January is Vocations month with an emphasis on the wide range of jobs that Rotarians have, from nonprofit organizations to engineers to accountants and so much more.
Merriam Webster defines vocation as a summons or strong inclination to a particular state or course of action. When you find your vocation in life, life is more meaningful. It is also a time to help our youth find their vocation in life. Probably the biggest challenges in the lives of our youth are to find out what you want to do and then find out how you pay for that decision implementation. Vocations are a personal decision but getting there is easier with scholarships from one of the five Rotary Clubs in Montgomery County.
Deanna Voitle with the Rotary Club of Lake Conroe told me, “It is with great pleasure that we announce the opening of the application window for the Rotary Scholarship for the 2026 academic year. Our scholarship program demonstrates our commitment to supporting the educational goals of local high students in Montgomery ISD and Willis ISD. The scholarship is for vocational, trade school, and Community Junior College students. The close date is April 17, 2026 – go to our website for the application at https://www.lakeconroerotary.org/
The Rotary Clubs of The Woodlands, Conroe, Magnolia, and East Montgomery County also provide a variety of scholarships to graduating seniors from our local public and private high schools along with home schoolers to attend colleges, universities and in some cases, including the possibility of trade school scholarships.
Deitra Johnson with the Rotary Club of East Montgomery County provided me with the following information, “The Rotary Club of East Montgomery County met on Tuesday, January 6, with President Darbie Lindsey leading the meeting. Members celebrated progress toward the club’s 2025–2026 goals, including adding two new members, completing three service projects, and sending students to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) conference.
Highlights from the year so far:
• 25 members participated in service projects
• Social media and website updates are on track
• RYLA student participation is happening this weekend
• Interact Clubs are thriving, with some being revitalized
Sherry Wells gave a quick demonstration on setting up direct foundation giving, showing how easy it is to support Rotary’s mission. Several goals are on track to be completed this spring, keeping the club on course for a successful year.”
Greg Gathright with the Rotary Club of Conroe told me, “Sleep in Heavenly Peace of Montgomery County conducted a bed build on Saturday, January 10, 2026. Held at the UMC Missions building on Loop 336, over a hundred volunteers from the area worked to create twin and twin bunk beds for children and youth in the area. Beds are constructed from lumber which is coupled with donated bedding selected for each child’s various selections. Beds are then delivered and set up in homes throughout the county on scheduled delivery days. Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a project of the Rotary Club of Conroe with members encouraged to volunteer in bringing beds to those who cannot afford one.”
Rotarians are starting the year with service and vocations in mind! For more on Rotary, contact Ron Saikowski at rsaikowski@comcast.net.