.png)
Cogitator Oct 23, 2013
VISITING ROTARIANS
None.
GUESTS
Carlos Figueroa, Chilean wine importer and distributor, and also President Jodi Gladstone’s neighbor, joined us for lunch. Steve Lombardi invited Bill Sequino, former East Greenwich Town Manager and new executive director of RI’s Clean Water Agency. Chuck Sauer welcomed Anne Marie Charland from Greenwich Bay Manor. And last but certainly not least, Polly Erickson joined husband Andy and the club for lunch.
BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES
Congratulations and happy wedding anniversary this week to Richard Waterman and wife Susan (Thorpe) as they celebrate their 28th wedding anniversary on October 26th.
And happy 5th Rotary anniversary this week to Mike Neville who was inducted into the East Greenwich Rotary Club on October 29th, 2008.
MILLION DOLLAR MEAL
Reminder: No lunch at Chianti’s Restaurant tomorrow! Instead, we’ll be traveling to Kent Hospital (455 Toll Gate Road, Warwick) for our first Million Dollar Meal of the 2013-2014 Rotary year. Head to the doctor’s auditorium at our usual time, 12:15pm, where we’ll gather for a nice meal and a fine welcome from Kent Hospital President Sandy Colletta. After lunch, Sandy will take us on a tour of the new Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC).
CITRUS DRIVE
Club Secretary…key committee member in just about everything including Phonebook…leader of our Hunger Challenge. Feeling like that wasn’t quite enough, Bonnie Sauer agreed to lead the club during this year’s Citrus Drive!
Bonnie highlighted a couple of important thing for the 2013 Citrus Campaign:
-Our goals are $22,000 in revenues and a net of $10,000.
-We’ve committed $10,000 to Kent’s new Ambulatory Surgery Center over the next several years, and we’ll contribute at least $2,000 this year from Citrus proceeds.
-November 25th is our sales cut-off date.
-December 7th (Saturday) will be our delivery date.
-Products this year will include traditional orange, grapefruit, and mixed boxes, a great variety of additional choices including pears, and Bonnie will again prepare special fruit baskets (like last year).
-You can visit www.EGRotary.org to place your orders.
-Bonnie is offering gift certificates to the Rotarians with a) the most orders, and b) the most NEW orders.
Let’s help Bonnie make it a great year for Citrus sales!
HAPPY BUCKS
-Sally Russell had a great trip to Cleveland recently while visiting her daughter.
-Ed Neff wished George Popella well. George is traveling to Florida’s Gulf Coast and looking forward to many happy retirement years ahead. (The club wishes you luck and all of the very best, George! Come back and visit us soon.)
-Steve Lombardi was happy about his son’s upcoming trip to Thailand.
-Ken Colaluca was pleased when Chub Clement came by his office recently.
-Jane Boynton’s daughter Jenny turned 16 far away from home, in Italy, last week. Jane also was happy to have been on hand for Carlos Figueroa’s ‘wine pairings’ last week at 1149 Restaurant.
SPEAKER/PROGRAM
Channavy Chhay, Executive Director of the Center for Southeast Asians of Rhode Island
Channavy Chhay came to America in 1980, five years after America’s war in Vietnam ended. She was the only survivor of five children after communism took hold in Southeast Asia. In fact, only three of her 93-member family survived the killing fields of Cambodia—Channavy, her mom, and her aunt.
Channavy noted that while Chinese and Japanese immigrants ‘helped build America’ in the 1800’s, a new group of Asians have come to America since 1975. Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians have en masse sought refuge in the United States after decades of war, horror, and displacement. In 1987, the Center for Southeast Asians was founded to help the large influx of new immigrants.
Channavy’s family was very well-off back in Cambodia, that is, before the communist takeover and ensuing massacres following the Vietnam War. The Hmong population was particularly slaughtered due to their support of U.S. military operations. Channavy’s father was a four-star general and her uncle a prime minister.
Today, Channavy helps clients in need at the Center for Southeast Asians (CSEA), all of whom she describes as ‘beautiful people.’ The CSEA tries to give information and opportunity to people who successfully immigrated to the U.S. and now seek a better life for their families. The CSEA also helps newer immigrants of our times, including Latinos and others from all over the world. In fact, the newer immigrants make up 50% of the Center’s clients today.
‘Maneuvering through our government and education systems is quite difficult,’ offered Channavy. She is incredibly grateful for her opportunities in America and now wants to give back to others. ‘We are really trying to especially help our youth with guidance, support, and opportunities. We need to keep them out of gangs, out of trouble, and on the path to success.’
Some of CSEA’s services include tax preparation, English as Second Language classes, external diploma programs, voter registration assistance, and citizenship classes.
The CSEA today endures serious funding shortfalls, including cuts to programs like Meals-on-Wheels. Channavy said of her organization, ‘We really stretch our dollars…we don’t need a lot, but we do need enough to get essential help.’
Channavy thanked Polly and Andy Erickson in particular for their wonderful support over the years, and noted to everyone, ‘Your small assistance can truly make a big difference.’
.JPG)
Channavy Chhay conversing with Lou Lepry