Greetings Rotarians! We started today’s meeting off with a classification talk from our newest Rotarian, Ron Line.  Ron is a life-long resident of the area and was an engineer by trade. Thank you to Ron for taking the time to tell us a little about yourself.  We followed Ron’s classification speech with a performance of the critically-acclaimed, one-act play, “Two Ways of Giving”.  Following a script that rivaled the finest works of Neil Simon and Samuel Beckett, the world-renowned Essex Rotary Act One Players delivered a stirring rendition of this classic tale of service, selflessness and the Rotary Foundation.  Through the Oscar-caliber acting of these performers, we learned that the Rotary Foundation is the financial arm of Rotary International and that it is supported by 34,000 clubs and 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide.  Since our formation, our Club has cumulatively donated $87,455.00 to the Rotary Foundation.  Of our 51 members, we currently boast 22 Rotarians who have donated $1,000.00 to the Foundation and attained recognition as Paul Harris Fellows.  Of that total, two have contributed over $2,000.00 and one has contributed over $3,000.00.  We have 17 members who are making regular contributions but have not yet earned recognition as Paul Harris Fellows and 12 members who have not yet started their journey towards a Paul Harris Fellowship.  Our Club has set a goal for each member to become a Paul Harris Fellow within five years.  Our Club will match a $100.00 contribution each year, so attaining that goal is not as difficult as you may think.   You can make donations by either delivering a check to our Rotary Foundation chair, Dave Johnson, or you can donate online at the Rotary International website.  

 

 

            Our Club will be collecting winter jackets to donate to a coat drive at the Heavenly Pantry Food Shelf next week.  If you have any coats to donate, please bring them to our meeting next Wednesday.  Please contact Nancy Freeze at dnfreeze@gmail.com for more information about this effort.

 

 

            It is time to start marking your calendars for some of our annual service projects!  We will join the Knights of Columbus in putting on the annual Senior Holiday Luncheon at the Champlain Valley Exposition on December 3rd.  Please contact Diana Ferguson at Diana@essexchips.org for more information about this event.  We will also assist the Salvation Army as bell-ringers on Friday, December 12^th and Saturday, December 13^th in front of the Essex Price Chopper. Please note, that we are not covering shifts in front of Essex Discount Beverage this year. A sign-up sheet for this event is currently being circulated at meetings.

 

Upcoming Meeting Schedule:  Wednesday, November 19, 2014 – Our speaker will be Lea Ann Smith from STEM Academy.

 

For the complete list of upcoming speakers and general information about the Club, please go to our website at www.essexrotary.org   Be sure to also visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rotary-Club-of-Essex-Vermont/102267529834020

 

       Yours in Rotary,

 

Jason Ruwet