Rotary guest speakers for September were Paul Reichelt, Todd Staples and Chuck Knowlton with Bonnie Arnold.

Reichelt is a Rotary foreign exchange student from Australia and has been here since January 2012. He is the youngest of six children, plays the saxophone and was the leading cadet in the Australia Air League Association up to 2010. He will repeat his junior year when he returns home and would like to be in the Dog Squad of the Australian Customs.

He presented a PowerPoint showing major sights of Australia. The Australian flag, the Union Jack, has a star with the Southern Cross, and each star represents a state. Major sights include the Wave Rock in Western Australia, the Twelve Apostles of Victoria State, The Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Great Barrier Reef (only sight that can be seen from outer space), the Airs Rock of the Northern Territory and the Melbourne Cricket Grounds.

From his experience as an exchange student, Paul wants to have a greater understanding of American history, make lifelong friends and become a better, more mature person. His host mom, Kathleen Larakers, and host brother, James, were present.

Staples, Texas commissioner of agriculture, had a narco-terrorism PowerPoint presentation titled “Texas in the Crosshairs.”

Texas has 64 percent of the U.S. border with Mexico; California, Arizona and New Mexico share the other 36 percent with Mexico. Texas has approximately 8,000 border patrol agents; the other states have 10,200 combined. Only 44 percent of the U.S./Mexico border is under some level of operation control. Since 2007, almost 50 percent of cartel-related homicides in Mexico have occurred in the six Mexican states that border Texas.

Each time a farmer or rancher is threatened, out nation’s food supply is impacted. Due to increased border violence, USDA personnel were not able to travel into Mexico to inspect and dip Mexican cattle destined for export to the U.S., per USDA blog on April 8, 2011. To view videos about Texas borders, visit www.ProtectYourTexasBorder.com.

Staples thanked the FFA and 4-H groups that were in attendance.

Knowlton informed the group about the “Reasons of Hope Maternity Home,” a women’s Christian home for unplanned pregnancies. The home provides an atmosphere that helps individuals grow in God’s Word and learn skills to help them become a competent and loving Christian parent.

The facility is located about 10 miles northwest of Beeville. It provides housing, hope and help to pregnant women ages 18 and above. A resident can stay up to one year beyond the birth of the child. The facility can accommodate up to eight women.

Bonnie Arnold, a resident of the facility, related her life experiences and how she came to the home this year. For more information, visit the website at www.reasonsofhope.com.

Visitors to the meeting were Andy Galloway, Linda Arnold, Dr. O.B. Vaughn and numerous others for Staples presentation.