The New Generations Programs of Rotary and Engaging Members

Pres. Pam Wall with District Governor-Elect Kay Gresham
and her husband, John.  

Kay Gresham, District Governor-Elect of the Southeast North Carolina Rotary District, was the guest speaker at Newport Rotary on August 26, 2013. DGE Kay, a career educator from Jacksonville, NC, spoke on the topic of using the New Generations Programs of Rotary International to engage existing, new and prospective club members.  She was the Youth Programs Chair of the district for many years.

We welcome back Rtn. Larry Howard (seated) from his
travels. Also, congratulations to Larry & Sharon!  

DGE Kay using an interactive style to lay the groundwork for her presentation. By the end, the club had discussed the Rotary International New Generations Programs of Interact, Rotaract, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and Youth Exchange. Further, the Club had explored how those programs might lead to young person or parental involvement in club activities and events.

DGE Kay was accompanied by her husband, John. They received a short tour of Newport after the meeting.

The club was happy to welcome back Rotarian Larry Howard from his travels, and got an update on the health of Manley Smith, who we hope will be able to get back to Rotary soon.

Thank you from Newport Elementary School

Dear Newport Rotary,

On behalf of NES, I would like to thank you and the Newport Rotary Club for the work you did at our school. The appearance of the front of our building was noticeably improved as I pulled into the parking area this morning. We truly appreciate your efforts!

Sincerely,
Richard Paylor, Principal 

Newport Elementary School 

Newport Rotarians Ready Elementary School for Opening Day

Rake'ish Newport Rotarians Steve Bizzard,
Bevin Wall and Joe Garner prepare school for students 

The Newport Rotary Club's community service project for the month of August, 2013 was to beautify the garden beds along the entryway and front of Newport Elementary School in anticipation of the arrival of students on Wednesday. Thankfully, the persistent rain broke for the two hours that the project was scheduled, allowing for its completion.

Rotarians positioned, opened, distributed and spread 20 bags of mulch in the front beds of the school, and in addition did some weeding and pruning. The Carteret County School system provided the mulch, and Principal Richard Paylor served as the school liason for the project. This is the second consecutive year that Newport Rotarians have adopted this project. Rotarian and Town Councilman Steve Blizzard, Red & White Grocery Proprietor Joe Garner, and Attorney Bevin Wall led the effort. 

First Day of School Project Looms

Newport Rotarians and guests- the August 19, 2013 Rotary Meeting will be a Service Meeting at Newport Elementary School as we beautify the front of the school for the arrival of students on Wednesday. Bring your tools and a smile! 

Battle of Newport Barracks Park

Pres. Pam Wall and speaker, Dwayne Oglesby, from
The Newport Historical Museum  

Dianne Johnson and Dwayne Oglesby were the guests speakers at the Newport Rotary Club on Monday afternoon, August 12, 2013. Both represented the Newport Consolidated School Alumni Association's newest venture, to build on The Newport Historical Museum, and to establish a Civil War Memorial Park across from the Elementary School and beside the Teacherage/ Newport Historical Museum.

Dianne spoke of the changing roles, while Dwayne filled in Rotarians on the details of the proposed park. The park will be a 100' x 200' fenced in area located to the north of the Teacherage Building and fronting on Chatham Street in downtown Newport. It will contain a replica cannon, information center, typical barracks, a railroad bridge, recently removed from the Newport River, gravesites commemorating Union and Confederate dead, and lots of seating areas. Click here for a site drawing of the proposed park.    

Both thanked Gerry Mann who has done work on the drawings and contributed to the project, and Eric Lindblade, who is the historian for the group. 

Difficult Issues in Humanitarian Aid

Aug 5 Rotary Speaker Madison Wall (r) with her friends,
(from l-r) Morgan Flythe, Megan Linney

The August 5, 2013 program at the Newport Rotary Club was presented by Emory University sophomore Madison Wall on Difficult Issues in Humanitarian Aid. The presentation was a summation of her class at The College of Charleston on The Politics of Humanitarian Aid. She was the guest of Rotary Club President Pam Wall, her mother.

These types of images are used to
manipulate the emotions of the viewer,
sometimes creating unintended consequences...
Picture Credit: humanitarianaid.weebly.com 

Madison put humanitarian aid in the context of a triangle, with aspects at each point of independence, neutrality and impartiality, and then explained the importance of each. She discussed the intersection of the media, and the psychological reaction the masses have to crises or conflicts based on the way and the time in which they are presented. Lastly she talked about the economics of aid, sustainability, and the lack of accountability for the end result of aid, which often ends up prolonging the very conflicts and problems it is meant to alleviate. Examples from the World War II Concentration Camps, Biafra, Ethiopia to the Rwandan genocide and later related central African conflicts were used as examples.          

Related to Rotary Aid Projects, it was mentioned in later discussion that "sustainability" in grant projects, and a verifiable local presence by Rotarians, helped to minimize some of the issues raised.

Madison was accompanied to Rotary by her friends Morgan Flythe and Megan Linney.