President Andy called the meeting to order promptly at 12:15 p.m.
Rodney provided an exemplary invocation.
Fellowship with Barry Shead! Nancy Gentes was the sole beneficiary of a rousing round of Happy Birthday. Shiela Hayes was treated to a passable interpretation of the Rotary welcome song. Barry offered copious observations on coffee including the number one coffee by sales (Folgers), percentage of Americans who drink coffee daily (64%), and most popular chain of coffee emporiums, Starbucks.
Announcements. The Madonna Place Fundraiser is scheduled for Thursday, September 23 6 tickets are available to club members. The flag project remains a work in progress. Details are forthcoming. There is an Amber Alert at Dodd Stadium on Saturday. The coat project is underway. The No Show Gala is ready to launch on November 24 at the North Pole. Sir Mike of Cooney noted that those who decline to attend can get tickets at Rotary or at https://www.norwichrotaryevents.org/events/
Shiela made the first donation to the cause. President Andy reminded all to submit their order for new Rotary buttons.
Happy Dollars with Rodney! Rodney shared the odyssey he and his wife encountered trying to visit Canada. To compound matters, he injured his neck at dinner and had to deal with a perceived paucity of tomatoes at Old Tymes! On a positive note, the Green’s have a new cat! Mike M. thanked Barry for his coffee scholarship and recalled how he evolved into an ardent drinker of black coffee. (Is there another way?!) Shiela celebrated Nancy’s birthday, the Rotary Community Corps, and the support offered by UCFS for the forthcoming health fair. Bill Champagne announced the impending Last Green Valley Walktober. Bill will serve as co-leader of the Uncas Leap walk on Saturday, October 2 at 10:00 a.m. Due to COVID restrictions attendance will be capped at 30. Bill also described the $1,000,000 provided under the American Recovery Plan for Uncas Leap and a hoped-for second infusion next year. A club member lauded Dale Plummer’s program at last week’s meeting. My apologies, I forgot to note who offered the plaudits! Barry reminisced about the challenges of providing Amber Alerts at the Big E and announced that the Putnam Rotary was sponsoring a rose sale. The roses will be delivered to the ARC offices on Sachem Street, Norwich.
The Lottery with Bill Champagne!
- Rodney-No!
- Mary-No!
- Barry-No!
A gloomy silence enveloped the room but no imprecations were noted.
Program- Shiela introduced the club to the Public Art for Racial Justice (PARJE) program and described in detail the Sister Murals Project and the vision for Norwich. For further details and to contribute please visit https://www.racialjusticeart.org/sister-murals. This Mural will focus on a neglected space in Norwich and will beautify a high-traffic area. PARJE is leading this project with the support of the NAACP Norwich Branch. The subject will be David Ruggles, Black abolitionist, and eponym of the David Ruggles Freedom Plaza at Norwich city hall.
Bob was recruited to lead the club in the Four-Way Test and made a homely job of it. Somehow the club survived and no casualties were reported.