Cogitator August 28, 2013

VISITING ROTARIANS

None.

GUESTS

Soozie Sundlun’s assistant Jack was with us, taking photographs for End Polio Now’s ‘World’s Greatest Commercial.’  President Jodi Gladstone invited friend Debbie Osbourne, a PhD in mechanical engineering.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES

We heartily sang ‘happy birthday’ in honor of three Rotarians this week:  George Popella (August 24^th); Bill TenEyck (September 1^st); and Stan Reuter (September 2^nd). 

Happy 55^th(!) wedding anniversary to Wil (and Shirley) Yoder, married back on August 30^th, 1958.  (Congratulations, Wil!)

Finally, happy Rotary Induction Day wishes go out to Staci Cormier as she celebrates her first anniversary of club membership on August 30^th.

MEMBERSHIP MONTH

August is Rotary Membership Month, and President Jodi reminded everyone to pass out at least two invitation cards to friends and colleagues. 

THANKS, EG PHOTO

President Jodi thanked Soozie Sundlun for her Rotary assistance once again.  Soozie’s assistant Jack took individual pictures for our contribution to ‘The World’s Biggest Commercial,’ part of this year’s End Polio Now campaign.

ROTARACT

New Generations Chair Bill TenEyck reported that the New England Tech Rotaractors enjoyed a great day and a delicious Caribbean barbeque while installing this year’s slate of officers.  Bill thanked club members for a strong showing.  Bill and the Rotaract Club also took a field trip to Providence, visiting United Natural Foods, Inc.  The goal is in part to tie New England Tech’s Rotaract members to work force opportunities.

PHONEBOOK UPDATE

Phonebook Chair Matt D’Agenais announced that we took in 16 orders with the additional $25 online link.  Renewals have been coming in over the past few weeks, but we’re a long way from home with still $22,000 to go in revenues. 

Matt will also gather a small subcommittee in the next couple of weeks to augment sales.  Keep at it everyone!  Get those ads taken care of as soon as possible!

MUM’S THE WORD

Sue Dorne, leading the charge on yet another Rotary fundraiser, will have mums delivered for next week’s meeting.  Her goal is to have each Rotarian participate by purchasing two small ($15 apiece) and two large bunches ($20 apiece).  Once next week’s sales are completed, remaining mums will be sold at United Methodist Church, Coldwell Banker, Staci’s Place, and possibly Christ Church as well. 

Sue also needs help with signage and with personnel to help out selling mums in the days ahead. 

LINDSAY ANN BURKE MEMORIAL EVENT

Tickets are on sale for the seventh annual Lindsay Ann Burke Memorial Fund’s ‘Imagine Dinner.’  The dinner will include gourmet food, music, dancing, and raffles, and will be held on Thursday, October 17^th, at the Atlantic Beach Club in Middletown.  Proceeds will help fund curriculum materials for local schools and teen dating violence workshops.  http://labmf.org/pages/imaginedinner

P-BRUINS ROTARY NIGHT

Mark your calendars—the Providence Bruins will host a Rotary Night at the Dunkin Donuts Center on Friday October 18^th.  Besides a nice night out on the town, and a great Bruins game at the Dunk, a portion of ticket proceeds will go toward District 7950’s Polio Eradication efforts.   

PAST PRESIDENT’S MINUTE

Dr. Bob Miller shared a moment reflecting back to his presidential year, 1974-1975.  The club met at Chianti’s, which of course was then known as Scurti’s.  Bob recalled being excited about his annual budget of $50,000, a pretty tidy sum for a Rotary club back in those years.  He also noted how active this club’s past presidents continue to be, which to Bob confirms a true spirit of Service Above Self, and, that one gets the most from Rotary when engaged energetically in the club’s important activities.

ROTARY FOUNDATION MINUTE

Rotary Foundation Chair John Wolcott discussed Paul Harris Fellowship funding.  To become a Paul Harris Fellow, a Rotarian contributes $1,000 either individually or through a team of (usually) five members who donate $200 per year for five consecutive years.  Initial contributions go to the Rotary Foundation in Evanston, Illinois.  For three years, the interest earned on this money goes to the funding of Rotary Foundation activities throughout the world.  Three years later, half of the Paul Harris contributions end up back in the district from where they came.  The district is then able to utilize these funds annually via ‘District Simplified Grants.’  (The other half remains with Rotary International.)

HOT CHICKS AND COOL DUDES

Vin Meola, taking over Paul Harris leadership duties from George Popella, then asked for volunteers in forming a new Paul Harris Team during President Jodi’s year.  Without hesitation, like many times in the past, generous club members quickly raised their hands.  Incredibly, two new teams were formed!  To line up well with the current ‘Old Farts’ teams, one new all-women team will be known affectionately as the ‘Hot Chicks,’ while the other all-male team was tagged ‘Cool Dudes.’  Nice work, Rotarians!!!

HAPPY BUCKS

-Bill TenEyck enjoyed his Rotaract trip to the Providence corporate headquarters of United Natural Foods, Inc, a $6 billion company specializing in natural, organic, and specialty food products. 

-Staci Cormier’s daughter announced the big news last week—twins are on the way! 

-Jane Boynton prepares to see her son off to college next week and her daughter off to her junior high school year abroad in Italy.  Jane also thanked Bill TenEyck’s daughter Schuyler for all of her recent support.

-George Popella handed over a happy birthday check made out to the East Greenwich Rotary Scholarship Fund.  He also thanked Vin Meola for diligent work in selling his home.  George is now in the process of preparing for his happy retirement relocation to Florida in the coming months!

-Wil Yoder was happy to celebrate his 55^th anniversary with wife Shirley.

-President Jodi saw her son Caleb off to the airport as he embarked upon his freshman year at the University of Tel Aviv.

PROGRAM/SPEAKER

Classification Talk—Juan Osorio, Development Director, Boy Scouts of America’s Narragansett Council

Juan Osorio never had to do a classification talk during his time as a member of the Providence Sunrise Rotary Club.  Today, he stood at the podium for his first and did a fine job telling us about himself, his family, and his years with Boy Scouts of America.

Juan came to America when he was three years old.  He, along with his mother, father, and sister settled in Central Falls.  When his dad passed away shortly after their arrival, his mom worked extra hard to support the family.  Juan remembered heading out to a restaurant one evening in celebration of his mom’s modest workplace raise.  It was ‘a very big deal’ to her.

Living in Central Falls was a significant contrast for the Osorios, who lived comfortably in Columbia prior to their move to the States.  Work did not come so easily in America.  Now, with Juan’s father gone, his mother struggled along to make a decent living while raising two kids alone.  Those years were filled with great independence for Juan, but they also taught him the importance of family reliability. 

In 2003, Juan graduated from Central Falls High School and began attending classes at Rhode Island College.  During that time, he and his future wife welcomed a baby girl into the world.   In 2008, they had a second child, this time a son.  Juan and his wife divorced in 2010, and he endured the difficulty of his family’s move to South Carolina.  One day, however, he hopes to move to South Carolina to be closer to his kids, perhaps as part of an executive relocation with Boy Scouts of America.

Juan’s days in Scouting began when he was seven.  ‘It changed my life,’ he told us, ‘and it became like having a second parent.’  He would later become Scoutmaster of that same troop in Central Falls, giving back to the community and the organization which meant so much to him. 

During his college days, Juan began volunteering with Boy Scouts, especially with inner city youths.  His hard work and successes led to a full-time job offer in 2007.  In February of 2013, Juan was promoted to Development Director of the Narragansett Council.

Andy Erickson, a Scouting leader himself, expressed how important Juan has been in Rhode Island with inner-city Scouting.  He offered Juan praise for positively impacting so many young kids throughout his career.  ‘Inner-city scout leaders, like Juan, change kids’ lives tremendously,’ Andy told us.    

Juan remains committed to Scouting, and, to his family.  Today, his sister is a bank manager for Wells Fargo, and his mom now lives in Florida where she works at a local Wal-Mart.  Juan has one uncle who still lives nearby in Rhode Island. 

He hopes that his daughter, who spent so much time with him while he worked at Scout campsites, will someday join a Girl Scout troop in South Carolina.  And, he hopes to be there to cheer her on!

Juan Osorio, with President Jodi Gladstone