I’m back… so I’m sure some of ya’ll were wondering how my summer vacation went. So here is a brief summary of how I spent my summer vacation. Headed to the beach and left first thing in the morning because we wanted to take our time. Halfway down we realized we didn’t have the keys to the condo. Mishap 1, so we turned around to get them. Driving through some small towns, we stopped at a red light in a beautiful old western town. As I admired the elegant storefronts and beautiful scenery, I didn’t notice that the light had turned green and back to red again. It was then that a police officer tapped on my window and said, “That’s all the colors we got here.” The family made landfall on the island, unlike Harvey without the catastrophic damage and casualties unless you count the 2 broken bottles of Don Julio Tequila, I wept. Island authorities were concerned the island may sink with the arrival of the Bondurants. A fear that did not come to attrition. Mishap 2, we were off to see the USS Lexington. I know what you are thinking, was it not enough that the Japanese sank Lexington in June of 1942? No worries I had it under control. We wanted to visit the Museum. Halfway through the tour my bored granddaughter, whom I was entrusted with was flagging. “If you’re tired, find a place to sit,” I told her I then went back to the artifacts. Minutes later, alarms went off and security guards were scrambling. Turns out, my granddaughter had found a place to get comfortable. She crawled under a velvet rope into an exhibit and laid down on the captain's bunk. They were not amused. Finally, with such a large family we have had to rent an additional unit to hold the Bondurant’s. So, upon arriving at our beach-house rental, I noticed that it was filthy. So, I grabbed the cleaning supplies and proceeded to scrub the toilets, floors, bathtubs, and kitchen cabinets. I was so upset that the house was not ready for guests. Later, my family and I discovered that we were supposed to be staying at the Condo on another floor. And finally, I was charged to bring in the cats for the evening, did I mention I was really tired? The first cat walked in; then the second. I stood there coaxing the third cat to come, which everyone found strange because we had only two cats. The third cat was a possum. I did mention I was really tired.
Now you may question me what does this have to do with Rotary? Probably not a darn thing. The trip's highlight was sitting by the pool Zooming our Thursday meeting, thinking I wish I were there. Many thanks for making my trip possible so I could spend quality time with the other family. Donna, your program was great and informative, and Vera, thanks for covering for me. It didn’t even look like your first time running a meeting. I look forward to your year. I am truly blessed!
Just a reminder if you are interested in some Rotary Swag, RTP will be at the meeting this Thursday.
May God Bless this club and its membership and may He bless the United State and Texas. Be safe!
P.S. I would think twice of going to the beach the week of Shark Week…
It Happened Last Thursday
by Benjamin Harris
The meeting was called to order by President Elect Vera McKissic. Shirley Cox gave the invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America. The Rotarians participated wholeheartedly in a rendition of “God Bless America.” Cindy Salter introduced visiting Rotarians and guests. Our guests included Mauricio Galante – who has turned in an application for membership – Jeff Haviland’s parents, and Denice Wilkerson. Keep inviting people to Rotary!
Announcements: Vera displayed the QR code and reminded us to log our volunteer hours online through Club Runner.
Peter Scott encouraged us to attend Theatre Arlington’s Anniversary Gala on September 16, 2023.
Richard Urso asked for volunteers for the Immunization Collaboration of Tarrant County’s upcoming immunization clinic from July 31-August 12. Non-medical volunteers are needed for checking people in and other administrative tasks. More information may be found at https://www.ictchome.org/events.
Randy Hendrix encouraged us all to participate in Rotary’s district events.
Jason Roach gave a classification talk. Jason needs significant prayer as he has a teenage daughter. The Lord blesses the fathers of daughters in the afterlife for they suffer enough in life. Jason is a financial advisor. Additionally, he is a member of the board of Arlington Classics Academy (ACA). Jason has been involved with ACA for nine years. ACA is a public charter school. Prior to moving to Arlington Jason lived in Arizona where he worked in information technology.
Vera pulled double duty as she led the Club in singing of America the Beautiful.
Sally Hopper announced birthdays and anniversaries: Jennifer Cathcart, Pat Connor, Barry Johnson, and Mary Tom Curnutt had birthdays. The club sang happy birthday the members who were present. Sally recognized the following Rotarians for their Rotary Anniversaries: Konstantin Maslenikov, 3 years, Graham Schadt, 54 years, Carey Walker, 10 years, Lynn Stavinoha, 17 years, Kris Landrith, 34 years, Jeannie Deakyne, 2 years, and Jack Garbo, 30 years.
Vera introduced the program for the day Arlington Rotary’s very own Donna Mack. Donna has an impressive resume which took Vera several minutes to read through. Among other things, Donna has worked locally and internationally to advocate for accommodations for people with disabilities. Currently, Donna is working with the world cup to ensure that events hosted in DFW are fully accessible for people with disabilities. I encourage you to listen to the meeting recording or, better yet, go talk to Donna to hear more about Donna’s many accomplishments.
Donna gave an entertaining and informative talk about the pervasiveness of disabilities in the population. From people with physical disabilities like blindness, deafness, amputees, and quadriplegics to people with intellectual disabilities to people who are neurodivergent such as those with ADD, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, or other disabilities, there are millions of Americans who have some form of disability. Donna noted that the number of people with a disability constitutes the largest minority – around 25% – of the population. Further, the number and population percentage of people with disabilities is steadily rising.
Donna busted many of our incorrect preconceptions by playing the game True or Poo. Donna discussed the ways in which we refer to people with disabilities and many of the ways in which we treat people with disabilities can be offensive or insulting. Donna walked us through more kind and inclusive ways to interact with persons with disabilities. Of example, Donna noted that when giving a presentation people should strive to ensure that the presentation would be fully comprehensible if it were given in an audio-only podcast format.
In summation, Donna’s presentation was wonderful. Donna gives periodic webcast presentations and is available to speak to groups.
Donna answers a few questions from the gathered Rotarians. Among them was a question from Dan Blumberg regarding Arlington’s compliance with the ADA. Donna stated that Arlington is improving its ADA compliance, but that both public and private institutions could do more to be inclusive for persons with disabilities.
Vera presented Donna with a book to be signed by Donna, which Rotary will donate to Webb Elementary in honor of Donna’s presentation.
Dan Blumberg read from an old Hubcap for the Last Laugh.
Vera thanked our guests and everyone else for attending. She then led the club in the Four Way Test and adjourned the meeting.
PE Vera leads us in "America the Beautiful".
We got to know Jason Roach with his Classification Talk.
Donna Mack delivers a powerful presentation on inclusion while reminding us we will all be disabled some day.
A Message From Youth Services Director
Jill Regina
Hi! I’m collecting boxes of sharpened pencils to give out to teachers at Webb again this year. Rotarians can order in bulk inexpensively from Amazon if they want. I’ll be collecting them in the next three weeks to get them packaged up in class sets and delivered during the first week of school.
THANK YOU! ✏️✏️✏️
(Or they can order them and have them delivered directly to my address- 3800 Sunset Ln. Arlington, 76016)
(Click the image for scheduling information.)
Our upcoming Carter Blood Drive on Thursday, August 10, 2023, from 10:30 AM-2:30 PM in Room 15 at First United Methodist Church Arlington, 313 N. Center Street, Arlington, TX 76011. For visiting Rotarians, it is a good way to make up a meeting and get credit for their own club.
At this Carter blood drive, we will have TWO teams to facilitate the drive, which means we can have TWICE the donors! There are 40 time slots to fill this time so the challenge is on!
Having the two teams will help speed up the process, meaning a shorter wait time.
Please encourage others to solicit friends, family, and those at work to participate in saving up to three lives per donation!
" The best time we can spend with our lives is saving the lives of others. It just doesn't get any better than that."--KK
Kay King
Blood Drive Chair
Rotary Club of Arlington
817-307-9599
The ICTC (Immunization Collaboration of Tarrant County), in conjunction with Tarrant County Public Health, provides low-cost vaccinations for both kids and adults. They will be at the Arlington Athletic Center at 1101 E Division from July 31-August 13 and would welcome volunteer help from Rotary with crowd control, recording basic immunization data, and surveys. If interested, visit ictchome.org to sign up.
A Message From Youth Services Director
