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Cogitator Oct 9, 2013
VISITING ROTARIANS
We welcomed the North Kingstown Rotary Club today, including President Rona Mann who also serves as our Assistant District Governor.
GUESTS
George Popella’s girlfriend and ‘best crew ever’ Deb Pellegrino joined us.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ron Winde again did a stellar job substituting for President Jodi Gladstone. Ron noted that Jodi is recovering well and hoped to attend the upcoming board of directors meeting at T’s Restaurant on Friday, October 4th.
Ron also took a moment to remember Judy Bailey who passed away this week. Judy was a co-founder, along with Bess Russell, of the Peirce Street Pantry. She was also a long-time active member of East Greenwich’s First Baptist Church and served for two years as president of the East Greenwich Town Council. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/providence/obituary.aspx?n=judith-bailey&pid=167428330&fhid=28465
Lastly, Ron noted that we’re ‘past deadline’ for Phonebook ads. So, please get those last renewal ads taken care of as soon as possible!
PAST PRESIDENT’S MINUTE
George Popella took us back to the 1995-1996 Rotary year when he was club president. George said that it was his good fortune to follow Sally Russell, who had an outstanding year at the helm prior to his term.
Unfortunately he was unable to attend the International Convention in Nice, France that year! But George got to work right away. He encouraged increased exposure of Rotary’s good works through the local news media. He also wisely exposed newer members to Rotary through assignments of important committee roles.
During George’s year, the Scholarship Fund broke through the $100,000 mark, and, the club broke through the $100,000 mark in total funds donated to the Rotary Foundation. George also remembered the successful Big Shots for Little Tots, an inoculation program for the needy in Providence, which was headed by Andy Erickson.
The club sponsored an Ambassadorial Scholar and hosted a Community Service Awards event during which dedicated volunteers like Judy Bailey and Bob Merriam were recognized. By the end of George’s year, he submitted our club’s accomplishments to Rotary International and proudly received, on behalf of the club, a Presidential Citation.
George concluded, ‘It has been a true honor and privilege to serve others through the Rotary Club of East Greenwich.’
George is preparing to relocate to Florida in the coming weeks, and we will certainly miss his presence. We tip our caps and salute him as one of the finest and most dedicated leaders over the club’s first 50 years.
PAUL HARRIS/ROTARY FOUNDATION
Vin Meola announced Bill McHale’s 4th Paul Harris Fellowship Award and presented him a special pin with 3 sapphire chips.
Vin also told us that the Rotary Foundation recently was able to, with the help of 26,000 volunteers, immunize 7.5 million children in three days in Africa’s Ivory Coast.
SPEAKER/PROGRAM
Gina Raimondo, Rhode Island General Treasurer
‘I love Rotary clubs,’ offered speaker Gina Raimondo, General Treasurer for the State of Rhode Island. She and her future husband met in England during post-graduate work, he being there on an Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. ‘Thank you!’
Treasurer Raimondo discussed the Crime Victim’s Compensation Fund which is run by her office. Funds come from the federal government and court fees. The mission is to provide assistance to families suffering financial losses due to violent crimes in Rhode Island. When she took office in January, 2011, Raimondo faced a backlog of 900 cases; within eight months, the backlog was gone.
Also, working with her office, the General Assembly agreed to provide funds to victims of domestic violence, up to $2,500 per case, to help ‘get them out of dangerous situations.’
‘Since 2011, I’ve directed my staff to listen to the people on the ground,’ Raimondo stated. ‘That’s what our job is all about…helping people in need. No extra funds were needed. It was a matter of a great dedicated staff, and good community interaction.’
Treasurer Raimondo also spoke of some $200 million(!) the state holds in unclaimed property. Her advice was to check out her office’s official website, as well as a new website which links people to unclaimed funds throughout the country.
http://www.treasury.ri.gov/divisions/unclaimedproperty/
Regarding her crusade against ‘payday lending,’ Raimondo noted that there hasn’t been a lot of positive movement. The General Assembly passed a loophole to state usury laws which still stands today. Former Speaker of the House Bill Murphy lobbied for payday lenders, and our state still allows payday loans carrying annualized rates as high as 200%, while the ‘regular’ maximum lending rate remains at 36%. The worst part of payday loans is that once people sign on for one, even if it’s for a small amount like $200 or so, it’s more than likely they will continue to go to that source and thus continue to be charged exorbitant ‘payday’ rates.
In conclusion, Treasurer Raimondo noted that our state’s biggest problem remains its economic growth, or lack thereof. She stated that 20 years ago, Rhode Island and Massachusetts had similar economic problems; yet, today Massachusetts’ economy is quite robust, and their unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the country.
‘They’ve passed us by, they are thriving, and we have stood still all these years, due to extraordinary lack of vision and lack of leadership. I love Michigan. My husband is from there. But I’m tired of seeing Michigan ads here in Rhode Island! We need a good marketing plan. And…if we can’t innovate, we’re done!’
(Hmmm…perhaps an opening salvo in what could be an interesting 2014 political season?)
RI General Treasurer, Gina Raimondo