Today was a Zoom meeting with 22 people on line.
GUEST:
Nick Millward, Peace Scholar, calling from Brisbane, Australia.
CONVERSATIONS AT THE START:
Gwenn and Gary were in St. Martin in the Caribbean. They are chaperone 4 STEM-YEA students. They will have two more next week.
Gail Micca is very sad that their 16 year old dog died last Thursday.
Dianna Dunn still is in Spain.
Amir Famili worked for Habitat for Humanity in the rain this week. He noted that four more houses have passed inspection.
Nick Millward said that Brisbane is cold. He is coming to the end of the semester. Next he goes to Canberra. After that he goes to Taiwan for a week and then to Mongolia for 2-1/2 months.
OPENING:
President Gail Micca started the meeting at 7:30 A.M.
Pres. Gail gave a very nice invocation.
Nick Millward led us in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the U.S.
Amir Famili led us in the recitation of the Four-way Test, and added “Is it Fun?”
CELEBRATIONS:
Pres. Gail displayed the list of October member celebration events. The list is shown below.
AWRC HOLIDAY PARTY:
Pres. Gail said that we are holding our annual Christmas party at Twin Lakes C.C. The date is Friday, Dec. 2nd. Registration will be ready in two weeks.
We need volunteers to work on this event’s planning.
SNACKPACKING IS BACK:
Our first snack packing event will be at Parkland H.S next Wednesday, October 12th.
If anyone wants to help, they should email Gail Micca at president@allentownwestrotary.org Or Diana Dunn at dunndianas@gmail.com
Additionally, we could use some help with the Northwestern Snackpacking on October 19th (shopping a moving food to Jean Machamer or the school).
HIGHWAY CLEAN-UP:
Sharon Goldner will lead this event this coming Saturday Oct 8th. It will run from 7:30 A.M. to about 11:00 A.M.
GREEN THUMB GARDEN:
Pres. Gail will harvest what’s left tomorrow and Friday. Then it will be shut down. Gail would welcome some company to help there.
CASINO NIGHT:
A survey seeking feedback will be e-mailed to us today.
We netted about $21,000 which is quite good.
We may decide to do it again next year, and announce a date in the next few weeks. This would allow sponsors to put us in their budgets before year-end.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE EVENTS:
- Fall Fest- October 1- South Whitehall Township- 11am- 3pm
- Looking for craft vendors
- Looking for Sponsors as well
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- Smooth on Tour- October 12 11am- 1pm
- Conversations over Cornhole- October 19- Rotary
- Halloween Mixer by Delta Hotels – October 26 from 5-7p
- Costume Contest, winner gets an overnight stay with dinner, drinks, and breakfast
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- Influencer Luncheon- November- tentatively at Bear Creek- waiting for confirmation more info to come
- EPCC & WLCC holiday Luncheon- December 14 11am- 1pm Brookside Country Club
- EPCC & WLCC Movie Tavern Mixer- January 18 5pm- 8pm
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- Chamber Night at Board and Brush Allentown- February 1 5:30pm- 8:30pm
PARLAND C.A.R.E.S.:
Oct 8th is their next event. Karen and Katrina need 2 more volunteers.
MULTI-CLUB MEMBERSHIP EVENT:
“Conversations Over Cornhole”, will happen on October 19th. It will be a cornhole tournament and get-together in Center Valley at the Stone Farm Cellars and Vineyards from 5:30 to 8:00 P.M. So bring member candidates as your guests. Gail Micca needs help setting things up.
There is no entrance fee. And you can purchase food and drink there.
POLIO ERADICATION RUN / WALK etc:
The Lehigh Valley Passport RC is managing the district Purple Pinkie 5K RACE event which will be on October 15th.
The other activities planned for this year include non-competitive walks, runs and bike trips “On The Trails” in the Reading area. The Pottstown RC is managing the day. Registration is $40, and includes a lunch.
KINGDOM LIFE FOOD DISTRIBUTION:
Jean Masiko needs volunteers for October 15th.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY:
A “Women’s Build” event is on October 18th which will teach attendees various carpentry skills.
They always can use volunteers on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. And they will teach you any needed skills.
MEALS ON WHEELS:
The schedule is set. Helen always can use substitute members to fill a void once in a while.
HAPPY DOLLARS:
Gwenn Carr said that the Souderton RC raised $3,000 for STEM-YEA.
The 2023 event will run from Thursday to Sunday.
Mike Orbin, after two years, is out as Chair. Rolf S. now is the Chair.
Ralph Witcher is happy that Peter Wohlsen did a great job this morning with his Classification Talk.
NEXT MORNING MEETING:
Wednesday October 12 IN PERSON at Madeline’s in Fogelsville starting at 7:30 A.M. Come early and talk around.
Our program will be Len Gieseler, District Governor of our Rotary District 7430 for his Official Visit this year.
PROGRAM:
Program Chair, Ralph Witcher, asked Gary Englehardt to introduce new member Peter Wohlsen, Owner at Wohlsen Design to give his Classification Talk.
Peter grew up outside Philadelphia, in Ambler, PA, graduated from Wissahickon High School, attended West Chester University, and graduated from the Art Institute of Philadelphia in 1982.
After graduation, his first job was at North American Publishing Company on Broad Street in Philadelphia as a staff artist for Printing Impressions Magazine. He also spent some years working for advertising agencies before working for Air Products and Chemicals. After that, he was employed as a Graphic Designer for eight years in the Visual Communications Department.
After his experience at Air Products, he was employed by the Geiger Companies to produce a 300-page catalog as well as develop external communications for the company. This was valuable experience towards opening his own business after the Geiger Companies were acquired.
Peter’s first client was the turnaround firm brought in the bank, Nachman Hays Brownstein. He also retained business from the owners of the Geiger Companies, who were developing a new fertilizer company. Through these horticultural connections, he acquired other clients such as Palram Americas. He has had the privilege of doing many diverse types of projects for these clients, including printed communications, digital design, e-mail marketing, trade show-related design, and other endeavors.
Peter came to the Lehigh Valley after High School as his father, an Executive Vice President at Industrial Valley Bank, was sent to conduct a merger. His mother was a career counselor and had her own business, Career Professional, Incorporated. He has two siblings; his brother Tom is a Regional Facility Manager at Jones Lang LaSalle. His sister is an attorney and former Assistant City Solicitor for the City of Allentown.
Peter’s interests include reading, current events, and history, and he is an avid cyclist.
peter says “I was inducted into Rotary on August 24, 2022, after being sponsored by Gwenn and Gary. I had met Gary many years ago at a networking function and I was fortunate enough to build a website for the Pegasus Organization. As many of you will know, Gary and Gwenn are also heavily involved with Engineers Without Borders Lehigh Valley Professional Chapter. Gary asked me to also create a website for EWB-LVP, which I did, and bringing us to the present, called me again for an overhaul of the website last year.”
“It’s a great thing to have their support and I think we achieved something professional looking for the club. Gary started talking to me about the STEM-YEA initiative, which I sure thought is something badly needed and a great cause to be able to make this kind of event available to kids who under normal circumstances would not have a shot at it. “
“As I told Gary, it was a new and perhaps the best experience using my skillset to be a part of an initiative like this, seeing the last day of camp and all the parents and students assembled there as a culmination of a simple idea developed in a Rotary club. It was around this time that Gary invited me to a meeting, and I was suitably impressed with what I saw there. “
“I had known about Rotary since I was small, but I did not really know what it was that went on at Rotary. I was pleased when Gary said he would sponsor me to become a member, having seen the good Rotary does in our local community and around the world. I found it to be an uplifting experience sitting in on a meeting that Gary had invited me to, Gail greeted me, and it just seemed to me to be a great room of people interested in making the world a better place. “
Peter noted that his Mom is 92 and lives on her own. He also grew up with his Grandfather being a Rotarian, and he was a Youth Exchange student to Sweden.
CLOSING:
Pres. Gail led us in reciting our motto “One profits most who serves best,” and adjourned the meeting..
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