Page 10 - Gears & Ears April 2015

Gears and Ears

Journal of the Rotary Club of Lake Buena Vista

Page 10 April 2015
Featured Make-Up
Jean Campana visits the Rotary Club of Fairbanks, Alaska

Recently, while on an amazing visit to the great (literally) State of Alaska, I took time out to attend a
local Rotary meeting. For me, no trip to a far-off place would be complete without doing a makeup. The
Rotary Club of Fairbanks and their Vice President, Doug Schrage, welcomed me warmly, which was
wonderful since the outside temperatures at one point during my stay got down to almost thirty degrees
below zero. We exchanged club banners and, of course, I invited Doug and the other members to visit
our club when they come to Orlando.

They gather for lunch and their meeting process is very similar to ours. As you will see from one
of the photos, they proudly display many Rotary banners including the Four-Way Test, RI themes,
district and local banners, as well as those presented by visitors from other clubs. Chartered in September
1940, the Fairbanks club has more than 125 members and is steeped in tradition. Members are rightfully
proud of their many accomplishments, which continue to be numerous. The club is active with youth
programs such as Rotoract and currently supports local community programs, distant projects such as
the construction of toilets for schools in Belize, and of course, international programs like PolioPlus, to
mention just a few.

My nephew, Army Sergeant Dustin Mansour, accompanied me to the meeting. He is stationed
at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks where he lives with his wife Christa and daughter Peyton. When I
introduced Dustin, who had been awarded a Purple Heart for injuries sustained when his vehicle was
attacked, everyone at the meeting stood and applauded him for his service to our country. Over the
past 11 years, he has completed two tours of duty in Iraq and another two in Afghanistan. Obviously, I
am incredibly proud of Dustin as I am proud to be a Rotarian. Perhaps one day, when he is settled with
his family after military service, he will think of Rotary and bring his wonderful spirit and capabilities to
a local club. Because of the genuine goodwill of the club and the fact that Dustin was with me, this was
a make-up meeting the memory of which I will forever carry in my heart.

Jean trading banners with Vice President Doug Schrage. Jean, Dustin, our two woman mushers, and the amazing sled
dogs who had just completed a three-hour trip taking us along
part of this year’s Iditarod trail.