The next meeting will be a State of the Club address by President Russ. This past year, President Russ and our Board of Directors have been faced with some unforeseen challenges while making a number of improvements to increase our Club's commitment to service. There have been several mid-course corrections. As a result there is some confusion and some misconceptions about where the club is and where it is going. President Russ intends to address these misunderstandings and clear up any confusion. President Russ will discuss our Club's recent changes and how things look going forward.
In addition to the State of the Club Address, more of Immediate Past President Rob Gallagher's Presidential Grant recipients will be present to accept their awards:
Challenger of Lancaster County Little League – selected by Bruce Wolff
Leadership Lancaster – selected by Jenn DeWalt
Manheim Township Historical Society – selected by Sam Mecum
Bethany Slavic Church – selected by Wally Otto
The grant recipients previously announced were:
Clear Water for Heroes – selected by Gil Lyons
Milagro House – selected by Russ Harlan
Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic – selected by Althea Ramsay Carrigan & Ben Bamford
Above, after enjoying the buffet lunch, everyone is enjoying Rotary Fellowship as they prepare for the meeting to start.
We had a good turnout Wednesday for the program on Aaron's Acres and some important Club business. One welcome announcement was that RCL is increasing our donation for the Summer Youth Experience from $20,000 to $30,000. The United Way is expected to match this new amount.
Shane Moser shared important updates from the Membership Committee. He announced a new program to be proposed to the members and the board to introduce the category of Lifetime Rotarian Award to members and former members with 40 or more years tenure. Each will be invited to at least one meeting a year to be the guest of the Club. Shane also discussed how the committee plans to focus its attention on member retention as much as on recruitment, and shared some of their findings on reasons behind membership turnover.
Risa C. Paskoff of Aaron’s Acres, which receives some donations from Rotary Club of Lancaster, was unable to attend. Kate Mullen very ably filled in for her. Kate is the Director of Development & Community Relations. Aaron's Acres provides services at no cost to meet their goal of "Embracing Possibilities Beyond Disabilities."
Kate, right side of photo, spoke first. They serve disabled youth and young adults ages 5 to 21. Aaron's Acres' 1:1 and 1:2 staff-to participant ratio ensures that each participant's unique needs are met day-to-day. They offer three 2-week camps. 250 campers from 7 counties attend. During the rest of the year, the 5-to 12-year olds meet at Millersville University for programs. The 13-to 21-year olds go on field trips to new and interesting places. The disabilities range from children on the autism spectrum to those with severe physical disabilities. Funding comes from grants, donations, and revenue from parents who can afford to pay for services. They are looking for a permanent home where they can provide their services in one place.
Vicky Martin shared how profoundly Aaron’s Acres has benefitted her son. Vicky’s son Isaiah, her oldest at 9 years old, has a severe form of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (or OI for short). OI is a rare collagen disorder that is mostly known for causing fractures easily. Isaiah has suffered fractures many times over the years, sometimes from things as simple as hiccups, but he is still a little boy who wants to have fun and live life.
Election of Board of Directors is moved to April 5
Immediate Past president Rob Gallagher announced that the process of proposing the nominees for the three openings in the Board of Directors needs to start over since one of the nominees withdrew and there were not the required number of nominees left. This situation has been remedied and the new slate of nominees is:
Amy Lewis
Mike Lutz
Malcolm MacDougall
Gregg Melhorn
Larry Miller
Brett Peters
The election will be April 5. An email with the bios of the nominees will be sent out before the election. Details of the club's elections are available in the club's Bylaws:
[https://lancasterrotary.org/transmitter/Bylaws.pdf].
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Are You Coming to the Wed., March 29, Meeting to Pack Meals?
57 People Have Volunteered to Pack Meals
The club members will come together to pack 10,000 meals at the Farm & Home Center for Food Hub/Outreach on Wednesday, March 29, at the time we normally have a meeting.
The meal packing will take place during our normal meeting time. Instead of having a half hour for lunch (12 - 12:30), we will have quick sandwiches and listen to instructions. Packing begins at 12:30 (or sooner if instructions are quick) and is anticipated to take one hour.
If you signed up, we’re counting on you!
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Rotary Rendezvous meets again March 22!
Rotary Rendezvous has become a highlight of RCL business and social gatherings, and a fun event for current and potential new members. Anyone who is interested in joining our committee, looking for fellowship, or simply a night out, please join us for Rotary Rendezvous on Wednesday, March 22, at Southern Market in Lancaster. Parking is available at the Steinman garage or folks can find side street parking.
Rotary Rendezvous meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month.
Arrive anytime between 5-5:30pm for drinks and fellowship.
Details:
Location: Southern Market
Parking: Steinman Garage or on street
Arrive: 5-5:30pm for drinks and fellowship
Trivia: Begins at 7:00 PM
Thanks, we hope to see you there!
- Tom Baum and Rendezvous Committee
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Have you updated your contact information?
RCL is updating our Directory!
In preparation for a new Member Directory, Secretary Eric Elliot previously announced that the Club is checking with all members to make sure their contact information on file with the club is correct. This includes telephone numbers and email addresses. Crystal passed around the current member information at the January 18th meeting. If you didn't verify or update your information at that meeting, you can contact Crystal with your current information or wait until she contacts you. She can be reached at: RCOL7390@lancasterrotary.org.
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Give Prepaid Lunch Tickets to Prospective New Members
This is a great way to invite new members! Crystal has "prepaid" lunch tickets that you can purchase and give to prospective new members when you invite them to a meeting. This way you don't have to worry about paying for their meal when they come or, for that matter, even being present when they come.
Like Fun & Car Shows? You can help spread the word about WW5K!
Our 2023 Wheels & Wings Festival &
5K Run (WW5K) will be Saturday, June 24, and there will be numerous opportunities for all RCL members to volunteer – including before the event. According to Steve Stockwell, who heads up the car show registrations, the subcommittee would like to distribute registration flyers to participants at selected car shows throughout Lancaster County and beyond in April, May, and early June. If you like going to car shows, or simply have some time to take a Saturday afternoon ride this spring, please consider volunteering to help spread the word about our own WW5K.
We will soon have a schedule of all the car shows in the area. Contact Steve or subcommittee co-chairs Amy Lewis or Jamie Dalton to join the effort. Future issues of the Transmitter will share the many other ways members can volunteer to support our big fundraiser.
It’s not too early to reserve Saturday, June 24 for a day of Rotary volunteer service – and fun!
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IU13 Needs Volunteer Mentors for Literacy & Equivalency Programs
Josh McManness reports that IU13 is looking for 5 volunteers to help adult learners with the Literacy program or to prepare for the High School Equivalency test. Please contact Josh if you are interested at joshua_mcmanness@iu13.org.
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REMINDER: Share Your Program Ideas! We welcome interesting speakers, and engaging programs.
Our Club is always looking for ideas to add to the list of potential programs. If you have any ideas for programs, please contact Christine Sable or another member of the Meeting Planning Committee or any Board member, who will pass them along. Both live and virtual (Zoom) speakers are welcome.
The programs the Lancaster Rotary Club offers are important for our club and, with your help and participation, have often been truly phenomenal.
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Have Something to Share? To Add, Edit or Discontinue an Announcement or Photo:
Transmitter Editor, Steve Henning, will gladly add a new announcement, edit an existing announcement, or discontinue an announcement that is no longer relevant. Please contact Steve at: rotarians@earthlink.net. Photos of Rotarians in action are always welcome. Send photos to Steve at: rotarians@earthlink.net.
Michelle Gibbons March 3
George Kratzert March 4
Hoob Hoober March 7
Mark Vergenes March 9
Lisa Groff March 10
Rick Manix March 16
Brian Wassell March 16
Bruce Rhine March 17
Mike Esterly March 21
It is important and easy! Help Keep the Club Calendar Updated
All Rotarians – especially committee chairs – are encouraged to help keep our new Club Calendar full and updated with the great things that our Club is doing in the community. Please submit any items you would like added to RCOL7390@lancasterrotary.org. Examples include the schedule of McCaskey Mentoring Sessions, Committee Meetings, Power Packs or Salvation Army Bell Ringing. If it’s happening, let’s get it on the Calendar for all to see! Your help will keep us all updated with what’s going on within the Club AND will showcase our very active Club to the Lancaster Community and to prospective members. The Club Calendar is available atwww.LancasterRotary.org
The next meeting will be a State of the Club address by President Russ. This past year, President Russ and our Board of Directors have been faced with some unforeseen challenges while making a number of improvements to increase our Club's commitment to service. There have been several mid-course corrections. As a result there is some confusion and some misconceptions about where the club is and where it is going. President Russ intends to address these misunderstandings and clear up any confusion. President Russ will discuss our Club's recent changes and how things look going forward.
Wings Festival &
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