Stories
Congratulations to all of our winners who make up Outstanding Club of the Year! Beverly Grogan - Lifetime of Service Doug Bryan - Star Award Chelsea Kretz - Digital Media Award Sam Buchmeyer - Bulletin Excellence Award Glen McCrary - Knight in Shining Armor Award |
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City of Grand Prairie: The Big EventThe Rotary Club of Grand Prairie Metro members joined with other volunteers this past Saturday for the City of Grand Prairie's : Big Event. |
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Rotary Club Gives Back to Nursing HomesThe Grand Prairie Metro Rotary Club rallied together to donate goods to nursing homes during the season of giving.
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Holiday PartyThe Grand Prairie Metro Rotary Club celebrated Christmas early with a White Elephant Exchange and an Ugly Christmas Sweater party! |
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Adopt-A-Street in January 2022The Grand Prairie Metro Rotary Club will take to the streets in the new year to Keep Grand Prairie Beautiful!
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Senior Care PackagesThe Grand Prairie Metro Rotary Club is assembling senior care packages and could use your help!
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Past District Governor Beverly Grogan Passes AwayIt is with a very heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of our longtime Rotarian and Past District Governor (2019-2020) Beverly Grogan. |
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Veterans Day CelebrationThe Grand Prairie Metro Rotary Club was honored to serve lunch to veterans and all those who attended the City of Grand Prairie’s Veterans Day Celebration.
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35th Annual Pumpkin Fest - Oct. 9 |
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Pumpkin Run Raffle WinnerCongratulations to club member Marilyn Gonsiorek for winning the raffle for a suite of 20 friends at Lone Star Park donated by the ever-so-generous Councilmember Cole Humphreys! Proceeds from the raffle benefit the 35 Annual Joe Pool Lake Pumpkin Run!
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Adopt-A-Spot in Grand PrairieService Above Self - even in the heat! We conducted our first Adopt-A-Street in Grand Prairie. #KeepGrandPrairieBeautiful
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Grand Prairie Metro - Why Rotary StoryClick to play video |
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Celebrating Unity In the CommunityThe Metro Rotary Club of Grand Prairie took part in The Big Event on April 24th, 2021. Patterned after similar events on university campuses, the Big Event is one day for city-wide volunteerism. Celebrating unity in the community, we pair volunteers who want to help others with residents who have a qualifying project. Our club paired with the Children First Counseling Center where we helped them move into their new offices and clean up the landscape. |
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Upcoming Speakers & EventsUpcoming Speakers and Community Events:
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Zoom Link for MeetingsOur weekly meetings are being held on Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting ID: 813 2296 3203 Passcode: metro NOTE: This is the same link for every meeting. Please copy it into your calendar along with the NEW PASSCODE of "Metro". |
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Pumpkin Run - Grand Prairie Metro Rotary VIRTUAL 5KLet the (virtual) race begin! COVID-19 is changing a lot of things this year, but our mission to raise money for Alzheimer's Association, Rotary International, and our local Grand Prairie Charities remains the same. Lace-up your sneakers and virtually hit the pavement, treadmill, elliptical, or simply run in place to help us end Alzheimer's and support our beloved City of Grand Prairie, Texas!Share this link on social media and with your family/friends, and use #PumpkinRun2020: https://runsignup.com/Race/TX/YourCity/LakeJoePoolPumpkinRun Virtual Race DetailsWhat does it cost?
Who can participate?
What do you get?
When will it be held?
Step 1. Register to run/walk the virtual 5K and invite your friends to join!Step 2. Run/walk the distance on your own, or on a course of your choosing in Grand Prairie or wherever you live, on your treadmill, Peloton, etc, and then submit your time to be added to the Lake Joe Pool 'Virtual' Pumpkin Run results leader board. Post a picture of your run to Facebook or Instagram using #PumpkinRun2020.Step 3. Enjoy your run/walk knowing you've donated to a worthy cause!BeneficiaryOur race beneficiary needs your support more than ever! As you know, 100% of the proceeds of this race are donated to the Alzheimer's Association, Rotary International, and several Grand Prairie, Texas charities. The money raised will be split among these groups during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.About the RaceThirty-four years ago, the Grand Prairie Metro Rotary Club conducted the first Lake Joe Pool Pumpkin Run. Since that first event, the club has distributed over $615,000 to local and regional charities from funds raised by the Pumpkin Run. Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in 167 countries. |
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Doug Bryan Meets International PresidentPresident-Elect Doug Bryan recently attended President-Elect Training Seminar [PETS] in Dallas. This training includes all 10 Rotary Districts in Texas and is one of the largest PETS in the country. Because of it's size (we are Texas anyway), the 2020-21 Rotary International President, Holger Knaack from Germany was one of the keynote speakers. He gave an inspiring speech the importance of working together despite any differences we may have. The theme for the new Rotary year is "Rotary Opens Opportunities". Bryan got to meet Knaack after the presentation.
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Now Meeting on 1st & 3rd Tuesdays - Virtually!As of now we are meeting virtually using Zoom meeting. Hopefully we will be able to start meeting in-person starting in June, but that will be determined. |
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Beverly Grogan Day in Grand PrairieJune 18, 2019 - Incoming District Governor, Beverly Grogan attended the city council meeting believing that the Grand Prairie Metro Rotary Club was going to be recognized. She was stunned (and brought to tears) when Councilman--and fellow Rotarian--Greg Geissner began to read a proclamation naming June 18th as Beverly Grogan Day in the City of Grand Prairie. |
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How To Propose a New MemberIf you'd like to know the process of proposing a new member, simply Click here for the How to Propose a New Member brochure.
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Members Honored with PHF (multiples!)David Awe presents Silvia Dean with her 2nd Paul Harris Fellow (PHF). Jeanine Walker received her 5th PHF while Don Goldsmith received his 4th and Doug Bryan received his 3rd one. President Glen McCrary on the left also received his 3rd PHF. A Paul Harris Fellowship is given to those Rotarians who contribute $1,000 to the Rotary foundation. An easy way to receive a PHF is to become a Sustaining Member. A Sustaining Member is someone who contributes $100/yr to the Rotary Foundation.
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32nd Annual Lake Joe Pool Pumpkin Run-- Sat. Oct. 13thThirty Two Years Ago our club conducted the first Lake Joe Pool Pumpkin Run. (Side note: Lake Joe Pool wasn't even open at that point. It was still filling up to become a lake!) Since then we have raised over $560,000 for local and regional charities. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and requires not only 100% commitment from our club, but over 150 volunteers from the community help make this an HUGE success every year. The Pumpkin Run is actually 3 runs--One Mile, 5K and 10K. The 5K and 10K offer CASH AWARDS for the fastest times as well Team Awards for largest teams and a School Challenge with awards for the largest turnout from schools. If you'd like to register yourself or your team, click here. |
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Melinda Polley Receives Paul Harris FellowshipA well-deserved CONGRATULATIONS to Melinda who did an outstanding job leading this club over the past Rotary year. In addition to receiving the gavel plaque (pictured), she was also honored with a Paul Harris Fellowship. Click here to learn more about this fellowship.
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International Relief Project-Rise Against HungerStop Hunger Now is an international hunger relief non-profit organization that coordinates the packaging and distribution of food and other life-saving aid to people in developing nations. Founded in 1998, it has mobilized over 500,000 volunteers to send more than 224,000,000 meals to 71 countries. On Saturday, May 19, GP Metro Rotary will team up with Bon Air Service Company to package 10,000 meals for people in developing countries. We will meet at 8AM in the warehouse at Bon Air located at 1905 W Jefferson St in Grand Prairie. Volunteers are welcome and needed. For more information, or if you are interested in helping, contact melindarodgers@sbcglobal.net
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Gov. Rick at Epic Waters |
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Thanks to All Who Attended our 31st Annual Pumpkin Run!Thanks to all of our volunteers & attendees for this year's Lake Joe Pool Pumpkin Run festival! It was definitely a TEAM effort! And we had 1,142 runners in attendance! Photos can be viewed at: Movin Pictures!
Our luncheon to give away our proceeds will be at the RJC on November 14th. Please plan to attend and bring a guest! |
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Relay for Life - 2017Relay For Life is the signature fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Relay is staffed and coordinated by volunteers in more than 5,200 communities and 27 countries. Volunteers give of their time and effort because they believe it's time to take action against cancer. Again this year, Marilyn Gonsiorek - cancer survivor - is leading the GP Metro Rotary team. The goal once again this year will be to raise $10,000 (which we smashed last year). If you would like to join our team, or donate you can contact mgonsiorek@allstate.com or click here. The Grand Prairie event will take place at Tarrant County College - Southeast campus on Saturday April 8th from 5 - 10 pm.
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2017-18 Club Officers AnnouncedOur slate of officers for the 2017-18 Rotary year has been approved by the Board.
[drum roll please]
President - Melinda Rodgers
President-Elect - Glen McCrary
Secretary - Marilyn Gonsiorek
Treasurer - Rae Ann Forester
Sergeants-at-Arms - Jim Cummings/Mike Grace
Board of Directors
Club Service - Shebra Hacket
New Generations - Erica Paige
International Service/RI Foundation - Judy Broyles
Training - Beverly Grogan
Communications & Public Relations - Doug Bryan
Membership - Darcy Harris
Immediate Past President - David Awe
This is another great group of leaders who have offered to step up and serve. However, they will need the support of every member so that our club can continue to grow, thrive and serve. Looking forward to another exciting year!
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Holiday ScheduleDue to the Christmas Holidays, our December 22 and December 29 meetings have been canceled. Please be safe as you gather with friends, family & loved ones this season.
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Children First Grand Prairie ISD & District Grant project 2014Grand Prairie Metro Rotary applied for and received a grant from Rotary District 5810 to provide outdoor playground and equipment for Children First, Inc. Coordinating with Grand Prairie ISD, Rotarians provided 1 table, 3 benches, a goal and pavement for half-court basketball.
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Meeting Cancelled for Tuesday, January 6, 2015Our January 6, 2015 meeting has been canceled in honor of the Celebration of the Life of LR "Squat" Cannon, who passed away on January 1. Squat served proudly in the Grand Prairie Fire Department from December of 1958 until his retirement as a Lieutenant in 1986, We will resume normal meeting schedule on Tuesday, January 13, 2015. |
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Grand Prairie Metro Rotary Hosts 4-Way-Test Speech Competition |
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Alzheimer’s Association--March 4th program (Don't forget!!)Theresa Hocker has been the executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association - North Central Texas Chapter since 1991. During her tenure the agency has grown from two to 30 employees and expanded from a service area of ten to 40 counties. The agency has four offices and an annual budget that is over 2 million dollars. |
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Rotary Foundation - program for January 28th, 2013District 5810 Foundation Chair, Glen Rowe will be our speaker on January 28th. Glen has been a Rotarian for 31 years and has an impressive record of service not only in our district, but in 5890 (Houston) as well. He will be sharing with us the latest news on the Rotary Foundation. |
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Giving Back to Our CommunityThe Grand Prairie Metro Rotary is proud to announce the award of our proceeds from the 27th annual Pumpkin Run! In spite of the down economy, and thanks to our many sponsors, we were able to raise over $35,000.00 to give to over 30 local and international charities at our dinner on November 12th. |
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September 10th--The Disabled Children of Africa and how we can helpOn September 10th our speaker will be Shannon Benton--Executive Director & Founder of CLASP International.
Shannon R Benton, graduated from Baylor University with her bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and with her masters for the University of Texas at Dallas in Communication Disorders. She worked at the University of Texas at Dallas/Callier Center as a speech pathologist for 8 years. She provided clinical services for children and adults in aural habilitation, feeding, fluency, language and speech. Shannon was a member of the cochlear implant team and provided auditory verbal therapy for children with severe hearing loss. She also conducted a summer camp for children and adolescents who stutter. Shannon has provided services for children with all types of disabilities including hearing impaired, autism and craniofacial disorders. Currently, Shannon is the founder and executive director of CLASP International, as well as, practices privately as a speech pathologist with children with a variety of disorders. As this vision has unfolded, Shannon has been overwhelmed by the privilege of being a part of something bigger than self. The process of envisioning a project this huge, building a team and executing the plan has been nothing short of the Lord. She feels grateful and blessed to play a small part.
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Department of Family & Protective Services
This Tuesday, August 13th, we will hear from Esthela Hernandez with the Department of Family & Protective Services. Esthela Hernandez was born in Mexico City and grew up in the DFW area. In 2005, she graduated from the University of Texas in Arlington, with a B.A. in Criminal Justice/Criminology; in 2007 she obtained a Master’s Degree in the same field. Esthela started working with the Department of Child Protective Services (CPS), immediately after that. She is currently working as a Family Services Specialist and continues to be involved with the community. As a member of the Speakers Bureau, Esthela participates in community engagement and has volunteered her time in community agencies, one of those is Hope for Tomorrow; it is an agency certified for the Batters Intervention Program. Esthela loves to empower families. |
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Board MeetingThe Club's next Board Meeting will take place at 5:30 P.M. at Environmental Services on Tuesday, April 24th at 5:30. |
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26th Annual Pumpkin 10K, 5K, and 1 Mile Fun Run
Please join the Grand Prairie Metro Rotary for the annual Pumpkin Run fund raiser. Over the last Twenty-five years we have raised over $300,000 for various charities. This year we are planning on our biggest year ever.
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Orphanage Project in El Salvador
The Rotary Club of Grand Prairie Metro has teamed up with Club Rotario de San Salvador Sur to provide needed improvements to to the ISNA Orphanage. This project encompassed restoring the roof and ceiling of the building, installing a new fence and the repair of bathrooms and walls that were badly deteriorated.
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Rotary Pilot Programs
Two new models of Rotary club membership have been authorized on a trial basis. They are:
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The Rotarian
Beginning last July, The Rotarian can bring you the same print content you’ve enjoyed for years -- in paperless form. If you switch to digital, a link to the new issue will be delivered to your e-mail inbox each month from Zinio , the world’s largest digital newsstand.
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Help Rotary End Polio!
After 20 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease, but a strong push is needed now to root it out once and for all. It is a window of opportunity of historic proportions.
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Our RYLA Kids Say Thanks!
Andre Rodiriguez, 2011 Senior at South Grand Prairie High School and Deanna Morrison, 2011 Senior at Robert E Lee High School in Tyler, TX, along with Rotarian Mark Healy shared their 2010 Camp Ryla slides and experiences with us on Tuesday, June 20.
Andre is a member of SGPH National Honor Society and is a Mastor Tutor in the AP Tutoring Program. He hopes to be accepted at MIT or Texas A&M University. Deanna is a member of RLHS' National Honor Society, Spanish Club & Yearbook Staff. Both Andre and Deanna are members of Varsity swim teams at their schools. |
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G.P. Metro Rotary wins District Awards!
It was announced at the District Awards ceremony held on July 7th that the Grand Prairie Metro Rotary has been awarded the International Service Award as well as the Community Service Award for our work over the last Rotary year 2009-2010!
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Report From RYLA CampersOn Tuesday, August 12th we'll get to hear the report from our RYLA campers. If you haven't seen this presentation before, it's usually pretty darn good. RYLA tends to have a MAJOR impact on participants. Come and hear how it's changed our campers! |
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Agelica and Maria have arrived from Guatemala!We are blessed to have Angelica with us from Guatemala! She arrived with her mother, Maria, at DFW Airport on Monday, May 5, 2014. We will be working with Orphans of the World for the next few months to help her get some plastic surgery on her burned face. |
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Treating Cancer by Getting to Know the Whole Patient
Dr. John Adams will be our speaker on Tuesday, April 29th. Dr. Adams is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology by the American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine. He received his medical degree from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Mo., and completed an internship and residency program in internal medicine at Sun Coast Hospital in Largo, Fla. Dr. Adams also completed a fellowship in oncology/hematology at MD Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute in Houston. He believes in getting to know the whole patient — not just the cancer — and is known to inspire patients with his personable and determined attitude.
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July 30th--Marketing YOU! Speaking for Your Success...
George Hendley--speaker trainer (Or How to Use Free Presentations to Double Your Clients and Your Income) This 20 minute interactive presentation shows you why and how: · Effective speaking skills can quickly double or triple your business income · You can become your clients first choice for your service/product offering · Trust and credibility are lavished on you when you present well in public · Speaking well gives you instant connections and opened doors |
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July 23rd--RYLA Report!!One of my personal favorite annual programs is coming up on July 23rd when we invite our RYLA student report on their week. Every year we hear about a life-changing week. Usually very inspirational. This year, we're going to hear from Nigel, our student from Dubiski as well as David Awe's daughter who was sponsored by the Cedar Hill club. You're not going to want to miss it! |
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Mogbuama Water Well
Our Water Well in Mogbuama, Sierra Leone is complete! A special thank-you to all the Grand Prairie Metro Rotarians, in cooperation with Water H2O Thrive, who helped with this worthy Rotary project out at our garage sale at Orphans of the World & to the Pumpkin Run volunteers who made this well happen!
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Who We Work With
Representative network
Rotary International appoints representatives each year to UN bodies and nongovernmental organizations worldwide. |
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Why Join Rotary! |
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Rotary International - 30 second video |