If you were like me, then last Thursday you were riveted on the speaker as we learned first hand what it takes to catch a counterfeiter. Superb Program John Jones, Hats off.

We also recognized our 2 Students of the month for November. Cameron Sanson and Kelsey Long, both Seniors at Bullard High this year had impressive credentials and were more than qualified candidates. I still can't figure out how they have time to do everything they do: maintain outstanding grades, participate in sports, play musical instruments, and donate their time to the school and community. It's certainly an accomplishment that both they and their parents should be extremely Proud of. Kudos to our November 2013 Students of the Month.

Below are our honored students: Kelsey Long and Family

and Cameron Sanson and Family

Congratulations again.

Once again our Club sponsored two RYLA Campers this year and recently they came to talk about their experience and relate how they changed as individuals in 2 short days. Mary Pollard and Cody Hutson were the two campers we sponsored this year and from the sounds of it, not only did we make good choices from the list of nominees but the experience changed them forever. If you were in attendance you know what I mean. If you didn't make it you missed out on some exciting insightful stories. Congratulations Mary and Cody. You made our club proud.

 For more information about RYLA, talk to Brandon Johnston. He's our resident expert and RYLA coordinator. He and his selection did a great job selecting candidates this year. Thanks Brandon.

2013 Bullard Rotary Club RYLA Camper Mary Pollard discusses the many challenges and obstacles she and her fellow campers confronted at the RYLA weekend in February.

2013 Bullard Rotary Club RYLA Camper Cody Hutson describes what it was like for him personally during the RYLA Weekend and how it made him look at himself as a whole person.

Although there has been a lot of activity for 2 months now on the playground project, it really kicked into high gear last week as all the columns and posts were set and plumbed. There were a lot of volunteers last Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th of January that did a lot of work and made a huge dent in the prebuild task list. Thanks to all who helped last weekend and rest up because the fun begins Wednesday!  See you there.

It was another successful Thanksgiving Meals Project for the Club. It looks like over 80 meals were distributed to deserving families in the Bullard Family. If you haven't yet had a chance to be part of the delivery process, mark it on your calendar for next year. It will open your eyes.

 For those who don't remember or became members since we first began delivering Thanksgiving Meals, it was the Brain Child of David Detton. Thanks David. This annual event has helped to shed positive light on all the good things our club does. Here's a few pictures of the crew in action.

Chris Green's family helped to distribute some of the meals. They made it a family-learning event. I'm sure Chris' kids eyes were opened.

Four of Bullard Rotary's Finest Load up to deliver!

Meals waiting to be picked up:

Thanks for all that you do all year long to make this worthy project a huge success.

October 24, 2012 World Polio Day:

While polio cases have declined rapidly, the fight isn't over.

When Rotary first started the fight against polio in 1985, the disease affected 350,000 people every year in 125 countries. Since then, polio has been reduced by 99%. We are “This Close” to ending polio.

Fewer than 700 new polio cases were reported in 2011 and only three countries have never stopped the disease. For a little as US$0.60, a child can be protected against polio for life.

If we don't finish the fight right now, more than 10 million children under the age of five could be paralyzed by polio in the next 40 years.

Rotary and its partners – The World Health Organization, UNICEF, CDC and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - have reached more than 2.5 billion children with the oral polio vaccine, preventing more than five million cases of paralysis and hundreds of thousands of deaths.

Polio will be only the second human disease in history -after smallpox- to be eradicated worldwide. Ending polio forever is a critical step toward protecting all children from vaccine-preventable diseases.  A win against polio is a win for global health.

Lets make history together.

Learn more about ending polio and take action at www.endpolionow.org

Kendall, a junior at The Brook Hill Upper School, is the son of Julie Wood and D. Brent Kerns. He has three siblings, MacKenzie, Quinton and Logan

He is a member of the National Honor Society, and the Dallas Patriots baseball club.

In addition to his club involvement, varsity baseball at Brook Hill and was a member of the 2011 state championship squad.

Kendall has been named defensive most valuable player, firstteam all state in 2011 and the 16- and-under Patriot of the year.

His hobbies include playing baseball, hunting and fishing.

After he graduates, he plans to play baseball in college.