The Ken November 11, 2019
Attendance: Mike Austin
Split Club: Ron Levea
Fine Master: Tim Glor
Invocation: Phil Michalowski
The Ken: Jeff Markarian
Donna began our meeting with the Pledge, no song and Phil gave our invocation.
Guests today were Fiona Barreto and her son Sovia and our speaker Alexis Linck Entwhistle.
As of this meeting we do not have a speaker for our meeting next week. The Christmas party is being finalized. Donna is going to our Districts Foundation Seminar and Grant Management Seminar Saturday. We need 2 club members to apply for grant money. John Duerr with the Ken Ton Elmwood Commons dedicated their new flag pole Monday at 2:30. Fiona thanked us for our Foundations contribution to her Bread Fruit and micro flush toilets. We really made a splash.
Alexis won the split club and Art T missed the Ace.
Fine Master Tim Glor took confessions. Ed Hackerl was on a golfcation in Fort Lauderdale and also celebrated his and Marge’s 32nd wedding anniversary. Mike Ford is back to work. Mike also went to the Seneca Niagara casino and won 2 Bills tickets. The guys were quit concerned that Gary Roberts left the meeting abruptly. He forgot to turn the crock pot on before he left and Donna was on him like stink on a monkey. Tim excused our Veteran Phil from any fine. Scott S you too would have been excused. Tim tested us on interesting Veteran trivia so we could all reflect on the gratitude we hold for these brave people.
Larry was pleased to introduce our speaker today, Alexis Linck Entwhistle. Remember Alexis was the Rotaract student we helped get an apartment last year that was burnt and she lost everything, including an endeared feline. She spoke to us today about her involvement in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program in 2014 - 2015. Alexis’ local Rotary Club, Sauquoit Rotary in district 7150 outside of Utica sponsored her. In return, that district, not the club itself, had to accept an exchange student. Alexis stayed with 3 families. The first family was too rigid but she endured. The second family was great and the last family bonded like real family. They forced her to only speak Italian. They went on many field trips. Including a trip to Spain, learned to ski in the Alp’s, learned to make pasta. We asked what commitments we, as a host club would be required to do, hosting a student. Her reply was to help the host family with rides and to always check in. Take the students on field trips to places we take for granted, but a visitor would find remarkable. This young lady was very impressive and it sounds like we are perhaps thinking about throwing our hats into this arena. I think it might freshen up and give a spark our club. If we all chipped in and leaned on other clubs in our district we may benefit in the long run. TBD.
Meeting adjourned.