Dr. Arnold Goldman, Bruce Sayward, Elizabeth Horan (All to be inducted soon).
Visiting Rotarians
None
Happy Dollars
$34
Fines
None
Raffle
No Winner
Birthdays
Kay Kellogg - asserted that this is the 25th Anniversary of her 45th Birthday. Kay presented a check for the Rotary Foundation. She stated that she enjoys Rotary a great deal. Kay is a longtime resident of Avon.
Happy Dollars
Joanne Santiago - was excited about the day's presentation. She read a note from John Carmon to whom the Club bestowed a community Paul Harris Award recently. John thanked the Club and stated that he has great respect and admiration for what the Club does in the Farmington Valley.
Kurt Lux - detailed that he and Jolly have recently made presentations about their mission work in Uganda to the Rotary Clubs in Torrington and New Britain. He shared that the next trip to Uganda will be in September. Kurt and Jolly hope to open the new medical clinic at that time. They will be accompanied by volunteers from the United Methodist Church of Simsbury.
Les Zinner - will be in Peru next week, spending time in Machu Picchu. Les will be tabulating the results of his breakfast survey. He will be speaking with the manager of Avon Old Farms when he returns from his trip.
Jackie Dionne - is set to become the new manager of her company's West-Farms store. This represents a promotion. She described herself as "excited, nervous and scared, but still excited." Jackie will be able to stay in the Rotary Club of Avon-Canton. Jackie's daughter Addison was at the meeting. Mother and daughter had a "Girls' Day" Wednesday at the Mall.
Dale Bronson - related that last Saturday (4/23) was Opening Day of New Hartford's Youth Baseball Season. His grandson Levi, by virtue of being the youngest kid in New Hartford baseball this year, got to close the Opening Day Ceremony by taking the microphone and yelling "play ball." Dale confided that, when he was terminally ill, he didn't think he'd get to see such a day.
Robin DiNicola - is hopeful that her son will be the new RYLA student at Avon Old Farms School.
Bruce Sayward - alerted members that, on May 10, there will be a showcase at the newly opened North House Restaurant. Bruce was in charge of the restaurant's extensive remodeling. The North House is directly across the street (Route 44) from Avon Old Farms Hotel.
Sue Budde - reviewed the numbers for Dog Star Rescue. Over 500 dogs have now been placed , and over 200 volunteers have signed up to help with Dog Star's mission.
Arnie Goldman - has had the same office manager for 20 years now. Her son, who was a kid when she started working for Arnie, has now joined the Air Force.
Don Bonner - will be heading out after the Club meeting for the District 7890 Conference. It's being held this year in Hyannis, MA.
Larry Sullivan - explained that the family's GM dealership in Torrington is "going green." Solar panels are being installed.
Phil Worley - reminded all that the next Rotary Pub Night was scheduled for May 3rd at the North House.
Announcements
Community Service Committee
The Community Service Committee will meet Friday, May 6th after the regular Club meeting. Contact Paul Mikkelson for further details.
International Committee
The International Committee will meet Friday, May 6th after the regular Club meeting. Contact Craig Buhrendorf for further details.
Amber Alert
Tom Voorhees termed the previous Sunday's Amber Alert session as "very good."
The next Amber Alert will be at the Pine Grove School on Friday, May 6th from 5 to 7 p.m. Tom needs three volunteers.
District 7890 Conference
(Mary and Don Bonner at the District 7890 Conference, April 30th)
President's Installation Dinner
Immediate Past President Salin Low has announced that the annual President's Installation Dinner will take place June 17th at Farmington Woods. The cost for the evening will be $45 per person.
Outgoing President Gary Miller will be honored for a job well done, and Don Bonner will be installed as Club President for the '16-'17 Rotary Year.
Salin hopes "you all plan to be there."
Joanne Santiago reviewed that, at the June 17th Dinner, three Club members will receive Paul Harris Awards. They are Salin Low, Len Dunstan and Thor Cheyne.
$1000 will be donated to the Rotary Foundation in each member's name. Joanne asserted this is a "very special honor for giving back in service above self."
Avon-Canton Rotary Bike Ride
Here are the details for the Club's upcoming Outside Bike Ride:
Date: Satuday, May 14
Time: Noon
Location: Sperry Park, Route 10/202, Avon
The Avon-Canton Rotary Ride will be along the Rails to Trails. The distances will be 1, 2, 5,10 or 20 miles, slow pace, with a lunch stop in Simsbury, if you wish.
This event will only take place if the weather is nice and dry. Get your bike checked, any bike will work; you can borrow a bike in Simsbury if you need one.
Family, friends and other contacts are invited to both sessions – For anyone under 18, check with Paul. Please sign-up for both events, the Bike Spin and the Bike Ride.
BREAK OUT OF YOUR BOX – TRY SOMETHING NEW – SET A GOAL & RIDE A FEW MILES!
Rotary Pub Night
(Recent Pub Night)
The May Rotary Pub Night was held Tuesday, May 3rd at The North House, 1 Nod Road, Avon.
Be sure to bring your friends, spouses, partners, significant others, etc. to the next Pub Night on June 7th. The location will be announced soon. RPN is held on the first Tuesday of each month.
Rotary Pub Night is all about networking, getting to know each other better and, usually, having a lot of laughs. We hope to see you all there.
Sincerely,
Josh Gillooly & Phil Worley
Membership Committee Co-Chairs
We Will Meet May 27th
The decision has been made that the Club will meet the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend. The Speaker that day will be Jill Fletcher. Her presentation is titled "Youth Forum."
District 7890 End Polio Now Night at the
New Britain Bees!
New Britain Stadium
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Picnic Starts 5:05- 6:35 PM
Game Starts 6:35 PM
Deadline: May 21, Register on-line!
Last year we had a record crowd of 270 Rotarians, family, friends and Polio survivors attend District 7890’s End Polio Now Night.
Let's see if we can top our own record this year to support End Polio Now Night! With every ticket sold, District 7890 will donate $4.00 towards the End Polio Now campaign!
We also have End Polio Now Tee shirts for only $10, that can also be purchased on line. It will be great to march in the parade wearing our Rotary End Polio Now shirts! Don't forget to bring your club banners. We will have a Rotary table in front of the stadium to pick up tickets on the night of the game. The deadline for purchasing tickets and tee shirts is May 21.
You will have the option to purchase a reserved game ticket and a picnic ticket for $22 or just a game ticket for $12. The $22 ticket is an all you can eat meal and by far the best value. Each club will designate someone to throw out the first pitch.
I’m very much pleased to formerly invite you all to the upcoming District Training Assembly in Enfield, CT on Wednesday, May 11, 2016. We are thrilled to offer a variety of training options together with a terrific keynote speaker. All Rotarians are invited to attend. If you are a leader or board member of your club, or someone who just recently joined Rotary, this training is especially important for you.
What: Rotary District 7890 District Training Assembly. The purpose of this event is to train Rotarians on various Rotary topics to create better leaders and better Rotarians. All Rotarians are invited but incoming club officers and new Rotarians are especially encouraged to attend.
When: Wednesday, May 11, 2016. Registration & Breakfast: 7:15am – 8:15am. Program: 8:15am to Noon
.
Where: Holiday Inn
1 Bright Meadow Blvd.
Enfield, CT 06082
Who: The Assembly includes breakout session for the 60 Presidents-elect, Secretaries-elect, and the Treasurers-elect. There are also breakout sessions for all members on topics including the Foundation, membership, social media, and others. There will be a session called The Rotary 101 / Rotary Basics and it will be perfect for new members, but also for anyone who would like to learn more about Rotary. Finally, we are thrilled to announce that we will have Chris Boyce, Foundation Annual Giving Officer of Rotary International, leading some of the training sessions for us.
Keynote Speaker: Past District Governor Toni McAndrew of District 7410 in Northeastern Pennsylvania will be the keynote speaker. She is a Service Above Self Award recipient and Past Chair of the Northeast America Division of the Rotary Leadership Institute.
Cost: The fee to attend is $30.00 per person. Many Rotary Clubs in our District choose to reimburse this cost to their members as an incentive to attend because it is a great investment in educating and creating better Rotarians. Check with your individual club’s leadership team to see if this applies to you.
New Rotarian Discount: DGE Wargo is continuing the special “New Rotarian” price for any Rotarian who comes to the District Training Assembly that has joined Rotary after May 11, 2015. The cost will be half price; only $15!
How to Register: Details and registration can be found at www.rotarydistrict7890.org by clicking on “District 7890 Training Assembly 2016” under the “Upcoming Events” section on the right hand side of the website.
Registration Deadline: Please register by Wednesday, May 4th at 11:59 pm.
I look forward to seeing you all there!! You will learn something and have fun!!!
Sincerely,
David Condon
District Training Assembly Chairperson
Work: 413-733-7306
Presentation
(Emanating from Guatemala, Sara Pressman's presentation was brought to the Avon-Canton Rotary by virtue of SKYPE)
Sara Pressman grew up in Avon and is now based in Guatemala. She works there for Mercado Global, a non-profit organization that assists one of the most marginalized populations in the world - rural, indigenous women.
Sara is the Institutional Partnerships Coordinator. She supports the development and community outreach team by managing the corporate and institutional partnerships program, the internship program and communications. She fosters donor partnerships.
With donor-funded support, Mercado Global provides business education and leadership programs to these indigenous women, who are very skilled at making clothes, to become successful business owners. The women become artisans.
(A group of Mercado Global participants)
Mercado Global connects the artisans with sales opportunities in the fashion industry. Their ability to make clothes and their newly learned business skills combine to create income for their families. The women are able to provide their families with better nutrition and better education. Their communities are able to break the cycle of poverty. The women often times become community leaders.
The retailers Mercado Global has connected the artisans to include: J. Crew, Anthropolgie, Calypso, Zady, abc carpet & home (no capital letters), Comptoir Des Cottonniers, I-stan, ACCOMPANY, Everything But Water, United Arrows, Holt Renfrew and Baycrews Group. The Levi Strauss Company is a major funding partner.
Most of the women Mercado Global has assisted are able to eventually buy better equipment and create assets for themselves. Family incomes have quadrupled over the last two years. Gender equality has improved. School attendance rates have risen dramatically. Mercado Global has created many success stories, and a number of fashion magazines have chronicled the Mercado Global phenomenon.
Sara holds a BA in International Affairs and Social Entrepeneurship from Northeastern University in Boston.
This Just In!!
Rotary Pub Night, May 3, 2016, The North House
In The Mail
In a letter dated April 15th, Farmington Valley YMCA Executive Director Brian Liss thanked the Club for its donation of $1,500. This makes the Rotary Club of Avon-Canton a "distinguished member of the YMCA's Chairman's Circle Giving Society." The donation will be used to "provide financial assistance to children and families in need so they may participate in YMCA programs."
Brian ended his letter with "fellow Rotarians. Thank you so much for your support!"
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