Meeting Notes July 6,2016
Our Greeter today was Len Salines, and he did a great job. President Dan Crane rang the bell at 7:30 a.m. Jeanne Shipe gave a very nice invocation.
GUESTS:
Tracy Bowen, Mother of our speaker; Steve LaPierre (Emmaus RC)
President Dan told us of the “old days” when the late Bob Randall in 1992 would begin the meetings with a pithy saying from our forefathers. So Dan did the same when he was club President in 1995-6. And he plans to keep reminding us of noble thoughts each week.
FOUNDATION AWARD:
Vice President Jeanne Shipe, was presented with her first Paul Harris Fellow award by Past President Herb Klotz, having reached her $1,000 donated to the RI Annual Fund.
Then Jeanne was presented with a Paul Harris Society insignia in recognition of her commitment to donate at least $1,000 every year to the RI Annual Fund and/or PolioPlus. Thank you Jeanne.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Last Saturday we volunteered at the Lowhill Food Pantry.
Note that with today’s meeting we began a new approach to our monthly collections to help fund the fresh produce for the Food Pantry. There now is a labeled jar at registration to be used. And periodically we will be reminded to continue to support this great effort.
Gwenn & Gary Englehardt did a makeup at the Forked River RC in south Jersey and sent a photo of their banner.
President Dan, with a big smile, said that last evening he received notice that our 2016-17 District Grant for $5,000 to work on the Ukraine project is fully approved and we are free to proceed. Thanks David, Ihor, Herb, Dan, et al.
July 20th and 21st are the next volunteer days for the Lowhill Food Pantry.
The next Thursday evening Happy Hour meeting at the Holiday Inn is on July 14th. There will be more planning done for the October 22nd D7430 Purple pinkie 5K race that we manage.
July 28th -- THURSDAY -- In place of our Happy Hour meeting will be our full club monthly Dining Out at Italiano Delite in Macungie.
August 14th a Sunday is the annual AWRC Picnic at the Webers’ farm. Mark your calendars. Details from Sue will follow.
Tuesday August 16th is the multi-district PHILLIES STRIKE OUT HUNGER baseball game. $10 of every ticket sold goes to the RI Annual Fund. Buy tickets and use them or give them to a group of worthy kids to use. Some RCs hire a bus and party both ways.
Next week the scheduled Greeter is Wendy Weaver and the program is Scott Gingold, President, Lehigh Valley Technology whose topic is “Does Cyber Security Really Impact me?”
AWRC BOARD of DIRECTORS MEETING:
These “board” meetings normally are held on the third Tuesday of every month, and at Luther Crest starting at 7:15 a.m. and ending by 8:30 a.m. President Dan reminds us that these meetings are open for all AW members to attend.
FEEDBACK REQUESTED:
President Dan and Fundraising committee Chair Len Salines are looking for fresh ideas for a new fundraiser for later in the year. The Pig Roast this Summer was cancelled. Please respond to the handout sheets on your table this morning.
LUCK of the DRAW:
Today’s door prize donated by Len Salines was won by Herb Klotz. Then Dan Crane -- again??? -- won the right to draw a marble for the $14 50:50 pot and did not win. He won it all last week.
Then S-a-A Don auctioned off 4 tickets and parking at Coca Cola stadium for tomorrow evening’s ball game.
FINES:
S-a-A Don Davis could not coerce any fines this morning; he tried.
HAPPY DOLLARS:
Hope Pearson is most happy about her just ended 10 day vacation. She also is happy that she now has received her graduate degree in banking and a certificate from Wharton School of Finance.
Ernie Boll is pleased that as of 6 p.m. this evening he and Sandi have been married -- to each other -- for SIXTY YEARS.
Sue Weber announced that Saturday July 16th is the annual Parkland Garden Club tour. Contact Sue for details.
Ginny Sandoval is very happy to have survived a week’s visit from her 18 year old nephew last week. It’s always a challenge.
Herb is $10 happy to be entertaining his grandson this week. He also is pleased that he is not the Emcee for the meeting.
President Dan put in $5 and announced his new plan to hold a “Kudos & Grins” minute each week. We all are urged to present a story about somebody else in Rotary and Rotarians that makes us proud and makes us laugh, too.
Today’s story was Dan saying that he used to do the Hokey-Pokey, but now has turned around.
PROGRAM:
Our program today was Jason Bowen giving his 2016 Speech Contest Presentation. It began with Sue Weber explaining the history of this now district-wide speech contest. It began in 2010 when newly transferred PDG Jerry Friedman suggested to DGE Bill Palmer to give it a try using D7350’s model.
The Webers ran a test contest at Parkland HS and determined we should go district wide. In 2016 we had 21 RCs operate local contests with the 21 winners competing in 5 regional contests. Then the 5 winners competed at the 2016 District Conference at Pocono Manor.
Jason was a finalist and is a senior at Emmaus HS and a member of the Emmaus Interact club. He is interested in Drama and the Arts. He explained that each contestant has to deliver a speech about 5 to 7 minutes long and the subject must be about a moral or ethical issue and must use the Rotary Four Way Test to make their arguments.
Jason’s speech, which he delivered intact, was a very personal one about children being raised in households with drug abusers and violence. He quoted some scary PA statistics and listed many agencies in place to help these kids.
Then Jason said that he was in such an environment where his dad was a drug user and did jail time. When asked how he got out and became so responsible, he turned to his Mother, Tracy, and said it was her doing.
This Fall Jason will be applying for college to Columbia University and Georgetown, among others. He plans to go on to law school and his long term goal is to be appointed to the Supreme Court of the U.S. Way to go Jason.
CLOSING:
We sang a rendition of “God Bless America” Then we recited the Pledge to the Flag of the United States and then the saying “One profits most who serves the best.”
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