Rotary Gram

Durango High Noon Rotary Club

April 10, 2003

"From what we get we can make a living; what we give however, makes a life"

Arthur Ashe...........

We gathered at the Durango Community Recreation Center for the day's meeting, with our lunch accompanied by the sounds of music, recorded in Cuba by our speaker.

Jeff opened the meeting, indicating that the next time we meet at the Rec Center, we would be outside. Jay Hwang offered the invocation and led us in the pledge. After a reminder about cell phones, Jeff asked for the introduction of guests. They included:

Alexii Carey, Speaker and GSE Team Member to Argentina in May

Dave and Kelly Ganevsky

Nicole Smith, San Juan Mtns. Association

Helen Miedell

Tim Walsworth, United Way of SW CO

David Downs

Gary Ware, Crossville, TN, visiting Rotarian

Jan Williams, President of the DayBreak Club and her husband, Joe.

Joe Choquette, P.E. Durango DayBreak Club.

Announcements

Earth Day Event, April 22nd: Jenny Kane's guest and associate at the SJMA, Nicole Smith, told us of the event to be held at Rec Center. She asked for 4 - 5 volunteers to assist with a river clean-up. Jenny thanked the club of providing $1k in RI funds for SJMA. Visit their website, www.sjma.org and call Nicole at 385-1210 to participate in Earth Day at the Rec Center.

Mexican Food Fiesta Fund Raiser, May 1st: Mark Prouty provided an update of planning for the annual fund raiser. Music will be provided by the Excel Charter School Steel Drum band, Red Badge Rotarians were alerted to their obligatory participation in the annual Burrito rolling party on Wednesday night before the fiesta and a beer license has been secured.

Mark asked for a person to distribute posters in town and for volunteers to man the ticket tables at City Market and Wal-Mart. Get in touch with Mark to lend you skills and be sure that you are signed up for a task or two.

American Cancer Society Relay for Life: Jennifer Simon asked us to participate in the annual event. The Team Captain's meeting will be held Tuesday, April 15th at the Patrick W. Luter, MD Cancer Center, 3801 Main Avenue (Mercy's North Campus). More info? Contact Jennifer, 247-0278 or Mary Dowler, 385-7977. To honor and remember those whose lives have been touched by cancer, you can sponsor a luminaria in their name for just $10. the relay, in it's 13th year, is non-competitive. 40% of the money raised stays in the community for programs and patient services, with the balance devoted to research.

Xeriscaping, with Brian Kimmel: In this time of drought and water awareness, Brian Kimmel is explaining the topic in the Sunlight Room at the Rec Center on Thursday, April 17th at 6:30 PM. More info? 385-2970.

Salute to the Troops: Bud Deering announced a Salute to the Troops, Saturday, May 12th at the VFW, 2:00 PM. Bud, a Marine Aviator, read the thoughts of a WW II Marine Corps General, words that apply today as they did then.

Community Service

Red Ball Express Wrap Up: Joe Williams, Chair of the Red Ball fund raiser and Charter Member of the Durango Day Break Club, presented the club with a share of the proceeds from the event, which raised over $27k for various community non-profits. He thanked the HNRC for it's 'huge' support and single out a number of Rotarians for their special efforts. They are: Peter Marshall ('he fed everyone on the hill'), Jeff Brown, Ward Holmes, Tom Brossia, Steve Osborne, Patty Burkholder and Karen Largent. A special salute went to Patty and Wells Fargo. Wells is the primary sponsor again next year and all three clubs are participating.

Club Service

Dave Ganevsky Inducted: Jeff, his sponsor, asked and Dave and Jill to the podium and introduced Dave at the club's newest and 104th member. Dave, an 'Army brat', has lived in CA, AK, ID, CO, TX and Germany and was a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army. He introduced his wife, Kelly, told us he earned an MBA, has 13 and 15 year old boys and worked for Conoco, before starting his own computer rental business with a former room mate in 1985. He sold his share to his partner in 2002 and welcomes the opportunity to get involved with Durango and Rotary. Jill presented Dave with his club roster, shirt, certificate and red badge. Welcome Dave and Kelly.

Program

Jeff asked John M. to introduce the day's speaker, Alexii Carey. Alexii is a secondary teacher in Durango. He was nominated by the HNRC and selected by the Group Study Exchange candidate review committee last November, to travel to Argentina as part of the GSE Team from our district. Alexii and his wife Nicole, a native of Costa Rica, traveled to Cuba last December, having been given permission by the Treasury Department to go there for educational and professional purposes.

Alexii presented slides and narration of his trip, which was mostly confined to Havana, with some time in the county. It was striking to see the 'vintage' U.S. cars, well maintained and running, that were brought into the county prior to the early 60's embargo. Transportation is one of the challenges in Cuba, with tractor-trailers serving as buses. Fighting your way on and off of the trailers is called a Cuban Rebirth. In 1991, 1mm bicycles were bought from China to help move people.

Most of the architecture is colonial, with monuments, art and sculpture throughout the city. Alexii commented that there are no racial divisions and his pictures often included diverse groups of people. As a socialist society, Havana is free of commercial advertising, with the bill boards that do exist containing political messages, 'Socialism or Death' for example.

Cubans area colorful lot, with the African culture preserved and transformed, including the Rumba, with percussion approaching a 'religion'. Kids start early with music and musicians over 90 years of age are not uncommon.

Education is stressed, with students paid to attend school, up to and including the Doctoral level. Illiteracy was declared eliminated in 1961. Alexii got no sense of anti-Americanism, but the embargo is unpopular.

Sugar cane grows in the country, where horse-drawn carts are common. Interestingly, the Dachshund is the national dog. Food and health care are rationed, but available to all. Community gardens are prevalent in Cuba, the 2nd or 3rd island 'discovered' by Columbus.

In the 44th anniversary of the rule of Fidel Castro, Cuba is surviving and apparently looking forward to the return of more Americans. There is a thriving underground economy, fueled by the U.S. dollar, with the revolutionary motto of, "help your neighbor" still operating. Jeff thanked Alexii and presented him with the speaker's mug.

Coming Up

Apr 16 Board of Directors Meeting, Double Tree, 7:00 AM.

Apr 17 Dr. Heddington-Insights to Balding

Apr 24 Colorado Open Space

May 1 Mexican Food Fiesta

John E. Marshall

3005 County Road 207

Durango, CO 81301

970-259-6248 p

970-259-4498 f