At the last meeting of the Rotary Year 2022-2023 on June 29, 2023, President Marty Audiffred recognized Chase Villeret for his active participation in his first year in the Northlake Mandeville Rotary Club.  Congratulations Chase and thank you for all of your contributions to Rotary throughout 2022-2023!  Also shown is Tom Quinn, member of the Recognition Committee.

 

2023 marked the 25th Anniversary of the Northlake Mandeville Rotary Club awarding scholarships to deserving students from the Mandeville area.  Each year in April the Club hosts the new and past scholars and their parents at a banquet held at the Beau Chene Country Club.  The Collage below shows the students, their families, and sponsors who attended the festivities.

 

As part of our Reading Challenge Program, Northlake-Mandeville Rotary Club member, Ben Motion, serves pizza and hands out t-shirts to students at Chahta-Ima Elementary School in Lacombe on Friday.  Since beginning the reading challenge several years ago, reading scores at Chahta-Ima have improved significantly.

The Northlake-Mandeville Rotary Club hosted its 25th Sunday with Scholars event at Beau Chene Country Club on April 30. This annual banquet and meeting serves as a major fundraiser for the $12,000 Rotary scholarships the group awarded to three distinguished scholars from the Mandeville area. The scholars were Emma Lockwood-Northlake Christian, Sita Baham-Mandeville High, Raina Generose-Lakeshore High.  The scholarships are paid to colleges of the recipients' choice in $1,500 semester installments over four years. The students will attend at least two Northlake-Mandeville Rotary Club meetings a year to keep members informed about their studies and college experiences.

In addition, the Club awarded three $1,000 scholarships.  The Anthony and Hope Martin Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Julia Case - St Sholastica.  The Rotary Select Scholarship was awarded to Claire Kurucar - Mandeville High.  Trent Murchison, a former scholarship winner, has elected to repay his $8,000 scholarship has awarded $1,000 to Kylie Michot, a current scholar who completed her undergraduate degree at Louisiana Tech and is entering Pharmacy school.

At the Banquet sponsors,  local officials, guidance counselors, principals and parents of the scholars participated in a wonderful Silent Auction.

A highlight of the evening was an update on their past semester by current scholars Andrew Beshenich, Natalie Lovell, Trevor Fortier, Lauren Lacoste, Celeste Guidry, Isabella Kerth, and Emma Santiago.

Pictured above are Rotary Foundation President Larry Burch, Scholarship Selection Committee Co-Chairs Laurie Pennison and Doug Place.

  

At a regular meeting of the Northlake Mandeville Rotary Club, Rotarians received an update on her last semester from Isabella Koerth, one of ten current scholars who have received $12,000 scholarships.  Recipients report on their previous semester and receive a check for $1500 for the next semester.  We are so proud of each of these scholars.  Isabella reported that she made a 3.85 GPA in Finance at LSU last semester while participating in several activities.  Shown with Isabella is (L-R) Larry Burch, Treasurer and Foundation President, Doug Place, Co-Chair of the Scholarship Committee, Marty Audiffred, Club President, and Glenn St John, Club President-Elect.

On Wednesday, October 6, 2022, Rotarians enjoyed a social at the Beach Club in Mandeville which was focused on welcoming four new members to the club.  The new members were informed about the workings of the club by Orientation Chair Debbie Stewart.  They then joined the club members for food, fun, and socializing.  A good time was had by all - Rotary is about more than just Thursday meetings and service projects!!

Throughout the year, Rotary offers many opportunities for service to the Mandeville community.  

JOIN US at one of the upcoming service opportunities:

 

Rotary Clubs host exchanges for students ages 15-19 in more than 100 countries.  Students earn a new culture and become global citizens.  Currently about 9,000 students are sponsored by Rotary Clubs every year.  Clubs from Rotary District 6840, which includes Southeastern Louisiana and Southern Mississippi, are hosting two students this school year.  Shown above on August 25 visiting our Northlake Mandeville club are Caio Parente from Brazil who is hosted by the Covington, La, club and Julia Enderle from Germany who is hosted by the Bay St. Louis, Ms, club.  Anniela Carracedo, a former exchange student from Venezuela and now a member of the Bay St Louis Rotary club, introduced Caio and Julia and told members how the Exchange program operates.

 

Rotary District 6840 covers Eastern Louisiana and Southern Mississippi.  It includes 49 local Rotary Clubs and about 1800 members.  Leading the District is a District Governor.  The District Governor for the Rotary Year beginning July 1, 2022 is Regina Wedig from the Amite, La, Rotary Club.  District Governor Wedig addressed our club at our regular noon meeting on Thursday, August 18.  Regina spoke about how we could implement the theme for 2022-2023 which is "Imagine Rotary."  She also discussed her initiatives for the District and the District sponsored events for the year, which include the MidWinter Conference in January and the District Convention which will be held in Hattiesburg in April. 

Northlake Mandeville Rotarians helped the Covington Rotary Club collect food for the Northshore Food Bank at Sam's in Covington on Saturday, July 23, 2022. 

During the summer months and due to COVID, the Food Bank is short of food to distribute to those in need.  Rotarians gave Sam's customers who were on the way into Sam's, a flyer asking for six items needed.  Customers bought one or more of the items and place them in a large box as they exited the store.  Rotarians helped load a truck with the items contributed.  It was amazing and gratifying to see the huge number of people from all walks of life who opened their hearts and contributed to needy people they did not know!!!!

Shown above in yellow shirts from the Mandeville club are: Marty Audiffred, Tom Quinn, and Steve Saux.  Not pictured, but participating was Doug Place.

District Governor Regina Wedig and Assistant Governor Tom Quinn installed the Officers and Board of Directors for the 2022-2023 Rotary year on June 30, 2022, at the Beau Chene Country Club.  Shown here from Left are Tom Quinn; Marty Audiffred, incoming President for 2022-2023; Regina Wedig; and Ken McAuliffe, Past President.

Doug Place, Master of Ceremonies, thanks Ken McAuliffe, outgoing President, for his leadership during the past Rotary year.

During the Installation Banquet the following Paul Harris Award donors were honored for their contributions to the Rotary International Foundation: Steve Saux, Debbie Stewart, Reid Falconer, Leanne Truehart!

Northlake Mandeville Rotary Club is sponsoring an incredible student in competition for a Rotary Global Grant Scholarship.  She is Madison Jacks of Lacombe, La, pictured above with Leanne Truehart, her sponsor in our club.

Madison graduated from Arizona State Univ. with a 4.0 GPA.  She is seeking the scholarship to obtain a double degree in Political Economy of Development jointly awarded by Services Po Paris and the London School of Economics.  She would spend her first year in Paris and her second year in London. 

Her passion is to alleviate poverty in underdeveloped countries by focusing on economic and community development.  Her desire was motivated by her experience in Peru where she helped build an aquaculture system which decreased iron-deficienciy anemia in the local population while increasing their incomes.

Good luck Madison in the competition!! We know you will do well!!

On April 22, 2022, the Northlake Mandeville Rotary Club announced its 2022 Scholarship winners and celebrated with several of its past winners.  The "Sunday With Scholars" event was held at the Beau Chene Country Club.  This collage shows the two 2022 Scholarship winners, Natalie Lovell and Andrew Beshenich,  and our new $1,000 Scholarship winner for 2022, Stephen Guidry.  Each of the three spoke about their achievements and aspirations and are shown speaking next to the Rotary banner.  Each of the past winners gave an update on their achievements from this Spring semester and their plans for the next semester.  The collage above also shows several Rotarians, Sponsors, and Distinguished Guests, all of whom attended the Dinner and Silent Auction.  A more detailed explanation of the event can be found two stories down in this web site tab.

 

On Sunday, April 24, 2022, the Northlake Mandeville Rotary Club hosted its annual "Sunday With Scholars" banquet at the Beau Chene Country Club.  Each year two $12,000 scholarships are awarded to area high school students.  Every four years another $12,000 scholarship is awared by the Rusty Sexton Foundation.  This year a new $1,000 scholarship was initiated by Rotarian Laurie Pennison in memory of her parents. It was awarded to Stephen Guidry shown above.  The 2022 scholarship winners were Natalie Lovell and Andrew Beshenich.  Other scholars pictured were awarded in previous years.  The two 2022 outstanding scholars were selected from over 30 applicants.  Criteria used in the selection process were academics, community service, leadership, and financial need.  Congratulations to Natalie and Andrew!! Welcome to the Rotary Family!!!

Each year Northlake Mandeville Rotarians donate dictionaries to each of the Mandeville and Madisonville Third Graders.  Last year we were not able to enter the schools due to COVID, so this year we are donating dictionaries to the Fourth Graders as well.

Presenting dictionaries above is a team composed of Rotarian and St Tammany School Board member Matt Greene and Rotarian Jay Capouch.  Each team tells their students about  Rotary International and the Four Way Test of Rotary.  They then discuss what it means to "Serve."  This is followed by helping the students learn to look up words in their dictionary.  

In 2022, 15 Rotarians distributed 2600 dictionaries to 3rd and 4th graders at 13 elementary schools.

Although dictionaries are available on the internet, many teachers tell us they integrate the dictionaries into their class work.  Some of the teachers conduct races to see which of their students can look up words the fastest.  The teachers also tell us that the many of the students cherish having their own book.