President Rainey closing remarks:
"President Rainey wishes to extend his heartfelt thanks to all who contributed to the success of this Rotary year.  First to his wife, Martha Bowles, who took off this year from her cherished work as a teacher to support the club’s efforts.  This included attending every club meeting and event.  Countless members spent many hours doing the work of Rotary and spreading the love of Rotary to our community and abroad.  Our theme for the year was “Go And Do Likewise”.  This theme was inspired by the words of Jesus as he instructed an expert in the law about who his neighbor was.  The Rotary Club of Space Center transcends boundaries create by society and reaches out to help all who are in need.  President Rainey’s prayer is for all to look for ways to help others and do so with humility."

GO AND DO LIKEWISE

The Club Board of Directors met twelve times in regular session and ten times for call meetings. Actions and decisions by the Board were recorded in the minutes. The avenues of service and committee chairs are shown in  committees.  The Club's membership at the end of the Rotary year was 117 active regular and 5 honorary members for a total of 122 members. The membership gained 22 members, lost 5.  Billy R. Smith was the Club's Parliamentarian and maintained and interpreted the Club's Constitution and By-Laws, and Jerrold Dewease was the Historian.  A chronicle of events including a topical listing of the meeting programs and pertinent information regarding the Club meetings are in the Chronicle.

$106,500 was donated to service projects and The Rotary Foundation during the Rotary Year. There were 61 local projects and one international grant project, GG PPP 1525222 Uganda Water, Sanitation and Education project.  A comprehensive overview of the financial condition of the Club can be viewed with the following documents: Balance Sheet as of June 30, 2015; Profit and Loss Statement from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015; Administrative Budget  from July 1, 2014 through June 30 2015; and Service Budget   from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015.

President Rainey instituted a special theme for each week of the month at the Club meeting.  These themes helped the members keep a focus on different aspects of Rotary.  Read about the five themes. 

Membership increase and retention was a major focus for the year. Forty two members brought a guest, there were eighty three different guests with Kaci Hanson bringing the most guests.  He continued to use of books as a token of appreciation for the Club meeting program speaker.  Originated by President Berg, Rotary Year 2013-14, the program speaker would sign and write comments as appropriate in the cover of a book and then the book was taken to Whitcomb Elementary for inclusion in the library.  Whitcomb Elementary was where the Early Act First Knight Program was initiated. 

President Rainey instituted a service project, Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK), as a special event celebrating the fifty  year of the Rotary Club of Space Center.  Fifty thousand dollars was set aside in the Club's budget, Rotary Year 2014-15, for the program.  Visit the RAOK home page for more information.  The Club had the pleasure of hosting Rotary International President Gary C. K. Huang and his wife on Wednesday January 14, 2014 for a portion of their visit to the Houston area. President Huang and his wife attended a Random Act of Kindness ceremony, went on a tour of the Johnson Manned Space Center, and ended the day by attending the All Club meeting. Read President Rainey's words about the day and view associated photos.

The caring program, "Rotary In Our Hearts", continued for the Rotary year.  The committee sent cards to members or members' families for different occasions such as an illness or death.  Also cards were sent as encouragement to members.  Belinda Skloss was the committee chair.

There was a major event during the Rotary year, the 50th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Space Center celebration on August 6, 2014 held at Space Center Houston, Houston, Texas.  Noel Bajat, a Trustee of The Rotary Foundation, was the guest speaker and several recognitions were presented to President Rainey.  Two hundred and thirty three guests including Rotary International and District Rotarians, local government officials, and former Club members attended the gala event.  More information and photos here.

The third season of the Early Act First Knight (EAFK) program kicked off in the gym of the Whitcomb Elementary.  Principal Diane Kattner and Club President Scott Rainey made the opening remarks to a gym full of excited students from kindergarten to the fifth grade.  Read more about the kickoff ceremony.  The program continued to influence the lives of those involved with it; the students, the teachers, and the Rotarians.  Emails from Club members Mike Cornett, John Branch, and Mike Porterfield reflect, not only the effectiveness of the program, but the compassion the Club members had for the program and the personal rewards from it. Not only this but the strong support the Club members received from their spouses was evident. Not mentioned in the emails was that John Branch's wife ironed the chair covers for the honorees.  One teacher mentioned to President Rainey during the second program that "...we love it (EAFK), it is so good for the school...".  A slide show of  activities for the second program can be seen pdf or ppt.   The April 14 program was as exciting as ever.  One student had nine family members and another eight.  Also several students received a knighting for each of the three  years.  The final program for the Rotary year was as exciting as the first.  Compliments continued to be received from teachers and  parents.  Marilyn Musial instituted the program when she was President, Rotary Year 2012-13.

The 41th Annual Shrimporee Festival and Auction was held on October 25th at the Landolt Pavilion at Clear Lake Park, 5002 NASA Parkway, Seabrook, Texas. It began at 11 am and ended at 4 pm on a beautiful sunny day reaching a temperature of 80 degrees. The grounds were dry allowing the children’s activities to be held behind the pavilion and the automotive sponsors to display their vehicles. Live music by the San Jac Steel Drum Corp and supplemented by the Bay Area Youth Singers, the excitement of the auctions, delicious food, loads of children’s activities and, most importantly, fellowship made for an enjoyable occasion. Security was by on duty and off-duty deputies provide by Harris County Precinct 8 Constable Phil Sandlin, who was also a Club member. The meal, as in previous years, consisted of outstanding boiled shrimp, savory smoked brisket, sweet corn on the cob, BBQ beans, and condiments. The Women of Rotary provided many kinds of sweet goodies; cookies, and cakes. The proceeds from the sweet table were used by the Women of Rotary for charitable activities. The price of the meal ticket was keep at $15 with children six years of age and under received a free meal consisting of a hotdog, drink, and a bag of chips. There were both live and silent auctions featuring items to fit every budget. Former Port Commissioner Steve Phelps and Harris County Precinct 8 Constable Phil Sandlin were the auctioneers; Jerry Smith, the auction coordinator, and Dr. Jack Bacon, was the EMCEE provided an exciting and entertaining afternoon for all.  President of the Club, Scott Rainey, selected Harris County Youth Village and Early Act First Knight as the primary beneficiaries for the Shrimporee. They were recognized and given their donations symbolically at the event. The Club had made it a practice many years for the Club’s President-elect to be the chairperson of the Shrimporee and this year it was John Branch. The raffle prize was a $5,000 shopping spree at Lewis Diamonds and Timepieces. There were 150 student volunteers, 22 adult volunteers, and 70% of the Club members participated before or on the day of the event. Over $70,000 net income was raised for donations back to the communities. Read more in the Shrimporee Report and view a photo gallery, ppt or pdf.   See Video by ATA Associates.

The 14th annual second major fundraiser and the 8th Springoree was held at the Houston Yacht Club in La Porte, Texas on May 14, 2015 to express the Club's gratitude to the sponsors of the Shrimporee and for a fun filled evening for all of the guests.  About 125 Rotarians, sponsors, and other guests enjoyed an evening of camaraderie, lively bidding on auction items, good food, and entertaining music by a DJ.  Among the guests were District 5890 Governor Lisa Faith Massey, former District 5890 Governors Bob Gebhard and spouse, and Andy Small wood, and District 5890 Governor Nominee Eric Liu and spouse.  Scott Rainey thanked the sponsors and friends of Space Center Rotary, and Louie Ditta was the auctioneer.  The success of the event was attributed to the diligence and hard work of the dedicated Springoree committee which consisted of Wendy Holley, Forest Smith, Xavier Vargas, Steve Owens, and Ralph Kramer. See photo.  A total of nineteen live auction items and forty five silent auction items contributed to a total of over $11,000 net income available to continue the community and international work of the Club.  The raffle prize was a watch donated by Lewis Jewelers and the theme was sports "tailgating".  See photos of several of the attendees.  

The Club hosted its first Golf Tournament in many years at the Bay Oaks Country Club (one of the areas premier courses) on June 1, 2015 with registration at 11:30 am, putting contest at noon, shotgun at 1:00 pm and fees of $125 Player / $500 Team.  Dr. David Taylor proposed the tournament to the Club’s Board of Directors which was subsequently approved by the Club membership.  Roger Donnelly was named the tournament chair.  The tournament netted over $28,000 with $15,000 going to the Folds of Honor organization.  The Club has reserved the golf course for May 9, 2016 for next year’s tournament. President Rainey noted the following in an email address to all the Club members regarding the tournament:
“WOW!!
Congratulations to Roger, David, and everyone who helped put on the golf tournament yesterday. It was a smashing success by all measures, especially for our first try.  Thank you all for your time, effort, and consideration to create another FANTASTIC event by The Rotary Club of Space Center!!
Go And Do Likewise.
Scott”.

Alexandra (Allie) Sutherland received a $30,000 Global Scholarship Grant.   Allie was a recent graduate of West Point and will be studying at the London School of Economics and Political Science,  in the area of economics.   She is the daughter of a former Club member, Patrice Sutherland.  Marilyn Musial and others, (Suzi Howe, John Branch, Kevin Barlow, and Dennis Paul), worked with Allie, Rotary District 5890, and Rotary International to make this happen.  The Club had no financial responsibility, however it sponsored Allie's application and worked to get it done.  The effort started in Sheryl Berg’s Rotary year (2013-14) and brought to  conclusion  by Marilyn.  The Global Scholarship Grant replaced the Ambassadorial Scholar program.  Read more.

The Interact program was revitalized under the leadership of Kim Scofield and had an outstanding year. Over $3,000 was raised for Polio Plus alone by the Clear Lake High School Interact Club.  As a results of its service, it was awarded Rotary International's Presidential Award for their outstanding work for Rotary in the year 2014-2015.  Read more about the Club and see some photos.  Kim Scofield was named Interact District 5890 Rotarian Advisor of the Year.  She was awarded this honor while attending the District 5890 Interact District Conference over this past weekend (May 2-3, 2015).  A new Interact club was chartered and will start at the Clear View High School in Rotary Year 2015-16.

The Rotary Youth Exchange program had two inbound students (Reese Chen and Adam Szczepanek) and one outbound student (Sandy Berger).  The program has been highly effective since its beginning in 1986 with 41 inbound and 40 outbound students. Example of the activities afforded the exchange students is contained in Reese’s email about attending a RYLA camp.

The Club recognized the military veterans with at a memorial at Seabrook, Texas.  Dr. David Taylor initiated the program and announced it with the following email.
"Dear Fellow Rotarian:  It was announced at Monday's meeting that our club's veterans have now had there names engraved at the Bay Area Veterans Memorial on 2nd street in Seabrook.   There are 47 veterans' names listed  which date back to the inception of our club..."

The Rotary Clubs of Space Center, League City, and Seabrook; and the Clear Creek Independent  School District School (CCISD) hosted the seventh Rotary Teacher of the Year Awards on May 11th  at the South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center (this was the 25th year for the  Excellence in Education Award for the Club). The convention center was filled with about 275  teachers, their families and friends, and Rotarians. The Space Center Intermediate School Orchestra entertained the group before the program began.  Scott Rainey, President Rotary Club of Space  Center, opened the meeting and the Clear Creek High School Color Guard presented the U. S.  and Texas flags. The Seabrook and League City Rotary Presidents gave an overview of Rotary both the local and international levels.  Then Presidents  of the Rotary Club of Space Center, Seabrook and League City introduced the candidates from their respective Rotary territory.  Diane Knatter, Principal of Whitcomb Elementary, lead the group in Rotary’s Four Way Test.  Dr. Greg Smith Superintendent of CCISD was presented a Rotary Paul Harris Fellowship by President Rainey.  Read more about the program including Dr. Smith’s remarks.  Teachers of the year were Tonia Roque (right in photo), fourth grade teacher at Landolt Elementary, and Anthony Tran (left in photo), high school teacher at Clear Falls High School with Dr Smith in the center. (See photo.)       

Note: The Excellence in Education Awards for teachers in the Clear Creek Independent School District  (CCISD) originated by the Rotary Club of Space Center with the first award given in May 1991.  However this was only the seventh year the Club participated with the Seabrook and League City  Rotary Clubs for the "Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year" awards held at the South  Shore Harbour Convention Center. Over $87,000 has been awarded to outstanding educators  since 1991.

Public Relations was very comprehensive throughout the Rotary Year with Club member Mary Alys Cherry being publisher of the Bay Area Houston Magazine and past editor of the Bay Area Citizen.  The Club and Rotary received much recognition from these media.  One good example of Rotary's service above self was an article written by Mary Alys Cherry on polio in an local magazine, "Best Practices".   "It has been  more than three decades since the last polio case was reported in the United States. For the most part, it has been erased from the world, yet it still lurks in three countries. "We are tantalizingly close to ending polio," says Diana Schoberg, associate editor of the Rotary International magazine, explaining that "all the polio cases in the world now stem from only three countries: Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. "If we can end polio in these three nations, we will shut the door on the disease forever.""  The 50th Anniversary was noted in a The Bay Area Citizen article and a Bay Area Houston Magazine article as well as articles on the Rotary International President visit, Shrimporee, Springoree, random acts of kindness gifts, golf tournament, teacher of  the year, and RNASA in additional to extensive facebook and website photos and stories.  Most of the articles and photos can be viewed in the Chronicle.

A new hands-on project was initiated with the Harris County Youth Village (HCYV).  The Club proposed to help with the construction of an eco-greenhouse and be involved with the literacy program.  However due to various legal issues the opportunities to be involved did not materialize except for a banquet that was held off campus May 29 at The Texas Roadhouse provide by Rotarian Tony Bloomfield of The Texas Roadhouse.  The Club provided some miscellaneous materials for making oral presentations.  Read more about HCYV and the opportunities for the Club to be involved.  The money allocated for the eco-greenhouse was earmarked for a new project, an outdoor classroom at Clear View High School.

The Club added 17 Paul Harris Fellows bringing the total to 383 (read names)  since the first recorded Paul Harris Fellow in 1973 and gave $26,745 to The Rotary Foundation resulting in a total of 495,095.76 since 1964. There were 2 Paul Harris Bequest Society Members  and 30 Benefactors. The Club members gave $16,370  to Annual Fund and $8,540 to Other Fund for a total of $24,910.  J. B. Fox received a diamond Paul Harris Fellowship pin becoming a Paul Harris Major Donor.

The Club again provided support to District 5890 and Rotary International.  Suzi Howe  Zone Challenge Coordinator, District Governor Advisor, and International Convention Chair; Jon McKinnie  Membership CoChair and Membership Seminar CoChair; and Dr. Vissett Sun  Assistant District 5890 Governor.  

The Club lost  four of its current and former members during the Rotary Year.  Information on these members can be found in the Memorial web site by clicking on the respective name. They were: Charles L. Whynot, Charter Member; Owen Glenn Morris;   former Club President Victor G. Maria; and former Club President Jack R. Lister.

The Rotary International Convention held in Sao Paulo, Brazil  June 5-8, 2015 was attended by  President Elect John Branch and member Stan Galanski. See photos  from John.

The Rotary National Award for Space Achievement (RNASA) Foundation selected  Col. Robert D. Cabana (NASA photo)
to receive the National Space Trophy Award.  Cabana received the award at the awards gala at the Houston Hyatt Regency Imperial Ballroom on April 24, 2015.   The RNASA Foundation announced a total donation of $29,466 to various programs during their annual RNASA Volunteer Appreciation Dinner held at Cullen's Upscale Grille August 21, 2014.  Read more .

President Rainey closing remarks

"President Rainey wishes to extend his heartfelt thanks to all who contributed to the success of this Rotary year. First to his wife, Martha Bowles, who took off this year from her cherished work as a teacher to support the club’s efforts. This included attending every club meeting and event. Countless members spent many hours doing the work of Rotary and spreading the love of Rotary to our community and abroad. Our theme for the year was “Go And Do Likewise”. This theme was inspired by the words of Jesus as he instructed an expert in the law about who his neighbor was. The Rotary Club of Space Center transcends boundaries create by society and reaches out to help all who are in need. President Rainey’s prayer is for all to look for ways to help others and do so with humility."

President Rainey approved the history for Rotary year 2014-15 and it was placed in archives August 2015.