| Meeting Flash Rotary FLASH of 03-27-2007 Greensburg Rotary Club FLASH – 3/27/07 QUOTES-OF-THE-DAY: “Not being able to do everything is no excuse for not doing everything you can.” “Believe, when you are most unhappy, that there is something for you to do in the world. So long as you can sweeten another's pain, life is not in vain.” ~ Helen Keller “The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ~ Ghandi _______________________________________________________________________ The Tuesday, March 27, 2007 meeting of the Greensburg Rotary Club was called to order by President MARY CLYMER with the Pledge of Allegiance, “God Bless America,” and the Invocation by PETE DOCHINEZ. Sgt.-at-Arms, DENNIS CREMONESE announced an attendance of 55 members, no visiting Rotarians and the following Guests: MICHELLE LONG, CHRISTINE SADLER, GAIL SWEENEY (Pres. Mary Clymer), DAWN ROBERTS (Anne Peagler), JERRY, Sr., KAREN, JERRY, Jr. KUPRIS, ALISHA GUTMAN, ADAM SHILABOD (Leia Shilobod), RENE & MARIA POBLETE (Exchange Student Camila’s parents from Chile). JACK WAITE will be the driver for visiting Greensburg-Salem seniors next week. WORD-OF-THE-DAY: “roborant” – an adjective or noun meaning “strengthening medicine; a tonic; a restorative.” Used in a sentence as a noun from the book RIVER HORSE by William Least Heat Moon, “That day, I felt the need of a roborant after my ghost-ridden night, and I swigged down two doses.” GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. MARY announced the monthly meeting of the Board on April 5 with important business to be addressed – the Spelling Bee, Golf Outing and Chili at Greensburg Community Days weekend. KEVIN METSGER called attention to final sign-ups for the Saturday, March 31 Health Screening, 5:45 AM at Greensburg-Salem HS cafeteria, with 430 pre-registrants of a possible 500 on that day. For the benefit of new members, Kevin gave a brief overview of this project: 35 blood tests are included for the nominal fee and a percentage of the proceeds from the hospital funding our Greensburg Rotary Club scholarship fund. Past statistics include 35% of individuals having follow-ups for cholesterol and 40 individuals from one screening identified for follow-up cancer evaluations. DICK McNEEL announced a fund-raising dinner by the American Red Cross this Thursday, March 29, 5 – 8PM with $1 of the cost of each meal going to the Red Cross. JACK WAITE thanked members for their donations to “Scouting for Food” which will go toward a goal of 75,000 lbs. of food collections. Anyone who forgot to bring a donation who may have gotten front door flyers at their homes may donate during door-to-door collections on Saturday. CARL ROSSMAN issued a plea for a volunteer for the position of Youth Exchange Officer for the 2007-2008 school year. The Greensburg Club will be hosting a young lady from France who will attend Greensburg-Salem HS. KATY DORAN offered a brief report on the District’s Youth Exchange service project trip to Alabama March 17 – 24 – a week of Hurricane Katrina relief during which the Youth Exchange teens gave heart & soul into physical labor, proving no task was too dirty, too difficult or too challenging. Katy called on members to keep the energy, stamina and enthusiasm of these young people in mind for more local or regional projects they might become aware of in the future. ED NEMANIC, assisted by DICK McNEEL, declared it to be a proud moment to present Grant Awards to deserving organizations from the Harry Miller Estate Trust. The Greensburg Rotary Club was one of the local civic/service organizations to receive a bequest from the Miller Estate in October, 1998 during Dick McNeel’s club presidency, in the amount of $7,500. Since that time, income from that original sum has grown the fund to $81,060 and with today’s awards, a total of $75,725 has been granted. Some of the past grants have included the St. Clair Park Amphitheatre, RAP, Greensburg-Hempfield Library, Greensburg Fire Prevention, Greensburg Ministerial Association, Greensburg YMCA and Westmoreland-Fayette Council Boy Scouts of America. Checks for Awards for 2007, totaling $14,425.00 were presented to representatives of the following organizations: MARCH BIRTHDAYS / ANNIVERSARIES: ED NEMANIC continued to man the podium in recognition of the following: President MARY asked Exchange Student Camila to introduce her parents, RENE & MARIA POBLETE to the membership. A Rotarian in Chillan, Chile, Camila’s father, has been a 2-year president of his club and will be GSE Team Leader for his District in June. With Camila’s translation assistance, Sr. Poblete thanked the Club for hosting his daughter, taking care of her and making them welcome in Greensburg, PA, USA. Due to a crisis that concerned everyone present – her 3-yr-old middle son’s being taken to the hospital by paramedics after having suffered a seizure at pre-school - Leia Shilobod and her family were rushed away with the promise of Leia’s mini-biography presentation at a later date. Our prayers went with the Shilobod family. President MARY adjourned the meeting in the usual manner with the recitation of The Four-Way Test. Respectfully submitted, Katy Doran
Rota;ry FLASH of 03-13-2007
QUOTES-OF-THE-DAY: “You've got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.” “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures” “It is easy to be pleasant when life flows by like a song, but the man worth while is the one who will smile when everything goes dead wrong. For the test of the heart is trouble, and it always comes with years, and the smile that is worth the praises of earth is the smile that shines through the tears.” The Tuesday, March 13, 2007 meeting of the Greensburg Rotary Club was called to order by President MARY CLYMER with the Pledge of Allegiance, “God Bless America,” and the Invocation by JOHN KLINE. Sgt.-at-Arms BILL McGRATH, announced an attendance of 48 of a membership total of 100. As membership waxes & wanes, everyone is encouraged to look to business contacts and connections to encourage new members. There was one guest, MARK MARSHALL (Ben Policastro). Hempfield Area High School visiting seniors, driven by JOHN KLINE, were: DANA LLEWELLYN, MELISSA GREGORY & IONUT VLAD. WORD-OF-THE-DAY: “sagacious,” an adjective. GENE JAMES offered the following sentence: “Our sagacious friend, Tony, didn’t know the meaning of the word “sagacious” and didn’t show up for today’s meeting.” Pres. MARY’s sentence: “Benjamin Franklin was a sagacious statesman.” Meaning: “wise and judicious” PRESIDENT’S ANNOUNCEMENTS: GSE Team from Turkey will be with us May 13 – 19. Among the team members interests, which members may help realize, are area schools and educational facilities, banking industry, medical & health programs and facilities, packaging companies and Harley-Davidson. Sign-up clipboards are beginning to circulate for volunteers to work the Club’s booth at the Greensburg Community Days weekend. There is a call throughout District 7330 for potential candidates for a future District Governor as a result of Marlin (Bing) Stephens having to drop out of the line-up due to health concerns. Mary Berge will move forward into that vacancy, leaving a designate DG needed for 2009-2010. Candidates must have served as their local Club President. Correspondence received: A “Thank You” from a Greensburg-Salem HS visiting senior and a request for donations from the Epilepsy Foundation. GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: CHUCK ANDERSON announced a meeting of the Golf Outing Committee at 4:00PM, Friday, March 16 at “outing headquarters.” Any member interested in participating may attend. Application forms at each table are available for sponsors, donations for logo items, etc. to help fill guest tote bags. Sign-up and sponsor forms are also available at the Club website www.greensburgrotary.com GENE JAMES called attention to flyers at each table for the summer 2007 Concerts in the Park. The schedule is nearly complete and, with an increased budget, the program will be one of the best to date. Members are encouraged to consider advertising in the program booklet that is direct-mailed to all Greensburg homes and available to all who attend each concert. ROD BOOKER announced the 19th Annual Boy Scouts of America “Scouting for Food” Drive this month. Tuesday, March 27 will be the day for members to bring the following items to the meeting in this Rotary/Boy Scout partnership: cans or packages such as spaghetti & sauce, canned vegetables, soups, juice, peanut butter, pasta, canned fruits, cereal, rice, etc. No perishables, please. For additional information – JACK WAITE, 724-837-1630 or jwaite@bsamail.org RICK NEDLEY called attention to flyers announcing an invitation to meet and hear Olympic Medalist/World Record Miler JIM RYUN on April 5 & 6, 2007. Events, sponsored by the Christian Businessmen’s Committee and Greensburg Kiwanis will be held at Four Points Sheraton Hotel and include an April 5 evening reception and dinner and the April 6 35th Annual Good Friday Family Prayer Breakfast. Tickets for any of these events may be purchased at the Greensburg YMCA or from Rick. TJ JACHIMOWICZ provided a Tom Headley update: Tom had surgery on his injured knee and is recuperating at Jefferson Memorial Hospital. He will return home in an ankle-to-hip cast and will welcome phone calls and cards. Donegal-Laurel Highlands Rotary invites Rotarians, friends and families to a St. Patrick’s Mystery Dinner. Mystery’s Most Wanted “Dial M for Mother” – an evening of comedy, mystery and dinner on Saturday, March 17, beginning at 6:00 PM at Laurel Mountain Inn, 1239 Glades Pike, Somerset, PA. Tickets are $37 / person and may be purchased at Brady’s Restaurant in Acme or reserved by calling 724-423-4566 or 724-834-4525. PROGRAM-OF-THE-DAY: Program Chair for March, CHUCK STROBEL, introduced DAVID HALEY, CEO of The Progress Fund as an absolutely masterful CEO who runs a great foundation, an outstanding speaker and, oh-by-the-way, Chuck’s cousin. Expressing gratitude the his cousin spared everyone tales of Thanksgiving Day football games, declaring Chuck as running for “most sagacious” person in the room, David provided what was, for many, a first time introduction to The Progress Fund. A 501{c}3 non-profit organization, this foundation’s mission is to create jobs and improve the mostly rural communities in SW and northern PA, WVA and Appalachia Ohio, having made loans totaling just over $2 million to an extensive list of businesses in Westmoreland County and other areas of SWPA. The service tools offered the businesses the foundation funds are capital and entrepreneurial coaching. The market focus is tourism and agricultural industries – the 2 most powerful economic forces in PA - where at least 1560 jobs have been either created or retained. Examples of the businesses encouraged and supported by The Progress Fund: Funding comes from federal and state sources, foundations (i.e., Richard King Mellon, Hearst), banks and other sources such as Allegheny Ridge Corporation, National Commercial Capital Association, the Episcopal Church. Progress Fund Loans can be used to purchase, restore and rehabilitate and expand businesses. Loans are made at the going rate of interest, 5 – 9%, depending on risk, at terms of 5 – 15 years. The Progress Fund’s impact statement is “Growing the Tourism Industry one business at a time.” President MARY announced that next week’s program will be on Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and adjourned the meeting in the usual manner with the recitation of The Four-Way Test. Respectfully submitted, Katy Doran
Rotary FLASH of 03-06-2007
QUOTES-OF-THE-DAY: “To say my fate is not tied to your fate is like saying ‘Your end of the boat is sinking!’” The Tuesday, March 6, 2007 meeting of the Greensburg Rotary Club was called to order by President MARY CLYMER with the Pledge of Allegiance, “God Bless America,” and the Invocation by Dan Carr. Sgt.-at-Arms DENNIS CREMONESE announced an attendance of 51 (late arrival = 52) out of a membership total of 100. Visiting Rotarians were Harry Albert (Latrobe), Jim Thompson (Hempfield), Cheryl Campbell (Norwin) Guests were KATHY WASKOWSKY (Debbie Nye) and JILL STITELY (Al Lazar). After making a trial run last week, KARL EISAMAN successfully delivered visiting Seniors from Greensburg-Salem HS: KIM RYAN, ERIC SOLOCHIER and WILL HAMILTON WORD-OF-THE-DAY: “misology” – a noun, noted by Pres. MARY as something that seems to be common among campaigning politicians, which means “”hatred of logic and reason.” GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: · CHUCK STROBEL called upon members to help the Mt. View Rotary meet their commitment of 30 for a dinner Monday, March 12 at the Mt. View Inn, celebrating a Double Fiftieth Anniversary for both the Club and member Carl Ringler. According to the District Newsletter, the cost is $22.50 with a cash bar for a sit-down dinner of either Yankee Pot Roast or Chicken Romano. RSVP by March 9 to 724-238-6364. · TOM JACHIMOWICZ called attention to a “get well” card for TOM HEADLEY who fell on his farm and fractured his wrist and, more seriously, tore a ligament in his knee. Tom will most likely spend the next 6-8 weeks in a cast from ankle to hip. Being so handicapped, Tom will welcome calls (see Club Directory) and we all wish him a speedy recovery! · LEIA SHILOBOD called upon someone, anyone to please help with data entry for the invitation list for the May 20 Spelling Bee. · Pres. MARY announced continuing interest and progress with WQED for telethon service by our members and that plans for participating in Greensburg Community Days are continuing to develop. PROGRAM-OF-THE-DAY: Youth Exchange Officer CHRIS DeDIANA introduced HARRY ALBERT, who is currently host dad for our Exchange Student, CAMILA POBLETE at the same time that he hosts the Exchange Student for the Latrobe Rotary. Harry spoke briefly about having hosted At least 6 Rotary Exchange Students and, as a prime example of what that means and how the rewards last for years, he introduced ANNA FOMINA, a 1998-99 RYE student from Russia, who is visiting her host country and family for the next 2 weeks. Anna is on her 3rd return to the USA, now a lovely young adult who has graduated from university where she studied languages. She is now working in Moscow for Swedish companies IKEA and Centrumutveckling on shopping mall and shopping center developments, assisting in the planning & appearance for those developments in and around the city. Our own Exchange Student for 2006-2007, CAMILA (Camy) POBLETE ROJAS took the microphone and, despite some technical glitches, shared something of her home country, Chile, as well as her family and home city, Chillan. An 11 hour plane ride from Greensburg, Chile is on the west coast of South America and is a country 2,800 miles from north to south and only 265 miles from east to west. The country includes a full-range of climate, from tropical heat in the north to Antarctic cold in the extreme south. Her home city, pop. 200,000, is exactly1 1/2 hours in either direction from the beach and from the mountains. Camy’s home was designed by her architect mother and built by her father’s construction company. She lives there with her parents, 3 brothers and 1 sister. Camy’s close friends come from among her 40 classmates in a school of approximately 2,000 students. The school curriculum is divided into 3 major areas – Math, Biology and History. Camy’s academic concentration was in Biology and she hopes to study medicine. Her main hobby/extra curricular activity is Girl Scouts, which is different from USA scouts – they don’t sell cookies! They attend a variety of special interest camps and do humanitarian projects. Camy closed her presentation with descriptions of the ski resort areas near her home city, some of the national foods of Chile and the national folk dance. President MARY announced next weeks program will be presented by DAVE HALEY on the mission of The Progress Fund and then adjourned the meeting in the usual manner with the recitation of The Four-Way Test. Respectfully submitted, Katy Doran
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