Immediate Past E-Club President Simone Siemons IN ACTION with the support of a $500 Min-e-grant from our club.
E-club of the SW USA Min-e-grant Pear Project
Simone Siemons on the left
Rotarians at work in Lexmond, Netherlands
Pear Project - Submitted by Simone Siemons
Slowly but surely, a kind of community is forming. Some people have been coming to pick pears for at least 15 years. This is the third year of my participation.
There are a group of volunteers who harvest the pears which are high up in the trees and from the trees which were not 'adopted'. With the adoption money all the trees are maintained by a tree specialist. These old trees are labor intensive because they are higher than the ones used for commercial fruit and are not bringing any income. However, the farmer didn't wish to take down these beautiful old trees.
Result 2026 pear project, 54 crates of Beurree Hardy pears and 48 crates of Conference and Doyenne de Comice pears were donated. This is less than in other years due to the weather: drought and heat stress that caused the pears to remain relatively small.
The pears go to the Dordrecht Food Bank. They exchange pears for other items with food banks in the region. In the Dordrecht Food Bank’s 2025 annual report, I read the following information:
Food bank clients
Our clients come to our store weekly to pick up their groceries; we are open every day of the week. As of December 31, 2025, we had 366 households with 866 individuals—including 288 children—in Dordrecht as clients. The total number for the entire year was 801 unique households comprising 1,895 unique individuals. These are households that live at or below the poverty line and could really use some extra groceries. Generally speaking, these are people with a disposable income relative to the national weekly standard (income minus standard living expenses according to Nibud). The number of clients has risen slightly compared to the previous year.
Inge and Jaap would like to thank Rotary once again for the donation!
Sandy Abalos-Havir
This massive, eerie ring glow around the moon is a beautiful phenomenon called a 22 degree Lunar Halo. It’s actually an atomospheric optical illusion caused by millions of tiny, hexagonal ice crystals drifting in thin cirrus clouds 20,000 feet above us. Because the halo relies entirely on the exact angle between your eyes and the ice crystals, no two people see the exact same ring. The view is uniquely yours!
Our rotary journey is uniquely ours as well. There are times when we just belong, there are times when we engage, there are times when we observe, and times when we serve.
Where are you in your Rotary journey?
What is your unique view?
What would you like to do, to see, to experience?
How are you?
I would really LOVE to hear from you. Please email me president@recswusa.org with a response to one of the questions above, or send me a picture of Fall in your area.
Also, review the Let’s Connect below and let me know if your location is incorrect.
My husband and I were recently awarded the Triple Crown Donor Recognition by DG Joe Sweeney. So, what is a Triple Crown? So glad you asked!
Triple Crown Requirements
To qualify for Rotary’s Triple Crown, a Rotarian must hold all three of the following recognitions at the same time:
Major Donor — Cumulative personal giving of $10,000 or more to The Rotary Foundation.
Paul Harris Society Member — An annual commitment of $1,000 or more to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved global grant.
Bequest Society Member — A documented estate or planned gift of $10,000 or more to The Rotary Foundation.
These three components represent Rotary’s full spectrum of support: past giving, current annual giving, and future planned giving.
What the Triple Crown Represents
The Triple Crown designation recognizes Rotarians who demonstrate leadership‑level support of The Rotary Foundation. By fulfilling all three giving pathways, recipients show a long‑term commitment to sustaining Rotary’s humanitarian work locally and globally.
The purpose of any donation to fund The Rotary Foundation is to do good in the world by advancing world understanding, goodwill and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment, and alleviating poverty.
It took us YEARS to become a Major Donor; we began with $100 monthly contribution through My Rotary Sign In | My Rotary. It's easy to set up an automatic contribution, can be monthly, quarterly or annually.
Long time Rotary E-club member, Hiro Yamato, provided this beautiful photo in 2018 of Hydrangeas. Thank you, Hiro, for your contributions to Rotary over the years and sharing the beauty of Japan with us.
We are all able to view Club member profiles via the Club Directory Member Directory | Opted In Members | Rotary E-Club of the Southwest, USA. Below is a recap of our members by State, City (Province) and Country (if other than the USA). If your address or email is incorrect, please update in My Rotary or under your E-Club Member Profile.
Let's connect! Send me an email with something of interest and include a photo. It can be about you, your family, where you live, what you do, what you would like to do, and most important…how can our Club serve you and your community. I will compile responses and publish in upcoming bulletins. I also challenge us to reach out to one another, especially those residing in the same cities or nearby states. I look forward to hearing from you! email me - president@recswusa.org
Arizona, Chandler – Brian Shaw
Arizona, Prescott – Steve Canter; Eric Denniston
Arizona, Scottsdale – Sandy Abalos; Jim Bissonett; Jonathan Mazinter; Lee Dueringer
Arkansas, El Dorado – Kenneth Bridges
California, San Marcos – Mel and Judy Taunt
Colorado, Lone Tree – Wendy Nelson
Connecticut, Woodbury – Irene Hanley
Florida, Palm Beach – John Strasswimmer
Illinois, Western Springs – Peter DeBerge
Mississippi, Ocean Springs – John and Virginia Dugaw
Nevada, Las Vegas – Maureen McKinley
New Mexico, Albuquerque – Carol Anderson; Kim Covill
Nuevo Leon, Monterrey Mexico – Oscar Carreon Garcia
Oita, Nakatsu Japan – Hirotake Yamato
Texas, Houston – Howard Henderson
Utrecht, Netherlands – Simone Siemons
Not disclosed – Vimal Hemani; Ryofu Pussel; Yvonne Lammertink
Thank you for your questions and inquiries, the following is information and resources to help you navigate Clubrunner and our website
Our club meetings have migrated from meeting content published on our website to a bi-weekly email bulletin newsletter that goes directly to your email inbox.
Clubrunner notifies us when you open the meeting bulletin email, thus we can monitor club member participation.
You no longer need a login to access our website, it's now open to the public with the ability to launch a club public image and social media campaign to increase interest.
Once in the website, there is a member login in the top right corner. Click here and the Clubrunner login will appear to access club and member information. If you do not recall your user name or password, you may reset or have Clubrunner send you a “magic link”. If you are still unable to login to Clubrunner - go to www.clubrunnersupport.com for direction
Clubrunner Mobile App - we recommend downloading the mobile app. Go to www.clubrunner.ca to learn more. Stay connected with our RECSWUSA club news, District 5495 news, and Rotary International news all in one place. I love the “find a member” search in our Club or District. It's my “go to” on the run!
Rotary Club Locater Mobile App - another great resource for the travelers out there. Instantly locate a “Rotary Club Near Me”, including where they meet, time, day and contact information. We are an E-club, what a great way to connect with others!
Please use this link to make club dues payments and club contributions. Email Brian Shaw - treasurer@recswusa.org with any questions or concerns.
