Rotarians in Liberty raised $2,386 at Magnolia Ridge Country Club Thursday evening, June 18, for the 3rd annual Rotary Wine Tasting fundraiser. The Country Club was packed to capacity and everyone had a great time. 

Rhonda Devillier and Ann Brazil of Southeast Texas Olive provided samples of their Devers produced, extra virgin olive oils and breads as an appetizer before the wine-tasting began.

Wine Tasting Committee Chairman Jim Sterling advised the guests to swirl, sniff and then sip the wines, savoring the flavor of each. Wines sampled included the following:

Fetzer Chardonnay 2013 from Mendocino, Calif., with flavors of apple, pear and tropical fruits. It is the perfect match for seafood, chicken, pasta and cheese.

Schmitt & Sohne Reisling 2013 of Rheinhessen, Germany. This aperitif is a great match for pork, fish and poultry.

Cavit Pinot Noir 2013 of Pavia, Northern Italy. This wine is delicious with grille dmeats, salmon, chicken, risotto, French and Italian dishes.

Baron Philip Rothschild Mouton Cadet 2012 of Bordeaux, France. Merlot 80%, Cabernet Sauvignon 12% and Cabernet Franc 8% make this Bordeaux perfect for steaks, barbecue and chocolate.

Ruffino Chianti 2013 of Toscana, Italy, is bottled in a Florentine Bottle (not straw-dressed “Fiasco” bottle), to be enjoyed with Italian foods, steaks, burgers and cheese.

Liberty County Judge Jay Knight was a guest of the club and took notes on his wine tasting experience. Judge Knight says “The Winner” is the Schmitt & Sohne Reisling 2013, noting it was “not sweet, not sour, not dry, surprising and good!”

Bravo to the Wine Tasting Committee for arranging such a fun and successful fundraising event: Chairman Jim Sterling, Sandra Sterling, Tracy Williams, Marsha LaFour, Dale and Marci Clawson, Richard and Angela Vinson.

By Carol Skewes, Publisher, publisher@thevindicator.com, Feb. 19, 2015

The Rotary Club of Liberty has completed its District 5910 Matching Grant project to create a pocket park at the corner of Grand and Canfield. The property was donated to the City of Liberty by the children of Ruth Canfield with the specific purpose designated in the deed to create a park named ‘The Ruth Canfield Park”.  Two sets of Samson Swings were installed on a 12” base of engineered wood fiber for a soft playground platform. Rotarians, neighbors and boy scouts from Troop 56 held a workday Sat., Feb. 7 to install the swings after the City of Liberty had leveled the ground and removed some deteriorated trees from the land. 

Rotary Pocket Park workday

Scouts helping with the installation of the Rotary Pocket Park playground equipment were under the direction of Scout Master Randy Hume and Damon LaCour. The Rotary Club of Liberty is extremely grateful to the scouts as well as M&M Rent All for donating the use of a portable auger for the day. Clawson Printing is donating a weight limit sign. M&M Rent All donated the use of a portable auger. Thank you to everyone who helped.  Rotary volunteers helping Sat., Feb. 7 included Liberty Mayor Carl Pickett, Ed Pickett, Stephen Dugger and Rick Brady. Additionally, Tom Guidry who lives nearby and graciously volunteered his time as well. 

“The Ruth Canfield Park” Rotary Pocket Park was made possible by a Rotary District 5910 Matching grant. Mary and Chap Cain donated to the cause as well as one anonymous donor. A dedication will be held at 10 a.m. Thurs., June 5, 2015 on the 90th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Liberty charter date. The Beaumont Rotary Club chartered the Rotary Club of Liberty June 5, 1925.

Six Liberty High School students just returned from RYLA, a Rotary Youth Leadership Association weekend camp held each year.

Sandy Meyers, LHS Counselor, introduced the students who attended RYLA the weekend of Jan. 9-11 at Pineywoods Encampment in Woodlake, Texas. Participants were Interact President Camilla Brady, Kaitlyn Slack, Trevor Pierce, Reid Williams, Clark Mangum and Charlotte Stanley.

Liberty Rotarian and Liberty County Sheriff Bobby Rader, who chairs the RYLA committee for the Rotary Club of Liberty, said, “We don’t teach them to be leaders. They are already leaders. We try to inspire them with tools they can use to help lead in our community.”

Meyers said, “I have the good fortune of being a counselor at Liberty High School. … It is such an honor to see the bright things that the future holds in the students at Liberty High School. The best and brightest juniors are picked each year to attend RYLA by the character and leadership they show in the classroom.”

Hudson Standish participated last year as a junior and was invited back this year to be a camp counselor. Meyers added, “That is an honor for our school and an honor for Hudson.”

Standish said, “It was such a blessing to go back as a counselor. Going back this year with 23 other counselors helped me expand as a leader from that opportunity. It wasn’t always easy. I think I got four hours of sleep the entire weekend I was there. You felt like you may give up, but you knew you were there for a purpose and could not let anyone down. This was maybe the best group of juniors that went through RYLA. Everybody had constant enthusiasm. They were excited all the time.”

Camilla Brady thanked the Rotary Club saying, “I think your money was well spent in sending us there. … I was surrounded by so many valedictorians. We got into groups. RYLA did a great job of making sure we were in different groups of people every time we met. … Everybody at RYLA was kind. It was part of the atmosphere that we are not competing against each other. I got really inspired by all the things other Interact groups are doing. Interact stands for international action … I am looking forward to getting more into international regional work. Thank you for sending me there.”

Kaitlyn Slack said, “RYLA was so much fun. I met so many new people. We went through the ropes course in the woods on a Saturday and it was freezing. We went through six situation activities, working together with complete strangers, to get through obstacles and solve problems. This was one of the best experiences of my life. RYLA was like a safe zone.” One of the activities was a trust fall into the arms of the fellow team members, a drop of about five feet.

Trevor Pierce said RYLA had really good food. He loved the fact that there was unlimited ice cream, 24 hours a day. He said, “We learned to work together more. The counselors were really crazy, doing chants and singing songs. It was really fun. I learned that there are leaders all around. You don’t have to be in front. I learned the four-way test and I found myself using that a lot to make decisions.

Reid Williams said, “I knew I was a leader, but I didn’t know what it took to be a great leader.  I learned more about teamwork and how to be a positive leader. What I learned, I will use in the community and later in life. Thank you.”

Clark Mangum said, “I had the time of my life and I will never forget it. I usually lead by example. Now RYLA helped me develop as a vocal leader. I am glad that you gave me the opportunity to try to be a better person. Thank you.”

Charlotte Stanley said, “Going to RYLA opened my eyes to a new world. Everybody there was unique. Nobody was the same. One thing that stuck with me is that some leaders can be vocal. Some are not. Some leaders sit in the back. There are amazing leaders out there. I wouldn’t have seen myself as a leader. Going to RYLA showed me that I could be one. Thank you.”

The Rotary Four Way Test:

“Of the things we think, say, or do,

Is it the TRUTH?

Is it FAIR to all concerned?

Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER friendships?

Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”

All good questions.

http://www.thevindicator.com/lifestyles/article_7b44eb24-a356-11e4-a5f4-0779a4d3bc66.html

16 pallets of books were transported Fri., Nov. 14, courtesy of Shivers Enterprises to Pasadena, where they will go on a container possibly for South Africa, Pakistan or Indonesia in the ‘Books for the World’ program, sponsored by Rotary International. Dayton ISD still has another nine pallets and Hardin ISD has six going directly to the packing center. Liberty ISD has approximatley 10,000 books waiting to be packed.

Liberty Rotarian Stephen Dugger spoke to the Rotary Club of Liberty in August about the international service project, ‘Books for the World’ that he has been involved in for some time, and since then he and many volunteers have been collecting, boxing and shipping books to Pasadena for ultimate delivery to various parts of the world.

Rotary Clubs in North America are teaming with clubs in Latin America, Africa and Asia to distribute literacy materials. Dugger said, “It has to be a partnership between local Rotary clubs and the community to make these transfers work.” 

You can help by donating books, sorting and packing, and supplying funds to purchase the containers and ship the books. More than one million pounds of books have been shipped as of 2011. Rotary Clubs in the area are responsible for getting the containers transported to South Africa, and getting it through customs.  The container never comes back. It is repurposed into a classroom,  library, school, doctor’s office or whatever is needed at the time.

You can help by sorting and palletizing books:

Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. - noon. at the Pasadena warehouse.

The sorting location is 116 Main Street in Pasadena (Park on Eagle Street or under Hwy. 225. Be careful crossing the street and do not leave valuables in your car.) The building is a non air-conditioned/non-heated warehouse. Please dress appropriately. Last week 100 kids showed up to pack up to 19 pallets. The Second Wind Foundation is the financial and management arm of the project. Trucking cost when not donated, container purchases and the seaborne shipping are all expenses to the project.  The project is funded through donations and private grants-in-aid. Without financial help the books will not leave Houston.  You can also help by making a donation to: The Second Wind Foundation, 4601 Hamblen Ct., Seabrook, Texas 77586 or use the online donate button onwww.rotarybooksfortheworld.org. 

Approximately $4,000 buys a container and $4,200 covers the freight. To learn more, visit:

www.rotarybooksfortheworld.org

Shivers Enterprises Owner John Forames