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Escondido Sunrise Rotary; Meeting to Serve our Community in Person and via Zoom; and “Paula Winland, Volunteer Organizer for Africa Projects”
             October 13th, 2022
 
 
As we all try to conduct our professional pursuits in new ways, it’s appropriate to remind ourselves of who we are as a Serving Organization… Our accomplishments, our fellowship and the reminder of our many successes is valuable as we seek new opportunities to serve…
 
 
 
We met again in person at the Chamber of Commerce… Great to enjoy the fellowship again and see all your smiling faces…..
 
 
 
 
As a Club, we honored our nation with a salute to our Flag and, an invocation was offered ….
 
 
President Tina Pope opened the meeting by announcing that the order of the meetings will be
transitioning to give the guest speaker the platform before covering the regular items on the agenda.
 
 
Guests and Visitors:
Paula Winland, Volunteer Organizer for Africa Projects in Zambia, Africa (Boswana).
 
 
 
Program:
 
 
 
Rotarian Mike Dunlap introduced Paula Winland. Mike first met Paula when he visited Boswana
in 2009 when he participated in digging water wells for the community. Funds for the project were provided by the Escondido Sunrise Rotary Club. Paula shared that the wells provided the main water supply to that area for two years. Mike witnessed firsthand all the good Paula Winland has done in Zambia through the organization she created to improve education and school building conditions. Paula has resided in Zambia for approximately 20 years. In mid 2000 Paula felt compelled to respond to the poor conditions of the education program in her town. After learning of the limited, or non- existent, state funding for education, Paula took matters into her own hands. She allowed the use of her
expansive property to be utilized for the building of a community school and facilitated the fundraising to pay for the building of the school in an impoverished community. The school was built by volunteers and parents who offered the trade of their skills as “sweat equity” for their child’s tuition. Paula thanked the Escondido Sunrise Rotary for the funds donated to the Africa Projects in 2009. As a result of this donation, and also including donations made by several Rotary clubs in the UK, the organization completed a school building in 2012. The school was first occupied by older grade level students in 2015, eventually including first through fourth grade aged children in 2017. The organization then faced challenges to provide a much needed classroom space for upper primary classes of fifth-grade through eight-grade. There were no funds to accommodate a building or hire an additional teacher for this group of students.
Thanks to the Rotary International Global Grants a third building was completed. Six lavatories
and a food program were also added to provide a better learning environment by meeting some of the basic needs. Students could now succeed without the distraction of hardships. Paula believes that the improvements have been an integral part of many students moving on to higher learning in colleges, universities and trade schools. Some students have moved on to well paying government and private sector jobs after graduating as the result of the technical career training offered in the school. The statistics of students seeking higher learning after graduating is at an all time high. Paula credits this to the hope the school and learning environment provide to the students and families through
the financial support of Rotary clubs. She also credits the decrease of sex trafficking incidents, a very prevalent crime in Africa, to the students being in school. Students are no longer left on their own for extended periods of time without adult supervision. Proactive measures and programs to educate and empower students such as “Just Say No To Sex” (a program of safety and awareness) have also made an impact. As the result of the growth in school registration and attendance, the organization is in need of
adding another classroom. She shared that $6,000 is all it takes to build a classroom, furnish it, and provide books, materials and curriculum. The organization is also seeking sponsors to financially support graduating students who are college bound. An annual sponsorship of $600 can cover college tuition, books, and other necessary for success and lessen the dropout rate due to their impoverished
family’s inability to provide for the student’s education. Paula closed by stressing the positive life changing impact Rotarians have had in the community of Zambia. She asked that club members of the Escondido Sunrise Rotary Club consider responding to a call to action and sponsor, or co-sponsor, financing a new building, support a college student, or make a donation to help pay for a teacher’s salary. Mike Dunlap has information and details for those with questions or would like to help. For someone who claims she doesn’t like kids, and we’re not buying it, Paula has been a Godsend and a true advocate for children in the community of Zambia. Rich Aeling proposed to the club that we explore how we can further support the school, students, and Paula’s efforts. The club was in agreement, and we look forward to being a part of changing lives and changing communities around the world.                                        
 
 
Now, some Sunrise Rotary member milestones…
 
 
Birthdays:
Sadly no birthdays this week
                  
Anniversaries:
John & Bobby Sawtelle 9 Years on October 14th
Hook & Mrs. G. Hoekstra 25 Years on October 18th
Congratulations to you all!!
                                               
Rotary Anniversaries:
No Rotarian anniversaries this week
 
 
 
Rotarians Having Fun and Serving…
All kinds of fun and service and fun… Pictures are worth a thousand words…
 
 
Mark Hoekstra, Father of the Bride - Mark’s daughter Noelle was married on Saturday, October 8 th . The proud father of the bride shared how blessed he felt in being able to celebrate this special day with his wife
Glynna, and Noelle’s stepfather and mother as both families enjoyed the wedding and the company of the extended family.
Blessed you are, Mark!
 
 
 
Mike “I Think We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat” Meuhle - Got Fish? Mike shared a fishing photo and earned bragging rights after winning a one-hour reel battle against a 200lb Blue Fin Tuna. Great catch, Mike!
 
 
 
 
High 5 and Announcements - There is so much to celebrate, look forward to, and be grateful for!
 
 
John Schwab - Community in Unity is just around the corner! John reminded the club to watch for
upcoming details on this event that the club has partnered with by collecting and donating PJ’s
for the Rady Children’s Hospital. Tickets are only $40 to enjoy wine tasting from local wineries, beer samples from local breweries, and a variety of specialty appetizers and food samples from restaurants in our community. It’s a great event for a Christmas office party venue. Be sure to invite friends and family!
 
 
 
Rich Aeling, Thank You Club and Announcements - Rich shared a Thank You letter he received from
the Boy’s and Girl’s Club to share with the Sunrise Rotary Club. They expressed their appreciation for the investment of time, talent and treasure this club has provided the youth in the Escondido and Greater SD County areas.
 
Christmas has arrived early at the Sunrise Rotary Club! After last year’s nail biting experience of not knowing if the bikes for the annual giveaway were going to arrive on time, Rich took no chances and ordered the bikes early. The 100 bikes have arrived and are now at the shop ready to be assembled. If you would like to personally purchase one for the giveaway the cost is only $110. The bikes will be donated to Camp Pendleton families again this year, and we will resume donating them to EUSD in 2023. Thanks for all your hard work in making this happen, Rich!
 
Bunco and Game Night at the Aelings! Mark your calendars for Friday, October 28th, from 6pm – 9pm. Remember to RSVP Rich. Food and beverages will be provided, but feel free to bring something to share.
 
 
 
Grape Day 5K:
 
 
Grape Day 5k: Exceeding Expectations - Richard Agnew gave the exciting update that the total
calculations will be in the $153k range, well over our $125k goal! Offering a virtual participation recorded reaching as far as Japan.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Next Week’s Meeting:
Closing: President Tina Pope will be showing highlights of the Grape Day 5k at the October 27th meeting. Please expect to stay until 8:45am as there are many exciting highlights to cover. Well done teams!
 
Will be in person and online at the Chamber of Commerce at 7:30 AM on October 20th…
 
 
 
 
Thanks for Attending Today’s Meeting….
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Support for our Escondido Community …
Our great community and the success of its businesses is all of our responsibilities… Support the businesses that are doing all they can to survive during this challenging time… Take out some chow… Be ready to support them when the economy begins working again…
The ‘Giving Arch’ on Grand Avenue and Centre City Parkway reminds us that Escondido is a caring, giving community…
 
 
 
 
 
To all; be safe and be well…. God Bless those men and women that carry the load at our medical facilities, and God Bless our first responders… May our governmental leaders be wise, thoughtful and smart as this pandemic is overtaken by our hard work and collective support…
 
Online Meetings:
Technical Support for Online Meetings:
Our meetings will begin as a hybrid setting with in-person and on-line opportunities…The meetings will be technically managed by Past President Richard Agnew… Thanks for that Richard… And, Richard is prepared to support all of our attempts at joining the on-line meetings… Look for his email with details and links to log on to the upcoming Zoom meetings…
Watch for emails defining the next meeting. The system works fine, dependent upon your technical support available through your PC or laptop…
SEE YOU SOON……  In Person or ONLINE… Next meeting; October 20th, 7:30 AM at the Chamber of Commerce…
Check President Tina’s email for the reminder…