Today's program was new member Nimeet Shah's Classification Talk. Nimeet was born in the United States, but spent part of his life growing up in Kenya. Both of his parents are of India decent and met in Kenya. He shared with us that his parents moved to Glenview just in time for the huge Blizzard of '79. His Mom worked for United Airlines which allowed for some amazing travel perks.

 

As a child he loved playing with his Game Boy which helped develop his skill and interest in IT. After graduating from college he worked for United and American College of Surgeons the ISACA where he met his wife, Sarah. Shah considers himself to be a "Cloud Architect" and announced this morning that his business is officially incorporated. We are very fortunate and proud that he has accepted membership into the Rotary club of Cary-Grove.

Today's program was a "Classification Talk" by current President, David Miller, who is currently serving his second term as President. Dave has been married to his wife, Andrea, for 41 years. He has two children, four grandchildren and a fifth grandson to be born very soon.

 

Dave was born in Fox River Grove and moved to Cary when he was 3 years old. He owns and operates Lake Julian Contracting.

 

(From former member, Bob Blumberg)

 

The attached are photos were taken during the past week of the Nicaraguans working on the water  project. It was delayed for quite a while until Rotary International got involved at our request. Now it seems to be chugging along at a good rate and the Club members in Nicaragua seem to be excited about the future. If anyone wants more detailed information, you can contact Melanie at melaniephe@aol.com.

 

Here's a link to our photo album located on our website.

Today's program was presented by our guest speaker, Vitaliy Bedrodnov of Rotary Children's Fund. Founded in 2003, RCF is part of a larger organization (Golden Gates) which is an International Culture Exchange program for young artists and musicians. The program recruits students from public schools and public art centers throughout the United States and Internationally, and offers them the ability to share their talents to audiences worldwide. In addition to traveling and sharing their talents and skills, students that are selected to participate are given the rare opportunity to be cultural ambassadors of their country and to learn more about the people of the countries they visit. As stated by Vitaliy, "The program has been building bridges across cultures through music and dance for more than a decade." The Golden Gates Project has been primarily self-sustaining along with funds provided through RCF. To learn more about this program and their tour schedule, visit their website at http://www.rotarychildrensfund.org/ or follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RotaryCF/

Sam Tenuto of Pioneer Center for Human Services was our guest at this morning's zoom meeting. Sam gave the club a quick overview of the new 70 bed facility that is being constructed for McHenry County PADS. The facility is not yet complete, but is currently being used on a limited basis. Fundraising for a commercial kitchen that will accommodate the preparation of meals for the residents is almost complete. This is a major goal as it will also be used to teach residents food preparation skills that can be utilized when relocating from the facility. Funds are also needed for additional projects being considered. 

 

While most perceive PADS as being for adults only, there is also a need to provide shelter to families with children. The program at PADS is not a permanent solution, but is designed to give temporary assistance and training to allow residents to become self-sustaining. In their presentation, Carrie Freund reminds us that "most of us are one life event away from being homeless ourselves." To learn more about this effort, visit their website at https://www.pioneercenter.org/homeless-services/mchenry-county-pads/

Follow this link to Rotary International's "Rotary Magazine Online", which includes current topics and articles. 

Members of the Rotary Club of Cary-Grove present a check to the Cary-Grove Food Pantry, located at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Cary. Funds for the presentation were raised at the Club's "Steak Fry", which was held at Cary's "Main Street Fest" this past September. A special thanks to all those who attended that event, which made this donation possible.