January 17, 2024
Reporter: John Vineyard
Wednesday’s meeting:Brigid Hubberman
“40 Quilts for 40 Beds”
COLTIVARE and on Zoom
WELCOME & TRADITIONS
NOTE: you can watch previous meetings by going to our YouTube channel!
President Heidi Goldstein called the meeting to order and led those in attendance in the Four-Way Test.
Our guests included:
- Gladys Brangman, guest of Heidi Goldstein and our speaker
- Sarah Mirabile, guest of Gertrude Noden
- Charlie Trautmann, guest of Sherrie Negrea
- Al Vazquez, guest of Heidi Goldstein
- Anne Rhodes, guest of Heidi Goldstein
There were no visiting Rotarians.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Our reporter John Vineyard delivered thoughts of Samuel Johnson, British author and lexicographer:
It is better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust.- The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.
- The love of life is necessary to the vigorous prosecution of any undertaking.
- To keep your secret is wisdom, but to expect others to keep it is folly.
- All theory is against freedom of the will; all experience is for it.
- Everything that shows us we can do what we thought we could not is valuable.
- Allow children to be happy in their own way, for what better way will they find?
- It is dangerous for mortal beauty, or terrestrial virtue, to be examined by too strong a light. The torch of Truth shows much that we cannot, and all that we would not, see.
WELLNESS WEDNESDAY
Loretta Goss stressed the value of humor in good health and showed a comic skit about a visit to the dentist from the Carol Burnett Show, featuring Harvey Korman and Tim Conway. It was utterly ridiculous and hilarious at the same time!
SCIENCE CENTRE KENYA’S CLIMATE CHANGE GRANT
Introduced by Sherrie Negrea of the International Service Committee, Charlie Trautmann, former director of the Sciencenter in Ithaca, discussed a $5,000 club grant that will be used to plant fruit trees at schools in Kenya.
Charlie has been working with Ken Monjero, director of the Science Centre in Nairobi, to develop the project and apply for the grant from Ithaca Rotary. A total of 1,000 trees—avocados, mangos, and passion fruit—will be planted at each of ten rural elementary schools in western Kenya with the purpose of increasing food security, teaching children about climate change, and reducing greenhouse gases. The carbon capture from the trees will be equivalent to ten cars per year, Trautmann said.
The project is being coordinated with the Lavington Rotary Club in Nairobi and the Science Centre, Kenya, which is now developing plans to build a permanent museum. The trees are being planted in schools 350 kilometers northwest of Nairobi. It’s expected that the first fruit will be harvested three to six years after planting, with an expected ten to twenty-five years of fruit production.
LAST WEEK’S PROGRAM
“Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
President Heidi introduced Gladys Brangman, from Business Leaders of Colors.
What is the true meaning behind not only the day, but also the work of Martin Luther King, Jr.?
No figure is more closely identified with the mid-20th century struggle for civil rights than the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His adoption of non-violent resistance to achieve equal rights for Black Americans earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. His leadership contributed to the overall success of the civil rights movement in the mid-1900s and continues to impact civil rights movements in the present. While King and other leaders generated huge strides for equality, the push for civil rights remains a challenge today.
What powered the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.? Reverend is an honorific title given before the names of certain Christian clergy and ministers. It is impossible to look at his legacy without acknowledging his relationship with God and his calling. King earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Morehouse College; he studied social life, social change, social causes, and consequences of human behavior. He also earned a Bachelor of Divinity, which is the study of Christian theology and ministry, and finally a Doctorate of Philosophy in systematic theology from Boston University. What his education tells us is that he knew where his passion was, what he needed to do, and why he was here on this earth. What he also knew is that he could not do it alone; there were so many people who inspired with him, walked with him, and fought beside him.
Gladys asked why we regard his life as still important, and answered that King’s vision was to make America live up to its creed (We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal…). She described how the brutal acts of Birmingham Police Chief Bull Connor served to “subpoena the conscience of the nation,” and named several civil rights workers of the time who were murdered and tortured in the early years of the struggle. She concluded, “If you are still alive, there is work to be done.” Gladys cited King’s remark that although we are richer materially, we are poorer morally, and we have not yet achieved the simple art of living together peacefully. Voices still need to be heard to keep his message alive.
HAPPY DOLLARS
- Lynn Swain: is sadly leaving the club after just one year in order to take a new job at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, MA
- Millie Clarke-Maynard: with over 27 years as a member of this club, spoke on behalf of Gladys Brangman and Dorothy Cotton, and how every day is an opportunity to serve
- Todd Nau: expressed appreciation for the club volunteers who had participated in recent months sorting at Finger Lakes ReUse
- Dale Flinn: happy to have recently attended a meeting in Florida for incoming District Governors, and hopes to attend a Rotary gathering to open a new peace center in Istanbul in February 2025
Mary Kane: so pleased to hear Gladys Brangman as today’s speaker- Sarah Segal: happy to be back and to have the opportunity to volunteer
President Heidi expressed thanks to all of the workers who make each meeting happen. She closed by reviewing her charge from February speaker chair Beverly Baker for members to submit the names of their favorite songs on index cards provided at each table. Heidi was to deliver them to Beverly right after the meeting!
NEW (RETURNING) MEMBER APPLICATION
Name: Stephanie Andres (formerly Meyer)
Business: Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA)
Position: Interim Executive Director
Sponsor: Jean McPheeters
UPCOMING SPEAKERS
01/24 Brigid Hubberman, “40 Quilts for 40 Beds”
01/31 Lizzy Martin, CNY Rotary President 2024–25, “Implementing Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion in the Ithaca Rotary Club”
02/07 Martha E. Pollack, Cornell University President, “Update from the Hill”
02/14 Celebrating: Presidents’ Day (nationally & locally), Heart Month, and
Valentine’s Day
02/21 Amy Kremenek, TC3 President, “Update on Our Community College”
02/28 LaJerne Terry Cornish, Ithaca College President, “Leading Through a Time
of Change”
THANK YOU ROTARIANS
Newsletter Reporter: John Vineyard
Photographer: Mike Brown
Greeter: Tiffany Bloss
Newsletter Editor: Loralyn Light
Setup/Teardown: Steve Johnson, Todd Nau
Cashier/Kettle Watcher: Gary Reinbolt
Audio/Visual Setup: Bez Thomas, Mike Brown
Recording Archive: Paul Martin; click
hereClub Service Facilitator: June Losurdo
