April 2023 Newsletter

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President's Message

As we close out the month of April, I am appreciative of our KARW activities. As you know, since February, we have been involved with eleven candidates campaigning for positions on the Humble ISD Board of Trustees. Many local clubs, including KARW, have presented forums for the community to meet and hear from these candidates. I am hoping you have taken the opportunities to meet them and inform yourself about each one so that you can make your best choices as you cast your vote on May 6th. One important point that I am proud of – seven of the eleven candidates are members of KARW. I am not saying you should especially vote for them, but I am saying that our club encourages its members to be active in our community and what a great way those individuals have chosen to serve their community. However, I am also saying GO VOTE! And take family and friends with you.

In our current newsletter, you will see other opportunities to serve our community through KARW. I encourage you to participate in as many of the activities as your schedule allows.

At our general meeting on April 20th, Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin presented to KARW updates on various improvement projects that are beginning in the Kingwood area, including our streets and roadways and Lake Houston projects. I want to point out how proud we are to have Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin and his family as residents of Kingwood and active parishioners at Saint Martha’s Catholic Church. Beginning in 2004, Martin served for 10 years as a trustee on the Humble ISD School Board. In 2012, he was elected to Houston City Council. Martin is now term limited in his City Council seat and is currently a candidate for Controller. We give Mayor Pro Tem Martin our gratitude for his service and we’re wishing him the very best of luck in his future service to Kingwood and the City of Houston. He has eight more months as Mayor Pro Tem and he has promised he will be returning to KARW. We look forward to his continuing to update us. We wish him the best in his campaign.

Let’s look forward to our May general meeting. We will be providing you with details for our May speaker and other activities as our KARW officers provide such wonderful, informative guests. I applaud the commitment that our KARW Officers have made and their continued efforts to serve you and our community through KARW.

My recent morning devotional touched me as I looked at my calendar and thought about how much is going on in our busy lives. I want to share it with you, as the words and thoughts spoke directly to me and my busyness. Perhaps you will sense the same message.

“It seems you tend to waste energy trying to determine whether your resources are adequate for the day. You keep checking your ‘power gauge’ instead of looking to Me for My provision. . . . If you stay in touch with Me, I will place enough Power at your disposal to meet your needs as they arise.”

“Your ultimate goal is not to control or fix everything around you, it is to keep communing with Me. A successful day is one in which you have stayed in touch with Me, even if many things remain undone at the end of the day.”

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:6

I encourage you to make the most of your days, keeping in mind our ultimate goal of acknowledging Christ in our daily schedules.

General Meeting Recap

KARW was pleased to present Mayor Pro Temp Dave Martin at our April 20 General Meeting. He presented specific details on the completed Lake Houston and Kingwood projects and future proposed projects.

Dave Martin outlined the expansion plan of Northpark Drive, a project that has been 10 years in the planning. The project had its groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, April 13. It is expected to be a 30- month construction project. It will alleviate the congestion and traffic, allow for easier access for first responders to access Kingwood, and create a more aesthetic entry into the community.

Dave Martin explained the continued plans for more dredging in Lake Houston and the plan to establish 11 new flood gates to alleviate future flooding. He gave credit to Dan Huberty and Representative Dan Crenshaw for being instrumental in pushing for the funding to continue flood mitigation projects.

The importance of voting in the Humble ISD election was stressed. Dave Martin encouraged everyone to get out the vote. He noted that we all have a vested interest in this election, especially since 56% of our tax dollars go to Humble ISD.

Dave Martin has 8 months left in his current position as mayor pro temp. He pledged to get as much done to support our communities as he can until the end of his term. KARW presented Dave Martin with a beautiful crystal elephant as a token of our appreciation for his years of dedicated service to our community.

Humble ISD Election Heats Up

Please make sure you mark your calendar for the 2023 Humble ISD Board of Trustees Positions 2, 6, and 7 Election. Early voting begins on Monday, April 24 and continues until Tuesday, May 2. Election Day is Saturday, May 6, 2023.

KARW has quite a number of members and associates running in this race. They include: Audra Deaver, Holly Ham, Leigh Marcus, Nancy Morrison, Robert Scarfo, Astrubal “Dru” Gutierrez, and Michael Grabowski. Please consult the Humble ISD website for more information on additional candidates.

Candidates are looking for volunteers to work distribute push and be sign holders during early voting and election day. Please contact Pat Morlen, Campaign Activities Chair for more information.

Every vote will count, so please get out and vote and urge your family, friends, and neighbors to do the same. We hope for a strong turnout!

CPR Class

In April, members of Kingwood Area Republican Women participated in CPR training at the Porter Fire Department. Those participating were Chester and Karen Arnold, Kathleen Jordan, Patricia Morlen, Alice Rekeweg, Colleen Rose, and James and Linda Wilkens. Congratulations on your certification , as you gained lifesaving skills that can help you respond to emergencies. We are so proud of you.

Legislative Update

Members, please refer to our website for the complete and detailed Legislative Update complied by our Legislative Chair, Pat Morlen. The full Legislative Update can be found on our website along with monthly updates. These updates provide critical information and action you can take. Included in this month’s update is a timeline of the legislative sessions regarding the current bills. There are so many bills dealings with issues like: banning sexually explicit books from school libraries, gender modification in children, drag shows on public property, police defunding, bail bond precedent cases, ballot language, school choice, and many more. We urge you to read the monthly update and get involved by voicing your support and/or concern over some of these important bills. There is contact information included in the monthly Legislative Update.

KARW Needs You

KARW encourages members to consider submitting their name for nomination for the 2024 KARW Executive Board. Several of our board members will have reached their term limit by the end of this year. Our Nominating Committee will be formed and will begin seeking candidates this May. Please consider taking on one of these important positions in KARW. We encourage you to speak to board members to understand the duties of each position and to determine if it would be a good fit for you.

Greater Houston Council Nuts 'n Bolts

The Greater Houston Council Federated Women’s Club hosted, in conjunction with the Texas Federation of Republican Women, an all day workshop to help local federated clubs become more efficient. Betty Newton, Neil Clibourn, M’Liss Painter, Pat Morlen, and Kathleen Jordan were in attendance. The event also paid tribute to the local clubs in attendance and to club presidents.

One of the speakers, our very own Pat Morlen, presented a very well-received workshop on the importance of a club’s monthly Legislative Update and how to gather information from good sources. Other workshops included topics such as: websites/newsletters, membership, how to run an effective meeting, the role and responsibilities of a club treasurer, and fundraising/campaign activities.

We encourage all our members to consider taking an active role in chairing a committee or serving on the board. Attending a future “Nuts n’ Bolts” workshop is a great way to learn more about the role you may be interested in pursuing with KARW.

Campaign Activities

Campaign and Legislative Committee meets once a month. All members are briefed and given a synopsis of upcoming legislature and how it will impact our lives. We also discuss any needs or issues that are brought to our attention from Republican candidates. We partner with them to understand how we can best support them in their efforts to get elected. Please reach out to Pat Morlen at LEGISLATIVE@KARW.ORG if you are interested in joining this important committee.

May General Meeting

Evites are being sent out for our May 18, 2023 General Meeting featuring guest speaker TBD. The meeting will be held at Tin Roof BBQ in Atascocita at 11:00 a.m.