President Alicia was happy that her breast surgeon referred to her as a breast cancer survivor.
Jennifer Gonzalez was happy that she passed the written test to become and EMT. It has been a hectic time, and she was happy to be spending the weekend celebrating her husband's 50th birthday and resting. She worked on the certification to be prepared for any emergency on the Traveler's aircraft. She will do some of her in person practical training in Plymouth. This was one way to take advantage of a light flight schedule. Traveler's wants to be sure and passengers are vaccinated. Jennifer will be qualified to give vaccinations when she has completed her training. Some of this training is a challenge for a person who was an art major. She said that the Traveler's tournament will be with limited attendance.
Joanne Santiago was happy that her baby Joelle will be 30 this week. Joanne was pregnant with Joelle when she joined Rotary, so she always knows how long she has been in the club. The two of them were going to Newport for the weekend to celebrate.
Jolly Lux is happy about her upcoming trip to Uganda. She wants to get the vaccination before she leaves. Of the $7,000 grant money to help with the clinic's expenses, half will be used to buy vaccines. May be the only rural source of the vaccine.
Gary Miller was glad to have survived a birthday week: Gary, granddaughter, grandson, sister-in-law, and probably some others the scribe missed. Suffice it to say that there was lots of cake.
Don Bonner was happy that he had ten of his art works in the Valley Book. There was somme discussion about whether he should pay a fine.
Rollie Sterrett gave an update on the scholarship for George Pavlakis, the West Point cadet from Avon. The letter announcing the scholarship has been accepted by West Point, which authorizes George to pursue graduate studies in Germany. The letter will be signed by President Alicia, and the club can be proud of supporting this outstanding young man.
We were happy to see Paul Mikkelson and to hear that he is pretty well back together after being hit by a truck while riding his bicycle in July. He still experiences some pain on his rides, but he knows he's lucky to be alive. The driver who hit him and left was never caught.
Joanne Santiago is looking for nominees for the Paul Harris award who have gone above and beyond in service in the club and outside of the club. For suggestions of the next recipient, reach out to Joanne.
Per Rotary International - There should be no in-person meetings for the remainder of the Rotary year to negate the spread of COVID-19.
Update: Note the red X's on Alicia, Robin, Joanne and Scott to support the effort to expose and wipe out human trafficking. (There may have been others on the second page.
Dave Tedeschi of Newington Rotary spoke last week regarding human trafficking. This upcoming Friday our club and Dave requested that members draw a red letter "X" on their hands on February 25th, make an image of their hand, and then share that image on social media platforms, while also including the following hashtags: #endit, #enditmovement, #endslaverynow. These references allow others to search on the Worldwide Web and find all related posts and links. Dave stated that sharing images of the red "X" on so many hands will help to mobilize the public against this tragic injustice and create a global awareness of the issue. One can learn more at: https://www.ecpatusa.org/endit.
March 30, 2021 - Rotary Global Grants presentation session (Details at "Eileen Rau", Happy Dollars section, above)
May 15, 2021 - Taste of the Valley Event - Next meeting on March 9 at 5:00. Plans are going well, and there should be at least 100 allowed inside, with up to 200 outside. The allowable number may go up. Members are asked to donate wine and liquor.
June 18, 2021 - President's Installation Dinner (at the Golf Club of Avon)
A thank you note was received from Chrysalis Center for the club's donation of $700.
President Alicia wants to plant a tree in honor of Rotary's 116th anniversary. She hopes to plant it at FAVARH on June 25 - where we will meet for her last meeting as president.
Several members attended the district grants webinar, so that the club will be eligible to receive district grants for the next year.
