General News                                                                                                                   

A special thank you to all who helped with the annual Blair Rotary Golf Tournament on Friday August 12th.  A special thank-you goes to Bob Hill and Dave Waite for organizing the event.  It appears as though the net proceeds from the event will exceed $1,800.

We are pleased to announce that Mark Duey, a graduate of Blair High School, has been selected as the District's Ambassadorial Scholarship winner.  Mark is currently serving in the Peace Corp in Honduras and visited the club last winter.  There were 10 applicants for the scholarship.  The Blair Club will serve as his sponsor.  Information regarding Ambassadorial Scholarships can be found below.

Club members are reminded they can do make-ups on the web:  http://www.rotaryeclub7890.org/makeup.htm

Notes from the August 16th Meeting- Program Chair - Shawn Peterson 

The guest speakers for the program were Suzanne Osborne and Ann Hackerott representatives of the TeamMates Mentoring Program.  Suzanne is a regional coordinator for the program and Ann is the Director of the Blair Program.  

The TeamMates program was started in 1991 by Dr. Tom and Nancy Osborne.  It is a one-to-one mentoring program that matches adult volunteers with students to provide an additional caring adult in their lives.  The volunteers come from local businesses, social and civic organizations and the general community to serve as positive role models for students.  The adult TeamMate agrees to meet with the youth TeamMate at school one hour per week, during school hours.  Adult TeamMates genuinely like an respect young people and respect young people and are willing to make a sustained personal commitment to their student.  In successful one-to-one mentoring relationships, it is found that mentors identify the youth's interests and take them seriously.  Mentors also allow the young people to take the lead in establishing trust, offer regular reassurance and view their role as being there to give.  Across the state of Nebraska there are 70 communities with TeamMates programs.

The Blair TeamMates program began in the spring semester of the 2004-2005 academic year by matching 16 students with adult mentors.  The goal of the program is to match an additional 18 students and mentors this fall.  The vision of the program is to have students and mentors continue together through high school, building a bridge of caring, trust and success.  Additionally, a TeamMates student who works to achieve his or her potential and meets the requirements of the program, will receive support in finding scholarships to assist with post-secondary education or training.

The Blair Rotary Club is a sponsor of the Blair TeamMates program and has pledged $1,000 per year to support the program over the next three years. If you would like additional on the TeamMates program please contact Ann Hackerott at 426-8660 or by e-mail teammatesblair@huntel.net.

Rotary Question of the Week

What is the maximum amount of an Ambassadorial Scholarship?

Rotary Fact of the Week (from  the RI Website)

Academic-Year Ambassadorial Scholarships provide funding for one academic year of study in another country. This award is intended to help cover round-trip transportation, tuition, fees, room and board expenses, and some educational supplies up to US$26,000 or its equivalent. Academic-Year Scholarships are the most common type of scholarship offered.

Scholarship/Grant availability depends on your district's contributions to The Rotary Foundation and which programs your district leadership chooses to support with available funds. Under the SHARE system, all district general contributions to the Annual Programs Fund are totaled at the end of the year and then divided into two funds, with 50 percent being credited to the District Designated Fund and 50 percent to the World Fund. The World Fund is used by The Rotary Foundation to underwrite many of its programs, such as 3-H Grants, Matching Grants, and Group Study Exchange, among others, while the District Designated Fund (DDF) may be used at the district's discretion to participate in other Foundation programs such as Ambassadorial Scholarships or Rotary Grants for University Teachers.

In order to sponsor a scholar or university teacher for a given year, the district must have sufficient funding for the program year during which the scholar or teacher will go abroad. The amounts required to sponsor each type of scholarship/grant for program year 2006-07 are as follows:

• Academic-Year Ambassadorial Scholarship: US$26,000
• Two-year Multi-Year Ambassadorial Scholarship: US$26,000
• Three-month Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarship: US$12,000
• Six-month Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarship: US$19,000
• Three to five month Rotary Grant for University Teacher: US$12,500
• Six to ten month Rotary Grant for University Teacher: US$22,500
  

 Thought of the Week

"There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up." Booker T. Washington

August Birthdays
Jim Nelson, 5th
Dave Ward, 15th
Neal Smith, 24th
Kirk Hutton, 24th

SERVICE Above Self!