Rhode Island Rotarians, Rona Mann and Ed Skwirz present the Rotary Youth Short-Term Exchange Program. (photo by Joan Powers)
PLEASE NOTE: No meeting next week, May 7; it is a rest week!
Rotary Club of Scituate
Meeting Minutes: April 30, 2014 held at The Scituate Country Club
ALERT to all members: The Rotary Club of Scituate will NOT be meeting next week, Wednesday evening, May 7; it will be a rest week.
In attendance tonight: Jack, JD, Bernie, Joan, Joe, Sandi, Sue and Walter, Janet and Bart, Judy and Bob, Mike, Dietrich, Luella and Lisa. William Clark joined us after supper.
President Jack Stebe opened the meeting promptly at 6:00 p.m. Bart led us in the pledge, while Joan gave the invocation, and together, we recited the 4-Way Test.
Jack introduced our guests including Meg Juliano and her daughter, Rita, from Scituate High School. Meg is a student adviser at SHS, and Rita is part of the Interact Club and will be attending the upcoming RYLA weekend. Sandi welcomed her friend, Kathy Ball, a former Scituate resident who has returned to Town after many years; she may be interested in joining our club. Finally, our speakers were greeted by Jack: Rona Mann from the North Kingstown, Rhode Island Rotary Club and Ed Skwirz from the Woonsocket club, who represent the Rotary Youth Short-Term Exchange program (Rona runs it for District 7850, while Ed is the ESSEX – Eastern States Student Exchange - Step Chair for Rotary International covering applicants from Canada to Georgia.)
Shannon Hendrickson was also present recording our meeting to air on Scituate Community Television (Comcast, Channel 8).
Jack went over some club notes as follows:
The District 7950 Conference takes place this weekend at the Sea Crest Beach Hotel in Falmouth and our club will have a strong presence including a hospitality suite on Friday afternoon and evening. On Saturday, there will be a Captsone presentation, Medical Missions for Children, and, during the Peace and Conflict Transformation, Session 1, John Michakzyk will screen his film Writing on the Wall: Remembering the Berlin Wall.
Jack congratulated Joe Kelley on a marvelous community dinner held last Sunday afternoon at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church; close to 100 people attended including Rotary and Interact members. Janet reported that she has finalized the grant application for the Community Dinner program and it is just over $2,000; we shall receive reimbursement from the District Community Grant program for half that much.
JD reported that there are four SHS students planning to attend the upcoming RYLA weekend including Rita Juliano, and there are three students from last year returning as teacher/leaders. That is a total of seven students participating from Scituate!
Friendship Home is holding a fundraising walk on Sunday, June 22 at Wampatuck State Park.
Finally, there is a wonderful article in last week’s Scituate Mariner by Ruth Thompson about the recent visit to our Rotary Club by Razia Jan regarding her efforts to educate young women in Afghanistan. The front-page article includes a photograph of Razia, Jack Stebe and Joe Kelley taken by Joan Powers.
Maureen served us a delicious dinner of chicken cacciatore. Happy/Sad Bucks were shared after the meal.
Rona Mann then took the podium to explain the Rotary Youth Short-Term Exchange Program. She told us that the beauty of the program is that there is no cost to the club. If a club would like to participate in the program, all it has to do is find one or more students aged between 15 and 18 1/2 who would like to travel for three weeks to a foreign country and participate in a family to family exchange; stay with that local host family and then return with their host brother or sister for another three to four week stay back home. All the homes and families abroad are thoroughly checked. At home, the young person and his or her guest would be welcome to attend and speak to the sponsoring Rotary Club.
Ed Skwirz next attended the podium and took questions from club members. For instance, the two families involved can decide which young person travels first. Dietrich also spoke to the importance of this program and the significant impact it can have on a young person’s life, as it did on his own when he participated from Germany as a teenager and was a guest in homes in England and France. Ed emphasized that background checks are made on all family members over 18. Friends can apply to go to the same town, but cannot be hosted by the same family.
Rona and Ed left posters, which can be displayed at schools, places of worship and retail outlets advertising the program.
Jack thanked our guests; he looks forward to seeing fellow Rotarians at the conference in Falmouth on Friday evening. The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Lisa Tompson
Acting Secretary
