July 14, 2016 meeting of the Rotary Club of Chickasha

The July 14, 2016 meeting of the Rotary Club of Chickasha opened with a prayer, pledge and a song.

New president Nathan Donald was a no show at his second meeting and president-elect Elizabeth Allen took over the gavel.

Guests included Sheree Brauer and Josh Epperson.

There were some prayer concerns but your scribe couldn't read his writing to report who they were.

Rotarian of the Day was Karen Zeisest who introduced Mike Slack of the non-profit Water4.org as our guest speaker.

Slack said many people in the world don't have access to clean drinking water. More than 2,000 children across the globe die each day from the illnesses caused by drinking bad water.

Slack, with the help of Kory Kirkland, demonstrated how many people have to get there water by walking several yards or even miles to a source and carry it back over their heads in five-gallon buckets. Water4 is committed to help eradicated the world water crisis.

Water4 uses water well drilling to provide people with job opportunities that can help them escape the cyclical trap of poverty. Rather than drilling a well for a commuity, Water4 trains locals how to drill their own wells, equips them with the tools to do so and then supports them in their continued business endeavors.

By placing the solutions in the hands of the people who need it, Water4 is empowering communities to be independent, rather than reliant on the outside world.