President Steve Dunton opened the meeting with a moment of silence in memory of the 9/11 tragic events. He followed by leading in the Pledge of Allegiance. Bob Oborn, Program Host, then led us in an invocation about thankfulness.
Steve thanked Todd Hearty and Dave Renninger for getting us checked in this morning and welcoming our visitors, Hanna Cajan, Henrique Soares, and Patrick Kelley.
CELEBRATIONS:
Rotary Club Anniversaries: De-De Mulligan is celebrating 17 years as a Rotarian this week.
Birthdays: Mary Parr and Bob Oborn have birthdays this week. Annette Oborn led us in singing to Bob.
Drawing: Pat Messmore had the winning ticket but pulled the 6 of hearts, so the pot will continue to grow.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Order Delivery: Dick Hall said that about 8 drivers are needed to deliver school supplies from the Teacher Supply Cupboard to the schools right after the meeting this morning.
Foodbank: From 4:30 to 6:30 today is our volunteer time at the Foodbank. Mary Dula told us that there will be 16 students from Interact there and 7 Rotarians so far have signed up. Mary Dula thanked Steve and Dave Renninger for going to Foodbank so regularly when her health has not allowed her to do so.
Board Meeting: Board meeting will be this Friday, the 13th at 7:15 a.m. at City Hall. Board members are expected to attend and others are welcome.
Dues: Treasurer John Long says that about 75% of the dues are in. Let's get them finished. Please try and get them paid ASAP. If you have lost your invoice and need another, text him at 330-571-7809.
Reverse Raffle/Silent Auction: Great job, everyone! There are 114 tickets sold already, but you are still welcome to buy more for the event which is Oct. 9 at 6:30 at Guys Party Center. A drawing of the paid stubs was held this morning for tickets to "Tina the Musical" and Tom Loepp was the winner. Gail also reminded us that we still need donations of gift cards, wine and baskets for the auction. If you cannot provide a basket, if you provide cash, the committee will form baskets. The money for the baskets must be in by Sept. 25 to give the committee time to prepare. The grand prize is $3000 and some of the many baskets we have already are: a bourbon basket, a tequila basket, theater tickets, a house in Michigan, pie of the month and U of Akron items. It will be a great evening that funds many of our projects, so don't miss out on the fun!
Football Pool: Club members who were winners in weeks 1 and 2 were Elizabeth Kargbo, Tony Malorni and Dick Hall. The other 15 winners were friends and relatives of people from our club. Guess this is one way to spread "The Magic of Rotary"...(our Rotary theme for this year.)
PROGRAM: Bob Oborn, Program Host, introduced Patrick Kelley of the Hudson Clocktower Club and also Rotary Exchange Chair for Rotary District 6630. He introduced Henrique Soares, and exchange student from Brazil who is spending this school year in Aurora.
Henrique has been in the US for about a month and is really enjoying his experience. He heard about the possibility of an exchange because he is in an Interact Club member in Brazil. He completed the paperwork and said that he "got lucky" and came to the United States, and said that he has been received well here. His host brother takes him everywhere and he knows already that this will be a life-changing experience. He wants to learn but also teach people here about the music, food and culture of Brazil. He will graduate from Aurora High School. Henrique learned English from watching movies and now can read and write it, as well as speaking fluently. His goal is to be an astrophysicist and may go to Toronto to study that. He left the meeting to go back to his high school
Bob Oborn then introduced Patrick Kelley more formally. This is his third year as Youth Exchange Chair. Patrick stated that he is looking forward to working with Bob as District Governor and praised Roger Cline for his outstanding work in the position previously. Patrick considers Roger to be his mentor.
Since this is the anniversary of 911, Patrick explained how frightening it was when he was in France on that day. Borders were closed and no one knew what the outcome would be but he said that the outpouring of care of the French Rotarians was wonderful.
He talked about what a wonderful opportunity it is for students to participate in an exchange. There are over 300 high schools in northeast Ohio and he wishes that all would participate in either hosting an inbound student or sending someone out of the country. Henrique is one of 7 inbound students that are in our district now and there are 4 students from the district who are in other countries. We heard from Nami a few weeks ago who did a short-term exchange where an American student stays with a host family with a student and then brings that student back to America to stay here. The outbound program sends students to other countries.
Patrick described that when an outbound student travels, they are essentially receiving a $35,000 scholarship from Rotary for their exchange. Then once they have the experience, it opens doors for life on resumes, scholarship applications and other similar items. It also helps to make the world a better place because of the understanding that is created. It costs a local club about $200 a month to host a student but the clubs may choose to spend more. It is an amazing opportunity. Guidelines are attached to these minutes for clubs who want to become involved. Other information is available on the Rotary District 6630 Website.
Steve closed the meeting by leading us in the Four-Way-Test and then sending us out to create some magic.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
Friday, September 13, 7:15 a.m. Board Meeting At City Hall
Wednesday, September 18, 7:30 a.m. Morning meeting at Bellacinos when District Governor Dale Smith will visit the club.
Wednesday, October 9, no morning meeting but Reverse Raffle/Silent Auction at Guy's Party Center starting at 6:30 in the evening.
Andrea Denton
330-474-7265
330-414-1934