Newsletter - Archive  Aug 1, 2009

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Winston Rutledge welcomes Raul Gama of Brazil to JC West Rotary.

Exchange Student from Brazil Welcomed

Winston Rutledge, a member of the club's Student Exchange Committee, introduced Raul Gama, a Rotary Foreign Exchange Student from Brazil, to the Jefferson City West Rotary Club on July 14, with a helpful hint: "If you can, say hello in Portuguese. He just came to the U.S. two days ago!"

            Actually, Raul can speak English - and he greeted his new host club with a big smile and a big "hello" - and he has already registered with a full course load as a senior at Jefferson City High School.

            Raul wore a soccer jersey to his first Rotary club meeting upon his arrival. He would like nothing better than to play on the varsity soccer team at JCHS. However, because he is only a one-year student at JCHS, state athletic requirements won't let him participate in varsity sports, but he could participate in non-varsity soccer, Winston explained.

            Raul is from Joäo Pessoa, and will be the guest of three families during his 10-month stay here. His first host family is Bill and Theresa Buhr, representing the Jefferson City Evening Club. His second set of host parents will be Gus and Wendy Gustofson of the JC West Rotary Club. And this third host family will be George and Paula Hartsfield of the Jefferson City "Downtown" Rotary Club.

Warren Solomon presents a check to Zoe Erb, 4-year scholarship winner.

4-Year College Scholarship Winner Named

Zoe Erb, a recent Jefferson City High School graduate, has been selected as the Jefferson City West Rotary Club's 2009 four-year scholarship winner. She will attend the Missouri University of Science and Technology at Rolla.

            At JCHS, Zoe ranked high in her graduating class - 10^th out of 514 seniors - and that included a good number of Advanced Placement courses. She was also a member of the JCHS Constitution Team which did very well in national competition.

            Among Zoe's activities at JCHS were Latin Club, the Go Help Club, and the Young Democrats. She is also active in her church, Memorial Baptist, and has volunteered for such community events as Special Olympics and Relay for Life. She is the daughter of Andrew and Roma Erb.

            Dr. Warren Solomon, chair of the scholarship committee, noted that "Zoe impressed our committee with her warmth and good style as well as with her outstanding accomplishments."

            The award grants her $1,000 a year for each of her four years in college.

Anna Smith, Rotary Exchange Student,
excited as she leaves for Brazil.

Outbound Student Off to Brazil

Anna Smith, a recent honor roll graduate of Jefferson City High School, is now in Brazil where she will spend 10 months as an outbound Rotary Foreign Exchange Student, sponsored by the Jefferson City West Rotary Club.

            Anna gave the club a presentation of her PowerPoint slide show on Jefferson City and her family and friends on July 31, which she plans to give at her host Rotary Club and host families in Belo Horizonte, a city of three million in southeastern Brazil. She will be attending the College of Business and Economics while in Brazil.

            Upon her return in July 2010, she plans to enroll at Hendrix College in Arkansas. She is the daughter of Tim and Leah Smith of Jefferson City.

Raffle Winner

Mark Comley, right, shows off the Joker card he drew at our
Aug. 7 luncheon to win the weekly raffle that resulted in
winning a $698 pot. At left is Sergeant-at-Arms Walt Rottman.

Upcoming Programs

Aug. 21             Molly Meyers, Children's Hospital/Children's Miracle Network

Aug. 28             Lupe Buckingham, CMCA

Sept. 4              No Rotary meeting

Sept. 11            Linda Endersby, Missouri State Museum