Elks national president
to visit Hot Springs
Elks Grand Exalted Ruler (National President) Robert L. Duitsman will visit Hot Springs today as a guest of the Arkansas State Elks Association this weekend.
His visit will include a tour of the Arkadelphia Human Development Center, a major project for Arkansas Elks, and sightseeing in the Hot Springs area, a news release said.
Duitsman will join Elks from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas on Saturday for a day at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort and will present a trophy to the owner of a winning horse as part of the "Elks Day at the Races." A banquet, hosted by Lodge 380 on Saturday evening, honoring Duitsman, will close the visit.
During his year as the Elks' national leader, Duitsman will visit Elk lodges across the United States, promoting his slogan "Honoring the Past -- Embracing the Future."
"His slogan acknowledges the importance of remembering our history as Elks and allowing it to guide our actions as we provide, among our many activities, community services and support of veterans," the release said.
Toastmasters to meet Saturday
at National Park Medical Center
Hot Springs Toastmasters will hold its weekly club meeting at 8 a.m. Saturday at National Park Medical Center, 1910 Malvern Ave., following a successful open house last week. All visitors are welcome to return, and any interested members of the public are also welcome.
The club's semiannual speech contest is planned for the Feb. 29 meeting.
Toastmasters is a supportive, inexpensive way to learn speaking and leadership skills. Visitors can see a sample of how it works at the open house. Training resources for speechmaking are part of Toastmaster support available to members. Toastmasters International's materials and programs also offer leadership development. New members are offered mentoring, either assigned or a chosen match. Meeting roles rotate from one week to the next.
There is no charge to come see what the club is about. Meetings normally are one hour long. Visit https://7643.toastmastersclubs.org/ or call 501-617-4777 for more information.
Rotary to hear presentation
on African American history
In observance of Black History Month, Cheryl Batts will present "Black Diamonds: African American History and Culture" during Monday's Oaklawn Rotary Club meeting, which will begin at noon in the second-floor ballroom of The Hotel Hot Springs & Spa.
Born in what is now designated as Hot Springs' Pleasant Street National Historic District, Batts was educated in Arkansas, Iowa and Indiana before receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Arts Entertainment and Media Management with a minor in Theatre Performance at Columbia College in Chicago.
She is the founder of People Helping Others Excel By Example, or P.H.O.E.B.E., and the Uzuri Project, a history project documenting the endeavors of African Americans in Hot Springs. Through the Uzuri Project's Emerging Leaders Youth Institute, she has spent two decades fostering youth leadership, literacy and career development, a news release said.
A historic preservationist, film director and award-winning author, she was gifted in 2014 with the historic John Lee Webb House, a 108-year-old contributing structure within the Pleasant Street National Historic District and is carrying out its restoration and eventual establishment as P.H.O.E.B.E. headquarters.
"I believe that there is community and economic development through historic preservation and the empowerment of youth, young adults and those reentering the workplace," Batts said in the release.
Guests are welcome to attend by calling 501-609-5464 in advance.
Society on 02/21/2020