It Happened Last Thursday
by LeeAnne Lawson
Hello Rotarians! What a windy day! President Vera McKissic rang the bell and called our meeting to order. Our prayer and pledge were led by Jason Kazarian. Greeter Joyce Stanton announced visitors. We then sang God Bless America accompanied by Janie Johnson on piano.
Announcements:
- Derek Carter announced that HANA, Heart of Arlington Neighborhood Association, will be opening a concession stand at All Star Legacy Park (formerly Senter Park) with hot chocolate, donuts and coffee (all of which are complimentary). The bathrooms will be open.
- Joy Bates told us about the success of the stuff the backpack project, and more projects with our adopted Webb Elementary School…keep up the good work of supporting these kids!
- Chad Bates reminded us of the 2nd annual Dancing With the Arlington Stars! charity event coming up Jan. 27. They still need sponsors! Go to www.arlingtondwts.com or https://dwtas.cbo.io.
- Cindy Salter announced that the 20th annual Holiday Lights Parade is coming up Saturday, December 14 at 6:00 pm. There will be street closures beginning at 2:00 p.m. Bring a chair if you need one. Warm beverages available. 301 Maple. For more information see the article “Holidays Lights Parade Set…” in www.arlintonday.com.
- Laurie Biano reminded us to help her win the mayors of Dalworthington Gardens red kettle challenge this Saturday! Go to Campo Verde, Greens on Arkansas, or Grounds and Goldl!
- Wreaths Across America is a yearly event held in December. This year it is December 14, 2024. Daughters of the American Revolution are hosting the wreaths event at Parkdale Cemetery, 701 S. Mary St in Arlington. The ceremony starts at 11 am. Please come early and tour the cemetery and honor the veterans’ graves.
- Across the street at the newly remodeled All-Star Legacy Park, the Heart of Arlington Neighborhood Association will be hosting coffee, hot chocolate and donuts at the concession stand, 700 S Mary St. Restrooms will be available. Big thanks to the Optimist Club for helping us with this event.
Vera reminded us to log our volunteer hours.
We want to thank Mojy Haddad for sponsoring the Christmas party!
Gabriel Rivas was inducted as an official member, receiving his red badge. His sponsor is Randy Hendricks.
Walter Virden led us in singing “Deck the Halls!”
Birthdays this week: Mauricio Galante Dec. 8, Ben Doskocil Dec. 9, and Ajay Sobti Dec. 13.
Anniversaries: Val Gibson 32 years, Jennifer Cathcart 5 years, and a 1 year anniversary for both Mannie Toledo and Jason Wible.
Randy Hendricks introduced today’s speakers: UTA Engineers Without Borders, represented by Jose Remirez and Anthony Najar. Both Jose and Najar are civil engineering students.
The UTA chapter of Engineers Without Borders, which is a nonprofit organization that was established in 2019. Its mission is to empower communities to meet their basic human needs.
They are currently working on clean water projects in Bolivia, in the area of Piriquina. The area where they are working is hilly and rocky, not an easy place for drilling of water wells. They use spring box systems. EWB will also serve the local community.
UTA’s EWB is mostly undergraduate Civil, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering majors. These include international, transfer, first year and graduate students. They are mentored by professional engineers working in industry.
UTA’s EWB also has fundraising needs for projects and travel expenses. They hope to raise $15,000 by Summer 2025. To learn more about this program, see
www.ewbuta.com. They also have an Instagram presence: @ewbuta. The club donated a book to the Webb Elementary School Library in their honor.
Kris Landrith gave us The Last Laugh with funny lines Paul Lynde delivered during his appearances on the Hollywood Squares.
Quote for the week: “A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible. There are no prima donnas in engineering.” --Freeman Dyson.
President Vera then led us in The Four-Way test and we were dismissed.
This Thursday, enjoy the annual presentation of “A Christmas Carol”!
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