Ken Donoughue to help feed tomorrow and Friday. He volunteers with the Pleasanton Rotary Club. So far they are feeding between 2800 - 2900 children per week. Also feeding Volunteer Fire Departments in Atascosa and Bexar county. Seven to eight sites including a junior high. Ken reports that the Pleasanton Rotary Club are pledging to donate what they would ordinarily pay in meals to the Food Pantry.
President Rick Tarbell opened the meeting and led us with a word of prayer and the pledges.
Announcements
President Rick welcomed everyone to our fourth ZOOM meeting. Kelly Havemann with the San Antonio Zoo, who is our guest speaker, was introduced. Guest Maverick Pascal was also in attendance.
President Rick discussed inducting our 2 new future members: Rene Escobedo and Afrika Ray. We will move forward with the steps needed in order to induct them.
Good news! Destiny Mujica's baby Jocelyn's surgery went well.
Missing Club Members
Brenda Jackson sends her regards to the club. Her professional medical duties are preventing her from attending our regular meetings. She is an essential worker with the COVID 19 crisis. We miss you Brenda and hope to see you soon!
Bruce and Gloria Richter have been unable to attend due to Gloria's health issues. We send out our very best to you both and hope to see you again soon!
President Rick announced special days:
National Days
Earth Day
National Jellybean Day
This Day in History
1915 1st military use of poison gas in WWI
1993 Holocaust Museum dedicated in Washington DC
2016 Paris agreement on climate change signed in New York
Humor from Past President Fred Timmons
Interesting Wine Facts by President John Legris
Since we are unable to have the Show Low drawing, President Elect John Legris has been sharing from his book, Stuff Every Wine Snob Should Know by Melissa Monosoff. In 1798 the first commercial winery started in Nicholasville, KY. Read more about this winery by clicking here. President Elect John also brandished a bottle of Blue Nun Riesling and shared that it is produced in the Rhine region in Germany.
Club Lunch and Business Program
Kelley Havemann with the San Antonio Zoological Society spoke to us today. Due to COVID-19 restrictions the zoo has been closed since the first Friday of Spring
Break. Eighty five percent of the staff had to be furloughed. Full time staff has been cut back to 30 hours. HEB and other corporations have partnered and offered full time and part time jobs to help zoo employees pay their bills. The zoo is a 501(c)(3) non profit organization and doesn't receive any significant funds from the City of San Antonio like the zoos in Dallas and Houston. The zoo created Easter baskets and sold them to raise funds this year. She shared that the animals are being well cared for and the animals miss seeing visitors. She shared that the San Antonio Zoo is rated very highly with an AZA Certification, ZAA and American Humane Society - the first zoo to be accredited by all three. The San Antonio Zoo concentrates efforts on conservation and education, with efforts on six continents. Working heavily in the Amazon giving the people tools to protect wildlife.
Thank you Kelley for speaking to our club! We invite you to come back when the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and join us for lunch!
