Maria Nelson, MSW, LSCSW, is the Program/Site Manager and Cody Palmer, NASM CPT, CF-L2, is the Facility Coordinator for The Phoenix Wichita.
The Phoenix’s mission is to build a sober active community that fuels resilience and harnesses the transformational power of connection so that together we rise, recover, and live. It is a National non-profit bringing support to those who are in recovery, from either substances or the human experience. They work within our community to build healthy connections around an active lifestyle. Anyone with 48 hours of sobriety is welcome to attend, that is the only cost of membership.
Maria & Cody will be speaking today about their role in the community, who they serve, and their impact.
Be sure to sign up if you plan to attend our club meeting on February 13 and indicate if you are bringing a guest. We need a count for EVERYONE attending (members and guests). This would be a good time to bring prospective members but please note that our $15 lunch fee will apply to all guests attending - payable at the door or added to your bill.
Sign up at the meeting or email Diane by February 5th.
SERVICE ABOVE SELF AWARD
It’s time to nominate a fellow Rotarian for our club’s Service Above Self Award. The purpose of the award is to recognize a fellow Rotarian for the outstanding contributions they make to the community, our club, social, religious, educational, business ethics, and/or other worthwhile activities which make Wichita a better community.
The following members who are past recipients are not eligible: Bob Goebel, Roger Bowles, Mike Ludlow, Michael Phipps, DeAnn Sullivan, Paul Blissett, Mark Hansen, Phil Michel, Sharon West, Brian Goudie, Jamie Wise, John Mosley, Mark Chamberlin, Tony Morrow, Terry Gardner and Randy Bowles.
If you would like to nominate a fellow Rotarian, send an e-mail to Diane with the following information:
The NAME of the Rotarian you would like to nominate
The REASON you feel they deserve this award
Our Selection Committee, consisting of past recipients, will review all submissions to select this year’s winner.
The deadline to submit is: February 20th
Pop-Up Camp Saturday, February 24
The one-day Rotary Pop-Up Camp for High School Freshman, Sophomore or Junior students will take place at Cosmosphere, the space museum and STEM education center located in Hutchinson, KS. Registration fee includes Cosmosphere admission, t-shirt, lunch, and dinner.
Location: Cosmosphere, Hutchinson, KS *Cost: $150 (see below)
Deadline: Sunday, February 11, 2024
All of the information is at www.sckans.edu/leadership and then click on Service Outreach, Rotary Camp.
*Our club will pay $100 of the fee for the first five students to sign up HOWEVER they need to go through our club first before registering on-line to make the payment arrangements.
RITE (Rotary Intercountry Teacher Exchange)
The RITE (Rotary Intercountry Teacher Exchange) program was started in our District by Ralph and Armida Hight in 1996. It is a joint project of the Rotary Clubs of West Wichita and West Sedgwick County–Sunrise and has grown to involve additional clubs in our District. The inbound portion of the project includes receiving teachers from Panama and Argentina for 4 weeks mid-January to mid-February and involves lining up host families, planning activities and school schedules.
The RITE Teachers gave a wonderful program at our meeting last week and presented gifts to Club President, Colby Reynolds.
Pictures above provided by Vern Klassen
Our thanks to RITE Co-Organizers, Dalia Hale, WSC-Sunrise Rotary, and Shelli Kadel, former WW Rotarian. As always, they did a fantastic job coordinating all the activities and hosts for this year's visit. Also pictured above, the RITE teachers from Panama (Ingrid & Ivan) and Argentina (Gimena & Florencia); Colby Reynolds, Club President, and Armida Hight, founder of the RITE project. A big THANKS to our club members who served as home hosts: Ed Frey, Mark Hazleton and Mark Hansen.
The other hosts were from the Andover, Downtown, East and Sunrise Rotary clubs.
PAUL HARRIS FELLOW
Congrats to Sean Babjak who received a new Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) recognition at last week's meeting for his donations to The Rotary Foundation. His certificate and pin were presented to him by our Foundation Chair, Monty Allen.
The Rotary Foundation is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs. It is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians who share its vision of a better world. Check out: https://www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary/rotary-foundation
You received an email last week about Rotary Direct, ourFoundation's recurring giving program. Rotary Direct makes giving easy, fast, and secure. You can schedule a monthly, quarterly, or annual donation that empowers Rotarians to change lives in communities around the world.
For more information, go to:
https://my.rotary.org/en/rotary-direct
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Our Membership Committee, Chaired by Wade West, would like to provide an opportunity for members to get to know each other better. Please sign up for an upcoming meeting that you would be willing to share 1-2 minutes about yourself using this guideline:
1. Name
2. Business & Title (current or retired from)
3. How long you've been a member of our club.
4. Your favorite Rotary service project.
5. Something fun or unique that your fellow club members may not know about you.
January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month
Please bring new sheets (queen or king size) and towels to our club meeting to donate to our local area shelters.
HOLIDAY RAFFLE: Lori Taylor won $2 in our raffle last week. This week, it will be worth over $39 if an Ace is drawn. Proceeds from the raffle are used to buy groceries for families during the holidays.
INTERACT CLUB MEETING
Monday, February 6, 6:00 - 7:00 pm, Pizza Ranch
2024-25 Board of Directors
Jodi Barnwell has agreed to serve as our Club Secretary in place of Suzy Chapman who is on a Leave of Absence. The new Board positions begin July 1.
