It's August already! We had 22 Rotarians and 4 guests today for our lunch gathering at the Redwood. Thanks to Sue for being the greeter!

 

President Judy brought us together to say the Pledge. She shared an inspiration: "You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone." Roy T. Bennett

 

Sue introduced guests: Brittany's daughter Maddie, Linda Jones, Betty and John Sexton and our speaker Penny Gugino.

We sang for August birthdays to Liz, Jane, David, Jo Anne and Karen and an anniversary for Bo and Patrice.

 

Announcements: The t-shirt order form was circulated. Any others who want to order can let Carrie know. * Registration for the District 7120 conference on June 5, 2027 is online now for a reduced price of $135 until 8/15/2026. After that it will be $150. You can access the info at: bit.ly/DC-2027. * Naples Club will host a Rotary Area gathering on Thursday 10/8/2026 from 7-8:30pm. It will be for desserts and drinks and we will welcome members of other clubs in our Area. Location will be determined. Lisa Norwood, District Governor will be here. * Jo Anne is looking for additional grape pie judges and ground crew members for the Grape Fest. Let her know of any interested persons. * Jack announced the District Golf tourney at Reservoir Creek on Friday September 11, 2026. Volunteers are needed for 10:30am on. T-off is at noon. 

 

Frank presented for the Rotary Camp Onseyawa committee. He has been involved for over 10 years as a volunteer and a board member. Camp O is an overnight camp for 2 weeks at the end of August dedicated to serving children with disabilities in the four counties: Ontario, Seneca, Yates and Wayne. Robin Mark is the Chair of the Board and the camp director. Joanna Meyer is the program director. The staff includes 3 nurses, six lifeguards and many trained counselors. This year there will be 70 kids attending. The camp time is the only opportunity for many parents to get a downtime from caregiving. Camp O is funded by the Rotary Clubs in the 4 county area and by fundraisers including a golf tournament, a raffle and an annual dinner. There is an endowment that helped to sustain it to its 70th year this year! Board meetings are less than monthly and zoom is used as needed. Set up for this year's camp at Camp Whitman on Seneca Lake is coming up on August 15th at 1 pm. If you can help, let Frank or Micah know asap.

 

Penny Gugino is the program manager for the Seneca and Wayne County office of the Alzheimer Association of Rochester and Finger Lakes. She has worked for non-profits for twenty years and is looking forward to retiring this fall. She is helping to cover Ontario County for now. The Alzheimer Association is a nationwide group with 24/7 help at 800-272-3900. Their website is: ALZ.org. They have many forms of support for patients and caregivers. The International Alzheimer conference took place in July and new research is expected to be published soon. Alzheimer Disease (AD) awareness has focused on life style changes that can reduce the risks of developing AD. Dementia can have many forms but AD is 60-80% of cases. Anyone over 65 should ask their doctors for a cognitive test to screen for signs of AD, especially if there are some symptoms. There are many conditions that mimic AD so those should be ruled out asap. Ways to lower risk are: protect your head from injury, don't smoke, keep moving, keep your mind active, control blood pressure, manage diabetes, eat right, sleep well, keep a healthy weight and continue learning. The local ALZ Association has a Walk to End Alzheimers in Canandaigua, Rochester and Elmira each year. The Canandaigua walk takes place on September 26th which is our Grape Festival Weekend. Penny will ask the fundraising group to get in touch to let us know how we might contribute at another time. Rotary International is a partner and contributor to Alzheimer support through an Action Group. The Alzheimers/Dementia Rotarian Action Group (ADRAG) includes 800 Rotary Clubs and growing. Two of our guests shared how the diagnoses were made and what options for treatments have recently begun. We thank them for sharing their personal stories today.

 

The Ace of Hearts was up to $71 today. Jack had lucky ticket #0711 but chose the Ace of Clubs! We're getting closer to a winner!

 

Happy Bills were many for Frank's Camp O report and contributions over the years. Many thanks to Penny for a very informative presentation on the Alzheimer Association. There were many "dittos"! Grady turned 19 yesterday. Alan's niece enjoyed winery tours while visiting. Jack said "Sharing is Caring", thanking those who told of their personal connections with dementia. Nancy thanked Karen for driving her today. 

 

Carrie led the Four Way Test and adjourned at 1:19pm.