January 12, 2024Eileen RauRegional Rotary Coordinator Meeting will be held at Golf Club of AvonThe meeting will be held both in person and via Zoom.
Watch for an email from the Club for Zoom access and
please note we use a recurring ID for your convenience.
Sergeant-at-Arms Report
Rotarians Present: 30
Visiting Rotarians: None
Guests: Tully Meyer (Speaker)
Happy Dollars: $59
Raffle Winner: Tom Voorhees ($40)
Birthdays: Jolly Lux (1/2), Paul Mikkelson (1/4)
Bob Cave (1/5) is happy to be here! Last night, he and his wife celebrated his birthday with the phenomenal Magic in the Stars on Ice show at the Hartford Civic Center. He is donating $51 in honor of his 51 years in Rotary and welcomes all Rotarian who make it 50 years in Rotary to join the new 50+ club!
Happy Dollars
Gary Miller remembered when Bob Cave turned 70, Gary thought to himself, "That is old!"
Peter Vignati wished all the club members a happy and healthy 2024 and said thank you for the thoughts and prayers for his wife's broken arm. Recovery is coming along!
Bill Barnes reminisced about joining Rotary in 1973 when he and Bob Cave both had dark hair. He shared an admission that when he woke up on Christmas morning, he was kicking himself for forgoing a peaceful Christmas morning because he asked Sue Budde if she needed an extra hand at Dish N Dat. However, once he arrived at the event, those feelings quickly disappeared! They served over 600 people hot food, and all the children left with gifts. It was a wonderful event and a great holiday experience!
Dick Kisiel wished all a happy new year and passed around a Habitat for Humanity service event sign-up for Saturday, February 10, at a work site in Hartford from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. By the end of the meeting, the sheet quickly filled up!
Phil Ferrari and his wife Beth will be hosting a Super Bowl party (February 11, 2024) and all club members are invited! He will be bringing a sheet for members to RSVP.
Announcements
Sue Budde announced 65 pairs of gloves are going out next week with Footwear for Care. For any last-minute donations, please coordinate with Sue!
Big Band Jazz and Swing Concert: Sunday, January 21st at the Avon Senior Center from 2 PM - 4 PM. The Silk City Jazz Band will be performing two hours of swing and big band jazz for your enjoyment, to benefit Avon VFW Post 3272’s Afghan Resettlement Project. Funds raised will be used for food, clothing, rent and related expenses for an Afghan family whose members risked their lives to help US and Coalition forces in Afghanistan.
Calendar
April 20 - Tastes of the Valley at Farmington Gardens. See Colleen Grasso for details and to help.
Induction of New Members
None this week.
Awards
None this week
Community and International Service Grants
None this week
Tully Meyer
Community Liaison
McLean Home Care & Hospice
Steve Morris introduced Tully Meyer of McClean Home Care & Hospice. She is a former lawyer who found healthcare by happenstance. She fell in love with helping people navigate the healthcare system and never looked back; she has been with McLean for the past six and a half years, and before that, she worked at several nursing home chains helping people with the placement of their loved ones.
Tully addressed that while most people have little to no interest in discussing hospice or death, there are a lot of misconceptions that can prevent people from accessing this important and often essential form of care.
Group Discussion:
What is the difference between Hospice and Palliative care? While both are aimed at comfort and symptom relief, palliative care can have both clinical and in-home care benefits that help manage a serious illness and can have curative aspects paired with treatment. Hospice is an in-home benefit where treatment is discontinued because there is no curative intent.
Linda Pendergast mentioned President Carter is a good example of how he benefited from hospice care and both she and Tully hope that his public case can help show that hospice is not just for the actively dying and reframe the way Americans view end-of-life care.
Luke Violette asked Tully and Steve Morris (who is an active hospice volunteer) what a day for a volunteer looks like. Steve commented that he attended about three to four months of training and once he completed that phase, he responds to email notices about people who may need something and when he can make it work, he completes the request. He especially looks for requests by men because there are so few male volunteers. He has also participated in their Rose Program where McLean delivers roses to families whose loved one has passed on and while initially intimidated, he found it to be incredibly meaningful to partake in.
Larry Sullivan asked Tully "By looking at our demographic, did you bring applications?" while she did not, you can reach Tully at 860-280-1062
It is important to speak to your loved ones about their end-of-life wishes at any stage in life. However, it can be difficult to start that conversation. The Conversation Project provides the tools needed to begin that conversation:https://theconversationproject.org/
Special Announcements
None this week.
Mail Bag
None this week.
Photo Credits
Mike Mezheritskiy
Technology Credits
Zoom platform management expertise by Mike Mezheritskiy.
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?
.png)
