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GOODBYE TO '25 ISSUE DECEMBER 13, 2025
VOL. 6 NO. 17
LORI WELCOMES KELLI
NEWS-NOTES-NONSENSE
With Christmas and New Years Day falling on a Thursday this year, our next noon meeting will take place on January 8th. Look for the next issue of the Eastender News on January 10th. Our Christmas party is on Thursday (details below). Hope to see everyone at Rustic Roots! Here's hopin' everyone has a wonderful holiday season. Spend some quality time with your family and friends.We are here today, tomorrow offers no such guarantee. If you are on the move, travel safely.
We welcomed our newest member Kelli Decker.
On Thursday we held our annual club assembly. Let's call it the "state of the club" address by Prez Mark. He covered a lot of items. Here's the highlights-We had five new members join in 2025, while DianeS transferred her membership and LindseyH rejoined. A good growth year! Mark reviewed our 13 events and promised to try and spread them out on the calendar in 2026, not so clustered in the fall. On January 29th we will be hosting a Taste of Rotary at Joe's Pizza in Eastgate. It will be an opportunity for potential members (and the community curious) to come and learn about Rotary in a no-pressure setting. Be thinking about whom you would like to invite and firing up your social media to spread the word. Mark also wants to schedule some PM social events so we can fellowship in a less structured and limited time environment. Any suggestions? Let him know. LoriP was re-elected as our club secretary for the next two years. The treasurer and sergeant-at-arms positions will be up for a two year term next December. GlennB was nominated by acclimation to serve as our Prez-Elect during the 2026-27 Rotary year and as prez the following year. Thanks Glenn!! JoeS concluded the address by providing a brief overview of foundation activities and requesting a replacement for foundation treasurer MarkV.
Please continue to keep the Hale and Croxford families in your prayers.
We had another successful Christmas Wonderland event on Thursday evening. There were 14 Rotarians, a few family members and exchange student Lilly on hand to make merry with the park visitors that arrived in almost 200 vehicles. The Applebee's debrief revealed that our Santa cabin crew had a great time bringing Christmas cheer to the many families who visited old St. Nick and his "elves". Santa(JoeS) even did a couple of "remote" visits with two vans of senior citizens. Did you know our Santa had a personal valet? Yep, ScottL.We also found out what happened to the Santa hot tub display (hit by a car last year). Thanks to all who assisted, especially chief cat herder BillP.
Thanks for your years of service-BillP-12 years.
Early-birders included LoriP, BillP and DianeS.
The Salvation Army bell ringing is TODAY. See you at Wal Mart.
The slide-right-in crowd included-CoryG.
DianeS made sure our 4-way and club banners were straight.
Prez Mark began our last noon meeting of '25 with a strong bell clang!!
Last to arrive included TomS, GeorgeM, CoryG and ChrisH.
We had 21 members dining on BBQ pork sammies, mini corn on the cob, julienne taters w/onions, salad and cuppies.
PaulH thanked MarkV for his 28 years of club service which will conclude at the end of this month. He will be missed. We wish him only the best!
Our Christmas party is scheduled for this Thursday @ Rustic Roots. Food service is from Food A Fare. Music by the Great River Choral Society. Fellowship @ 5:30, dinner to follow.
SAA RickH recruited CherylM to be the finemeister. MarkA paid a Happy Fine for his smooth recovery from his recent robotic knee replacement surgery. 5 trivia Q's were posed, we nailed every one! Not wearing something for the Christmas season? Pay a $. No more fines in '25!
The jackpot went unclaimed by BillP and PattiA. GlennB won the scratch-off.
Opening duties were covered by BradP, DianeS and MarkA.
EA-WR SAS STUDENTS GINA & WOODY
GLENN ACCEPTS!
FOUNDATION BOARD GATHERS
SANTA 'N THE ELVES
INSIDE WONDERLAND HQ
THE GRINCH LOVES ROTARY
ALL THINGS TRIVIAL
A new book, "The Web Beneath the Waves," describes the world's undersea network of data cables. Laid end to end, how far would they reach?
A-To the sun
B-To. Mercury and back
C-Around the world 18 times
D-From the earth to the moon three times
(Find the answer near the end of the newsletter)
Today is National Day of the Horse
Which two states have capitals with rhyming names?
North Dakota and Nebraska
Rhode Island and Tennessee
Massachusetts and Texas
South Carolina and Michigan
Of all 50 U.S. state capitals, just two of them rhyme: Austin, Texas, and Boston, Massachusetts.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
Sourced from the Eastender News, Make-Up and Banner newsletters
December 2021
JoeS reported that our basketball tourney was a huge success.
MarkV reminded everyone that we had three dates scheduled for Salvation Army bell ringing, all @ Wal Mart.
BillP was happy to report that all work slots for the upcoming Christmas Wonderland event have been filled.
Prez Lindsey announced that JeanK and Rhonda Breslin had joined the Color Run committee.
DaveA and WendellR failed to silence their phones.
ChrisH reminded everyone that the small box making the rounds was for Christmas family donations.
CherylM was looking for an actuary with a fine arts degree.
SAA Leonard Berg took a free will offering while he expained the difference between the District Conference, District Assembly and PETS.
Prez-Elect Robin annnounced that she would be attending the 2022 PETS session.
JeanK and BillP let the $180 jackpot roll. JohnP won the scratch-off.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
DATELINE:ROTARY
4 Corners India Drive For HPV-free India
By Dr. Rita Kalra, Rotary Club of Chandigarh Midtown, Haryana, India, and a member of the Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisors
I still remember the morning of 26 July 2025, as if it were yesterday. Chandigarh was bright and buzzing, but for me, the excitement wasn’t just about the day — it was about the mission. As District 3080 coordinator for HPV vaccination under Project Aastha, I have one clear goal: to wipe out cervical cancer from our community. That day felt like one giant step closer to it.
The 4 Corners India Drive team had travelled hundreds of kilometres to bring the message of HPV vaccination to different corners of our country. When they reached Mohali, our Rotarians, friends, and young volunteers welcomed them with open hearts and open arms. For me, the most beautiful sight was seeing 50 young girls roll up their sleeves and receive the HPV vaccine right there. Each one was a future safeguarded. Each one was a silent victory.
We didn’t stop at the clinic. A rally of colourful, flag-bearing cars rolled out towards the heart of Chandigarh. I had the honour of leading the drive, sitting in the first car, feeling both pride and responsibility. We wanted people to turn their heads, to read the banners, to ask questions. And they did. Curious pedestrians stopped, shopkeepers stepped out, and the message “Cancer-Free India” began to ripple through the city. To continue reading, link herehttps://rb.gy/km9cva
AND I QUOTE
“Pressure is a word that is misused in our vocabulary. When you start thinking of pressure, it’s because you’ve started to think of failure."-Tommy Lasorda
"The worst mistake a boss can make is not to say “well done.”-John Ashcroft
"We either make ourselves miserable, or make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same."-Carlos Castenada
"What your job is, as the boss, is to find really good people and empower them and leave them alone."-Ruth Reichl
SMILE
As I'm sitting in the waiting room of my chiropractor's office trying to find a magazine, I realized all she had were back issues.
"May ya live as long as ya want, and not want as long as ya live" is an Irish toast. "Bread, cinnamon, eggs and maple syrup" is a French toast.
My friend told me there was life outside the internet and that I should check it out. I asked him to send me a link.
Doo electricians listen to AC-DC or something more current?
What happens if someone slaps you at high frequency? It Hertz.
Type caption here
THE NUMBERS
The average cost of a large cheese pizza in the US has risen to $17-Slice
Gen Z spent 5.1 hours a day in Q3 2025 on social media, up from 4.5 hours in Q1, 2023-S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan
The global jeans market has grown 28% over the past five years, reaching $101 billion in 2025-Euromonitor International
Virtue Market Research estimates the North American pickle market was valued at $12.42 billion in 2023 and is forecast to reach $15.27 billion by the end of 2030
Per American Express’s 2025 Shop Small Impact Study, 95% of small business owners say community support keeps them thriving, up from 86% in 2024
Adults (over age 18) accounted for toy sales of $1.5 billion over the last three months of 2024. That made the 18+ demographic the toy industry’s most important age group, as they officially spent more on themselves than on its former most important category: toddlers age 3 to 5-Circana
(Trivia answer-D)
ROTARY'S AREAS OF FOCUS
These have been identified to help build international relationships, improve lives and create a better world to support our peace efforts and end polio forever
