PHOTO CAPTION: Joe Voves, center, is presented with a special certificate of appreciation by District 7890 Gov. Dave Mangs, right, for his decades of "Service Above Self," as Farmington Rotary President Ron Llewellyn, left, looks on.
ATTENDANCE – There were 17 Farmington Rotarians in attendance, plus one guest – District Gov. Dave Mangs.
NEW MEMBER INDUCTIONS – District Gov. Dave Mangs was on hand to formally induct three new members to the Rotary Club of Farmington. These three included two transfers from other clubs, Elizabeth Sheridan and Brendan Goodrich (both bank branch managers, Elizabeth at Webster Bank on High Street; Brendan at the Farmington Bank Main Street branch); and Jason Jastrzebski, a former Farmington Rotarian who is returning to the fold. Jason is a residential mortgage lender in West Hartford.
JOE IS HONORED – Joe Voves, 95, who joined Rotary in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 1956, was presented by Dave Mangs with a special certificate of appreciation for all he has done for Rotary. Born and raised in Mnetes, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic), Joe also served as a district governor in Westchester County, N.Y., before moving to Farmington.
BIRTHDAYS – Howard Rosenfield and Nara Vinditti are both celebrating birthdays this week.
RAFFLE – President Ron Llewellyn had the winning ticket, but pulled the four of clubs instead of the ace of spades from the deck of playing cards and therefore lost the pot.
HAPPY BUCKS – Donations were made in honor of District Gov. Dave Mangs; for Dave’s piano playing on the Country Club of Farmington’s grand piano as we arrived; for the three new members; for our Interact clubs at Farmington High School and at Miss Porter’s School; and for the honor bestowed on our own Joe Voves.
SPEAKER – District Gov. Mangs emphasized the importance of Interact, the extracurricular high school club affiliated with Rotary; and Rotaract, the college club that is also affiliated with Rotary, as a way of getting potential future Rotarians interested in “service above self.”
Along those lines, he noted he is particularly proud of our Farmington club because we have two Interact clubs, one at Farmington High School with close to 200 members; and a new one at Miss Porter’s School.
Another way to influence membership, Dave explained, is to have satellite clubs. He explained that many clubs are currently instituting programs where one group of members finds it more convenient to meet at breakfast, while another might find it more convenient to meet at lunch or dinner. He said the two different groups operate separately, but together with the same goals and projects, then meet together once a month.
Noting that District 7890 is geographically large, with 59 clubs as far away as North Adams, Mass., and as close as Wethersfield (Dave is himself a member of the West Hartford Rotary), Dave noted he is trying to develop a program to help fight the ongoing Opioid crisis.
He also advocated a youth exchange program, where Rotary clubs sponsor the exchange of high school students from other countries to visit the United States during the summer.