I am George H. Wrape, but I go by Skip because I was a junior and I worked for my father and he worked for me. I was born in St. Louis, MO and raised there and in Cape Girardeau, MO. I graduated from Regis College in Denver, CO. I worked in meat packing and specialty chemicals before starting my first company in 1986 in Tyler, Texas. The company, Animal Technologies, Inc. is still going.

 

I joined my first Rotary Club in Tyler in 1993. Rotary has been an important part of my life. I have been very fortunate, and I consider Rotary my way to give back. I am a three-time Paul Harris recipient (been trying to be four for years), and a benefactor. I was President of the Rotary Club of Summit County, Colorado in 2003-2004. In Summit County I became close to our exchange student from Brazil, Guilherme Esteves. He is now a business associate in all my business in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Brazil. I joined the Cape Girardeau West Rotary Club in 2005. I was International Director in the club and left Assistant District Governor for four clubs in district 6060.

 

I have experienced YaYa moments in my foreign travel and international projects. In 2000 The Rotary Club of Summit County, CO., joined with The Rotary Club of Limon, Costa Rica and built a school in Sixaola, Costa Rica for the Bribri Indians. Two years later we joined with the same Rotary Club in the poorest province of Costa Rica to give away 250 wheelchairs. It was quite a moving experience. In 2009 I was looking for a new international project for my new club, Cape West. I was encouraged to go to Haiti, where I basically was set up to start a school in Thomassique, Haiti where the kids were going to a school under trees. The Rotary Club helped and did what they could, but we ended up starting a not-for-profit organization, OPTE, Out of Poverty thru Education, which is still valid.

 

The school in Haiti has over 350 students and kids have progressed passed 7th grade. The school only accepts orphans and kids of parents that cannot afford regular schools. It has been given awards in excellence and cleanliness. It is currently being supported by a group out of Springfield, MO headed by Larry O’Reilly of O’Reilly Auto Parts.

 

I have had a second home in New Braunfels since 2015. It was time to come here full time in June. My wife of 25 years, Colette, originally from Costa Rica, four daughters and four grandchildren, one daughter in Wimberly, one in Gonzales, one recently graduated from Mizzou, living with us here, and the youngest is a freshman at Texas A&M University.

 

My hobbies are swimming, sailing, and skiing, but can’t do the later much anymore.