Geneseo Rotary Club Newsletter

Transcription

1 Geneseo Rotary Club Newsletter Club 4780 of District December 2010 Birthdays Dorothy Welch Dec. 9 Sid Symington Dec. 17 Mo Dalton Dec. 20 ************* Wedding Anniversary David Woods Dec. 20th Upcoming Programs December 6th Milt Matthews Dist. Governor Hospitality Program December 20th to be announced. December 27th No Meeting Rotary Archive Arthur Frederick Sheldon, who joined the Rotary Club of Chicago in 1908, articulated many of the guiding principles of Rotary, including his doctrine that He profits most who serves best. The principle was adopted at the second Rotary Convention. In 2004 the Rotary International Council on Legislation modified the wording to read: They Profit Most Who Serve Best. Geneseo Rotary Holiday Buffet December 13th Valley Oak Event Center (Quality Inn)) 4242 Lakeville Road Cocktails: 6-7:00 pm Dinner: 7:00 pm Sheldon s ambitions were boundless and his convictions profound. Some of his ideas came like flashes of electricity; others through slow evolution. Paul P. Harris

2 P a g e 2 50/50 Winner$ November 1st-Howard Stewart November 8th-Howard Stewart November 15th PP Art Hatton November 22nd-Margie Wallin* November 29th-Pam Widmer *Margie also won the Jackpot! November Club Donation$ $150 to Geneseo Central School District PTA for assistance in purchasing tiles for Square 1 Art in Elementary School Wall of Art $250 to Compeer of Livingston County. Honeoye Lake Rotary Holiday Bazaar Saturday, December 11th 10:30-11:30 am for children to age 14 11:30am-1:00 pm for all First Day of Winter December 21st Honeoye Central School Cafeteria Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day The Newsletter masthead background is the historic Big Tree Inn decorated for the holiday season. Tuesday, December 7th

3 P a g e 3 Pres. Matt s Musings Building communities, bridging continents. In keeping with that, this year s R.I. theme, the Geneseo Rotary Club has made a $1,000 donation toward assisting the purchase of five solar panels for families of Fuente de Pino. Fuente de Pino is a women s cooperative whose 22 members hand make traditional pine needle baskets in the mountains of Nicaragua near the city of El Sauce. El Sauce happens to be a sister city to Rochester. In 2008, a partnership was cemented between SUNY Geneseo and El Sauce in the form of a Study Abroad program. Since then, over 60 students have gone to El Sauce. Some have traveled as part of their academic studies and others have gone as part of the Service Learning program that the college has developed there. A student named Kellan Morgan traveled there with a SUNY group in 2006 and subsequently fell in love with the community. He moved there in 2007 and became the point person overseeing the El Sauce-SUNY Geneseo program. Since that time, Kellan and Yacarely Mairena (a young Nicaraguan woman who works with him in El Sauce) have worked hard to make a difference in the lives of the people there. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere (only Haiti is more poverty stricken) where extreme poverty is commonplace in both urban and rural settings. Unemployment in El Sauce hovers around 35-40%, mirroring the poor economic conditions countrywide. Those lucky enough to have jobs earn between $2 and $3 US per day, while the Nicaraguan government estimates that a family of four requires approx. $540 US per month to survive. Why is there a need? Through this donation, five families will be able to purchase the panels and bring electricity to families that would not otherwise have it. The women themselves have to pay for 40% of the panel s total cost, including installation, of $333. This financial commitment will imbue a sense of ownership, empowerment and also increase the numbers of families being helped. The installations will be done by EOS International (EOS=Emerging Opportunities for Sustainability), a non-profit organization promoting sustainable technology in the developing world. Depending upon the time of year, daylight in the community is about 11 to 13 hours. Women cannot work during the night to make their baskets at present and this will afford them the opportunity to do that. Additionally, their children will be able to read and do homework at night and they will be able to have family time at the end of the day with light. Beyond this, a cultural tradition could more easily be passed down from one generation to the next, as mothers teach daughters the art of basket making. Probably the most tangible benefit will be less of reliance upon burning wood fires at night for light. According to the World Health Organization, indoor pollutants released from the burning of solid fuels claim 1.6 million lives per year across the globe. Respiratory problems are common among people exposed to these pollutants. Families in El Sauce find it hard to afford candles that cost a few cordobas, maybe 8-10 cents each, and are unable to rely upon them for light. The solar panels, in concert with the solar ovens in use that have been subsidized by many Rotary clubs, will significantly reduce the emissions and also the deforestation of the countryside. Between 1950 and 1990, one half of the forest cover in Nicaragua has been eliminated. (cont. page 4)

4 P a g e 4 Thanks to a meeting set up by Tim McMahon, I will have the opportunity to meet Kellan and Yacarely to chat about their work, as they are visiting the U.S. for a brief time this week. I have invited a member of the local press to draw awareness to their efforts and also talk of Rotary s involvement. Tim will be visiting Nicaragua again in January and will update me upon his return as to how our donation has been brought to life to date. I will apprise all at that point and share photos as well. Through this donation, we will be helping a number of families in a community across the globe to raise their standard of living via sustainable means. Through this donation, we will also be helping to preserve a cultural heritage and traditional way of life through the introduction of what is a given for our culture electricity. Quite an impact indeed. I hope that this is not merely a transaction that dies after this donation. This represents an opportunity for the Geneseo Rotary Club to foster an ongoing relationship with a community in need. Through this donation we are building communities and bridging continents. Rochester Deaf Rotary Club s Pancake Breakfast with Santa Saturday, December 4th 8:00am-11:00am 1969 South Clinton Avenue, Rochester Merry Christmas To All! December 25th Tickets: $6.00 ea.u Under 10: Free Holiday Buffet Decorations Dorothy Welch is making table decorations for our holiday buffet. If you would like to help, please give her a call at

5 P a g e 5 Rotaract Club Adopt-A-Family For Thanksgiving Service Project Members of the SUNY Geneseo Rotaract Club collected Thanksgiving food for a local needy family. The items included canned goods, fresh veggies, bread, rolls, cranberry sauce, dressing, gravy, a turkey and pies. The food basket was delivered to the family (a single mom and two children) on Saturday, November 20th. Hanukkah Begins at Sundown December 1st New Members Inducted Into Club On Monday, November 15 two new members, Tim Hayes and Tracy Carlini were inducted into our Club by DG Jeff Krans. Tim is School Superintendent at Geneseo Central and Tracy is a Business Administrator at Geneseo Central. Their sponsors were Darcy Lynch and Pam Widmer, respectively. Tim s father, Robert Hayes (a member of the Avon Rotary Club) was also present at the meeting. (Photos by Bob Lyon). DG Jeff Krans, Darcy Lynch, Tim Hayes, Robert Hayes DG Jeff Krans, Tracy Carlini, Pam Widmer Local Veterans Honored on November 8th. Over twenty-five local veterans, representing various branches of service, were invited guests for lunch at our Club meeting on Monday, November 8th. PP Dave Parish led the program which honored them for their service to our country. On behalf of the veterans, Roger Johnson thanked the Club for hosting the event and PP Margaret McCaughey for organizing it. NOTE: Thanks also to PP Dick Gallivan for printing the invitations.

6 P a g e 6 December Events Salvation Army Bell Ringing 12/3-12/18 * * * * * * * * Food Basket Distribution Dec.18th, 2-4:00pm Holiday Sing Along Dec. 3rd 6:00 p.m. Food Pantry Day Monday, December 6th Nunda Rotary Club Annual Free Food Raffle Drawing to be held on December 14th for $350, $100 and $50 coupons redeemable at the Nunda Shurfine Tickets are $1.00 ea. or 6 for $5.00 Proceeds to benefit the Nunda Annual Community Christmas Basket project. Rotaract Club Members Attend Meeting As part of the New Generations Avenue of Service, SUNY Geneseo Rotaract members Vanessa Amaral and Nicole Kenney attended our Club meeting on November 15. Vanessa is the Treasurer of the Rotaract Club; she is also the recipient of the Geneseo Rotary Club Rotaract Scholarship. Nicole was the member of an Interact Club while in high school and served as the Club s Secretary during her junior year.

7 P a g e 7 Rotary/Kiwanis Halloween Parade A very chilly evening greeted the participants of the Halloween Parade held on Sunday, October 31st. Prizes were awarded by judges Howard Stewart, Kiwanis President Mike Tenalio and Geneseo Mayor Richard Hatheway. Cider and doughnuts were enjoyed in the Village Park. (Photos submitted by Mary Kay Yanik). The Following Thank You Letters Were Received During the Month of November: From 3rd Graders at Geneseo Central School for dictionaries they received. From Vanessa Amaral and Sophia Hutnik for Geneseo Rotary Club Rotaract Scholarships. PP Kurt Fletcher Margie Wallin From Sarah Dieter for a Geneseo Rotary Club Scholarship. From Linda James on behalf of Tim Hayes, Superintendent at Geneseo Central School, for our donation to Rachel s Challenge Program. From 3rd Graders at York Central School for dictionaries they received. From the Commander of the Geneseo VFW Post for our Club hosting the luncheon honoring veterans. Parade participants in the Village Park Additional photos are on the Club s webpage. The deadline for the January Newsletter is Thursday, December 23rd. *********

8 P a g e 8 MEET OUR VISITING DISTRICT GOVERNOR ELECT Shirani and DGE Gehan Siribaddana Yenuli and Oneli Siribaddana Rotarian Gehan Siribaddana began his Rotary career as the Charter Secretary of the Rotary Club of Battaramulla in 2002 and He has also served as Treasurer and Club Service Director and club President in 2006/2007. During his presidency the club was named the Best Club in the District and he won the Best President of the District award in addition to 11 other citations and awards. Gehan also won the coveted PDG Gemunu Gunathilleke Memorial Trophy awarded to the Most outstanding Rotarian of the year in 2006/2007. He served as the District Chairman of Annual Program Fund, Road Safety in 2005/06, World Community Service in 2006/07, Community Service in 2007/08, New Club Extension in 2008/09 and District Secretary 2009/10. During his term as the Chairman for New Club Extension 5 new clubs were chartered. DGE Gehan chaired the Fund raising Committees of Rotary Club of Battaramulla in 2005 and 2006 and donated a sum of Rs. 2 Million ($20,000 USD) to the District Rotary Center. He has attended 3 Rotary Institutes in Colombo, Goa and Kochin. He has also attended RI Conventions in Barcelona, Spain; Birmingham, UK; and Montreal, Canada. DGE Gehan had his primary and secondary education at St. Peters College, Colombo. Whilst at school he excelled in Cricket, Hockey and Debating. He was a Senior Prefect and a House Captain. In the years 1996/7 and 1997/8, he was the General Secretary of the St Peters College Old Boys Union. He is a qualified Marketer and counts 25 years of experience in the Automobile trade in Sri Lanka. Presently he is a Director of Prestige Automobile and Hyundai Lanka. DGE Gehan was also involved in Sports administration and served as the Secretary of Mercantile Cricket Association for 5 years from 1988 to 1993 and was its youngest President in 1998 to He also served the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka as an Ex-Co member and Treasurer in 1999 and He loves traveling, driving and playing golf when time permits. He is married to Shirani, a house wife and they are blessed with two daughters Oneli and Yenuli who are students at British School in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Shirani, Oneli, and Yenuli will be traveling to Geneseo with DGE Gehan. They will be with us January 11-15, (Submitted by Charles Tyo)

9 P a g e 9 New Paul Harris Fellows ur Club s newest recipients of a O Paul Harris Fellow were presented by DG Jeff Krans to Bob Lyon and PP Dave Parish on November 15. This award was PP Dave s eighth Paul Harris Fellow. Both donations to The Rotary Foundation will be used to support the PolioPlus Program, a global effort founded by Rotary International in 1985 to eradicate polio. After the awards were presented, DG Jeff gave a brief overview of The Foundation and its mission. The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on December 2nd. DG Jeff Krans Bob Lyon AG, PP Chris Rider (Photo by Diane Krans) December is Family Month. Family Month celebrates the family of Rotary, which in addition to individual Rotarians, includes all of those who are involved in Rotary s work from Rotary Foundation program alumni to participants in Rotary Youth programs in thousands of communities around the world. DG Jeff Krans PP Dave Parish (Photo by Bob Lyon)

10 P a g e 10 Winter Family Fun Event Sponsored by Good Neighbor Committee Livingston Lanes, Lakeville Rd. December 29th 11:00 am 1:00 pm The next meeting of the Good Neighbor Committee will be held at the Community Center in the new Goodwill Store. KUDOS to Bill Brummett who will be the next President of the Livingston County Historical Society and Museum, Geneseo. Former Rotarian Bob Pascoe passed away on November 9th. Memorials to American Cancer Society or United Methodist Churches in Perry or Geneseo. Register By 12/15 and Save! Additional thank you letters from third graders for their dictionaries are on the Club s Literacy web page.