Melodie Franklin and Linda Coronado struggle to prevent their jobs from creeping into their private lives. And who can blame them? They work with Court Appointed Special Advocates, which serves children who are abused. CASA volunteers dedicate their lives to helping the defenseless among us -- and children are the most defenseless of all. Melody reminded us that the rate of abuse among children in Potter County is three times greater than the state average; nationally, she said, a child is abused about every 35 seconds. "We're always looking for advocates," Melody said of the Amarillo Area CASA office. She knows the pain of abuse among children personally, having lost a child she had adopted after caring for her through the CASA program. Many heartfelt thanks come your way, Melodie and Linda, for all you do on behalf of our children.

Our club's slate of officers has been announced. We'll have an election at our Dec. 2 meeting, along with being entertained by the Boys Ranch choir. The candidates for the board of directors are: David Ellis, Corinna Isbell, David O'Dell and Valerie Fulkerson. We'll be electing two members from this fine slate of candidates. Two great Rotarians are running for Club president. The top vote-getter will serve during the 2012-13 Rotary year, which begins July 1, 2012. The candidates for president are: Mary Stephens and Renee Wilson. The announcement came from President-elect John Early, who served on the nominating committee with President Jake Richards and Immediate Past President Karen Hicks. Let's be sure to attend our next meeting, Dec. 2, to elect our next slate of leaders.

Christmas is coming, and so is our annual Rotary Club Christmas Party. The party, which will feature elegant dining on the 31st floor of the Chase Tower, in the Amarillo Club, will take place Dec. 9 with cocktails at 6:30 p.m.; dinner will be served around 7. Cost is $50 per person. Wine served during dinner will be complements of the club. Please let Gina Rodriguez know if you plan to attend. You may e-mail Gina at rotaryof@arn.net, or call her at 352-3108. This party promises to be a hugely fun and entertaining event for Club members and their guests. Be sure to sign up.

And by the way, we will have no noon meeting the day of our Christmas Party. Again, that's Dec. 9. Once more: We will have  no meeting that day. Moreover, there will be no meeting on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25. We're taking the day off to spend time with friends and family.

As we've noted already, the Boys Ranch Choir will sing for us Dec. 2. Dan Adams, the president and CEO of Boys Ranch, came to share a bit of history about Boys Ranch's relationship with the Rotary Club of Amarillo. It all began with founder Cal Farley who, Dan said, "came out of the Depression to found Boys Ranch and the Maverick Club." The Rotary Dining Hall at the Boys Ranch campus was built in honor of the club's role in helping develop Boys Ranch.

We will be presenting a donation to Boys Ranch at our Dec. 2 meeting. Those who want to make a financial contribution to Boys Ranch should make their check payable to the Rotary Club of Amarillo, and write "Boys Ranch" in the memo line on the check.

Special thanks this week go to: Doyle Moore for leading us in singing "God Bless America"; Dick Weddington for his invocation; Mark Haworth for introducing guests and visiting Rotarians; Dale Bippus and Jeff Neely for greeting us; Mark (again) for selling tickets; Valerie Fulkerson for serving as program chair for November; and President Jake Richards.