District 7150 & D3820 GSE Team Leaders

D3500 GSE Team Leader Kuan-Chun Hsu (Ken) Kuan-Chun Hsu (Ken); Taipei, Taiwan, has been selected as the GSE Team Leader for the exchange with District 7150, New York. Chairman of Cutes Corporation, Director of Universal Microelectronics, PP Rotary Club of Chung-Li West, Rotarian since 1988, Gov’s rep, D3500 website chair. Read bio

D7150 GSE Team Leader Mitzi Ruel Mitzi Reul, Utica Rotary Club, has been selected as the GSE Team Leader for the exchange with the Republic of China - Taiwan. Mitzi is site manager with operations for Network Rehab Physical Therapy. She has a masters of science degree from the University of Southern California and has been practicing physical therapy for over 25 years. Read bio

 
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GSE Team Members

D7150 '03 GSE team to Tawain

Sadieann Zogby Spear, D7150 GSE Chair, is proud to announce the D7150 GSE Team to D3500, Taiwan - March 21 to April 19, 2003. Bios of Team Leader and Team Members follow.

GSE Team Leader: Mitzi Reul has been a resident of Whitesboro, N .Y. since 1996. Originally she is from Southern California, where she received a Bachelor's and Master's degree of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California. She has been in practice for 25 years.
In 1984, she moved east to the "Big Apple" New York City. There she established a private practice specializing in Orthopedics and Sports Rehabilitation. During the baseball strike of 1995, it was her good fortune to treat players from the Oakland A's and Detroit Tigers. Mitzi, was also invited to be assistant physical therapist at the Jimmy Connor's Nuveen Senior tennis tournament two years running at Westchester Country Club. Mitzi is currently a Physical Therapist and self-employed management consultant for Adirondack PT and sports medicine in Utica NY. She has earned advanced certification in the treatment of back pain with the "McKenzie technique" and specializes in treatment of the shoulder. Mitzi joined the NYC Rotary Club in 1994. There she chaired golf tournaments benefiting the Boy Scouts of America and through Rotary taught "The Community" to grade school children in Harlem.
Since joining Utica Rotary in 1997, she has spent 3 years on the Board of Directors, is active in the Youth Exchange program and is a Rotary reader to the Utica Rotary's "adopted" Columbus Elementary school. She is also involved on the Youth Services Committee and has co-chaired an "Evening of Opera" to benefit Utica's Aids Community Resource. Mitzi is a Paul Harris Fellow.
As part of the Mohawk Valley Community, Mitzi and her husband Carter (a native of Utica) are co-sponsors for the "Young Artist Series" at Munson Williams Proctor Institute and participate in the Hospice "Light Up Your Life" foundation. They are members of Utica's First Presbyterian Church and have enjoyed participating in the church's inner-city program for children. Mitzi and Carter are avid golfers but enjoy many outdoor sports including Falconry.
Mitzi is honored to have been selected from so many worthy candidates to represent District 7150 as GSE team leader to Taiwan. She knows she could not have achieved this without the help and support of her club members. For Mitzi, 7150's District Governor Don Reese's 2002 theme "Rotary Makes Things Possible, Rotarians Make Things Happen" -really rings true.

 
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GSE Team Departs for Taiwan & Begins Their Rotary Adventure!

March 19th, 2003 - The GSE team waiting to depart for Taiwan at Syracuse's Hancock Airport. DG Don Reese, Chair Sadieann Spear, & Bob Spear were there to seem them off on their exciting Rotary journey!		The GSE team just prior to boarding their plane, enthusiastic & anxious to get to the destination - only 24 hours away.

 
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GSE Team Taiwan Messages from Mitzi: "Taiwan is a country filled with very gentle and kind people. Everyone here has done so much to be hospitable and generous. So many gifts! Our first week was spent with clubs from Taoyuan county. This is an area apprx 45 min outside Taipai. It is bustling. Very crowded not unlike NYC. We each stayed with individual host families. They were wonderful to us. John practiced Tai Chi at 5:30am at a school nearby his home. He made pancakes for his family and showed them how to use maple sugar. Tara was on a "floor" of her host families many floored apt. She was the only one who got to go to "snake alley" to see the snake being killed for its blood which is used as an old fashioned Viagra. Carla has been able to shop to her heart's content. She stayed in a luxurious apt with a "spa" and her host brother took her to the jewlery mart. I stayed with a wonderful pediatrician and his lovely wife. They made a different chinese style breakfast for me daily, and helped me when I had to go the the hosp. Our pix show us visiting Ta Chi an "old town" not unlike Utica. The president's palace, the National Museum and the Chang Kai Shek memorial (sp?). All in Taipei. I was fortunate to view a Dr's private collection that was as good and in some cases better then the museum. Then we went to the country. In Miaoli we stayed together at a nice house in the hills. After enjoying Taoyuan we went to the "country" area of Miaoli. There we saw an Aboriginal competition with dancing and singing, an international mask festival featuring masks from all over the world including Canada. Miaoli is the region of Haka people. They came from mainland China after the "formosa" or original CKS people in 1945. They're language and customs are slighty different from the rest of Taiwan. We are now in Chulan. We like it here very much. We were welcomed with a tea ceremony at a female friend's house. You smell the tea with a special cup then drink the tea from another. Then we went to dinner at a beautiful house owned by PP Mark who manufactures and sells picture frames (very upscale ones). His house was beautiful and we had champagne and a few western foods. After "roughing" it in Miaoli it felt like home. Today in Chunan the team members visited a school, the beach, a cermaics manuf (where we saw them hand making the ceramics). The ceramic making originated from the decorative tiles that are used on temples. The best visit was to a master craftsman who is famous for his bamboo weaving. The weaving consists of bowls, vases with intricate dragons, lizards... They are then covered with a special resin. They are museum quality and nothing was for sale.We gave our second presentation today to 50 members of the Chunan club. It was well recieved. During our time in Taoyuan we all acquired "Rotary english" names. Every Rotarian in Taiwan has an English name based on his prof. So John is Psycho, Carla is Nuts, Tara is #1 (for Syracuse, although it also is slang for needing the toliet) and I am Shoulder. To date we have been offerd to eat the following: Fried bees, fried shrimp tails, chicken stomachs, sea cucumber, octopus,and what we thought was "dog" but turned out to be "duck". Well that brings you up to date thus far. Looking forward to more experiences. Also we have been asked to skip our prepared presentation and make one about our "impressions" of Taiwan. All for now. - Mitzi

After enjoying Taoyuan we went to the "country" area of Miaoli there we saw an Aboriginal competition with dancing and singing, an international mask festival featuring masks from all over the world including Canada. Miaoli is the region of Haka people. They came from mainland China after the "formosa" or original CKS people in 1945. They're lang and customs are slighty different from the rest of Taiwan. We are now in Chulan. We like it here very much. We were welcomed with a tea ceremony at a female friend's house. You smell the tea with a special cup then drink the tea from another. Then we went to dinner at a beautiful house owned by PP Mark who manufactures and sells picture frames(very upscale ones).His house was beautiful and we had champagne and a few western foods. After a "rough" time in Miaoli it felt like home. Today in Chunan the team members visited a school, the beach, a cermaics manuf (where we saw them hand making the ceramics). The ceramic making originated from the decorative tiles that are used on temples. The best visit was to a master craftsman who is famous for his bamboo weaving. The weaving consists of bowls, vases with intricate dragons, lizards... They are then covered with a special resin. They are museum quality and nothing was for sale.We gave our second presentation today to 50 members of the Chunan club. It was well received. - Mitzi

The team is now in Hsinchu City or "New Bamboo" It is a city where most of the population has Ph.D's. They have a beautiful University here with a library similarily endowed as Harvard.It is the area of Taiwan closet to mainland China. It is also called the windy city. We still spend too much time sitting and eating but we have been enjoying many sights such as monuments, an all female monestary, glass maker's art studio,and today we toured a rice noodle factory and made and dried our own rice noodles. I am having a rice noodle party when I return all Rotarians are invited. For dinner we went to an Aboriginal Restaurant we were able to experience bee larvae with shrimp. Very delicious. We are staying on the campus of Hsinchu University in dorm rooms. No hot water bec everyone was on vacation. Looking forward to hot shower tonigt. Everyone well and looking forward to the District Conference at end of week. All our new Rotarian friends will be there. Rotary here is very well respected and as a Rotarian you are treated very special. It is a greathonor to be here as a district 7150 representative.

Here are pictures of the team at the Taiwan's district conference for District 3500. What a shindig!!! We presented for 10 minutes only but were very well received. I t was wonderful to meet the RI representitive from Ghana. He gave each of the team members a hug when he left. I t was wonderful to experience so much warmth and fellowship at the conference. The people of Taiwan really know how to enjoy themselves. Everyone did Kareoke and each club a skit. Many of the male members dressed as women dancers in grass skirts. Great Fun!! We have been to a rice noodle factory and made our own rice noodles and to the area where tea is grown. Biking in the tea fields was wonderful, everywhere we go we are accompanied by several Rotarians and there wives/husbands. Hope you enjoy the pictures. Bye for now Mitzi

GSE Team Welcome Home Info from Sadieann: The team made it home safely on Saturday evening, Carla and John did anyway. Tara had a slight problem with the paperwork for her departure - her passport was stolen but replaced early in the trip, but a glitch in some of the information prevented her from boarding with the others and she was delayed by one day. But, not to worry, she is now home safe and sound as of Sunday evening. Here are a couple of photos of two very exhausted GSE team members as they arrived at Syracuse Airport. First one is of Carla greeted by DG Don Reese and Ann, Carla's YE student and her mother. The second one is John greeted by his wife, Julie, and the kids. Mitzi cancelled her plans to go on to Hong Kong and went to meet her husband in California instead.

So we can look forward to hearing from the team through our clubs with presentations. I would be most appreciative if you could help facilitate these presentations by arranging to have the team (or at least some of the team) speak at your home club meeting. My team was very well-received by the clubs - at least five clubs hosted us to present our program. In some instances it was one of us and in others it was a couple of us, depending on schedules. Let me or Mitzi know if your club is interested. Email Sadieann. - Sadieann Zogby Spear- D7150 GSE Committee Chairperson

 
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GSE Team to D3500, Taiwan - March 21 to April 19, 2003

Carla DeShaw, Utica Rotary		John Rosicky, Utica Rotary
Sarah Engelbert, Rome Rotary Club		Tara Fletcher, Syracuse Rotary

We are proud to announce that the chosen team members confirmed their commitment to participate on the D7150 GSE exchange to Taiwan. The following applicants were selected: Sarah Engelbert, Rome NY - Rome Rotary Club, V.P. for Engelbert's Jewelers; Tara Fletcher, Syracuse NY - Syracuse Rotary Club, International Student Advisor, Syracuse University; John Rosicky, Utica NY - Utica Rotary Club, Ph.D, Assistant Professor and Psychology, Human Services and Education Department Chair @MVCC; and Carla DeShaw, Canastota, NY - Utica Rotary Club, Assistant Director of Cont. Ed. for Madison Oneida BOCES. The GSE team has begun its work of preparing for the trip in March to Taiwan D3500. They have been learning the Chinese Mandarin language so they will be able to communicate effectively during their stay there. Complete team bio's follow. - GSE Chair Sadieann Spear

John Rosicky is an Assistant Professor at Mohawk Valley Community College and the Head of the Psychology, Human Services and Education Department. His students call him "Dr. John" because he has a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Oregon and because Rosicky is too hard to pronounce. He lives with his wife, Julie, and two sons, Bryce, 5, and Ben, 3, in Holland Patent on 7 acres along a river and across the street from a horse farm. John enjoys hiking, skiing, and snow shoeing with his family. His hobbies are running, home brewing, and leading adventure activities with youth. John received the Accent on Excellence Award for 2001 for community leaders under the age of forty.
Sarah Engelbert is 27 years old and was born and raised in Rome, New York. After graduating from high school she attended Hartwick College where she received a BA in English. Upon graduating in 1997 she moved to Park City, Utah where she was a ski instructor at Deer Valley Resort. She then decided to move back home and try out the family business. She started at Engelbert's Jewelers in the fall of 1998. That January she attended the Gemological Institute of America where she received her graduate gemologist degree. Sarah is now the fourth generation jeweler in her family and is the vice president of the store. Her duties at the store include buying, advertising, selling, controlling inventory and managing employees. In her free time Sarah enjoys reading, hiking, skiing, kayaking and spending time with family.
Tara Fletcher works with Syracuse University at the Slutzker Center for International Services as the Assistant Director for Programs and Services. Her interest in International Education started at a very young age when her family began hosting international exchange students. She eventually studied abroad in Spain and started traveling throughout Europe and Latin America. Her personal experiences drew her to the fields of Spanish and International Studies. She pursued undergraduate studies at the State University of New York College at Brockport and graduate studies at the University of Denver in those fields. Tara loves to travel and always look forward to meeting new people and having the opportunity to learn about new cultures.
Carla DeShaw is the Assistant Director of Continuing Education for the BOCES Consortium of Continuing Education in Verona, New York. Workforce development is the major goal of her division. Through the Center for Business & Industry, she works with employers to develop customized training programs for their employees. She also assists local agencies such as the New York State Department of Labor in developing pre-hire programs for labor shortage areas. Most recently, she was the author of a 3 million-dollar project which focuses on customized training for incumbent workers for 25 manufacturers in the area. Her educational credentials include an Associates Degree from Cazenovia College in Business Administration, a Bachelor of Science Degree from the State University of New York at Oswego in Vocational-Technical Education, a Master of Science Degree in Educational Administration from the State University of New York at Oswego and a Certificate of Advanced Study from the State University of New York in Educational Administration.
Carla lives in Canastota, New York. She is an avid volleyball and softball player and coaches high school teams in the sport. She also enjoys flower gardening, hiking, traveling and snow skiing.

 
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View Complete Itinerary for D3500's Club Visit Schedules

(Fall of 2002)

Abreviated Itinerary: This year our District will host the D3500 GSE team from Taiwan. Club meeting dates will be established for club members to meet the team at joint meetings. The D3500 team will make presentations at each meeting.

Download the Itinerary. If you run into problems doing so, download the latest free edition of Acrobat Reader.

 
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D7150 to Host D3500, Tawain ROC, during 2002-2003

The Rotary District 3500 GSE team:

GSE Team Leader: Kuan-Chun Hsu (Kenneth Hsu)

Kenneth Hsu has expertise in electrical engineering. With the passion of the engineering industry, he established Cutes Corp. 28 years ago with friends. Cutes Corp. produces and develops DC motor and automatic control device. Based on personal keen vision, he takes action to invest in the industry. Right now Ken is the board member of many companies. The most known one is Universal Microelectronics Co., which is the Taiwanese listed company having more than 2,200 employees with branches and factories in Taiwan and Mainland China.
Encouraged by a friend, Ken joined Club of Chung-Li West of D3500 in 1998, and has participated in "Come In for Learning, Go Out for Serving" by the direction of previous District Governors. Ken is sharing the spirit of Rotary, serving people, and enjoying essence of Rotary. Ken was President of Club of Chung-Li West in 1999-2000 and was always the leader of their young, vital, and outstanding Rotarians to contribute their success and enthusiasm to the public. All these Rotarians are the brilliant leaders of their own vocation. Done the best for the four Avenues of Services is always their guideline to follow. In September 21st 1999 Taiwan had suffered the severe earthquake, Club of Chung-Li West immediately cooperated with local Club of Tong-Shi in providing the supports and then rebuilding the skywalk of elementary school Tu-Niu in disaster areas, and provided local students with scholarships in order to accomplish education.
Ken has been active in a number of roles. He was the Governor's Special Representative to organize newborn Club of Hu-kou in 2001, which implemented successfully. In the following months he has served on assisting Governor's Office to create their Chinese website www.ri3500.org.tw , and Ken has been as District Assistant Secretary and Chairman of Website Committee in 2002.
Ken loves traveling and photography, and has visited more than 25 countries with his families. Ken and his Wife, Lisa, have two sons, Lester and Albert. Lester has been working in Healthcare in New York City for 3 years with his wife, Diana, who works in Finance, and Albert is still studying and researching in the university in Taiwan.
Ken would like to thank District of 7150 for offering him and members of GSE this opportunity to visit your clubs and share rotary life with your Rotarians. He will definitely enjoy Central New York's lovely country, and very look forward to the sparks of different cultures.

 
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GSE Team Members

Catherine Chun-Nien Chen (Catherine), Hwa Hsing Supplementary School, English Teacher	Doris Hsin-Chu South Rotary Club; Tsui-Hwa Liao (Doris); Hsien-Sheng Broadcasting Station, Reporter
Mark Yun-Chen Wu (Mark), Taiwan Development & Trust Corp., Clerk Legal matters Read team bios	Chia-ling Chia-Ling, administrater at Planning & Marketing Division of ITRI's Biomedical Engineering Center

 
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Team Biographies

Team Member - Chia-Ling - The Rotary Club of Sounth Star sponsors Chia-Ling. Chia-Ling is 28 years old, single and employed as an administrater at Planning & Marketing Division of ITRI's Biomedical Engineering Center. She takes care lots of the Division, especially affairs related to public relationship . Chia-Ling hopes to have an understanding about the art, history and culture of the U.S. society. This understanding will help her graphic designing in future PR affairs. In addition, Chia-Ling would like to have a chance to visit some local companies. She wants to see the office set up of the US companies and how they take care of visitors.

Team Member-C.N. Mark Chen -The Rotary Club of Hsin-Chu South sponsors Mark. Mark is 35 years old, married and employed as a Leagle matter Clerk at Taiwan Development & Trust Corp and had outstanding working experience in the banking industry. Mark hopes to be able to look at banks to know their working processes in loan business.He would like to visit trust companies in order to know the trust industry. Also, he like to pay a visit to the Court and the Capitol Hill so as to understand the American judicial and democratic systems. Furthermore, if possible I am looking forward to visiting the U.N., the Metropolitan Museum of art, the theater of opera and other historical and cultural spots in New York to experience the cultural feast.

Team Member Tsui-Hwa Liao - Doris - She is 28 years old, single and shall get her masters degree in commication at SHIH-HSIN University. Previously, she had professional training and practical experience in producing programs, broadcasting, and planning. She has served as a journalist/reporter in Shan Shun Broadcasting Station. She received the Excellent Prize of Social Construction from the Government Information Office. Doris hopes to be able to look at the local broadcasting stations - English and Chinese - in the United States. She also has a personal desire to take in the art, history and culture of U. S. Society.

Team Member Yun-chen Wu - Catherine - She is 29 years old, single, and employed as an English teacher in a supplementary school. She teaches junior high school students. She makes up English tests and edits her own Engoish teaching materials. The tests and the materials are also provided for more than 30 branch schools in Taiwan. Catherine hopes to look at TESL (teaching English as a second language) programs or courses in universities or colleges. She would like to be able to audit in English classes in schools or private language institutes, especially classes for students or immigrants from Asian countries. She wishes to visit bookstores providing English learning and teaching materials as well as publishing companies wihich publish such materials and English tests. Catherine would like to gather information that would be helpful in editing teaching materials or making up tests. Her personal desire is to take in art, history, culture and the natural beauty of the U.S.

View District 3500 Website & Maps below

 
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District 3500 Description & Maps of Tawain

There are seven Districts of Rotary International in Taiwan. Rotary District 3500 is located in the northwest of Taiwan, from north to south, covering 3 counties and 1 city, the Taoyuan County, Hsinchu County, Hsinchu City and the parts of Miaoli County. The population of Taoyuan County is about 1.8 million, Hsinchu has 450,000, Hsinchu City has 380,000, and Miaoli has 560,000. The total population is close to 3.2 million.

D3500 has 52 clubs and 1723 Rotarians. It was divided from D3490 in 1999.

When you visit Taiwan, you will always land at C.K.S. Airport (the main international airport in Taiwan). It is located in the Taoyuan County. Our capital, Taipei, is about 25 miles north of Taoyuan. There are many major industrial parks in Taoyuan County, Hsinchu County and Hsinchu City. A lot of electronic companies set their manufactories at the Hsinchu Science-Based Industrial Park. Their main products are Integrated Circuits (IC), telecommunications, personal computer and peripherals. The famous manufacturers are like Acer, TSMC, UMC, etc. Other industrial parks have textiles, automobiles, PCB, electrical motor, etc.

The Miaoli County, the most south county of D3500 territory, is still an agricultural county, which has been long known for its mountains such as Great Point Mountain and Snow Mountain. There are over ten mountains whose elevation is more than 10,000 feet here, while on Taiwan Island there are over a hundred.

There are plenty of famous universities and colleges in these areas, such as National Tsing Hua University, National Chiao Tung University, and National Central University. More than hundreds of Parks and attractions are located in these neighborhoods, too.

D3500 is used to be a traditional agriculture-oriented country. In the past two-decade, it has been progressively developed to the high-technology industrial area. Nowadays, our members of D3500 are also growing significantly. These counties currently are prosperous with the spring of today's information technology. Yet the tradition and modern, culture and technology, they are all coexisting. The unsophisticated characters from the agriculture society and the efficiency of the industrial society still exist side by side with all our members

Download maps * View website

Tai·wan Pronunciation Key (twän) Formerly For·mo·sa (fôr-ms).

An island off the southeast coast of China, the seat of the Republic of China since 1949. Settled by the Chinese in the seventh century, it was explored by the Portuguese in 1590 and held by the Dutch in the mid-1600s before being seized by Qing dynasty Chinese in 1683. Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895 and regained by China after World War II (1945). Taiwan broke off from mainland China in 1949 when the Nationalists under Chiang Kai-Shek fled from Mao Zedong's forces and established their government on the island. Taipei is the capital and the largest city. Population: 20,546,500.

 
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District 3500 Team Arrives in New York!

September 28, 2002 - The GSE 3500 Team arrives and is greeted at the airport by District Governor Don Reese, GSE 7150 Team Leader Mitzi Ruel and District 7150 GSE Chair, SadieAnn Spear. Welcome!

October, 2002 - And the journey continues with the team's visit to the Fulton-Oswego area.

GSE team from D3500 in Taiwan gather with Rotarians	The team on the shores of Lake Ontario in Oswego
. Fulton Mayor and Rotarian, Michael Stafford, makes a presentation to the GSE Team from District 3500 at Riverside Inn in Fulton on Sunday, October 6, 2002.	GSE Team visits Oswego Industries in Fulton Mon, Oct 7, 2002 with Rotarians Ro Kemmis, Fulton Sunrise secretary and Judy Young, Area 6 ADG - Board Members of Oswego County ARC-Oswego Industries, a sheltered workshop
The GSE Team from District 3500, Republic of China - Taiwan visited Baldwinsville Rotary Club on Oct 9th. Jacqueline Olmsted, Baldwinsville Rotarian, is shown with the group	Inter Club dinner at Baldwinsville with PDG George Booth and his wife, Patricia Booth, a member of the Baldwinsville Rotary Club
GSE Team with Area Coor., Jim Dorris & Prez. Joe Rodgers at the Skaneateles CC Area GSE dinner on Oct. 3, 2002	GSE Team Leader Ken w/D7150 GSE Chair SadieAnn share a moment at the District Conference in Sturbridge, MA
The Team proudly enters the hall	Team Leader Ken thanks Rotarians
Tawain Rotarian Ken presents DG Don w/Tawainese thank you	10/25/02: Finishing their last Club presentation, the wonderful GSE Tawain Team with Chair SadieAnn, DGE Andrea Ives, DG Don Reese, Prez's George & Georgiana.

 

 
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