Schedule for Upcoming Meetings, Service Projects, and Special Events,
Date
What’s Happening,
Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025
Holly Noonan - Crooked Forest Institute
Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025
Dark
Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025
Jake Benavidez (Grant County Sheriff's Dept.) - The DARE Progam
Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025
Joe Drake of American Legion Post #18 on the latest from the American Legion
Tuesday, November 11, 2025:
President Ray Goellner presided.
Ray led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Tom Bates gave the invocation. Matt Stephens led the recitation of the Four-Way Test.
Guests: Arlan Lazere (shown in the foreground in the accompanying picture), Founder of NM Borderland Animal RescueCoalition (BARC) and Melissa Clayton (at right in the picture), a director of BARC and our speaker.
Program:
After asking all veterans to stand and be acknowledged, Ray introduced Melissa Clayton. BARC was established in 2024 and just celebrated their one year anniversary. This is a not-for-profit organization run 100 percent by volunteers. They do not have a building; they leverage the shelters and have a foster care program. Their purpose is to help the animals in the community and their guardians in the mining district. They go wherever needed and work with the shelters to find homes for the animals. They started out with only dogs but now have a foster program for cats as well. In the past year they have helped approximately 150 people through their good neighbor program. They took in 250 animals providing them with food, veterinary care, foster care, adoptions and supplies. They are working on spaying and neutering and have just received a $34,000 grant, which will cover 270 animals to be spayed or neutered and vaccinated for low income people. They partner with High Desert Humane Society and use the services of Arenas Valley Animal Clinic and Advanced Veterinary Care. She had posters of success-story animals who had either been adopted or found their human families. Miss Clayton said they currently have 22 kittens ready for adoption, and they will never turn away any kitten. There is a kitten sanctuary in Hanover that was built for their use. They also do trap, neuter, vaccinate and return for cats, which they would like to rev up to stop the population from growing. She ended by saying they have their website, a rescue line, the structural guts of the organization, but they need more volunteers. Please share their story and mission by letting people know they are willing to help. While they cannot guarantee an outcome, BARC is there to help. Miss Clayton
then asked for questions.
After a question and answer period, Ray moved on to the business portion of the meeting.
Announcements:
Ray said the trip scheduled to the Shakespeare Ghost Town on Saturday was going to be postponed because rain was expected on 11/15. Rosie Higgs asked about the budget meeting that Ray, Peter Falley, and Maggie Callaway had. Maggie said she would bring the proposed budget next week for discussion. Ray said we would have a balanced budget for this year and maybe even a surplus. Maggie said she, Ray and Art Thorn were going to the storage unit on Wednesday to do an inventory to bring back to the club to determine what might be disposed of and to make it possible to rent a smaller unit at less expense. Ray said Jack Herndon has resigned from the President-elect position so he will not be taking over as President in July 2026. Therefore, we will need to nominate a new President-elect who will be the 2026-27 President. Maggie said she was considering this position.
Maggie said our Valentine’s Day fundraiser will be on February 14, 2026. The LesCombes Winery has agreed to donate four cases of wine. She asked for a meeting of the fundraising committee next week at 11:30. Tom said that he had talked to The Commons about being the beneficiary of the fundraiser and selling tickets. They wanted to postpone their answer until December 1.
Ray said that Art is retiring from active service for 2026. And that Matt Stephens has agreed to take over Art’s position as Public Image Chair. Tom said if anyone wanted to donate to the Hunger Strike, they could give the money to Art or him. Half of the money goes to the National Hunger Harvest and half goes to a beneficiary of the club’s choice.
Ray asked what we wanted to do about the Wreaths Across America donation request. Mark Richard made a motion that we not contribute this year, Art seconded, and the motion
passed.
Tom said that he had made the $1,000 commitment on the club’s behalf to the Santa Fe Club's Guatemala water project and would give the documentation to the Board. The payment will not have to be made until the project is approved by The Rotary Foundation, and that could take some time, with the payment possibly coming due in the next budget year.
Happy Dollars:
Rosie Higgs thanked everyone who went to the Episcopal Church bazaar and said it was quite successful. Vladimir Gnilozubov announced that he and his wife are expecting another baby boy.
ay Test.
t for their use. They also do trap, neuter, vaccinate and return for cats, which they would like to rev up to stop the population from growing. She ended by saying they have their website, a rescue line, the structural guts of the organization, but they need more volunteers. Please share their story and mission by letting people know they are willing to help. While they cannot guarantee an outcome, BARC is there to help. Miss Clayton