Sunday, March 16, 2008

MEETING MINUTES (continued) from 3 / 12 / 08

ANNOUNCEMENTS (continued from previous post)

WRITER IN RESIDENCE:
Mona announced that the International Women's
Foundation will host their first writer in
residence....a Swiss national named
Jim Lojinger.

FILM FESTIVAL:
Robin announced that her Film Festival contacts
in Austin are calling the Marfa Film Festival
on the Cinco de Mayo weekend their "Sister
Festival"

She is working to get "Azul" to perform onstage
that weekend.

PARADE FOR CINCO DE MAYO (SUNDAY)
10 - 15 Volunteers will be needed to help with
the parade. The police department must get on
board and Highland can be blocked for the afternoon
parade.

DONATIONS to the Film Festival:
Can now be made to Marfa Live Arts, a 501C3 org.
(In return,MLA gets a 5% cut of donations)
Please provide a list of people that Robin
could contact for a tax deductible donation.

EXCHANGE STUDENT:
Because of difficulties finding other exchange
student profiles on the district website, Jon
will notify Melissa Metcalf that we will host
Martin Rasmussen if he chooses to come to
spend his exchange year in Marfa.

MEETING MINUTES, March 12, 2008

WELCOME ROTARIANS, and guests!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Mona announced the First Hispanic Art Show to take
place in Building 98 during the Cinco de Mayo
festivities. She will invite Dr. Ricardo Aldana
of San Juanito (see below)to do a showing at this
exhibition.

Jon announced that he will meet Michael Degiglio,
the President of Village Farms next week. Jon hopes
to have an opportunity to propose a stronger community
profile for the company in Marfa.

UPDATES:

SISTER CITY INITIATIVE:

Jon reported that the Sister City initiative of
Marfa Rotary is perfectly aligned with the goals
and strategy of Rotary International, which is
the focus on international understanding, goodwill
and peace.

Our leadership in this arena has been noticed by
the community of Alpine, which is now considering
a sister city relationship in the state of Chihuahua
also.


Jon has written to Sol and Lauro Marquez of the
Noritari Cabins in San Juanito, inviting them to
come to Marfa in April.

Dr. Juan Silveyra of San Juanito visited Marfa
last week and is applying for the position of
Medical Director for the Presidio County Health
Clinics. Much of the credit for this goes to
Rudy Garcia, who met Dr. Silveyra during the
Rotary Club visit to San Juanito, and saw in
him a potential candidate to fill this recently
vacated post.

John and Hilary Slaughter, part-time residents
of Marfa, traveled through San Juanito over
this past weekend and presented a box of
Village Farms tomatoes from the club to Sol and
Lauro during their overnight at the Noritari
Cabins in the high Sierras of Chihuahua.

Jon has made contact with Bea Pierce, who is
part owner of the firetruck that sits on the
Pierce Motors lot in Marfa. He wants to find
out if this truck is working and if it could
be donated to the community of Carichi, a
community situated near to San Juanito, and
whose representatives made an appeal for help
in equipping their firefighters during the
Rotary visit to San Juanito in early February.
Mr. Pierce is communicating our interest to
the co-owners of the truck.

CINCO DE MAYO FUNDRAISER:
Robin told the group that the First Annual
Marfa Film Festival has secured a portable
screen and projection system for the outdoor
screening of movies during the festival.

She has also secured permission from TXDoT
to close the highway on Highland street for four
hours on Sunday evening, May 4. This should
allow more space for vendors.

SPRING FLING BINGO
Everyone is reminded to get busy soliciting
prizes for the event on Sunday, April 6.

MEETING NOTES, March 5, 2008

WELCOME ROTARIANS !

Amy Allison and Rudy Garcia stood in for
Jon, who was absent from this meeting.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Jon will attend PETs (President Elect Training
Session)in Albuquerque this weekend.

FUNDRAISER:
The club worked on assignments for soliciting
prizes for the Spring Fling Bingo on Sunday,
April 6.

TREASURER'S REPORT:
Rudy Garcia presented the monthly Treasurer's
report.

MEETING MINUTES, February 27. 2008

Welcome Rotarians and
Today's guests:

Martin and Brenda Ross
Alpine Rotary

Our presenter: Graydon Hicks, Principal
Marfa High School

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

SECRETARY NEEDED:
Jon asked members of the club to nominate a
member for the office of Secretary for the
club. His new job will allow him less time
in the future to do many of the secretarial
functions that the club requires so he is
asking for help with these tasks.

Nominations received during today's meeting were:
Amy Allison.........................Declined
Sandra Harper.......................Declined
Rachel Lindsay......................Declined.

Jon repeated his request for nominations from
members of the club.


MUSIC PERFORMANCE:
Rotarian Johnny Caldero and his musical
group will perform at the Marfa Bookstore
this Friday, between 4 and 6 P.M. Everyone
is invited and the event is free to the public.

TRAINWRECK: Martin and Brenda gave the group
an update on the aftermath of the trainwreck
that happened in Alpine just this morning.

ROTARY GREAT DAY OF SERVICE: Jon reminded the
group of this annual event, which happens across
the world this year on Saturday, March 29th.
Options for this day of volunteerism were discussed.
The members decided that building a sign for the
newly named "WAGONWHEEL COMMUNITY GARDEN" is
the project we would most like to participate
in on that day. Members should meet at the Garden
at 1:30 on that Saturday. Oscar has a welder.
Johnny has a sheet of plywood. Poles will be
purchased at McCoy's.

MARIACHIS TO PERFORM:
On May 9th a group of mariachis will perform at
Marfa's Nutrition Center.

UPDATES ON PROJECTS:

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT:
Sandra told members that the brochure for this project
is now complete, and that the funding targets for Phase I
have been achieved. Volunteers will be needed soon. She
will advise the club of developments.

WAGONWHEEL COMMUNITY GARDEN:
Volunteers are needed this Sunday at 1:30 to clear the
grounds and prepare the beds for planting. Jon will
contact Mike Green about his tiller.

FUNDRAISER:
Marfa Rotary's annual Spring Fling Bingo will take place on
Sunday, April 6th. In order to make this fundraiser a success,
the members are being asked to go out into the communities of
Alpine, Marfa and Fort Davis to collect prizes for the Bingo,
which will be moderated by Johnny Calderon at the Amvets Hall.

A request must be made to the City Council in order to get the
Amvets Hall for that date.

PRESENTATION: "Establishing a Positive Peer Culture"
by Graydon Hicks of Marfa High School....

Mr. Hicks made an interesting case for this method of helping
students to make behavior choices that are appropriate. He
showed how important this is to maintaining a proper learning
environment in the school. Harry Vorath is the author of this
method (in the Sixties).Mr. Hicks has worked with the
methodology at the High Frontier school. The approach moves
resonsibility for problem situations to the students by
refocusing on what is happening inside the peer group. Teachers
facilitate student explorations of alternatives available for
the internal management of difficult situations.

The presentation was followed by some discussion and questions.

The group adjourned with the sounding of the bells at St.Mary's.