September 21, 2022
Reporter: Joanne Lamoureux
Wednesday’s meeting:
Roxan Noble, Director
Ithaca-Tompkins International Airport
St. Catherine of Siena and on Zoom
WELCOME & TRADITIONS
NOTE: you can watch previous meetings by going to our YouTube
channel!
President Mary Kane called the ZOOM-only meeting to order promptly at 12:15 PM, followed by everyone reciting the Four-Way Test.
Geoff Dunn introduced his colleague at the Department of Emergency Response, John Halaychik, who is the Communications Center Manager (9-1-1 Dispatch) and a board member of Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Susan Riley gave the thought for the day, from Hillary Rodham Clinton’s book,
It Takes a Village:
“In times of profound and overwhelming social change like the present, however, extreme views hold out the appeal of simplicity. By ignoring the complexity of the forces that shape our personal and collective circumstances, they offer us scapegoats. Yet they fail to provide a viable pathway from the cold war to the global village.”
Hillary Clinton will join the Women’s Hall of Fame induction meeting this coming weekend when nine women will be inducted for 2022, including Michelle Obama.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The board meeting was held last night; it was a great meeting. The state of the club is good!
Kelly Buck announced that Happy Dollars paid off! She expressed huge thanks to everyone who donated to the cause; just over $10,000 was raised, and an anonymous donor added $5,000! The Community Grants committee has met and made its choices, with 15 organizations being fully funded (at $1,000 each). Awards will be made at our October 5th meeting.
Bob Gravani asked for help with the Highway Cleanup on October 8th, from 9 to 11 AM; meet at the Tops on Triphammer Rd. If anyone is able to store the materials that are used for Highway Cleanup, it would be appreciated! Mary-Lynn Cummings has been storing the equipment in her guest room! Does anyone have room?
Loralyn Light announced that Share the Warmth has secured a new sort site! We lost The Rose because a new restaurant is going in there; the new space is the former Footlocker at the Shops at Ithaca Mall. Collection boxes will go out on November 5th.
Mary Berens shared that the Community Foundation needs a volunteer to serve on its fall grant review team; it’s a great way to learn about the Community Foundation. The position starts with an early October orientation meeting, and the review process is from mid-Oct through mid-November. If interested, get in touch with Gloria Coicou at the CF.
Heidi Goldstein reported that Rotary Harvest 16 was a bountiful success. We have the best volunteers! And the recipients were all very grateful.
LAST WEEK’S PRESENTATION
Geoff Dunn introduced our speaker:
Tiffany Bloss, Executive Director of Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service and a Certified Fund Raising Executive who just joined the organization in April.
September is National Suicide Prevention Month, so it’s a great time to talk about this with awareness, education, advocacy, and to fight the stigma. The organization was founded in 1969, through the action of Rev. Jack Lewis, head of Cornell United Religious Work; we took the very first call from a young man who wanted to take his life and was thwarted. In 2020, suicide was the 12
th leading cause of death in the US. In 2021, they received over 6,000 calls, demonstrating an increasing need for services. Mental health challenges are on the rise now.
SPCS services Essex County, Chemung County, and Tompkins County. If anyone dials the new 988 number from these three counties, it will come to our call center. The nationwide launch of the 988 call center took place on July 16th—the US’s first three-digit mental health crisis hotline. This is not a new service, but just a way to easily connect with existing services; it is available in conjunction with our local number (607/272-1616).
Locally, SPCS is looking to increase its capacity to 24/7 by the end of 2023, which will mean increased staff, development, and training. The organization focuses on community education with presentations, workshops, and tabling at events. They also work on strong community partnerships with multiple organizations, including The Sophie Fund.
The SPCS is looking for new members for its Board of Directors; they meet monthly on the third Thursday at 5:30 PM.
- Mary Kane: $31 (24+7) to encourage participation in suicide prevention.
Richard Kops: $10 for the loss of a cousin due to suicide and a second family member’s attempted suicide.- Ann Coyne and Nancy Potter: $5, the shingling crew has gone! Today is international peace day. Nancy feels blessed.
- Jack Roscoe: $10 for his ten years as a suicide prevention counselor, and he met his wife there! Plus a $5 shameless plug for an upcoming Savage Club concert on October 1st and 2nd in their new space on Auburn Rd. in Lansing.
- Mary Berens: $20 for a fabulous family reunion in Santa Barbara. And Catholic Charities was named the Chamber of Commerce’s organization of the week.
- Todd Nau: $20 for finishing the installation of his kitchen cabinets.
Total: $101
Next week’s meeting will be held at St. Catherine’s, chaired by Heidi Goldstein.
NEW MEMBER APPLICATIONS
Name: Sarah Segal
Business: The Plantsmen Nursery
Position: Co-Owner/Admin
Sponsor: Linda Pasto
Classification: To be determined
THANK YOU ROTARIANS
Newsletter Reporter: Joanne Lamoureux
Photographer: Mike Brown
Newsletter Editor: Loralyn Light
Set-up Zoom: Bez Thomas
Recording Archive: Paul Martin; click
hereClub Service Facilitator: June Losurdo
