The Neil Orchard Senior Center?!?!?

Yessir, it was an interesting meeting.  I believe, however, it would have gone a lot faster if the Prez had adopted my suggestion to quit showing the slides at the beginning of the meeting that misidentify all the key folks: song leader, pledge master, etc...  The odds of everyone showing up to do their assigned duties is so remote as to make Super Lotto look like a sure thing...

 

 

  Nevertheless, it was interesting, with the traveler Jerry Smuts being replaced by Clarence Parkins as Greeter.  Nice job, Clarence. As the Prez shifted into high gear, it was Ross Johnson who got to read the 4 Way Test, and Ross even added an item or two.  When PP Sean Twilla failed to materialize, it fell to Ray Wyatt to lead the Pledge and he did a bang-up job if it.  In the absence of Gary Spainhower, Chase Armer led us in the song and did it so well that the assembly voted him 'Songleader for Life.'

 

 

The quote for the day was from Rotarian Estes Snedecor, the great grandfather of Brant Snedeker, the golfer.  Great grandpa Estes was quoted as saying something to the tune of, "Never up, never in..." which was later adopted by the National Basketball Association.

 

 

Thus the meeting got underway and a series of delightful conversations ensued, interrupted only when President Brett felt the need to kill off any fun anyone might be having at his Rotary meeting.  As one has come to expect, it was announcements first and since no one could see the screen, here's a few of 'em:

 

1. Don't forget to use Smile.Amazon.Com when buying stuff online if you want Amazon to start giving back some of your purchase to our Club Foundation.

 

2. Today is World Polio Day (more on that)

 

3. Saturday night is the Foundation Dinner at the Citrus Heights Community Center

 

4. There is an International Project Forum in January for those who have an interest in making the world a better place.

 

5. Our annual Thanksgiving Food Locker volunteer day is November 20 at St John Vianney (more info to follow)

 

6. We're bartending the City's Holiday Party and the date has been changed to December 1, and we'll need bartenders and helpers, so prepare for a call from our project chair who will be named by President Brett at a later date

 

7. Yes there was more, including a few by Ross Johnson, but your poor reporter's pencil broke a lead about this time.... sorry

 

 

With the conclusion of the prelims, it was time for the weekly Ray Wyatt fund drive.  Sadly Ray intimated that the pot, which had grown to $238 was still not big enough, so he allowed Pat Orelli's ticket to be called and Pat did not disappoint, pulling one of only two white balls left in the can.  Hard cheese, Pat.

 

 

Up next was the Sarge, portrayed convincingly by none other than PPP Chapman.  The big guy opened up with pin and badge infractions and in Paul Schubert's absence he was able to spot Neil Orchard sans pin.  When the Sarge tried to get Neil to chip in a little extra for his upcoming trip to .... dare I say it?... Hawaii, Neil demurred.  PDG Clarence shucked off a few tacklers and threw some bucks in for Marshall's win last weekend over a hoity toity girls' academy in New Jersey and Chapman felt the need to atone for his Fighting Illini loss to the Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota, a pain partially assuaged by his beloved Chicago Bears win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.  Mike Passof apparently forgot that today was World Polio Day and chipped in a few bucks.  (Editor's Note: all the Sarge proceeds for the day went to Polio Plus, the Rotary drive to eliminate polio around the world.)  Bob McBee stood up and complained that he had received no whine for his and Diane's anniversary at the last fining session hosted by PDG Clarence, but at least we got Bob's whine...  Brud threw in some happy $ and Chase contributed, expressing his pride in the quality of the song at the beginning of the meeting. There were some others, but the reporter's pencil broke again.... yeah, that's the ticket...

 

 

At this point, President Brett asked Neil Orchard to come up and introduce our guest speaker for the day, Heather Schelske, who is the director of the Neil Orchard Senior Center over on Routier Road.  Neil gave a brief yet pungent introduction and Heather got up to tell us about all the activities at the Center.  The Center sponsors over 30 different programs, ranging from travel trips to meals on wheels to HICAP counseling for those who need help sorting out Medicare and Medi-Cal benefits.  At an annual membership cost of $2 (yes, you read that right.... but they'll bill you weekly if necessary) members have access to the full range of Center activities.

 

 

  The Rotary Club has supported the Senior Center for a number of years, including tree planting in the Rotary Grove at the Center in memory of past Rotarians.  It was a most interesting talk and engendered  a lot of questions, which is the hallmark of an engaged audience.  Well done, Heather.  With that, the Prez handed her the book and the room cleared as if it was the ballroom on the Titanic.

 

 

Good food.  Good meeting.