Rotary International - District 6930 - 003 Quest Magazine - October 2016

Content

Quest Rotary District 6930

The Official District Magazine

Where are all the young members?

Page 9

CELEBRATE WORLD POLIO DAY THIS 24 OCTOBER Page 14

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY ROTARACT CLUB Page 23

Tell Your Story

Promote Rotary!

Distribute this magazine to your place of business, family and friends.

Spread the word!

Editor Dini Heizer

Graphic Designer Andre Heizer

Contributors Governor Eric Gordon Juan Ortega Vera Schater Gabriela Heizer Angelica Blakely

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Published by:

Governor Message

PolioPlus – Rotary International’s #1 Priority In 1985, Rotary launched its PolioPlus program, the first initiative to tackle global polio eradication through the mass vaccination of children. Rotary has contributed more than $1.5 billion and countless volunteer hours to immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries. In addition, Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by donor governments to contribute more than $7.2 billion to the effort.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, formed in 1988, is a public-private partnership that includes Rotary, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and governments of the world. Rotary’s focus is advocacy, fundraising, volunteer recruitment and awareness-building.

Governor, There are only two countries that have never stopped transmission Eric Gordon of the wild poliovirus: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Less than 75 polio cases were confirmed worldwide in 2015, which is a reduction of more than 99.9 percent since the 1980s, when the world saw about 1,000 cases per day.

The polio cases represented by the remaining one percent are the most difficult to prevent, due to factors including geographical isolation, poor public infrastructure, armed conflict and cultural barriers. Until polio is eradicated, all countries remain at risk of outbreaks.

Every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched two-to-one by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation up to $35 million a year through 2018. These funds help to provide much-needed operational support, medical personnel, laboratory equipment, and educational materials for health workers and parents. Governments, corporations and private individuals all play a crucial role in funding.

More than one million Rotary members have donated their time and personal resources to end polio. Every year, hundreds of Rotary members work side-by-side with health workers to vaccinate children in polio-affected countries. Rotary Members work with UNICEF and other partners to prepare and distribute mass communication tools to reach people in areas isolated by conflict, geography, or poverty. Rotary members also recruit fellow volunteers, assist with transporting the vaccine, and provide other logistical support.

Rotary has a growing roster of public figures and celebrities participating in its “This Close” public awareness campaign. These ambassadors help educate the public about polio through public service announcements, social media and public appearance.

Rotary’s fourth World Polio Day celebration, on 24 October, will highlight the extraordinary progress made in the eradication campaign and emphasize the work that remains before we wipe out the virus for good. Health officials and Rotary’s celebrity polio ambassadors will head to Atlanta, Georgia, USA, for the event, the first to be held at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It will be streamed live and then will be available for viewing at endpolio.org.

Yours in Rotary Service Eric Gordon

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Calendar

OCTOBER - ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

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District Leadership

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 Governor Gordon, Eric (Eric) Office: 561-308-9305 Club: Royal Palm Beach 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

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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: 561-290-1202 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 & Peg Or Peggy) 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

Cuizine Restaurant & Lounge - 1790 Highway A1A - Satellite Beach, FL 32937

PGA Golf Club - 1916 Perfect Drive - Port St Lucie - FL - 34986

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International

Where are all the young members?

2. Use your age differences to your advantage. Stress the opportunity for career mentoring and set up mentoring programs pairing members with vast experience with those just beginning their careers.

3. Make sure you welcome new members into your club. At meetings, assign a seasoned veteran to each new member to be their host and introduce them to everyone else in your club. In time, the newcomer will get a better feel for the club.

4. Use social media (Twitter, Facebook). Let’s face it, anyone under 30 is on social media 24/7.

Evan Burrell, left, discusses membership So use it to your club’s advantage by promoting your activities and with Rotarians in Sydney, Australia. what you do in the community.

Photo by Monika Lozinska/Rotary In- 5. Sponsor participants for our young leaders programs. College ternational or university students are excellent candidates for a Rotary Youth As a former member of Rotaract and now a Leadership Awards event. Sponsor a high young Rotarian, I get asked quite a lot, “where school student for a Rotary Youth Exchange, do we find more young members like you?” and you not only broaden their horizons, but also make a lifelong friend of Rotary. Work It may seem like young members are as elu- alongside these future leaders of tomorrow so sive to catch as Pokémon, but with the right they become interested in your club and our strategy and awareness, it’s not that difficult at organization. all. The truth is, they are really all around us. 6. Keep younger, and newer, members in the They may be in your work place, they may be loop. This one is a biggie! Don’t waste all that in your neighborhood, or they may be in those effort attracting new members only to forget other social gatherings you belong to. Others about them and let them drift away from lack may be active in our youth programs like Ro- of attention. Engage them in as many ways taract and RYLA, readying themselves for the as you can. Find out what they are interestchallenges that lie ahead. ed in, and put them in charge of things that match their likes. If you have enough new Attracting new members is pretty critical to our members with a particular interest, start up clubs. They are the lifeblood of our organiza- a new program or incorporate their interests tion, bringing in fresh ideas and insights, and into an existing one. Make sure you give them keeping our clubs alive and relevant. In turn, lead roles, and give them a real opportunity to young professionals seek a sense of purpose make a difference. and belonging, and this is exactly what your club can give them.

Member recruitment is a must for any club that wants to survive and not turn into the Rotary As we celebrate Membership Month in Rotary, Club of Jurassic Park. It is not difficult, but you here are my tips for attracting younger mem- DO have to put some effort into it. You won’t bers regret the time, though, when you see your club take on new life.

1. Don’t go too crazy at first. If the average age of your club is over 60, begin by trying to at- By Evan Burrell, a member of the Rotary Club tract members in their 40’s and 50’s and work of Turramurra, New South Wales, Australia from there.

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ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

Description: Parts 1, 2 & 3 will be offered To register visit www.rlitraining.org Cost to attend is $95 per session which includes: breakfast, lunch and course materials.

Registration cut-off is October 19th, 2016 register early for classes * Location: Mae Volen Center 1515 West Palmetto Park Road Boca Raton, FL 33468 * Date: Oct-29-2016 to Oct-29-2016 (Saturday) * Event Start Time: 7:00 AM

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Young Leaders in Action

Celebrate World Polio Day this 24 October No child anywhere should suffer the crippling effects of a completely preventable disease. And that’s why we need your help—now more than ever— to finally put an end to polio. This 24 October join the entire Rotary world to celebrate our fourth annual World Polio Day. Discover all the ways you can help us finish the job: * ADVOCATE - Download the World Polio Day tool kit and join our worldwide network of End Polio Now advocates. * AMPLIFY - Show your support for the final push to end polio with our social media graphics. * CONNECT - Host a community gathering to get everyone involved and tell us how you’re taking action—register your event. * GIVE - Support volunteers and Rotary staff from around the world cycling up to 104 miles in El Tour de Tucson to raise funds for polio eradication.

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RYLA North America Conference Join us for a Rotary leadership training and meet young Rotary leaders from around the world in Washington, DC from June 17-22, 2017.

Take advantage of early bird registration at USD $425.00!

Register now atwww.rylanad7620.com For USD $425.00, you will get 5 nights of accommodations at George Washington University, 12 meals, admission to Embassy dinners, program materials, special events and a chance to meet & interact with Rotaractors and RYLArians from over 40++ countries and territories from around the world.

Visit our website for all registration, pre-conference programs & extended stay registration. #rylanorthamerica #ryla2017 #goryla #gwu #ryla #rotaract #rotary#leadership

Go RYLA! Go Rotaract!

Go Rotary!

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Clubs

WEST PALM BEACH ROTARY CLUB’S The West Palm Beach Rotary Club’s W.E.C.A.R.E. Service Project Will Help 2,200 Students at 12 Elementary Schools Improve Their Reading Skills W. E. C. A. R. E. is an acronym for (Winning Endeavors and Collaborations Achieve Reading Excellence). Our Service Project includes Rotarians and volunteers from the following 5 diverse organizations working together to help improve students’ academic success at 12 schools: • West Palm Beach Rotary Club • City of West Palm Beach Police Department • City of West Palm Beach Education Advisory Committee • Palm Beach County Bar Association Literacy Committee • National Association of Black Women In Construction During this school year, W.E.C.A.R.E. volunteers will read to and interact with 3rd grade classes for 1 hour a week. They will help students improve their reading skills, listening skills, reading comprehension, and critical thinking skills.

The W.E.C.A.R.E. volunteers will show the students that adults from all walks of life in our community care about them! Also, this project will help the District achieve a goal in its Strategic Plan; all students reading on grade level by the end of 3rd grade. Lastly, volunteers will encourage students to be successful in all of their classes and praise them for their academic achievements.

The recent W.E.C.A.R.E. Kick-Off event was very successful. Volunteers from the 5 participating organizations, SDPBC’s Superintendent Dr. Robert Avossa, and WPB’s City Commissioner Paula Ryan conducted reading sessions at U. B. Kinsey Elementary School. See the inspiring video of this event at

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PORT ST. LUCIE ROTARY CLUB PSL Sunset Rotary celebrates awards PORT ST. LUCIE – The Port St. Lucie Sunset Rotary Club recently received multiple awards for club impact and participation: The Rotary International Presidential Citation, the District 6930 Literacy Award, and the District 6930 Vocational Service Literacy Award.

The Presidential Citation recognizes a broad range of activities and contributions from giving to The Rotary Foundation, to membership engagement in the community, to humanitarian and youth services.

“I was very honored to receive the Presidential Citation for my year as club president,” said George Seliga, 2015-2016 president. “However, it’s important to note that this award isn’t earned by an individual, it is earned through the efforts of all our club members. Our club is small in membership but has a very large footprint in its service to our community.”

The club was also recognized, for the second year in a row, with the Rotary has Heart Award for its work with the Boys & Girls Club. The Port St. Lucie Sunset Club’s community activities for the 2015-16 year included raising thousands of dollars for local charities by hosting the Treasure Coast Classic Golf Tournament, sponsoring the U.S. Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors, clean-up and landscaping at the Boys & Girls Club Chuck Hill Unit plus providing sports equipment for the kids, book donations and classroom readings at local elementary schools, building a wheelchair access ramp with other local clubs, hosting an international exchange student, and sponsoring a World’s Greatest Meal to End Polio.

Seliga honored incoming club president, Jeannette Weiss, with the Rotarian of the Year Award. Members Jeannette Weiss, Patricia Christensen, Larry Breault, Jack Lutz, Lenny Loyd, Linda O’Neil and Maureen Saltzer received Above and Beyond Awards.

The incoming board of directors include Jeannette Weiss, president; Patricia Christensen, treasurer; Linda O’Neill, secretary; Jack Lutz, membership chair; Judith Simon and Linda O’Neill, foundation chairs; Maureen Saltzer, public image chair; Nathan Clopman, youth services chair; Marvin Lesman, sergeant-at-arms, George Seliga, immediate past president.

About the Port St. Lucie Sunset Rotary Club The Port St. Lucie Sunset Rotary is a local branch of Rotary International. They are 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: George Seliga (left) passes the gavel to the Port St. Lucie Sunset Rotary Club’s new president, Jeannette Weiss

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ROTARY CLUB BOCA RATON SUNRISE We at the Sunrise Club cares for our community and families. Volunteering and helping make our community better is a big part of our club.

We love the Ronald MacDonald House Charities (RMHC), and the way they help families at a time they need the most.

Our club cooks and serves breakfast to the families staying in the house, every third Saturday of the month.

Photos of our visits to the Ronald McDonald House Charities

Carlo Barbieri , Doyle DaLly, Diane Vasic, Charlie Shalmi & Ira Herschbein

The Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida Ronald McDonald House provides a "home away from home" for the children being treated for like threatening illness and their families. Usually located near a children's hospital.

There are 2 houses in South Florida, one near Jackson Memorial in Miami, and another near Broward General in Fort Lauderdale.

These houses allow the children and their families to be near a hospital for treatment and appointments, relieving the burden of traveling long distance to receive care. There are several ways to volunteer, one of which is sponsoring a meal for the families and children.

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COCOA BEACH DAYBREAK ROTARY CLUB Cocoa Beach Daybreak Rotary Looks at the Indian River Lagoon Problem Cocoa Beach Daybreak Rotary started looking at the Indian River Lagoon and its problems at the beginning of August and devoted five weekly meetings to the subject. More speakers have been invited and more viewpoints and ideas will be heard and discussed. Why this topic? The blue-green algae (Cyanobacteria) bloom is the latest in a series of blooms and fish kills we have had since 2005.

Why us? Most of us live on or near the lagoon and a third of our members are engineers and teachers.

Why now? We now know that this may be the last chance we will have to fix the lagoon.

Our members thought it would be a good idea to show you a brief summary of what we have learned so far.

August 2, 2016 Meeting: Our members live in communities along the lagoon and so have a special interest in the health of the Indian River Lagoon system and the recent algal bloom to our south is already having a serious impact on health, tourism, and business development in the six Florida counties that include it. Using some ops research techniques, the members decided to pick an aspect of the problem that avoids the legal and political issues so popular with the media. We looked at the biology in this way: “How can we use this stuff?” One member worked on a project that used plants to “Lift” heavy metals out of Ukrainian soil and water contaminated by the Chornobyl nuclear accident. The makeup of the algal bloom was discussed as was the near-certainty that there would be additional discharges of Lake Okeechobee water to fuel future blooms. The projects trying to use algae to produce oil fuel all seem to depend on single species of algae grown and harvested under controlled conditions, which clearly won’t work in the lagoon, so it may be that cruder methods of energy recovery may be called for. Since the algae would be removed from the lagoon at various stages of growth, this seems to also drive us toward a more general type of process and a less complex end product than we would get if we were harvesting a crop. The chemical composition of the bloom was discussed briefly and it was agreed that while Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen released by processing or burning would be carbon-neutral and of little concern, we need to think about the phosphates, Sulfur, and metals contained in the algae. If the algae were burned, we could recover metals, etc., by scrubbers such as are used in sugar mills and power plants. This approach was used in the Chornobyl phytoremediation process as well. Like sugar mills, the algae would provide a significant percentage of the heat needed to run the process. A little further research found that water plant harvesting machines are readily available and should cost between $35,000 and $100,000 apiece.

August 9, 2016 Meeting: Cocoa Beach Mayor Tim Tumulty spoke to us about what his city has been doing over the past 25 years about pollution in the lagoon. There are only a handful of properties in the city that still rely on septic systems: all the rest are on city sewer. The city requires storm water runoff mitigation in all new construction and is retrofitting older properties. He wants to start a Sustainability Committee like Satellite Beach’s and that Brevard’s incorporated cities all need to do likewise so they can set standards and elevate their issues and concerns to the county and state. The city has made its investment and gotten grants to begin dredging muck out of its canals, starting at the north end. Their grants come from the St. Johns River Water Management District and the county, to the tune of $600,000. Further funding is being discussed. Tim explained that the sewer system is aging and will need replacing. During the Q and A, the biggest issue raised was how to make sure that the money coming in will stay committed to restoration.

The Florida “Education” lottery was brought up as an example of diversion to general revenue and thus to short-term political ends

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There have been many attempts to divert the Federal Highway Fund to non-highway uses over the years. Forming a special tax district in the affected counties would lock the sales tax money to lagoon remediation. Rotary Clubs do not lobby and so we came up with another idea to support the work. That is, to support a constant string of academic projects and media articles to keep the public informed and involved.

August 16, 2016 Meeting: George Rosenfield, a 30-year veteran of the Marine Resources Council and its successor, the Indian River Lagoon Council, told us about the situation in the Indian River Lagoon and what the most recent plan being developed for remediating and restoring it contains. The new plan will address the need to reduce, remove, restore, and respond to the several classes of pollutants entering the 156-mile-long lagoon system. The sources are storm water and groundwater, atmosphere, and point sources. In our (northern) part of the lagoon, storm water is the worst of these. So much of the land in Northern Brevard County has been paved over that rainwater has no way to soak in but instead runs off, mainly into the lagoon. Mr. Rosenfield described the hundreds of tons of excess Nitrogen and phosphates that enter the lagoon each year. Muck that gets stirred up during storms and by dredging adds even more, together with metals and organic matter. Using the 10-year lagoon plan being drafted now, the first 3 or 4 years will see little improvement. The 4th through 8th years will see rapid improvement, and the last two will see a leveling-off. The cost is estimated to be $303M or about $30M per year.

It would be good to read the actual plan. Ms. Kathy Hill from the IRL Council gave us the URLs and said: “The only plan we have currently is the existing Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan or CCMP. This was originally issued in 1996 and updated in 2008. The IRL Council has just begun the process of rewriting it from scratch. This process is expected to take 12 – 18 months. Here’s the original CCMP: http://www.irlcouncil.com/uploads/7/9/2/7/79276172/irl_ccmp.pdf and here’s the update to the CCMP: http://www.irlcouncil.org/uploads/7/9/2/7/79276172/ccmp_update_2008_final.pdf” August 23, 2016 Meeting: Mr. David Jackson from Rep. Bill Posey’s office spoke to the club about the situation in the Indian River Lagoon and what the Congressman tried to do to get attention and funding to start remediation. Mr. Jackson is Mr. Posey’s point man for lagoon, transportation, and grant issues.

He provided copies of Mr. Posey’s lagoon issue paper (image available from the club secretary.) Both Messrs. Posey and Jackson are Florida natives and have lived with and by the lagoon for decades. He mentioned the recent IRL Council-led conference in Vero Beach at which the way ahead for the IRL comprehensive plan was agreed to and noted that the plan looks forward in perpetuity, not just for solving the most urgent problems. He said that the Brevard County Commissioners agreed to put a 1/2 –percent sales tax (and a special tax district) on the November ballot. He next spoke about the 60,000-acre tract at Lake Okeechobee that we were told was to be made into a wetland to absorb overflows. First, the other 60-plus water projects underway in Florida would have had to be done before this purchase went through. It wasn’t what it seemed, either. This land was actually going to be leased back to the sugar company for cane production. These facts killed the purchase. He said that when Mr. Posey was able to get some funding, it went to the St. Johns River Water Management District – who spent it all up north along the river. Rtn. Ahmed Abdelkhalek noted that the biggest group interested in the lagoon were in the 50+ age group and that he was working to engage much younger people in the work necessary. More on this later in this article.

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Foundation Corner

Celebrate the Centennial In 2016-17, our Rotary Foundation turns 100. That’s a century of Rotary members changing lives and improving communities all over the world. And that’s definitely something worth celebrating.

Through our Foundation, Rotary members have supported thousands of projects to provide clean water, fight disease, promote peace, provide basic education, and grow local economies. We’ve also been a leader in the fight to eradicate polio worldwide.

The centennial is the perfect time to share this impressive record with the world. Join us in making sure that every Rotary member and people in every community know about the vital work of Rotary and its Foundation.

2017 Rotary Convention We're marking the centennial with a year of festivities that began in Korea at the 2016 Rotary Convention and culminates at the Atlanta convention. Register for the convention, 10-14 June 2017, so you can take part in the celebration: * Plan to attend the Foundation’s 100th birthday party * Join past and current Rotary leaders and author David Forward for a book signing * Visit The Rotary Foundation centennial exhibit in the House of Friendship Ways to celebrate Here are just a few ways you can join in and commemorate this historic milestone: * Plan a special Rotary Day and invite everyone in your community to participate. It can be anything from a concert to a race to a birthday party with a giant cake in the shape of the Rotary wheel. * Hold a fundraiser in your community to support a Foundation grant project, the Rotary Peace Centers, or PolioPlus. * Organize or participate in a global grant or district grant project. * Promote your club or district projects that are funded by the Foundation. * Dedicate some club meetings to Rotary Foundation topics. * Challenge members to increase your club’s contributions to the Foundation.

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Rotaract

Indian River County Rotaract Club Hearts and Horses – The Perfect Valentine’s Day Fundraiser!

Flowers, chocolates, candle-lit dinners; all of these things come to mind when we think of a traditional Valentine’s Day celebration – But horses? Where do horses and all of the smells that go with them come into play on Valentine’s Day? Well, at the Hearts and Horses Valentine’s Fundraiser, of course!

In February 2016, the Indian River County Rotaract Club both organized and sponsored the first Hearts and Horses Valentine’s celebration. The event was held at the location of the fundraising benefactor, the Indian River Equestrian Foundation in Vero Beach, FL. This non-profit organization provides Equine Assisted Therapy for people in need, including veterans and at-risk children.

For this event, the Rotaract club members took on every planning and implementation aspect from the ground up. Rotaractors with culinary experience took on the task of baking delectable sweet treats and brewing up a decadent hot chocolate, both of which sold out on the day of the event. Musically gifted Rotaract members, as well as friends of Rotaractors, provided entertainment throughout the afternoon festivities. In addition to multiple bands and food/drink, the event also included a miniature horse kissing booth (so cute!), horse-shoe decorating, facepainting, horse-back rides, a tractor hay ride, a raffle, a petting zoo, and a Valentine themed barn photo booth. All activities were provided to the public at no charge, with only a donation requested upon entry.

By the end of the day, the Indian River County Rotaract Club had raised nearly $1,000.00 for the Indian River Equestrian Foundation, all by sponsoring the event with their own money and executing it with their own hands. The Rotaract Club was proud to be able to support the selfless efforts of such an impactful non-profit in our community.

The Indian River County Rotaract Club was Chartered in March of 2014 through a co-sponsorship from two different Rotary clubs in Vero Beach, FL. Since that time, the Rotaract Club has taken part in over 30 give-back events throughout their community from fundraising to beach cleanups to bringing Holiday cheer to both orphaned children and elderly nursing home residents.

The Indian River County Rotaract Club is proud to put service above self and to be the one of the collective voices springing up around the world to say that we will strive to make a positive difference “to the community and beyond”.

By Devon Green Indian River County Rotaract Board Member

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Rotary Youth Exchange

CLAIRE FLEMISTER Czech Republic

Hometown: Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida School: Ponte Vedra High School Sponsor District: 6970 Sponsor Club: Ponte Vedra Beach Host District: Host Club: TBA Ahoj, dobry den! Ja jsem Claire. Hello, good day; my name is Claire Flemister and I will be studying in the incredible Czech Republic for the 2016/2017 school year. I am a junior at Ponte Vedra High School. I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and moved to Florida almost 10 years ago. Going from the warm, bright summers of Florida, to the cold Czech Republic will certainly add to my shock, I just hope I get a little snow out of the cold! I split my time between my parents, but I am usually at my house with my 2 cats. I have 4 siblings ranging from 50 years old to 20! At school I am active in Model United Nations, and I am a Link Crew Leader (I help underclassmen ease into and navigate high school, and frequently volunteer for my school) . This year in school I am taking AP Chemistry, AP Language Composition, I also take 2 languages (ASL and Spanish).

In my free time I love being creative, whether I am playing or listening to music, knitting, sewing, or writing creatively, I am doing what I love. I am so very grateful for the support I have received from my peers, I am ever so lucky to have several friends also going on exchange this year. I have been active in Rotary clubs since middle school, which is where I found out about RYE, that night I sat down with my parents and begged them to let me participate in high school, now almost 6 years later, here I am...FINALLY! After exchange I hope to apply my language skills to my goal of studying linguistics in university and beyond. I can not even imagine how this exchange will change my life, but I can not wait!

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Journals: Claire – Czech Republic 2016-17 On August 19th I blew out the candles on my 18th birthday cake, put on my blazer, and drove to the Jacksonville airport to leave for exchange. I wish I could say I had an easy time and that there were no hiccups, but that would be a lie. I had every issue imaginable with my flights, even though I had weighted my bags, they were too heavy, and my ticket was wrong so I was moved to a later flight, which was then diverted, and then I spent over 20 hours in the Dallas Airport waiting to leave the country, but finally I boarded a plane to London, which would connect me to Prague, and then my year would begin!

I think it is safe to say that I got all the bad out on that first day, ever since then (except for when my bags didn't make it into Prague) I has been pretty smooth sailing.

The best attitude to have for exchange is to have no expectations, and I didn’t. So many people had told me that Czech people are closed off, many times will not be friendly, but usually once you get to know them they will be great. But when I walked out of customs I was greeted by my family with hugs and a banner. They were so loving and kind, it was overwhelming. If my flights hadn't been delayed we would have spent the night in Prague, but instead we settled for a drive around the city.

The USA has nothing on European architecture. After a few minutes my neck was hurting from constantly looking up trying to memorize the city, and get used to the way europeans drive. It is hard to sum up those first moments, when everything starts to settle down. Everything is so overwhelming that you cant process anything, but you are trying to process everything, all of your language feels like its fallen out of your brain, English and your host language (maybe that was just because I had only slept 4 hours over about 48 hours).

After Lunch and a quick stroll around a mall, we all packed into the car and started the journey across the country, I wish I could talk more about it, but after leaving Prague, the whole car was basically asleep.

After a few hours though, I awoke and soon had my first taste of Kofola. At first it tasted like someone put cough medicine into coca-cola, but now I crave kofola, it grows on you so quickly!

My life is just a whirlwind, so many little things, but this country has quickly begun to feel like a home. Some of my biggest fears were living with my host family, making friends, and other little things I can’t even remember.

My family has accepted me into their family so completely! The first night my host grandmother (who lives next door) made me dinner, she said that since my flights were so bad she would try to fix it with food, dish after dish was laid in front of me, and after living off of random airport food, it was way to much, but much appreciated. My host grandparents speak no english, and were impressed with any czech word I spoke, which helped my confidence. My first night in my room was nice because I finally was sleeping in something that wasn't a chair! I want to write every detail about my exchange down, every breath I took, and every laugh I have had, but its too much!

School started September 1st and was only an hour long, I was so panicked about making friends and understanding, but I was quickly invited to go out to a cafe with my classmates. Thats were I spent the following 3 hours! My classmates have been indescribably amazing, they include me in so much, and often invite me out! Teachers are a different story…I don't blame them though, what do you do with a kid who doesn't really understand, and can’t really communicate?

I urge anyone thinking about applying and reading these journals to contact us, or at least me, this is such an amazing opportunity, and I can not wait for the upcoming months!

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August 30, 2016 Meeting: Dr. Duane E. De Freese, PhD, Chair of the Indian River Lagoon Council, National Estuary Program, spoke to us about the lagoon system. He said this is worth $7B per year to the counties along the lagoon overall and the $303M, ten-year plan to remediate and repair it will yield up to a 20:1 return on investment (ROI) on the Space Coast. It rises to 33:1 on the Treasure Coast. To generalize, plumbing is our problem and nutrients are the cause of the mess in the lagoon. (See the URL for the CMMP above for the pollutant tonnage figures.) There are 30 thousand septic systems in Brevard County alone, all of which add something to the lagoon. This is obvious in the north end of Brevard but even Palm Bay, where many residents seem to be far enough away from the lagoon’s shore, adds its bit. Dr. De Freese speculated that the present series of blooms originated in the aftermath of tropical Storm Fay in 2005, which dumped 25 inches of rain on Brevard over a ten-day period. That washed huge quantities of Nitrogen and phosphates into the lagoon. Some of this came directly off lawns and farms into storm drains and canals, and some came from sewage plant overflows. However it started, we have had green, red, brown, diatom, dinoflagellate, and blue-green tides since 2005. The last two winters have been very warm, as well. Without cold winters to kill off surface algae, the lagoon has been unable to self-correct. He went on to say that the Council will have 40 projects underway by 1 October, financed by most of the communities along the lagoon. In the ensuing discussion, it was agreed that a single, agreed-upon, longterm plan was essential, that keeping the effort going financially would be critical. Further, public understanding and support must be established and maintained if we are to accomplish anything worthwhile. Dr. De Freese said this is our last chance to fix this. We won’t get another.

September 20 Meeting: Ms. Virginia Barker, Director of the County Natural resources Department, spoke to us.

A qualified diver, she has extensive experience in water problems. She handed around examples of the muck that lies in the bottom of the lagoon and described its content. She presented a plan to the County Commissioners (see the County website for the plan, her presentation, and an application to join the county’s oversight panel at http://www.brevardcounty.us/naturalresources.) Ms. Barker showed us a list of the algae blooms for the past ten years and described the Nitrogen-phosphate cycle that feeds such blooms. She concludes that our local pollution comes from us and not from inflows from either Mosquito Lagoon or from the south. The impact studies shown in her presentation are available from her office but in general, if we fix our problems, we get a $4B boost and if we don’t, it’s a $2B loss. The Δ is $6.3B and the loss will be about $500M each year we wait, assuming that waiting were to be an option. Balancing restoration and reduction of inputs to optimize results will take more study. We have targets for seagrass restoration, water clarity, dissolved Oxygen, clear sediment, and filter-feeders. Project selection will be data driven. We had a question concerning the muck that is being removed in Cocoa Beach; namely, what effect does its depth have on the amounts of pollutants released? The answer was, the muck’s effect is a surface phenomenon. Greater depth means it leaks pollutants longer. Another question was, will the county be clearing out algae and if so, how? The answer was that the county will buy a $500K harvester. The algae will go to a landfill The club has gotten a small grant through The Rotary Foundation for a local non-profit, Cura Oceanus, to start work on a STEM education project to involve students in designing, building, operating, and reporting results from sensors they place in the lagoon. The objectives are to teach the students, obtain more data, and to involve the young people in the lagoon, which is their inheritance, after all. Cura Oceanus has also gotten a grant through Patrick AFB to support their students’ building and operating a lagoon sensor. Schools elsewhere in Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands have approached Cura Oceanus about participating in their educational program.

Next steps: keep on learning; encourage other Rotarians who live in the District to learn about the Indian River Lagoon and its issues and problems; and do what we can to keep public awareness and support strong. As the Indian River Lagoon Council says: “One Community, One Lagoon, One Voice.”

Website: http://www.irlcouncil.org.

Authors: Fred Martin, Ahmed Abdelkhalek

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Local Tourism

City of Boynton Beach It was 1894, one year after the last Barefoot Mailman walked along its sandy shores and two years before Henry Flagler built his famous railroad, that a former Civil War major from Port Huron, Michigan named Nathan S. Boynton first set eyes on the area that now bears his name.

He was so impressed by the natural beauty of what he saw, the year-round sunshine and pristine beaches, that he returned a year later with a group of colonists and built the famous Boynton Beach Hotel to serve as his family's summer residence.

Nathan S. Boynton The first settlers soon realized that an unlimited assortment of fruits and vegetables thrived in the fertile climate. Cultivated pineapples, tomatoes, mangos, oranges, lemons, grapefruits and limes were packed in crates and shipped by the ton on the newly built Florida East Coast Railroad to satisfy the appetites of hungry Americans across the country.

Boynton Beach remained a fairly unknown tropical paradise known for its perfect weather and delicious produce until the end of World War Two. Soldiers returning home from the war discovered that the small town located only fifty miles north of Miami was an extraordinarilly healthy place to raise a family. In addition, Boynton's close proximity to the Atlantic's Gulfstream soon yielded a bonanza of worldrecord catches and guaranteed that the best kept secret on Florida's Gold Coast would be a secret no longer.

Since that time, Boynton Beach has grown steadily and never looked back. The city's population has risen from 5,000 in 1958 to a present number of approximately 60,000 residents. Most importantly, Boynton Beach has expanded wisely, retaining the charm of her orange groves, fishing marina and sandy beaches.

Major Boynton and his colorful hotel have long passed into the annals of history, but the irresistable qualities that attracted him and the city's first settlers remain as strong as ever to entice a new generation of visitors and residents.

Vintage Boynton Beach Photo Postcards

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Boynton's main beach, Oceanfront Park, is located at 6415 North Ocean Blvd., approximately 1/4 mile north of Ocean Avenue on State Road A1A. The facility is open seven days a week, 365 days a year and is manned by trained and experienced lifeguards from 9:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.. Clean and well-maintained with separate barbecue and picnic area, concessions and rest rooms (unlike Palm Beach). Open seven days a week with certified lifeguards on duty all year round.

THE BOYNTON BEACH HOTEL (1896-1925)

Green Cay Nature Center and Wetands in Boynton Beach

Coast of the Boynton Beach Inlet and Ocean Ridge Oceanfront

People from Boynton Beach

A 1940s view of the Boynton Beach Seaboard Air Line Railroad depot, whose demolition was authorized by the city in 2006

Search: BoyntonBeach.com Wikipedia Quest ď‚&#x; Edition 3

Vince Wilfork Johnny Farrell

Jeremy Cain Marlon Byrd

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Rotary Curiosity

QUESTIONS: 1. What the year the Rotary Convention adopted a plan of redistricting under which Palm Beach County, of District 699 would be reunited with the Counties of Martin, Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Indian River and Brevard from District 698 to form a new District designated as District 6930?

2. Who was elected as the first District Governor of this new District ?

3. Who was elected as the first District Governor-Elect of this new District?

ANSWERS: 1. 1991 2. Paul Hotte of the Rotary Club of Stuart 3. William “Bill” Bean of the Rotary Club of Jupiter-Tequesta

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Highlights

Rockledge Rotary Club

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Stuart Rotary Club

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Rotary Club Downtown Boca Raton

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Pahokee Rotary Club

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ROTARY CLUB OF DELRAY BEACH Rotary Club of Delray Beach college scholarship fundraiser for Students of Atlantic High School held at City Oyster in Delray Beach September 27, 2016: A festive fundraiser was organized by The Rotary Club of Delray Beach at City Oyster & Sushi Bar at 213 E. Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach this night. All tips and donations support College Scholarships awarded by The Rotary Club of Delray Beach for worthy students of Atlantic High School.

Mr. Fred Bonardi, 68th President of The Delray Beach Rotary Club said “ We have awarded $10,000 per year in scholarships and this event will help us to keep up the good work of supporting our graduates of Atlantic High School. This is one of the many outlets for our local charitable works.”

Mr. Ernest Simon, attorney and past president of The Club, has been an active member for over 50 years, and was one of the celebrity bartenders at the event. “It pleases me to be able to help out our young students through this fund raiser - it is fun with an opportunity to socialize with friends and neighbors for a good cause.”

Also present behind the bar to lend a helping hand was Commissioner Mitch Katz of Delray Beach, who was a wiz at drawing tap beer.

The Delray Beach Rotary Club, founded in 1948, has a luncheon meeting every Tuesday at 12:15PM at the Delray Beach Public Library at 100 West Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach . “Join us to help our community, both locally and internationally”, says Mr. Fred Bonardi, President of the Delray Beach Rotary Club.

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders, united worldwide, who provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. There are approximately 1.2 million Rotarians who are members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries.

For more information, visit www.rotary.org.

WEB: www.delraybeachrotary.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: ROBERT T. KELLEY 201-294-3259 (mobile) or e-mail at rkelley505@aol.com

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District Rotarian Story

My Rotary Life My dad was a Rotarian and two of my children are, so you might say we are a Rotary family.

In 1966 at age 23, I was invited by my family’s attorney, Anton Vitt, to go to a Rotary meeting. Fifty years later I am still going to Rotary meetings. After joining, my first crisis was addressing the superintendent of schools, Dr. Branom, as I knew him all my life, as “Wayne” or I would be fined for using a formal title.

This I solved by not talking to him unless we were looking at one another. He knew my problem and took great pleasure in watching me squirm.

About a year later he would ask me if I would take the office of club secretary. I said “Sure Wayne.” --- I almost choked to death. This started my role of an active Rotarian. As club officer I served in almost every position and committee and was president of the Hillside, NJ Club in 1973-4 and again in 1999-2000.

I was later asked to sit on various district (7510 central NJ) committees, and served as District Secretary in 1977-8, District Governor 1996-7, Rotary Foundation Chair, Group Study Exchange committee member for more than 25 years (chair for 16). In 1989 I led a GSE team to the English Midlands. I sat on the Ambassadorial Scholarship committee for 20 years and also served as chair several times. There were many other committees which I will not enumerate.

After retiring I joined the Lake Worth Club in 2003 and have been an active member of that club ever since. I was active on District 6930 Group Study Exchange committee until the Rotary Foundation funding of this program was ended in 2013. In that final year I chaired the program which we hosted and sent medical professionals to and from the Rotary district in Bavaria, Germany.

I feel I have gotten far more from Rotary than I can ever give back. We have made so many friends throughout our Rotary districts in NJ and FL and the Rotary world through our involvement in Group Study Exchange, Ambassadorial Scholarships, Youth Exchange and International Conventions. With the advent of the internet we communicate with all of our Rotary friends on a very regular

basis.

I relate this to you, not to tell of my accomplishments but to tell of the wonderful life experience Rotary has been for me and can be for you. My daughter was a Youth Exchange student in 1983 in Brazil and later chair of the outbound Rotary Youth Exchange for 10 years, and she wasn’t even a Rotarian.

Now as a member of the Vestal, NY Club she hosts inbound students each year, which is a wonderful learning experience for her children. My wife Ann and I hosted my daughter’s baby Brazilian brother 16 years after her exchange and he called just last week to announce the birth of our new Brazilian granddaughter.

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Mino was a GSE team member we hosted in 1994 and were subsequently invited to his wedding in the Netherlands. He then rented a motorcycle for Ann and I to go with him and his bride on their honeymoon motorcycle tour of the Netherlands and Germany. In March we were visited by Mino and his 17 year old son from the Netherlands.

Each year I was on the GSE committee I would take the team into NY City for a day. The first stop would always be the World Trade Center. On 9/11 we received at least 15 phone calls from all over the world to be sure I was not there with a GSE team.

My GSE trip to England was a life experience, as were all of those GSE trips for all who participated in them. If you were to go to a travel agent and hand the itinerary to him/her and say “This is what I want to do. Can you arrange it and how much will it cost?” The answer would be “I can’t do this, and if I could you couldn’t afford it.” All over the world Rotarians open up their homes, business to show others the best and sometimes the worst of their communities to educate them and learn from them. The teams are taken to places and see things that the locals don’t have access to, and sometimes don’t even know about.

On a tragic note, during a GSE visit from India, one of the team members drowned in the bay at our home at the Jersey Shore. The response in the face of such a tragedy was amazing. It seemed that every Rotarian in the district did all they could to help, which made this tragic situation a little easier to handle. The following year the Governor asked if I wanted to get off the GSE committee or at least not chair it again. I could not imagine not being part of the program, so I stayed.

Serving on the Ambassadorial Scholar selection committee was always a very humbling experience for me. Each year we were asked to select just two or three scholars from 10 to 15 candidates. The parade of geniuses would start, and we would hope for some unqualified candidates just to narrow the field, but that never happened. I, who barely made it out of school, was trying to pick one genius over another.

Believe me, these students went all over the world and made us proud to be Rotarians and Americans, and likewise the students who came to our country from all over the world (my district included Princeton and Rutgers Universities which attracted many scholars) made their countries proud to have sent such wonderful young men and women to represent their country and Rotary.

My year 1996-1997 as District Governor was quite an experience. Our major international project was to help fund a boy’s school and residence for the “Street Children” in Campinas, Brazil. This was accomplished through a matching grant from the Rotary Foundation, the Rotary District in Campinas, a Christian ministry from California who would oversee the daily operation of the school and our Rotary District. Within a year it was up and running with about 35 students. To express their thanks, 20 Rotarians and their spouses arrived at my District Conference in Cape May, NJ. I was in shock to say the least. Note: there is now a facility for girls, also.

That year the GSE team was from Denmark, where my GSE chair Torben Huge Jensen was born.

Several years later, Torben’s son was married in the same church as his grandparents in Denmark, and Ann and I were invited. When the GSE team leader heard we were coming to Denmark he made arrangements for us to tour his district and stay with the team members we had hosted. What a wonderful experience!

The stories go on and on and I am running out of the allotted space, so I will close by saying, “To me Rotary is a way of life, an opportunity to get so much by doing for others”. If I were to do it over again, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

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J. Patrick Growney Lake Worth Rotary Club

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Editor Message

Dear Rotarian, I am here to help you!

A lot of Rotarians send me emails asking me to send them the Quest in PDF. The problem is, sometimes the attachment is too heavy and I can not send it, because of this I send a link, it is more modern, easy to see, to open and to share!

The idea is spread out what District 6930 is doing to the world!

I will teach you how you can download the quest in the link and how * Step 1: Click on the link I sent to you by e-mail https://issuu.com/6930questmagazine/docs/quest_02_-_sep_2016 * Step 2: Move your cursor below the picture, the pages numbers and you have: INFO you can print and share with * Step 3:

SHARE

STACK

Click on share

After clicking on share you have: FROM FIRST PAGE

FROM CURRENT PAGE

EMBED

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Click on download You can print or save in PDF

* Step 4: For sharing by your Social Media or e-mail, just: Click on the icon where you want to share

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friends around the world!

Dini Heizer District 6930 Newsletter Editor dini@heizer.us

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