SCITUATE ROTARY NEWSLETTER  

MAY, 28, 2008  

MEMBERS PRESENT: Captain Mike, Lew, William, Bill, Walter, Beatrice, Joe, Bart, Judy, Bob S., Sandi, Janet, Dennis, Ben, Diane, and Connie (Honorary)

GUESTS: Joyce Coulter, Janie and Brad Langmaid, and Julie Kenneally

We were delighted to have an awesome group of guests, scholars and musicians! Bill brought his sister Janie and her husband Brad to give us entertainment and Julie came as an applicant for the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship.

Julie comes to us highly qualified and motivated as a recent graduate from Elam University in North Carolina . She plans to continue her studies in human rights law in Cairo , Egypt . Janet is processing the paperwork and we hope to make Julie the first Ambassadorial Scholar representing our Scituate Rotary Club! It will be another link to world peace and goodwill and a Rotary presence as well.

A Paul Lind Scholarship for Nursing was approved to go Heather O’Brien on her achievement in that field at Curry College . She is a very dedicated student and we are proud to award the $1,500 Scholarship funds to her.

Also pending is the newly appointed Alden Mitchell Scholarship. We thank the family and friends for their generous and fitting memorial Scholarship.

To top off the evening, Bill brought out his guitar and teamed up with his sister Janie for a trip down Musical Memory Lane . It was foot-stomping fun as we joined in to sing “You are my Sunshine”, “Heart of My Heart” and “Harvest Moon”. We noted Bill’s wildly enthusiastic ending on one of his favorites – “Match and a Powder Keg- BOOM BOOM”!!!!!!  It was a repeat command performance from our own “Musically Wild Bill”, with the great harmony of his sister. What a talented duo. Have you considered taking the show on the road?

We have several invitations pending to consider:

DARE Graduation at SHS on Mon. June 9^th at 7:30pm.

MMFC Golf tournament on Mon. June 23 in Marshfield (Dennis Snyder)

HARBOR CRUISE Thurs. July 17 at 6: 45 from the Weymouth Club

Be on deck next week as we review Captain Mike’s ship log and sail back over the year. It will be fun to see where we’ve been, stem to stern and what lies on the high seas ahead.

 Respectfully submitted,
Sandra Schipul, Secretary

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GATHERING AT JANET AND BART’S TO HEAR KENYA CONFLICT PRESENTATION

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May 16th: Dorothy Maoebe, a native Kenyan, addresses our small group of Rotarians. Present were: Captain Mike, Dietrich, Candace, Diane, Sandi and Bob. Guests were Dave and Jan Isbrandt.

Dorothy shows her slides on the help she gives to Kisumu refugees in the form of basic needs. Food delivery includes maize, beans and oil. Blankets, medicine, cooking pots, nets and tents are also a part of the aid that is given to the displaced homeless and the injured and sick. Dorothy drives a delivery truck and makes personal follow up calls. Some of the aid she delivers comes from our International Rotary Club in Kisumu, Kenya. 

Weekly Meeting on May 21, 2008

PRESENT on May 21: Captain Mike, William, Maryann, Bill, Candace, Walter, 
Beatrice, Joe, Bart, Judy, Bob S., Sandi, Janet, Ben, Lisa and Diane

GUESTS: Heather Collins and Kimberlee Alemian of the South Shore Arts Center

Our evening began with a very creative format, fitting for the presentation of Candace’s guests and co-workers. Our dinner tables were preset with foam squares and scissors to fashion symbols to paint and imprint on a Rotary Banner! We were challenged to make this a fun group endeavor! It was refreshing to discover latent artistic talents. Also we will have a keepsake of the evening.

Bob handed out the new Rotary Phone Books, hot off the press and also very creative with the Lawson Tower Cover and Ocean Views from the Mill Warf on the back page.

We think this will be good impetus to encourage patrons to secure their ads earlier next year! It was suggested that we have a Rotary Plaque of Appreciation made up for the Scituate Post Office for their efforts to deliver 10,000 books for us!!!! 

Lisa brought in American Flags for us to distribute during the Memorial Day Parade and Services this Monday, May 26. We will meet at the Town Hall at 9 am. Janet is looking into getting Rotary Logo T-shirts.

Candace introduced our presenter, Heather Collins, Director of Community programs at SSAC and also Graphic Designer, Kimberlee Alemian.

Heather complimented us on our handiwork for the impromptu Rotary Banner and likened the process to her display Banner from Ghana. We had become familiar with its imprinted Adinkra symbols as some of us selected them as models for the artwork we created earlier. The turtle represented adaptability, the flower was for unity, the heart was for patience and tolerance, and the intertwined circle/square represented peacemaking and reconciliation. What perfect visuals on our Rotary Banner for us to share with our club in the weeks to come, for those not present tonight!

The current exhibition at the South Shore Art Center is titled “REFLECTIONS IN EXILE” which some of our members have already visited. This exhibition on social injustice utilizes John Michalczyk’s film on South African Conflict/Resolution and is a link to our own Rotary Club! The artwork is a thought-provoking display from five contemporary African artists. Their works represent the issues of Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and the Sudan. It also ties in with the conflict in Kenya as represented this week by our visitor, Dorothy Maobe.

We thank Candace for her work on this program. It gave us a better insight into other cultures via native artwork and brings a message to us from its creators. We continue to look for peace in the world and it begins with each one of us.

Next week we will be vocally inspired by our own “Musically Wild Bill” Coulter. We should be thoroughly entertained and want everyone to break into song with him!

Respectfully submitted,
Sandra Schipul, Secretary

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MAY 14, 2008

Captain Mike steered our super-charged meeting smoothly on its course by introducing ten 6th grade students who had just returned from their Camp Bournedale outing! 

Members present: Pres. Mike, Dietrich, William, Candace, Walter, Beatrice, Joe, Loic, Bob P., Judy, Bob S., Sandi, Ben, Lisa and Diane.

Guests: Wayne Waterfield, Diane’s son, Kathy Richards, 6th grade teacher at Hatherly and coordinator for Bournedale presentation, Dave Ball, teacher, Jim O’Sullivan, teacher, 6th grade students, and parents. A full house! 

Lisa invited the Hatherly and Jenkins School students to personally share their outdoor classroom experiences with us. This is the 20th year for their Camp Bournedale studies and they thanked our club for its financial support to help make this available in the form of scholarships for the students. We were pleased to share their enthusiasm! They had the opportunity to learn from hands on experience. They observed costal ecology and explored tide pools, and studied crustaceans by actually picking them up. They loved the lobsters and crabs and had to identify the gender of each! Kathy Richards presented a wonderful PowerPoint show to bring this all to life.

In memory of Alden Mitchell, Candace, Bart and Janet initiated a Paul Harris Fellow award to be given to Connie Mitchell. The club accepts this offer from them personally and will also take in contributions from members. We need to raise $1,000 to make this possible, there will be an offering taken at each meeting. 

Ben also noted that Rotary International has a 100 Million Dollar Challenge from the Bill Gates Foundation and to be used to eradicate polio from the world and finally put it in the history books! All clubs and Rotary International will support this challenge to match funds. So we really need to be proactive on our fundraisers.

Diane Waterfield was our program presenter and gave us a marvelous overview of her experiences in the Arizona prison system, where she had previously worked. There she shared her gift of being compassionate to the inmates at the Women’s Center by educating them with computer skills as well as parenting skills. She also noted that basic nutrition was absent from the women’s diet and advocated a change in eating. Her idea to plant a community garden was a success despite the negative reception from the administration.

Thanks to her persistence and by enlisting the help of the women inmates, it was fruitful and produced a bounty of delicious nutrition for them. That is true Rotary sharing and service to others!

Janet and Bart open their home to all members this Friday night at 7:30 to visit with Dorothy Maobe, from Kenya. She will share her experiences of working in the refuge camps in the war torn areas of her native villages. We can witness our Rotary help to this situation and know that there can be a peaceful resolve.

Next week, Candace will be our speaker on behalf of the South Shore Art Center.

Respectfully submitted,
Sandi

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ROTARY NEWSLETTER MAY 7, 2008

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Top Row
(L) Ben and Eric   (C) Ben and Michael    (R) Jack and Maryann
Bottom Row
(L) Janet   (C) Sandi and Diane   (R) Scituate High School Presenters

Kaitlin St. George was on hand for our SHS Service Learning Studies Informational evening. She brought students from her group to present their Service Projects.  

Present from the high school were: Kimberly Wood, Abbey Newkirk, Colleen Ralston, Christine Rugan, Madde Vachon, Michaela Connolly, and Matt Inrtocaso.

Our welcomed guests were: Office Art Wood, Cheryl Foote, Joyce Coulter, Lynn Eaton, David Tompson, Linda and Jack Borror.

Members present were: President Mike, Dietrich, Lew, William, Maryann, Bill, Eric, Walter, Bart, Donna, Bob P., Bob S., Sandi, Janet, Ben, Lisa and Diane.

President Mike called the meeting to order at the home of Eric and Cheryl Foote.

Due to the sudden passing of our esteemed member, Alden Mitchell, on May 2nd, it was decided to dedicate the evening in his memory. Many of our members attended the Memorial of Life service at his church in Marshfield and Dietrich was asked by the family to give a eulogy on behalf of the Rotary.

Bart shared with us his memories of Alden by saying that he was a living example of the “perfect” Rotarian and could be called Mr. Rotary. Alden was a charter member of The Rotary Club of Scituate in 1969 and has the distinction of attaining perfect attendance for all 39 years! He was twice elected to President and also was honored twice as a Paul Harris Fellow. Bart recommended that it is only fitting to honor Alden’s memory by awarding another Paul Harris Fellowship on his behalf to Connie and also making her an honorary member.Eric fired up his two grills to serve home-style barbecued pulled pork and chicken.

Members rounded out the menu with delicious side dishes and desserts. It was a beautiful evening to share company and food outside.

It was great to have so many SHS seniors present and to have each of them shared their service projects in detail with us. It was amazing to see the diversity of their choices as they had to decide whether their efforts would be local, national or international. They also had to see their projects through from inception to completion, a true example of giving back to the community. “Service is the rent we pay for living on this planet”.

From the six students came a wide variety of service projects, including Leuk’s Walk, for leukemia patients, Adopt a Soldier, Helping Hands for the food pantry, Dove for children in a Dorchester shelter, and Fire Walk fire safety awareness in memory of fallen fire fighters.

The evening ended as the sun went down and the students lingered around the warmth and brightness of Eric and Cheryl’s fire pit. We will look forward to working with Kaitlin’s talented students again.

Respectfully submitted,
Sandra Schipul, Secretary

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On Thursday evening, May 1st, Mike, Walter, Dietrich and Suzanne
attended the New England Premier of "Creating Harmony: The Displaced Persons' Orchestra of St. Ottilien" at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. This film was co-sponsored by the Scituate Rotary Club and the Premier featured a Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial) candle lighting, special music by members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and a discussion panel including Bob Hilliard (featured in the film), a Holocaust music scholar, two Holocaust survivors, and John Michalczyk.

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Picture #1- Walter, Dietrich, Mike, and Suzanne at dinner with the film producer, John Michalczyk.
Picture #2- Film producer, John Michalczyk, standing by the poster about the film screening premier event
Picture #3- Panel for discussion after the film screening including John Michalczyk, Bob Hilliard (featured in the film), and two holocaust
survivors.

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May 7th Meeting

Bart

Chris Ryan writes:

I am attaching photos I just took of the daffodils in bloom at the Michael J. Kelley Path.  I want to thank all who participated in this project and encourage the members and friends to stop by to walk the path and enjoy the "fruits of their labor" planted in tribute to this brave young man. The ducks my Mom donated look happy in their new home along the path.