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What was your most impactful Rotary Event? Please share your story with all of us. |
The three San Miguel de Allende Rotary and Rotaract Clubs were honored to host the District 4140 breakfast this past Saturday. About 170 Rotarians and Rotaract members were present to hear talks that focused on community projects, how projects are funded and monitored by Rotary International and growing membership. There was also an opportunity for clubs to showcase their ongoing projects that are having a positive impact in the community. Our Midday club showcased the school for deaf students (EESMA), the water projects (cisterns and dry composting toilets), and the Girls Empowerment project. At the end of the meeting the Girls Empowerment Project was recognized by the District and awarded a certificate along with a prize of 5,000 MXN. Please leave your comments below! | |
And a Great Time Was Had by All by Robin Loving We have all stepped up and down from various responsibilities in our lives, but seldom with as much fun as we all had at our Step-Up/Step-Down party in gratitude for Lee Carter’s most recent presidency and Joe Ruffino’s current presidency. Lee set the tone by giving Joe a tiny wooden gavel, saying with what we all knew was a little exaggeration, “This is all you’ll need to govern this year, for your team will handle the rest!” Joe’s outstanding team includes an indefatigable vice president of Community Service, Andrea Spessard; the most well-connected person anyone knows in San Miguel, Vice President of Club Services Ron Lenox; six-year treasury veteran Treasurer Melody Smith; well proven Vice President of Membership Peter Fay; detail-loving Secretary Eddie Colbeth; Sergeant-at-Arms Robin Loving; and the host of the party, President-Elect Dorothy Wallstein. “Great food, fun and fellowship,” said President Joe. “I believe there isn't anything this Club isn't capable of. The love and dedication that the membership has for the community and one another is amazing! It makes me proud and honored to belong,” he concluded. Watch for more opportunities to revel in Rotary coming up! | |
by Robin Loving San Miguel’s three Rotary Clubs gathered for three historic firsts in July: blood donations, installations of officers, and wheelchair distribution to children. Under the leadership of President Joe Ruffino from the English-speaking club, President Miguel Rangel Lara from the Spanish-speaking club, and President Victoria Nolasco Olvera from the young-members’ club, Rotary District 4140 Governor Pepe Garcia Leon installed each club’s 2023-2024 officers. “We are gathered together to Create Hope in the World,” said Garcia. “This year, we are focusing our work on creating hope to help the world heal from destructive conflicts and to help achieve lasting change,” he concluded. The three clubs then joined to create hope through donating blood. Twenty-seven Rotarians and friends participated in what is intended to become a regular activity. “We are thrilled that most of our donors were Mexicans since this has not been a tradition here in the past,” said Nolasco Olvera. Finally, the three clubs came together to help build, adjust, and donate more than 200 wheelchairs to children who heretofore have had to depend on others for mobility. This project has long been a tradition of the Spanish-speaking club, and now is a larger project shared by the three clubs. The children’s ages ranged from under 1 to 18 years old. Some were orphans. Many were transported by organizations, while families brought others. Their conditions included cerebral palsy, spinal bifida, scoliosis, and encephalitis, among others. Each wheelchair is adjustable to continue to suit the children as they grow. The average cost of each wheelchair, some of which were new and some of which were refurbished, was $3,000 USD. Each family contributed $1,000 pesos toward the cost, and the Rotary clubs raised the rest. The children live in eight cities in the region as well as many smaller communities. The children were identified by various media and a variety of local health organizations, including CRISMA, DIF, IMSS, Institucion Caises, ISSSTE, and Patronato Pro Ninos, Other major partners included Hope Haven West of California and Mexico which provided the assembly technicians to customize each wheelchair for each child. Two of the technicians from Mexico came in their personal wheelchairs. All of these technicians travel globally to provide their expertise. Additional collaborators included Bajio Go for transportation, CANIRAC for food, Keller Williams Realty for additional volunteers, San Miguel Shoes for publicity, UTSMA for location, as well as Cruz Roja, Design SMA, and the Municipality of San Miguel for additional support. “Thanks to Jose de Anda, for bringing us together for the first time in our combined 81-year history for these three impactful events,” said Rangel-Lara. De Anda founded Rotaract and is its secretary. He also is the official liaison between that club and the other two. “QUOTE FROM JOSE,” said De Anda. Rotary is where neighbors, friends and problem-solvers share ideas, join leaders, and take action to create lasting change. For more information about Rotary, contact our President, Joe Ruffino Jr. at j.ruffino@rotarysmamidday.org. | District RecognitionWheelchair ProjectBloodbank |
by Robin Loving “We are here because we love the people, projects, and opportunities to improve the community’s sustainability,” said Joe Ruffino, Rotary Midday’s President for 2023-2024 when he took office July 4. “We create hope in the world, the rewards of which are immeasurable. We have been recognized globally as an outstanding club thanks to outgoing President Lee and others over our 18-year, legacy-making history, and we’re not stopping there,” he continued. Joe went on to say that we will focus on organizational continuity and collaboration with both Rotaract’s younger members and the 'night club' of Spanish-speaking Rotarians who meet at another place and time each week. Meanwhile, we will continue focusing on outstanding meetings, projects, and international opportunities. One of those will be with an international partner that has success in turning around youth who might otherwise become incarcerated. “We are people of action,” said Joe as he introduced the incoming 2023-24 Board of Directors. Each Board Member then explained how they would contribute to the success of the club. | Passing of the gavel from Lee Carter to Joe Ruffino Jr. |
New Member InductionsTo kick off his presidential year, Joe inaugurated four new members, as follows:
“Create hope in the world in whatever Rotary way appeals to you,” continued Joe, whose enthusiasm filled the room and the hearts of all there. “Our service is so impactful Rotary International is considering featuring us on its magazine cover,” he concluded. | |
About seven or eight years ago Rotarian Nate Fultz had an idea to start planting trees in public spaces around San Miguel de Allende. It was a cool little project, he would find a space that needed trees, like parks or public facilities. Then he would head to one of the local Viveros and negotiate a price for the trees, dirt, and compost. After that part was finished, he would rally Rotarians to come out and plant them. Doing something nice for the community and creating a good fellowship opportunity. Unfortunately, 4 years ago Nate needed to return to The United States to care for his elderly Father. I took over the project for hm in 2019, and except for postponing the project during the Pandemic have been doing it ever since. This year we planted 15 trees at the Control Canino facility (city dog pound) so the dogs and the volunteers that walk the dogs could have some shade to relax in. The remaining trees this year will be spread across several parks. I really don’t know exactly how many trees the Midday rotary has planted, but my best guess is around One hundred and twenty give or take. We have done tree plantings in La Unidad Deportiva, The Alma Retirement Home, Control Canino, Parque Las Brisas, Parque enamorada, Parque Cochinita, Parque Loreto, and at least five or six others all around SMA. It cost approximately one thousand pesos to plant a decent tree, maybe three to four meters tall. My estimate is that the generous Rotarians in San Miguel have spent nearly one hundred and twenty thousand pesos to help green San Miguel de Allende. Fred Collins Midday Rotary Past President | |
June 30, 2023
To All My Dear Fellow Rotarians:
It is difficult for me not to feel an overwhelming emotion when I think of how special this Rotary Club family is to me. When my dear late wife and I spoke about the opportunity to serve as president of this club, she said, "You love those people and what they do and you should do it!" Many things have changed since that decision was made, but the heartfelt love that I still have for this club has not.
During President Lee’s administration, we experienced some exceptional growth and accomplishments. While most clubs struggled to keep their numbers, we grew. While most clubs struggled to keep projects moving, we grew and added. While most clubs struggled to diversify, we did it. All of our projects and their outreach have been incredible. The respect and recognition that we receive from our district and clubs far and wide shows we are such a vibrant group and people of action.
This is the time that our club needs to put the pedal to the metal. We have never been a group to just sit back, rest, and coast, and we certainly aren't going to start doing that now. The Board of this Club this year is a rocking powerhouse. Their energy, enthusiasm, knowledge and work ethic will mold this group into a Club that will be talked about around the globe in the next 3-to-5 years, seriously.
This Club is not about coasting; it’s about moving forward and creating hope. You joined this club to make a difference; now is your time to make that difference. Let's volunteer more, let's give more, let's be leaders and let's show San Miguel how we work together hand in hand creating that hope. I am excited and proud to become the president of this vibrant club for 2023-2024 I love you all, thank you!
Joe Ruffino
President 2023-24
To All My Dear Fellow Rotarians:
It is difficult for me not to feel an overwhelming emotion when I think of how special this Rotary Club family is to me. When my dear late wife and I spoke about the opportunity to serve as president of this club, she said, "You love those people and what they do and you should do it!" Many things have changed since that decision was made, but the heartfelt love that I still have for this club has not.
During President Lee’s administration, we experienced some exceptional growth and accomplishments. While most clubs struggled to keep their numbers, we grew. While most clubs struggled to keep projects moving, we grew and added. While most clubs struggled to diversify, we did it. All of our projects and their outreach have been incredible. The respect and recognition that we receive from our district and clubs far and wide shows we are such a vibrant group and people of action.
This is the time that our club needs to put the pedal to the metal. We have never been a group to just sit back, rest, and coast, and we certainly aren't going to start doing that now. The Board of this Club this year is a rocking powerhouse. Their energy, enthusiasm, knowledge and work ethic will mold this group into a Club that will be talked about around the globe in the next 3-to-5 years, seriously.
This Club is not about coasting; it’s about moving forward and creating hope. You joined this club to make a difference; now is your time to make that difference. Let's volunteer more, let's give more, let's be leaders and let's show San Miguel how we work together hand in hand creating that hope. I am excited and proud to become the president of this vibrant club for 2023-2024 I love you all, thank you!
Joe Ruffino
President 2023-24
by Robin Loving Imagine: You are a campo girl of 10 – 12 who knows nothing about your body’s operation. Your house has a dirt floor, no windows or doors, no running water, no electricity, no gas. You have to work several days a week instead of going to school, and then that time of the month comes when you can’t do even those things because you have no supplies to manage your body’s functions. In comes Rotary Club of San Miguel Midday with its Girls’ Empowerment Program with its Ninas Sabias (Wise Girls) curriculum. When you are at school one-week, Mexican female teachers come in and through song, dance, and ritual, teach you about your body and its importance to the world. At first, you don’t have the confidence to meet their eyes and say your name. By Friday, you are joyously celebrating your womanhood, and you have a reusable kit of supplies to keep you at work and at school. Rotary began thinking about this project in May 2021. By January of 2022, the community need and concept was shared with all members and a team was formed to research resources. By the summer of 2022, Rotary was paying for local women to become trained and certified as Ninias Sabias teachers. In early January 2023, Rotary had a contract with the Secretary of Education of the State of Guanajuato to begin. Two weeks later, teachers were in schools during the school day for a week of transformative education. Immediately, the boys wanted in on whatever this mysterious, private class was. By spring of 2023, Rotary had developed a SEG-approved curriculum for a boys’ program in the schools. It will teach the boys about their puberty as well as respect for the girls’ transformations. It will stress responsibility, accountability, and goal-setting in personal, family, and community contexts. Both programs focus on the importance of education and staying in school to help them break the cycle of generational poverty. Empowering women and children is one of Rotary’s seven areas of focus. Rotary here applied to Rotary International Foundation to fund this program and received a global grant of $91,000 USD to train 2,000+ girls over a year. Because this program is so popular with local volunteers, this money will go farther, for there now are some volunteer drivers who make their ways over unpaved, rutty, rocky roads to take the teachers back and forth each day. The plan is to return to these same 168 communities every two years to ensure that more children who are coming of age have this essential, life-changing education. As well, a future phase will bring this program to urban schools, as well. If you would like to volunteer to participate in this impactful community project, contact Andrea Spessard at alspessard@gmail.com. | |
By Etelka Lehoczky After imagining the future of Rotary in Melbourne, Australia, members and speakers at the 2023 Rotary International Convention looked ahead to next year's gathering in Singapore and being able to share hope with the world by focusing on mental health and well-being. "Singapore is a city that embodies the spirit of service and giving back to the community," said Jennifer Scott, chair of the 2024 International Convention Committee. "This city-state is a hub of culture, cuisine, and innovation, and is renowned for its architecture, natural beauty, and bustling nightlife. There is something for everyone in Singapore." During the convention's closing session, 2023-24 Rotary International President R. Gordon R. McInally explained why he's asking members to make mental health a priority. When his only brother took his own life, McInally said, he became determined to fight the stigma around mental health issues and expand access to care. "I might venture to suggest that one of the main reasons that my brother and so, so many others like him reach the point they do is that mental health remains such a taboo subject, and that mental health services remain in such short supply," he said. "I know that Rotary can do something about that. I am confident we can illuminate mental health needs near and far." "We can help one another feel more supported as fellow Rotary members and as neighbors," McInally continued. "We can advocate for mental health services. And we can build bridges with experts in the mental health space to help expand access to treatment." McInally urged Rotary members to Create Hope in the World by getting involved and taking action at a critical moment in history. "To create hope, we must continue doing our important work, and do it better than ever before," he said. "We must refocus our efforts to build peace across the globe. And we must help each other find peace within — and share that ethic of care to the people we serve." Earlier in the day, Kunle Adeyanju, president of the Rotary Club of Ikoyi Metro A.M., Nigeria, reflected on how to fulfill the promise of a polio-free world. In 2022, Adeyanju rode a motorcycle from London, England, to Lagos, Nigeria, to raise money and draw attention to the cause. "We're in the last mile of the push toward polio eradication. That's quite encouraging," Adeyanju said. "But when you're so close to the tipping point, the whole gain you've achieved in the last 30 years could go away in one day." He compared the commitment to end polio to his marathon ride. "There were several instances where I was in the Sahara and I kept asking myself, 'Why am I doing this? Why did I get myself here?' But the resilient spirit in us says, 'Yes, it's difficult, but it's doable.' That's the same mindset we need to put into eradicating polio around the world." During another session that focused on the difficult but doable, past Rotary Peace Fellow Ryan Rowe introduced Haitian Rotarians who have been working to bring clean water to 770,000 people in seven counties throughout the country as part of HANWASH, or the Haiti National Clean Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Initiative. Over the last three years, the organization has raised US$1.8 million to dig wells, build latrines, and modernize water systems around the country. Organizers also plan to invest US$400,000 in a mentoring and training program for local engineers. This "is an incredible story of Rotary impact that the entire world needs to hear," Rowe said. In her closing remarks, Rotary International President Jennifer Jones, who made history as the organization's first female president, made the connection between imagining Rotary — the idea of her presidential theme — and hope, an element of McInally's. "We don't imagine yesterday — and we also don't look for hope in past actions," Jones said. "'Hope' and 'imagine' are words for tomorrow — words that propel us forward. They build upon each other and offer a path forward. A path of continuity." |