’Round the Wheel
July 22, 2007
 Tuesday’s meeting was a great start to the
Rotary week! But it was just the beginning!
Wednesday saw Bobby G, Larry Brown, the
Wexlers, the Filangeris,
Jerry Sligar, Cliff Marcek, Guy Lynch and yours truly at the NALA media luncheon.
We were joined by Mayor Goodman, Mayor Pro Tem and local Councilman
Ricki Barlow. Our PR team was on the ball
and a press release was sent out complete with photos. NALA needs to
meet a deadline of the end of the year to get their playground complete and
operational. We will continue our efforts in this endeavor. [See below.]
Friday morning the Roto-Hackers got together
led by Jim Cady who set up an event at Rhodes Ranch. Although you are
reading this on Sunday or later, it was written on Thursday night so no results
in yet!
Monday, Cliff and I will be going to
Ronzone Elementary School
at 3:15 to check out the dance program that we sponsored there. Tony
Delgado will be leading forty students in an exercise designed not only to
teach them dance steps, but to instill manners, poise and grace. Anyone
who can join us is welcome. Just stop in the office first for a pass and tell
them you are with our Rotary Club.
A sponsored bowling team designed to earn
money for Big Brothers and Sisters is being planned as a group of Rotarians
just took a ball and ran with it. (I didn’t know bowling involved running
with the ball, but I like it!) If you can’t bowl, feel free to sponsor
our team when it’s put together! [See
Rotary Information below.]
In one week, we have conducted business, enjoyed
fellowship, helped youth in our community and are sharing our stories of success
in the press! Thank you all for proving that not only RI, but the ROTARY
Club of Northwest Las Vegas SHARES!
This Week July 24 –Bill Martin, who serves as Executive Committee Chairman for the Water
Conservation Coalition, will present a program on water, a hot topic in these
dry days.
This Week’s Service Team
Greeter:
Graciela Masso
Pledge: Edmee Marcek
Inspirational: TBA
Musicologist: Dennis Ortwein
Mark Your Calendar
August 25 – District-wide Membership Development
Seminar and Foundation Humanitarian Grants Seminar, both at the DoubleTree
Club Hotel in Las Vegas.
For more information, go to District 5300’s
calendar.
 Opportunity Village
–Opportunity
Village
is a not-for-profit organization that has been serving people with intellectual
disabilities in our community for the past 53 years. The organization
provides vocational training, employment and social recreation services that
make the lives of their clients more productive and interesting. Through
Opportunity Village’s
programs and services, hundreds of people with disabilities are learning vocational
skills and being placed in jobs throughout the community.
Opportunity Village
has long been one of LVNW Rotary’s community service projects. Linda
Smith, Chief Development Officer and Associate Executive Director for Opportunity
Village Foundation, encouraged members to consider using some of the business
solutions available through Opportunity Village.
Other News and Announcements
Shirts – Our club shirts are in. If you didn’t pick yours up this week, you
can get them at next week’s meeting
Placemat Ads
– The new placemats are being put together. If you wish to have your
ad on our placemat, please contact
Greg
Sinacori.
Speakers – Greg
would welcome any suggested speaker contacts you might have.
He’s working on filling out the Speaker’s Calendar.
Raffle Gifts
– We can use some raffle gifts for the weekly raffle. The Petersons
have just about emptied their “re-gifting closet.” Donations very gratefully
accepted.
Wedding Bells
– Our own Robert Bridel is marrying long time sweetheart Cindy Sue in
Hawaii
in about 3 weeks. Congratulations, y’all.
Group Study Exchange
 by Wenlee Jensen, Rotary Foundation
Chair
The District website will tell you that Group
Study Exchange is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for
business and professional men and woman in the initial year of their careers.
The program is designed to develop professional and leadership skill among
young people to better prepare them to address the needs of their communities
and an increasingly global workplace.
Our district sends a team to another district
in the world, which in turn sends one to us. The GSE team consists of a Rotarian
team leader and four team members - non-Rotarian. Two members of our
club, Dennis Ortwein and Dennis Filangeri, have served as GSE Rotarian team
leaders (if I’ve forgotten someone, my apologies). Both found it an
incredible experience.
The team members are the ages of 25-40,
with two years of experience in their chosen profession. Each team
spends four weeks within the other district. They are hosted by local
Rotarians and are scheduled for vocational and cultural activities.
My experience: This is a wonderful program.
In the years I have been involved, we have hosted teams from
South Africa, Israel,
Mexico,
Slovenia, South Korea,
Austria,
Croatia, Bosnia.
Ask Dennis Ortwein and Dennis Filangeri about their tours as team
leaders - grand experiences. GSE gives
us the opportunity to meet people we would like to know. They
live with us and we talk. Rotarians welcome strangers, exchange experiences,
and become friends. This is Rotary.
Featured Rotary Member – Once a month, the Featured Article in this newsletter
will be on an individual LVNW Rotary club member. This will be different
from the Craft Talks in that the focus will be on the member’s views on and
participation in Rotary. Get a jump on the crowd and complete the short
questionnaire today!
Click here.
Members can download a PDF version from
the download center.
Newsletter – Members are encouraged to submit information they’d like included in
the newsletter to editor@rotarysummerlin.org.
Items submitted before close of business day Thursday will appear in the next
newsletter.
Bowl For Kids’ Sake 2007 -
Big Brothers Big Sisters of
Southern Nevada is
hosting its annual Back to School Bowl fundraiser on August 11 and 12. We
would like to put together one or two teams to participate in this event.
What a great opportunity to wear our new shirts and proudly display our banner
for all of Las Vegas
to see. Great PR.
Click here for
more information about the event. Dennis F will be gathering names. You
can
sign
up online here for our club's team. If there are enough participants we can split our days.
Sponsors are also needed.
 NALA Press Release
- July 18, 2007, Las Vegas.
The Nevada Association of Latin Americans (NALA) held a luncheon today to
introduce its Playground Capital Campaign. Present were Mayor Oscar
Goodman, Councilman Ricki Y. Barlow, Councilman
Larry Brown, Mayor Pro Tem Gary Reese, Las Vegas Constable “Bobby G” Gronauer,
and about a dozen members of the Rotary Club of Las Vegas Northwest, led by
President Joe Germain and club project liaison Paul Wexler. Both Councilman
Brown and Bobby G. are members of Las Vegas Northwest Rotary.
NALA provides a safe environment for the children
of working parents, primarily but not exclusively of Latin American background,
NALA’s pre-school has about 200 children enrolled.
The Rotary Club became involved when LVNW Rotary member Bobby G approached
his Rotary Club about helping NALA with some of its needs..
The club has been working with NALA to replace the children’s playground,
which is no longer up to code. Club members Paul Wexler and Paul Workman
serve as liaisons between LVNW Rotary and NALA.
Although close to $20,000 has been raised,
NALA needs $50,000 to replace the equipment by January 2008, the date the
new safety code goes into effect. Details about this project can be
found on the NALA website, www.nala-lv.org,
a website designed by another LVNW Rotarian, Dennis Filangeri.
An Old Italian man lived
alone in the country. He wanted to dig his tomato garden, but it was very
hard work as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help
him, was in prison.
The old man wrote a
letter to his son and described his predicament.
My Dear son Vincent,
I am feeling pretty badly because it looks like I won't be able to plant my
tomato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden
plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would be
happy to dig the plot for me.
Love,
Papa
A few days later he
received a letter from his son.
Dear Dad,
Don't dig up that garden. That's where I buried the bodies.
Love,
Vinnie
At 4 a.m. the next
morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area
without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left.
That same day the old man
received another letter from his son.
Dear Dad,
Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do under the
circumstances.
Love,
Vinnie.
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