Dec 26 and Jan 2 - No Meetings
Dec 19 - No meeting.
Dec 12 - Bill Curra will describe
the background and operation of Computadoras Pro Jovenes, which means Computers
for the Benefit of Youngsters. The program provides used but working computers
in schools throughout the San Miguel area. The computers, which are usually
donated, are refurbished and a Spanish version of Windows is installed
Dec 5 - Election of Officers for
2007-8.
November 28 - Past President Gail
Lawton - Ideas on restructuring the club and new member orientations presented
to the members.
November 21 - The girls of Santa Julia sing to the Rotary Club. Casa Hogar
Santa Julia Don Bosco is a home for 32 orphaned and abandoned girls in the care
of four Dominican nuns.
November 14 - Brian Smart, World
Past President of the Rotary International Travel & Hosting Fellowship, spoke at
the Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Mid-Day meeting. He is a member of the
Kerikeri Rotary Club of New Zealand will speak about New Zealand, his
experiences in Rotary's hosting and travel fellowship, and experiences in India.
November 7 - Senior Jose Sanchez,
the president of the Bomberos de San Miguel de Allende (Fire Chef of San
Miguel), was the guest speaker. Sr. Sanchez, a San Miguel native, worked for
many years in Michigan
where he was a volunteer fireman for 17 years before returning to San Miguel. He
has been with the San Miguel fire department for 10 years. He has been its Fire
Chef for the last 6 years. Included is the history of the San Miguel Fire
Department, its service area, how it works with the community and Cruz Roja, the
location of the fire department and types of equipment they use.
Charter member, I.J. Kuehn moves
to Hawaii
October 31 - David Hodge,
President of the Mill Valley Rotary Club, CA, talked about the international
grant given to Casa Hogar Don Bosco. Also Alan Rinder presented a check for
$17,000 for the Suzuki Music program, an international project of the Chagrin
Valley Rotary Club, Ohio.
October 24 - David Bossman was
the speaker, talking about his summer activities in Veracruz, Mexico learning
about the culture of the area.
October 17 - Kathleen Devine and
Roger Hind, both members of the Mujeres en Cambio Core Group, were the guest
speakers. Mujeres en Cambio is a 10-year-old charity that raises funds in order
to provide scholarships to girls in the Campo, so that they can complete their
education from grade 7 to 12. They presently support 135 girls, some of who have
continued on to university. These girls come from extremely poor families, and
must maintain a high GPA to qualify for - and remain in - the program.
October 10 - Emily
Vogtmann, District 4160 Rotary Foundation Representative, spoke to the Club.
Emily was chosen as the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar for District 6290, which
includes the west coast of Michigan and some of Ontario, Canada. She is
currently attending La Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (the Autonomous
University of Querétaro) in Querétaro, Mexico, studying a specialization in
community development.
October 3 -Michele Connor and
Fabiola Zarate Ortega were the guest speakers. They talked about CASA’s
innovative social programs and groundbreaking midwifery school, that has served
the local community for 27 years.
September 26 - Guest speaker was
Rev. Nancy Anderson. Nancy and her husband, Owen Thomas, founded The Center for
Unity in Diversity, which sponsors each week Philosophy of Life dialogues in
English. Her topic is "A Season for Forgiving" because she believes that
beginning and maintaining such a season is essential to move us individually and
as a race into a new era of living; one free of the ravages of all thinking that
is behind the many misuses of humanity.
September 19 - Linda Whynman
spoke about PEASMA (Proyecto de Educacion Ambiental San Miguel de Allende), a
pilot program to bring environmental educ
ation to the school children of San
Miguel.
PEMSA is the vision of Natalia
Ortega from Spain
and Eugenia Velasco from Colima, Mexico. “We need a new generation that is not
only more knowledgeable, but also more respectful of the environment.” FAI
will sponsor workshops and field trips on wildlife and plants; The Audubon
Society and SMA Garden Club will have sessions on birds and related subjects; El
Charco del Ingenico will offer instruction in ecosystems and native wildlife;
Save The Laja will teach preservation of river basins and SPASMA will offer
lessons on avoiding water pollution and water treatment.
September 12 - Visit from the
Rotary District Governor. Also, the speaker was Maria Williams who talked
about the activities and background of ALMA. ALMA (Spanish for “soul”) provides a home for seniors (both Mexican
and non-Mexican) regardless of their ability to pay.
ALMA currently gives loving care, clothing and meals to over 30 people.
ALMA provides a wonderful service to the San
Miguel community and depends substantially on donations.
5 September - Dr Roberto Maxwell,
San Miguel Cardiologist spoke, continuing the Club's discussions on the area's
health care. Dr Maxwell talked about the preparations that ex-pats should make
before coming to Mexico to live to insure a good transition into the Mexican
health care system.
29 August - It’s not your
daughter’s Peace Corps! Peace Corps Mexico is testing a new model, in which
volunteer technical professionals are placed into government research labs and
scientific agencies as "Cooperantes.” Two cooperantes, Tom Chapman and Donna
Breslin, spoke to the club.
The program,
now in its second year, has 22 volunteers in the country, working in various
research centers of CONACYT, the Mexican government’s science agency. Peace
Corps Mexico volunteers, who range in age from the late 20’s to over 60, are
engaged in technical cooperation, with the aim of assisting economic and
technological development here.
22 August - Jennifer Hamilton,
Volunteer Coordinator for the House and Garden tours.
15
August - Club Assembly. No speaker
8 August - Fernando Balderas
Lopez who has been operating a mechanical engineering school with a focus on
computer simulation at the University of Guanajuato in San Miguel de Allende was
our speaker.
1 August - On July 29 through
August 12, SMA hosts the 28th annual Festival de Música de Cámara de San
Miguel
de Allende, which has earned the reputation of being one of the most important
international music festivals in Mexico (second only to the Cervantino Festival
in Guanajuato). The guest speaker was Ed Clancey – which fills the
festival’s educational mission of providing master classes and ensemble
instruction to select Mexican students and young professionals. These student
workshops, granting the opportunity for tutoring and mentoring by world-class
professional musicians, help build the future cadre of performing musicians in
Mexico.
July 25 -
Speaker: George Bell, on “Raising Money in San Miguel”. Last
year he saved the Chamber Music concert series by raising $15,000 in a
corporation grant after the airlines had dropped their policy for free airplane
tickets for the musicians in return for the publicity. He has been the leader
in the annual Raffle for the Hospital de la Fe and serves on the Board of many
local charitable institutions who depend upon his fund raising skills.
July 18 -Midday Rotary member Wes
Lawton spoke about his recent cardiac emergency and how he handled that
emergency here in Mexico.
Rotarian Gordon Logan invited Wes to speak about this, so that the members could
be better informed if the same thing should happen to one of them.
July 11 - Carol Whitney spoke
about the San Miguel School of English. This school for adults is located in
the Jose Vasconsuelos
School.
July 4 - No meeting. US holiday
observation.
July 1 - Interact Club from
Trail, B.C. arrives in SMA to work on various projects.
June 27 - Installation of
Officers and Directors for 2006-7. Speeches and awards from outgoing board.
Initiation of newest Rotarian, Cheri McDaniel. Check given to Casita
Linda's Jeffrey Brown for a house.
June 20 - Review and planning for
visit from Interact Club of Trail, BC.
June 13th - Elsmarie Norby talks
about her organization to teach young people about music 'Anyel'.
June 6 -Donna Quathamer with Casa
de Los Angeles
May 30 - New treasurer Mike
Schiavo provided the 2006-07 budget and plans for the club.
May 23 - Naomi Zerriffi and Irma
Soto with the Casita Linda organization, were the guest speakers. They
provided more detail about Casita Linda and discussed the path forward for the
organization and the obstacles they have overcome.
Casita Linda is a civil
association whose mission is to provide a healthier and more dignified life for
people living in extreme poverty. They build safe, sanitary and inexpensive
housing for the most disadvantaged, using innovative construction techniques and
community labor. The houses are free in exchange for sweat equity.
May 16 - Bruce Rossley, Executive
Producer of the San Miguel Opera House and the concert Opera Company of San
Miguel, discussing the new opera house to be built
May 9 - THE POSITIVE POWER OF
RESPECTFUL DIALOGUE was the topic of the presentation by Rev. Nancy
Anderson.
Nancy Anderson is Minister Emeritus of the Religious Science church in
Encinitas, California, which she founded in 1975 and served until 2002. In San
Miguel de Allende, she and her husband, Owen Thomas, founded the Center for
Unity in Diversity (El Rincon de La Unidad en La Diversidad). The format of
these dialogues include respect, no cross talk, no criticism, no attempting to
influence another and, most importantly, careful, interested listening and
honest sharing of mind and heart.
May 2
- No meeting. Mexican holiday observance.
25 April - Rafael Gonzalez
Aguilar, Fund Manager at Intercam Casa de Cambio, was the guest speaker at the
Midday Rotary Club. Rafael talked about the current economy, the valuations
between currencies, and how the upcoming Mexican elections may alter these
relationships.
18 April - Club Assembly to
discuss club projects and fundraising. There was no guest speaker.
11 April - David Barrow, local
attorney and member of our club, spoke on "the hurdles and rewards of
starting a business in San Miguel".
M
erle Howard,
President Elect from Midday Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico was
sponsored at PETS by Ohio District 6630, meets R.I. President Elect Bill and
Lorna Boyd
This year's All Ohio District
6630 PETS was truly International as Merle Howard from
Mexico joined our Presidents Elect to be trained as an incoming President of a
new club in San Miguel. Merle shown with Jack Young, District 6630
Governor.
28 March -
Cliff Durant from the Center for Global Justice was the guest speaker.
21 March -
Maria Teresa Valenquela discussed the spirituality of the Virgin of Guadalupe. 
14 March - Mary Murrell discussed
the Feed the Hungry Program
7 March - Ed Clancy discussed the
Suzuki project to supply musical instruments and training to the children
at the three orphanages.
28 February - Kendal Dodge
Butler, one of San Miguel's best known actresses, writers and teachers, was the
speaker. Butler has appeared in a variety of theater productions in the eight
years she has lived in San Miguel, most recently in the Adobe Theater production
of "Copenhagen" at the Teatro Santa Ana in January.
In December, she starred in the Actor's Workshop
staged reading of John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt," also at the Santa Ana. During
her time in San Miguel, she has appeared in Players Workshop productions of
"Wit," "Agnes of God" and "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon
Marigolds," and in the Theater Alliance production of "Dracula," not to mention
many play readings.
Butler has been coming to San Miguel since the late
60s, when she and her husband and daughter Kendalita lived in Guadalajara, while
her parents lived here in San Miguel. Her father was well known mystery and
travel writer David Dodge, author of "To Catch a Thief," made into a Hitchcock
movie starring Grace Kelly and Cary Grant.
2
1 February - Miguel Kegel, head
of the Police Department’s Foreign Community Office, will be the guest speaker
at the Midday Rotary Club. His will speak to us about recent crimes in San
Miguel de Allende, what we can do to protect ourselves and how we can all work
together.
Miguel lived in the U.S. for 12
years and speaks fluent English. He came to San Miguel de Allende in 2003 and
joined the Police Academy. As a cadet, he suggested to the Academy Director that
they include classes on human values and the English language. The Director
agreed and he began teaching those courses while still a cadet. Shown with
friend, Mercedes.
14 February - On Tuesday, 14 Feb.
2006, the Midday Rotary Club will show the Rotary classic video “If I Could Be
President Again”, by past Rotary International President, Cliff Dochterman.
Glen Zipp initiatiated as
Rotary's newest member
7 February - Dr. Salvadore
Quiroz, of the original Club Rotario de San Miguel de Allende was our speaker,
on the Spirit of Rotary. Shown trading flags with President Gail.
31 January - Ali Zerriffi,
President of the Biblioteca Publica. Our Club has had two recent projects with
the Biblioteca to provide books donated by Rotary Clubs in California and
Missouri. He talked about the recent history of the Biblioteca and the impact
on San Miguel.
24 January - Warren Hardy of
Warren Hardy Spanish was the guest speaker at the Midday Rotary Club. His
well-
attended topic was an important subject to all non-Mexicans living in San
Miguel, “Mexican Etiquette”.
Warren Hardy became fluent in
Spanish as a young man while living in Argentina. Before receiving his BS in
Education from Northern Arizona
University, he had already published his own Spanish textbook and started his
school for adult learners. Since then, he has founded two other successful
language schools; one here in San Miguel. He is a Rotary International Paul
Harris Fellow, an honor awarded for distinguished international service.
17 January - John Wilson, Past
President and member of the Padre Island Rotary Club in Texas visited San Miguel
to talk about his Club's role in bringing a pontoon boat to the village of San
Juan to provide transportation across the lake to San Miguel for school children
and to assist the people in obtaining work in San Miguel. Our Club is
participating in this venture.
After lunch, representatives of
the Club went up to the Presidencia to meet with representatives of the
Community of Don Juan to sign the documents.
.
10 Jan 2006 - Our speaker was Rosa Pena who is the Executive Director of the
Temple Foundation. Since
1999, the Temple Foundation has been funding the cost of eye surgeries for
e
conomically-disadvantaged Mexicans, primarily children, who have crossed-eyes
(strabismus), pterygium (a fleshy growth that invades the cornea), pingueculum
(a yellow patch or bump on the white of the eye), or emergency eye care for
splinters, tumors, etc. During this seven year period, the Temple Foundation
has funded 170 operations, most of the referrals for surgery coming from the
Lions Club Eye Clinic of San Miguel de Allende and other local organizations.
The operations are performed by Ophthalmologist Dr. Luis Alberto Carrera
Castaneda of Irapuato.
The need for these type of
surgeries has exceeded the available funding, and because the Temple Foundation
is ceasing their activities in Mexico, our speaker is leading an effort to
reorganize, expand, and re-energize the program in coordination with other
charitable organizations operating in the San Miguel community in order to serve
more patient needs.
3 Jan 2006 - No Meeting
