Rotary International is a global service organization that brings together leaders from different professions to provide humanitarian services, promote high ethical standards in all vocations, and advance goodwill and peace around the world. Founded in 1905 in Chicago, Illinois, Rotary has grown into a vast network of over 35,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and regions, with a total membership of over 1.2 million Rotarians. Each Rotary club operates autonomously but within the framework of Rotary International, with members participating in community service projects, vocational training, youth programs, and international exchanges. The Rotary Foundation, the charitable arm of Rotary, supports these efforts with grants and funding for local and global projects aimed at addressing some of the world’s most pressing issues, including poverty, disease, and illiteracy. I’ve been a member of the Rotary Club of West El Paso for over 15 years and have participated in numerous adventures within the US and around the world.
I took the camper and drove to Oracle, AZ to join fellow RVF’ers in a working rally to help fix-up a YMCA camp in conjunction with the Tuscon, AZ Rotary Club. The trip was a success and four of us even got to go zip-lining on Sunday afternoon.
Carey, and Doug Borrett from the Rotary Club of West El Paso, participated in this Rotary mission to Empower Women in the small town of Quime, Bolivia. My daughter, Audrey, also participated in the mission. The trip was to do preparatory work for a Rotary Global Grant sponsored by the Rotary Club of Hobbs, New Mexico in conjunction with the United4Change non-profit. The team leaders were Bob Reid from Hobbs and Ximena Murillo from United4Change. There was a total of 7 volunteers in the group. It was an incredible, fun learning opportunity for all of us.
This was an RV trip to attend the annual RVF rally in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. We took Donna’s parents with us, dropped them off at her brother Steve’s home, then drove to Toronto. After that we toured the Bruce Peninsula, including Flowerpot Island. We then drove north skirting the US/Canada border, arriving in Michigan, where we camped near the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. After that we drove back to PA, stopping at Cuyoga Valley National Park in Ohio. We returned home on the traditional route (Interstate 81, 40, 30, 20, 10). The total trip covered 7,000 miles over a 4-week period.
A team of 9 Russian Rotarians visited El Paso in March. There were 5 host families for the event and the visit lasted 5 days. There were different activities each day, including visits to mfg plants, the Habitat ReStore, White Sands NM, the New Mexico Museum of Space History, Lanes Ranch and the home of our District Governor, Linda Woodward. The last day the team gave a presentation at the meeting of the Rotary Club of West El Paso and we finished the day with a farewell party at the home of Doug & Sally Borrett. Carey was the event organizer.
We took our new camper and traveled to the Atlanta Rotary Convention & RVF Rally. Keith & Lindsey and their kids visited us at the Stone Mountain RV Campground. From there we headed to Shawnee National Forest to meet Kevin & Steph and their kids, who then traveled with us to St. Louis. We visited several national monuments along the way, including Poverty Point, LA, Waco Mammoth, St. Louis Arch, Grant NHS and many others. It was a combination Rotary and family trip, which turned out well and we look forward to travel with everyone again.
I traveled with 5 other Rotarians, including Doug Borrett, to Nicaragua to help with a bridge project in conjunction with the local communities through an organization known as Bridges to Prosperity. We were in Managua, Esteli, and several other cities and rural areas within the country and helped to build the bridge at the Monte Verde site.
We traveled with our camper to Platte City, MO to join the Rotary RVF group for the annual rally. On the way we dropped Donna’s parents off at her sister’s house in Denison, TX. While camping at the rally, we enjoyed visiting several museums in Kansas City, MO, including the national World War I Museum, Hallmark Museum, Arabia Steamboat Museum, Union Station and Crown Plaza, and the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum. It was an interesting and educational trip. Good time with fellow Rotarians at the rally.
This was a tour we took with the Rotary International Travel & Hosting Fellowship (ITHF) which was planned by Steve & Noko Yoshida (members of the fellowship). It included much of the southern island of Japan as well as the southern part of South Korea. It was truly a trip to remember. The things we learned about the culture in both countries left an indelible impression on us. The people we met on the tour were wonderful travel companions and the job done by our hosts and guides was spectacular. The hotels we stayed at had top-of-the-line (first class) accommodations and we were delighted to have the opportunity to taste traditional Japanese & Korean cuisine.
We drove to St. George, Utah to attend the Pacific Zone RVF rally. On the way we camped in Page, AZ and visited Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and the entire Glen Canyon National Recreation area. Beautiful! Upon arriving in St. George we camped at Temple View RV park and toured Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, traveling from that location daily. We also visited some local sites in and around St. George, including the Trailmaster’s (Jack Randolf’s home). The weather was perfect the entire trip and we had a wonderful time visiting the spectacular sites in this area.
This conference was held at Rotary International World Headquarters in Evanston, IL. I went a day early and did some sightseeing around the area, which included seeing the very first MacDonald’s that was ever built; a replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa; Gross Point Lighthouse National Historic Landmark; a replica of ancient Eqypt; and the largest religious woodcarving on Earth. It was an interesting 4 day trip.
