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Cogitator Feb 27, 2013
Sue Dorne, Classification Talk (and Zumba lesson!)
VISITING ROTARIANS
None.
GUESTS
‘Welcome back’ to former club member John Colitz, today a guest of Bill TenEyck. Jon TerMeer invited Andy Deutsch from Cox Communications. Richard Waterman introduced Juan Oserio, Development Director of Boy Scouts of America’s Narragansett Council. And Sue Dorne brought friend and fellow Zumba instructor, Beth Sullivan.
CLUB ANNIVERSARIES
Happy ‘Rotary birthday’ this week to a few past presidents: Pat Lenihan was inducted on February 25th, 1998; our club’s first woman president, Sally Russell, joined the club March 3rd, 1988; and yours truly came aboard (during Sally’s tenure at the presidential podium) on March 1st, 1995.
50TH CLUB ANNIVERSARY GALA
Bill TenEyck reminded everyone to get their tables reserved and tickets purchased, as time is running out and seats are becoming limited.
Ed Neff reminded everyone to get your business ads in, too, for the event’s commemorative program. Please see Matt D’Agenais for more information.
UNITED METHODIST CHURCH MISSION
Chuck Sauer reported on the United Methodist Church’s successful mission to Sea Islands, South Carolina. Twenty eight kids and adults fixed up several homes for families in great need. Chuck added that their $1,000 check presented to a local church brought the pastor to tears of gratitude.
PAUL HARRIS FELLOWSHIP
John Colitz received a long-awaited Paul Harris Fellowship award. John told Bill TenEyck over a meal recently that he never received his Paul Harris award some years back. Bill passed the word to George Popella, and together they did some research. Sure enough, it turns out there was a snafu with John’s paperwork at Rotary International. A belated congratulations, John!
HAPPY BUCKS
-Janet Essex wished Jane Boynton well, saying she can’t wait to get back after some recent surgery.
-Jon TerMeer was happy to see new faces at today’s meeting, and he praised Rotary’s efforts with Clean Water for Cambodia.
-Bob Sloan came back from vacation this week to some sloppy New England winter weather.
-Bob Miller was happy to see John Colitz. He also did a plug for Flood Ford, who has been a tremendous supporter as Presenting Sponsor, for the past three years, of the club’s Scott Carlson Memorial ALS 5K event. And Bob has been a Flood supporter in return. After a deer did a hit-and-run on his car, the Flood auto body technicians were back at work—to the tune of $4,500!
-John Colitz gave a ‘happy to be back’ buck.
-Bill TenEyck reported that Jane Boynton is indeed doing well. He also reported that he has taken a new job at Fleet Advantage, a Fort Lauderdale company in the equipment leasing and financing business. Best of luck ahead, Bill!
-George Popella, a RI Wrestling Hall of Famer for his many successful years in the sport, including 25 years as an official, was honored to have been invited to partake in the opening of the Providence Career and Technical Training Center.
-President Ken Colaluca gave a ‘save the date’ announcement. June 13th will be the date for this year’s Clean Water for Cambodia dinner, to be held at Oceancliff in Newport.
-Pat Lenihan gave a ‘whoops’ buck for posting an email message containing the wrong date for our March meeting with the Warwick Club. (She quickly corrected the date.)
-Bonnie Sauer was happily able to spend time in New York City with her daughter, while Chuck was away in South Carolina.
-Alan Flynn presented a recent Providence Journal article featuring Honorary Rotarian John Eastman, and, John’s restored classic Porsche.
-Lou Lepry thanked club members who partook in this year’s ‘Daffodil Days,’ benefitting the American Cancer Society.
PROGRAM/SPEAKER
Sue Dorne, Classification Talk and Zumba Demonstration
Nice work, Sue Dorne! Not only did we get to know more about Sue’s business and personal worlds this week, but we also witnessed an energetic demonstration of Zumba, along with Sue’s enthusiastic expertise.
First, a bit about Sue. She came to Rhode Island over a year ago from Shelton, CT, when her husband, Eric, agreed to a job transfer to Providence. Sue was then a member of the Shelton Rotary Club.
They have three children—two girls and one boy. Sue’s son Jeff Pluta spoke to the club last year. Jeff is the founder of ‘Amped for Education,’ a non-profit organization engaged in building schools and educating young children in Nicaragua.
Sue was actually a professional figure skater years ago. After her skating days, she began a family and worked in retail at The Gap. During that time, she took a trip to Cape Cod to visit her sister (and fellow East Greenwich Rotarian) Staci Cormier. Staci convinced Sue to check out a local Zumba class near her home. Sue agreed, loved the class, and was hooked.
Today, Sue teaches ten Zumba classes per week at various locations like Gold’s Gym, FM Global, and Dynamic Dance Academy. She truly enjoys her work, having a great time as an instructor during her dance/fitness classes.
Zumba features upbeat, lively, and fun Latin and International rhythms. ‘It’s a great cardio-fitness workout,’ said Sue. Her demonstration during three different Zumba beats certainly demonstrated that! She also added that ‘anyone can do it,’ young, old, middle aged…everyone.
Zumba began accidentally in 1986, when Beto Perez, a Columbian fitness instructor forgot his instructional cassette music. He improvised by substituting some salsa and other Latin music—plucked from his car. ‘He just started dancing,’ people happily followed his lead, and some twenty five years later Zumba is a wildly popular dance-fitness sensation world-wide.
A few years ago, Sue organized a Zumba fundraiser for her son Jeff’s ‘Amped for Education’ and was able to raise over $4,000. She generously offered to do the same for the Rotary Club of East Greenwich!
