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Russell Hampton
National Awards Services Inc.
ClubRunner
Bulletin Editor
Salin Low
Speakers
Mar 15, 2019
AFRICA EDUCATIONAL PARTNERSHIP in Nigeria
Mar 22, 2019
Beanz, an inclusive coffee cafe'
Mar 29, 2019
KATERI MEDICAL SERVICES in Nigeria
Apr 05, 2019
Watkinson School-project with the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana Dominican Republic
Apr 12, 2019
Using Outdoors to Connect to Youth
Apr 19, 2019
View entire list
Executives & Directors
President
 
President Elect
 
Immediate Past President
 
Treasurer
 
Secretary
 
Sergeant-at-Arms
 
Foundation Chair
 
Membership
 
Board Member-at-Large
 
Board Member-at-Large
 
Asst Treasurer
 
Interact Chair
 
EarlyRiser Presentations
The Annotated Guide to Ending Polio
GLO Fall 2017 Mission Trip
Eastern Europe Trip to Vienna and Prague Presentation
Avon Village Center Project Presentation
Club Information
Rotary of Avon-Canton - Founded 1973
Avon-Canton
Service above Self
We meet Fridays at 7:30 AM
Avon Old Farms Hotel
279 Avon Mountain Rd.
Avon, CT  06001
United States of America
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Committee Reports
Sergeant-at-Arms Report
January 11, 2019
 
Members Present: 42
 
Make-Ups: None  
Guests: Susan and Steven Mitchell (prospective members?); Noora Brown (receiving check); Rachelle Harper and Lori Mahern (Speakers)
Visiting Rotarians:
Happy Dollars: $6 (Surely we can be happier than that this week!)
Raffle Winner: Your Humble Scribe
 
Birthdays
 
None this week.
                                                                                                                                                    
 
Happy Dollars
 
 
Larry Sullivan was happy that Joanne Santiago had been able to relieve his wife Brenda's pinched nerve. He said it was one of the few times she'd been straightened out in more than 50 years. As former ans assisting head of the club golf tournament, Larry was concerned when Farmington Bank, a major sponsor for many years, had been purchased by People's Bank, which left a big hole for the tournament. Fortunately Collinsville Savings Bank (thanks to Gary Roman) and Northwest Community Bank (thanks to Kim Murphy) have stepped up to fill that hole and to be major sponsors for this year's tournament. Thanks to all for their support!
 
Jolly Lux was happy that she had received a district grant to train women and girls in Uganda for a professional program. She has expanded the program from a few weeks to nine months. She will be teaching them to make soap, so she had to learn to make it herself. The students will also be making other things, like school uniforms. It is a very exciting time for Global Light Orphans! Craig Buhrendorf, chair of the International Committee, reminded members that the committee had awarded $5,000 to GLO for this project.
 
 
Announcements
 
Phil Worley announced that Wenesday, January 16, would be Pub Night at Seasons in the Avon Old Farms Hotel. Happy hour is 4:00 - 6:30, and members are invited to come for any portion of that time. It's a good way to be warm and bright on a cold and dark January evening!
 
Gary Miller is looking for a few good members to purchase annual website ads for $100/yr. This supports the cost of the Club Runner software and website rental. Ads run in rotation throughout the year and are a good way to promote members' businesses. Contact Gary if interested.
 
Josh Gillooly announced that Tastes of the Valley (TOTV) material was available at the sergeant-at-arms desk or to be downloded online. There are flyers to post at members' work places and brochures to be distributed. The event will be held on Saturday, March 30, at Farmington Gardens on Route 4 in Farmington. All members are expected to participate.
 
On January 25th the meeting will be in Seasons Restaurant.
 
 
Calendar of Upcoming Events
 
Rotary Pub Night, Wednesday January 16 at Season's in the Avon Old Farm Hotel from 4 - 6 PM.
 
Taste of the Valley will be held Saturday, March 30 at 6 PM.  More information to come, but we will need some new restaurants as several of our past contributors are no longer in business. 
 
Induction of New Members
 
None this week.
 
 

Paul Harris Awards
 
 
Foundation chair Joanne Santiago presented Paul Harris pins to Scott Nardozzi and Greg DeManche. Both have made donations to the Rotary Foundation in $1,000 increments. Scott now has a Paul Harris  + 3, which represents $3,000, and Greg has a Paul Harris + 2, which represents $2,000. Their generosity helps to support work in our district and around the world. We appreciate their generosity.
 
Awards and Community/International Service Grants
 
 
 
Noora Brown received a $1,000 check from Community Service Chair Gary Roman on behalf of the American Muslim Center in Avon. The funds will be used to help provide meal packages which will go to food pantries and be placed in backpacks of children in homes with risk of food deficiencies. More than 200 volunteers will fill packs which will provide six meals each. This year the meals are apple cinnamon oatmeal for breakfasts.
 
 
 
Gary Roman and Colleen Grasso presented a $1,000 check to our speakers, Rachelle Harper and Lori Mahern, on behalf of the Canton Youth Services Bureau to help the Cave, a youth group center in Canton expand its operation to include Saturdays once a month for 7th and 8th graders.

 
Presentation
 
Rachelle Harper & Lori Mahern
 
" The Cave" Youth Center
 
 
The Youth Services Bureau of Canton had been trying to find a place for a youth center in Canton. Available spaces either were the wrong sort of space or came with prohibitive rent. Then The Rev. Jim Wheeler of the Collinsville Congregational Church told them that there was a youth center in the basement of the church which had been sitting unused since the 1970's. The church charges no rent, and the space is good for relatively small groups.
 
 
Although the space is a bit dated, the Lions Club and a number of young people have helped to refurbish it and to begin its renovation. The Cave is now open every Friday night for 9th through 12th grade students from Canton and surrounding communities. The desire on the part of the planning committee is to expand the hours to one Saturday a month for 8th and 9th graders. This works better than trying to combine students across both junior and senior high ages. Each session at the Cave requires two paid adult chaperones, because it was too hard for the YSB to count on volunteer chaperones. Funding comes from donations and from town sources. Admission to The Cave is free. While there will be more keeping track of the younger youth, the senior high youth are more free to come and go. There are plans to use outdoor areas for games and picnics, etc., when the weather is warmer.
 
Some students have produced a promotional video for The Cave. However, the adults involved in the planning want to find a way to get students more involved in running and planning for the center. If they own it, they will work to spread the word and to keep it going.
 
In addition to being responsible for The Cave, the Youth Services Bureau has a number of activities including counseling to help young people and their families. They have also had activities and programs to increase opioid awareness, to encourage safe teen driving, and to help young people learn about internet safety. They even had seminars to teach adults about vaping, smoking vapor cigarettes, which has increased dramatically among young people in the last few years. This is a good group and a good activity for our club to support.
 
 

 
Mail Bag
 
Nothing this week.
 
Photo Credits 
Photographs courtesy of Phil Worley, unless otherwise indicated.
 
Editor's Notes
Submission Deadline: Members are kindly encouraged to submit all materials for each week's Early Riser as early as possible. Please note that some editions may be published and distributed as early as the Saturday following our meetings, and during those weeks further contributions to the Early Riser will be included in the subsequent week's edition.
“The FOUR-WAY TEST of the things we think, say or do”:

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all Concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?