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President's Statement


Dr. Cecilia Garza
President

Dear Fellow Rotarians,

I am honored to serve as your president for the 2006-2007 Rotary year.

The path to this position has been one that started in 1985 when I was a member of the Group Study Exchange with Canada. I believe each of us join Rotary for various reasons which culminate in a joint mission to serve our community, our nation and ultimately our planet Earth. Each Rotarian brings with him/her tremendous talents, skills and most importantly, the desire to serve and to share in fellowship. Rotarians recognize that our world can be a better place and to accomplish our goals, we must participate and be a part of the solution.

It is my hope for this year that each of us renews our commitment to the ideals of Rotary International and to communicate this message to others:

"The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;

SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;

THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business and community life;

FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service."

At the club-level, we have ambitious plans to enrich the excellent service projects that have been endorsed by my predecessors, for whom I have the greatest respect. Our planned activities are: the Diploma Plus, the winning Astros Little League team, the Salvation Army bell ringing, Whitewater International Leadership Program, Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA), the Four-Way Test Speech Contest, the scholarships for higher education, Scouting, school supplies and Shots across Texas, tree-planting, the annual Christmas Party, the Interact Clubs with Saint Augustine High School and Nixon High School, and the weekly Program speakers.

More specifically I have these additional goals for the 2006-2007 year:

  • Recruit members who fully understand the concept of "Service Above Self" to achieve a net increase of one member by April 2007.
  • Encourage professional diversity of membership.
  • Recognize members with a successful record of recruitment.
  • Invite all members to take an active role in any one Club activity or service. (No one should feel left out.)
  • Invite members to include their families in Club projects.
  • Inform members of the changes to the By-laws recommended by Rotary International.
  • Promote Club activities and Rotary in the local media.
  • Initiate more interaction among members via the proposed "FITNESS and FELLOWSHIP" walking program.
  • Encourage members to display the Four-Way Test in their businesses.
  • Recognize community volunteers with a Service Above Self Award at least quarterly.
  • Develop a new way to support Vocational Service.
  • Organize a presentation to explain giving opportunities to the Rotary Foundation.
  • Keep Club expenses to a minimum.

Ideally, Rotarians contribute their time and resources. To accomplish our goals we need several fundraisers that are truly enjoyable such as the Bowling Tournament, the beer sales at the Air Show and the Bicycle Race. I welcome your suggestions for productive fundraisers and I invite you to ‘Lead the Way’ and join me as we work to implement the goals of Rotary International and to measure our success by what is yet to be done.

Dr. Cecilia Garza