October 30, 2006
Today our speaker is Emily Ladd. She will share the Imagination Library program with us, providing examples of quality books, data on who is already registered, and how the program can benefit our community. Imagination Library is a book a month program for children birth until his or her fifth birthday. The program encourages parent child interaction through book sharing. The books are developmentally appropriate and delivered to the child's home through the mail-addressed to the child! This is part of the Great Start Livingston program.
Thanks to all the Rotarians who scrambled at the last minute to secure this program. Our previously scheduled speaker, Chris Klinke, aka Everest Man, found out last week that he would be having surgery today.
Next week our speaker is Sarah Heddon, our Ambassadorial Scholar nominee. She wishes to propose a project for the Howell Rotary Club: a way for you to fulfill this aspect of the Rotary Foundation's mission, cross-cultural interaction and an opportunity to work together with a rotary club in Mombassa, Kenya.
Election 2006:
Fred Woodhams has prepared a special addition to today's program; a straw poll. You will be handed a ballot when you walk in the meeting room. Your completed ballot will then be collected before the star of the program. Fred will tally the votes and announce the results at the end of the meeting, before the 50/50 drawing. This could be interesting! How will Howell Rotary stack up against the populace at large? No hanging chads or hacked voting machines please! Thanks for putting this together Fred.
Please see Jim Gilligan if you are attending the Rotary Foundation Gala so ride sharing arrangements can be made. If you have not registered for the Gala yet, you can do so here: http://rotaryofwaterford.com/Gala2006
The Steering Committee will meet at Cleary's this Thursday at noon. The focus will be our Youth Committee. All members are welcome.
A Rotary World Peace Symposium is slated for 14-16 June, just before the 2007 RI Convention kicks off in Salt Lake City. The event marks the first time a symposium will be held in conjunction with an RI Convention.
The symposium will honor The Rotary Foundation's 90th anniversary celebration and the 10th anniversary of the launch of the Rotary Centers for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution. Located at seven leading universities around the world, Rotary Centers provide fellows the chance to study in a master's level program in conflict resolution, peace studies, international relations, and other related disciplines.
The agenda includes a retrospective of the program's first decade and panels on how the work of these scholars is affecting conflicts worldwide. Participants will also get the chance to network, attend regional alumni events, and learn about The Rotary Foundation's short-term Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Program, launched earlier this year.
Most symposium events will be held at the Salt Palace Convention Center and are open to all alumni and fellows. The US$250 registration fee includes the symposium, dinner on 14 June, and alumni registration for the convention. Interested Rotarians and friends registered for the convention may attend for an additional fee of $150 and join the dinner for $50.