Jonna Buck
Club President
2020-2021
Happy Thanksgiving week Rotarians!
Chances are good this will be a Thanksgiving unlike any other before. Although 2020 has brought its challenges and hardships, we all still have a lot to be thankful for this year.
Please make sure you sign up to help ring the bell for the Salvation Army’s annual Red Kettle campaign. Keith Busking is leading the charge again this year (thanks Keith!) and has sent an email to all members. This is one of our most fun and fruitful service projects. We are ringing in the foyer at Sam’s Club for the next four Saturdays, and there are plenty of slots to fill. So please do your part, mask-up, and come help ring the bell!
At our meeting this week we welcome Angela Jiménez-Calhoun, founder and CEO of Pantry Partners, Inc, a non-profit dedicated to fighting childhood chronic hunger and teen homelessness in Norman.
Angela not only manages the daily operations of the program, she also plans for the organization’s future, coordinates all programs, packs and distributes food to teens in need, raises funds, and connects teens to long-term support and resources.
An Oklahoma City native, Angela holds a bachelor's in education from the University of Oklahoma. She established roots in Norman during the early 90s when she fell in love with the small town feel and community vibe of Norman. She is a former middle school math teacher of six years, has owned several small businesses, and recently became a real estate assistant for her husband Mark Calhoun at RE/MAX Realty.
Angela is inspired by her grandmother’s many years of award-winning volunteerism in the Oklahoma City Hispanic community. She is a member of Assistance League Norman where she volunteers regularly for Operation School Bell. Angela also is a volunteer and supporter of Laundry Love Norman, who Pantry Partners “partners” with for special events. For the last five years, Angela has volunteered with the Norman High School “Tigers Helping Tigers” food pantry program.
Angela's entire family is involved with Pantry Partners. Husband Mark is a board member and the administrative services director. Their son, Saxon, recently graduated from the OU and plans to attend law school. He is a case manager for a local law firm and an active Pantry Partners board member.
Their daughter, Santana, is a 2020 graduate from Norman High School and is headed to New York City. She was awarded an art scholarship to Parsons School of Design, The New School. She serves as the IT co-chair for Pantry Partners.
Several member of our Rotary leadership team attended an open house for Pantry Partners recently, and we were all impressed with all they are doing to meet the needs of teens.
Look for your Zoom link in your email.
Yours in Service,
Jonna
P.S. Continued thanks to those who have signed up as club duty volunteers! More are always needed. You can find the club duties spreadsheet by clicking on this link: Sooner Rotary Club Duties. Please fill up the open slots only for leading the prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance and 4-Way Test while we continue to meet online. If you have difficulty access this document, feel free to email me which club meeting(s) you want to volunteer to fill. Thank you!