Speakers

Patricia “Pat” Peters is the Governor for Rotary District 5790 for the 2023-24 year. Pat,
an Austin, Texas native, has lived in Denton since 1981. After receiving a scholarship
from the Rotary Club of Austin, she earned a Bachelor of Music degree from
Southwestern University. Pat also holds Master’s degrees in English Literature and
Library Science, both from the University of North Texas. She has had a 25-plus year
career in libraries, including stints at Lewisville and Decatur Public Libraries.

Pat is a member of the Rotary Club of Decatur, having served in many roles since
joining in 2013, including club president in 2015-16. At the District level, Pat has been a
RYLA counselor, District Literacy Coordinator, Assistant Governor, charter member of
the Visioning/Planning Team, District Secretary, and Lone Star PETS facilitator. Pat is a
Paul Harris Society member and a Rotary Leadership Institute facilitator.
Pat is married to Jeff, a musician and retired IT guy who is also a member of Decatur
Rotary. They have two adult children: Kerri, a high school theater teacher, and Chris, an
actuary. Long-time members of First United Methodist Church of Denton, Jeff and Pat
sing in the choir and Pat is the church librarian. She occasionally also does the
children’s sermon and tells stories for Vacation Bible School.

For the 2023-24 Rotary year, Pat’s priorities are:
 Peace initiatives—whether that is supporting Peace Fellow programs, sending
aid to areas in need around the globe, planting peace poles and peace gardens,
or simply learning to manage conflict in our individual lives;
 Mental health awareness—RI President Gordon McInally’s focus on supporting
mental health and taking the stigma out of talking about our mental health issues;
 Education and literacy—dictionary projects, book drives, technology literacy, and
so much more are at the heart of what we do as Rotarians; and
 Empowering girls and women—a continuation of Past RI President Shekhar
Mehta’s initiative, this continues to be a priority for Rotary International and for
our district.

 

Little by Little is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of the Taraumahara population in Chihuahua, Mexico.

The goal of the organization is to assist with food, clothing, beds, and other necessities for the children of the Taraumahara tribe.

The Taraumahara tribe is an indigenous group of people in Mexico who have little or no access to resources such as education or jobs and often rely on the land in order to survive.

Little by Little is founded by Kadie Hawley, who is passionate about this underserved population. She first found out about the Taraumaharas from one of her patients as an occupational therapist. When her patient passed away, she searched for a way to help the Taraumaharas in her patient’s honor, and the seed for Little by Little was planted.

In early 2023, Little by Little became an accredited 501c3 organization, and Kadie saw her dream come to life.