Altus Rotary Weekly Recap October 1st (Oct. 06, 2024)

Mark Your Calendars

OCTOBER 8TH, ROTARY WILL BE IN LARRY DUFFY HALL

10/8 Rotarian of the Day will be Dustin Balderas with a program from Jessica Robinson, AHS Softball

Junior Rotarian for the month of October is Jack Henry Darby. He is the son of Blake and Kathy Darby.

Stay tuned for your opportunity to support our community. Altus Rotary's grant project, installing flooring at Operation Care, was approved. We plan to begin work by the end of the month.

10/31 4PM Spooky Town Trick-or-Treat - Altus Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge 120

10/31 5PM Trick-or-Treat with the Pioneers - Western Oklahoma State College

Candy Donations Needed

History of Halloween

Announcements

Last week our ROTD Adam Winters and his guest was Thomas Cohrs, Field Representative for Senator Mullin.

Altus Rotary participated in the Annual Farm Fest. I do not have the exact number of attendees but it was well over 500. We set up our table and served chili, "Not Your Betty Crocker", made by the Valerios and "Dog Chow Chili" made by Tyler Kilhoffer. Along with our chili entries, we entered an Avocado Salsa Verde and Krystal Martin made a Traditional Red Salsa that the reviewers raved about. Thank you to all who donated towards this event. We did not win any prizes but we had a great time.

At Farm Fest, Western Rotaract set up Pumpkin Bowling and Pumpkin Basket Ball and spent the day giving out candy and entertaining the kids. We had six students who set up, stayed through the event and helped clean-up. Interact students helped Main Street Altus by working the wristband table and monitoring the barricades. Proud of our clubs!

There is still time to join the Polio Plus Society. We have had 4 members join. It would be great if we can get at least 6 more! Ask me why you should join.

Consider inviting a friend to Rotary. If you are interested in sponsoring a new member CLICK HERE

Altus Sports Calendar

Jan Neufeld

10/4

Time To Celebrate

David Braddock 10/1

42yrs

Mike Duffy 10/1

35 yrs

Ellen Yates 10/1

24 yrs

Last Week's Program

Thomas Cohrs is from Piedmont, Oklahoma, He and his wife, Cayli, have a two year-old daughter named Caroline. Since 2018, Thomas has served the State of Oklahoma as both a Field Representative and Legislative Assistant. For the last two years, Thomas has been the Field Representative for Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin. In this position, Thomas covers the 18 counties on the southwest side of the state.

Thomas spoke about the priorities that Senator Mullin has for Oklahoma. Thomas said that at this time, Senator Mullin is 'hyper-focused' on the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services where he serves on the Airland subcommittee. The responsibilities of this committee include Army planning and operations policy and programs (less space, cyber, and special operations); Air Force planning and operations policy and programs (less nuclear weapons, space, cyber, and special operations).

The state of Oklahoma is home to 19,000 active duty military members, 2,000 are stationed here in Altus. The state has six military installations, Ft. Sill Army Base in Lawton, Mcalester Army Ammunition Base, Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City and Altus Air Force Base. The sixth installation, the Coast Guard Institute in Oklahoma City, would fall under the subcommittee of Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

Thomas spoke about the Senator's concern for more funding for Oklahoma's military installations. Senator Mullin was instrumental in securing two million dollars in funds for the planning and design of Altus AFB's front gate. The current gate is not up to Department of Defense standards. The project will make Altus safer and alleviate current issues. Altus will be eligible to compete for future funding to complete the project.

Thomas said the Senator Mullin will continue to fight for Oklahoma's military installations and, although required to drop one of his committees, he has no plans to step down from the Armed Services Committee.

Thomas also spoke on the Senator's concerns regarding the drought conditions in the west part of the state and the efforts to bring in much-needed water. The lack of water has a significant impact on both Public Health and Agriculture. Currently, 1.5 million Oklahoma residents are affected by the dry conditions. Thomas said that there have been numerous talks and ideas regarding a situation and that they are moving towards a solution.

Thomas also spoke about the mass exodus that seems to be taking place in the state and what the state can do to bring in more businesses and more citizens. Oklahoma's population is 4.1 million. Since 2011, the state has seen less than a 1% growth each year. Oklahoma's growth rate ranks 24th in the nation. Over the last four years, every city/town in Jackson County has had a drop in population (with the exception of Headrick and Friendship showing no change in population).

To end the program, the question was asked, 'who will win the election next month?'

I will just leave that right there and remind you to go VOTE!

U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK)

Last Week's Rotarian of the Day

Adam Winters was born and raised in Friendship, Oklahoma. He is a graduate of Navajo High School. Adam received his bachelor's degree from Oklahoma State University followed by the professional AAMS™ designation from the College for Financial Planning.

Adam and his wife, Emily, have been married for 16 years and they have two children, Brenna and Luke. Adam is a financial advisor with Edward Jones and has been with the company for 13 years now.

Adam believes it is important to invest in your community. Adam is a member of the Committee of 100, has served as Vice President of Membership Development for the Altus Chamber of Commerce, and is a supporter of numerous events in Altus. Adam has been a Rotarian for 13 years and has served the club in many different roles, including Altus Rotary President 2018-2019.

Adam's service also extends beyond our small corner of SW Oklahoma. In 2017, he was appointed by the Oklahoma State Senate to serve as an Oklahoma Pension Commission Member and still serves in that position.

Adam always has a friendly smile and is willing to lend a hand when needed. His passion for what he does, both professionally and personally, is what makes Adam a great Rotarian. Thank you for your Service Above Self attitude, Adam.

Edward Jones - Adam Winters

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Altus Rotary Club Newsletter