Co-President John Pribonic led us in the Pledge of Allegiance to open the meeting. Annie Hanson Hilaire, the morning's program host, then led us in a moment of silence while we thought of ways we might do good today.
Brad Ruth welcomed our visitors, Maria Ferrara, Mary Parr, Michelle Marazzi and Todd Hearty. He thanked Gail Mosely and Steve Dunton for getting us checked in this morning.
CELEBRATIONS:
Birthdays: Elizabeth Eaken and Jeff Film will celebrate their birthdays tomorrow and Marty Tass has his birthday on the 27th.
Rotary Anniversary: Bruce Redmon is celebrating 22 years as a Rotarian this week
RAFFLE: Annie had the winning ticket but drew the 10 of clubs so the pot will continue to grow.
HAPPY BUCKS:
Scott Miller shared that his oldest son, Alex will graduate from college this June and already has a job offer as a radiology technologist.
Mary Dula told us that her great nephew has been accepted for his residency at the Cleveland Clinic.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Paul Harris Awards: Dave Renninger announced that the Paul Harris Awards will take place at our meeting next week.
Easter Egg Hunt: Steve Dunton is looking for volunteers to help with the Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 9. Two shifts of people are needed to work our table from 9:00-11:00 and 11:00 to 1:00. Sign up when you sign in next week.
Haven of Rest Collection: Annette Oborn announced that next week will be the last week personal items for the Haven of Rest will be collected. A list of the needed items is attached to these minutes.
Attendance at the District Conference: As our treasurer, Annette gave instructions for registering for the District Conference which will be April 22 and 23 at the Sheraton Suites. The club will pay the fees for anyone who wishes to attend all or part of the event. Please register on the Rotary District 6630 Website and then give Annette your registration information. If she has the information prior to April 13, she will write a check for your expenses. If you register after that, you need to pay and then submit your expenses for reimbursement to Annette after the conference. Go to www.rotarydistrict6630.org where you can find information about the conference.
Also for the District Conference, Bob Oborn sent out an e-mail today looking for members to fill the Sergeant at Arms role for a couple of hours at the conference. Check your e-mail and please respond if you can help.
Eat at Dairy Queen Annie reminded us that Tuesday, April 12 is the date we should plan on supper at Dairy Queen on Fishcreek Rd. Between 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. 20% of the proceeds will go to our club when people go inside to order and mention Rotary. You must go inside but you do not have to turn in any paperwork.
Foodbank: Mary Dula reminded us that our next volunteer time at the Foodbank will be Wednesday, April 6 beginning at 4:30. Rotarians who wish to volunteer should text Mary at 330-715-6358.
Golf Outing: Scott Miller encouraged everyone to think about being a sponsor for our golf outing. We will be getting an e-mail soon outlining the possibilities and letting us know who is already signed up to sponsor.
Teammates Art Show: Brad reminded us that we had previously become a sponsor for Teammates at the high school. They will have an Art Show on Tuesday, April 26 and hope that many Rotarians will attend. Brad has fliers about the show.
Bulldog Bags: Items being collected now are Ramen noodles, individual fruit cups and soap. Please take your items to the lobby of City Hall by April 13 so that they are available for packing.
PROGRAM:
Annie first shared an interesting thought about what she accomplished during COVID. She told us about chairing the University of Akron's Sesquicentennial Celebration where every department and every program had a role.
Annie then introduced Towanda Mullins and Margaret Mauer who presented our program on Women's Suffrage. Ms. Mullins has two degrees from the University of Akron and is proud of her military service. Ms. Mauer is a retired faculty member from Kent State University serving as Head of Catalog and Metadata She taught in the graduate school of Library and Information Science.
Both women are heavily involved in another celebration taking place in our area through The Summit Suffrage Centennial Committee. They are focusing on erecting a Sojourner Truth Statue and Plaza adjacent to the United Way of Summit And Medina County building in Akron. This is being done to remember and honor Sojourner Truth who "sacrificed her life to ensure that we have voting rights, women's equity and a better future." ( They shared their Power Point with us, but it is too large for Clubrunner. So, if anyone wishes a copy, contact Andy Denton at the address below and I will send it to you.)
The committee for this project convened in 2019, the 100th anniversary of women achieving their right to vote. Sojourner Truth was here in 1851 when she spoke at a women's rights gathering in Akron. She was an ex-slave who was bought and sold 4 times until she escaped from slaves in 1826. In 1843 she experienced a religious conversion and changed her name to Sojourner Truth.
In honor of her experience, a statue and plaza is in the works for the United Way building in Akron, very near where she spoke when she was here. The Knight Foundation is an underwriter and early supporter of the project along with many other people from the area. The stature is being designed by Woodrow Nash. If you want to find out how you can help, go to www.akronculturalplan.com/
JOKE: Mike Kostyak has this week's joke about a woman who was out on a boat and got in trouble with the water patrol. Next week's joke will be by Marv Mills.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Wednesday, March 30, 7:30 morning meeting at Bellacinos when Paul Harris recipients will be honored. Bring your items for Haven of Rest. There will also be a short presentation from Bulldog Bags.
Wednesday, April 6, Foodbank Volunteer time 4:30-6:30
Friday, April 8, 7:15 a.m. Board Meeting at City Hall
Saturday, April 9, 9:00-1:00 Easter Egg Hunt
Tuesday, April 12, Dinner at Dairy Queen
Friday and Saturday April 22 and 23, District Conference at Sheraton Suites
Tuesday, April 26, Teammates Art Show at the high school.
Tuesday, May 3, Celebration to honor Interact at The Barn at Silver Springs
Saturday, May 7, Help Interact at the Memorial Gardens at the high school.
Saturday, May 14, Heroes Day
Monday, June 6, Golf Outing at Silver Lake Country Club
Wednesday, October 12, Reverse Raffle
Thursday evening, December 15, Holiday Helping Hands
Submitted by Andy Denton