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Welcome to Rotary Club of Blanco County

Are you an established professional who wants to make positive changes in your community and the world? Our club members are dedicated people who share a passion for community service and friendship. Becoming a Rotarian connects you with a diverse group who share your drive to give back. We meet twice a month, 1st Monday at 12:00PM and 3rd Monday at 6:30PM. Our meeting location: Old 300 BBQ - Back Forty, 318 4th Street, Blanco, TX 78606 You are welcome to join us!

H.O.P.E. Ministry

Chris Cloyd gave an excellent presentation on H.O.P.E. (Helping Overcome Poverty Everywhere) Ministry at the September 6 Rotary Club meeting. Chris has been active in missionary work since 1982 and explained that rather than providing “handouts” to those in poverty, H.O.P.E. Ministry empowers them by paying them a fair wage to sew and make crafts. The handmade crafts are then sold at Fair Trade booths and the money raised provides sustainable income for families in extreme poverty and profits for additional missions.
Donations for H.O.P.E. products will:
*Provide livable wages for families in poverty
*Provide coats and blankets for the homeless
*Sponsor children, orphans and missionaries
*Help eradicate diseases like malaria
*Build schools, homes, churches & orphanages
*Drill water wells and much more!
If you would like to host a Fair Trade booth to raise funds for missions, please contact Christine Cloyd for more info. Chris.cloyd@yahoo.com (512) 550-9282.

Paul Harris Fellow Recognition

Leta Garcia and Pat Clewell recently presented Paul Harris Fellow Recognition awards to five Rotarians of the Blanco County Club. Those receiving the recognition were Harvie Lindeman, Ken Smith, Dixie Van Eynde, Sidney Cox and Jayne Lightfoot. The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation.

Two New Members Inducted

The Rotary Club of Blanco County welcomes our newest members, Matthew and Martha Herden, who were inducted at the August 15 meeting. Matt retired from the San Antonio Policed Department and is active in the Blanco community where he has served on Blanco County's Child Protective Services board, City of Blanco Planning and Zoning board and Blanco ISD school board. He is currently a board commissioner for Blanco County's Emergency Services District 2. Martha is a fifth-generation Blanco County resident and has served the City of Blanco in the following capacities: Planning and Zoning Committee member and chairperson, Blanco Comprehensive Master Plan Review Committee Chairperson, City Council member in 2017, Mayor of Blanco 2017-2020. Martha currently works part time as a clerk at the Blanco County Precinct #4 office in Blanco. Matt and Martha will definitely be an asset to the club. Pictured left to right: Harvie Lindeman (Rotary Club President), Matt Herden, Martha Herden, Teri McKenzie (Rotary Club Membership Chairperson).

Human Trafficking Presentation

On August 9, Susan Burkholder, a volunteer with Ransomed Life, gave a very informative presentation on Human Trafficking. She shared that there are approximately 313,000 HT victims trafficked in Texas on a daily basis. 79,000 are kids under the age of 18. The biggest threat to our kids is through social media, like FB, Instagram, Snap Chat, What’s App, and other Gaming platforms which are easy to use for offenders to look for victims. Sex slavery is not gender specific. Girls are not the only victims. According to a

local youth center in SA who are engaged with counseling primarily street youth, almost 50% are boys.

Susan stressed the importance of being aware and to report ANYTHING that looks suspicious to local law enforcement AND the Human Trafficking Hotline 888-3737-888. She recommends putting

the phone numbers in your cell phone. Predators have been apprehended and jailed by those who felt that something wasn’t “quite right”. If you see something say something! The next Human Trafficking Forum for all of the Blanco community will be at 3:30 pm upstairs at the Blanco Courthouse on Monday August 15th. Susan Burkholder will present again. Invite a friend or a group of friends who you think would benefit from this presentation. Sodas, tea and cookies will be served.
Pictured on the right are Rotarians Sandy Switzer, Pat Clewell and Tracy Barr. To the right is Susan Burkholder and to the far right is Libbey Aly with the Blanco Chamber of Commerce.

Human Trafficking Awareness Presentation Scheduled for August 15

Greg Stevens Inducted

Welcome to Greg Stevens, the newest member of the Rotary Club of Blanco County, who was inducted at the June 6 meeting. Greg has a long history as a Rotarian in California and Oregon. We are glad to have him in Blanco County.

Blood Drive for Victims of Uvalde Tragedy

Scholarships Awarded to Local Graduates

The Rotary Club of Blanco County recently awarded six $1000 scholarships to deserving LBJ and Blanco High School seniors. Each student was recommended by a teacher(s) and submitted a Rotary scholarship application to the Club. Each applicant was evaluated on their academic record, extra-curricular and community activities, and their career and life goals.

The outstanding academic scholarship recipients from LBJ High School in Johnson City were:

Maura Ibanez

Rylee Welch

To Blanco High School seniors, the Rotary Club has awarded 2 academic and 1 community service scholarship in the past. However this year, the Club awarded 3 academic scholarships because the 3 recipients were nearly identical in the evaluation or scoring process. These outstanding students were:
Joe Hernandez

Macy Murphree

Valentina Edwards

Named after Lt.Col, USAF, Retired Chaplain, Joe Garcia, the Community Service scholarship was awarded to Macy Murphree for her clearly outstanding contributions to her school and community.

The Rotary Club of Blanco County was formed 4 years ago with the purpose of serving and supporting the County of Blanco. Beyond awarding yearly scholarships to high school seniors, other service projects include: distributing Hygiene Kits to local schools, assisting the reading program (Partners Assisting Literacy Success - PALS) at Blanco Elementary School, providing computers to Blanco Middle School, publicizing and educating on Human Trafficking and a host of other projects. Anyone who is interested in supporting the community through the Rotary Club is invited to the club’s lunch meeting, at noon, the first Monday of each month at the Old 300 BBQ’s Back Forty or at its 6:30 p.m. meeting the third Monday of each month, also at the Old 300.

Left to right:
Joe Kustelski (Rotary President), Rylee Welch, Maura Ibanez, Jack Twilley (Rotarian)

Left to right:
Jack Twilley (Rotarian), Valentina Edwards, Macy Murphree, Joe Kustelski (Rotary President)
not pictured: Joe Hernandez

Macy Murphree was awarded the Joe Garcia Community Service Scholarship

Golf Tournament a Big Success!

The Rotary Club of Blanco County sponsored the annual Joe Garcia Memorial Golf Tournament May 9th, at Blanco’s Vaaler Creek Golf Course. Over 80 golfers enjoyed a day of sport, camaraderie, and fun as they supported the many worthy projects sponsored by the Rotary. The winning foursome, sponsored by Frost Bank, were Fair Oaks Rotarians David Murrah, Ron Hubbard, John Rogers and Dave Driskell. Prizes were also awarded in contests for closest to the pin, longest drive, etc.

The tournament is the major fund raiser for the Rotary Club of Blanco County. Thanks to the players, many sponsors, and donations to the silent auction, the Rotary Club raised over $25,000. This money is used throughout the year for such projects as scholarships for high school seniors, human trafficking awareness, art supplies for elementary students, drug and alcohol prevention, Project Graduation support, hygiene and save-a-life kits, and many others.

The Rotary is an international organization whose mission is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders. The Blanco Club supports that mission through the above projects and community volunteering. “Service Above Self” is the Rotary Motto. If you’d like to join the Blanco Club, contact any member or Tracy Barr at tbarr54@gmail.com.

Rebecca Lightfoot O'Shea Inducted