Nov 6 -- Rotary Foundation Dinner Uptown Sheraton Hotel. See George Greenlee for details.
Nov 12 & 13 -- Clothes for Kids tentative dates.
Nov 15-16 -- Bi-District Conference in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Registration is now open.
Apr 24-26 -- District Celebration (Conference) in El Paso
Jan ? -- District Governor's Visit Come prepared to bid on a gift basket!
May 3 -- Jazz in the Desert
Tuesday...
Bee See'n You
Meet Ken Hays
Connie Irwin brings us our speaker today, Ken Hays, the owner of... you guessed it, Hay's Honey and Apple Farm in Bosque Farms. Where nature's sweetness has been their specialty since 2006!
Ken Hays started as a hobbyist beekeeper to treat his allergies, which is where his love for bees began. The farm has evolved into a commercial bee operation and productive apple orchard, family-owned and operated by three generations.
Their honey is in the purest form, straight from the hive to you. They pride themselves on placing a priority on the health of their bees and promoting sustainable beekeeping practices. You can visit their store on the Bosque Farms South Loop. Sample their honey products, and gifts, and learn about beekeeping for yourself. You are bound to have a “sweet” time!
Last Week
Expo New Mexico's Ourtreach Coordinator
Meet Kathleen Mansmann
In 2021 Kathleen answered a want ad to man the information booth at the NM State Fair and has worked her way up to become the Community Outreach Coordinator for EXPO New Mexico, which includes the State Fair.
This year the State Fair had 500,000 visitors over 11 days. This was 45,000 more than last year. The fair adds a new exhibit every year to help give people a reason to go back. This year’s new exhibit was a history of the fair display and a Roaring 20’s themed “speakeasy,” where George Greenlee volunteered!
Kathleen created the fair volunteer program. She recruited volunteers from the Rotary Club of Albuquerque where she is a member, and from area high school clubs and sports teams. Last year 650 youths from 13 schools earned a total of $32,000 by volunteering. Students use the money for field trips, sports equipment, bus rental, and more.
This year PNM sponsored a school culinary competition which earned Carlsbad HS $5,000, Albuquerque HS $3,000, and Taos HS $2,000. Valencia HS JROTC earned $2,000.
Her goal for 2025 is to continue to grow the program. She wants to solicit volunteers from all the Rotary Clubs and add more schools and businesses. Volunteers for a 3-hour shift get a parking pass and two free tickets to use at a later date.
News from Around the
Club and Community
Club Membership Drive...
and the Return of the Free Lunch
At our last Board meeting Leyda Hahn presented an idea for increasing our membership. She proposed any prospective new member you bring to a meeting, the club will pay for your guest's lunch, not you. This incentive will be in effect from now until our last meeting of this year, December 17th.
Note: the club will only pay for prospective members. The club will not pay for your guests who have no likelihood of joining. Leyda further proposesd printing business cards that members can handout to invite prospective members to attend a meeting. Leyda will have 1,000 cards printed. The Board voted to approve the proposal and if it is successful, the program may be continued into next year.
Greg and Celeste Martin, Pete and Jan Smargon, Dan Garrison, Leyda Hahn, Don Leach, Nick Blea, and George and Terri Greenlee.
Many hands made quick work (less than one hour). We put Rotary inserts into 647 Dictionary Gazettes that are now ready for delivery to all the elementary schools in the Los Lunas School District.
As soon as the school district delivers the books to the schools. We Rotarians can then call the schools to make appointments to present the books to each 3rd grade class.
When you do, be sure and take photos for the newsletter!
Read to Me Project Continues to Expand
Greg Gaudette introduced (from left to right) office manager Sarah Chavez, Deputy District Attorney Robyn Simms, and Investigator Johnny Cappelli from the Valencia County DA's Office. These folks have distributed over 17 thousand books to the school children of Valencia County. Why? Because about one year ago they came to our meeting and heard our speaker that day, Betty Follett, talk about the "Read to Me Project."
Betty was looking for a way to provide grade appropriate children’s books to be given to every elementary school student in Valencia County at parent-teacher conferences. There are 10 elementary schools in the Los Lunas School District and seven in the Belen School District. Betty has contacts in Albuquerque where she can pick up inexpensive and donated books.
Enter the Valencia County DA’s Office and... problem solved by the hard work and extra hours put in by the folks above. Thank you all!
Designing Your Rotary Experience
“Designing your Rotary Experience” is a handy how-to guide that gives ownership of one’s Rotary Journey to the individual member.
This guide is organized into four areas:
1. Make Connections
2. Participate in meaningful service
3. Become a leader
4. Expand your perspective.
Each section has several thought-provoking ideas that can expand your horizons, guide you in personal growth, or help you engage your club and community. The beauty of this document is that it gives you, the individual member, ownership of your Rotary journey.
To download a copy of this document, please click below.
