Today was a Zoom meeting with 26 people on line.
Pres. Gail Micca opened the meeting at 7:30 A.M. And she welcomed us all.
GUESTS ON LINE:
Nick Millward, friend of the club; and Alicia Ruiz Orbin, Emmaus RC.
OPENING:
Kathy Ott gave a very nice invocation. Then Pres. Gail led us in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the U.S.
Pres. Gail then led us in the recitation of the Four Way Test to which we added “Is it fun?”
AWRC HISTORY STORY:
Ernie Boll delivered today’s story about our past meeting sites.
NEW MEETING SITE PLAN:
Pres. Gail announced that arrangements have been made for AW Rotarians and friends to meet IN-PERSON at the Starlight Diner on Route 100 for the two October, and two November meetings. Two food options will be available to select from upon arrival.
CELEBRATIONS:
Pres. Gail displayed the list of September member events.
CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT IS TOMORROW AT 8 OAKS:
AND BRING YOUR GENTLY USED BASEBALL/SOFTBALL EQUIPMENT DONATIONS TOO.
ROTARY MEANS BUSINESS:
This is our first social event with 3 other RCs. And members from the Chamber of Commerce. Please bring your friends. A cornhole contest will be attempted. And the food will be very special and fantastic.
Walk-ins are most welcome to add to the 60 registrations now made.
THE YVETTE M. PALMER PURPLE PINKIE D7430 ANNUAL 5K ON OCTOBER 2nd:
Race Director, John Scott, has said that the race and walk will take place on the Schnecksville Fair Grounds near LCCC in the morning. The route includes going across a covered bridge. OktoberFest will follow.
Please register for the race. AND note that there is a virtual option this year for a lesser fee and no Tee-Shirt.
And we need volunteers to help, and donations for prizes, and sponsors for the Tee-Shirts.
John said that over $30,000 is pledged and over 60 runners and walkers are signed up.
JOB OPENINGS:
Herb Klotz and John Scott will not continue to lead this ANNUAL d7430 Purple Pinkie 5K Race. These two positions are open for members to fill.
YOUR SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES:
There is an updated list of service opportunities in the coming weeks: on the left side of this bulletin.
Pres. Gail needs 2 people to pick up the produce and deliver it to Parkland C.A.R.E.S. on October 9. She will be biking for funds. Karen Rodgers has signed up; who else ??
Our next Highway cleanup and Kingdom Life Food delivery are on the same Saturday, October 16. Nick Millward is chairing the clean-up effort. Jean Masiko needs volunteers that morning.
Our Garden clean-up work will be on October 17th. Please help.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY:
Amir Famili emphasized that this work is for a really good cause. They need volunteers each week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
FUNDRAISING:
Chair, Len Salines, has said that we need many, many prizes for the events coming up. Please donate.
Casino Night at the Wheels Museum in January planning of table arrangements and food items is done.
MEALS ON WHEELS:
Kathy Ott said that on Oct 12 and 19 our new program starts.
On Oct 5th at 11:00 a.m. there will be an Orientation meeting by the M.O.W. people. Volunteers still are needed. In the future possibly we can do weekly service.
SNACK PACKING:
Snack packing at Parkland will be on Wednesday, Oct 13th. Workers must wear masks. She now has 5 volunteers, but needs more AW Rotarians-- from 2 to 4 PM.
BASEBALL IN MONGOLIA:
Nick Millward still seeks donations. So far some good items are now here, including some youth jerseys and hats donated by the Iron Pigs, thanks to Tori Morgan.
The stuff will be boxed up in October and shipped out in November.
You can bring them to 8 Oaks on Sept. 30.
GAIL’S BIKING CHALLENGES:
Gail said the work for the coming year fundraising is just getting started. She has committed to a 350 mile bike trail ride from Niagara Falls to Albany NY from Oct 3-9. That's 60 miles a day.
Gail has $2,000 in pledges so far, and needs more. The first $3,000 will be matched.
If you haven't sponsored Gail yet or you'd like to throw some more $$ in support of this effort, please let Gail know. The next fundraiser will be targeted for Youth programs in our community. As you know, this is a big part of what we do at Allentown West Rotary and we need to get the ball rolling for next year!
HAPPY DOLLARS & NEWS:
Halyna Stegura had her medical procedure 7 days ago, and every day since has been different.
Gail Micca’s brother makes cornhole sets. He has done 5 so far.
Halyna had a plate of Kathy Ott’s cake balls -- and ate way too much -- with a smile.
Gail Micca said that 8 members of the Slatington RC are coming to our 8 Oaks event.
Halyna also is happy to be with us today to hear our guest speaker.
Alicia Ruiz Orbin is happy to be here and hear the speaker.
Katrina Sundstrom is happy about their daughter’s accomplishments playing golf.
Gail Mica is happy that their daughter took first place in the Art in the Park event.
Bill Palmer is happy to report that the YTD wild polio virus cases are still at ONE id Pakistan and ONE in Afghanistan. He confirmed with RI that these figures are valid. Good stuff.
STATUS OF MORNING MEETINGS:
The first and third Wednesday meetings in October and November will be via Zoom. The second and fourth will be in-person at the Starlight Diner.
We may add some Dining Out meetings to provide in-person conversations.
NEXT MORNING MEETING:
Wednesday October 6, 2021 via Zoom starting at 7:30 a.m. but you can come on at 7:15. Our program will be Keiichi Sato, Founder & President - NGO Monti-Sand Education for Better Life for Mongolian Children
PROGRAM:
Program Chair, Ralph Witcher introduced:
Jennifer Sinclair, Program Director, Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley discussed Psychological Stress and Cancer
Jen Sinclair received a Bachelor's of the Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor's of the Arts in Criminal Justice from Bloomsburg University in 1997. In 1999, she completed a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from Temple University in Philadelphia. She worked in a variety of counseling settings.
She has participated in home-based mental health counseling, family intervention/preservation programming, and school-based counseling. She became a National Board Certified Counselor in 2003, and a Licensed Professional Counselor in 2004.
Jen started at The Wellness Community - Greater Lehigh Valley in 2004 as a Support Group Facilitator. This organization is a part of larger network of affiliates providing free programs of support and education to people living with cancer and their friends/family.
Since they were a new affiliate at the time, Jen enjoyed starting new groups such as the Caregiver Group, Kids Circle monthly group, and a Writing Workshop. In 2008, she became the Assistant Program Director, and then subsequently became the Program Director in 2009. In that time, the organization changed their name to Cancer Support Community.
In the past 2 years, Jen has collaborated with a number of other non-profit organizations serving adults and children who have been affected by cancer. Through these collaborations, she was involved in the initiative to start a Spanish speaking monthly group along with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in the Allentown area, engaged in offsite programming, and enhanced our children/teen/family programs.
Through special funding through the Susan G. Komen for the Cure grant, their organization has offered several overnight retreats for breast cancer survivors and their co-survivors. These retreats have allowed Jen to focus even more on her interest in the emotional needs of cancer survivors. She has been able to use creative expression techniques and psychodrama to help couples explore their feelings about changes that have occurred after a cancer diagnosis. She is also interested in long-term cancer survivorship issues.
Their organization has offered several series that focus on long-term effects of treatment, and addresses coping skills to help renew a sense of wellbeing after treatment ends. During this series and in several educational workshops given within the organization, she has presented on the topics of self-care for caregivers, intimacy and sexuality during and after treatment, and emotional wellbeing throughout survivorship. She has also presented on cancer-related topics to civic organization, local hospitals, teachers, and guidance counselors.
In addition to the Cancer Support Community, Jen worked in an outpatient group practice, focusing on anxiety disorders, bereavement, and trauma. As part of a team with other licensed social workers and counselors, Jen work with many couples and families facing a variety of challenges.
During this presentation Jen explained how psychological stress affects people who have cancer. Then she covered what are the common signs of distress in people affected by cancer.
Jen also explained how the Cancer Support Community of the Greater Lehigh Valley helps families overcome cancer related stress with effective relaxation exercises.
Jen answered some questions and received applause too.
CLOSING:
Pres. Gail led us in reciting our motto “One profits most who serves best.” Then she rang the imaginary bell to closed the meeting.