Danielle Baeza got bitten by the travel bug big time in February of this year. That was when she and four others from Rotary District 5730 embarked on a four-week Group Study Exchange journey to Thailand. Danielle, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Amarillo, joined Jennifer Rankin of Plainview, Joel Morris of Amarillo, Kristen Carter of Midland and GSE team leader Dan Linebarger of Midland on the trip of a lifetime. Her program, delivered at our most recent club meeting, provided colorful examples of the sights she and here GSE teammates saw while touring District 3360 in the northern regions of Thailand. Danielle, who works as office manager for Wonderland Park, graduated from West Texas A&M, where she earned her bachelor's degree in business management. She is one in a long and growing line of young professionals who have broadened their horizons through Group Study Exchange. GSE occurs annually and it allows young professionals from District 5730 to travel abroad, to interact with colleagues from other cultures, to live with host Rotary families and to experience the joy of making new friends in faraway lands.

Jennifer Rankin, by the way, drove here from Plainview to watch Danielle's program. We're glad she was here. And Danielle, thank you for sharing your GSE experience with the club.

There will be plenty more GSE news to report in the weeks and months to come as the district prepares to welcome the team from District 4060 in the Dominican Republic next April and May. Be prepared to give our visitors a taste of West Texas hospitality.

The Rotary Foundation Dinner is this week. Let Gina know if you want to attend the event, which occurs Friday at the Amarillo Club's Sunburst Room, on the 30th floor of the Chase Tower. The event begins at 6 p.m. with a cash bar opening. Dinner will be served around 7. It costs $40 per person, with proceeds going toward the Rotary International Foundation. Check out the Rotary Club website for additional details. And you can RSVP for the dinner directly from the website. Just go to the left column and look for the link where upcoming events are displayed. Click on the event and it takes you directly to the link where you can RSVP for the dinner. We'll see you there.

Our membership contest is off and running. We've selected team names. They are: Gear Finders, Motley Crew, Misfits, Rangers, Cinco Compadres, Cogs, Success, The Life Challengers, Dynamic Nine, the Perfect 10 and Go Getter. We'll be enlisting new members for the next several months and the team that brings in the most new Rotarians gets to donate $1,500 to its favorite charity. Let's rustle up some new Rotarians.

It was good to see Ed Fancher and Renee Wilson back with us this week. They both had been ailing in recent weeks. Welcome back to the both of you.

The Foundation pot is approaching 900 bucks. The deck is diminishing a card at a time each week. Be sure to lay down your money for a chance at the big prize.

Thanks this week go to: Dale Bippus and Jeff Neely, greeters; Erv Bergen, invocation; John Kanelis, introducing guests and visiting Rotarians; Jeff Lester, selling tickets; Doyle Moore and Pam Rushing, for leading us in song; and Jake Richards, for presiding over another outstanding meeting.