Content
Quest Rotary District 6930
The Official District Magazine
Disease Prevention and Treatment Month
Promote Rotary! Distribute this magazine to your place of business, family and friends.
Spread the word!
Editor Dini Heizer
Page 3 Rotary Foundation Named World’s Outstanding Foundation for 2016
Page 9 Global Grant Project - Honduras
Page 24
Tell Your Story Page 37 & 38
Graphic Designer Andre Heizer
Contributors Governor Eric Gordon Juan Ortega Vera Schater Gabriela Heizer Angelica Blakely
Published by:
Governor Message
Disease Prevention and Treatment Month Rotary International has designated December as Disease Prevention and Treatment Month. Disease prevention and treatment takes on many forms, from supporting studies to helping immunize people to improving drinking water and the sanitation infrastructure. The world relies on Rotary to tackle these global challenges, and to set an example for others to follow. Rotary’s top priority is the eradication of polio, but our members take on far greater responsibilities to fight disease. They set up health camps and training facilities in undeveloped countries and in communities struggling with HIV/AIDS and malaria. They also design and build the infrastructure for doctors, nurses, governments, and partners to reach the one in six people in the world who can’t afford to pay for health care. In this month of celebration, the “six areas of focus” have never been more important. Starting with Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution, they all interconnect to make a safer, healthier, and better world so Rotarians are addressing critical humanitarian issues and needs in their own communities and worldwide, with disease prevention and treatment, and maternal and child health top priorities. Disease Prevention What you can do – Support health education programs that explain how diseases are spread, and promote ways to reduce the risk of transmission. Carry out immunizations against infectious diseases Health Care What you can do – Sponsor continuing education and training for health workers, including supporting scholarships, stipends, and public recognition. Improve and expand access to low-cost and free health care in underserved areas. As we end this year and begin a new one all Rotarians should make a resolution to help improve the health and well-being being of people locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. I wish all of you a very healthy and happy holiday and look forward to all the amazing things we will accomplish togerther next year. Yours In Rotary Service
Eric Gordon
District Governor Quest Edition 5
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Calendar
DECEMBER - Disease Prevention and Treatment Month
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December 2016 Quest
District Leadership
District Governor Gordon, Eric (Eric) Office: 561-308-9305 Club: Royal Palm Beach
PolioPlus Chair Owen, Frances Virgin (Betsy & Mike) Office: Club: Delray Beach
iPDG Burkett, B. Eugene (Gene) Office: 321-631-0383 Club: Merritt Island
District Treasurer Herschbein, Ira (Ira) Office: 561-287-4312 Club: Boca Raton Sunrise
District Secretary Miller, Jeanette K (Jeanette) Office: 863-763-7711 Club: Okeechobee DG-Elect Freudenberg, David (Dave & Pat) Office: Club: Downtown Boca Raton
DG-Nominee Babbitt, Julia (Julia & Clint) Office: Club: Indialantic
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Public Image Kaye, Jon A (Jon) Office: 561-3925166 Club: Downtown Boca Raton
Asst Governor (Area 1) Fertel, Stanley M. (Stanley) Office: Club: Boca Raton Sunrise
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Asst Governor (Area 2) Etzler, Candace (Candace & Emil) Office: 561-398-4403 Club: Delray Beach
Asst Governor (Area 3) Walker, Barnie G. Jr. (Barnie) Office: 561-422-2021 Club: Pahokee
Asst Governor (Area 4) Kollmer, Marianne B. (Marianne) Office: Club: Jupiter-Tequesta
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Asst Governor (Area 7) Gingras, Marc (Marc) Office: Club: Sebastian
Asst Governor (Area 8) Sutter, Richard Daniel (Rich) Office: 321-723-3352 Club: Eau Gallie
Asst Governor (Area 9) Mulberry, Brenda (Brenda) Office: 321-453-7453 Club: Cocoa Beach
Asst Governor (Area 5) Tobin, Patricia A. (Pat) Office: Club: Stuart Rotary Club, Inc
Asst Governor (Area 10) Angel, Baerbel (Babs) Office: Club: Titusville-Sunrise
Asst Governor (Area 6) Gaiser, Donna (Donna) Office: Club: Okeechobee
Membership Chair Hodge, Arthur W (Arthur) Office: 772-778-3910 Club: Vero Beach Sunrise
December 2016 Quest
District Rotary Foundation Chair Ortega, Juan F. (Juanfer) Office: 561-537-4504 Club: Wellington
Alumni Coordinator Pearl, William (Bill) Office: 561-691-9912 Club: Palm Beach
Vocational Service Chair Hattwick, Richard (Dick) Office: Club: Lake Worth
Webmaster Tomchin, Ronald E. (Ron) Office: 561-557-8388 Club: Royal Palm Beach
Newsletter Editor Heizer, Dini Mancebo (Dini) Office: Club: Boca Raton West
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RI Convention Promoter Asch, Christina (Christina) Office: 321-267-3376 Club: Titusville-Sunrise
DCO-District Comm. Officer Thorne-Shearer, Betty L. (Betty) Office: 772-971-5720 Club: Port St. Lucie
Youth Service Chair Susin, Matthew (Matt) Office: 321 726 6550 Club: Suntree
Trainer Sutton, Carol (Carol) Office: Club: Northern Palm Beaches
Matching Grants Chair Lustig, Philip Harry III (Phil) Office: 561-212-6554 Club: Boca Raton Sunset
Literacy TF Chair Voss, Gay S. (Gay) Office: Club: Boynton Beach-Lantana
Member Walstrom, Michael F. (Michael) Office: Club: Downtown Boca Raton
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Club Directory 8
December 2016 Quest
International
ROTARY FOUNDATION NAMED WORLD'S OUTSTANDING FOUNDATION FOR 2016
The Association of Fundraising Professionals has recognized The Rotary Foundation with its annual Award for Outstanding Foundation. The award honors organizations that show philanthropic commitment and leadership through financial support, innovation, encouragement of others, and involvement in public affairs. Some of the boldest names in American giving — Kellogg, Komen, and MacArthur, among others —are past honorees. “We are honored to receive this recognition from the AFP, which gives us even more reason to celebrate during our Foundation’s centennial year,” says Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Kalyan Banerjee. “The continued strong support of Rotary members will help us keep our promise of a polio-free world for all children and enable the Foundation to carry out its mission of advancing world understanding, goodwill, and peace. We look forward to another 100 years of Rotary members taking action to make communities better around the world.” The announcement came on 15 November, known to industry professionals since the 1980s as National Philanthropy Day. The award will be presented in early 2017 at the AFP’s annual conference in San Quest Edition 5
Francisco. Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair-elect Paul Netzel is set to accept the award on Rotary’s behalf, and Eric Schmelling, director of fund development at Rotary, will speak at the conference. The event is expected to draw more than 3,400 senior-level fundraising professionals from 33 countries. “While almost everyone is familiar with Rotary, not everyone may realize just how much of an impact Rotary and The Rotary Foundation have had on countless people and communities across the globe,” says Jason Lee, AFP president and CEO. “On behalf of the entire charitable sector and people around the world, all of us at AFP are honored to be able to recognize The Rotary Foundation as our 2016 Outstanding Foundation.” AFP’s committee of judges cited Rotary’s comprehensive campaign to eradicate polio as a major driver of the selection. They also mentioned that Rotary applies a methodical, purposeful approach to support a wide variety of causes, from providing clean water to educating the next generation of peace professionals.
Rotary News Photo Credit: Rotary International// Alyce Henson
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VIRTUAL REALITY FILMS BRING NEW DIMENSION TO POLIO FIGHT
Behind the scenes of Rotary’s virtual reality film about a polio survivor, a specially outfitted camera captures a 360-view of a classroom in India.
At this year’s World Polio Day celebration in Atlanta, Rotary is harnessing the power of virtual reality technology to build empathy and inspire action in our fight to eradicate polio.
Rotary, with support from the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, produced a virtual reality film that tells the story of Alokita, a young adult who suffered paralysis from polio as a child growing up in India, which has been polio-free since 2011. “When you open your eyes and see a different
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environment around you, you relate to the subject on a visceral, personal level,” says Vincent Vernet, direct of digital and publishing with Rotary’s communications team, who spearheaded the project. “The final push to end polio requires significant resources and emotional investment. This type of innovative technology has the potential to inspire that.” Actress and polio ambassador Archie Panjabi introduces us to Alokita, part of the last generation of children to be affected by polio, and the doctors working to provide corrective surgery to survivors like her. Viewers are transported to India as soon as they put on the virtual reality headset, which transmits the 360-degree mix of sights and sounds. In this interactive environment, viewers roam the streets of Delhi and the halls of St. Stephen’s Hospital, home to India’s only polio ward, where Alokita takes her first steps in 11 years.
The agency also produced a film, You are there: On the road to making polio history, in this model. Actor and goodwill ambassador Ewan McGregor introduces and narrates the five-minute film, which takes us to a Kenyan village to meet a nine-year-old boy infected with polio and a vaccinator working to spare other children his fate.
Both films will debut on World Polio Day, at the Atlanta headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where facilitators will walk newcomers through the individual viewing process. Then the two films will travel to San Diego for an audience with Rotary leaders at the International Assembly in early 2017 and will be available to the public later in the year.
Watch the World Polio Day livestream at endpolio. org for a global update on the polio eradication campaign. • Use #endpolio to join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. • Learn more about UNICEF’s virtual reality UNICEF has worked with projects. virtual reality since 2015, recognizing that immersive experience can be a By Sallyann Price powerful advocacy tool. Rotary News •
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District
DIstrict 6930
is excited to
announce will be held on
April 19th -23rd, 2017
and
will be returning to the
Elks Youth Camp. We look forward to your Club’s participation
RYLA 2017 will include presentations, activities, and sessions that cover a variety of topics, including: workshops in leadership fundamentals and ethics, communication skills, problem solving and conflict management, community and global citizenship, and more enhanced by professional speakers. In addition the camp facility allows us the opportunity to offer different activities led by certified instructors such as archery, canoeing, rope course, aquatic center, bon fires, state of the art gymnasium plus lots more. Getting the students to the camp will be very simple as we will be chartering buses to take them and at the same time it has proven to be a great bonding experience with their fellow participants before they even arrive. Please click on this link to access a brief video about last year’s program: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-OIBJujd_3kZEJSaWotUkc5b1U/view Application Schedule and Process: Based on the inquiries about this year’s program from our clubs throughout the district and in order to allow our delegates to have and enjoy the most out of their experience we may have to limit the amount of delegates we can except. We need your cooperation with letting us know how many delegates your club will be sponsoring this year no later than December 31st. The cost is only $425 per delegate, and the experience can and has been life-changing. Of course, the next step is to select the best delegates. We envision our clubs will contact schools and solicit applications much like many of you do for your existing Scholarship Programs. Remember, RYLA is and should be considered a scholarship that is given to the most deserving applicants. The signed and notorized application forms from each delegate must be submitted no later than February 28th. Please review all forms before submitting to make sure all applicable signatures and signatures needing to be notorarized are complete as well as the signed form from your club. Once the number of delegates is finalized invoices will be sent for payment. This is a fantastic opportunity for the Rotarians in District 6930 to help our young adults on the path to realizing their full potential. Any questions or comments, please contact: RYLA Co-Chairperson
Nadine Burns -561-358-8501- nadineburnslw@yahoo.com Quest Edition 5
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ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE October 2016 PART 1 * Lewis Fogel * Lee Barnard * Dawn Bloomfield * Dallon Boyd * Fred Bonardi * Penny Morey * Gustavo Couto * Dini Heizer * John Fischer * Vera Schafer * Robert McCabe * Joseph Riopel PART 2 * Bill Branan * Kathleen Lockhart * Matthieu Daquin * Nadine Burns * Tod Hardacre * Denise Whitehead * Harry Lerch
PART 3 * Chris Vorce * Richard Hattwick * Jim Kusel * Pamela O’Donnell * Michael Walstrom
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Rotary Club of Vero Beach Sunrise
Clubs
Sunrise Rotary Vero Beach has done an International Project in the Dominican Republic for the last 5 years. Starting with a save the Children water project, rolling into a literacy project and adding a dental project.. We recently got word from our Rotarian partner in LaPlata DR that a bus was needed to transport kids to school...A Haitian School....in the DR. Here is a story that Brian Carman, who has been there from the beginning wrote: In the small, remote village of La Colorada in the Dominican Republic, about 50 children have no reliable way to get to their school, a public school about 6 kilometers away. Presently being transported in an old ford van, it can take as many as three trips, each way, every day on a busy highway. Bob Hildreth, a member of the Rotary Club of Puerto Plata, who has been working with the Sunrise Rotary Club of Vero Beach for the last six years, providing Bio-Sand Filters and other projects, casually mentioned to the Sunrise Rotary Club that a school bus would be a blessing, if they could ever find one. Sunrise Rotary in Vero Beach responded by trying to purchase a bus at auction from the Indian River County School district. After finding that they were outbid at that auction in August, they began searching for used school buses on-line. After many hours of searching and calling, a promising lead developed in an Avon Park used truck dealer. Sunrise Rotarians Brian and Leigh Carman made the trip to Avon Park and found, after a tour of over 75 busses, a 2002 Thomas/Freightliner bus that was in great condition. The dealer offered them a good price and a way to export the bus to the Dominican Republic. Two other members of the Sunrise Rotary Club, Steve Brewer and Tom Groendyke chipped in to have six brand new tires mounted on the bus. The bus was then donated to a Dominican Republic non-profit agency which will make the 65 passenger bus available to the community of La Colorada for its children to travel to school safely. It will also be used for adults of the village to travel to the city for medical appointments, shopping and other errands essential to help improve their living conditions. Sunrise Rotary International Service Chair Dr. Rick Root said that “This is a very important asset to the community. This gives the village the means to educate their children and improve their living conditions.” Dr. Root is also leading a team of three Rotarian dentists and dental technicians to the village to offer free dental exams and care. This is just part of Sunrise Rotary’s commitment to life in the Dominican Republic, having donated money for water filters, concrete floors, a kitchen for a Haitian-run school and participated the building of a water aqueduct system that serves over 200 homes in the Dominican Republic. Sunrise Rotary club president Kevin Anderson, who has traveled there, is delighted with the support of the 80+ members of the club. “The enthusiasm for this school bus project has given the club a sense of real accomplishment by helping those in need” International Service is one of Five “Avenues of Service” Rotary requires of its clubs. Sunrise Rotary Vero Beach is passionate about its service in the Dominican Republic! Contact Sunrise any WEd at the Grille on the Green at 7am for a meeting. By Debbie Avery
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Port St. Lucie Sunset Rotary Club PORT ST. LUCIE – The Port St. Lucie Sunset Rotary Club recently observed Literacy Month with an in-school reading and book giveaway event. Club members visited all the kindergarten classes at Renaissance Charter School at Tradition and read two books from the Mr. Men and Little Miss series with the children. Each child was presented with a copy of both books to take home, and copies were also donated to the classrooms’ libraries. “Our literacy program is one of the community service projects I enjoy most,” said Jeannette Weiss, the club’s president. “Our county’s tuition-free charter schools serve children of all abilities and backgrounds, so we were happy to have the opportunity to interact with Renaissance students, as we have with many of the other schools in Port St. Lucie.” Books were also donated to Port St. Lucie’s Morningside Elementary School library. The book donations were paid for with a grant from Rotary District 6930. District grants fund small-scale, short-term activities that address needs in the applicant club’s community and communities abroad. For more information about Port St. Lucie Sunset Rotary, please visit wwwww.pslsunsetrotary.com. About the Port St. Lucie Sunset Rotary Club The Port St. Lucie Sunset Rotary is a local branch of Rotary International. The club is involved in more than a dozen local, national and international causes, including polio eradication programs, clean water projects, and educational projects. The Port St. Lucie Sunset Rotary Club is the recipient of the 2010 Philanthropy Award for Outstanding Group Supporting Philanthropy in St. Lucie County. The group meets at 5:30 p.m. on the first and third Tuesday of each month at PGA Golf Club, 1916 Perfect Drive, Port St. Lucie. Those interested in attending a meeting or joining the organization may call Jack Lutz at 772-879-8700 ext. 132 or visit our website at www. pslsunsetrotary.com.Those interested in speaking to our club, may contact george.seliga@sci-us.com. About Rotary International Rotary International is the world's first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio under the motto “Service Above Self.” PHOTO CAPTION: Port St. Lucie Sunset Rotary Club member Gerald Wilcox reads with a kindergarten class at Renaissance Charter School at Tradition. By Maureen Saltzer
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Rotary Club of Palm Beach What happened in Palm Beach? Who took the memorial? The Rotary Club of Palm Beach has restored the plaques in Town Square that were placed in 1985 to remember the residents of Palm Beach who served in World War II. This gift to the town of Palm Beach cost over $20,000, and was proposed six years ago by Rotarian Ames Bennett who designed the monument. As the original plaques were cast in aluminum, they deteriorated over time. The new bronze plaques are identical, with the addition of a small plaque with the Rotary logo noting that the renovations were made possible by the Rotary Club of Palm Beach. The monument will continue to honor the residents of Palm Beach who served their country in World War II for many years to come, unaffected by our sea air. The new plaques have been cast in Pittsburgh by Matthews International, a company that has produced many beautiful bronze memorials for American veterans. The plaques have arrived in West Palm Beach so they can be rolled to fit the wall by Kline Specialty Metals. The wall surfaces are being prepared and painted for installation. The new plaques will be dedicated on December 13 when the Town of Palm Beach will conduct a postponed Veteran’s Day ceremony. The Palm Beach centennial construction around Town Square will be complete by then. As the Town Council meets on that day, good attendance is expecteds. The time has been set for 9 am. Special invitations have been extended to World War II veterans. The whole community has been invited, as well as District Governor Eric Gordon and nearby Rotary Club presidents and members. The club has been assisted by the Palm Beach Centennial Committee and the Town of Palm Beach in organizing the event. There will be a flag raising ceremony and a speech by Mayor Gail Coniglio and a distinguished veteran. President of the club Riccardo Boehm will highlight the work that the Palm Beach Rotary Club does in the Town of Palm Beach and in the county. Hopefully this will inspire donations so that the Rotary Club can continue to do good with college scholarships for Palm Beach County high school students and with the club’s international projects. All Rotarians, please come and celebrate Veterans with us. By Riccardo Boehm Quest Edition 5
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Foundation Corner
Global Grant Project - Honduras Eau Gallie Rotary is putting together a Global Grant to provide vocational training equipment for a school in Puerto Cortes, Honduras. We are seeking other clubs to participate in financing the cash portion of the grant. This is an opportunity for any club to get involved in an international project with a small contribution yet learn the important aspects of how the Foundation multiplies contributions and how we can make a difference in the lives of people in other parts of the world we will never meet. I hope Viera Rotary will consider partnering with us. This grant project evolved in an unusual way. A couple of years ago our church Missions Committee met with a lady named Ana Reid, a missionary in Puerto Cortes, Honduras. We were very impressed with her and what she was doing in the area. At the end of our meeting, she happened to mention that she had just joined the Rotary club in Puerto Cortes. Hank Nelson, an Eau Gallie Rotarian and a member of the committee, and I filed that away as a future possibility for a relationship. Last November, Hank and I were part of a medical mission team that went to Puerto Cortes. The trip was organized by Ana, and she did an awesome job. While there we went to the Puerto Cortes Rotary Club meeting, and were taken around to some of their projects by club members another day. What this small club has done is amazing. Among other things, the have built, equipped and operate an entire school, and have provided vocational equipment to other schools in the area. The Rotarians are fully knowledgeable about the grants system and its requirements, and have successfully applied for and completed a number of grants in the past. We learned at that time that Ana was the president elect of her club. We discussed the possibility of working together on a Global Grant project, and left it in their hands to contact us. Ana reached out a couple of months ago with a project to support the Vocational Education School of Travesia. The proposed project involves purchasing vocational training equipment for this disadvantaged school in the Puerto Cortes area. We visited a school for which their club had purchased similar equipment and saw the students being trained in welding, cooking, sewing, woodworking, etc. This will make a huge impact on the ability of the students to get a job in the future. To me the most important thing in a grant project, besides the benefit to be gained by the project itself, is knowledge of and trust in the host club, the club on the ground. They will be doing the heavy lifting of preparing the grant application, handling the funds, purchasing the equipment and arranging the training aspect as well as preparing the final report with receipts. Knowing Ana and having visited their club and met its members, I am confident in entering into a Global Grant project with them. As an added bonus, Hank is going back to the area the end of October and will be able to meet with them again. The total projected budget is $36,200. Another unusual aspect of this grant and club is that they will be putting up $1,000 cash and hope to receive $2,000 DDF from their district. We rarely get financial support from the host club. With their contribution, and with our district's DDF matching policies, we need to raise only $4,600 cash. Because of one of the aspects of the Presidential Citation for this year, we hope to have at least 5 clubs participate in the grant. It would be great if Melbourne Beach would participate at some level. $500 or $1,000 would be great, but anything is fine. Please let me know when you can if Viera Rotary wishes to participate and how much you wil be contributing. We won't need the cash until the grant is approved, which will be at least a few months. We do need to list the participating clubs in our grant application. I will forward the draft application once it is completed. If you have any questions, please let me know. I can come to your meeting to address the club and explain the process if you wish. Thank you for your consideration!
Jim Sisserson 321-543-7973
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Rotaract
Rotaract Palm Beach State College As I was contemplating what to write I aimed to highlight the best part of Rotaract. Is it the community service? No. That’s incredibly important but there’s something else. I decided to ask for help from our Rotaract club members and that’s when it hit me. Rotaracters are the best part of this club. They are the foundation that all the service builds upon. The passion of the students for helping others the way I’ve witnessed first hand since being in this club gives me so much hope for what we will achieve in the future when it is our time to be the leaders of the world. I would like to highlight one Rotaracter in particular; Alex Milan. Alex joined the Rotaract club in Fall 2015. She was a Rotary Club of Boca Raton Scholar and joined the club not knowing what to expect. Alex hit the ground running already having a passion for community service, wanted to help protect the environment and work with local animal shelters. She immediately fit in. Our Rotaract club has always encouraged our members to lead community service projects they were passionate about. Alex was a natural born leader and took this challenge to new heights when she had lead more service projects in her first semester than any of us last year. It is people like her that help empower others to chase their passions and help steer them on the right path. The members look to her for guidance and honestly so do I. I asked her to summarize this semester and here is what she had to say: “We are doing our best to bring as many students to this amazing club as we can. Those of us that are in the club meet weekly to discuss community service events we can participate in and overall how to better our community as young professionals. This semester we have attended a walk for break cancer in Mizner Park, have helped at Boca Helping Hands and have participated in a beach clean up at the Sandoway House in Delray Beach. We are working hard to make the Rotary Club proud and give back as much as we can to our community.” As you can see she is dedicated to Rotaract, she inspires everyone in the club and I am proud to call her my President Elect. Jon Carter President of Rotaract Palm Beach State College
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Rotary Youth Exchange
Kayla Harshman
Italy
Hometown: Orange City, Florida School: University High Sponsor District: 6970 Sponsor Club: DeBary-DeltonaOrange City Host District: 2080
My Bio Salve! My name is Kayla Harshman; I am apart of Rotary district 6970 and I will be spending a year in Italy! I have lived in Orange City, Florida all seventeen years of my life and am a dual enrolled student. During my high school career I have enjoyed the opportunity to take college courses; but this is the next chapter of my life and I am ever so thankful to Rotary and Rotary Club of DeBaryDeltona-Orange City for sponsoring me. I am a senior at University High and take college courses at Daytona State College. I have taken German and Ceramics for the past three years I attended University and both learning new languages and creating art have become hobbies of mine. I am the youngest of six kids but I currently live with my step father, sister and nephew. I love to cook for my family and in the spare time I do have aside from my studies, I’m either with my friends or at the gym. Applying to RYE was the greatest decision I have ever made and I cannot wait for what this year has in store for me. I will miss my friends and family but the new experiences I will be having and new friends and family I will be making will all be worth it. I’m excited to learn a new language and I cannot wait to meet my new family and learn what their culture means to them.
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Journal: Kayla – Italy 2016-17 Ciao tutti! Today marks one month, one week and one day here in Italy. I cannot believe it has only been just over my first month! Upon my arrival I was greeted with a very warm welcome from my first host family the Catgiu’s. We live not too far from the beautiful city of Cagliari on the island of Sardegna. On my first night my host family took me out to show me the city and it was truly an experience I will never forget. We walked up a bit of an incline to find a gorgeous view of the city. On my second day I had the opportunity to meet all the other exchange students in my city and also my district! Luckily, I arrived just in time to participate in inbound weekend. After a four hour bus ride to the city Olbia I found myself in a hotel with exchange students from all around the world. This was a unique beginning to my exchange that I was very grateful for, as all the students welcomed me and shared with me what they had already experienced so far. After orientation weekend I returned to my host family to begin my new routine 5,000 miles from home. I began to attend Liceo Artistico Foiso Fois. Here I study mathematics, physics, chemistry, art history, English, Italian and graphics. In Italy there is five years of secondary schooling and I have been placed in the fourth year. For those who choose artistic school this fourth year is the year you select which type of art you want to specialize in; and for me I was given graphics. For this course we often work on computers. I am very fortunate to have been placed in graphics as I have been using the programs we work in for years. I come home from school at 2:30pm to have lunch with my host family every day except Sunday’s (of course because there is no school Sunday). I take the metro for one stop and then a bus to return home. It does not seem so, but life here is very different. I would not trade this opportunity for anything; I am learning something new every day, whether that is about the language, my host city or even myself. I am so grateful Rotary chose me for this exchange and I am excited to keep you guys updated! Until next time, arrivederci! Tue, November 8, 2016
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Local Tourism
City of Cocoa Beach History The first real settlement in Cocoa Beach, Florida was started by a family of newly freed slaves following the Civil War, but a hurricane in 1885 discouraged settlement. Then, in 1888, a group of Cocoa men bought the entire tract of land. The land remained untouched until an attorney named Gus Edwards arrived. He bought Cocoa Beach and began to develop it. The City of Cocoa Beach was established on June 5, 1925, and was incorporated as a City on June 29, 1957. Cocoa Beach came to life during the 1960s due to America’s space program. NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center is located approximately 15 miles away. The city became home to many young families where one or both parents worked on some aspect of the space program. Children raised here were sometimes referred to as “Cape Brats.” The community was once so full of children that the schools overflowed and portable class rooms were built to host them. It was not unheard of for there to be 45 children per classroom. After manned space flights, the town held astronaut parades. Before there was a “Silicon Valley,” Cocoa Beach and other surrounding towns were full of the best and brightest technical minds around. Today, many Kennedy Space Center workers still call Cocoa Beach home. Cocoa Beach was also the setting for the 1960s sitcom “I Dream of Jeannie,” although only one episode was actually filmed here (Jeannie’s wedding).
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Cocoa Beach, along Florida’s Space Coast, makes for an out-of-this-world family vacation. Your group can ride some waves, check out the world-famous pier, marvel at Ron Jon’s, the world’s largest surf shop, hike through nature preserves, and explore mankind’s greatest journey at the nearby Kennedy Space Center. NASA’s launch headquarters is the only place on Earth where you can tour launch-pad areas, meet a veteran astronaut, see giant rockets, train in spaceflight simulators and – if your timing is just right – even view a launch. Don’t miss Historic Cocoa Village, a revitalized, nostalgic riverside community with more than 50 shops, restaurants, galleries and artist studios. And remember this: Cocoa Beach is only an hour’s drive east of Orlando, making it a great day trip for theme park visitors.
People from Cocoa Beach
Nancy Jan Davis NASA Astronaut
Search: - Wikipedia - Cocoabeach.com - Visitflorida.com Quest Edition 5
Kelly Slater Professional Surfer
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Rotary Curiosity
QUESTIONS:
What was actually the first Rotary Project?
ANSWER: The first service project was to buy a horse for a town Doctor so he could make house calls to his patients. It was a little confusing....the Public Comfort Stations are the first recognized project due to the public nature of it, but technically, funding the purchase of the new horse for the doctor was the first project, just much less publicized.
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Highlights
Rotary Club of Indialantic
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Rotary club of suntree
Wickham Rd Clean Up
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Rotary Club of Cocoa
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Rotary Club of Melbourne Beach
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Merritt Island Breakfast Rotary Club Dictionary Project
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December 2016 Quest
District Rotarian Story
Hi, my name is Angelica Blakely and I’m from Rotary Club of Boca Raton West. My dear friend Dini ask me to tell my history when I became a Rotarian and when I started to think about it I was surprised how easy my memories and emotions came about! Started like this… While my neighbor Luciano was telling me that a group of Brazilians was getting together to found a Brazilian Rotary Club my mind was already begging him to be invited to this amazing ideal Rotary Club. I was looking for an opportunity to pay back my community all the good things this country has give me; a wonderful husband and two Floridians boys that I love so much! And partner with a group that understands my culture and thinks like me was a dream come true. I remember my first visit to Boca Raton West as like today. Nice people, very energetic and friendly group and this guy called Douglas Heizer which was talking about Rotary Organization with so much passion and conviction that reached deeply in my heart. He was contagious and gave me the sense that I choose the right club for me. After three months Douglas asked me to partner with another club for the Dictionary Project. I thought to myself …what will this do as a benefit for the community? But, if Rotary was supporting this project, it was because there was something bigger than I could see. So I did and I’m so glad I did. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to see the happiness in the eyes of each third grade kid upon receiving their first dictionary. With time, we enhanced it by adding an essay context and running the project in two steps: The delivery of dictionaries and a prize party for the contest winner from each school. The Dictionary project and essay contest became one of the most important projects in our club. I fell in love! Finally, I could feel the same passion Douglas passed to me in my first visit to the club. I would like to finish my history sharing with you the exact wording the School Principal told me when I asked her view about the project: “Nowadays, not many households have dictionaries because of the increased dependability on the internet and various computer functions such as: wording, parts of speech, multiple meanings, new vocabulary, and even spelling. However, using the dictionary is a lifelong skill and the Rotary Club Boca Raton West helps educators teach these important skills to their students. The students in 3rd grade learn the presence of guidance. The day the dictionaries arrive, the students cannot wait to begin using them and they partake in mini-lessons on how to properly use the dictionaries. After they are comfortable with the components of the dictionaries, they use them to write thank you letters to the Rotary Club Boca Raton West for the wonderful gift they have donated. Students, Teachers, and Administrators are then recognized at an evening meeting for their support of the program. Each student, teacher and Administrator receives a recognition award and we are made to feel very special. I truly thank the generosity of the Rotary Club Boca Raton West for their continued dedication to children and to the local schools by sponsoring the Dictionary Project”.
Angelica Blakely Rotary Club of Boca Raton West Quest Edition 5
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December 2016 Quest
Editor Message
Dear Rotarian, In this edition, I want to talk about social media! We are in the 21 century; we are witnessing things that some never imagined would be possible. Researching about Cocoa Beach, I started reading about NASA and remembered about the astronauts, a profession that requires a lot of courage. And I also remembered the moon! When would you have ever imagined that man would be able to go to the moon? It’s unbelievable-- beautiful. It gives us abundant courage as we were able to achieve the unimaginable! Now we have social media which is can be used to show the world what we Rotarians throughout the world are doing. The internet has allowed us to see beautiful things, and it has helped us connect more than ever before! This led me to think about Facebook, and how this is a tool we need to utilize more as Rotarians. How many of us don’t like this modernity, don’t know how to handle it directly, or are scared? We need to let go of this fear! I want to encourage you to put all the great things your club does on Facebook so that you can show the world what you club is doing for your community. Recently, I have observed in my research for Quest that many clubs have a Facebook, but they are not active on it. I even saw one club whose last post was made in 2013! What a shame because someone had the idea but it was not continued or it was not passed down to the other Rotarians. This causes a gap online of the beautiful story of the Club. Tell your story and go update your club’s Facebook page! If your club does not have a page, create one! And if you don’t know how to create one, just ask for help! You are building the history of your club when you develop your online presence. The story of a group and a marvelous family that we call Rotary! Let’s do this together! Success!!!!
Dini Heizer
District 6930 Newsletter Editor 2014-2017 dini@heizer.us RotaryDistrict6930 Quest Edition 5
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December 2016 Quest