Cogitator Sept 14, 2011

VISITING ROTARIANS/GUESTS

None today.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

Happy birthday from the club this week to Ron Winde on the 14th, Mike Neville on the 15th, and Bonnie Sauer on the 16th.  (Bonnie's hubby Chuck was, on the ride over, trying to convince her that she'd have to participate in the 'traditional Rotary birthday dance.'  Bonnie didn't take the bait for a minute...but good effort, Chuck.)  

And happy anniversary this week to Don (and Deb) Anderson, celebrating on the 17th.  

PHONEBOOK

Betsy DePrimo reported that we've made some headway, but it still looks like we're well short of our goal this year.  We're pretty much getting ready for printing, and we're at $56,600 in revenues versus our goal of $65,000.  So...keep plugging away with efforts to get renewals, and, any possible new advertisers.  Wheel and deal, dial and smile.  It's now or never.  Do your part and help Betsy close that gap as best we can.  

50TH ANNIVERSARY GALA

Pat Lenihan heads the committee for our jubilee gala, and they are putting ideas together for the club's 50th anniversary celebration in 2013.  Pat and committee will meet on Thursday, September 22nd, 8pm, at Coldwell Banker. 

HAPPY BUCKS

Ed Neff is happy to be free of jury duty for the next 3 years, after doing his civic duty this past week.  Sounds like it was pretty easy work, too, for two days--he showed up, nothing happened, and he went home early.  Twice.  (Do you still get a stipend for that?)

Steve Lombardi reported that his son did indeed make it to Prague a few weeks ago, after anxiously awaiting his travel visa's last minute arrival.  His son also was lucky to fly out a day before the Northeast earthquake.  Phew.  Two near misses.

Coach Mike 'Belichick' Balsamo was happy about his flag football team pulling off a huge comeback win last week. 

Sally Russell's daughter, Eliza, was married during the weekend of Tropical Storm Irene.  Despite the tough weather it turned out to be a great weekend at the Hyatt.  Sally and John had a good reason to celebrate themselves--their 33rd wedding anniversary.  Eliza is now teaching inner city kids at a charter school in Cleveland.

Vin Meola enjoyed a beautiful weekend in Nantucket, as he and Holly attended a wedding.  

Ken Colaluca, substituting for President Mike Gemma, gave five happy bucks while noting the tremendous difference looking out at the crowd from the podium.  Ken added that he has a new appreciation of the good work of Rotary's officers and all Rotarians. 

SPEAKER/PROGRAM

Clarice Gothberg and Rob Wilson, from Project Outreach at Washington Park 

"Project Outreach was established in the early 1970s by the former Washington Park United Methodist Church to provide emergency assistance to it's surrounding neighbors in times of need. At that time, the church was instrumental in helping refugees from Southeast Asia settle into the neighborhood. We matched refugee families with families from all over Rhode Island to help the new arrivals with all of their basic needs. We also provided shelter, clothing, food, as well as friendship, and taught new arrivals how to survive in a culture very different from the one they had left.

Since then, Project Outreach has added a food pantry, bread distribution, and utility and rental assistance programs. We have offered many educational programs for adults and children and continue to seek ways to expand these endeavors by providing prescription help for the uninsured, exercise programs in our gym, and ESL and GED programs."   --from http://www.projectoutreachri.org/index.html

Clarice Gothberg and Rob Wilson, both volunteer directors, shared with us the good work of their organization.  They serve over 300 families per week and share some 20,000 pounds of food each month.  They've helped single moms struggling to make ends meet as well as victims of home invasions.  They've even created a basketball league for young neighborhood kids, and, the basketball court was just restored, free of charge, by a local owner of a flooring company.  

Project Outreach also has programs supporting getting gang members off the streets and into safe environments.  They hold ESL classes (English as a Second Language).  They provide school supplies to kids, as well as holiday toys and food to those who need it most.  Clarice and Rob, along with some 60 other volunteers, wish to 'teach people to fish for themselves, rather than simply giving people a fish for the day.' 

Rob presented some interesting statistics, comparing Providence to East Greenwich, noting the stark differences of being born in one community versus the other: 

*Single parent families--51% versus 12%.  

*Poverty level--40% versus 4%. 

*Teen births--47 per thousand, versus 5 per thousand.

*Child abuse--14.4 per thousand, versus 3.6 per thousand. 

*8th grade math and reading skill--28 to 40%, versus 80+%. 

Finally, Rob Wilson made a pitch for our partnership.  Why partner with Project Outreach?  Because they serve RI residents, they change lives of people in need, they are a grass roots organization with local volunteers, and they are very efficient with their donors' dollars.   

Chuck Sauer, left, presenting $1,000 from the Rotary Club of East Greenwich (Community Service Funds) to Project Outreach's Clarice Gothberg and Rob Wilson.