Rotary Club of Pulaski County
Is There a Wheel in Your Future?
Rotary is looking for business leaders who want to make a difference in their community.
The Rotary Club of Pulaski County was formed in 2002. Since its inception, it has been focused on service.
It has presented Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and sponsored a number of local outstanding high school students to attend RYLA seminars for young leaders. The club has also sponsored three high school exchange students, two from Germany and one from Thailand.
Chris Stiebner, Rotary high school exchange student from Germany, participates in a Rotary meeting with Jackie Howard and Merle Jones
As the club's Rotary Centennial project, it worked with the City of St. Robert to fund and construct a skateboard park.
City, Army and Rotary members work together to install new skate park equipment.
It conducted a shoe drive for disadvantaged children in the county, and worked with the Waynesville School District to acquire and place heart defibulators in school facilities. In partnership with Concurrent Technologies Corporation, the club brokered the transfer of much needed, used computer equipment to the Pulaski County Library.
Osa Kays, director, Pulaski County Library System, thanks Mike True, a CTC manager and Rotarian, for CTC's computer contribution
Jackie Howard, a past president of the club, was selected for and led a month-long Rotary Group Study Exchange trip to Germany. The group visited many different regions, learned about how their vocations were practiced in Germany, and made many new friends.
Rotary partnered with the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber of Commerce to conduct the nationally-recognized CHOICES program for middle school children. This in-school program, conducted by volunteers from the business community (many of them Rotarians), encourages middle school students to think about what they want to do with their lives and gives them a number of tools to help them focus their energies on activities that will have positive, life-long impact on them and their families and friends.
Merle Jones, the Club president, says "We really enjoy partnering with like-minded organizations in the county - chambers, schools, cities, and other clubs. The synergy multiplies the benefits. If your organization has a project you want help with, give us a call and give us an opportunity to share your vision and contribute our talents and energy to making it a reality."
The club was recently recognized as the Waynesville-St. Robert Chamber Service Organization of the Year.
Rotary was founded in 1905 and is the world's first and largest service organization. The Rotary motto is "Service above Self." It is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.
Rotary clubs carry out a variety of service projects addressing poverty, hunger, illiteracy, substance abuse, pollution and many other local, national and international challenges. They also build lasting friendships and have a lot of fun.
Service to youth, especially children at risk, is a major emphasis. Eradicating polio is a top Rotary priority that requires the immunization of every child under five in the world. As a result of the efforts of Rotary and its global partners, more than one billion children have been immunized against polio since 1985. Rotary members have given over $600 million dollars to the campaign. Today 99% of the world is polio-free. The goal is that soon the world will be entirely polio-free.
Before eradication efforts began in 1988, polio paralyzed more than 1,000 children a day.
Rotary places a strong emphasis on ethics in all aspects of a member's life, business and social. Each member pledges to apply the Rotary Four-Way Test to "the things we think, say or do." The test is:
(1) Is it the truth?
(2) Is it fair to all concerned?
(3) Will it build goodwill and better
relationships?
(4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Club members have been known to do wild things for good causes. The Rotary "Red-Hot Red-Hatters" helped raise funding for the Armed Services YMCA at the 2006 Fabulous Fakes event. Rumor is that they will be back for this year's event.
Rotarians Chris Heard, Bruce Harrill, Joel Goodridge, Joe Rapone, and David Lowe at Fabulous Fakes.
The Pulaski County Rotary Club is looking for business and community leaders across Pulaski County to join their organization. The club is a "by-invitation" membership organization, but they do encourage individuals to inquire and attend a meeting as their guests to explore Rotary membership.
The Pulaski County Club meets every Tuesday at 11:45 at Adonia's Restaurant in St. Robert. Please contact Wayne Strohschein at 573-336-8328 or another member if you would like to join them as a member's guest for the day.
the
appointment of Robert Saab as the committee chairperson.
Robert is a Senior Analyst and Training Developer with IEM,
Inc. He retired from the US Army after 22 years of service
in 2005, having served in Operation Iraqi Freedom I as well
as many other operations and assignments. Originally from
upstate NY, Mr. Saab said "there was no doubt in our
minds after our assignment to Fort Leonard Wood when the
MP School moved here, that one day we would return here
and settle down." He is married to Anita Renee, his
wife of 18 years, and they have two sons, Robert III and
Caleb, both students in the Waynesville School District.
Mr. Saab looks forward to serving as the chairman of this
very important committee and invites all area business leaders
to be involved.
Ambassadors
Club and what do they do that makes them so special? Along
with staff the Ambassadors serve as the official goodwill
representatives of the Chamber. What this means is at Chamber
events you'll see the Ambassadors in their blue jackets
helping to welcome new members, speakers, special guests
and other groups and individuals to the Chamber. They'll
also serve as an extra pair of hands for the Chamber staff
during events helping to check in guests and other such
things. 
Spring will finally arrive this month on the 21st. Most people I know really enjoy spring. It's a time of renewal and beauty. Colors begin to show in new flowers, grass and trees. It's uplifting and causes people to get excited about life again. Particularly after this winter's ice and cold weather. It's time to come out of your cave and get with it. There's lots going on both in your business and community activities. Get involved. Do some spring cleaning. In business, that means not just getting rid of stuff you've accumulated over the winter, also get rid of some of those old business practices that don't work anymore. It's a new season, it's time to bloom and grow! Let's make our community a place the causes people to feel about us like they feel about spring!
Ina Fernandez
