April 26, 2023
Reporter: Paul Martin
Wednesday’s meeting:Janie Bibbie, Tompkins County Poet Laureate
COLTIVARE and on Zoom
WELCOME & TRADITIONS
President Mary called the meeting to order and then gave a quick background about the Four-Way Test for our large number of guests, and then jumped right into it.
We had Dale Flinn and the Ithaca Rotary Hockey team to thank for many of the guests that joined us, including William Munson, Cory Goodenough, Chris Camadella, Mark Lomentren, Matt Bischoff, Brad Kaishe, Kimber Kurr, Dan Hazlit, Brody Burroughs, Matt Weaver, and Kevin Kniffin.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Dale Flinn provided several “pithy hockey quotes from the internet” for his Thoughts for the Day, including:
- I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out. ~ Rodney Dangerfield
- You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. ~ Wayne Gretzky
- Half the game is mental, and the other half is being mental. ~ Jim McKenny
- Four out of five dentists surveyed recommend playing hockey. ~ Unknown
- Hockey players are bilingual—they speak English and profanity. ~ Gordy Howe
- Hockey is a form of disorderly conduct in which the score is kept. ~ Doug Larson
Then Matt Weaver, captain of the Ithaca Rotary Hockey team, gave a few remarks of their enjoyment and gratitude and introduced the team. The team went 21–5 for the season, with almost a dozen wins in a row and no losses in the playoffs. They hoisted the first-place trophy for the club to see.
Then Mary followed up by introducing the remaining guests:
- Billy Cooper from JP Morgan, guest of Frank Towner
- Rob Covert from the Ithaca Fire Department, guest of Brian Wilbur
- Katie Marks from the Hangar Theatre, who is a prospective member
ANNOUNCEMENTS
President Mary began the announcements by letting the club know that we had a good board meeting the previous evening with great attendance, committees firing on all cylinders, and transition plans to the “Les Six” presidency for our next Rotary year.
She also mentioned that Spring Highway Cleanup was a success, courtesy of Bob Gravani, as was our social hour at The Greenhouse, courtesy of Loretta Goss. Also, Jean McPheeters is collecting for the Linen Closet.
Sheri Negrea announced Visitors Day on May 24th. The goal is to bring in 40 new people that might consider joining. Invite ten so that you might get one or two to come. There is a flyer with a QR code that will take you to the EventBrite site so you can register yourself and your guest.
Bob Gravani and Mary-Lynn Cummings (in absentia) are grateful for the 38 Rotarians and guests that picked up 69 bags of trash on April 22nd.
Mary Berens announced the Rotary Club potluck dinner for Youth Exchange is on May 11th from 5:30 to 8 PM at the Savage Club. We’ll need a few people to be there early and/or stay late for setup and cleanup.
Paul Martin: there are thank-you cards circulating for the families that have hosted our Youth Exchange students. We are also looking for counselors for both 3 inbound and 5 outbound students for next year.
Linda Brisson: if anyone is going to the District Conference in Clayton, the Dryden exchange student needs a ride on Saturday morning.
President Mary: from the board meeting, we have had 40% attendance over the last two months, which translates to 55-60 people per meeting—which is great progress! And we have raised $6500 from happy dollars and other donations for our Community Grants.
When a member is scheduled to deliver the Thought for the Day, the Club Service Facilitator (June Losurdo) will ask the person to send the Thought for the Day to the Newsletter Editor (Loralyn Light) the day of the meeting. If the note taker wishes to jot down who gave the thought and some information, go ahead—but the Newsletter Editor should receive the complete info.
LAST WEEK’S PRESENTATION
Mary kicked off the second “Business of the Club” meeting by sharing the topics about which people wanted to know more about (from the last Business of the Club meeting), including:
Who is the board and what do they do?
- Mary showed slide with Executive Committee, Les Six, and our involvement with the Community Foundation
- Executive Committee plus the chairs of each committee
- The board’s jobs are to:
– Keep the club healthy and plan for success
– Plan and monitor budgets
– Fiduciary and governing responsibility
– Helping committees succeed and work together
– Connect to District and Rotary International
Committees and how they work
- Mary outlined the nine committees, their chairs, and what they do
- This is where our service work actually happens!
Community service that Rotary does and how to volunteer
- In addition and in coordination with these committees, there is a whole list of events, which Mary presented, along with their primary sponsors
How we raise funds for club priorities
- Why do we raise money
- How have we been successful in the past
- What new ways can we raise money to continue doing good
Then those attending, grouped by table, and the Zoom team brainstormed and discussed potential fundraising ideas that were then collected. Some of the ideas included: Chicken BBQ, Dozen Dinner Draw, the Rose Sale, and other ideas from the past, along with some new ideas like an antique sale, a Rotary Craigslist, GoFundMe campaigns, rent-a-Rotarian, B&Bs for commencement weekend, and a Lobster run up to Maine (bring them back and sell them).
HAPPY DOLLARS
Happy Dollars were offered in support of our Community Grants program:
Bob Gravani: for the Highway Cleanup volunteers and especially Joanne Lamoureux who baked muffins and provided beverages- Sarah Segal: happy to be actively asked about involvement
- Bob Sprole: can afford Happy Dollars because he received his tax refunds
- George Gull: for sitting with Bob Gravani and for Nancy’s birthday
- Brad Carruth: for the return of Rotary Youth Exchange
- Dale Flinn: happy that the Ithaca Rotary Hockey team is here; the US Women’s Hockey team won gold medal; construction (finally!) starting on his house
- Bez Thomas: for cherry blossom, forsythia, and magnolias—short and sweet
Loretta Goss: for our social hour with about 20 people, plus today is Mike Brown’s birthday- Linda Brisson: for the hard work of Bob Gravani and Mary-Lynn Cummings and the Highway Cleanup volunteers, including a Rotaract student from IC and an outbound exchange student
- Linda Pasto: was at her granddaughter’s first track meet where she placed first, and has tickets for the Mac ‘N Cheese Bowl
- Mike Brown: was 71 years old at the meeting and was the youngest member of the club when he joined
We wrapped up with a Happy Birthday song to Mike Brown and a mention of next week’s program including Janie Bibbie, the Tompkins County Poet Laureate, and a planned celebration of May birthdays.
THANK YOU ROTARIANS
Newsletter Reporter: Paul Martin
Photographer: Mike Brown
Greeter: Eric Harrington
Newsletter Editor: Loralyn Light
Setup/Teardown: Brad Carruth, Dave Martin
Audio/Visual Setup: Bez Thomas
Recording Archive: Paul Martin; click
hereClub Service Facilitator: June Losurdo
