​By Tom Schneider
 
San Miguel’s two local Rotary Clubs and Rotaract are sponsoring a series of public events to promote peace in March and April.
 
On Tuesday, March 21, at noon, gather at the Peace Pole obelisk in Parque Juarez to celebrate the spring equinox when local indigenous elder Alicia Mayo will lead a four-direction ceremony including the chant “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in four languages: English, Nauatl, Otomi, and Spanish. Then, hearing-impaired students from the Escuela de Educacion Especial will present the same in Mexican sign language, and Maggie Sperling, a visually impaired Rotarian, will read the Braille version.

By Robin Loving
 
San Miguel’s Midday Rotary Club is proud to announce that the 16th annual Farley W. Wheelwright Citizen of the Year is Red Cross Board President Lety Fernandez de Noyola. She was selected for her outstanding service above self, which is the motto of Rotary International.
 
The ceremony was held on Tuesday, March 7, at the Biblioteca’s Teatro Santa Ana.
 
“Lety is deeply committed to serving 24/7/365 happily and effectively,” said Rotary President Lee Carter. “She has transformed the Red Cross in her 19 years of dedication,” he concluded.

In her volunteer capacity, Fernandez manages 21 staff members including a doctor, an ophthalmologist, a dentist, a psychologist, a podiatrist, and 250 volunteers. They offer13 programs, not just the fleet of 14 ambulances, medical supplies, and training programs. Fernandez also manages a meeting facility for up to 70 people, a pharmacy, an optical center, a COVID test site, and temporary housing for people in emergencies.
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“I am proud that we have collaborations with the Polytechnic of Mexico and UNAM as well as with a team of 20-30-year-olds who provide services for as little as $30 pesos,” said Fernandez, who began with the Red Cross as a fundraiser. “My passion is caring for people in San Miguel,” she concluded.

​By Stu Dearnley
 
The Midday Rotary of San Miguel was honored to host the U.S. Consul General, Scott Renner and our local U.S. Consular Agent, Erika Montes, for a "Meet and Greet" social hour and Q&A session on Thursday night.

Among the services consulates provide for their citizens are passport renewals, birth certificates, and visa issuances. They also ensure Americans get their Social Security/disability benefits while abroad, visit with the 1,000+ Americans being held in Mexican prisons, and work to recover abducted children. Renner has worked for the United States in a slew of countries including Nigeria, Chile, Poland, Bogota, Haiti, and Toronto. He helped Americans leave China when Covid was starting, then helped them leave Afghanistan when America pulled their troops out. Needless to say, he’s got a lot of stories!

When pressed for the one thing he’d like Americans to know, he said, “Passports and visas need not approach their expiration date before you renew them.” Since Covid, the backlogs have been long, and he suggests starting the process as far as two years before the expiration date. If an emergency passport is needed, by far the fastest way to obtain one is in person in Mexico City.

Renner said that firearm possession is the #2 reason Americans get incarcerated (drugs is #1) and reminds us that it’s our responsibility to be aware of local laws. The consulate does not get you out of jail. Instead, they do their best to get you your prescriptions while you’re behind bars. He suggests registering with the consulate, which can be done through their website. By registering, you’re letting them know to look for you in the event of a natural disaster. It also facilitates their contacting you if, for example, an American family member is having trouble making contact.
 
Part of the consulate’s job is protecting you from scams. So, if you get an email that looks suspect, call them up and ask if it’s legitimate. If it is legitimate, you’ll be glad you called! The embassy is manned 24/7/365, so “If you call, someone’s going to pick up.”

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 By Paola Velasco 
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At a January 10 press conference, The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende – Midday presented its new “Girls Empowerment Program” focused on education and health for girls of menstrual age from San Miguel’s rural communities. This program is being carried out in collaboration with the Secretary of Education for the State of Guanajuato and the civil association "Niñas Sabias,” which has developed an educational manual that will be shared with fifth and sixth-grade girls from public schools. The project was presented by representatives of all the aforementioned bodies, who shared pertinent details about the program.

Teri Kavanah, a member of Rotary, commented on the importance of offering useful and effective information at this stage in the lives of young girls, many of whom lose self-esteem and opportunities by not understanding and accepting what it means to grow up. Rotary, represented by current president Lee Carter, has made an assessment to support this project, to which it will allocate around 200,000 pesos. All those involved have been working for more than six months to develop this program in a comprehensive, useful way, but above all, with considerable respect and empathy.

The educational director of the project is Erika Hernández, a certified teacher, who trained a group of 10 teachers to cover more schools and offer the best advice to girls in rural communities to empower themselves, complete their education, and proudly embrace all that being a woman implies. This aim is to reach 2,000 girls this year. The work material presented to the girls shares with them what is happening in their bodies in a friendly, easy-to-comprehend style, without guilt or taboos, and allows them to make informed decisions about their bodies and their lives.
Each girl will receive a menstrual control kit with washable, ecological, and reusable sanitary pads that will last three to four years.

The Guanajuato State Secretariat (SEG) joins the project to give it credibility with families and communities, with whom the coordination of the first stage will be carried out from January to April. The course consists of five modules: in the first, parents and siblings will be invited to find out about the topics that will be covered during the remaining four modules. The participation of the whole family is very important, not only for women but also parents and siblings, to understand and care for the girls at home.

The entire cost of the project is being supported by donations from local communities, Rotary clubs in San Miguel, the U.S., and Canada, as well as the Rotary Foundation.

For more information, visit the Project Page on our website. www.RotarySMAMidday.org,

It's at this time of year that the ANNUAL THEME is introduced by the incoming President Elect of Rotary International at the International Assembly.

The 2023-24 theme "Create hope in the world" was announced by RIPE Gordon McInally earlier this week.

Here is a brief history of the annual themes.

In 1955, RI President A.Z. Baker announced a theme, "Develop Our Resources," to serve as Rotary's program of emphasis. Since that time, each president has issued a theme for his Rotary year. The shortest theme was in 1961-62 when Joseph Abey selected "Act." Other one-word themes were chosen in 1958-1959 by Charles Tennent ("Serve") and 1968 - 1969 by Kiyoshi Togasaki ("Participate").
Carl Miller, in 1963 - 1964, had a theme for the times when he proposed "Guidelines for Rotary in the Space Age." Other "timely" themes were in 1980-81 when Rolf Klärich created "Take Time to Serve"

William Carter in 1973 - 1974 used "Time for Action." Two themes have a similarity to commercial advertising: "A Better World Through Rotary" (Richard Evans, 1966 - 67) and "Reach Out" (Clem Renouf, 1978 - 1979). Bridges have been a striking metaphor. Harold Thomas, 1959 - 60, urged Rotarians to "Build Bridges of Friendship"; William Walk, 1970 - 71, created "Bridge the Gap"; and Hiroji Mukasa, 1982 - 1983, declared "Mankind is One-Build Bridges of Friendship Throughout the World."

A worldwide focus was given by Stan McCaffrey in 1981 - 1982 with the message, "World Understanding and Peace Through Rotary," and again in 1984-85 by Carlos Canseco who urged Rotarians to "Discover a New World of Service." In other years, the individual was emphasized, as "You Are Rotary" (Edd McLaughlin, 1960 - 61), "Goodwill Begins With You" (Ernst Breitholtz, 1971 - 1972) and "You Are the Key" (Ed Cadman, 1985 - 1986).

Frequently the theme urges Rotarians to become more involved in their club, such as "Share Rotary-Serve People" (Bill Skelton, 1983 - 84) or "Make Your Rotary Membership Effective" (Luther Hodges, 1967 - 1968). But whether you "Review and Renew," "Take a New Look," "Let Service Light the Way" or "Dignify the Human Being," it is clear that the RI president provides Rotarians with an important annual program of emphasis.

In 1986-87, President M.A.T. Caparas selected the inspiring message that "Rotary Brings Hope."

Charles Keller in 1987 - 1988 saw "Rotarians-United in Service, Dedicated to Peace," while Royce Abbey asked his fellow members in 1988 - 1989 to "Put Life into Rotary-Your Life." Hugh Archer (1989 - 1990) urged us to "Enjoy Rotary!" and Paulo Costa (1990 - 1991) asked that we "Honor Rotary with Faith and Enthusiasm." My predecessor Raja Saboo (1991 - 1992) exhorted every Rotarian to "Look Beyond Yourself." In 1992 - 1993, I reminded Rotarians, "Real Happiness Is Helping Others," and in 1993 - 1994, Bob Barth counseled Rotarians, "Believe In What You Do and Do What You Believe In." In 1994 - 1995, Bill Huntley encouraged Rotarians to "Be A Friend" to their communities.
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At this time of year with great interest, we always look forward to seeing the new theme announced.

​Published January 11, 2023 (sp)

The Midday Rotary Club of SMA in coordination with the SEG, is launching a pilot program to empower girls in San Miguel de Allende.

The Girls’ Empowerment Program consists of 36 workshops on the theme of “menstruation”, which will be taught by teachers prepared, in the months of January to April of this year, to girls of 5th and 6th grade, from rural communities of the municipality.

The workshops will be 2 to 3 times a week, and each consists of 5 modules of 2 hours.

Each girl who completes 4 of the 5 modules, will receive a menstrual control kit, which are washable, ecological, and reusable sanitary napkins, which will last 3 to 4 years.

In this first quarter, 400 girls are expected to be trained, and the goal is to teach 2,000 throughout the year.

The workshops will be taught by 10 teachers who were preparing for 6 months.

The program aims for all girls in all rural communities to empower themselves and take control of their lives, complete their education and proudly embrace everything that implies the condition of women.

The details were presented at a press conference Monday at the La Aurora Factory by José de Anda of the Midday Rotary Club of SMA, the Education Delegate of Region I of the SEG, Juan Rendón, and Erika Hernández, teacher and coordinator of the Empowerment Program.

By Paola Velasco

On December 5, celebrating International Volunteer Day, Midday Rotary members teamed up with Rotaract (Young Rotarians) to clean up the Las Cachinches Stream, a waterway that crosses the city from the Guadalupe neighborhood to El Parian square.

The work was hard, there was a lot of garbage that accumulated during the rainy season; They ended up with a truck full of garbage, mostly plastic objects. This cleaning guarantees not to contaminate the waterways any more when the next rainy season arrives. Volunteers had the opportunity to speak to locals, police, and the media about the importance of protecting rivers and natural spaces.

For Midday Rotary the spirit of volunteering and the spread of Rotary consciousness is essential, Teaming up for the common welfare is something that motivates you to volunteer and be able to help the community.

¡Thank you very much for your work!

by Robin Loving​

​September’s stone is sapphire, and the Midday Rotary Club had a royal blue month when it was visited by District Governor Jose de Jesus de la Cruz, otherwise known as Chuy. Chuy is a professional engineer, and is engineering great opportunities for Rotarians in Mexico. His support has helped us to become an excellent club, but we are headed for extraordinary, and following Chuy’s lead, no doubt we will achieve that.
 
One of Chuy’s focuses is peace, and he asked us to share that and more with all we meet. We did just that at the Peace Pole on the International Day of Peace Sept. 21, prompting several passersby to join us in a moment of peace, plan to visit our club, and tune into our Facebook page.
 
Chuy’s vision is to better connect clubs of English- and Spanish speakers, so his annual conference in Guadalajara May 7 will be bilingual. He is keen on innovation, so encouraged teaching folks to use digital tools and providing youth internships. Chuy saw that we are doing those things when he visited the Escuela for Educacion Especial that Rotarian John Doherty established and has run for 10 years.
 
Chuy feels that his Rotary mission is a calling. He emphasized that having heart is essential, that we should all set good examples, and that we don’t need money to provide service. He emphasized that what we do as Rotarians has worldwide impact, and to amplify that he would like to create an association of service clubs across all sectors for collaborative idea exchanges.
Chuy also wants clubs to have brother clubs so that we may be diplomats to one another for capacity building.
 
He stressed sustainability, which he saw in action when he visited Boca de Canada to meet with the women who have led Rotary’s rainwater harvesting and dry composting projects. The education they have received as a result of these Rotary projects has allowed them to grow all they need for balanced meals throughout the year; and create a living pharmacy of herbal potions to heal their community, for they are far from any doctor, and do not have resources to pay doctors.
 
This amazing community of women now make their own shampoo, soap, and honey from their plants and beekeeping operations, and the word they use for the difference between their lives before Rotary and now is transformation. They also sell and trade things they now make, such as marmalade, vinagre, and syrups. They are proud of their new-found economic and community development skills, and feel dignified that they are doing things ecologically.
 
Their sustainability measures will soon include making fertilizers from human waste, which will add to their self-confidence and empowerment. They said it is a pleasure learning and subsequently making all they can now make.
 
Watch for more from Rotary. One way to do so is to attend our meetings Tuesdays a 9:30 at Sala Quetzal at the Biblioteca Publica via the Relox entrance to Café Santa Ana, which Zenteno is now operating. In fact, Zenteno is offering breakfast options the hour before meetings.
 
Imagine a better world through Rotary service!