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SPRING BREEZES ISSUE APRIL 23, 2022
VOL. 2 NO. 31
LORI PINS NEW MEMBER TAMMY
PAUL PINS NEW MEMBER MARK
NEWS-NOTES-NONSENSE
Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages (links are available at the top of our main web page. Also, join our Facebook group. Want to like/share something, give it a tag @riverbendeastrotary
Prez Lindsey installed two new Rotarians on Thursday, please welcome Tammy Iskarous and Mark Smith to our merry band.
Raging Rivers Water Park representative Jessie Hayes was on hand Thursday to tell us about the upcoming season. 30 cabanas have been added, featuring concession stand service. The new water slide should be up and running by mid-June. She concluded her presentation by answering a bunch of questions.
Last Saturday our Rotary district held its first in person District Assembly since 2019. A "Zoom in" " option was also made available to district Rotarians. Prez-elect Robin, LoriP and RickH took advantage of that option. They were able to attend 9 of the 12 breakout sessions. Lots of good information was shared via some high quality presentations. It's worth noting that district club #48 has recently been chartered in Springfield. It's called the World Citizen Alliance in Springfield, with a focus on world travel. To date, our district has raised $47,000 for Polio Plus, a 5-year high. Long-term youth exchange has resumed. Our district has 11 clubs hosting inbound students. There are also two district outbound students. Take a few minutes and explore the Learning Center @ rotary.org. There's lots of useful info for everyone, especially new Rotarians.
Congrats to LoriP who was elected to the district Foundation Board at the District Assembly.
Baseball Mania tickets are now being distributed by LoriP. Get your pack of 10 today. The game kicks off in late July. We net $6.50 on each card sold.
The Rotary sponsored (Alton-Godfrey and the two Riverbend clubs) National Day of Prayer gathering will be held on Thursday May 5th, 8AM, at the Best Western Premier Hotel in Alton. BillP and JohnP will be among those offering prayers. All are welcome to attend.
TyB introduced his guest and we welcomed Alton-Godfrey Rotarian Ed Morrissey.
Birthday wishes go out to TommieM, today, and PaulH on the 28th.
We are sponsoring two students attending the RYLA event this weekend.
Early arrivals include AllenH, BillP and MarkSp.
What day is it? You may want to avoid asking JoeS or PattiA. Just sayin'.
TammyI distributed flyers promoting the upcoming Riverbend Family Ministries golf tournament on May 21st @ Spencer T.
Please remember to share our 5K Color Run information with your social media contacts. It's slated for Saturday June 4th @ Belk-8AM. The sign-up link is available on our Facebook and web pages. Prez Lindsey has a goal of having 100 runners, 15 have signed up so far. It's time to get busy promoting our event. To date, she has collected $4,000 in sponsorship dollars.
Remember the abandoned plane at the airport that was mentioned in this space last week? It sold at auction for $24,600.
Opening duties were handled by Prez Lindsey, RickH and JoeS.
JoeS is OK playing golf out of the pine needles, BradP, not so much. Where's my pine needle wedge??
Get rid of the walker/cane ASAP wishes go out to Nancy Allison recovering in Florida from a broken hip.
Rotary Day at the Ballpark presale prices of $45 per ticket has been extended until the end of April. Cards vs Cubs June 26th.
Anyone besides BradP remember Pink Floyd @ the Checkerdome?
SAA LeonardB asked each table two questions. Get one wrong, pay a $. Get both wrong, pay $$.
25 members enjoyed Eater ham, Rotary g-beans, mac 'n cheese, artisanal bread, salad and cake.
Last to arrive include BradP, Prez Lindsey, GeorgeM and TyB.
BradP and WendellR took a shot at this weeks 50-50 ( after MarkSm and JohnP (via a surrogate) missed their opportunity from the previous week). No one found the elusive joker. Guest Jessie won the scratch-off.
Ciao! Have a fine and dry weekend.
LEONARD PLAYS STUMP THE CHUMPS
ALL THINGS TRIVIAL
What's so special about I bonds?
A-Apple rarely issues long-term debt
B-India is borrowing in dollars but will repay in rupees
C-They help individuals borrow from themselves
D-They'll pay an interest rate of nearly 10%
(Answer is found at the end of the newsletter)
Today is National Picnic Day
Where is America's first underwater preserve?
Hawaii
Florida
California
Georgia
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, America’s first underwater preserve, opened off Key Largo in the Florida Keys in 1960. The park is home to abundant marine life in its 70 nautical square miles, along with beaches and nature trails to explore on land. The park’s namesake was a newspaper editor who championed the idea of an underwater preserve and helped establish it. More than a million people visit each year to snorkel its coral reefs, including the Molasses Reef with its many dive sites.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
Sourced from the Make-Up and Banner newsletters
Late April 2018
The EA club hosted scholarship students and RYLA participants.
WR Prez-elect JohnP introduced the guests who were involved with the building of the sculpture that would be displayed at the WR firehouse.
EA Prez BillP was AWOL. There was a strong suspicion that he could be found @ Busch Stadium. RhondaB took the gavel and ran the meeting.
CherylM was congratulated by fellow WR members on the birth of her granddaughter.
PaulH shared some fond memories of his mentor, Clarence Decker, with other EA Rotarians.
JeanK and RhondaB were praised at the WR gathering for the successful Disco Bingo events. Each club would net $4,700.
LoriP and PaulH were serenaded with the birthday song at the EA meeting.
The WR Color Run was set for June 3rd.
MarkA was looking for fellow EA members to join him in a foursome to play in the Alton-Godfrey club tournament.
EA-WR Junior Rotarians Justin Engler and Rachel Staten attended the WR meeting.
RandyN assisted with opening duties at the EA meeting.
WR members PaulG,JimH and DonnaK paid Happy Fines at the WR meeting.
Type caption here
NEW WORDS
Words that were listed in the Merriam-Webster dictionary for the first time in 1994
Botox--chai latte--chatbox--cybersafety--COX-2 inhibitor--cyberterrorism--digital divide--dot-com--Gen Y--LASIK--MP3--po-po--slopestyle--SPAC--spyware--task bar--terms of service--Universal Serial Bus--webcam--web crawler
DATELINE:RI
MILLIONS OF DROPS MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR UKRAINE REFUGEES
By Per Høyen, Rotary Foundation Trustee
Like most of the world, my wife and I were concerned when we heard of the buildup of Russian military on the Ukraine border. As a Rotary Director, I had been to Ukraine six years ago for a club charter and have Rotary friends in Ukraine. Knowing that my friends were in danger was awful. The day the invasion happened was very hard for us. And seeing the pictures of what was happening brought tears to our eyes. We asked, “who could do this to small children?”
I started communication with my Rotary friends in the Lviv International Rotary Club on a daily basis, and I learned there were two Danish members of the club, which made it even easier to communicate. They kept me informed what they were doing, and one day, one of them, Lars, called to tell me they had this young man from Ukraine staying in Germany who needed a place to stay. He asked me if my club could find a place for him somewhere.
Prior to that, my wife and I had been talking about what we could do to help, even feeling a bit helpless. When we got the call from Lars, we said yes, without a doubt, we would make a home for him. Hosting Artem has given us something very tangible to do.
We went and picked him up in Germany. Before that, we had gone to a store in town and let them know we had this young man coming and that we didn’t know how many clothes he was bringing with him. The shop owner was very gracious and let Artem pick out two of everything: two trousers, two briefs, etc., and we didn’t have to pay anything.
For us, it has been an eye-opening experience. When you are sitting back in your own environment, you have one way of thinking about things. But then something like this happens, and it changes your perspective on the world.
We’ve had a lot of discussions with Artem. Along the way we have learned a lot from him, about our cultural differences, the history of his country, and the background on Soviet-Ukraine relations, which we didn’t know a lot about before.
I am also realizing that all my years in Rotary and as a senior leader have prepared me to be more equipped to help and want to help in this situation. Rotary teaches us we need to be flexible and accommodating of different cultures, and we need to do what we can for people who do not have the same opportunities as ourselves. I’m not sure I would have had that same view if it had not been for Rotary.
We are doing our small part. It’s just a drop in the ocean. But millions of drops make a difference.
The response we have seen in Denmark, and all over Europe really, has been tremendous. We all understand Ukrainians need a place of peace. No one would want to be pushed out of their country. When I see what Rotarians are doing worldwide to support Ukraine, it makes me proud to be a Rotarian.
AND I QUOTE
"Never mistake knowledge for wisdom. One helps you make a living; the other helps you make a life."-Sandra Carey
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."-Dolly Parton
"Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not."-Oscar Wilde
"We seek the truth and will endure the consequences."-Charles Seymour
SMILE
Recent police blotter entries as reported in the Montana Flathead Beacon newspaper-
11:55 a.m. Five horses showed up at a house that wasn’t theirs.
12:13 p.m. A man reported he “suspected” one of his tenants accidentally drove into the side of the library.
1:25 p.m. One cow was out and about.
4:18 p.m. A woman claiming to be a prostitute asked a tax preparer to help with her taxes.
11:11 p.m. A bunch of teenagers were having a “big fist fight.”
7:53 a.m. A man wanted to get rid of his wife’s goats and cats and wanted to know if the food bank would accept them.
12:56 p.m. A man’s pants were hanging down very far.
1:27 p.m. Someone reported a dog was left in a vehicle that was parked outside “the drug house on 6th.”
2:57 p.m. A man called about 17 cats on his rental property and wondered if it would be an issue if he “took care of the problem.”
3:30 p.m. A man reported a trespasser on his property that turned out to be a process server.
4:57 p.m. A woman called 911 and said she didn’t care for rich people.
6:26 p.m. Someone reported a “suspicious looking character” at a laundromat that was probably Antifa or a communist, and said neither the FBI nor Homeland Security would talk about it.
10:25 p.m. A woman called 911 reporting she was in pain, but couldn’t describe what kind of pain, didn’t’ know where she was and didn’t want an ambulance.
11:09 p.m. Someone reported seeing some suspicious vehicles but couldn’t tell why they seemed suspicious.
BY THE NUMBERS
More than 6,200 U.S. companies, most of them privately owned, offer ESOPs (Employee Stock Ownership Plans) They have 10.2 million active employee participants and hold $301 billion in company stock-National Center for Employee Ownership
The USDA estimates that 30%-40% of the food supply isn't consumed
Digital ad revenue in the U.S. increased 35% last year, to $189 billion -Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers
The average office vacancy rate will hit an almost three-decade high of 17% in the U.S. in 2022, according to CBRE estimates
U.S. electricity customers experienced an average of about eight hours of power interruptions in 2020, compared with four in 2016-U.S. Energy Information Administration
Electric vehicle sales in the U.S. last year reached 656,866, including both Tesla-style pure electrics and plug-in hybrids, according to data from EV-volumes—equivalent to 4.4% of the total passenger-vehicle market
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