nonprofit of the Year for 2023 by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce at the State of the City Luncheon on October 26.
The Celanese Foundation & Becca Reeder Memorial Golf Tournament will be held on November 20. The tournament benefits Arlington Charities and Taste Project. The funds will be used to fight hunger and food insecurity in Arlington. Men Serving God is also supporting this charity event. Thanks to the Celanese Foundation, all funds raised for the tournament will go to Arlington Charities and Taste Project.
Leeanne Chenoweth Lawson announced that Timeless Concerts will be holding “European Vacation!” concerts on November 4 and 11. The November 11 concert will be in Arlington. This reporter has attended a Timeless Concert in the past, it was excellent. I encourage you to attend and support this organization.
Chad Bates, Director of Fund Development for the Rotary Club of Arlington, reminded people that the Club’s Polio fundraiser would be held at the Sanford House later that night. At the event, Chad announced that we had surpassed six thousand dollars ($6,000) in funds raised for Polio from the event. Thank you to everyone who participated.
Derrick Kinney announced the Club’s October community service event at Miracle League on Saturday, October 28. Unfortunately, the Miracle League games were canceled due to the weather. Having both volunteered with Miracle League in the past and attended to support a special needs family member, I can tell you that Miracle League is a wonderful organization. I hope that we continue to volunteer with Miracle League in the future and encourage you to volunteer individually.
Bill Daily encouraged everyone to remember to inform himself about their events so that they could be added to the Club’s website and then included in the Hubcap. As everyone in Arlington knows, the Hubcap is the most read and influential paper among people who only read and are influenced by the Hubcap and no other papers.
The members of the Rotary Club of Arlington will be participating in the Angel Tree again this year. There will be 90 angels sent to our Club. Be sure to get an Angel to shop for this Christmas season.
Barry announced something about the Rangers playing later that night. Apparently, Barry was trying to trick people into showing up to the ballpark a night too early. His nefarious plot failed.
Vera led the Club in singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Unsurprisingly, “root, root, root for the home team” was replaced with “root, root, root for the Rangers.” Happily, the Rangers won game 1 of the World Series.
Sally Hopper approached the podium to announce birthdays and anniversaries. No Rotarians with birthdays that week were present so my table mates were spared from having to hear me attempt to sing again. Anniversaries are listed elsewhere in the Hubcap and will not be repeated here.
President-Elect Vera McKissic introduced the day’s program: Nehemiah Builds’ After School Ministry Coordinator, Isaac Washington. Nehemiah Builds is a local charity that focuses on providing role models for at-risk children. Washington cited numerous troubling statistics regarding outcomes for fatherless children. The 1965 Moynihan Report lamented the precipitous rise in unwed mothers and noted the extreme dangers to society if rates of unwed motherhood continued to increase. Since 1965, the rate of children born to married persons has decreased from around 95% to 59.2% in 2010.2 In Texas, 41.3% of children are born to unwed mothers.3
Per Mr. Washington – and a legion of studies and statistics – the rate of negative outcomes plummets simply with the presence of a father in the house. The statistics do not even indicate that a good father is needed. Just that a father needs to be in the house. Therefore, Mr. Washington has worked through Nehemiah Builds to create a way for fatherless children to experience the impact that having a male role model can make in the life of a child.
Nehemiah Builds ministry has two components: (1) an afterschool ministry for elementary-aged youths that focuses on (a) providing a safe place for children to go after school, (b) providing food for children who often are experiencing food insecurity, and (c) providing role models for fatherless children who desperately need masculine examples in their life, and (2) a wrestling ministry that focuses on middle school and high school aged youths.
Nehemiah Builds also offers summer programs to ensure that these at-risk children have safe places to go and decent food to eat all year long. Nehemiah Builds also works with Mission Arlington to provide opportunities for the children to give back to others in need.
Mr. Washington encouraged the gathered Rotarians to find ways to support their ministry. Specifically, you can assist Nehemiah Builds with its mission to help at-risk children in four ways: (1) Volunteer consistently. The important part here is to be consistent. Whether you volunteer one day a month or four days a week, the important thing is to be consistent! (2) Build a Relationship. Many at-risk children are in need of a relationship with a stable and responsible adult to aid in the child’s development. (3) Point them to a brighter future. Showing at-risk children that there is a possibility of a bright future can vastly improve the chances of a child finding a way to a more successful future than the vast majority of at-risk children. (4) Partner with Nehemiah Builds financially. Multiple businesses and charities and numerous individuals work with Nehemiah Builds to help support at-risk children. You too can help!
Barry thanked Mr. Washington and presented him with a book to sign which would later be donated to Webb Elementary in honor of Mr. Washington’s presentation.
Kris “Last Laugh” Landrith took the stage without a bow
Peter Scott remarked the meeting was “going so well until now”
With a slight smirk
Kris set to work
And mocked the age of some poor frau.
Barry thanked our guests and everyone else for attending the meeting and for helping make the presentation possible. He then led the club in the Four Way Test and adjourned the meeting. Barry again correctly said, “If there is nothing more for the good of Rotary”! Later Barry confessed that he has been practicing saying the phrase in the mirror for four hours each day. Congratulations Barry on learning to speak!
Prost Y’all!
1Bruce Banner is the name of the Marvel Comics fictional character The Incredible Hulk. In the 1977-1982 television series, Bruce Banner’s character famously used the line “Don’t make me angry, you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”
2Source: U.S. Government, U.S. Census Bureau, and National Center for Health Statistics.
3Source: U.S. Government, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
l me now. Was it Tina Minetti?"
