Events

We will have lunch at the Casa Chapala Restaurant, and then transfer to the Celis Brewery where owner Christine Celis will give us a tour and talk about the brewing process.

A note from Christine Celis

In the Spring of 1992, my father, Pierre Celis, flew from Belgium to the United States to start a new brewery in the great state of Texas.  No one suspected that he carried something very precious, concealed in his tube socks.  It was the original yeast strain Pierre had been using to brew his world-famous Belgian-style Wit beer for the past 30 years.  And there was no way he was going to brew without it.

The first Celis Brewery opened on July 11th in 1992.  It was an immediate success.  Turns out Texans really liked our beer! Before we crazy Belgians arrived, most Texans were drinking one of the big three brands on the market. The small craft breweries that we all know and love today simply did not exist. When Pierre Celis started brewing his beloved beer, he created a craft beer that changed everything.

Exactly 25 years to the day it first opened, the legendary beer is back, better than ever at Celis Brewery 2.0. Along the way in the Spring of 2011, we lost my Dad.  But Pierres spirit and his commitment to quality lives on along with his original yeast strain.

Welcome to the future, the legacy, the celebration, and the beer that started it all. Welcome to Celis Brewery.

https://www.celisbeers.com/

The Racial Unity and Peacebuilding Committee of the Rotary Club of Georgetown was formed in June of 2020, one month after the murder of George Floyd.  Our vision is that “our model is an inspiration for other clubs and organizations in exemplifying how people of all races and ethnicities can live in harmonious unity, equity, and peace.”

About Jim Deuser

Jim worked for JCPenney for 31 years and for the McAllen Chamber of Commerce for 12 years.  He is happily married to Joyce for over 40 years.  He has served as chair of the South Texas United Way, founder of the McAllen Downtown Coalition and McAllen Downtown Improvement district after the peso devaluation of 1994. He has served as vice chair of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce and as a volunteer with the Catholic Charities McAllen Respite Center for refugees.  Jim was invited to join Rotary in 1995.  He has served as the McAllen Rotary Club president, member of the District 5930 Foundation committee, district Youth Exchange chair, GSE team leader to India, and member of the executive committee of South Central Rotary Youth Exchange.  Jim was invited to membership in the Georgetown Rotary Club in 2016.  He is a member of the Racial Unity and Peacebuilding Committee

Chris will give us an overview of the Heart of Texas Peace Corps, and then talk to us about his expereinces and projects in Nicaragua.

Peace Corps globally brings educated college graduates to developing countries all around the world and works in a wide variety of areas that are negotiated between Peace Corps and the host country to decide in what areas they will work. In Nicaragua there were 4 types of volunteers: English teachers, Environment, Small Business, and Health and in the past there had also been Agriculture volunteers. The 3 main goals of the health sector were 1)Reducing teenage pregnancy 2)Reducing the spread of HIV and STIs 3)Improving infant and maternal health. The Peace Corps experience will vary wildly from country to country, sector to sector, location to location, and the type of projects and community members you work with. There are goals to work towards but still a lot of area for personal preference and seeking out projects as makes sense to you in your community. The length of service is normally 27 months overall for 3 months of training and two years of service. 

About Chris Shepperd

My full name is Christopher Shepperd and I am born and raised in Austin, Texas. I did not travel far for college and went to school to get my bachelor's degree right here in Austin at The University of Texas to study Sociology. I greatly appreciated that area of study and helped change the way I think and approach problems, but you study a lot of problems in society, and when finishing up school I wanted to find a way to try and tackle those problems and that has contributed to my career path since then. Around the same time I was also thinking of a change since of location since I had lived in the same place my whole life so far and had caught a bit of a travel bug. That led me to a bigger change than I expected and joined the Peace Corps when I finished school and spent the next few years teaching community health education in Nicaragua. Unintentionally that had also gotten me interested in mental health and after Peace Corps I found a job in Hawaii working at a Wilderness Therapy residential mental health program for young adults. A few years later it was time to come back home and returning to Austin I found a job working with neurodiverse young adults teaching life skills. Rounding out for the next change I am about to start a Master's program in Social Work back at UT in a couple weeks. 

We will offer our Club members the chance to enjoy Table Talks through the entire lunch hour.  We have several Club members traveling this week, and decided to reschedule speakers for when we can offer greater attendence.

Rotarian Todd Smith serves on the District Membership Committee with a focus on cultivating awareness and membership in the various Rotarian Fellowship and Action Groups.

His presentation illuminates the many popular groups as well as those a bit more obscure. He’ll show you what it takes to form a group of your own, and how it differs from a traditional club experience. He’ll even cover some specific activities and events that can make your Rotary membership even more rewarding! And you’ll leave knowing the difference between Fellowship Groups and Action Groups, and how each can be best utilized to your advantage

About Todd Smith:

Rotarian Todd Smith, a member of the Rotary Club of Georgetown, TX and currently serving District 5870 as this year’s District Governor – Nominee, will become District Governor in the 2025-2026 year. 

Todd Smith joined Rotary in 2007 when he joined (and later served as President in 2014-2015) the Rotary Club of Austin, TX. He became a “Rotarian” during a trip to India where he delivered Polio drops to underprivileged children. Following a move to Coastal California, Todd joined (and later served as President in 2018-2019) the Rotary Club of Montecito, CA, subsequently becoming an Assistant Governor in District 5240 where Fellowship activities were strongly encouraged! Todd loves the many opportunities to learn more about our world through Rotary.   He is is a Major Donor Level 2, a member of the Paul Harris Society and a Benefactor, currently a member of eleven Fellowship Groups and is always on the lookout for more!

This is a special meeting experienced jointly with the Rotary Clubs of West Austin and North x NorthEast for the Annual District Governor meeting.  We meet at the Casa Chapala Restaurant in the Cava Room for this joint session.  Lunch will be buffet only.

About District Governor Bob Crouch:

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Bob Crouch grew up in a military family and graduated from high school in Heidelberg, Germany.  He is a Distinguished Military Graduate of the University of Tampa ROTC program, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in May 1990. During his 20+ year Army career, Bob served in various command and staff positions in units across the United States, in Germany, and in Iraq. He currently serves as the Vice President of the National Mounted Warfare Foundation.

His education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of Tampa, a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and he is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Business Administration with a specialization in Leadership from Capella University.

Bob became a Rotarian on April 6^th, 2012. He has served the Rotary Club of Killeen Heights in multiple capacities, including Programs Chair (2 years), Director, Service Projects (3 years), President-Elect, President (2017-18).   At the District 5870 level, Bob has served as an Assistant Governor (3 years) and Chair of the Career and Technical Education Scholarship program (1 year).  He is a Paul Harris Fellow, a member of the Paul Harris Society, a Major Donor Level 1, a Rotary Benefactor, and a Sustaining Member.  He inducted to the District 5870 Roll of Fame in 2018.

Bob is a lifetime member of the National Eagle Scout Association, the Association of Quartermasters, the 13th COSCOM Association, the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and the National Society of Leadership Excellence. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Governors for the Central Texas-Fort Hood chapter of AUSA, board member for the Cove House Emergency Homeless Shelter and the Copperas Cove Boys and Girls Club, and is very active in his church.

Bob and his wife, Dr. Coleen Crouch, have a son, Kennedy, a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University, and a daughter, Lucy, a graduate of the University of Tampa.

The RYLA Class of 2023 sponsored by the Rotary Club of West Austin will speak to the Club about their experiences this summer.

About our RYLA Campers:

The Rotary Club of West Austin sponsored 5 RYLA campers to enjoy the 2023 Summer Session:

Harper Jordan - Anderson High School
Junyeop Lee - Anderson High School
Ekatarina "Katya" Veasey - Anderson High School

William Perkins - McCallum High School
Sydney Piper - McCallum High School

Our Club Past-President Nancy Ray will share her experiences and stories from the Rotary International Convention in Melbourne, Australia this summer.

About Club Past-President Nancy Ray

Nancy was born and raised in Mineral  Wells, Texas, graduated from the University of Texas and bleeds burnt orange. She is married to rancher Bruce Wittig whom she met through her 85-year-old mother-in-law (known as the matchmaker) .

Nancy has two grown daughters and four amazing grands, 2  stepsons and another set of six amazing step grands. 

She is gleefully retired and her passions include faith, family,  friends,  Rotary and being a weekend cowgirl! As a Rotarian for over 30 years she once had the privilege of meeting the first female Rotarian president. 

UT Texas Women's Basketball Head Coach Vic Shaefer will talk to us about this season and team development.

About Vic Shaefer:

Two-Time National Coach of the Year Vic Schaefer preps to enter his fourth season at the helm of the Texas Women’s Basketball program in 2023-24. Schaefer was the 2023 Big 12 Coach of the Year. 

Schaefer, a Texas native who has spent 24 of his 38 years in coaching within the state of Texas and 29 years in the Southwest, is the fifth head coach in program history.

In 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach, which also includes eights seasons at Mississippi State and seven seasons at Sam Houston State, Schaefer now owns a career record of 377-199 [.655].

Before coming to Texas, Schaefer spent eight seasons as the head coach at Mississippi State (2011-20), where he led the Bulldogs to a 221-62 [.781] record and five NCAA Tournament berths, including two NCAA Championship Game appearances. Under his direction, Mississippi State won the program's first SEC regular-season championship and SEC Tournament championship and made five consecutive appearances in the SEC Tournament Championship Game, tying the University of Tennessee's record for consecutive tournament final appearances.

A native of Austin, Texas, Schaefer served as a men's assistant coach at Sam Houston State [1987-89] between stints as the assistant boys' basketball coach and head tennis coach at Houston's Milby High School. As a player, Schaefer was an all-state performer in basketball, football and baseball at Houston Lutheran High School before going on to play two seasons of collegiate basketball at Alvin Community College. He graduated from Texas A&M in 1984. 

Schaefer and his wife, Holly, who played basketball at Arkansas State and later served as an assistant coach at UT Arlington, have twin children, Blair and Logan, both of whom graduated from Mississippi State during the 2017-18 year. Blair Schaefer currently serves as Texas’ Assistant Coach.

THE VIC SCHAEFER FILE
Hometown: Austin, Texas 
Alma Mater: Texas A&M [1984]
Wife: Holly Schaefer
Children: Blair and Logan

https://texassports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/vic-schaefer/3279

Rotarian Cass Grange will bring the topic  "Why we need friends".  She will talk about  new research from "The Good Life-- Lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness", by Robert Waldinger, MD and Marc Schulz PHD.There will be time for questions and Cass will pose questions for the group on friendship.  

About Cass Grange

Cass Grange has been in the financial services industry for 28 years. Cass and her husband Tom have been married 38 years. Originally from Nebraska, she graduated from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, with a journalism degree. She also holds a Master’s in Business Communications from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Cass and her two partners have a financial planning firm called Watercolor Financial. Cass Grange is an independent investment advisor. Watercolor Financial is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Their office is close to where the Rotary Club of West Austin meets, near the Arboretum.

Travis Country Treasurer Dolores Ortega Carter will talk to us about the role of Country Treasurer, and the legal authority within the Texas Constituion. Along the way, she will regale us with her experiences working with Bob Bullock

About Dolores Ortega Carter

Dolores Ortega Carter is the Travis County Treasurer.  She has served in this position since 1987. Prior to being elected, Ms. Ortega Carter worked for State Comptroller Bob Bullock in monitoring the investments for the Permanent University Fund and the Available University Fund for the State of Texas.   Ms. Ortega Carter is the first Hispanic woman elected countywide.  She is a Certified County Treasurer and a Certified Investment Officer.  She has served as the President for County Treasurers of Texas, is a graduate of Leadership Austin and has served on numerous boards and commissions.  She is a graduate of Texas A&M University, with a B.A. ’76 and a M.A. ’80. 

CEO Sharla Bell will talk about Project Transformation’s unique model that addresses the challenges of the 3 C’s—children, college-aged young adults, and churches—with one solution: engaging these three groups in meaningful relationships for the transformation of communities and individuals.

Since Rotarians unite to support education and literacy as well as youth and young professional leadership development, our organizations have like-minded causes and hopes. Sharla will speak to the ways that Project Transformation Rio Texas and Rotarians are aligned in our goals for our community and world.

About Sharla Bell

Sharla Bell is the CEO of  Project Transformation Rio Texas. Sharla has an MA in English from Texas A&M, a Master of Arts in Theological Studies from Asbury Theological Seminary, and she is a certified teacher. As a high school English teacher, Children’s and Student Ministry staff leader, and summer camp staffer--she has had a wonderful and varied career building relationships with the next generation, propelling growth and change in others’ lives and her own. She believes that meaningful relationships with God and with each other can change the world.

Kevin Brackmeyer will speak to us about SkillPoint Alliance, an Austin-based nonprofit organization that provides fast-paced, no-cost job training in the construction and manufacturing trades to lower-income, underserved and under-accessed populations. 

About Kevin Brackmeyer

Kevin Brackmeyer serves as the CEO of Skillpoint Alliance, an Austin-based nonprofit organization that supports job training in construction and manufacturing. 

Kevin, a life-long Texan, has spent the majority of his professional career working in education, and is dedicated to helping Texans improve their lives through workforce development.   

There is a critical need for experienced labor in the Central Texas region, and Brackmeyer is passionate about bolstering the local economy and helping residents attain meaningful employment through partnerships with other local organizations and industry leaders.

Katie Nye will talk to us about the Texas Hunger Initiative, and the key programs they are driving in the Central Texas region.

About Katie Nye

Katie Nye is the Director of Hunger Free Community Accelerator for the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty.  Katie works at the local level to convene stakeholders in creating an efficient system of accountability that increases food security in Central Texas.  She received her B.S. in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, and has a Master’s of Science in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin.  Prior to working at BCHP, Katie was a social worker at a high school, and the Director of Operations for a statewide education nonprofit.

West Austin Rotarian Tab Barker will share stories with us about his experiences at the 2023 Burning Man festival. A little more than 1/2" of rain in early September turned the Black Rock desert plain into an impassable muck fest, with celebrities & notables evacuating on foot.

About Thomas "Tab" Barker, Director of Operations/ Founder & Board Member, Project Schoolhouse

Rob Cann will present "Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone" - Using Soccer to Fight Poverty and Strengthen Communities.

About Rob Cann Co-founder & Managing Director, Street Soccer USA 

Rob is one of 5 brothers from a large family in Richmond, Virginia.  Rob played Division I College Soccer at East Carolina University and after graduating, he joined the Street Soccer 945 program at the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, NC shortly after its founding in 2005. 

He and his brother then went on to co-founded Street Soccer USA and has been involved in the development of the program nationally since 2007. 

Rob, who moved to Austin last year, has been instrumental in growing the program from 1 in Charlotte to now 16 cities across the U.S. Rob earned a Masters in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco and holds a certificate from the Standford University Graduate School of Business Executive Program for non-profit Leadership. 

Recently Rob has pioneered the development of Street Soccer USA’s social enterprise arm, using Street Soccer Parks and leagues which have generated over $5 million dollars in revenue in the last 3 years being able to nearly match $1 earned for every $1 given charitably to Street Soccer USA. 

Rob lives in North Austin with his two children - Pearce (5) and Carlin (8) and his two dogs Abby and Josey. 

About Mark Kurusz

Mark Kurusz has been a member of the Rotary Club of West Austin since 2011. He was president of the Club 2020-2021, currently serves as chair of the Service Committee, and is a Paul Harris fellow. One of his goals has been to give at least one talk a year to the Club. Mark grew up in New Jersey, obtained a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in 1971, got married the same year, and after spending five years in Hershey, Pennsylvania, moved to Galveston, Texas in 1997 but retired to Austin in 2006. He and his wife, Helen, had three daughters, are blessed with seven grandchildren, and, as of seven weeks ago, one great-grandchild. His talk will feature a visit to Big Bend National Park, a videoclip of a noted landscape painter named Bill Zaner, and will close with a few paintings placed side-by-side with views in the park.

Enjoy the Holiday Cheer with the Rotary Club of West Austin. We meet in person at the Casa Chapala Retaurant (NE Corner of Burnet Rd & Research Blvd).  We are collecting gifts (water bottles & sports balls) for the Center for Child Protection.