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GO COUGARS! ISSUE MARCH 15, 2025
VOL. 5 NO. 23
LORI PRESENTS ROBIN THE
PAUL HARRIS AWARD
NEWS-NOTES-NONSENSE
On Thursday we had a double header of sorts. Robin Carlton began with a brief presentation about working with seniors. More on that below. East Alton Ice Arena GM Larry "Mr. Hockey" Thatcher talked about the 30th anniversary of the facility coming up on April 1st. He walked us through the group of seven meeting at Tom Lakin's home to try and determine the feasibility of such a facility. Guess what? it's feasible! The city of EA floated $3M in bonds to build the facility.They were retired in 2021. As a result of the Ice Arena many folks have visited our area who would otherwise not have a reason to stop. By the way, Larry tries to maintain the ice depth at 1.25". Need a Zamboni ride, he can assist.
Now, more on Robin. She has been working with seniors for the past 20 years and loves the experience. The monthly breakfast and information event now attracts from 60-70 seniors. After her presentation Prez Bill announced that LoriP has qualified for a +four Paul Harris Fellowship award. Lori then announced that she took the opportunity to name her award for Robin. Well played! It would be hard to find someone more deserving than Robin for the Paul Harris recognition.
Mark your calendar for these upcoming club events-jambalaya dinner on April 26th. We will be serving at the Keasler Rec Center. KyndraG will be preparing the jambalaya and sez that "it will be flavorful, not spicy!" Our annual golf tournament on July 19th with an AM tee time. On October 17th we will be slinging chili at the EAWR vs RHS football game.
Are you and your family interested in participating in the Riverbend Rotary club decades themed trivia event on Saturday March 29th? Let LoriP know ASAP.
Prez Bill has now accepted a temporary ministerial appointment at the Main Street UMC in Alton. Spreading the love!
Early birders included-AllenH, DarrenC and JoeS.
Happy birthday to JeanK on St. Paddy's day.
The district sponsored Rotary Family Day at the Ballpark is scheduled for Saturday August 9th. The game between the Cards and Cubs is scheduled for 6:15. Tickets are $60. Both members and non-members can purchase tickets for this fun evening at Busch.
The slide-right-inners included a couple of true professionals-WendellR and ChrisH.
JoeS suggests that it's better to greet someone twice than not at all.
Late arrivals included RodneyD, SherryT, GeorgeM and JohnP.
SAA Patti had some St. Paddy's trivia Q's. We didn't do so well.
We had 16 members dining on chicken breast over spaghetti, diced broccoli, torpedo rolls, salad and cherry crumble.
The 50-50 rolls after JohnP (for the second week in a row)and BillP failed to find the joker. MarkSm tried his luck with the scratch-off.
Opening duties were covered by SherryT, RobinK and Prez Bill, who prayed for the great dessert.
63% of Eastender News subscribers opened the last newsletter.
PUCK TALK
NO JOKER FOR BILL
ALL THINGS TRIVIAL
A demographer claims babies born this year herald a new generation-called what?
A-Alpha
B-Beta
C-Omega
D-Epsilon
(The answer is found near the end of the newsletter)
Today is National Quilting Day
Which U.S. city was named after an ancient Egyptian capital?
Memphis, Tennessee
Phoenix, Arizona
Omaha, Nebraska
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Before he was President, General Andrew Jackson was one of the three people who founded Memphis, Tennessee, in 1819 and coined the name based on its geography. Memphis was the ancient capital of Egypt because of its prominent location on the Nile River Delta. Its American counterpart was also located on the delta of an important river — the Mississippi, which was sometimes referred to as “the American Nile.”
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
Sourced from the Make-Up and Banner newsletters
March 2013
The WR March 3rd meeting was cancelled due to a winter storm.
Looking to secure a WR Trivia Night sponsorship? Talk to JohnP.
The EA club heard a presentation about the new housing development planned for the Defense Area.
The WR club is sponsoring two EA-WR students to attend the RYLA weekend in April.
AllenH was the sub-SAA.
Happy birthday to JeanK and ScottL.
AlanaY introduced visitors.
PaulH came up with the fine-du-jour.
Congrats were offered to JohnP on his defense of his doctoral dissertation.
AllenH posed a baseball trivia Q to JoeS. He didn't know the answer.
Happy Fines were paid by CherylM and JeanK.
The basketball tournament had a net of $961.
CoryG won the $185 jackpot.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
DATELINE:ROTARY
My Rotaract journey
How I grew as a leader
Taylor Huie, Rotaract and Rotary clubs of Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA —
I often joke that at 26 years old, I’ve been a member of Rotary for 27 years. Coming from a Rotary family means, quite literally, growing up through this organization. I feel fortunate to be able to check several “Rotary experience” boxes including child of Rotarians, Interact alumni, RYLA alumni, and host sibling to several Rotary Youth Exchange students. But it wasn’t until I became a member of Rotaract back in fall of 2018 that I truly understood what it meant to be a member of this amazing organization.
My journey with Rotaract started with founding a university-based club in North Carolina (just a couple of hours from the birthplace of Rotaract). I learned very quickly that starting, growing, and sustaining a brand-new university-based Rotaract club comes with its unique set of challenges. But each of those challenges opened the door to a learning opportunity. To highlight a few:
My generation grew up in the digital era, with a million experiences and connections vying for our attention. My first challenge was learning how to explain Rotaract to my peers in a way that elevated it above the noise of every other club on campus or experience we could connect to virtually. What’s more is that just about every new member joined my Rotaract club for a different reason, highlighting to me the importance of appealing to different people for different purposes. I learned brand marketing and the importance of understanding the customer.
At 19 years old, I had never run (or even attended) a formal board meeting. I had to learn quickly how to organize a leadership team, lead effective meetings, and influence without any real authority. Club meetings became my consistent practice for public speaking – something that, at the time, made me very uncomfortable. I learned how to be a kind, but strong leader.
The international connections that come with Rotary and Rotaract club membership are unmatched. Each of those connections and partnerships through my Rotaract experience brought a greater appreciation for the diverse world around us. And as emerging leaders, it highlighted the role we have in building global partnerships. I learned the power of global friendships in driving cultural appreciation and peace.
What’s most important is I don’t think these experiences are unique to me. So many Rotaractors learn to lead through their Rotaract experience. For many, Rotaract is more than just an avenue for service and friendship – it has been a personal and professional growth journey. It is a largely risk-free platform for emerging leaders to discover their leadership style and practice skills they’ll be able to use throughout their life, career, and remaining Rotary journey. Rotaract is a safe space to develop invaluable leadership skills, learn how to impact change beyond yourself, and develop a deep sense of social responsibility.
You can support World Water Day via a contribution to The Rotary Foundation. 2.2 billion people live without safely managed drinking water. That's more than 1 in every 4 people facing this challenge every day.
AND I QUOTE
"The things that I see as I walk along the streets — a little flower that blooms in May, a lovely sunset at the end of a day, someone helping a stranger along the way — that's heaven to me.'"Sam Cooke
"The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have."-Sheryl Sandberg
"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."-John Kennedy
"Learning never exhausts the mind."-Leonardo da Vinci
SMILE
What do dentists call x-rays? Tooth pics.
How does NASA organize a party? They planet.
What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet? Supplies!!
How do scientists freshen their breath? Experi-mints.
Why don’t scientists trust atoms? They make up everything.
What do you call a magician who has lost his magic? Ian.
How do you measure a snake? In inches because they don’t have feet.
What’s the difference between a hippo and a zippo? One is super heavy; the other is a little lighter.
What do you call a toothless grizzly? Gummy bear.
What do you call a pig that’s a black belt? A pork chop.
What do you call a dog magician? A labracadabrador.
BY THE NUMBERS
Nearly three-quarters of consumers prefer shopping in physical stores, but only 9% are satisfied with the store experience-IBM Institute for Business Value
The average wedding costs $36,000, up from $33,000 last year-Zola
At the end of fiscal year 2024, the IRS had 470,000 open cases in which it was assisting tax ID theft victims, according to a report from National Taxpayer Advocate
The average round-trip airline ticket during the spring-break period from mid-March to mid-April is $820 for domestic cities, up 7% from last year, and $1,440 for international destinations, up 2% from last year-AAA booking data
1 in 10 restaurants serve Mexican cuisine and 99% of the U.S. population living in a county with a Mexican dining establishment-Pew Research Center
82% of Alaskan communities are accessible only by air-FAA
(Trivia answer B)
Rotarian Code of Conduct The following code of conduct has been adopted for the use of Rotarians:
As a Rotarian, I will
1-Act with integrity and high ethical standards in my personal and professional life
2-Deal fairly with others and treat them and their occupations with respect
3-Use my professional skills throughRotary to: mentor young people, help those with special needs, and improve people's quality of life in my community and in the world
4-Avoid behavior that reflects adversely on Rotary or other Rotarians
5-Help maintain a harassment-free environment in Rotary meetings, events, and activities, report any suspected harassment, and help ensure non-retaliation to those individuals that report harassment
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