After President, Bob Sweitzer opened the meeting by leading in the pledge and presenting the invocation, he shared a thank you note from Holiday Helping Hands. Two children who received gifts thanked the club.
PROGRAM:
Bob then introduced the speaker, John Shulan of the Fairlawn Rotary Observatory, located within the Bath Nature Preserve. He has been a Rotarian for 49 years, including being president 4 times. He is the father of four children and has 2 grandchildren. In his professional life, he is a jeweler in Fairlawn.
Mr. Shulan explained that the first facility of the observatory began in 2018. Then, in 2021, a second building was added. Together the two buildings house 10 pier-mounted telescopes, operated by The Summit County Astronomy Club. The equipment is all world class equipment, which has led to the facility gaining the achievement of being #8 in the world for amateur observatories. The programs are free and open to the public. There is also a “Walk of Planets” which was created by the Bath Township Trustees.
A variety of programs are offered, all with the purpose of creating interest in the universe and realizing that we are only a tiny part of the whole picture. Groups, families and individuals are encouraged to attend. Go to www,meetup.com and then to groups and then to Summit County Astronomy for specific information about hours, since the facility is weather dependent. (Their flier is attached to these minutes.) Admission is free but donations are welcome. Interestingly, their expenses of about $3000 per year are covered entirely by donations. The second building was funded in part through a District Rotary Grant in 2021.
Youth are especially welcomed so that the learn that there is life beyond themselves and their direct surroundings. The facility is hands on instead of hands off as people learn to operate telescopes with the assistance of the volunteers.
MEETING:
Bob thanked Todd Hearty and his assistants Dave Renninger and Jill Smith for checking us in and welcoming our visitors, Nancy Bindel and John Shulan, our speaker.
Happy Buck: On behalf of Jen Ramsey, Cyle Feldman announced that her daughter presented her with a baby girl last night.
Celebrations:
Rotary Anniversaries: Jim Laber is celebrating 16 years as a Rotarian this week as Steve Dunton celebrates 12 years.
Birthday: Debbie Clark is celebrating her birthday today.
Thank You: President Bob thanked everyone who participated in the Club Assembly last week. Over 40 Rotarians were present.
Drawing: The President's table had the winning ticket but De-de Mulligan drew the jack of spades which means that the pot will continue to grow.
Announcements:
Coffee Drive: Annette Oborn reminded us of the coffee drive for the Haven of Rest will continue to the end of February. They have about ¼ of the 400 cans we hope to collect. You may order from Amazon and have them delivered to their home at 381 Silver Valley Blvd, Munroe Falls, Oh 44262, bring them to a meeting or drop them off at their home. This week Marc's has Chase and Sanborn for $9.99 a can.
Operation Full Plate: Bob Oborn said that Operation Full Plate is going very well. This was the project that was monitoring how Rotarians had helped their communities with food insecurity. Stow-Munroe Falls has been a big part of this for our zone. We have contributed over half a million dollars in cash and a quarter a million food items so far.
Foodbank: Mark your calendars now to volunteer at the Akron-Canton Foodbank from 4:30-6:30 on February 11. Your help is needed and addresses the problem of food insecurity.
Foodie Palooza will be at the high school from noon until 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 31. We will have an informational booth about Rotary. Sign up to help as you sign in next week.
Membership Application: Karen Perch's application for membership is attached. She was approved by the board at the December meeting pending her attendance at a meeting. Please give any comments to Bob Sweitzer by February 4.
Next Week's Meeting: Watch for information about next week's meeting. This is the time that we will become Shark Tank type Judges for our international project. We will hear about some projects and then decide if we will fund any of them. Now, this may be done at our regular meeting time, or we may have to stay a bit later due to the time difference. We will be speaking with people from Africa.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Wednesday, January 28, 7:30a.m. for our regular meeting. We will focus on our International Project. See the article above for more information.
Saturday, January 31, noon until 3:00 Foodie Palooza will be at the High School. Help at Rotary's booth if you can.
Wednesday, February 11, 4:30-6:30 Volunteer time at the Akron-Canton Foodbank.
Friday, February 13, 7:15 a.m. Board Meeting at City Hall
Friday, April 24 and Saturday April 25, District Conference at the Marriott in Warrensville Hts. on Harvard Rd.
Saturday, May 9 will be Heroes Day
Friday, June 12 will be our Golf Outing.
Wednesday, October 14, Reverse Raffle/Silent Auction
Respectfully submitted,
Andrea Denton