Reported by Ann Marie Ellis
President Sara Pantin called the meeting to order at noon. Ken King led the pledges and President Elect Julie Benkoski gave the invocation. Jeff Fazio led us in reciting the Four Way Test. Josue Limon was our greeter at the top of the stairs and Bogdan Bikish, our host.
Sponsor Past President Gaines Bagby introduced our newest member Christopher Wike. Welcome, Christopher!
Diane Ventresca invited members to a Rotary Wine Party (“Red…White…Bubbly…As long as it’s from Texas”) on Friday 11 May at 6 pm at the Ventresca home in Leander. Scott Rider, a recently transferred (and second-generation) Rotarian from Ennis Texas, told stories to illustrate the meaning of being a member of Rotary.
President Sara Pantin announced that the monthly Executive Committee Meeting would be held next Tuesday at 1:30 pm in St. David’s Vestry Conference Room. She encouraged those with red badges to attend.
President Sara relayed the sad news that the sister of Past President Bruce Golden passed away.
She also announced that a District Installation Celebration for the 2018-19 Rotary Year will be held on Saturday June 9th at the Oasis on Lake Travis from 11am-2 pm. The cost of the event is $55 per person (with children 6-12 half price and those under 6 free). President Sara also invited Rotarians to the Austin Playhouse for a performance of Lucky Stiff at 7:30 pm on May 24th. Tickets are $25 per person.
Kimberly Gdula, Scholarship Committee Vice Chair, presented the RCA Scholarship Awards for 2018, and she provided Rotarians with background information on each of the outstanding recipients: Alex Mancevski, Brianna Rondero, Callie Pate, David Thang, Edwin Espinosa, Gustavo Jaramillo, Yohannes Bekele, Josue Zepeda-Sanic, Kimberly Wight, Kizra Fathima, Larissa Sisneros, Leyla Zamarron, Lily Davisson, Russell Sullivan and Tram Pham.
These 15 outstanding students, who are already actively committed to community and global service, won scholarship awards in the aggregate amount of $58,000.
Ms. Gdula acknowledged and thanked all of our named scholarship fund donors: Mary Bird and Bob Bowman; John and Kay Braziel (Kay Pinkney Braziel Scholarship); Sarah and Ernest Butler; Charles A. and Alice Burton; John Hall; Joseph Hang; Harold and Liz Ingersoll; Dale and Nancy Lowe; Jack Nash; Richard and Kim Payton; Michael Portman; Rick Ravel; Alan and Susan Sager (Dale and Phyllis Hawkins Scholarship); Walter Wendlandt (James and Estelle Taylor Scholarship); and Sam Wilson.
President Sara announced that next w eek’s speaker, Susan Nelson, will discuss her book, The Only
Light I Saw Was in Galveston: My Six Year Journey Back…After Death! Omar Gallaga from the Austin
American Statesman will speak on Technology at the May 22nd meeting.
President Sara thanked Louis Williams (Baker Hill Farms) for his business’ sponsorship and support of Rotary. She ended the meeting with this Pearl of Wisdom: Life is about discovering who we are… leading is about striving to become better than we are and helping everything and everyone around us to be better too. The meeting was adjourned at 1 pm.