These Rotarians are celebrating a birthday: Dan D on 4.7, Bill Vogt on 3.14, and Cassie on 3.18. Wishing you all a happy day and year ahead!
We had 3 guests at our meeting today! District Gov Nominee Karen, Kaylynn from Chippawau Falls, and Erin from Madison After Hours all saw a post Dave made about the meeting and joined us.
We are getting good attendance at our Telemeeting the couple of weeks- all that's missing is YOU, if you didn't join in. Some of us are navigating a new world of teleconferencing & connecting and might need some assistance. If you're not familiar with GoTo Meeting, Patty Hernandez would be happy to get you started and answer any operational questions. This will be the only way we can gather together until distance restrictions are gone- and it's good way to see familiar faces and stay connected. Mandy sends out an invitation each week to join the meeting. As long as you have a computer (or just a phone!) you can join in. We're having a special guest next week- you'll want to join in and see who!
We had 4 people speak on how COVID-19 is affecting their organization today.
Cheryl is the the Foundation Director of 2 Nursing homes (St. Elizabeth) in Janesville & Footville with 87 residents and 80 Staff, and to date have no COVID cases. Isolation and separation from family and other residents can cause real morale issues. If you'd like to help with cards, letters, or game donations to the residents, reach out to Cheryl and see what you can do to help brighten someone's day.
Patty Hernandez, a working Mom with a student to home school, spoke of the shift to District-provided device teaching technology and the start up bumps in the road. No video conferencing with Teachers yet, and the lessons can be stressful. Home instruction and home offices under the same roof, with all the potential distractions, can also be challenging & stressful on the students.
Randy has seen a swift major switch from Clinic patient visits to Telehealth meetings between Dr. & Patient. Elective surgeries have been postponed and Mercy Health System is preparing for a patient surge if COVID 19 cases spread in Rock County.
Nate talked about many programming initiatives that JPAC is considering to fill the gap until JPAC reopens. Spring is a critical fund raising time that brings in 24% of the annual revenue and they are exploring additional ways to fundraise. They are doing a virtual venue format where attendees can enjoy a performance and donate online to continue support to JPAC groups. They have a PayPal account on the website now.
If you have a joy or a concern that you'd like the Club to be aware of, please email or call Mandy or Randy.
Father Earl Sias spoke to us today about the Janesville Community Center and refocusing that's taken place in 2020. The mission of the Janesville Community Center is to create strong neighborhoods by providing safe, fun and educational programs with services through community collaboration. Temporarily housed in All Saints Church in the 4th Ward, he wants to be the connecting point for families in search of services and programs to improve the lives in an under-served population. They are collaborating with various area organizations such as: Acts of Kindness, Safe Families for Children, Rock County Cares and The Academy of Performing Arts and Afterschool Programs, the Salvation Army, and the JSD, They hold classes and have held food donations such as last week- you can learn more from their Face Book page. They are following the model of LEAVEN and you can learn more about them here: https://www.leavenfoxcities.org/
Due to a technical glitch, Randy was unable to tell Father Sias before our gathering ended that our Club would be making a donation to Polio Plus to provide a vaccine to 15 children. Imagine a world without Polio- or a vaccine for COVID-19. A short time ago we paid to open a community well in Haiti- imagine how that water will help stop the spread of germs and viruses! We will get through this together. Have a good week!
Since 2015, more than 4 million people have fled an economically devastated Venezuela. Tracking the stories of three who left puts faces on that staggering statistic.
