Today was a Zoom meeting with 38 people on line. After some conversations President Ralph Witcher opened the meeting at 7:30 A.M.
GUESTS ON LINE:
Capt. Nick Millward, Rotary Peace Fellowship winner calling in from Japan; Andy Phillips, guest of the club; Mike Orbin, Allentown RC: Tori Morgan, Ethel Dayton-Craig, Lisa Walton, and Bill MacNair from E.W.B.
HAPPY DOLLARS AND COMMENTS:
Gail Micca, our President-Elect has just completed her PETS meetings.
Gwenn Carr and Gary Englehardt were calling in from their NJ residence where it was 66 degrees yesterday.
Nick Millward said that the Japanese there are about to start vaccinations. Nick’s Command are being vaccinated and will be overseeing the community vaccination efforts.
Nick also said that no foreigners will be allowed to attend the Olympic games. The games will be held, but some events will not.
Ron Coleman said that in the Real Estate business it still is a “Sellers’ Market.”
Bill Weber said that there are only 26 properties currently up for sale on the whole Hilton Head island.
Gwenn Carr is happy that we have Mike Orbin with us today to speak about STEM YEA.
Sue Weber welcomed our guests, and is happy to hear Mike’s story.
Bill Weber extends greetings from their H.H. sunset Rotary Club.
Herb Klotz is happy to report that AWRC members so far have committed to $1,500 for his Trail Hike fundraiser for TRF’s Annual Fund-SHARE.
Amir Famili extends thanks to our volunteers who have been painting houses for Habitat for Humanity.
Gail Micca, still in North Dakota, is happy to report that her Mom now is doing the stairs.
Tom Friday thanks Marlene Heller for helping them schedule their covid19 vaccinations for tomorrow.
Tori Morgan’s daughter is a Nursing student at Villanova and soon will come home and be at LVHN.
Marlene Heller congratulated Gail Micca. Marlene was on a Public Image Zoom meeting last evening and for 10 minutes the only thing discussed was P-E Gail whom they had just met at PETS. Gail thanks AWRC for the support.
OPENING:
Pres. Ralph gave a very nice invocation. Then he led us in the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S.
CELEBRATION DATES:
Pres. Ralph displayed the list of March members and their celebration dates. We applauded.
Pres. Ralph again said “The world needs more Rotarians.”
WOMEN OF INFLUENCE AWARD:
Tori Morgan, South Whitehall Township Commissioner in Lehigh County, has been selected as a Woman of Influence, said Pres. Ralph. Congratulations.
STEM STORY:
Mike Orbin of the Allentown RC made a presentation about a new youth program in our District. The STEM Youth Explorer Academy is a program to provide a four day-three night residential camp for middle school students throughout District 7430. It does not replace Camp Neidig; it is in addition. The first camp is planned for July 2022. The Exploratory Committee has done a great job lining up sponsors such as the Scientific Research Institute at Albright and the SETI Institute in California (www.seti.org). The intent is for this camp to occur every summer. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
MEMBERSHIP:
Pres. Ralph welcomed our guests who were on with us today.
PROJECTS:
Amir Famili and others once again are painting houses for Habitat for Humanity. Many volunteer opportunities still are open.
Amir delivered over 320 lbs. of produce to the Lowhill Food Pantry.
Gwen and John Pongracz collected their Valentine’s Day prizes with a Lasagna dinner for four by Kathy Ott, plus a great cake by Cathy.
CAMP NEIDIG (RYLA):
Camp Neidig will be held in May. Our AWRC Mike Gschwendtner has been transferred and now we need a leader from our club to step up and work on this district-wide annual event for High School Juniors.
APPALACHIAN TRAIL D7430 FUNDRASER:
PDG Herb Klotz’s AWRC plan to sponsor Herb’s final 110 mile trek as a fundraiser for TRF Annual Fund has been expanded to be a district-wide event. See separate article.
KINGDOM LIFE FOOD CENTER NEEDS YOU:
We hope you can join us this coming Saturday, March 13 to help with distribution of food and supplies at KLFC Food Bank. (The address is 4333 Lime Kiln Rd, Orefield, PA 18069.) We are asking volunteers to arrive at 7:30 a.m. to help us set up and get organized before distribution begins. The clients will be coming by 8:30 a.m. As usual, it will be a drive through and we are required to wear masks and gloves.
Since they had to cancel February's giveaway date because of inclement weather, they will be distributing the food one week earlier in March. Thank you for being flexible.
As a volunteer, please sign in when you arrive and indicate if you would like to receive a thank-you box of food when food giveaway is over. The sign-in sheet will be right inside the door to the right.
If you are planning to join us, please email me by Thursday, March 11 so I can let the director know and look for you on Saturday morning.
Jean Masiko
FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE REQUEST:
I extend an invitation to all members who might have interest in fundraising to get involved in the planning and the organizing of fundraising events for AWRC. Please contact me if you might be interested in getting involved or if you might have any suggestions or questions as we proceed with fundraising idea development.
Over our many years, our club has helped so many of those in need both locally and globally. In order to accomplish those needs, fundraising is a very important component.
The fundraising committee is going to begin developing several ideas to help further our goals, which include SnackPack, local food pantries, the Garden Project, scholarships for local students to name a few of the club's recipients.
It also is time to plan for our club’s 60th anniversary celebration next year in May.
Len Salines, Chair
NATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY:
On March 11th the Emmaus RC will hold a celebration to which we all are urged to attend. Our own Barbara Kistler will be recognized as a former winner.
YOUR SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES:
Service Chair, Gail Micca, asks that you take a look at this section on the left side of this bulletin.
STATUS OF MORNING MEETINGS:
The AWRC B.O.D. has suspended all AWRC face-to-face meetings until further notice. Zoom meetings are now scheduled for each Wednesday at 7:30 A.M.
NEXT MORNING MEETING:
Wednesday March 17, 2021 starting at 7:30 a.m. We will use Zoom to meet. Our program will be Willard Dellicker, Secretary-NW Lehigh Veterans re Update: Northwestern Lehigh Veteran Memorial (Ontelaunee Park)
STATUS OF THURSDAY EVENING MEETING:
No Thursday evening meetings are planned until after the pandemic..
PROGRAM:
Pres. Ralph Witcher had Gail Micca introduce Cathleen Bannon, Lehigh County Community Garden Manager to provide an update on the Lehigh County Garden Plot Program. Gail thanked Cathy for locating a plot for the AWRC garden last year, and for adding 4 plots this year.
Cathleen Bannon has been the Lehigh County Community Garden Manager since January, 2017. She graduated from DeSales University in 1985 with a BS in Computer Science and worked in Information Technology as a Programmer and a Project Manager for a Pharmaceutical Company for over 26 years. She retired from Corporate America in 2012.
She is currently working part-time for Lehigh County Farmland Preservation as the Lehigh County Community Garden Manager. She has been a member of the Bethlehem Garden Club since 2012, and does volunteering at the Miller’s House Garden which is located behind the Hotel Bethlehem at the Luckenbach Mill. Cathleen has been a Master Gardener since 2015.
Cathy has been a member of the Lower Milford Planning Commission since 2016 and Co-chair of the Commission since 2020.
Cathy presented the history of two of the Lehigh County Community Gardens: Jordan Creek and Cedarbrook Community Gardens along with what transpired in 2020 and expectations for 2021.
About the Lehigh County Community Gardens Program:
MISSION
The mission of the Lehigh County Community Gardens Program is to provide citizen access to garden space, to support the production of healthy food for the community, and to promote sustainable gardening practices.
• The Jordan Creek Parkway Community Garden
• The Cedarbrook Community Garden
Lehigh County owns and operates two community garden sites for county residents who need a space to grow their own vegetables.
The Jordan Creek Parkway Community Garden is located along Lehnert Road in Whitehall Township. From the west: Take US Route 22 to the 15th Street exit. Turn left onto Mauch Chunk Road. Drive 1.1 miles to the stoplight at Scherersville Road. Turn right and drive 0.7 miles to the park. Scherersville Road will become Lehnert Road. The garden is on the left side of Lehnert Road.
This site contains 93 garden plots, each measuring 20'x40'. Water is available from a well located along the pathway, midway between the 93 garden plots. Water may also be taken from the Jordan Creek. See Map above for layout.
The Cedarbrook Community Garden is located near the intersection of Cedarbrook Road and Dorney Park Road in South Whitehall Township. From the west: Take Route 309 to the Hamilton Boulevard exit. Turn left on Lincoln Drive, turn right on Dorney Park Road. Go straight into the Cedarbook Institution District. The garden is behind the Maintenance Building, just past Brookview.
This site contains 110 garden plots, each measuring 20'x30'. Water is available from a stock tank, which is in a central location, easily accessed by all the gardeners. Water can also be taken from the nearby Cedar Creek. See Map above for layout.
The annual rental fee for a garden plot at either location is $40.00. Registration forms are sent to current garden plot holders mid-November. ALL Payments must be made at the Fiscal Office on the first floor of the Lehigh County Government Center.
Each site has rules that must be followed in order to keep the garden plots productive and neatly maintained. You will receive a copy when you have paid for your plot. Any questions concerning the site rules should be directed to Cathleen Bannon.
Because all of the garden plots are currently assigned, interested gardeners will have to place their names on a waiting list.
For more information contact: Cathleen Bannon, Community Garden Plot Administrator at 610-336-5680, listen to message for extension, or email her at: cathleenbannon@lehighcounty.org.
CLOSING:
Pres Ralph led us in the saying “One profits most who serves bes
.png)
