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Ithaca Rotary Launches 27th Annual Share the Warmth
Collection of warm winter clothing underway; ends December 18th

THE 27th annual Share the Warmth campaign has kicked off, with over 20 collection sites around Ithaca and Tompkins County. Donations of clean new or gently used winter clothing will be collected, sorted, and distributed across the area by volunteers from a number of partner organizations: the Ithaca, Dryden, and Trumansburg Rotary Clubs; Cornell University; Ithaca College; Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga; and Finger Lakes ReUse.

The familiar “red box” collection bins can be found at locations around Tompkins County: Agway True Value Home Center (Cayuga Mall), BorgWarner Morse Systems (Warren Rd.), CFCU Community Credit Union (Main Branches), Island Health & Fitness (Taughannock Blvd. and Community Corners), Ithaca College Campus Center, Ithaca Community Childcare Center (579 Warren Rd.), Kendal at Ithaca, Mama Goose (430 W. State St.), P&C Fresh, Seneca Place (inside Tioga St. entrance), Triphammer Marketplace (outside Ithaca Bakery), Wegmans, YMCA, the Dryden Community Center Café, and the Shur-Save and St. James Catholic Church—both in Trumansburg, as well as at locations around the Cornell campus.

Each location will be accessible for a five-week collection period, scheduled to conclude on December 18th. Clothes will be picked up by Finger Lakes ReUse, sorted by Rotary volunteers, and readied for distribution through the Samaritan Center of Catholic Charities. The donated clothing is then distributed by Catholic Charities of Tompkins/Tioga free of charge to individuals who need such items for the winter months. Distribution will take place December 2–13 (Monday–Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM).

All winter clothing in good repair is accepted. There is a special need for children’s and larger-sized outerwear (2X and up) and large-sized boots (13 and up), as well as coats, snow pants and boots; blankets; and hats, scarves, and mittens for all. Each article of clothing donated should be new or gently used, and clean for future recipients. Note that the emphasis is on outerwear!

Share the Warmth was initiated by the Ithaca Rotary Club in 1987 on the Cornell campus and then in 1993 throughout the county. Last year, the program distributed more than 3,620 items to 805 adults and 631 children across Tompkins County.

For more information about Share the Warmth, please contact Richard Kops (925-818-1357) or Loralyn Light (607-592-2561).

Ithaca is Gorges in Costa Rica
Five Rotarians join fellow Ithaca Club members Nancy Potter and George Gull in Costa Rica

At our Nov. 13 meeting, Dennis Gray acknowledged a $77,000 grant for Costa Rica, and the “FAB 5” from our International Committee who were leaving soon for that very same Costa Rica. The FAB 5 is Mary-Lynn Cummings (team leader), Maricelis Acevedo, Josephine Allen, Juliet Gibbs, and Dennis Gray, who are now in Costa Rica with the Dynamic Duo, Nancy Potter and Jorge Gull! Nancy writes,

“George, aka Jorge, and I have been here [Costa Rica] on our 2-month volunteer gig. We regret that the Fab Five have return tickets for next Thursday -- it is a whirlwind tour of duty for them! Jorge and I will have a couple of weeks to tidy up things before we leave on Dec 11th. Time flies, and we have lots of adventures and insights and aspirations to bring back to the Club! Just letting you know so you can be ready...

IN THE PHOTO, Josephine and Mary-Lynn flank Dennis, Maricelis, and local community member. Thanks to George Gull for the pic.
 

Pride of Workmanship Award Winners for 2019

AT THE Club’s October 23rd meeting, Katie Flynn introduced the 21st annual Pride of Workmanship Awards, honoring individuals who were nominated by co-workers, bosses, or even customers. Katie worked with committee members Dale Flinn and Brett Bossard, who joined her to present the awards.

Brett Bossard introduced Mary Berens and Joanne Lamoureux, who had nominated Dan Cole (far right), manager at Joanne’s Pack ’n Ship Store.
Mary said that whatever her needs are, Dan has the solution! He consistently provides excellent customer service to everyone who walks into the Pack ’n Ship Store. “Dan is personable, professional, knowledgeable, and always has the customer’s best interest in mind. Working for a small, sole proprietor service business, customer satisfaction means everything, and Dan earns the respect and trust of Pack ’n Ship Store customers every day.”

Joanne had thought of nominating Dan previously, but felt uncomfortable doing so with her role as Club secretary. “I had worked with Dan in a vendor-customer relationship before he came to work with me two years ago. And while we knew each other, I still couldn’t have predicted how ideal he is for the work we do. He is possibly more compulsively organized than I am, and manages the business as if it were is own.”

Dale Flinn introduced Dr. Josephine McAllister of Dermatology Associates of Ithaca, who introduced her office manager Ashley Dickson.
“Since she joined our team five years ago, Ashley (left in photo) has become an exceptional team leader whose work we rely on in vital ways seen and unseen, throughout every moment of the workday and beyond,” Dr. McAllister (center) said. “She excels in every aspect of her role of office manager; keeping our team running smoothly, ensuring regulatory compliance, and keeping patients happy — and does it with a smile. I don’t know how she does it, but I am so thankful for Ashley and the incredible blessing she is to our practice and community.”

Brett Bossard introduced Peter Radez (right) from the Boyce Thompson Institute, representing nominator Sophia Darling, V.P. for Finance & Operations.
Pete presented awardee Gary Horvath (left), Safety and Laboratory Services Supervisor. Gary’s job at BTI is two-fold. On one hand, he oversees the Laboratory Services department where he is adept at motivating his people to change directions and tackle new problems as issues arise. On the other hand, he is the “safety guy” for the institute, a responsibility that he embraces with enthusiasm. No matter the problem or frustration, he simply exudes a can-do temperament while seeking a solution. Combining humor and humility, his constant pursuit of excellence displays a distinct “Pride of Workmanship.”

Dale Flinn invited Bob Gravani (center) and Matt Stratton (left) to the podium.
Rotarian Bob Gravani nominated Matthieu Stratton, who has been the Business Administrator for the Department of Food Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell since 2008. The department has 25 faculty, 258 students, and 100 research and extension staff members with a budget of 12 million dollars.

“Matt is a CPA who is a hardworking, dedicated employee who always goes above and beyond to achieve the mission and goals of the department,” Bob said. “He is an extraordinary colleague who is cheerful, upbeat, and gets along very well with all of the faculty, staff, and students who interact with him. Matt is a true leader who demonstrates the practices of exemplary leadership in his daily responsibilities and takes great pride in the quality of his work.”

In closing, Katie Flynn thanked all of the nominators, and invited everyone to send in nominations for next year!

Rotary Club of Ithaca Announces 2019 Grant Awardees
Community grants program funds 8 worthy local causes


2019 award recipients along with Rotary Grants Committee members.

THE Ithaca Rotary Club is pleased to announce the awardees for its 2019 round of community grants. Eight grant requests were funded at a total of just over $7,100. The agencies were honored at a check presentation on Wednesday, October 9 during Rotary’s noon lunch meeting at Coltivare. Funds for these grants are raised through Rotary’s annual Little Apple Fall Follies (LAFF) event each October.

The 2019 grant recipients are:

Advocacy Center - $775
New pillows for their emergency safe house

Finger Lakes Independence Center (FLIC) - $1,000
Modular wheelchair home ramp

Gadabout - $1,000
Multi-agency collaboration on disaster preparedness

Learning Web - $1,000
Prepaid cell phones and service for homeless youth

Second Wind Cottages - $1,000
Heavy duty basketball hoop and horseshoe pit to promote restored lives

Suicide Prevention & Crisis Services - $828
Video equipment to produce training films and art projects

Town of Dryden CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) - $1,000
Uniforms and equipment

Youth Farm Project (CTA) - $560
Tools and E-Z Up tent for farm field trip program

Ithaca Rotary’s community grants are intended to promote the quality of life in Tompkins County and the greater Ithaca area. These grants support organizations in the community that have special projects or needs which are not funded by general funding sources. Grants are usually awarded within the range of $200 to $1,000. This year the club received 35 proposals requesting $38,000.

 

Pass the Gavel 2019: Many thanks to Mary Berens, Welcome to the top Frank Towner

Frank Towner and Mary BerensIthaca Rotary’s Pass the Gavel ceremony took place at the Club’s June 26 meeting. President Mary Berens opened the program by recapping her year at the top, saying she had “more fun than a barrel of monkeys!” She gave special recognition to a handful of Club members, citing members who brought in new members, and those who had helped to make her year a rousing success. Mary unveiled a knot of Rotary neckties, which she awarded to these individuals.

The special citations provided the perfect lead-up to Mary’s Rotarian of the Year announcement. This high honor, Mary said, was going to the person who “kept the wheels from coming off,” put together the raffle prizes, and was the “epitome of service above self” over the past 12 months. This was Joanne Lamoureux, whose name plate will not be added to the Rotarian of the Year plaque.

Geoff Dunn then wrapped up the “outgoing” side of Pass the Gavel by giving Mary a Rotary Wheel Waterford Crystal bowl as a gift for her year of service as Club President. Perfect for holding chocolates!

Frank TownerPass the Gavel moved over to the new side with, again, the golden voice of Geoff Dunn, now President-Elect. Geoff introduced Frank and his table of guests, including his son, Thomas, who might be a hand taller than Frank, and Thomas’ girlfriend Lauren. Those family members who were unable to come were also noted; Frank’s wife of 25 years, Melanie, son Clement, daughter Cassidy, and new grandchild Oliver Edwin Towner. Frank’s sheep and chickens also did not make the trip down from N. Lansing.

A Rochester native, Frank has a BFA from R.I.T. — he is a painter — and has been self employed since age 17, most notably as Crossroads the Clown. In and out of costume, Frank enjoys skiing, boating, and of course, riding that big Harley. Frank’s simple philosophy is to Spread joy and laughter to others.

Heidi Goldstein dressed as a clownAttention then turned to the hall’s side entrance, where another fully attired clown (Heidi Goldstein) slipped in gracefully. Once at the podium, and with Siu Ling at the piano, Heidi sang a lovely rendition of “Send In the Clowns,” with words by Roger Sibley.

Our Frank is here,
He’s ernest too.
There’s almost nothing he cannot do.
Send in the clown.

Click here to see all five verses.

The sautee continued (it wasn’t really a roast) with former YMCA Board President, Allan VanDeMark, whose day job is attorney with Williamson, Clune, and Stevens, stepping up to give the “inside story” on “Who is the real Frank Towner?”

Frank walked through the lineup of our Club’s past presidents, each of whom was wearing a clown nose and dancing to the Village People song YMCA. When things had calmed down a bit, Frank and Mary conducted the traditional exchange of pins, and Frank made a few remarks, regularly punctuated with, ‘I know I’m out of time, but just one more thing I want to say.’

Frank expressed his feelings of honor and humility for his new position, and emphasized that, “We do this together!” Further codifying that he “can’t do it alone,” Frank recognized the importance of the setup crew, meeting scribes, board members, and the team at Coltivare. Taking it one step further, Frank introduced his new “Court,” who are:

  • Joanne Lamoureux (Guidance),
  • Catrina Decker (Music),
  • Brett Bossard (Creative tech assistance),
  • Melissa Coville (Hospitality),
  • Kellyann O’Mara (Recognition),
  • Heidi Goldstein (Member engagement),
  • Dale Flinn (Collaboration and understanding), and
  • Kelly Damm (Consigliere and watchful eye).

Frank rang the bell to close the meeting.

 

 


 
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Speaker Slides Larry Robinson 10-30-19
Heidi Goldstein Womens Fund Award 2019
Host Families Needed for Youth Exchange Program 2019-2020
6 Club Social Oct 24 2019
DDD 2020 We Can 300 Slides
Pass the Gavel Clowns song lyrics 6-26
Application_Team Costa Rica Nov 2019
Speaker Slides Angela Sullivan 6-5-19
Speaker Slides Pete Larson 2-20-19
Speaker Slides Paul Fouts 2-13-19
Speaker Slides Farm to School 2-6-19
Speaker Slides Richard Kiely Engagement 1-16-19
Speaker Slides Bob Case 1-2-19
Pride of Ownership 2018 Awardees
Dennis Gray Report on Bugiri WASH in Schools Project
Speaker Slides Diane Cohen Ithaca ReUse 9-26-18
Resolution in Support of Women in Leadership Roles in RI
Speaker Slides Gary Ferguson 8-1-18
Speaker Slides REACH Medical Waldman 6-27-18
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Celebrating 104 Years of Service Above Self

Ithaca

Service Above Self

We meet Wednesdays at 12:15 PM
Coltivare Restaurant
235 South Cayuga St.
Ithaca, NY  14850
United States of America
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