To open the meeting, Alan Levenson gave an invocation by reciting a poem about a sea-faring ship caught in a winter storm; then we 'Pledged our Allegiance to the American Flag,' and Meredith Small led us in the patriotic song, “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.”
President Amy Chipman welcomed 43 members, along with Barbara Willey, who was attending as a guest of her husband, PP Jim Willey.
President Amy gave us a reminder that July 1st is the Club’s deadline for paying membership dues and that it’s important that Club members be on time with their payments, so that the Club is not stuck with a shortfall. She presented an idea to send out the dues requests a little earlier in the year to accommodate the lag time between receipt and payment.
President Amy also noted that it’s important to let the Club know as soon as possible, if a member wishes to apply for a ‘Leave of Absence.’
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Matt Tassey (at right in photo at left) ran a smooth weekly raffle, with a pot at over $950. The speaker selected Erik Greven’s name and Erik (at left in photo at left) picked the Ace of Spades out of the deck, leaving the Queen of Hearts alone for another week.President Amy remarked that Michelle Disotto has been calling Portland Rotarians asking if they would provide a ‘Rotary Minute,’ with not many volunteering to offer up their story for why they joined Rotary. Amy volunteered this week to share someone else’s Rotary Minute. She spoke of a Rotary International Director who went to Bombay, India for a Polio Immunization event. The event vied for the Guinness Book of World Records for a 10,000-meter long banner, but more importantly, it was known for having 10,000 volunteers who vaccinated 120,000,000 people under the age of 5 at a rate of 6,000 persons per second. Rotary helped eradicate Polio in India in 2012.
PP Dick Hall (photo at right) told us about his District Governor Training that he and his wife recently attended. He explained that our Club’s District includes parts of the US, parts of Canada, Bermuda, and an island near Newfoundland. He said that approximately 500 Rotarians attended the training event, and he learned about topics such as: public speaking, diversity, leadership, disaster prevention, diversity inclusion, project ownership, and even some charm school lessons. While at the training conference, he was brainstorming about our next Rotary program and project. We all know Dick drinks the Rotary Cool-Aid, but he said it was like drinking Cool-Aid through a water hose. Dick also spoke about the RotaryRocks! District Conference coming up on October 5th. Jeffrey Cadorette is the on the Rotary International Board of Directors and the keynote speaker. The Club is reimbursing people for the registration fee, if you would like to attend. The lineup includes:
- Emily Ruble - speaking on community matters,
- Patrick Ferrano - discussing leadership and Relations
- Jeff Cadorette - talking about paths to change
35 clubs will be displaying their projects, and there will be 12 district program tables, 20 presentations, and two (2) 90-minute experiential learning programs. For more information and to register, go to th District website at: rotary7780.org
Paul Tully (photo at left) updated the Club on the upcoming Veterans’ Appreciation Lunch scheduled for Nov 8th, roughly 6 weeks away. The Cub will hold the luncheon at the Seasons Conference Center and Ramada Inn on Riverside Street in Portland. Paul let us know that there will be screen monitors for the visually impaired, and a solid group of speakers. As it stands now, the following are on the list of speakers:
Gary Crocker, a Professional MC; Governor Janet Mills; John Jennings from the City of Portland; Dough Farnum from the Army National Guard; Bill Nimitz; and Charlie Summers.
Paul said that registration is open to the first 350 people, and he requests that the volunteers sign-up early and also pre-register.
Mike Fortunato (photo at right) reminded us to sign ourselves and our friends up for the Oct 26th Harvest Moon Dance. The tickets are $20 each. Mike has been working on securing the drinks, and he is expecting the food will be provided by a potluck format. Please RSVP to Mike, or contact him if you have questions at: michael.k.fortunato@gmail.com.