MEETING NOTES FROM LUNCH AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
This week's meeting was one of the busiest we have had in months. We did a "meet and eat," and we even ran a couple of minutes long, but it was worth every moment.
Please note that we will consolidate several announcements at the end of this week's bulletin/newsletter so that you have all of the "bullet items" in one place for reference.
The coming months are busy in general as we move from a candy holiday to a pie holiday and on to the alcohol at Midnight holiday -- with our club they will be also.
Worth adding, our new Social Committee Leader, the dynamic Kristy Hayzlett, gave us a PAPER CALENDAR! (Yay; some of us LOVE paper calendars!).
Kristy is pulling together our events as a club into a social calendar that also includes other local social events that might be of interest. She also provided a color-coded key to the calendar to help us understand if an event is a Club event or something for which they must acquire a ticket.
Thanks, Kristy! If we are unable to attach the calendar to The Wheel Spinner, we will send it in an email from Kristy via ClubRunner.
Our inspiration was given by Jeanie Taylor. She did such a good job reminding us of the value of self-talk.
Being gentle to yourself "in your head" is important. Take time to quiet your mind. It is getting close to the hectic holiday season.
For some it may be a difficult time, for most it is a busy time. Do not let negativity diminish you accidentally. There is much evidence-based research and writing on the topic and, again, the big takeaway was her closing comments when she said, "Do not say anything to yourself that you would not say to someone else." This, Jeanie, is excellent advice.
We were joined by a number of guests and visiting Rotarians last week. Bill Simmermon brought his friend, Justin, again. Justin is still contemplating joining us. We hope he will.
Tom had a guest. Apologies to him that we cannot read our handwriting (!) to add the guest's name.
Bob Evans is visiting from the Littleton Club and mentioned they are meeting in a new location. Bob was also celebrating with us, as his mom just had a 97th birthday! Betsy Alexander joined us as did Win from Flyin' B and our dear Filippo was here thanks to Alan.
We were delighted to see the surprise on Kari Brown's face as we finally were able to see her after a busy period of travel. Kari did NOT expect to be the recipient of The Rock. She is certainly deserving of it! If you do not know, Kari is one of those marvelous members who gives quietly of her time and talent and who does not expect or seek recognition. She works very hard "behind the scenes" to help all of our web-based technology work. She helped during the Peach season when our website and ClubRunner were "challenging" and she helps us here at The (small but mighty) Wheel Spinner almost every week. (Plus, she brought us a souvenir from Tokyo, which was kind!) Congratulations, Kari, and thanks for all you do.
Next in the batting order was "Big" John. As our RI Delegate/Representative, he shared important facts about our work on PolioPlus. Last Thursday was World Polio Day. John gave us a sheet full of facts. Chief among them, since 1988:
-More than 3 BILLION children have been immunized.
-More than 18 Million people who are now healthy would have been paralyzed or died.
-Rotarians have contributed $2.1 BILLION to our PolioPlus efforts.
-Rotarians have advocated with national governments to contribute more than $10 Billion.
Important to note currently:
-there were 7 cases reported from January 2022-June 2023, in Afghanistan.
-There were 21 cases in the same period in Pakistan.
-PolioPlus funds 91% of the WHO immunized staff in Africa.
Please continue (or begin) your donations. If you want to donate online, please go to myrotary.org/donate and click on "Polio Fund" to complete the form.
You may also send a check:
The Rotary Foundation
1560 Sherman Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201-3698
If you have questions, please contact John Kennett at johnkennett3@gmail.com or you may contact him at 408-621-0198.
We were also joined by Todd McPherson of IFCS. Debby introduced him and they both provided a great deal of information about the ongoing they do and that we do as volunteers through that organization. Todd showed a video they use to promote their work and it was FULL of images of our own club's "Rotarians at Work." You all should be proud of the work we (and they) are doing. If you are new to the club, please reach out to a club leader to find out how you can help this work.
Our club's $12,000 will fund the $25 gift cards they will be gifting in November.
Please consider helping when you see information (coming soon) asking for help. Specifically, they are doing an event on November 23, 2024, at Arapahoe Community College, where there will be a drive-thru food distribution. The planning and work that will go into this is amazing, and the recipients will be given food for holiday meals along with those gift cards.
As we continued our lunch, the program moved to NCOA and an award to Tom Keyton and Jim Kelly for their work on behalf of the Knights of the Round Table.
Wrapping up the program, our "Keynote" was Laura Linville on behalf of The Backpack Society of Douglas County. This "small but mighty" 501(c)3 is supported by our club and our satellites. Laura is a substitute teacher and local mom. She told us all about this organization that is volunteer-driven and born of the need in our community where we know 1 in 9 children needs help with meals.
Of course, we all perceive Douglas County to be an affluent place with successful upper/middle-class people, however, it was not lost on us to hear that the elementary school in Lone Tree (closest to our lunch spot) is among the highest-ranked in free and reduced lunches. She reminded us that even in the lovely homes we all see around us, when the main breadwinner suffers a work disruption or job loss, those families often fall quickly and hard on tough times.
We appreciate that this small non-profit is empowering young people quietly in school with discrete packages/bags that go into their backpacks to help them eat when they are not at school.
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Do you know what PEN stands for?
Maybe you do not. Maybe you do not want to ask; so, let us explain. PEN stands for President-Elect Nominee. This is a vital leadership role and we must (soon) choose our next PEN.
While it may sound daunting, it is a vital role and it is not as demanding as one might expect. We have a legacy group of strong and engaged Past Presidents to guide the next club leader.
It is almost time to announce PEN nominees and WE NEED YOU! Please consider nominating yourself or nominate someone you believe could serve in this role. The Rotary year begins in July and we will be making our final choices this coming month. Please contact President Arthur or Past President Bob if you are interested or would like to put forth a nomination.
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Family of Rotary:
Also, Tim Sparks is battling pneumonia. He will be moving from Skyridge to a rehab facility Janes said soon. So if you have a moment to check in with him, they might appreciate that.
Ann Lester has begun radiation in her ongoing battle with her illness. She will be moving into a study to explore other care options but they remain optimistic. She has no symptoms and they are planning a trip to Wimbledon in June of 2025!
We also noted that President Arthur's brother is recovering in Virginia from a neck reconstruction, which is why Arthur was away at the previous meeting. We wish the whole Cone family health and healing.
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It is a great day to be a Rotarian; make it fun!
See you next week, friends.
Please have a wonderful Halloween, Diwali, Day of the Dead, All Souls' Day or just a nice Friday and a good weekend!
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