Calendar of Events

July 28, 2015

Lunch is served at Noon, Meeting begins at 12:30 pm


Meet Shari Duval Founder and President of K9s For Warriors

Shari Duval, a resident of Ponte Vedra Beach, founded K9s For Warriors in May 2011. The program pairs rescued service dogs with veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in a bid to help the veterans return to civilian life.I am the President for K9s For Warriors. We save warriors and rescue dogs. Some are veterans, some are active duty, and all are heroes and have served in the military. Our warriors all suffer from post-traumatic stress (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI), a deadly disorder.

I worked as a volunteer for veterans charities here in Jacksonville, Florida and watched the amazing work they do to empower our returning military veterans. I saw firsthand the number of warriors returning home with an invisible disorder, post-traumatic stress, it inspired me and my family to look for ways to aid these deserving heroes.

My son, a veteran K9 police officer, worked as a contractor for the Department of the Army as a bomb dog handler. He served two tours in Iraq and returned home with PTSD. This really hit home to our family. After two years of research on canine assistance for PTSD we decided the best way we could help these deserving warriors was to start a non-profit organization to train and give service canines to assist our warriors’ efforts to return to civilian life with dignity and independence.

Service canines, properly trained, are a profound alternative for recovery from PTSD and TBI. We have been honored to serve these brave men and women that have given this country so much. There is no charge for our service it is our duty, honor and privilege. For three weeks our warriors live at our facility where they train and learn to re-enter civilian life again. We are a small charity doing huge work, and making a difference. Our men and women of our military fought for our tomorrows, we fight for theirs.



Club Happenings:

July 21th Speaker -  Representative Charles McBurney Jr.   
  Meet one of our newest members:
                                        

A bit about our new member Marcus Haile


Marcus was born in Bryan, Texas, grew up in Gainesville and moved to Jacksonville in 1992. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of North Florida. His entire career has been involved with fundraising for nonprofit organizations and currently serves as the Chief Development Officer for the Cathedral Arts Project. The Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida also includes him as a Community Coach on fundraising to advise other local organizations.  


He is married to Jill Haile, who is a librarian with the City of Jacksonville, and they will be celebrating their 19th anniversary this November. They have one daughter, Meghan, who is 10 years old. 

Other things Marcus is involved in include taking up golf, and he especially likes walking the course. He and his daughter recently tried paddle boarding, which they both see doing more of. They all attend Congregation Ahavath Chesed, and enjoy family vacations to Blue Ridge, Georgia and Coco Beach. 


Candid Lunch Shots...Don't Miss Out!


Enjoying Lunch and conversation with fellow members

 Our Club in Action!
  




PP Robert Harris vacationing with his family in Jackson Hole, WY











PP Harris attends a Rotary meeting at the Wort hotel in Jackson Hole, WY during a recent family vacation!






PP Jay Plotkin is out and about once again.  This time he is attending the national Gingerbread House Competition at the Grove Park Inn.
Our Governor's Message:

Week 3. Rotary Minute
July 24th marks another important milestone in our fight to eradicate Polio from our world as Nigeria will surpass the one year mark with no new wild poliovirus type 1 cases!!!  My hope is the milestone will once again inspire each of you to continue our fight to eradicate this disease.

But, if you still need some inspiration then plan to attend our Be a Gift to the World training seminar. Our keynote speaker is a Polio Survivor who has shared Rotary’s End Polio Now message with countless heads of state and other world leaders. The seminar will be held on August 15th at the Thrasher-Horne Center in Orange Park starting at 8:00am.  The cost of the seminar per Rotarian is $35.  Your registration includes a continental breakfast served from 7:00am-8:00am and a fabulous Italian meal for lunch.

This year we have more interactive breakouts to engage you as a Rotarian such as
-    Exchange ideas with PDG George Robertson-Burnett, grand master of Florida satellite      clubs, on how Satellite Clubs, e-Clubs, and other new formats are allowing Rotary to adapt. 
-    Interact with Pepper Pettit, Membership Co-Chair District 6910, to see how his club grew from 28 members to 70 members, with numerous ideas that will work in your own club.
-    Join in a Rotary Alumni forum with Rotary Alums (currently not Rotarians), Rotarians, and Rotaractors about the best ways to engage Alums in Rotary.
-    Learn the District Grant Management Process
-    Discuss with District Webmaster Howard Kelley what to do about Abandoned, Neglected & Abused Club Websites.
-    Participate in a “teaching lab” with District’s Rotaractors as they develop the Rotaract Website.

To register, send District Executive Secretary Patti Chapman an email at RotaryExecSec@aol.com or call her at 904-994-7355. For DACdb users, you can register online via the calendar function.

SNAP ROTARY
Share your Rotary pride on Instagram with a simple photo and you can win a $25 Outback gift card and more! Start tagging your snaps with #Rotary6970 now!

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Morning of August 1st: This is a final reminder that this Wednesday, July 22, is the cutoff date to register for the upcoming D6970 Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) that will be held on Saturday, August 1st in Palm Coast, Florida. This RLI session will offer Parts 1, 2, 3, along with a special Graduate Class. See our District website for registration instructions.

Evening of August 1st: Don’t miss your opportunity to hear from the students themselves about the impact RYE has made after a year of living abroad. Reservations are available on the www.ryeflorida.org website under About RYE Florida... click on District 6970.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Morning of August 1st: Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) will take place at the Daytona State College Palm Coast Campus. Registration is open for all Rotarians for Parts 1, 2, 3 and a Graduate Class. See our District website for registration instructions.
Evening of August 1st: Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) “Welcome Home Dinner”.  Hear from the high school students themselves about the impact RYE has had on their lives after a year of study and living in another country. Reservations are available on the www.ryeflorida.org website under About RYE Florida... click on District 6970.

August 15th: Be a Gift to the World seminar at the Thrasher-Horne Center in Orange Park.  For more on these and all other events in District 6970, please go to www.rotary6970.org.

Yours in service to Rotary,
  Fel
 Fred “Fel” Lee
District Governor 2015-2016
Rotary International District 6970