Thank you to District Governor Maura Donnelly (third row from top, second image from left) for joining us on Monday night. We had a great time. Her message of information and encouragement was one of many bright spots at our meeting. That she was our randomly picked 50/50 Loser was a special treat. Her words of Rotary Wisdom from Paul Harris that described our club were especially meaningful: Personality has power to uplift, power to depress, power to curse, and power to bless.
Bright spots! Our Citrus sales grew this year during the John Montgomery Citrus sale, a great accomplishment in the middle of this socially limited year. Donating over 20,000 oranges to the Food Bank, thanks to generous gifts from customers, emphasized the Rotary spirit of generosity. Warehouse manager Bill Smith (image on right) once again ran a smooth operation and thanked his helpers for their hard work and dedication.Service Chairperson Vicki Megginson celebrated a successful Santa for Seniors first year, giving gift cards hidden in greeting cards to At Home Seniors. This was followed by a successful day of bell ringing for Salvation Army at Schnuck’s. She also reminded us of our ongoing mini-pantry at Ridgely School, the Angel Tree for children with Rutledge Youth Foundation, and the little library built and donated by Neal Miller this Fall.
Also included (by me) were a need for Coats for Kids for Ridgely School, being collected at Green Automotive by Texas Road House. There are still needs for coats for girls and boys in sizes 8-10 and 10-12. Be sure to say that the coats you are donating are for Ridgely School. This is definitely a Club of Service! Vicki reminded us that Rotary likes to keep track of gifts of time and money. As we approach the end of 2020, please provide her this information about your volunteer service and donations. To report, you can use the link to the form at the bottom of the Newsletter or send an email to Vicki Megginson. Yes, this is a reminder to me. Yes, it matters.
Finally, we have an opportunity to serve some of our club members this coming week for our Holiday Party. Maldaner’s have provided us fantastic food week after week. Our remote holiday party includes curbside meals for all who register. Please give thought to delivering a Maldaner’s meal to some club members who would appreciate one. Stacy Kelly volunteered to coordinate this effort even before our meeting was over! Contact Stacy is you would like to deliver a meal or two next Monday before our virtual meeting.
Please plan to attend our (hopefully) once in a lifetime virtual Holiday Party on Monday the 14th. The link is in this newsletter. Chairman Rod Buffington and his committee of Loretta Meeks and Sheila Mack have a fun time in store. Have your festive background ready, your ugliest sweater on, and your biggest smile as we celebrate with each other. Officers for next year will be voted on, and Ed Clark will provide beautiful music for our enjoyment. See you there!
Dave Kromphardt