The Rotator - November 21, 2016 (Nov 28, 2016)

February 6, 2016

Tom Foley presided in the absence of President Dave Kent.

11 members were present

Guests:

Carol Villacres - Weymouth Rotary

Oscar Elmasian - Guest Speaker

Announcements:

Next week will be a joint meeting with the Providence Rotary Club

There will be no meeting on the 27th - there will be a Paul Harris Dinner on the 28th at Jackie's Galaxy in Bristol.

The Leadership Institute will be held on March 25, 2017 at Amica in Lincoln.

May 6, 2017 - Comedy Night

May 8, 2017 - Scholarship Luncheon

July 31 - Golf Tournament

Allan Gilmore brought birthday roses for Steve Propatier, Lori DiPersio, and Joe Kumiega. Steve was the only Birthday recipient present, so the flowers were given to a few of the ladies in the room.

One of the highlights of the meeting was the induction of a new member - Judy Silva. Judy, who lives in East Providence and is retired, was sponsored by Valerie Perry. Unfortunately, no one thought of taking a picture, so the pictures will have to be published later.

East Providence Fire Chief is Guest Speaker

Our Guest Speaker today was East Providence Fire Chief Oscar Elmasian. The Chief mentioned that he has several goals as Chief, one of them being diversity in the Department. He said he has been working closely with the Affirmative Action Officer to see that that happens.

He spoke about the difficulties for small business owners to comply with the fire code, as many times it is costly for them to do so. He said he would like to be able to help those who have concerns and walk them through what they have to do.

He spoke about the equipment in the Department and he cost of replacing it. With some innovative practices, he has been able to put together some equipment that has been considerably less expensive than buying new.

The Chief said the Fire Department is running very smoothly and he couldn't be more proud of the men and women who serve. At the present time, there are three female firefighters, and an advertisement will be out shortly to recruit.

The Chief spoke about some of the calls the department responds to and the conditions they sometimes find. He said that homes should have smoke detectors on every level and carbon monoxide detectors should be in the hallway where the bedrooms are. Also, wiring in the house should be done by licensed vendors, as that is often a cause of fire. He also answered the question of why a ladder truck accompanies the rescue. The answer being that there are times that a person needs life support, and the extra equipment has very often saved a life. Also, if someone has fallen and has to be lifted and brought up or down stairs and trauma is involved, often it will take more than two people to transport.

Happy Bucks:

Allan Gilmore - for the speaker, for the new member, and $10 for Tom Terrific; Ted Forgarty - $2 for the Patriots; for our Guests; Ella Donnelly - for our guests - Betty Galligan - $4 for last night's game, for being late, for a great speaker, and for our newest Rotarian; Judy Silva - happy to be a new Rotarian and happy Valerie kept bugging her to join; Dan Silva - $4 for the Patriots, for our new member, and for the guests; Kathy Hayes - for Judy and for a great game last night; Renate Alexander $2 - for our new member and for a great speaker; Valerie Perry - $5 for a great speaker, for Judy, and for the worst decision she every made - she went to bed after halftime!; Tom Foley - for our visiting Rotarian and speaker and for Zoby Sunshine, the new Executive Director for the Boy Scouts, who stopped in to visit.

Our Guest Rotarian, Carol Villacres, drew the 6 of Hearts. The Jackpot is now $166.

The Rotator - November 21, 2016

Openers:

Steve Henderson led the Pledge

Steve Propatier led the singing

Ella Donnelly gave the prayer

Tom Foley led the Four Way Test

13 members and 1 guest present

Announcements:

Steve Propatier gave an update on the Coat Drive. The excess coats will go to Good Neighbors.

The Boys and Girls Christmas Party will be held at the club on December 16. The East Providence Lions are providing the pizza and soda. Gifts will be bought and a date will be set for wrapping.

The Annual Meeting will be held on December 12. Election of Officers will be held at that time. Anyone interested in serving an office should notify Betty Galligan, Dave Kent, Lori DiPersio, or Valerie Perry.

Dave Kent suggested doing something to repay the many sponsors who help our club year after year. Lori mentioned that the Portsmouth club had a Cocktail Reception for their sponsors.

Happy Bucks

Valerie Perry - $4 for the Guest Speaker, for Betty Galligan, the new President of the Hope Club, for the award we received at the Centennial Dinner, for an upcoming trip to St. Thomas with Lori, Betty, and sister Sharon

Steve Propatier - $2 Happy that the Coat Drive is almost over

Dan Silva - $2 for the speaker and for his Daughter who moved to NY and has a job there and thought she would have to miss Thanksgiving, but is getting the Friday off

Ted Fogarty - $5 - has to leave early, saw the Pearl Harbor Documentary, which was very interesting

Steve Henderson - $2 for Thanksgiving, nice to be hear

Lori DiPersio - $4 for the guest speaker, for her Great Nephew's birthday party, for the trip to St. Thomas, for Jared's new baby who was at church yesterday

Ella Donnelly - $2 for the guest speaker and for Bill

Renate Alexander - for the Patriots

Pat Bettencourt - $3 for the guest speaker, going away for a week to an unknown destination, for Renate who will be working for her so she can go

Tom Foley - $2 for the speaker, and for the noise he heard driving down Blackstone Blvd. which he figured it was the old members of the Hope Club turning over when they learned Betty Galligan was going to be the new President

Kathy Hayes - $1 for the guest speaker

David Kent - $3 for the speaker, for the Committee doing the Coat Drive, and for National Toilet Day, recognizing that nearly 3 billion do not have toilet facilities

Dr. Geoff Berg - $3 for the opportunity to speak here, for a family birthday today, and for a relation of his who will be reportedly proposed to later today

Linda Fogarty drew the 3 of clubs, missing out on the $115 jackpot.

Today's Guest Speaker was Dr. Geoff Berg, a primary care internist with a practice in Providence. He has had an interest in U.S. energy policy for more than 40 years. In 2012 he became a founding member of the Rhode Island chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby and gives presentations on the subject of climate change solutions.

Dr. Berg spoke about the solution to climate change. He said the singular mission of the Citizens Climate Lobby is to enact a 100% revenue-neutral carbon pollution fee and dividend legislation. For further information, go to www.citizensclimatelobby.org, or the Rhode Island Chapter - RhodeIsland@citizensclimatelobby.org