Newsletter 6-23-09

Needham Rotary Club Bulletin

June 23, 2009

Bill Paulson Presiding

Opening: Songs - Arlene Centamore,.  Prayer - Lois Sockol

Guests:  Bill Rosenthal, Chris Teachout, Jeff Hendricks, Arlene and Frank Centamore 

Announcements:

Fourth of July Float : Arlene Centamore will be our "Singing Star" on the float.

We invite you to come aboard and wave to the crowd, or march in the parade with our Rotary banner. Thanks to Greg Cronin for chairing this annual event and making all the arrangements.

Jon Kleiman's email:  Jon is deeply immersed in the culture of Ethiopia. He is beginning to recognize specific words i.e. "Ferengy", which he hears on a regular basis. He has learned about the ritual of chewing "khat", a lettuce-like leaf that is a stimulant. In his next email, he will let us know how he is progressing with his video and his educational endeavors. We look forward to the next chapter in his travels.

Brockton Ballpark : Mike Reilly has proposed a trip to a ball game in Brockton with an opportunity to tour behind the scenes. The sentiment was that people were interested in going to a game during the week. Bill Paulson will follow through and let us know a possible date.

Needham Rotary Archives : Bob Welling is coordinating the compilation of Rotary pictures, artifacts, articles that Rotarians might have stored away. The Needham Historical Society will keep them for us. Please bring them to a meeting; the artifacts will be brought to the Historical Society.

Habitat for Humanity : Dan Tibma has volunteered  to receive training from Habitat for Humanity; people will be asked to participate in helping to build a residence in Needham. The date will be in late December or in January 2010 - on a Sunday.

Wine Tasting and Silent Auction: Bob Cocks reported that our wine tasting and silent auction event was a great success. We will know exactly how much money was raised after all expenses have been paid, but it is believed to be over $3000. Thanks to Karen Wetmore, Bob Cocks, and Kathy Whitney for all their efforts.

Rotary Picnic: Bill Paulson thanked everyone for pitching in and making the picnic so successful. Special thanks to Ken Davis for putting it all together.

Humor: Jim Brown told us about a woman who was in her new Winnebago, put it on cruise control at 70 mph and then walked into her kitchen to make a sandwich. After the crash, which she survived, she sued the company for not telling her that she couldn't leave the wheel. She won over a million dollars, and also got a new Winnebago. The company has revised its brochure.

Next Week : We look forward to the induction of two new members:

Bill Rosenthal and Chris Teachout. Our new president, Ryan Damaso, and his new board will be installed. Please don't miss this special event.

  50/50: No winner yet, but we currently have over $400. in the pot.

Happy Dollars: People were happy to be here, happy for the great turnout, happy for a nice father's day, J for a trip to sunny Italy in 85 to 90 degree weather (Scott MacFarlane), welcome to new prospective members and happy for her new TV (Deb Donovan), welcome to our guests, happy for their tablemates,  happy 55^th anniversary to Ron and Lois, in support of those protesting for their freedom, looking forward to sailing in Maine for the next four weeks (Kathy Whitney), thanks to Ken Davis for organizing our cookout,  happy that son interviewed Bucky Dent last week (Chuck Levin), holding hand with George, looking forward to summer.

Guest Speaker:

Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar Akanksha Sharma

Rotary Club of Worcester, MA

Rotary Club of Kowloon North, Hong Kong, ekakanksha@gmail.com

Akanksha gave us a dynamic presentation, filled with the sights of her past year in Hong Kong. She was born in India and came to the US to live in Galveston, Texas. We were treated to views of people, places, and delicious-looking repasts. She had such a marvelous time with her Rotary "family" that she had no time to be homesick. She went to Rotary meetings every week and studied in the field of Marriage and Family Therapy at HKU Family Institute. She experienced the clash between traditional and modern ways. She traveled extensively in China, Taiwan, and the Philippines during her ambassadorial scholar year.

 And now she has come home to attend medical school in Dallas, Texas. Her area of specialization will be in Neurology and Global Health.

Akanksha reflected upon her new perspective, opportunity for self-discovery and self-discipline that was afforded by her ambassadorial scholar status.  She learned that change is possible. She came back a changed person and is eager to make a change in the world - especially in the area of women's issues.

She thanked Rotary for making such an indelible impact upon her present and future life.