Norwich Rotary Club

Meeting of 9.16.15 Rotary banner to fly over Norwich Harbor presented to the Club

Presiding:  President Elect Kevin
Invocation:  Joel
Fellowship:  Nancy with great one-liners from famous comedians.
Birthdays:  none
Rotary Anniversaries:
Bill Henry – 34 years!
Rotarians with Guests:
  • Joel brought Roz
& also
  • Jay Ginsberg, whose membership application is in
Visiting Rotarians:  none
Announcements:
The Club is planning to do a joint fundraiser – a wine tasting – with the morning Club and the Rotary Community Corp.  More info to come.
Andy Grant proposed changing our Dictionary Project to giving a book instead.  This will be taken up at a Board meeting.
Happy Dollars:  with Andy Grant who gave for his daughters and a former tenant.
Other contributors included:
Larry for Dangerfield’s Club in New York with a show and dinner.
Garry Young for RCC and the mystery winner of a 4th for tennis doubles at Mystic Indoor Sports
Rodney for the Chestnut Street Theater’s Golf Tournament and the financial health of the Theater.
Jim Daly ran up 1,400 steps, not 10,000 in one day on his pedometer.
Bonnie for Kyle stepping up for all the Club’s youth programs.
Barry thought Kyle should watch the Flying Nun on Netflix and for Bonnie and Kyle’s Carnival signs.  Barry’s father fell and had a massive heart attack but was able to be quickly treated because his medical alert went off.
Kevin for Kyle and the Patriots
Gary and Barry for UConn.
Auction:
Bill Stanley’s Once Upon a Time Books  I and II from the 1930s went to Kevin for $20.
Lottery:  with Barry
  • Andy Grant
  • Kathy Croteau and
  • Bonnie
all came up short.
Program:
Bob Farwell introduced Sheila Horvitz and Melva O’Neill who spoke about the Power of Purple’s 3rd Annual Hot Cider Walk and Rally to be held on Sunday, October 25th at Eastern Point Beach in Groton.  The Power of Purple is a campaign to end domestic violence that was founded by the Rose Conrad Memorial Fund of Safe Futures and Hadassah of Eastern Connecticut.
Barry led us in the Four-Way Test to close our meeting.
Read more…
Presiding:  President Marie Osborne
Invocation:  Keith Caplet
Fellowship:  Ray Baribeault told some impromptu attorney jokes.
Birthdays:
Matt Isenberg on September 30th.
Rotarian Anniversaries:  None
Rotarians with guests:
Barry Shead hosted Adam Bowles and Marlene Owen.
Visiting Rotarians:
Rocky Wagner from Plainfield.
Announcements:
  • Next weeks speakers will be Bill Champagne and Regan Miner.  They will talk about all of the Walktober events
  • Kyle Muenzner is heading up the Dictionary Project this year.  The distribution date will be Wednesday, October 21st.  Please see him if you wish to volunteer.
  • President Marie has been meeting with the Sunrise Club and the RCC.  They are willing to provide volunteers for our events provided a little advance notice.
  • There will be a joint fund-raiser with the Sunrise Club and the RCC.  It will be a wine tasting evening held in conjunction with the RCC Harbor Fire event next August.
  • There are now over 680 requests for Winter Coats!  Rodney Green and staff are hard at work on the Mahan Fund Coat Project.
  • Nancy Gentes updated all on the Madonna Place Trivial Pursuit.  There are 2 Rotary teams for the November 6th event.
  • President Marie was contacted by Tyler Knolhoff, an NFA junior, who is interested in becoming a Rotarian.
  • Haley Berry mentioned that the Liberty Bank Thanksgiving Challenge will start next week.
Presentation:  see below
Happy Dollars:  with Mike Gordon who said we did a terrible job on the Welcome Song (missing you, Joel!).
Gary Young gave money for not having his name badge.  He just returned from Myrtle Beach, and is getting a new puppy today!
Wendy Ladd welcomed our guests.  Design 2 Consign is still accepting donations of women’s clothing.  The club is expecting a $481 check from the sale of recent donations.
President Marie welcomed Adam Bowles.  She is grateful for the help received from club members who have helped her with Presidential duties.
Barry Shead welcomed our guests and thanked Paul Blanchard for his help with the Rotary flag now flying in Norwich harbor.
Andy Grant recently played tennis with some very good players.
Lottie Scott had a wonderful time at the Celebrate Cultural Diversity event.  She thanked Barry Shead and committee for all of their hard work.
Andrew Nollman – GO PATRIOTS!!
Visiting Rotarian Rocky Wagner said hello to Jim Daly as they went to high school together.  He reminded us that Ralph Learned was a link between the Plainfield and Norwich clubs, and that he is missed.
David Richardson is not happy with placing his Chili’s order via a computer
Jim Daly welcomed our guests.
Bill Champagne handed out Walktober calendars.
Auction:  None
Lottery: with Barry Shead
  • Andrew Nollman
  • Mike Matera, and
  • Larry Fowler
– No dice!
Speaker and Special Presentation:  Barry Shead introduced Adam Bowles, the recipient of the Lottie B. Scott Celebrate Cultural Diversity Award.
Adam is a pastor at Peniel Church, a growing, multi-ethnic church in Norwich that reaches out to the immigrant communities in the city.
Adam’s multimedia business, Not With Ink, has launched initiatives that highlight the stories of immigrants in the region.  The most recent initiative is Fresh Air Nation, a “living museum” concept in which immigrant families are paid to be ambassadors of their own stories, in their own homes over culturally inspired meals with paying guests.
He is also a director of the Chinese and American Cultural Assistance Association.
Adam is a former reporter and editor at the Norwich Bulletin, covering immigration among other topics.
For further information, please see: www.penielchurchnorwich.org/
President Marie explained that she will not close our meeting every week with The Four-Way Test, but will sometimes end with an inspirational quote.
Direction
Is much more important
Than speed.
Many are going
Nowhere
Fast.