EAFK was introduced to the district in 2008, when my husband Ronney Reynolds was the incoming district governor. We were invited by one of our incoming DG classmates to hear about an incredible new character-building program that was being featured at the San Antonio district conference at a ranch. We agreed to go since it was about education and children and I had been a teacher so it sparked my interest. We had no idea that night we would meet a real live knight in shining armor!
As soon as he started telling the Rotarians about why he created Early Act First Knight I was sold. I talked to Ronney all the way home about getting it in our district but he said we had too much on our plate to start a new program during his governor year. I am still talking passionately about EAFK sixteen years later.
During Ronney’s year as district governor, I traveled with him to club meetings. Back then the district governor’s wives (first ladies) had a personal project they promoted to the clubs. Well, can you guess what I promoted at every Rotary club we visited.
During that year Brenda Osbon, who was the president of the Rotary Club of Austin Oak Hill, and I talked about EAFK and she was so excited about the program and making a difference in children’s lives. She had always wanted to be a teacher so this would get her into schools working with students. Brenda visited two elementary schools in Oak Hill and the schools were very interested in EAFK. Randall Parr came and spoke to her club and Brenda was so hopeful and excited. But the club was not ready. Brenda never gave up her love for the program and when I finally got it started at Lakeway, thanks to DG Tim Buckley, it started sweeping through our district. Brenda was right there supporting me and helping in any way she could.
At one time EAFK grew to over 25 schools in our Rotary district, making a difference and teaching students to make the right choices. However Covid came along and shut down many of those schools due to economics and expensive adaptations that had to be added to schools in order to conduct their regular daily zoom classes. This was devastating to all schools but the EAFK program has been re-building ever since. My club had to find a new EAFK school to sponsor in South Austin since many of our families had to move out of town to get affordable housing. During that search, we found a new school system, Wayside Academy. They had two schools located South(REAL Academy & Eden Park Academy) so my club adopted REAL when we found out it had many of our displaced South students. The other Wayside Academy just happened to be South, very close to both the Rotary Club of Austin South and Brenda’s club renamed Rotary Club of Austin Southwest in which Brenda was again president. My daughter Michelle and I went to speak to Brenda’s club, as well as the South Austin club, and they joined forces to sponsor another new EAFK program at Wayside Eden Park academy and Brenda finally had her own EAFK program to support.
Now Brenda and I together, get to honor children every six weeks that model the character traits being taught in that school and they receive a medallion and an accolade written by their teacher.
I know EAFK has enriched our two lives during these sixteen years but even better the lives of thousands of kids who have learned how to make right choices and live by the Code: Rotary’s Four Way Test. Here’s to “forever friends” through Rotary and the grooming of our future leaders through Early Act First Knight. Thanks to the Knights of the Guild for bringing this incredible program to Texas.
Submitted by Mary Reynolds Rotary Club of Austin & District Chair for EAFK