I begin this month’s DG message celebrating Hispanic Heritage month. Being that I am the first Hispanic District Governor for D5840 I’m excited to share my culture throughout this Rotary year #CincoDeRotary5840.
The Hispanic culture values family and I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my parents Joe and Yvonne Valdez for all their support. They have joined me in several club visits as my guests and even as my drivers so that it wouldn’t impact my work commitments.
First, they were with me when I had the opportunity to attend a club meeting with the RC of Seguin where I presented 9 Paul Harris Fellows. I enjoyed talking to the club about the Foundation and thanking them for their contributions. My family was also with me when I congratulated the newly named RC of Frio County at their club social. The former RC of Pearsall decided to change their name to better reflect their community. They have been expanding their service beyond Pearsall and the time came to make a change to the name.
My Mom and I continued with my DG visits to support the RC of Kerrville and RC of Kerrville Morning as they joined efforts with Kiwanis, Schreiner University, and Rise Against Hunger. This event took place during Rotary Community Service Week where RI is encouraging clubs to partner with other service organizations like Kiwanis, Lions, and Optimist clubs during the week of Sept 11-17. The additional surprise came when the community came together to pack 19,023 meals in honor of Schreiner University’s centennial anniversary. #CreateHopeInTheWorld
The following day we arrived in Ballinger, TX for another DG visit with the RC of Ballinger, RC of San Angelo, and RC of San Angelo Sunrise. These clubs came together over the weekend to support the RC of Ballinger’s annual Gun, Knife, and Outdoor show. The Ballinger Interact club also participated by serving lunch where all the meal proceeds supported their club. It was another wonderful demonstration of how the community and Rotary come together to make a difference while having fun. #CincoDeRotary5840
I close this first quarter of the Rotary Year with a DG visit to RC of Uvalde, RC of Del Rio, RC of Eagle Pass, and RC of Hondo/D’Hanis where we came together for a Vibrant Club Workshop and One Summit. Several District leaders came with me to facilitate this learning session to provide an opportunity for members to learn, collaborate and fellowship with members from other clubs.
See you all soon at our upcoming D5840 All-Hands on October 5th. All Rotarians can hear from our District Leaders on Membership, Foundation, Public Image, Service and much more.