banner
Sponsors
Ted Price
Interested in being a sponsor?
Download the website sponsorship guide
Stories
Wednesday Guest Speakers: Sheldon Lake State Park
 
History
 

Sheldon Lake State Park & Environmental Learning Center is a 2,800-acre outdoor education and recreation facility located in northeast Harris County. The park is split into two units:  Sheldon Lake, which you can access from Pineland Road, and the State Park, which you can access from Garrett Road. The reservoir levees encompass 1,200 acres, of which 800 are permanently inundated and 400 are marsh and swampland.

Sheldon Reservoir, located on Carpenter's Bayou, a tributary of Buffalo Bayou, was constructed in 1942 by the federal government to provide water for war industries along the Houston Ship Channel. Texas Parks and Wildlife acquired the reservoir in 1952 and designated it as the Sheldon Wildlife Management Area; it was opened in 1955. Sheldon Lake was designated a state park in 1984.

Formerly in a rural area, Sheldon Lake has survived a tremendous influx of urbanization over the past 50 years as Houston has grown. Sheldon Lake is now a green and blue oasis for wildlife and people on the edge of Texas' largest city.

The Prairie - Then and Now

The land of Sheldon Lake State Park & Environmental Learning Center has changed many times over the last six decades.

Sheldon Lake’s original prairie was part of the Round Prairie and was bisected by Carpenters Bayou. Towering bald cypress shaded the bayou, which had sandy clear water and averaged about two feet deep and 100 feet wide. You can still see part of the original bayou channel, marked by cypress trees, from the John Jacob Observation Tower. 

The prairie flooded in 1943 after construction of the Sheldon Reservoir dam. The reservoir provided fresh water for World War II industry along the ship channel. The eastern half of the lake was drained in the 1950s for construction of the Houston West Canal. The canal brought drinking water to the city from Lake Houston.  Agriculture returned to this area, and crops including rice, soybeans, corn or sorghum grew here, with some land left fallow each year for wintering waterfowl and wildlife. 

Restoration of the tall grass prairie started in 2003. Aerial photographs of the Sheldon Lake site from 1930 guided much of the work to recreate the original high and low features.  By looking at the black and gray patterns in the photos, planners could match the highs and lows of the land to current digital aerial imagery, and create a template for the restoration. 

While the land has changed many times, eventually this historic habitat will thrive again. The landscape will never truly look like what those first settlers saw when they crossed Carpenters Bayou or Round Prairie. But visitors will be able to enjoy the coastal tall grass prairie, with its plant diversity and the wildlife it supports.

Humble ISD Aaron Clevenson
 
 
Alan Derby Presents a Check to Dr. Aaron Clevenson with Humble ISD
Macy’s Bag Hunger Campaign
 
 
Macy’s Bag Hunger Campaign at Deerbrook Mall benefits HAAM. This campaign allows shoppers who voluntarily round up their purchase to the nearest dollar between March 15th-31st to donate the difference to HAAM.
Rotary Fire Fighters Home 2nd Annual Gala

 

Rotary Fire Fighters Home 2nd Annual Gala

March 24, 2018

J. W. Marriott Hotel

5150 Westheimer Road

Houston, Texas 77056

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

 

Table Sponsorships and Individual Tickets may be purchased on line at:

http://www.rotaryfirefightershome.org/rffh-2nd-annual-gala

 

 

 

The date for the Rotary Fire Fighters Home’s second annual Gala is rapidly approaching!  As you know, our original gala date was impacted by Hurricane Harvey.  Our theme, “Hope Rises” could not be more appropriate at this time!  Hope rises for all those impacted and now recovering from Harvey and hope most certainly rises for those firefighters and first responders who are currently fighting cancer.

 

For those of you who are not familiar with the Rotary Fire Fighters Home (RFFH), the project provides temporary housing to firefighters and other first responders at little or no cost, for use while they are undergoing treatment at the Texas Medical Center for any work-related medical condition.  Unfortunately, the most common work-related injury is cancer.

 

​Why cancer?  Because firefighters have occupational risks from exposure to toxins and hazardous chemicals and as a result, they suffer illnesses (particularly cancer) at a statistically higher rate than the average population. 

 

Why temporary housing?  Because these illnesses often necessitate specialized treatment, such as chemo and radiation and this treatment usually involves extended stays with access to healthcare providers at the Texas Medical Center (TMC).  And this specialized treatment is usually done on an out-patient basis.  As you know, the cost of hotels and short-term housing for such treatment can be crippling, especially housing near TMC. Unfortunately, health insurance usually does not cover lodging expenses.

 

The purpose of the Gala is to raise funds for two purposes:  1) to continue to fund and to secure more one-bedroom apartments to temporarily house firefighters now and 2) to be used to ultimately build/buy our own place to accommodate firefighters.

 

The RFFH project is the primary service project of the Rotary Club of the University Area.

 

Our keynote speaker is Dr. Antonio Dajer, who was a chief emergency room physician in New Your City on 9/11/2001. He will be introduced by Helen Reisler.

 

Dr. Dajer was the chief emergency room physician at what’s now called New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital, five blocks from Ground Zero. When the twin towers were hit, Dr. Dajer and his hospital team treated thousands of victims caught in the attack.  For him, just as with millions of others, the experience of 9/11 was a life-changing event. His talk will be riveting and very relevant to our cause. He is chief of emergency room medicine and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in New York City, including New York Downtown Hospital and New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell. He received his medical degree from NYU School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years.

 

Helen Reisler was the president of the Rotary Club of NYC on 9/11 and is the Rotary Alt. International Representative to the United Nations (2007-present).  We are thrilled to have these two distinguished speakers and of course, to have Ernie Manouse as our MC again this year.  Ernie is an American television host, radio personality, writer and producer. 

 

Sports radio talk show host Steve Johnson (Walton and Johnson) and his wife Christine are our Event Co-Chairs.  Lastly, Joe Torrillo, NYFD Ret’d, will once again help present the HFD Firefighter of the Year award.  If you attended the first Gala, you will remember Joe and his fascinating story of surviving not one, but both twin towers falling on 9/11.  Joe is quite the character!

 

And last, but certainly not least, our very own DG Bill Palko will once again be the auctioneer for the live auction, which includes two Firefighter Helmets.

 

The Rotary Firefighters Home motto is "You were there for us; We are here for you."   It speaks to the ongoing and never-failing commitment which firefighters give to the community, and of our commitment to help them when they fight their personal battle against cancer or other work-related illnesses. 

 

Please join us in supporting firefighters by purchasing a table or tickets. This is an event you won’t want to miss!

 

http://www.rotaryfirefightershome.org/rffh-2nd-annual-gala

Read more...
Volunteers needed for Science Fairs
 
Hello, we hope you will able to join in and volunteer at the upcoming Elementary School Science Fairs in Humble ISD. 
 
Email Dr. Clevenson and tell him which fairs you will help with.  aaron@clevenson.org

The fairs at elementary schools are on weekdays, begin at 8 am and end by 2 pm. 
Judges need to be there for the entire event.  Breakfast and Lunch are provided. 
Parents can't judge at a school where they know the students. 
The instructions and judging procedures are very well set up and organized – anyone can do this.  When you do... you will have renewed faith in our elementary students, their teachers, and families.  It is truly a rewarding experience to listen to the students and review their science projects.

The District Fair is at Humble High School on April 7 Saturday (8 am to 5 pm) – lots of volunteers are especially needed for the District Judging.  (To judge at the District Fair, you must NOT be a parent of an elementary school child in the district.)
Thank you for your help.
Aaron, Bob, and Rebecca - Coordinators
 
 
Date & Location
 
Tues. 3.20.18 - Maple Brook Elementary
 
Wed. 3.21.18 - Greentree Elementary
 
Thurs. 3.22.18 - Summerwood Elementary
 
Wed. 3.28.18 - Fall Creek Elementary
 
April:
Sat. 4.7.18 - District Elementary - At Humble High School
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Read more...
Event for End Polio Now Motorcycle Ride
 
It's time for the Motorcycle ride to End Polio Now! 
 
April 14th starting at 8:00 am from the Raceway gas station located at 1028 N. Main St (Hwy 35) in Pearland. 
 
Click on the event on the calendar for more information and the Sponsorship form. 
 
Contact for this ride is Ute Schneider and she may be reached at 713-503-9292 or endpolionow.mcride@gmail.com.
 
 
Thank you
PDG Chris Schneider
COUNT DOWN FOR OUR 2018 MAY 5TH CATFISH/CAR SHOW FESTIVAL
 
3 things you can do this week to help make it a success:
 
  1. Auction items – we need donations of: airline miles, vacation packages, gift cards and/or gift certificates.   NO more donations of liquor J
  2. Sell your raffle tickets.  Remember each $100 ticket has a built-in value of $144 that includes golf for 4 and 2 meal tickets.  PLUS 10 chances to win $250.00 gift card and a new car/truck
  3. Sell your ‘meal’ tickets.  $12.00 gets them delicious catfish dinner.   If you were not at the Social Monday, Eric and Deborah Rose have tickets available.  Let us know at the lunch on Wednesday.
Rotary Voices RSS
By Elyse Lin, a member of the Rotaract Club of Taipei Tin Harbour, Taiwan I can never forget the most life-changing dinner I ever attended. It was June 2013, and members of the Rotary Club of Taipei Tin Harbour invited … Continue reading
 
Upcoming Events
Humble Rotary Festival
Humble Civic Center Arena
May 05, 2018
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
 
The Rotary Club of Humble
Join Leaders—Exchange Ideas—Build Friendships—Take Action--Serve Community—Change Lives
About Rotary
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work impacts lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit www.humblerotary.com or www.Rotary.org or e-mail info@humblerotary.com. Like us at www.facebook.com/humblerotary  
###