Downtown Rotary Club of Houston
Committees
Community Service
Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Committee – Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Right now, tens of thousands of women, men and children are trafficked right through the City of Houston and Harris County to do their damage here and across the United States. The committee provides assistance to trafficked individuals and prevention education to our community and all over the world.
Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Committee – Encourages all Downtown Rotary Club of Houston members to teach a child to read. Supporting the National Read Across America Day focusing on motivating children and teens to read. This is done through events, partnerships, and reading resources, across the country and the world. Rotary provides thousands of schools, libraries, and community centers by bringing together readers, kids, teens, and books from our Rotary “Books of the World” program.
Gala and Fund-Raising Event Committee – Organizes large and small fund raisers including the Downtown Rotary Club of Houston Lynn Wyatt Honors and Style Show and other fund-raising events benefiting our community service activities.
Prison Entrepreneurship Committee (PEP) – Support the pioneering innovative programs that connect the nation’s top executives, entrepreneurs, and MBA students with convicted felons. The entrepreneurship boot camp and re-entry programs are proven solutions for preventing recidivism, maximizing self-sufficiency and transforming broken lives. Our Ten Driving Values: 1. “Fresh Start” Outlook 2. Servant-Leader Mentality 3. Love 4. Innovation 5. Accountability 6. Integrity 7. Execution 8. Fun 9. Excellence and 10. Wise Stewardship
Public Health Committee – Addresses critical Houston area health issues with the goal of affecting change and with a dual mission of educating the club and Houston residents on matters related to public health, health care delivery and socio-economic health issues. We are currently assisting the Medical School at the University of Houston distributing Covid-19 vaccines to the underserved in our community. While expanding access to community healthcare, the committee also arranges for expert health professionals to educate the club on cutting edge issues, treatments, breakthroughs and the economic impact of the health care industry in our community and the Rotary major global project to End Polio Now.
Rodeo Parade Committee – Promotes Downtown Rotary Club of Houston member participation and promotion of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR). Participation includes working with the HLSR Parade committee standards for our Downtown Rotary Parade Riders as required by all Rodeo entries. This committee also sponsors a Calf Scramble animal and Agricultural students to benefit the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarships and promote the Downtown Rotary Club of Houston awareness in our city.
Rotary Citizen Award Committee – This committee works with the club President to plan and promote the Downtown Rotary Club of Houston Outstanding Citizen Recognitions throughout the Rotary year. These citizens are recognized as part of every Downtown Rotary Club of Houston monthly luncheon when possible and with corporate sponsors are promoted in support of these worthwhile monthly recognitions of Houston’s best.
St. Nicholas Committee – Plans, promotes and directly fulfills basic needs as we serve the men, women and children most “at risk” in our community. At Christmas time, we assist the Salvation Army and “ring the Red Kettle bell” to encourage donations for underprivileged families all over the area. Members of the committee raise money, purchase and deliver needs and wants as gifts to families selected by the Salvation Army.
Veterans Committee – Plans and promotes the annual Downtown Rotary Club of Houston “Salute to Veterans” Luncheon Celebration, honoring service men and women past and present, This is one of the largest Rotary luncheons honoring veterans in our city. On Memorial Day we provide the Memorial Day wreathe honoring our fallen heroes at the Houston Veterans National Cemetery. The committee supports the PTSD Foundation of America, Camp Hope and Honor Flight among other organizations with the goal of helping every veteran in our area. The committee works directly with many Veterans Assistance organizations including the USO to provide executive advice and council to veterans where needed in our community.
Club Service
Classification Committee – The Club President, Past Presidents and Membership Committee Chairman assign the new member classifications. Assists the Membership committee to review membership applications and explain membership requirements to prospective members. We are a “protected” classification Rotary Club.
Administration Committee – Works directly with the Downtown Rotary Club of Houston Board Secretary and Treasurer to assist in all administrative functions of the club. Oversees cash, check and credit card functions at club events and making the member and guest check-in process a quick and positive experience. The committee gives new guest information to the Membership Chair to appraise those individuals qualified to be sponsored in our club.
Entertainment and Social Committee – Coordinates events that promote friendship, fellowship and fun. These gatherings include Wine Tasting parties, Holiday Family affairs, Fine Arts and Group Sporting events – organizes the annual Downtown Rotary Club of Houston Shooting Clays, Houston Polo Club and Formula One Auto Racing Events and other business networking and family activities. These occasions are designed to provide a casual and upscale fun environment for networking with fellow Downtown Rotarian business and professional leaders on a more personalized level.
Finance, Foundations and Grants Committee – Responsible for a broad range of issues from the club’s investment policy and accounting system, to the annual budget. Also identifies International and District scholarship and grant initiatives which align with the mission of the Downtown Rotary Club of Houston.
Membership Committee – Carries four (4) major assignments: increase club membership, retain existing members, perform the duty to announces Club Officers and Directors elections, and collects club board and officer nominations. The committee determines member eligibility and sets elections and runoffs to elect candidates for open offices and board positions annually. This requires a deep belief in everything the Downtown Rotary Club of Houston stands for and sensitivity to people’s needs, problems and schedules in today’s fast paced social and business world. The committee assesses new membership initiatives offered by District 5890 and Rotary International and helps the Downtown Rotary Club of Houston apply those learned principles to increase membership. The committee plans and implements all aspects of Rotary 101 and New Member Orientation, including education of new members about our Downtown Rotary Club of Houston and Rotary International. Committee members schedule each new member to participate in orientation and is responsible for assimilating new members, with their sponsors, into the activities of the Downtown Rotary Club of Houston and encouraging them to fulfill the duties of a new member to become active and involved Rotarians.
Program Committee – Responsible for arranging each month’s program of speakers, including Rotary International videos designed to inform members of the International efforts of Rotary. The committee supports the Downtown Rotary Club of Houston President in selecting the Chair of the Day, Prayer, Pledge and 4-Way Test monthly assignments as well as the future calendar of events.
Public Relations, Marketing, Social Media and Web Development Committee – Responsible for member recognition, increasing awareness of the Downtown Rotary Club of Houston service programs and their importance to our community. Promotes the “good work” of our Downtown Rotary Club of Houston in the Media. Also provides website support to the Web Master and reviews club communication systems for effectiveness.
Strategic Planning Committee – serves as a long-range planning group for the Downtown Rotary Club of Houston. It reviews and updates the Club Vision Statement, and with an eye to the future, suggests to the Board of Directors ideas and plans looking toward a fuller development of the Rotary concept. It also provides leadership and assistance to apply and follow through on Rotary awards applications for our Downtown Rotary Club of Houston, and continuing viability and relevance of our club in the future.
International Service
International Service Committee – Responsible for identifying International Service Projects to be recommended to the Board of Directors and club membership. This includes our global projects shared by Rotary clubs all over the world to meet the needs defined by Rotary International in our seven (7) areas of focus. These include Economic and Community development, Basic Education and Literacy, Water and Sanitation, Disease Prevention and Treatment, Maternal and Child Health, the Environment and Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution.
Vocational Service
Free Enterprise Camp Committee – Arranges the annual day-camp for select area high school students focusing on the Free Enterprise System which is not presently taught in our Public-School system. The most successful business individuals in our club and community are our guest presenters and lecturers so that these “Leaders of Tomorrow” can learn directly from the people that are proven success stories. These individuals are specially chosen to make available information about their vocations to students who are choosing a career. The special emphasis is on business leadership and the need for high ethical standards and opportunities for service in each occupation. Students will be “on campus” at the University of Houston Bauer School of Business to learn and experience teambuilding, leadership, business principles, and dealing with the challenges of life in business in the “Think Tank” format. This is much like the Shark Tank format on ABC Television. The objective is to explore, expose, challenge and awaken interest and imagination on the whole concept of Business and the Free Enterprise System. The selection process includes area high school principals and counselors. The “Leaders of Tomorrow” will, with the guidance of faculty and club members vote those worthy of College scholarships and grants awarded and the end of the camp.
NOTE: Other area programs and organizations given consideration support or directed by the Downtown Rotary Club of Houston and its individual members not mentioned above include:
Houston First Corp, The Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Houston), the Holocaust Museum-Houston, Thanksgiving Tree Lighting in Uptown Houston, The Junior League of Houston, Texas Independence Day, San Jacinto Day, Lemonade Day, NASA Day, Texas A&M, University of Houston, University of Texas, Rice University, Texas EquuSearch – Mounted Search and Recovery Team, The Lone Star Veterans Association, The Heart of Texas Foundation, The Houston Downtown Management District, the US Constitution Day and our Unapologetically American Day to name a few.
Member Stories
Champions of Health: Julie Dockrill
Julie Dockrill, a midwife and a member of the Rotary Club of Timaru, New Zealand (D9980), is one of Rotary’s six People of Action: Champions of Health 2021 awardees. In 2013, Dockrill and a team of midwives introduced a maternal and infant health education program in Mongolia that has been adopted by the Ministry of Health. She created a training curriculum and made numerous trips to Mongolia to educate healthcare workers, university students, and expectant mothers about childbirth. Since the program was launched, the mortality rate among pregnant women and newborns has decreased. May 2021.
Virtual Tour of RI Headquarters
Virtual tour of Rotary International Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA. Fall 2020.
Go Organics for Peace
Spencer Leung, 2013 peace fellow and founder of Go Organics, Ltd., talks about the organization’s mission to build peace by addressing income inequities through economic development.
Women Uplifting Women
Seven Women Centre is a nonprofit that offers fair-trade products and services. Stephanie Woollard, a member of the Rotary Club of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and a former Rotary Peace Fellow, started the organization in 2006 to empower marginalized women in Nepal.
Greg Sindelar, Texas Public Policy Foundation 
