WEST HARTFORD ROTARY SPOTLIGHT

(See more news on www.westhartfordrotary.org)

MINUTES FOR THE MEETING OF

August 4, 2014- 12:15 PM

The Pondhouse Cafe

Present: 15 Great Rotarians; 1 visiting Rotarians and 1 guest.

Bob Kiely gave the invocation with thoughts of servicemen and women, particularly in light of the upcoming August 6 anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He led the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. During lunch, Cindy began the meeting with announcements, starting with:

1. Rotarian Keith Harris of Merrimac, MA, will pass through Massachusetts during the week of August 10 in the midst of his 4400-mile cross country trek from Seattle.  During stops in Pittsfield, Westfield, Northampton, West Springfield, and Springfield, he will address the topics of bicycle safety, his journey, and the works of Rotary International.  Cindy e-mailed Club members with the related information prior to the meeting; please note that some of the stops do require pre-registration/reservations.

2.Our club will participate in an Elizabeth Park Clean-up Volunteer Endeavor on August 23 from 9:00 a.m. until noon.  Please sign up.

3.We are still working on the bench project and Cindy will report back with progress.

4.Reminder:  we are collaborative partners with the Farmington Club on the Kinetic Sculpture event to be held at Winding Trails September 21. There are volunteer opportunities – see Hap if you are interested!

5.Hap is also the contact for the October 6 Rotary Showcase at Pond House Café in West Hartford; it’s shaping up beautifully!

Sergeant-at-Arms John Smeallie reports 15 Rotarians, one visiting Rotarian and one guest are present.  Guests and visitors are: speaker and Rotarian Dave Johnston as well as guest Gary Valenti.

Anniversaries this week include wedding anniversaries for Kyle and Brittney Egress and Dave and Gail Mangs; Elizabeth Horyn marks her seventh anniversary as a Rotarian.

Happy dollars were collected from Susan Chandler, Hap Leabman, Cindy Lang, Dave Mangs, Dave Johnston, Oscar Santo Domingo and Todd Bower.

The 50/50 raffle is up to $170, with no winner today.  We are looking for the Jack of Clubs.

David Johnston, director of the Center for Higher Education Retention Excellence (CHERE), shared his organization’s mission to improve policies and practices that lead to higher college retention, graduation and employment for underrepresented, first-generation, and otherwise challenged students.  CHERE is a program of the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education, providing a forum for educators to discuss critical issues, conduct applied research and publish results, and advocate on behalf of at-risk students.  David discussed the importance for students of connecting with a significant adult, visualizing a purpose for their educations, and “seamless counseling” on everything from finances to paperwork to roommate conflicts as factors in retention.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:35 p.m., with Oscar leading the 4-way test.  The next meeting is August 11, 2014 at the Pond House Café.   

Respectfully submitted,

Christine M. Looby

Scribe