| Meeting Flash Rotary Flash of 08-21-2007 Our Rotary meeting on August 21, 2007 began with Carl Rossman leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance and God Bless America. Our invocation was given by Mike Lucotch. Mark Parker reported there being 51 Rotarians in attendance out of our 98 members in the club. We had a visiting Rotarian from the Mountain View Club, John Strang. Also Joe Codrick brought Renee Keller as a guest. There was thanks to Chuck Anderson and Bill McGraff for helping to coordinate and MC the Rotarian picnic. Much fun was had by all, and the airbrush tattoo and caricature artists were enjoyed by all. The food was good and the weather was even better. Thanks to all who attended and made the event a success. On September 22, the annual roadside cleanup will be taking place. Bill McGrath filling in for the event coordinator Ben Policastro said that it takes around an hour that Saturday morning, and it's a good time cleaning up the roadside and just talking. There will be a signup next week if you can attend. There were forms placed on all of the tables regarding Redstone Highlands' gala to raise money for people who don't have the funding to pay for long term care. Last year they raised 1.6 million dollars toward this effort of providing long term care for the elderly who cannot afford it. They are looking for sponsors or anyone who would like to attend. A summary of Levi and Taylor's trip was given by Mark Barnhart. He wanted to thank the following people for helping to make it possible. Tom Hower, Jim Steeley, Katie Doran, Bob Bloom, Ed Nemanic, Jeff Malloy, Mary Clymer, Dave Delisi, Carl Rossman, Rick Nedley, Ron Debellis, and Karl Eisaman all aided in this trip one way or another. They really had a good time seeing the sights of Western PA and visiting with us for the week. We received an email from Taylor's mother thanking us for the impact that this trip has made on both Levi and Taylor. They really enjoyed their visit and are looking forward to another one in the near future. We received several scholarship thank yous from students, who greatly appreciate our aid toward their further education. Chuck Anderson introduced our speaker, Monie Lewis who is the executive director of the YWCA. Monie wished to share a little about the mission of the YWCA in Greensburg. The YWCA's mission is to empower women and eliminate racism. They aid the community in many ways. They offer a literacy program for adults. They have an international women's support group, allowing women in the area to get in touch with women outside of their community. They offer children's programs, such as daycare and preschool. They offer computer classes, which are open to all who are interested in learning a sort of computer training. They have engineered a robotics program for pre-teen girls, to encourage an interest in the math and sciences. They have a thrift store, a field hockey team, and a racial advocacy program on top of the many other services that they offer. Monie wished to also mention about her trip to the World Council meeting which was in Kenya. She went there in July and had the opportunity to witness some truly breathtaking things in the YWCA of Kisi, where 50% of the population is under the age of 15. She shared a heartbreaking story of that small orphanage where several young girls who barely had enough clothing were staying. As she shared her story, it was apparent that both Rotary and the YWCA were helping in the area. The Rotary was funding a project to provide clean water to the hospitals in Kisi. But she impressed upon us that so much more is needed in that area, and to be proud when we remember that we and the YWCA are truly helping people in need. Thank you Monie for the eye-opening presentation, and we too look forward to working with the YWCA in our area as well as abroad. Carl closed our meeting in the usual way with the 4 way test. Have a good week everyone.
Rotary FLASH of 08-07-2007
THOUGHTS TO PONDER FOR TODAY Our meeting today really reflected the thoughts that are listed above. Will Brown gave the invocation after our pledge of allegiance and “God Bless America” led by our President Carl Rossman. THANK YOU – from Rod Booker for the remembrances from the club at the time of his Father’s death. Our love and prayers still surround you, Rod. NO WORD OF THE WEEK – Has anyone seen Mary Clymer? She has kidnapped the word of the week – surely there are some clues out there somewhere…. JEFF MALLOY introduced our DISTRICT GOVERNOR GWEN RIDGELY and husband Louis from Donora PA, where she is employed at the Agency on Aging. She closed by reminding us that the Foundation Dinner would be Nov. 3rd here in Greensburg, and presenting us with a token of her presidency. GREENSBURG KANSAS DYNAMIC DUO, Levi and Taylor were presented to the club by Mark Barnhart, and they quickly won us over. Their wit, enthusiasm, common sense, and loyalty to their hometown was so contagious, it makes us want to claim them as our own. And we did. They were interviewed by the Trib before the meeting, and brought some videos of the disaster they lived through in their town. They talked of the close knit community and school that they shared. It seems that the tornado dumped corn all over the area and so there is now corn growing everywhere. They were part of the group making plans for their community’s renewal. They also shared the fact that FEMA was very nice and helpful to them --- not the stories we have heard from elsewhere. They are only an hour away from Dodge City! “They were known for the world’s largest meteorite, but now for the world’s largest tornado,” Levi quipped. They are almost done cleaning up with lots and lots of help. They had 850,000 dump truck loads of debris taken away. When they return home they will see the ultimate plan for their new town. NEXT WEEK: PICNIC at 6 p .m. at the Alumni Pavilion, UPG
Rotary FLASH of 07-31-2007
Mark Parker reported 47 Rotarians in attendance, then had to correct the number to 49 as the Bononi's joined us. Our membership was 97 at the beginning of the meeting, but 98 at the end, as Bill Thorne was inducted as a new member by Mike Lucotch. His sponsor Chuck Anderson made it official by presenting him with his Rotary pin and certificate. Welcome Bill, we're glad to have you with us. Mark Barnhart handed out the updated Rotary Roster for 2007-2008, and announced further details regarding Sunday's Welcome Picnic for the students from Greensburg, KS. The picnic will be at Dr. Hower's residence, and Chef Dato will be providing the meat. If you will be attending, please bring a covered dish. In addition, the District Governor and the 2 students will be joining us next Tuesday for our usual meeting, and will be speaking. Chuck Anderson wished to remind everyone that everyone should stand as a sign of respect when the District Governor is introduced. Dennis Cremonese did the birthdays in place of Chuck Anderson, who did the research. Denny put that disclaimer in case anyone didn't like hearing what was said. Here are the club birthdays and anniversaries for this month: Birthdays: Anniversaries: Our speaker was John Peck, the District Attorney of Westmoreland County, who talked a little about the role of the DA's office in Westmoreland County. The DA's office handles a lot of functions. While a defendant’s attorney keeps his or her client’s best interest in mind, The District Attorney is designed to keep society’s best interest in mind while handling a case. While every county has a DA, locally elected, some functions of the DA's office are different from county to county. One of the differences that John feels helps his office to stand out, is that each assignment is given to a single lawyer, who is then assigned to that job until completion. This helps reduce miscommunication, as well as help place some stability in a situation that requires it. The DA's office has 23 lawyers on staff to handle the legal issues, but also has 16 detectives available 24/7 to aid the police at a crime scene or an investigation. Their job is to not only collect the evidence, but to properly analyze it and present it in the courtroom. One of the most important functions of the DA's office is to help prepare victims who will be witnesses in a court case. The witnesses are talked to ahead of time, and are accompanied to court, to ensure a fair testimony and to try to avoid intimidation tactics against them. John was kind enough to answer several questions about some local cases, and there wasn't very much time for questions, but he stayed after the meeting to answer several. Thank you John for your presentation. The meeting ended in the usual way with the 4 way test, and the banging of the bell by Chuck. Have a good week everyone.
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