Rachel Aviles chimed in with enthusiasm, saying, "What about those Lions!" Sheriff David Blair got the ball rolling by fining anyone who didn't know the correct title of The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Many Rotarians mistakenly thought it was called Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! (the refrain).
Brian Griffin was handed a $5 "welcome fine" as a new member because it simply "struck a chord" with the Sheriff.
Ron Lichtle happily paid $5 for enjoying 54 wonderful years with Mrs. Claus.
By proving his smarts, John Gaber spelled Auld Lang Syne correctly but still faced a $5 fine.
Rodney Hulbert was fined for having twins. The Sheriff noted that other parents of twins in the room had "bought that t-shirt, too.
The Sheriff then unleashed his creativity by assigning New Year's resolutions to various club members:
- Chance Smeznik was tasked with wearing his superhero costume at least once a month.
- Jay Eastman, though absent, was fined for a resolution to eat foods starting with "J" (jerky, Jello, jalapeños).
- Linda Eastman will teach kids how to communicate through dance.
- Kyle Johnson is set to launch a podcast on the lives of squirrels in his backyard.
- Bryan Barnett will celebrate three years of podcasting.
- Greg Schaeffer was challenged to include a rhyme in all his emails this year.
- Tim Crawford will perfect his rendition of Larry the Unicorn, a magical unicorn who explores the wonders of life.
By the end of the session, the Sheriff raised an impressive $240 in fines!
SPEAKERS
President Tom Townsend summarized the first half of the year for Charities. He started by introducing the Rochester Rotary Charities Board (RRC) Treasurer Blake McLellan and including Charities Past President Ron Lichtle, President-Elect Tim Duncan, and directors Russ Shelton, Annette Werner, Peter Stuhlreyer, Tami Salisbury. He also recognized Roger Roller for his work on scholarships and David Archbold for his work on youth programs. The Club raised over $110,000 (wine tasting, $40,146; poinsettia sales, $26,887; golf outing, $15,000; fines and happy bucks, $8,594; donations, $7,520; Every Rotarian Every Year, $6,935; Shred Polio, $3,230; grants and pass-through income $3,000; Paul Harris Foundation $2,000).
On the other hand, RRC gave $10,000 to Neighborhood House, $5,000 to OPC, $1,500 to Bikes for Kids Detroit, $4,500 for hurricane relief, $200 to support an outbound youth exchange student, $5,000 to Next Steps for Seniors and $4,000 to West Africa Centre for Peace Foundation. An additional $16,500 for scholarships and $7,250 for our Interact clubs have been set aside.
Club President Christine Hage talked about our Club's position in Rotary. It is a continuous support cycle of Rotary International, Rotary Zones, Rotary Districts, and Rotary Clubs, each supporting the others. Our Club, formed in 1954, celebrated its 70th Anniversary. We have about 100 members, sponsor three Interact clubs and one Rotaract club, and raise about $100,000 yearly for local, regional, national, and international charities.
She explained our Club's unique leadership ladder, starting with director positions on the board and proceeding up through Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, President Noinee, President-Elect, President, and Past President. After a year off from a leadership role, the Past President becomes President-Elect of Charities, President, and then Past President of Charities.
The Club has
- Raised about $100,000 a year for our Rochester Rotary Charities (Beer & Wine Tasting, Poinsettia sales, golf outing)
- Done hands-on projects like the Christmas cards to Meals on Wheels recipients, Free Bikes 4 Kids Detroit, rang bells for Salvation Army, conducted a shredding event for polio, maintained Rotary Gateway Park, led a community-wide clothing drive for foster children, and packed school supplies for Neighborhood House.
- Conducted a member satisfaction survey
- Socialized at happy hour events, Christmas parties, ball games, and the president's appreciation parties.
- Participated in community events like the Christmas Parade
- Supported RI's Foundation through the purchase of Paul Harris Awards (60% of members have at least one award)
- Sponsored a youth exchange to Taiwan
- Were approved to host a delegation from Kazakhstan in February and
- Celebrated our 70th Anniversary
We mourned the loss of Jeff Whitbey, Jerry Gross, and Dick Spiess and welcomed Kay Ellen Wilkins and Paul Licker.
We conducted a membership satisfaction survey, which is available at https://tinyurl.com/3e6jhva8
At the midpoint in the Rotary year, we are on track with our fundraising and expenses.