March 29

President Keith held a Club Assembly. Here are the highlights:

Alan Bell reminded members to complete the form for the District Raffle.  Alicia Michael reported that the “Laws of Life” essay contest was very successful and commended Sally Rhodes, teacher at Carrollton High School, and DawnBreaker Kent Edwards for coordinating the contest at the local level. Over 400 essays were received, and the overall local winner is a 9th grader. Alicia and Renee are working on a program to recognize the school winners from each grade.  Renee Keener suggested holding an after-hours meeting one time each month to foster fellowship and to suffice as a make-up. If you have suggestions for a time, date, or place, please let Renee hear from you.  President-elect Sheila Butler gave a brief report on PETS and the District Assembly held in Columbus on March 25. She encouraged all members to make increasing membership a priority for the upcoming Rotary year. Sheila set a club goal of 10 new members, pledging to bring in three new members personally.  

 
March 22

"Swimming is an involvement sport," and no one is more involved with swimming than Carrollton Bluefins' legendary coach, David Weeks. Twenty years after he started working with the CPRCAD, the Bluefins Swim Team has grown from 32 swimmers to an average of 125 children and youth. Coach Weeks' goal is to get kids involved in a wholesome activity--and to have fun! The bluefins work hard, and their hard work has paid off in several state champions, students who swim at the collegiate level, and students who have tremendous work ethics. There are swimming activities available for all ages. Visit the CPRCAD website for more information on all programs, and the Carrollton Bluefins' website to keep up with the swim team.


March 15

As evidenced by his talk with us, Officer Duke Fontenot's passion is working with children. Officer Fontenot is in his 9th year with the Carrollton Police Department, and is in his 6th year working as the Resource Officer and D.A.R.E. officer with Carrollton City Schools. D.A.R.E. is an educational program that boosts self-esteem, helps children learn how to make friends, teaches that actions have consequences, and presenting the effects drugs have on one's life, the D.A.R.E. Program enables children to make good decisions. Officer Fontenot also visits classrooms from kindergarten through high school to relate one-on-one with students. Dr. Kent Edwards invited Duke to visit with us.


March 8

"Lawyers ain't all that bad: Shedding light on a dark profession."
 

Introduced by Sheila Butler, local attorney David Miceli discussed the role of trial lawyers in general, and his role specifically, in several cases involving high-profile cases. The public often does not hear the whole story nor see all the evidence involved in such cases. More often, the public only sees and hears what the media presents--oftentimes skewed toward the sensational. David cautioned us to be aware that lawsuits which sometimes appear to be "frivolous," are made to seem so for publicity sake. He suggested that we look beyond the headlines...that all trial lawyers are not just out for fame and fortune.
March 1

Cliff Harris spoke with us about his experiences in Desert Shield and Desert Storm in 1990. Cliff, a recipient of many medals attesting to his bravery and commitment, was a platoon leader in the Army Air Cavalry. The greatest challenge facing the troops was the uncertainty of the situation. They arrived two weeks before their equipment did, and used rubber "blow up" tanks for training exercises--and to let the Iraqis think they were well armed. In the four days of the air war, the Air Cavalry completed 100 combat hours and cut off four divisions from returning to Iraq. It was the greatest cavalry charge in history. "Freedom is the obligation to choose what is right and the ability to choose what is wrong." Cary Chandler introduced Cliff.