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Kerrville Morning Rotary recently awarded two, $1,500 scholarships to local students; one from Tivy High School and one from Ingram Tom Moore High School. Scholarship Committee Chair, Bob Green, said, “It’s encouraging to see such qualified candidates.”

Kerrville Morning Rotary Awards $2,000 to Christian Women’s Job Corps

(L-R) Front Row: CWJC Executive Director Ann Buck; CWJC Interns Jamie Dean, Cheryl Castleberry, and Victoria Goforth; and Morning Rotarian Waverly Jones. Back Row: CWJC Assistant Director Edna Vandiver; Morning Rotarians Nancy Riley and Ray Buck; CWJC Interns Linda Lewis, Alyssa Bill, and Vianey Cisneros; Morning Rotarians Kenneth O’Neal and Mike Hunter; and CWJC Board Director Kellie Early.

The Rotary Club of Kerrville-Morning (Morning Rotary) recently awarded $2,000 to the Christian Women’s Job Corps of Kerr County (CWJC) to fund computer upgrades. Morning Rotarian and Club Treasurer, Waverly Jones, initiated a successful district grant request for $1,000 which was matched by Morning Rotary.

Arcadia Theatre Update

Pictured from left, Anne Overby, Arcadia Theatre Chief of FUNraising, Bill Sharp, Rotarian and Laurie Rees, Aracadia volunteer coordinator. Ms. Overby and Ms. Rees updated the Morning Rotary on the events and future plans at the Arcadia Theatre.

Honor Veterans Now

Rotarian Dan Dixon (center) donates his winnings from the Rotary drawing to Meals for Vets Program Director Mike Cagle (right) while President-Elect Kenneth O'Neal looks on.

Kerrville Morning Rotary Provides Hunting Opportunity for Veterans

In an ongoing effort to give back to those who selflessly gave to us through their military service, The Rotary Club of Kerrville (Morning Rotary) provided deer hunts for veterans this past month, thanks to the philanthropy of Morning Rotarian Randy McClay.

Randy McClay, owner of MC² Ranch in Kerrville, donated whitetail deer hunts for two veterans. Unfortunately, one recipient had to cancel, but Army veteran, Tony Straube was on hand to hunt.

In the words of McClay, “It was a great afternoon with Tony Straube, hunt guide Bill Owen, and myself. Tony arrived around 3:15 p.m. He got his .243 rifle ready and we headed for the shooting range…”

Randy McClay spotting for Tony Straube as he sights in his rifle. Above

Tony Straube hunting from deer blind. Below

Ingram Tom Moore High School Interact Club’s Coins for Christmas

L-R): Ingram Tom Moore High School Interact Club members; Cayleigh Palm, Chelsea Parks, and Walker Ragsdale. Members not pictured include Cassidy Tedeschi, Nikkie Dillard, Samantha Sollers, Cody Miller, Ana Harvey, Madison Davis, and Fortima Martinez.

TheIngram Tom Moore High School Interact Club sponsored by the Rotary Club of Kerrville-Morning (Morning Rotary) conducted a Coins for Christmas fundraising drive during the holidays. Donna Ragsdale, in addition to being a Morning Rotarian, serves as an Ingram Tom Moore teacher, coach, and the Interact Club sponsor. “We collected about 50 dollars in pennies, dimes, nickels, and quarters. It was great to watch students walk by the donation table and drop in their change. The money collected was given to our school counselor who then gave the donations to a couple of our Ingram community families in need for the holidays,” said Ragsdale.

Morning Rotary Spreads Christmas Cheer

(L-R): Rotarian Nancy Riley; Doyle School Community Center facility manager, Lois Shaw; Rotarians Drew Whitehead and Ray Buck; Doyle School Community Center community outreach coordinator, Clifton Fifer, Jr.; Rotarians Waverly Jones; Lew McCoy; Bart Stevens; Randy McClay; Taylor Finley; Danielle Brigatti; Mike Hunter; and, Frank Dunlap.

(L-R): Morning Rotarian Lew McCoy; Caryn Talarico, KSHVSC community relations director; and, Morning Rotarians Kenneth O’Neal and Waverly Jones.

The Rotary Club of Kerrville - Morning (Morning Rotary) ends this pandemic-influenced year by sharing the Christmas spirit with several organizations including the Kerrville State Hospital, Christian Women’s Job Corps, and the Doyle School Community Center.

After cancelling the Christmas party this year, Morning Rotary opted to continue gift-giving with the Kerrville State Hospital Volunteer Services Council (KSHVSC) by providing gifts for 25 patients at the Kerrville State Hospital. The KSHVSC is a non-profit organization that helps provide for the needs of Kerrville State Hospital patients when those items can’t be purchased with state funding, such as Christmas gifts. Morning Rotarian Waverly Jones coordinated with Caryn Talarico, KSHVSC community relations director, to develop the wish list for 25 patients with a $25 limit per patient. Requested gifts were purchased and if the cost of the gift was less than $25, cash was added to the gift for the patient to spend as desired.

Kerrville Morning Rotary Rings Bell for Salvation Army

Morning Rotarians Donna Ragsdale and Frank Dunlap doing their part to spread Christmas joy.

Amy Reno encourages her children, James and Joseph, to put money in the red kettle for those less fortunate.

This past week, the Rotary Club of Kerrville - Morning (Morning Rotary) served the Salvation Army in their Red Kettle Campaign. Fifteen Morning Rotarians took turns ringing the bell for a total of nine hours.

In 1891, Salvation Army Captain Joseph McFee launched the Red Kettle Campaign to collect funds in order to feed the hungry in San Francisco on Christmas Day. Little did he know that his idea would become a tradition that would spread throughout the United States and the world. Globally, contributions to Salvation Army red kettles enable the organization to continue its year-round efforts at helping those who would otherwise be forgotten.

Kerrville Morning Rotary “Santa’s Helpers” Assemble Christmas Backpacks for Ingram ISD Students

Morning Rotarians sorting and packing backpacks for middle school and high school girls. Waverly Jones, Treasurer, and club IT specialist is capturing the action via ZOOM for members and guests not participating in person.

L-R: Morning Rotarian and ITM Principal Justin “Critt” Crittenden; Ingram Interact Club members Walker Ragsdale and Samantha Sollers; and, Morning Rotarian and ITM teacher Donna Ragsdale display a completed backpack to be delivered, along with the others, to the ITM counselor.

The Rotary Club of Kerrville - Morning (Morning Rotary) recently had a lot of fun serving as Santa’s helpers. Rotarians assembled 32 backpacks for Ingram Middle School and Ingram Tom Moore (ITM) boys and girls. “Shoppers” Jon Tilley and Taylor Finley bought items for the boys while Nancy Riley purchased items for the girls. Each backpack contains 15-20 personal care items, some “fun stuff” and either cash or a gift certificate to McDonalds. The stylish backpacks were donated by the Rick Ragsdale Family and Ingram Interact Club. The ITM counselor will distribute the backpacks for Christmas as appropriate.

“This type of service project is what makes Kerrville and Rotary special to me. This small act of caring, leveraged with generosity from other local organizations, contributes to building our community. It creates and nurtures relationships, making all of us better,” said Ray Buck, Morning Rotary President.

Morning Rotary Helps Provide Meals for Veterans Locally and State-Wide

(L-R): Morning Rotarians, Waverly Jones, Ron Hackett, and, Nancy Riley; Danny Bezet, CBA; Ray Buck, Morning Rotarian; and Alan Hill, HCVC building manager.

The Rotary Club of Kerrville-Morning (Morning Rotary) recently partnered with local philanthropist and evangelist Danny Bezet of the Texas Hill Country Chapter of the Christian Bowhunters of America (CBA), and Mike Cagle, of Honor Veterans Now, Meals for Vets, to support veterans in the Texas Hill Country and across the state.

Kerrville Morning Rotary Supports Christian Women's Job Corps, Kerr County

L-R: Ann Buck, CWJC Executive Director; Rotarians, Ray Buck, Bart Stevens and Nancy Riley; and, Edna Vandiver, CWJC Assistant Director.

The Rotary Club of Kerrville - Morning (Morning Rotary) recently provided lunch for the interns, staff and volunteers at the Christian Women’s Job Corps, Kerr County (CWJC). Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, Rotarians were unable to join the interns for the meal.

Morning Rotary Inducts New Members

(L-R) Nancy Riley, sponsor; Ray Buck, President; “Critt” Crittenden, new member; Dan Dixon, new member; Donna Ragsdale, new member; Frank Dunlap, Membership Chair; and, Bill Sharp, sponsor.

The Rotary Club of Kerrville – Morning (Morning Rotary) recently welcomed three new members to the club. Newest members include Dan Dixon, retired Army and defense industry consultant; Donna Ragsdale, Ingram Tom Moore High School teacher and coach, as well as Interact Coordinator; and, Justin “Critt” Crittenden, Ingram Tom Moore High School Principal.