Rotary Club of Scituate
Meeting Minutes: March 26, 2014 held at The Scituate Country Club
In attendance: Jack, JD, Bernie, Joan, Joe, Lucille, Sue and Walter, Janet and Bart, Judy and Bob, Lisa and David Tompson.
President Jack Stebe opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. His welcoming remarks included mentioning his recent travels to Florida, the Carolinas and the Pennsylvania Dutch Country. After the Pledge of Allegiance, and invocation, given by Bart Nuboer, Jack introduced our guests Scituate Police Chief Michael Stewart, Patrol Officer Brian McLaughlin, Sergeant Mark Thompson and Officer Dom D’Arcangelo. Dom’s wife, Mary Kate accompanied him. In addition, CORSE founder, Tracey Johnston was in attendance.
Jack turned the meeting over to JD Miller who awarded our “Christmas Tree Giving” Donation check to Tracey Johnston on behalf of the CORSE Foundation. Tracey spoke about the mission of CORSE and its success in integrating children with special needs into programs in the community where typically developing children and special needs kids get together on a one to one basis. This is the 8th year that CORSE has been up and running; during that time, it has given $550,000 back to the community with 261 programs including Best Buddies at Gates Middle School and Scituate High School. Tracey gratefully accepted our donation on CORSE’s behalf.
Dinner was served by Maureen and enjoyed by all.
JD won the draw, but, alas, not the elusive Queen.
After dinner, Jack made announcements about a variety of items and upcoming events including Mimi Svennings’s question about the Youth Health Connection from South Shore Hospital: Helen Blowers will involve Weymouth High School Interact Club. JD is planning a RYLA Interact meeting at SHS for March 27. Lisa and Janice Brown are planning to attend the Grants District Level training session in Braintree on April 2. Lucille and Janet, including the fact that tickets are still available, discussed the upcoming Tony Deblois Concert on April 4 at Scituate Country Club. Joe Kelley reminded us about the Community Dinner at St. Luke’s scheduled for April 27. Jack stressed attendance at the District Conference in Falmouth on May 2 and 3, especially as Dietrich is district governor this year.
Please note that Jack is planning a Board Meeting next Wednesday, April 2 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss several pending issues and requests.
Chief Michael Stewart, who was appointed Scituate Police Chief last September, talked about Officer Dom D’Arcangelo’s contribution to Scituate and its long standing DARE Program. Stewart and D’Arcangelo had trained together as young policemen with the chief going into drug investigation, while Dom took on the DARE program (DARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education).
Since being appointed, Chief Stewart has learned more about Dom’s various activities and involvement in educating young people through the DARE program during the past twenty-five years. Now, with the current heroin epidemic, Scituate is looking at emerging trends in how to deal with the drug problem today – it is going to start focusing on various resources, including school resource officers at Scituate schools with the curriculum taught by teachers, thus hearkening the end of the DARE program. “The Police will be more resourced based,” said Stewart.
Through the years, Dom worked passionately with junior high school children to educate them on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. Half the current police officers in Scituate had participated in the DARE program in Scituate, along with hundreds of other children.
Recently, Scituate has received a FACTS grant of $650,000 to use over the next few years, which will enable drug education to be taught at Scituate High School.
Following Chief Stewart’s remarks, Walter Heller stood up to read an e-mail that he had received from Joe Serra, who was instrumental in helping DARE to be established in Scituate back in 1989 and when Officer Dom D’Arcangelo first took on the task of running the program. Walter also reminded us that Dom is a Paul Harris fellow; Walter then awarded both Dom and Chief Stewart plaques in appreciation of their service to the community from the Rotary Club of Scituate.
Dom then spoke to say that he’s enjoyed standing up before Rotary for the past 25 years “being a cop.” He told us that he had expanded DARE over the years and that he never lost the passion of working with Scituate’s young people. He emphasized that despite the recent spike in heroin addiction, most kids have done everything right. Dom ended by thanking Rotary for its support to DARE.
Jack thanked all our guests and adjourned the meeting at 8:13 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Tompson
Acting Secretary
