Spring is in the air, and things are BOOMING AND BLOOMING in District 5790! Here's what we'll be covering this month:
DG’s Message
Membership Update
Building New Rotary Clubs!
Heart of Texas Rotary Club (New!)
Birdville Rotary Club (New!)
Everman/Forest Hill (New!)
Salute to Veterans Club (New!)
The Colony (New!)
380 Rotary Club
Denton Lake Cities
Colleyville
EarthX 2026 - A Unique Opportunity to Showcase OUR Rotary Projects!
RYLA - June 25 - 28!
Wheelchair Update
Used Fire Fighting Gear Needed!
Foundation Giving Update
Blood Drive News
Upcoming District Events
Upcoming Club Events
DG'S MESSAGE
There are four months left in this Rotary year. I know everyone has been working hard to grow their clubs. My message to you is:
Don't let up! Keep the petal to the metal!
There are 3 things I'm going to ask you to concentrate on:
RETAIN your current members
Let them know how much you appreciate them and how important EVERY PERSON is to Rotary's mission!
Even if they can't make a lot of meetings or participate right now, they are still a part of everything we do!
Continue to ATTRACT and bring in New Members!
Remember the Power of Invitation!
Consider starting a companion club (like Denton Lake Cities!) or an alternate membership type (like Colleyville!) - see below!
CONTACT previous members and INVITE THEM BACK!
Maybe their situation has changed, and all they need is an invitation to come back!
Consider a Homecoming Happy Hour!
Here are the clubs that are leading the way in membership:
Top Eleven Clubs in % Growth
Kennedale - 53%
Red River - 37%
Mineral Wells - 32%
380 Rotary Club - 22%
Breckenridge - 21%
Flower Mound - 20%
Denton Evening - 17%
Burleson Area Mid-Day - 16%
Fort Worth East - 16%
Fort Worth International - 15%
Highland Village - 15%
Top Eleven Clubs in # Growth
Fort Worth Downtown - 14
Mineral Wells - 11
Arlington - 10
Red River - 10
Kennedale - 9
Flower Mound - 9
Highland Village - 6
Mineral Wells - 8
Granbury - 5
Lewisville - 5
Wichita Falls - 5
31 of our clubs have shown a net increase in membership this year!
KEEP THAT FOCUS! IF THESE CLUBS CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU!
BUILDING NEW AND CURRENT ROTARY CLUBS
Heart of Texas (Brownwood)
President-Elect Otis Felton has led the effort to start this club, serving Brownwood and the surrounding area. We hope to charter within the next month with over 40 new Rotarians!
Birdville (Serving North Richland Hills, Richland Watauga, and Haltom City)
President-Elect Greg Gideon and AG Tito Rodriguez have led the effort to form this new club! Many community leaders are on board! Enthusiasm is high!
Everman/Forest Hill (NEW Club Opportunity)
President-Elect Shehan Karunaratne, along with Kennedale's Jessica Mang and Lori Glovier are leading the effort to form a new club in Everman/Forest Hill. They have held two information sessions and will continue this month!
North Central Texas Salute to Veterans (NEW Club Opportunity)
President-Elect Kevin Sellers is leading the effort to establish a new stand-alone club focused on attracting veterans, and individuals with a heart for recognizing, honoring and serving veterans.
Please take a few minutes and think about people you know who may be interested in this type of club. If you or someone you know is interested, please reach out to Kevin Sellers at 405-503-6450, or kevins@excelmedstaff.com
The Colony (NEW Club Opportunity)
We are in the initial stages of looking into forming a club in The Colony. If you know of people in this area who would be potential Rotarians, please contact DGE Angie Cox.
380 Providence Village Club (Current Club with a NEW Possibility)
380 is refreshing their club and is beginning to see results!
Denton-Lake Cities (considering a Companion club)
Denton-Lake Cities has updated their Strategic Plan to include starting a companion impact club in relationship to a local realty office. Denton-Lake Cities is being creative and innovative!
Colleyville (considering a Service + membership type)
Colleyville realized there are people in the community, many of whom are spouses or children of Rotarians, who participate in service projects, fundraisers and socials, but simply can't come to a Tuesday lunch meeting. They are considering a "Service +" membership type.
If you have ideas about expanding your club or launching a new or companion club, contact District Membership Chair Kurt Bartley and the District Membership Success Team. They are ready to partner with you to GROW ROTARY!
I AM SO INSPIRED BY WHAT Y’ALL ARE DOING! LET’S KEEP IT GOING! WE CAN DO THIS!
EarthX2026 - Unique Opportunity to Showcase YOUR Rotary Projects!
EarthX2026https://earthx.org/earthx2026/, the premier environmental event in Texas, will take place April 20-22 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas.
Thanks to the efforts of Rotarian Steve Bender, the conference will feature a special section called “The RotaryXperience”https://rotaryxperience.org/, a 30,000 square foot area where your club can showcase its environmental activities and projects and potentially speak about these projects on a dedicated stage. Up to 10,000 visitors a day will pass through the exhibition area. We’d like to feature projects that would attract and be of interest to domestic and international audiences in attendance for the EarthX Conference. 2018-19 RI President Barry Raskin will be speaking at the conference.
Some examples of what we’re considering: lithium-ion battery recycling, salvaging unused food from school cafeterias (http://lunchoutoflandfills.org/),solar panel exhibit and registration (https://esrag.org/million-solar-panel/),pollinator plant exhibit with native plants from a local nursery, clean water projects in India, Sri Lanka and Kenya(remember there will be international attendees.) There will also be an electric vehicle demonstration area. Ideally, our exhibits would feature some “hands on” experiences as well. We are open to any other ideas and projects that your clubs participate in. The sky’s the limit!
To participate or provide suggestions contact Mike Weavermikboy327@gmail.com 940-391-9614.
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RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) is a dynamic Leadership Experience for rising high school juniors and seniors in District 5790. It will be held Thursday, June 26 - Sunday, June 28, 2026 at Texas Woman's University. Applications are now being accepted. This is a great opportunity to present a one-of-a-kind leadership opportunity to the outstanding youth in your community.
For more information and to obtain an application, please see Upcoming District Events below.
Wheelchair update
One of or our main goals this year has been to put together a significant wheelchair project. That project will take place in Parras, Mexico. I am pleased to announce that 19 clubs stepped up and contributed a total of $38,825 toward this important effort!
We are in the process of ordering the wheelchairs and related equipment, and are currently working with the Parras Rotary Club to schedule a trip for Thursday, April 23 - Sunday, April 26. We will fly to Monterrey Thursday morning and return Sunday evening. The estimated cost is about $1700 per person.
There are about 25 slots available for people to go to Parras. Currently, we are limiting participation in the trip to those clubs that contributed funds. If you are interested in going to Parras, please let your club president know.
Used Fire Fighting Equipment Needed for Mexico!
Speaking of Parras - There is an on-going need in Parras, Mexico and the surrounding community for Personal Protective Equipment for firefighters, also known as "bunker gear" (boots, pants, coats, helmets and possibly breathing apparatus). We have a unique opportunity to provide and deliver bunker gear to Parras, and we are asking for your help. (Note - this is the same community we will be delivering wheelchairs to. They are a sister city to Grapevine.)
Carter Blood Care has generously donated a refurbished Blood Donation bus to be sent to Parras, Mexico. The bus will be presented to the Parras Rotarians at Grapevine Main Street Days in May, after which the Parras Rotarians will drive the bus to Mexico.
We would like to fill the bus with donated bunker gear. In the US, Fire Departments routinely replace existing bunker gear with new, updated gear on a regular basis. In many cases, the old gear is still usable. The Parras firefighters would love to have this used gear. We are asking that you contact your city council and local fire departments to see if any used gear is available.
Grapevine Rotarian Nick Pazarentzos (E-mail: nickpaz75@gmail.com; C: 512-517-6392) is very familiar with this type of gear, and has volunteered to be our point person in collecting the donated bunker gear. If you are aware of any available gear, please contact Nick to arrange for collection.
This gear will make a tremendous difference to the people of Parras. Thank you!
ARotary Foundation Giving Update
One of the most important things we can do to support the mission of Rotary is to give to the Rotary Foundation. The strongest Rotary Clubs are those that give regularly to the Foundation. Is your club an EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) club? Are you a Polio Champion Club? If not, this is the year to make it happen!
Here's how we are doing as a district so far this year:
Goal Actual of 3/3/2026 % to Goal
Annual Fund $274,700 $256,800 93.5%
PolioPlus $ 58,500 $ 49,500 84.7%
This is pretty good, but we have a ways to go!
If you would like to learn more about the Rotary Foundation and why it is so critical to our mission, contact District 5790 Foundation Chair Scott Hendricks - jscotthendricks@yahoo.com, 817-501-9349 - to schedule a program for your club!
Blood Drive Update!
Blood Drives are one of our top priorities this year! We want to make District 5790 the Blood Drive Champion of Rotary!
Since June of 2025, Rotary Clubs in the Carter Blood Care area across North Texas have hosted 219 blood drives and have collected 3427 units of blood, with 661 of them being first time donors.
Rotary Clubs in District 5790 that work with Carter Blood Care have collected 870 units of blood. The top clubs are:
Stephenville - 243 (WOW!)
Pilot Knob - 150
Breckenridge - 88
Decatur - 84
Weatherford - 54
Arlington - 53
We are encouraging every Rotary Club to hold one or more blood drives this year. Many clubs are already holding multiple blood drives. If you need help, check out the Blood Drive in a Box at Rotary5790.org.
At the District Awards banquet in June 2026, we will announce the Governor’s Blood Drive Champion Club for the club with the most per capita donations!
