In this edition of the Hubcap: Vera's View, It Happened Last Meeting, Zoom Video Recording, Club Announcements and News
Thursday at the Rotary Club of Arlington, Texas:
Jim Watry
Texas Live!
J. Gilligan's Bar & Grill
400 E Abram St, Arlington, TX 76010
Vera's View
Over the past month America has seen her share of tragedies. We have had 14 fatal plane crashes and many more incidents. The California fires killed 29 people, destroyed more than 18,000 homes and structures. Then there have been the usual tornadoes, about 51 so far. The Appalachian floods from Kentucky to Tennessee to Virginia have caused at least 15 deaths, 300 road closures, left thousands of people without power and more than a 1000 had to be rescued.
You may be thinking this sounds more like a weather report than Rotary news. It is my opinion that all of these events are opportunities for service or a call to action for Rotarians. As we see and hear of the struggles of our fellow Americans, we should ask ourselves, how can we help? What can we do to make a difference or offer hope to the hurting among us? In other words, these events should cause us to reflect on the purpose of being a Rotarian.
Rotary International's mission is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.
These tragedies remind us of the vital role we play as Rotarians in responding to crises and supporting our communities. Our commitment to service above self means we must rise to these challenges and extend a helping hand to those in need. Whether it's providing financial assistance, volunteering our time, or organizing relief efforts, there are countless ways we can make a positive impact.
As Rotarians, let us be guided by our values and take action to support our fellow citizens. Our response to these disasters can demonstrate the power of collective effort and the difference we can make when we come together in service. Let's embrace this call to action and work towards rebuilding and healing our communities.
It Happened Last Meeting
by Carey F. Walker
The weekly meeting was called to order at 12:00 pm by President Vera McKissic. Karina Cassell offered the invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Everyone sang a beautiful rendition of “God Bless America”. Visiting guests and visiting Rotarians were introduced by our greeter, Col. Jim Quick.
President Vera reminded us to report volunteer hours and to sign up to lead the prayer and pledge and to be a greeter. She also told us that the meeting on February 27 will be at J. Gilligans. The program will be Jim Watry, Texas Live! Update.
The following announcements were made:
The Junior League of Arlington will be hosting Purses for a Purpose, Throwback Bingo Night on Saturday, March 8, 2025 at The Grand View Mansfield.
Sally Hopper announced Rotarians with anniversaries and birthdays. Celebrating birthdays were Andrew Piel and Georgie Zang. Celebrating anniversaries are Sarah Knotts, Mojy Haddad, Jonathan Jackson, Rigien Jackson and Ajay Sobti.
Clete McAlister noted the passing of Judge Clifford Davis. Judge Davis was a legendary figure as both a Judge and as an attorney. He died on February 15, 2025, at the age of 100.
Randy Hendricks announced the program for today. The program was presented by the sixth-grade students at Webb Elementary School. Evelyn Navarro-Gaspar, Principal, began the presentation by reminding our club of the impact we have made by our monetary donations, providing dictionaries and thesaurus’, providing back packs filled with supplies and making it possible for the six grade students to attend Camp Thurman.
Numerous sixth grade students came to the microphone and shared their experiences from their trip to Camp Thurman. Every one of these students had prepared a written report and shared how much they enjoyed Camp Thurman. Some said it “was a trip of a lifetime”, others talked of how exciting the activities were. The kids played capture the flag, climbed a huge net, went down a high slide, climbed a wall, climbed a pole, swung on a “Tarzan” rope and rode on a zip line. Many of the students indicated that they had to overcome fear, nervousness and from being scared.
Many of the students indicated that the food was very good. They were provided sandwiches, chips and cookies. Additionally, the kids were unanimous in voting Chick-fil-A as their favorite food while at Camp Thurman. Each child was very gracious and thankful that our Rotary Club had provided this experience that they would never forget.
Our Rotary Foundation presented two checks to Webb Elementary School, one for e-books and one for uniforms. These checks together were more than $15,000.00.
The quote for this week was from Benjamin Disraeli, “Upon the education of the people of this country the fate of this country depends.”. Vera thanked the special guests and everyone else for coming. She then led us in the Four Way Test, and we were adjourned.
No Zoom recording from last week.
Benjamin Harris, Clete McAlister
Molly Kulpa, Katrina Cassell
Ryan Elliot, Richard Urso, Judith Scott
Jim Quick, Holly Hattendorf Maxwell
LouAnn O'Donnell, Susie McAlister
Tommy Thompson
Pledge of Allegiance
Sally Hopper, Anniversaries and Birthdays
Webb Elementary Principal Evelyn Navarro-Gaspar
Dereek Torres
Camila Hortua
Juliett Ortiz
Natalie Martinez
Fernanda Torres
Osman Vasquez
Vaneska Romero
Justin Molina, Karina Cassell Interpreting
Pierre Palacios
Jock Bethune, Webb Elementary Thank You Card Front
Arlington Rotary Foundation Check Presentation
Jock Bethune, Thank You Card Inside
"You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter."
