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Cogitator Jan 29, 2014
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‘Choose to Matter,’ with Tim Chace and Pat Page
Thanks again to President-Elect Ron Winde for helping out with running our weekly meeting. Meanwhile, we’re thinking about you, President Jodi, and hope you’re feeling much better next week.
GUESTS
Andy Erickson introduced Liz Zima, a director of development from Kent Hospital. Attorney John Whaley, Bill Winter’s guest, was on hand and noted he is a fireside chat away from being inducted. Jane Boynton, on behalf of Bill TenEyck who couldn’t make today’s meeting, welcomed three New England Tech Rotaractors at her table.
BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES
Warm happy birthday wishes go out this week from the club to Past President Bob Sloan (February 2nd).
ROTARY ANNIVERSARY
Happy Rotary Anniversary this week to Wil Yoder who was inducted only 44 years ago on February 2nd, 1970. And, many thanks to Honorary Rotarian Earl Shaw for inviting Wil into the East Greenwich Rotary Club at the time.
PANHANDLE MAKE-UP
Soozie Sundlun presented a flag she received during a make-up while attending a Rotary meeting in Pensacola, Florida last week.
ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
This year’s Rotary Leadership Institute conference will be on March 22nd, at Amica Insurance in Lincoln. Please let President Jodi know as soon as possible if you’d like to attend.
CHARITY FUNDRAISING MEETINGS
Ron Winde thanked everyone in attendance during last week’s meeting called to discuss the state of the club’s charity fundraising. Ron implored everyone to be at the February 12th Club Assembly, so that we can continue the important and robust conversation about our major club charity fundraising efforts like Phonebook, Citrus, and Wine Tasting/Taste of the Town. He also invited everyone to the February 27th follow-up meeting which will, like the first, be held at the United Methodist Church on South County Trail.
TASTE OF THE TOWN
This year’s Taste of the Town event will be held on Friday, May 2nd at Swift Community Center. Mark your calendars for what promises to again be a great night of fundraising and fellowship for the club. Jane Boynton, Pat Lenihan, and Ron Winde have already called a committee meeting in preparation for another successful evening.
LITERACY COMMITTEE
Karen Taylor delivered dozens of children’s books to the London Bridge Child Care Center last Friday. The books will be added to the center’s library. Karen said it was a great time being with the kids, and watching them eagerly rushing over to see what was in the boxes!
PAUL HARRIS FELLOWSHIP
Vin Meola congratulated Wil Yoder as the club’s most recent Paul Harris Fellowship Award recipient. This will be Wil’s twelfth award and his third as a Rotary Foundation Major Donor. (A Rotarian becomes a ‘Major Donor’ upon one’s tenth Paul Harris Award, which signifies $10,000 donated to the Rotary Foundation.)
NEXT WEEK…
Ron Winde reminded everyone to make sure to be in attendance next week as Cliff Monteiro, past president of the local NAACP, will be our guest speaker.
HAPPY BUCKS
-Bob Sloan have a happy birthday buck.
-Bob Miller was thrilled that his niece, Katie Scalera, gave birth to a healthy 8+ pound baby boy last week. (Congratulations, to mom…uncle…and whole family!)
-Wil Yoder was happy for his very special Rotary week…44 years in the club and his 12th Paul Harris Award. Incredible. (Just wondering…how many Rotarians do you think there are in the world today who can claim the same?!)
-Jane Boynton said she’s always glad to be with kids from the New England Tech Rotaract Club. She also said her daughter Jenny sent a nice picture of a big Rotary monument in Albia, Sardinia.
-Very happy to be a grandpa once again, Ron Winde announced that his new granddaughter arrived last Tuesday—Megan Loretta. He also wished wife Loretta a very happy birthday. Lastly, he shared warm ‘get well’ wishes for President Jodi and his neighbor, Rob Baxter.
-Judy Pratt reminded everyone to mark your calendars for the 14th annual Scott Carlson Memorial ALS 5K run/walk. Saturday, April 19th will be the big day for this year’s event, with the big race beginning at 10am. She also last week saw Chub Clement who along with wife Florence was thrilled about their new grandson.
-Vin Meola made a nice plug for the East Greenwich Library, ‘a great place to just chill out.’
SPEAKER/PROGRAM
Tim Chace, Assistant Principal of East Greenwich High School, with Pat Page, business and computer teacher at EGHS, and 2014’s RI Teacher of the Year
Tim Chace said he is very passionate about his students. He loves to blog about good things happening on campus. He enjoys pointing out good efforts by students. Tim even set up an online site for students and teachers to maintain the positive energy at the high school by noting good things, and good deeds, which happen to occur each day.
That simple task of pointing out small but important events are critical in making a simple point—that all of his students do matter. ‘You matter’—Tim noted how incredibly powerful those two words are together, and how important it is to make sure kids today understand that yes, indeed, they certainly do matter, and they certainly can help make the world a better place.
He told us that as kids get older, they’re actually less likely to optimistically feel like they can make a difference. Tim’s goal—to change that at the high school and to make sure all of his kids know how important they are.
Tim cited an example of how a seven-year-old hospital patient who wanted to learn to play the guitar inspired the creation of ‘No More Balloons,’ an organization similar to Make-a-Wish Foundation but with more of an educational theme. One girl’s efforts spawned a great idea for sick kids in hospitals to learn things, rather than just getting balloons, and that novel idea today lives on strongly in 38 states.
He has many different people attending the upcoming and local ‘Choose 2 Matter’ conference, from business leaders, to teachers, professors, and politicians. Even America’s top NATO commander will be on hand. Tim is looking for volunteers, participants, and additional funding for the ‘Choose 2 Matter’ event.
Finally, Tim shared a nice story of the positive culture he has helped to foster at East Greenwich High School. After he set up a positive ‘chat-line’ for students, several trouble makers attempted to set up a ‘chat-line’ of their own, one which would instead deal in gossip and negativity. To Tim’s great satisfaction, students, not authorities, shut down that gossip site. They circled the problem aggressively and got rid of the trouble makers’ site, completely on their own. That episode, said Tim, is a very good sign that his kids do have confidence in their ability to truly make a difference in today’s world.