In 2004, the Rotary Club of Knoxville had a vision to supply dictionaries to all Marion County children in grades three or four, that aligned with Rotary International’s Global Literacy Initiative. When discussing the project with the schools, Pleasantville asked the local Lions Club to lead this effort. Because there is a Rotary Club of Pella, Knoxville decided to focus efforts in Knoxville, Twin... Read More

Cameron Park Rotarians recently visited third-grade classrooms in Cameron Park and Shingle Springs to hand out free dictionaries to students. The local Rotary Club distributed nearly 400 books at Blue Oak Elementary, Buckeye Elementary, Green Valley Elementary, Latrobe Elementary, Rescue Elementary and the California Montessori Project in Shingle Springs. Paul Stewart, principal at Blue Oak Elementary in Cameron Park, expressed his gratitude for Rotary’s... Read More

choice /CHois/ noun: 1. the act of selecting among alternatives or multiple possibilities “When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels.” Anonymous 2. the power, authority or privilege of making a decision “Leadership is a choice, not a position.” Stephen Covey, 1932 – 2012 “Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response.” Mildred Barthel pictured: Members of the Arlington... Read More

ul·ti·mate /ˈəltəmət / adjective: being or happening at the end of a process, final; maximum or extreme “Let us not be afraid to help each other—let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and Senators and Congressmen and Government officials but the voters of this country.” Franklin... Read More

voice /vois/ 1. noun: the sound produced in a person’s larynx and uttered through the mouth, as speech or song “Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all causes—goodwill among men and peace on earth.” Albert Einstein, 1879 – 1955 2. noun: a wish, choice, or opinion... Read More

goal /ɡōl/, noun: 1. the object of a person’s ambition or effort; purpose “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C. S. Lewis, 1898 – 1963 2. an aim or desired result “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” Confucius, 551 BCE – 479 BCE... Read More

cel·e·brate / ˈseləˌbrāt/, verb: 1. to do something joyous or special to honor an important event, occasion, holiday, etc. “It’s always good to remember where you come from and celebrate it. To remember where you come from is part of where you’re going.” Anthony Burgess, 1917 – 1993 “Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words.” Plautus, 255 BCE – 185 BCE... Read More

trans·for·ma·tion /tran(t)sfərˈmāSH(ə)n/, noun: 1. a complete change in form, appearance, or character “Transformation is a process, and as life happens there are tons of ups and downs. It’s a journey of discovery – there are moments on mountaintops and moments in deep valleys of despair.” Rick Warren, 1954 – “Transformation literally means going beyond your form.” Wayne Dyer, 1940 – 2015 “Meditation is the... Read More