Cogitator Jan 18, 2012

GUESTS

Deb Lundin from New England Tech was a guest of Bill Ten Eyck.  Deb is the official advisor to the newly formed Rotaract Club at New England Tech.  Welcome, Deb!

BIRTHDAYS

Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Kathy Brown (January 19th) and Jonathan Widmark (January 23rd).  They were properly serenaded by our new and improved Rotary choir. 

SCHOLARSHIP BOARD MEETING

Bob Sloan, Vice President of the East Greenwich Rotary Scholarship Fund, reminded all fellow board members that the Fund's third quarterly meeting will be held Friday, January 20th, 7:30am, in the Re/Max 2nd floor conference room (655 Main Street).  

POLIO ERADICATION UPDATE

Rotary International has announced with pride that we've met Rotary's goal of raising $200 million.  That amount was a match-challenge from Bill Gates toward combined efforts in the final eradication of polio worldwide.  Incredibly, Bill Gates was so happy about the news...that he threw in another $50 million of his own funds (!).  Rotarians look forward to a day, hopefully not too far off, when we'll be able to proclaim, 'In this battle, we truly helped.' 

ROTARY AFTER DARK

Thursday, January 19th will be the first of many 'Rotary After Dark' get-togethers.  Join President Mike and company at Meritage, from 5:30 to 7 (or later?).  Rumor has it the new young guns of the club will have the vino, vodka, and tequila ready for us as soon as we arrive.  Should be a great time.   

CRAGAN LIGHTS PROJECT

With our successful Citrus Drive behind us, the funds have been counted and allocations made.  In raising some $11,000+, the club was able to approve another $8,000 to East Greenwich Little League's Cragan Field Lights Project.  And, we were also able to add significant funds into our own coffers for future project/charity needs.  Once again, great work Bonnie Sauer, in leading the charge with this year's Citrus campaign!

ALS 5K UPDATE

Judy Pratt reminded the club that the Scott Carlson Memorial ALS 5K committee is well under way these days, preparing for the April 21 big event.  Sponsorships are being confirmed, and the quest continues to get even more runners to this year's race.  Please see Judy or any ALS 5K Committee member if you're interested in helping out again, or, for the first time in 2012.  Lastly, Nanci Feroldi from the ALSA Chapter of Rhode Island will join us during a Wednesday meeting on February 22nd, thanking us for over $300,000 in past support and rallying all to this year's efforts.  

HAPPY BUCKS

Bill TenEyck was glad to have Deb Lundin, from the New England Tech Rotaract Club, visit us for lunch.  And he gave a cheer for our beloved Pats, continuing on for another week in this year's march to the Super Bowl.  

Judy Pratt gave a belated birthday buck from last week and said she had a wonderful time with her family on the big day.

Kathy Brown gave a birthday buck for herself, and, sent out 'happy birthday' wishes to her daughter, who celebrates her birthday today.  

Karen Taylor invited all to visit the East Greenwich Library this weekend.  Steve Zany, a ventriloquist and magician, will be entertaining the local folks who show up.  It's a free show, but you must see Karen for tickets.

Mike Gemma told us of his sons' participation in a big basketball tournament this past weekend, hosted by Cole Middle School and Rocky Hill School.  There were 107 teams present.  Mike's 7th-grader's team just missed winning their championship game as a 'Hail Mary' three-pointer dropped as the buzzer sounded.  But, his 8th grader hit 4 free throws in their finals match up to win it all.

Beth DeGerlia gave a plug for an Open House to be held this Saturday at Rocky Hill School, from 10am to noon.  So, this may get tricky over the weekend...taking your kids to see the ventriloquist/magician first, and getting them to tour the beautiful Rocky Hill campus right after.  Or, vice versa.  

Walter Monroe gave two happy bucks, first for his 7-month old son who is attempting to walk at a very early age, and, for the grand opening this Friday and Saturday of the new Bank of Newport branch in the Panera Bread/Dave's Market plaza.  (OK, first...the library, then Rocky Hill, then the bank.  Or, the bank early on, then Rocky Hill, and over to at least see the magic show.  Hmmm...gonna have to figure out this busy weekend of Rotary related events.)

Matt D'Agenais gave a thankful buck, especially to his sponsor President Mike, for being able to quickly become a part of such a fine Rotary Club here in East Greenwich. 

PROGRAM/SPEAKER

Keith Peacock, New Member Classification Talk

Actually, Keith Peacock has become a club 'veteran' since his September induction, considering the number of Rotarians swelling our ranks since.  A financial planning partner at Virtus Group in Providence (who manages Mike Gemma's global financial empire) and former star URI middle linebacker, Keith officially introduced himself to the Rotary club in his classification talk. 

When Keith was six years old, he broke his arm trying to emulate his 10 year old brother who was walking across the top of playground monkey bars.  Both found trouble at home over the incident, but Keith pressed on with trying to do whatever his big brother was doing.  

Several years later, Keith was spotted knee deep in his mother's garden picking vegetables.  His mom watched, wondering what was going on.  Less than an hour later, Keith showed up with an empty wagon and $15 from selling mom's fresh produce in the neighborhood.  His folks may have seen him 'a handful,' but they also knew Keith was tough, and, quite resourceful.  

At the age of twelve, Keith worked as a dishwasher in his family's restaurant.  He saw all around him the ethic of hard work for a day's pay, a pretty good lesson for any youngster heading into high school, college, and the work force.

Attending high school in Lancaster, PA, Keith ended up playing varsity football all four years.  As a freshman, he made a big impact with his coaches and ended up as a starter.  He actually had thoughts of quitting football at one point during summer workouts.  He was physically ill, exhausted and receiving IV treatments.  His dad drove up quickly from Maryland, they had a father-son talk, and Keith stuck it out in the end.      

Good thing, too.  By junior year, he had made impressions on scouts from West Point, Bucknell, and URI.  In the end, Keith chose URI as the right fit for him.  Again, he was a starter from day one, playing on special teams and then as a linebacker.  Eventually, he was moved to defensive end, where he needed to make use of his speed and smarts to get around much larger Division I offensive linemen. 

College wasn't all about football, though.  Keith was an accounting major, and as a junior he was introduced to former East Greenwich and URI football great, Mark Cruise, who was now president of a financial planning firm in Providence, The Virtus Group.  By the time he graduated from URI, Keith had made yet another fine impression, this time with Mark Cruise.  He was hired full-time.  Mark's connections run deep in the football world from his own days at URI and also his stints trying out for the NFL, including for a spot with the New England Patriots.  Thus, many clients of The Virtus Group come from the world of football and sports.    

After a 'best time of my life' European trip with friends post-graduation, Keith joined Mark and The Virtus Group, embarking on a career in financial planning.  He is fully licensed now, working with clients from all walks of life helping with various insurance needs, 401K's, and basic planning to meet his client's future goals.  

Thrilled to be in Rotary, and grateful for the invitation from President Mike, Keith also mentioned another passion of his--Special Olympics.  He has been a volunteer for years and has coached the Cranston Cougars. 

Keith now lives in Warwick near Aldrich School and enjoys spending time with his girlfriend of 3 years.  

Great job, Keith, and welcome (again) to the club!

Jon TerMeer, Keith Peacock, and Bob Sloan