| A Flash from the Past Rotary Flashes of 03-26-2002 ROTARY FLASHES GREENSBURG ROTARY CLUB NO. 250 – CHARTERED OCTOBER 4, 1916 Volume 72, No. 39……………………………………………………..March 26, 2002 Inside This Issue Wise and Otherwise Next Meeting’s Program Listing Our Weekly Meeting and Birthday listings Upcoming programs WISE AND OTHERWISE "Happiness isn't perfected until it's shared." Sergeant At Arms Report (Morrie Brand) - we had 1 visiting Rotarian: Doug Komandt from the Delmont-Salem Club. We had 2 guests of members: Janet McNeel was a guest of her husband Dick McNeel and Martin Ankrum was a guest of Bob Wilson. Our student guests were: Laura Kilbury from Hempfield and Tom Talamo from Greensburg Central Catholic. Our exchange student, Patrick Andre, also joined us today. Thanks to our drivers: John Sproull and Jim Steeley. MAKE-UPS – Joe Cameron attended the Latrobe Club and the Youngwood-New Stanton Club. TODAY'S ATTENDANCE 66. This included 60 members, 1 visiting Rotarian, 2 guests of members and our 3 high school students. ANNOUNCEMENTS: OUR WEEKLY NOON MEETING ON APRIL 30TH WILL BE AT THE GREENSBURG COUNTRY CLUB. Please mark you calendars so that you don't show up at the wrong location. OUR PRESIDENT'S DAY MEETING will be held on June 25th. This year we will be having a dinner at the Westmoreland Museum of American Art. More details to follow. THANK YOUS – We have received letters of thanks from The Greensburg Hempfield Area Library (Cesare Muccari), Greensburg Fire Prevention Bureau (Scott Hirst) and Greensburg Ministerial Association (Donna A. Hagan). Each expressed their appreciation for the grants that they received from our Club that will help to improve our community. UPCOMING PROGRAMS PLEASE NOTE THE CHANGE OF DATES FOR THESE PROGRAMS. THE BIRTHDAY TABLE Autobiographies were the program this week. Bob Wilson only had a minute to give his autobiography. He said the following, "I have spent the last 10 years in Greensburg serving a wonderful church, The First United Methodist Church." THIS MONTH’S BIRTHDAYS: April's Birthdays
THURSDAY FRIDAY
Rotary Flashes of 03-19-2002
WISE AND OTHERWISE "Hold yourself to a higher standard than anyone else expects of you." Sergeant At Arms Report (Carl Rossman) - we had 2 visiting Rotarians: Les Brilhart from the Somerset Club and Ron Eberhardt from the Youngwood/New Stanton Club. We had 5 guests of members: Wasima Wali was a guest of her husband Zain Mahmood, Iris Pistor was also a guest of Zain, Kari Rovardo was a guest of Jack Waite, Adam Bergamasco was a guest of Mark Barnhart and Linda Thomas was a guest of Frank Cassell. Our student guests were: Heidi Baughman from Hempfield, Sara Sibenaller from Greensburg Central Catholic and Brad Boyerinas from Greensburg Salem. Thanks to our drivers: Ed Nemanic, Jim Steeley and Jack Waite. MAKE-UPS – Carl Rossman attended the Mt. View Club's meeting. Bill Kern and Pradeep Kumar had a make-up at the Jeannette Club. Pradeep also made up at the Murrysville Club. Ed Nemanic, Gary Rutter and Elinore McMahan attended a meeting at the Hempfield Township Club. TODAY'S ATTENDANCE 69. This included 58 members, 2 visiting Rotarians, 5 guests of members, our speaker and our 3 high school students. ANNOUNCEMENTS: A THANK YOU – "Dear Rotarians, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for choosing the YMCA to be a recipient of the Community Grants from Rotary. I have just purchased 2 "AED" trainers, 5 adult and 3 child ACTAR mannequins to enhance our current CPR Program. Without this grant money donated to the Greensburg YMCA, this would not have been possible. Thank you, Jennifer Prohaska, Aquatic Director" ROTARY MINUTE (presented by Ed Meadows) NEXT WEEK'S MEETING: Mini-autobiographies and the Birthday Table. UPCOMING PROGRAMS April 2nd – Zain Mahmood will speak on ABB Our speaker today was Sister Anita Schulte who spoke about the Montessori method of education. This is one form of an alternative education. She started by telling us what Montessori "was not" : not basically for special learners, not a cult, not Catholic (in fact the majority of Montessori Schools are not aligned with any religious group. The market is not limited due to this fact) and it is not only for the rich. She said that sometimes the school is considered too structured, while other times, it is considered too "free". She then described what Montessori is: it is a school of readiness with quality care, materials and learning centers. She told us that a child is different from an adult and also different from any other child. A young child cannot perceive, understand and generalize as an adult can due to the limited years of life's experiences. Each child has his or her own timetable of development. The most important years for learning are from birth to age 6. These are the years of "absorbing". The window for absorption is basically closed after age 6. The profile of a classroom is one where children of multiple ages, 3, 4 and 5 year olds, are working together in a single classroom. There is a lot of hands-on materials. Children are motivated to learn. Studies include: geometry, algebra, language arts, music, arts, science and geography. There is much movement occurring in the classroom as children are searching out activities to aid in their learning. The program is for three years. Children start at age 3 and then start 1st grade at age 6. Children are invested with the responsibility of learning. THIS MONTH’S BIRTHDAYS: THURSDAY FRIDAY
Rotary Flashes of 03-12-2002
WISE AND OTHERWISE "If you can't feed 100 people - then just feed one." (Mother Teresa) Tom Hower gave the invocation this afternoon. Sergeant At Arms Report (Carl Rossman) - we had no visiting Rotarians. We had two guests of members: Mary Catherine Motchar was a guest of Cathy Daversa. Sister Anita Schulte was a guest of Zain Mahmood. Our student guests were: Greta Globosky from Hempfield, Dan Wilson from Greensburg Central Catholic and Michelle Kurant and Lee Terrill from Greensburg Salem. Patrick Andree (our exchange student) also had lunch with us. Thanks to our drivers: Rick Nedley, Jim Steeley and Jack Waite. MAKE-UPS – Bill Ovitsky had a make-up at the Youngwood New Stanton Club. Bobbi Stemmler-Guest attended the Rotary Club of Ocala Florida. Elinore McMahan attended a meeting at the Hempfield Township Club. TODAY'S ATTENDANCE 60. This included 53 members, 2 guests of members and our 5 high school students. The annual Strike Out Hunger Night (a district event) will be changed this year to have all proceeds from the event going to help eradicate polio. While we don't have the name of the event yet (possibly Strike out Polio), we do know that the night is July 17th at PNC Park where the Pirates will play the Cincinnati Reds, 7:05 start. A motor coach will transport those wishing to attend. More details to follow. Ed Nemanic advises the officers and directors of the Club that there will be a District Assembly that will be held at the Westmoreland County Community College on April 27th, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. He encourages your attendance at this Assembly. Please contact Ed for further details. ART AUCTION – John Hanna and other members of the Art Auction committee ask that you please consider making a sponsorship commitment for this year's Art Auction being held on May 17th and May 18th. If you know of a business who may wish to become a sponsor, please see a committee member. Sponsorship Forms were made available at this week's meeting. If you need additional forms, please see any member of the Art Auction. COMMITTED ROTARIAN AWARDS – The District Governor would like to have all Rotarians who have met the following four requirements to fill out the form (at the Sergeant at Arms Table) and submit them to Kati Doran as soon as possible. (Requirements are to be met from April 1, 2001 thru April 15, 2002). NEXT WEEK'S MEETING: Sister Anita Schulte, The Montessori Method of Education UPCOMING PROGRAMS IN MARCH Our speaker today was Joe Burkley from the Westmoreland Regional Hospital Foundation. The Foundation's mission is to help make sure that there is better health care for all us of in the region. The Foundation was founded in 1976 by Ed Lauffer. Ed was a former manager at Troutmans and a former Rotarian. Over the years, the generosity of donors have provided for $5,000,000 to be used to benefit the health and welfare of the people in our communities. Donations can be directed to specific programs, The Heart Center, Cancer Care Center, Westmoreland For Women, Diabetes Treatment Center, Hospice, Barclay Rehabilitation Center, Prenatal Center or The Breast Health Center, just to name a few. Donations can also be made to the Foundation without specific instructions as to where the funds are to be allocated. Donations can be made in the form of cash, stock, real estate and life insurance. The Memorial Gift Program is a wonderful way to give and also to remember the deceased. Recognition for the generosity of donors is displayed on the Wall of Recognition in the main lobby of the hospital. It was mentioned that one half of the employees of the hospital participate in giving through the method of having a percentage of their salary put toward the Foundation. This is through the Employees Charitable Trust Fund with the hospital. There will be several events this year: The 3rd Annual Celebrity Pro-Am will be held at Seven Springs, July 14 –15. This will feature lady golfers from the LPGA along with some members of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Coming up in April, the 13th, will be the 5th Annual Black Tie Bingo that supports the Westmoreland Hospice. Dear Greensburg Rotary, Hello from Belgium! Happy New Year! Time flies by when you are having fun. Five months have gone by and I am having a wonderful time. It is true that I have had my ups and downs (literally!), but you have them with anything you do in life. I would like to thank all of you VERY MUCH for giving me the chance to have such a wonderful experience. From the first day I leave the USA for Belgique, the 18th of August, my experience as an exchange student has been quite interesting. From my first flight being canceled to the airlines losing my luggage to me having the flu the second full day I am in Belgique, things start looking up. I will admit that I did not stress not having my luggage and having the flu was miserable. I have learned not to worry because my luggage was found and not to drink the plain milk again. I did get settled into my new family and had the most amazing four and a half months with them. My first family were the Bauwins. I had three sisters: Stephanie (15), Anne-Sophie (13) and Sarah (11). I have always been the youngest so it was nice being the oldest for once. We did everything together including arguing once in a blue moon. I always had something to do whether it was tennis or another round of Euro Monopoly. I was never bored. My parents, Christine and Dominique, were wonderful. They always made sure I was feeling well, checked to see if I needed anything, able to help me with my homework, and helped deal with the situation in the US. It was very difficult for me when the US was attacked because my brother and brother-in-law are in the Marines. They were very supportive when I found out that my brother-in-law was going to Afghanistan and when he actually arrived. We were always looking forward to new information about the US decision and what was happening in Afghanistan. I could never have asked for such a better family than that. I love them dearly and will keep in touch with them. My new family are the Jacobs. Surprisingly, I have not compared my two families at all. I thought for sure that I would. My new family is ok. It has only been four days, so I am still getting to know them. Otherwise, they are a very nice family and I like them a lot. Though if you would like to visit, please bring your ear plugs to sleep because my new host brothers constantly argue. As the weeks pass by, I learn more and more about myself and the culture around me. The culture here is definitely different but very interesting. As I visit all of Belgium, I learn its History, they way in which the people live, and the way in which they speak. Did you know that there is Belgian French and France French? I thought French was French. I was just as equally surprised when the students in my school realized that I do not always understand British and Australian English. How true it is to gain weight! Aaahhh!! How good the food is. When I come home, I will be bringing food not clothes and souvenirs. From the bakeries to the markets, I find that the food is delicious. Now I know why so many people ride bikes and participate in sports. If they do not exercise, they will weigh a ton. I have gained ten pounds but have already lost five. I am very active so I am not worried about putting on weight. Here is my weekly schedule of exercises: School is definitely different. My school is very small compared to Hempfield. I like it though. There are about a thousand students total in the school. I find it a lot more difficult, too. It is almost impossible. My school is a Catholic school so you are required to take religion as a class. It is way over my head. I never realized as to how difficult it is to understand religion. History is also very hard. Although I have learned much more about American History and Europe History than I did back home. All of my other classes are not that bad and find them kind of fun, except for Geographie. It is the most boring class I have all week. I have it for two hours at a time, but just once a week. I keep plugging away and do the best that I can. I have had my ups and downs as the months pass by. I do find myself frustrated from time to time because I do not speak that great of French. Although I speak a lot better than when I came. Now I can have a full conversation. The first and second month, I rarely spoke. I have improved a lot and still have four more months to improve just as much. When I find myself frustrated or down in the dumps, I find ways to cheer myself up. I think of all the wonderful experiences I am having and how much it will change the future. One way to cheer myself up is thinking about the number of times I have fallen down the steps here. I do not think I have ever fallen this much in my life. I find it very funny although I could break something. I have decided that I need to become an architect in Europe so that I can make the stair wells cases. I think that is it for now. I just want to thank you again for giving me the chance to experience everything I have experienced and what I will experience. Thank you very much. Sincerely, THIS MONTH’S BIRTHDAYS: THURSDAY FRIDAY
Rotary Flashes of 03-05-02
WISE AND OTHERWISE "Maybe if we did a better job of listening…. history wouldn't have to repeat itself." MAKE-UPS – Judy Ross at the Youngwood New Stanton Club. Bobbi Stemmler-Guest attended the Rotary Club of Ocala Florida. Dave Robinson and Elinore McMahan attended a meeting at the Hempfield Township Club. TODAY'S ATTENDANCE 65. This included 56 members, 2 visiting Rotarians, 2 guests of members, our speaker and our 4 high school students. WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MEMBER – Frank VanHorn, with PNC Bank (finance/banking). The Club looks forward to working together with Frank in our pursuit of Service Above Self. Frank is not new to Rotary…he is a former member of the Latrobe Club. Welcome. ANNOUNCEMENTS: BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING- The Board will meet on Thursday, March 7th, at the Mt. View Inn. WE RECEIVED AN AWARD - District Governor Wood presented the Club with the award that was announced at the Westmoreland Heart Association Gala for our Club's and other local clubs service to the community through our multiphasic blood testing projects. The DG presented banners to Michele and Eric Bononi, for all their time and efforts to have the Clubs in the area recognized, and to Bill Kern (in honor of his brother-in-law, Gene Ghost, who the DG mentioned first started the testing program with Rotary). Thanks to Mary Clymer for initially nominating the Club and also to Paul Hochendoner. COMMITTED ROTARIAN AWARDS – The District Governor would like to have all Rotarians who have met the following four requirements to fill out the form (at the Sergeant at Arms Table) and submit them to Kati Doran as soon as possible. (Requirements are to be met from April 1, 2001 thru April 15, 2002). OUR ANNUAL BLOOD SCREENING PROJECT WILL BE ON MARCH 23RD AND APRIL 6TH THIS YEAR. PLEASE SIGN UP TO HELP. Kevin Metsger and Nelson Mayer will be in charge on the two respective Saturdays. UPCOMING PROGRAMS IN MARCH THE ROTARY MINUTE OUR WEEKLY MEETING Our speaker today was Mark Turpin from ABB in South Greensburg. Mark noted that without knowledge we would not be able to offer products and services. As business persons, we must make sure that customer services departments and their people are knowledgeable and trained to handle situations better that occur in our businesses. E-Learning, which is the ability to gather information and problem solving information from text, drawings and photos, (over the Internet or through computer programs) is a must in today's customer service business environment. Mark mentioned that several colleges now offer degrees over the Internet…Penn State and Maryland. He said that the trick to effective training is to deliver what information is necessary to where it is necessary, when it is needed. He made a video presentation that showed an example of how a service technician could work with a client to find the "root" of the problem by use of a computer program spelling out trouble shooting ideas, photos and diagrams of the possible damaged parts. This would allow for the technician to more effectively describe the parts that may be causing the trouble. E-Training, along with "hands on training" and classroom training are all critical, however, E-Learning will be more useful and accessible at the time of need. The use of computer programs to store knowledge about existing systems and older systems can be extremely important when older employees, who worked for many years with systems or products that are no longer made, retire and have not passed hands on training to others. THURSDAY FRIDAY
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