Prepared by John King
Wendy convened the full house meeting at 6:00 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance, and Dan led the Invocation Prayer mentioning ill Rotarians, including Ed Touhey, for whom prayers should be offered.
Special Guests: The guests included Rick Goodby’s wife, Lisa, Janna Hoiberg’s husband, Steve, and Dean Gulezian's many guests (10), plus the speaker of the evening, Dariana from Romania.
Announcements:
Fred Strader addressed the landscaping project at the Meredith Library on June 1st for the Veterans Memorial. The set-up team will arrive at 8, and the work detail will arrive at 9. Lunch will be served.
Fred also addressed Rotary scheduling, stating that next week’s meeting will be the last at Hart’s prior to the summer, and future meetings will be at the Meredith Bay Colony Club (MBCC) and once a month at Moulton Farms.
Happy Dollars:
- Wendy for Dariana leaving as an exchange person after a year,
- Rick for Dariana and yard work,
- Tim for fishing,
- Peter Kador for a week in Seattle with his son,
- Dean for Dariana and the Rotary Youth Exchange Program,
- Fred for Dariana and her presentation,
- Dan Whitney for the great weather,
- Jim McFarlin for Dariana and the sale of his 1997 bow rider,
- Gary for the Youth Exchange Program.
The raffle drawings took place with two winners.
Dinner started around 6:20 pm and the meeting reconvened at 6:48 pm.
Special Program: Experiences as an Exchange Student in the United States
Program Speaker: Dariana Gavojdea from Romania
Dean celebrated the youth exchange year by thanking many, including the host families and the Rotarians involved, naming Bruce Reichlen and Brian Harris, and members of the exchange committee, including Heidi, Wendy, Gary Dehnel, Rick Goodby, and Will Williams.
After previewing next year, Dean introduced Dariana from Romania, who will leave in July after a year in this country. Through her engaging manner and a photo/slide presentation, she spoke about her experience in the Lakes region here and elsewhere.
She thanked her host families (2) and demonstrated via photos her favorite activities, including robotics, painting, and shopping. She also spoke of her Dunkin obsession (something with which I can identify), Bagels, the Sandwich Fair, Target and TJ Max (things with which I cannot identify), and skiing.
She described her travels to Boston and Cape Cod, which involved lots of eating. She also spoke of her trip to NYC, mentioning the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and shopping in Brooklyn.
She had pictures of her activities at Halloween, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Easter, and her prom. She mentioned her association with Interact and described her school activities, including volleyball and tennis.
Thanking Wendy and Heidi, she closed her presentation with a beautiful quote, stating that she had a "Lifetime in a year, not a year in a lifetime." Heidi presented her with gifts, which included a fishing derby sweatshirt, a New Hampshire pendant, and a Rotary Mug.
Wendy let the 4-Way test and the meeting adjourned at 7:25 pm.
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