RCGC Meeting Recap: Friday, July 24, 2015
Our movie night is just around the corner and the excitement is building as the day gets closer. An impressive core group of club leaders have assumed responsibility for the success of this event, with Kelly Hook and Lee Eckroth coordinating activity and details. This event will put us at the forefront of service clubs in the area, at least for the night, as we promote our activities and our fight for polio eradication. Every club member should be a part of the evening—there’s lots to do and fun to share.
Last week meeting began with a heartfelt personal Inspiration by Lorena Reynolds. Thereafter we welcomed visiting Rotarians Larry Holcomb (e-Club) and Erin Haynes (Thursday). Guests for the afternoon included Kara Bartlow, James Millein, Lauren Gallogos, and Shasta Horner.
Club announcements were made by the following:
>>Michele Kellison reminded members that she is auditing the club directory, volunteering to assemble an area directory with other clubs. Check/edit your information on dacdb, or at the next meeting, make changes by hand. In either case, update your photo if you so desire. Last call?
>>Erin Haynes passed around signup for service to the Benton County Fair, selling tickets, with revenue generated providing high school scholarships. Club members that signed up are reminded to use their club badge for parking and free admission to the fair. If you have any issues, contact Erin at erin_haynes@hotmail.com or call 541-760-2045.
>>The upcoming Mario Pastega Memorial Golf Tournament will be held at Trysting Tree on August 11th. Teams are being formed and no individual that wants to participate will be left out. Want to join a Rotary team? Contact me and I’ll coordinate the registration of the event. Your participation will help create local cancer survivors by helping fund the construction of the new Pastega Regional Cancer Center! >>Jennifer Moore completed the requirements of her Red Badge, therefore earning a switch to her new Blue Badge. Good work, Jennifer!
A number of club members provided a $1 contribution with a personal announcement of a Happy Ad. A couple of the notable standouts were Judy Corwin, telling us that daughter Kami Corwin is headed to Los Angeles to audition for the TV show, “The Voice.” If you attended the changing of the guard ceremony in June, you will remember Kami’s clear, smooth, commanding voice providing us with a powerful rendition of the National Anthem to start the meeting. Best of good luck Kami. We also heard from Stephanie Douglas, informing us that she is taking a medical leave of absence from the club to prepare for the birth of her daughter, Savannah Ruby Jean Douglas, in late August. We all wish you well Stephanie and look forward to hearing the news of the arrival next month!
Our first featured speaker for the meeting was Jenny Bouman, who provided the club members with a Vocational talk. Jenny is the Personal Office Manager for Lee Eckroth at Town and Country Realty. Her vocational presentation described her professional background, career, family, personal interests, and her dedication and love of volunteer work. Of special note in the presentation were two things: [1] she endeared herself to her future husband, Tom, only because she was prepared with a bottle/can opener (lesson – always be prepared); and, [2] Jenny is proud that she was responsible for the naming of the “Fresh Express – Kit Strawberry Fields” (look for it in the produce section). Jenny and Tom have two grown daughters. Thanks, Jenny – great presentation!
The other presentation at the meeting was a review of my trip to Sao Paulo to attend the 104th Annual Rotary International Convention. It was a wonderful experience and a worthwhile learning event. The 14,000 international attendees of the convention represented the true global presence of Rotary in every corner of the planet. It was impressive. The well-attended plenary sessions were informative and hugely entertaining, grand presentations featuring dignitaries, speeches, and musical entertainment. The host club of Sao Paulo provided two memorable host events, a carnival parade and a classical concert. The carnival took place in the Anhembi Sambadrome with various “samba schools” presenting a different theme with lavish costumes, dance, and allegorical vehicles decorated specifically for the parade (think Rose Parade combined with Mardi Gras!). The classical concert was held in the Julio Prestes Cultural Center featuring renowned Brazilian conductor, Joao Carlos Martins. It was an exquisite concert. Of special note during the conference as a service event coordinated by Stop Hunger Now, where Rotarians packaged over 100,000 meals for MESA Brazil, a national network of food banks to fight hunger.
In sum, the convention was a great experience and I enjoyed the meeting Rotarians from around the globe and sharing ideas and fellowship. The House of Friendship featured numerous booths that promoted fellowship activity and grant projects from numerous countries. I left with the impression that no matter where one travels, grateful communities notice the service work of Rotarians. As our new Rotary International President, Ravi Ravindran, assumed leadership of the organization in the final plenary session, he presented his theme for the year: “Be a Gift to the World.”
I thank the members of the club for providing me the opportunity to visit Sao Paulo and be a part of this amazing convention. Next year President-Elect Judy Corwin will be traveling to Seoul, South Korea. Thereafter, in 2017, the convention will move Atlanta, Georgia, followed by Toronto, Canada in 2018, Durban South Africa in 2019, and Honolulu, Hawaii in 2020.
