Posted by Anne Decker on May 20, 2019
Consider vacationing in Cuba.
Cuba is a wonderful place to go on vacation, according our guest speaker, Mindi Wells. Mindi traveled there in both 2016 and 2018 and highly recommends it. She says visiting Cuba is like stepping back in time since its once-booming economy came to a screeching halt in 1959 in the aftermath of the Cuban Revolution and its adoption of communism. The sanctions have since been relaxed and now tourism is a major part of Cuba's economy, with 4.8 million tourists visiting the island last year, and a 48% increase in cruise traffic. The island's tour guides are certified by the government and are restricted as to what they can show tourists and what they can say, but Mindi says there is still plenty to see and do with shopping, nightlife, restaurants and beaches. The United States still doesn't permit visiting Cuba for "pure tourism," but you can go for "educational" purposes and several other reasons and there are regular flights and cruises there.
 
Also at Monday's meeting the Lima Rotary Scholarship Committee acknowledged 11 new Scholarship Winners with scholarships in the amount of $1,000 each.  The scholarships are for summer session 2019. Students are enrolled at Apollo Career Center, Bluffton University, Rhodes State College, The Ohio State University-Lima and The University of Northwest OH.  Fields of study include Registered Nursing, Licensed Practical Nursing, Medical Assisting, Radiological Imaging, Respiratory Therapy, BS Criminal Justice, Culinary Arts, Welding Certification and Sports Marketing/Sports Management.
 
Since its inception in May 2001, the program has awarded 1013 scholarships for a total of $744,250. Congratulations to each of the winners.