The Will Hampton Library
is operated by the City of Austin
and is located on Convict Hill
Road. It
serves as Oak Hill's public library and was named after Will Hampton, a civic
leader and Rotarian, who met an untimely death in 1996.
1. The Gazebo. In 1999, Ross Baldwin donated a gazebo in
honor of Will Hampton. In 2009, the club
refurbished the gazebo and landscaping.
A monument was dedicated bearing the Rotary Wheel and the Four Way Test.
2. The Trail Head. The library grounds are connected to Dick Nichols
Park via a
greenbelt. A water retention pond was
constructed by the City in the greenbelt creating a wetland (in rainy
years). At the start of the path leading
to the park, the club constructed a circular seating area, installing benches
and a monument bearing the Rotary Wheel. The limestone for the monument was from
the Convict Hill quarry in Oak
Hill. The project was executed in 2006-2007.
3. The Learning Tree. About half-way down the path between the
library and the park is a magnificent oak tree that was recognized as the Tree
of the Year by the City of Austin. In 2008, the club installed an outdoor
classroom under the tree and a monument bearing the Rotary Wheel and the name
of the tree, The Learning Tree.
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS
1. Vocational Scholarships. Applicants are
either enrolled in or intending to enroll in a vocational program. They must
submit an application which contains their past academic efforts, any awards or honors they have
received, any community service they have performed, and any other financial
assistance they are receiving to pay for their academic studies. They must also
submit an essay which contains their career goals, why they deserve to be
awarded a Rotary Scholarship and how completing their vocational program will
be of benefit to others. The Austin Oak Hill Rotary Board determines each year
how many $1,000 Vocational Scholarships our club will award based on our funds
raised that year. In 2009 we awarded six $1,000 Vocational scholarships.
2. Academic Scholarships. Applicants are High School Seniors who have enrolled or
intend to enroll in a four year college degree program. They must submit an
application which contains their past academic efforts, transcript of their
grades, class standing, any awards or honors they have received, any community
service they have performed, and any other financial assistance the have
received to pay for their academic studies. They must also submit an essay
which detail their career goals, why they deserve to be awarded a Rotary
Scholarship and how completing their degree program will be of benefit to
others. The Austin Oak Hill Rotary
Board determines how many Academic
Scholarships will be awarded based on our clubs success in fund raising for the
year. In 2009 we awarded two $2,000 Academic
Scholarships.
MIDDLE SCHOOL ESSAY CONTEST
Essays are solicited from
students of Small, Covington, and Bailey Middle
Schools on a Rotary topic determined by committee
members. Cash prizes are given to students
who compose the best essay. The winning
students present their essay at a club meeting with their parent/teacher as
guests of the club.
ROSS BALDWIN SERVICE ABOVE SELF AWARD
This award recognizes a
high school student who has shown an exceptional commitment to service above
self. It is named in honor of Ross
Baldwin, a civic leader and member of the Rotary Hall of Fame, who died in
2007.
DICTIONARY PROJECT
In 2006, the Rotary Club of
Austin Oak Hill donated dictionaries to every third grader in Oak Hill Elementary. In
2007 and 2008, we gave dictionaries to every
third grader in TEN elementary schools. Literacy is very important to our
club and we are so pleased at how well the dictionaries have been received by
the school, the students and the parents.
In addition to the dictionary, the student receives a bag with a
pencil, a bookmark, and other material which includes the Rotary Wheel and the
Four Way Test. Club members assemble the
bags at Club Assembly and distribute the books at the schools during a short
program.
WEST
RURAL COMMUNITY CENTER (WRCC)
The West
Rural Community
Center is operated by Travis County. It is located at 8656 Hwy 71 West, Bldg.
A. The Travis County Health Services
District operates a clinic at the site.
Other activities include a Senior Activity Program, the county Medical
Assistance Program, the federal WIC program (nutritional supplements to women,
infants, and children), a food pantry, and a clothes closet. The club has supported the WRCC with cash
contributions to assist needy families at Christmas. The club has also volunteered to assist in
the Brown Santa distribution of food and gifts to needy families.
YMCA PARTNER OF YOUTH
PROGRAM
The club has supported the
Oak Hill YMCA with a cash contribution to support its Partner of Youth Campaign
that provides programs to children whose families would not otherwise be able
to afford them. The club participates in
the annual YMCA Easter Egg Hunt to provide information about Rotary and Easter
Baskets as prizes to a few lucky winners. KOMEN RACE FOR THE CURE
The club
registers as a team for the annual Komen Foundation fundraiser to prevent and
cure breast cancer. Club members
register on-line at the team site and individually raise donations. We wear our club shirts and have lunch after the walk.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY - FEED A WORK CREW
For the second year, the
club prepared a meal for work crews at a
Habitat for Humanity construction site. Donations
were received fromPanera Bread for bread and desserts. Honey Baked Ham in Bee Cave
donated breakfast tacos. Lunch meat,
veggies, snacks, condiments, drinks were purchased. Club members prepared sandwiches on a Friday
night. On Saturday morning, members
delivered lunch at the work site where it was set up and distributed to the
crew.
AUSTIN
ACADEMY
The Austin Academy
is a community based non-profit adult educational service agency. The Austin Academy
strives to empower at-risk youth and economically disadvantaged adults by
teaching them long-term skills necessary to acquire and retain employment, meet
the hiring criteria of local employers, achieve economic and personal
self-sufficiency, and contribute to the community in a positive manner. Previously, the club
provided a computer lab to Austin
Academy. Since that time, the club has supported the
students at Thanksgiving and Christmas with turkeys distributed at their
holiday pot luck luncheons.
INTERACT
Interact is Rotary International's service club for
young people ages 14 to 18. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary
clubs, which provide support and guidance, but they are self-governing and
self-supporting. Our club sponsored an
Interact club at Akins
High School in
2008-2009. The club provides a liaison
with the faculty sponsor and attends club meetings periodically. Presently, there is
a charter in place for an Interact Club at Bowie High School
that is inactive until a school sponsor is found.
YOUTH SPORTS TEAM SPONSORSHIP
In the spring
of 2009, the club sponsored a team for the first time. The club is a great supporter of youth activities and it was a great experience to see how much fun the little ones had playing baseball.
SERVICE AUSTIN
Service Austin
is a community-wide project held on the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving to give
thanks. The Oak Hill Rotary will partner
with Texas Ramps to construct a ramp for a resident of the Oak Hill Community
who is disabled.
US Marines
Bob Royal, past Club President and Assistant Governor, has a nephew who is in the Marines. Our club has been sending care packages to his platoon. It is a great privilege for us to do this.
Meeting Time & Location Information
Thursday at 12:00 PM Cannoli Joe's (phone: 892-4444) 4715 Hwy 290 West Austin, TX United States
Contact Information
Gary Cataldo phone: 512-382-9191 contact us
Gary Cataldo
