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Cogitator Aug 8, 2012
Jeff Pluta, from AMPED for Education
VISITING ROTARIANS
Sue Dorne had two good friends visit from her former Rotary home, the Derby-Shelton (CT) club. Linda Holmes-Cannon and Ernestine Luise, a past district governor, were on hand to see Sue’s son and guest speaker, Jeff Pluta, discuss his organization, AMPED for Education.
GUESTS
Sue Dorne had family join her as well, including husband Eric Dorne and sister Stacey Cormier. Matt Bussey, attorney at Martineau and Davis, was a guest of Meghan Kruger.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY…
…wishes go out this week on August 10th to Keith Peacock, who helps some of us hearken back to the days of old. Ahhhh…to be 28 again…maybe just for a week anyway? OK. Sorry, I’m back. Enjoy, Keith!
ROTARACT OFFICERS INSTALLATION
Jane Boynton announced that there will be a fun Caribbean cookout and party as Rotaract officers are installed at New England Tech on Saturday, August 25th, at 3pm. Bill TenEyck, instrumental in putting this Rotaract club together, would love a big turnout from our club’s membership. It is our club’s first Rotaract sponsorship ever in 49 years. Ticket prices are super reasonable at $15 per person and $25 per couple. Please let Bill know by August 15th if you’re planning to attend.
PHONEBOOK
Almost there folks. So keep on selling, and let’s wrap up this year’s campaign strongly. New advertisers are needed more than ever, since we’re seeing quite a few non-renewals. Let’s make one last push to get through Kathy Brown’s list of potential new advertisers she handed to each of us. It can be done. Matt D’Agenais has brought in 5 new businesses himself. We need to get it done…or our charity/project funds will be greatly impacted for the 2012-2013 year. Thanks to all who have done their part and lent a strong hand so far…and thanks to all for making one last big push.
COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS
District Governor Joe Clancy is asking all of the clubs of District 7950 to think about local non-Rotarian volunteers who make a difference in our community. He’d like to present Volunteer Recognition Awards this year, so please send President Ken Colaluca (KAC@ColalucaLaw.com) your suggestions.
‘HOLA’ FROM OUT WEST…
Betsy DePrimo sends her best to the club, in a recent postcard mailed to President Ken. (And we send her our best to her out West!) Betsy’s email is JohnBetsy@comcast.net, and her new address is: 136 West Sunlit Drive, Santa Fe, NM, 87508.
HAPPY BUCKS
Vin Meola, Happy Bucks emcee for the day, was pleased that the Yankees lost the night before.
Bob Miller rebutted that Sox fans have 'big problems' this year. He knows this firsthand...from wife Trish’s yelling at the TV each night watching her beleaguered Fenway nine.
Visting Rotarian Ernestine Luise gave a ‘we miss you’ buck for her friend Sue Dorne and another in encouragement of today’s guest speaker, Jeff Pluta.
Visiting Rotarian Linda Holmes Cannon gave a ‘go Yankees’ buck and a ‘go Jeff’ buck.
Jane Boynton was glad to hear from Betsy DePrimo in New Mexico, but was sorry to hear half of Betsy’s ‘stuff’ is still in storage in Rhode Island after a moving van snafu. (Was that a Rotarian at work, keeping Betsy here? Hmm…sounds suspicious.)
Judy Pratt is thrilled to be heading to Cooperstown, NY, where son Alex’s Apponaug team will be one of 104 teams from all over playing in this year’s Hall of Fame Little League tournament.
Kathy Brown was happy to report that her daughter just secured a nice teaching job in Boston.
SPEAKER/PROGRAM
Jeff Pluta, AMPED for Education (Nicaragua)
Jeff Pluta is an energetic twenty-six year old teacher who works in Hadfield, Massachusetts. He is also the dedicated and passionate young man who founded AMPED for Education, a non-profit whose mission involves educating poor children of Nicaragua.
In his work over the past three years, Jeff noted his most difficult task so far: getting a 501(c)(3) approval from the government! Successful with his 501(c)(3) at last, Jeff set out in his work ‘giving a hand up, not a hand out’ to kids in Nicaragua, while building a school and necessary ‘educational infrastructure.’
Excepting Haiti, Nicaragua is statistically the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. However, Nicaragua has a decent literacy rate of 87%. There is a ‘base,’ in that a state-encouraged mandate for education exists. Nicaraguan law, though somewhat difficult to completely enforce, does require that kids must go to school at least until the 6th grade.
Jeff’s primary work is reaching kids beyond primary education levels. After acquiring land, touring various schools, developing sponsorships, and meeting with interested Nicaraguans from several communities, Jeff and his partners opened La Nueva Secundaria, a high school for 52 local students. AMPED for Education also recently opened its first technical school in the well-populated (80,000 residents) city of Grenada.
Jeff encourages Rotarians and other charity minded individuals to consider AMPED's student sponsorship program. Only $185 per year, for five years, provides an education for a Nicaraguan child from the 7th to the 11th grade. Jeff and company also sell $15 t-shirts on their website. Finally, they offer well-priced (and tax-deductible) ‘voluntourism’ trips. For nine days folks can tutor students, help out with labor needed for projects like fences and local roads, while also enjoying the lush hillsides and beautiful Pacific beaches of Nicaragua.
Stacey Cormier, Jeff Pluta, Sue Dorne (deservedly proud mom), Ernestine Luise, and Linda Holmes-Cannon