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SAS ISSUE OCTOBER 4, 2025
VOL. 6 NO. 10
SERVICE ABOVE SELF AWARDS
NEWS-NOTES-NONSENSE
Look for your next Eastender News on October 18th.
On Thursday we welcomed Septembers RHS Service Above Self (SAS) students, Noah Smith and Lilliana Ray, accompanied by parents and school officials. Prez Mark read an impressive list of accomplishments by each student and then presented them with their SAS certificate. It's worth noting that these are the very first students recognized under our SAS program. Lilliana and Noah would make great future Rotarians!
JoeS provided an overview of our foundation and what's coming in the next few months. Our scholarship program allows our students to earn up to $3,000 in scholarship dollars to be used to pay tuition and fees toward any program of their choosing, including trade school. Our foundation will donate at least $3,000 and up to $5,000 toward the Eswatini dental project. We have raised enough funds to proceed with funding the electronic sign in front of the Keasler Recreation Center and a nine hole disc gold course in Belk park. Both of these will take place this coming spring. On January 1st our foundation will be rebranded the Riverbend East Rotary Club Foundation and the board expanded to nine members. If you have an interest in serving on this board let Joe know. JoeS reminded everyone that we need to continue to support the fundraising efforts of our foundation.
.There are fivelocalestablishments that have agreed to participate in the Pints for Polio fundraising event on October 23rd. The sign-up list is now making the rounds.
The SRI (slide right in) crowd featured PaulH, GlennB, DaveA and ChrisH.
The sign-up sheet for our Chili Dinner is making the rounds. BradP and SherryT are the co-chairs. We will gather at RHS on October 17th. Ticket distribution began on Thursday. Presale tickets are $8, $10 at the door. Each member is asked to sell a minimum of 10 tickets. Everyone is asked to provide prepackaged desserts (homemade desserts are also welcome).
The Turkey Fund jar made it's first appearance of the season. Day 1 donations were $247, a fine start. It's worth noting that the previous $40K plus United Way funding has gone away. This means that your generous donations are even more important during this holiday season.
PattiA declared our Color Run a success. Our net will be $1,200. We thank here for serving as the chair. We hope that TomS does not take his passion for spraying chalk dust to the next city council meeting.
JoeS will soon be soliciting basketball tournament t-shirt sponsors. You in?
Member quotes-"Work smarter, not harder"-LoriP, The first time you do it, you can't do it wrong."-JoeS "It may be October but it's not Fall"-Prez MarK
The Mark's were wild.It was noted that for the first time each of the four tables had a person named Mark seated there. One of them happened to be RHS Athletic Director Mark Briggs.
LoriP was proud of her pix showing her wrestling a Florida gator. Actually the photo showed her and her granddaughter holding a small alligator.
The post-nooner list included ChrisH, DaveA and GlennB.
SAA RickH recruited MarkSp as the lugmeister. We correctly answered 3 out of 4 trivia Q's. AllenH and PaulH paid Happy Fines.Not invloved with our Color Run, pay a $.
We had 16 members dining on double-cheezed tortellini, steamed carrots, rolls, salad and cake.
The $147 jackpot was left unclaimed by PattiA and RobertP. MarkA won the scratch-off.
Opening duties were covered by PaulH, PattiA and MarkV.
19 members forgot to take a look at the last issue of the Eastender News.
POST-MEETING CONVERSATIONS
COLOR RUN RUNNERS GET COLORED
ALL THINGS TRIVIAL
Fish with markings that resemble numbers, letters and symbols on their tails are having a moment. What kind are they?
A-Oarfish
B-Redfish
C-Sea bass
D-Messenger trout
(Find the answer near the end of the newsletter)
Today is National Play Outside Day
Where is the largest state park in the contiguous U.S.?
Washington
California
Montana
New York
New York’s Adirondack Park covers more than 6 million acres — making it the largest U.S. state park and largest publicly protected land area of any kind in the lower 48 states. Adirondack Park is bigger than the combined size of two famous national parks — Death Valley and Yellowstone — and is about the same size as the entire state of Vermont.
FROM OUR ARCHIVES
Sourced from the Eastender News, Make-Up and Banner newsletters
October 2017
PattiA presented a program about her Tower Garden while the EA club heard about Dream House Charities.
Congrats were offered to LoriP on her receiving the district Difference Maker award.
The WR Rotary Cash Raffle was wrapping up. The drawing would take place at the Halloween Parade on October 28th.
The EA club would be installing insulation at the Habitat for Humanity house the following week.
AlanaY was looking for Halloween Parade float ideas. DonnaK was collecting $$ or candy to be distributed at the parade.
We found out that at one time there were 2 Sherry Tite's.
EA-WR Junior Rotarians Bekah Null and Nicholas Hayes broke bread with the WR club members.
The Turkey Fund can was making the rounds.
MikeK was the meeting greeter.
BillP had a make-up from the Riverbend club.
CherylM was hopeful that she would collect the $411 jackpot, it rolled. RickH and LoriP had similar "luck" with the EA 50-50.
The EA Christmas party would be held at Bluff City Grill on December 14th.
PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
DATELINE:ROTARY
THE STATE OF ROTARY MEMBERSHIP
Interested in finding about the state of Rotary membership? Here's a link to a video that contains highlights of recent research findings from the all-member and Rotaract surveys, and provides some ideas for creating a club experience where members feel valued and know they can make a difference.
“If a man knows what it is right to do, he does not require a formal reason."-Aristotle
"A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships."-Helen Keller
"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."-George Bernard Shaw
"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom."-Isaac Asimov
SMILE
I asked the gym instructor if he could teach me to do the splits. He replied, “How flexible are you?” I said, “I can't make it on Tuesdays.”
I just bought a belt the other day. It was a waist of money.
What do you call a snowman with a six-pack? An abdominal snowman!
I told my friend 10 jokes to make him laugh. Sadly, no pun in ten did.
I just found out I’m colorblind. The news came out of the purple.
Why don’t eggs do well in school? Because they crack under pressure!
I asked the librarian if the library had any books with Paranoia questions. She whispered, 'They’re right behind you.'
THE NUMBERS
Cattlemen are now making a record profit of more than $700 per animal, up from $2 five years ago, according to some industry estimates
There are now 23.5 million health-services jobs in the U.S., or about one in six private-sector jobs. That compares with 12.7 million manufacturing jobs, and 15.6 million jobs at retailers
Twenty-one percent of children didn’t attend a traditional public school in 2023, up from 17% in 2019- Brookings Institution
The average price of a 3-year-old used car rose above the $30,000 mark earlier this year, and has trended upward since-Edmunds
Energy drink unit sales in the U.S. are up 6.3% in the 52-week period through mid-July compared with the same period last year-Circana.
78% of companies said they used AI (artificial intelligence) in at least one function-McKinsey
