Stafford Rotary

Meeting of the Rotary Club of Stafford
May 31, 2006

President Randy Burdett presided and welcomed guests: Allie Starbuck from North Stafford Interact Club was Shirley’s guest. Allie attended Camp RYLA and was on the NSHS Interact Club’s Relay for life team. She thanked the club for the giving her the opportunity to attend Camp RYLA.
Dave’s guest was Neil Mayhew. Neil is a former school teacher who owns the Select Leaf Tobacco Shop.
Ralph’s guest was Terry Enders.

Announcements:
Ann gave a Relay for Life update. We have raised $9,985. We need to raise $1,015 more. We got a start with an auction of to a Richmond Braves game.
Nelda reminded everyone of the need for volunteers for Bluemont concerts.
President Randy gave us an update on Robin’s health. Her eye surgery has been successful. There appears to be no lasting damage to her sight.

Program:
John Lafley gave a classification talk. John was born in Vermont. His little town was closer to Montreal than it was to Burlington, Vermont. He had a paper route as a child. It was really cold up there. When the family moved to Fairfax he thought he was living in Florida because Virginia is so much warmer than Virginia. John’s father died when John was only 15. He is a graduate of UVA. When he attended there were only 5,000 students at UVA back then – half undergraduate, half graduate. John coached football teams in Charlottesville while teaching elementary school PE. He then taught at UVA in a non-tenured faculty position. John’s wife Karen is a licensed psychiatric social worker.

His best friend from Vermont worked for the YMCA and got John interested in this new career. John managed the YMCA in Petersburg. He talked about the problems in that city after the Brown and Williamson plant closed. After Petersburg John came to the Fredericksburg Y. He had to pull the organization out of a large debt. He began Midnight Madness basketball during the summer.

He worked at the Y in Philadelphia that had a lot of low income housing units. After that post he was sent to the Chicago area Y. John discussed the value to society of providing low income housing for the poor. He estimated that 1/3 of his clients there had mental health problems, 1/3 of them had substance abuse problems, and 1/3 of them were just ordinary people who had some disastrous financial setback. The YMCA in Chicago also provided health care, a food bank, and emergency clothing. He said that 25% of their clients in Chicago left successfully after a year in their facility.

John was happy that our effort for the Relay for Life was such a success. His wife Karen has been fighting cancer for the past ten years.



Are You Reading the Bulletin?


What is happening on August 16?

The answer can be found on our club webpage www.staffordrotary.org.


New Member Corner
District Governor Visit Protocol

Once a year the District Governor makes an official visit to each club in the district.

The purpose of the visit:
To allow the District Governor to communicate with all the club members;
For the giving of helpful and friendly advice to the club officers;
To be a useful counselor to further the Object of Rotary among the clubs of the district;
To serve as a catalyst to help strengthen the programs of Rotary.


Process:
Prior to the District Governors visit, your Assistant Governor (AG) will meet with your club officers to review the club's Summary of Club Plans and Objectives .

Additionally, the Assistant Governor for your Area will work with you to confirm the meeting and accommodation arrangements.

Reconfirm at least one month in advance of the District Governor's visit to resolve any questions as to information, format of the visit and special requirements.

2. The District Governor is a guest of your club when making an official visit. Most importantly, communicate any special plans you have for the Governor so as to be sure it fits in with his/her other plans. Contact the Governor well ahead of time to confirm times and places, thus avoiding confusion and woes.

Our visit from District Governor Burt Lamkin is scheduled for August 16.

Happy Cup

Carlos fined everyone who wasn’t wearing the sustaining member red tab under their Rotary pin.

All of Mary’s 7 grandchildren visited her this weekend. She was also happy she got to know John and Karen well.
Ann paid a “name in the paper” fine.
Shirley said that a week before Relay for Life she went to the doctor because of a tumor on her neck. The doctor ordered a CT scan and then a biopsy, but when Shirley went in for the biopsy on May 19 two different doctors were unable to find anything to biopsy. The tumor had disappeared!
AG Carol is happy that she’s been taking riding lessons for the past few months.
Carole was happy that for her birthday her children got her an Old English sheep dog puppy. This was something that Graham had planned with Meghan back last fall. Garrett was married this past weekend.
Mike West was happy to receive his first copy of the Rotarian.
Joan thanked Mark Osborn for helping her with the Foundation fundraiser.
Mark was happy to be part of the best club in the district.
Aric thanked John for the program. He said John will serve as Public Relations chairman next year. He congratulated Shirley and Ann on the success of our Relay for Life team. Aric’s wife Carol got a Relay team started at Pratt Medical soon after she went to work there.
Jeff Small was happy that Shirley sets high goals and always meets those goals.

Nicolette thanked everyone who steps up to the plate when you need them.

Dave was happy that Neil visited.

Pastor Fred was disgruntled because he had to pay a fine for not wearing his red tab because the prong isn’t long enough to hold both the red tab and the attendance pin. Fred is hoping for a “longer prong”. This caused a lot of merriment.

President Randy was happy for Mark Smith’s fellowship events all year long.

What Are We Reading This Summer?

Dave Varrelman recommends:

Harry Potter and Philosophy: If Aristotle Ran Hogwarts
by David Baggett (Editor), Shawn Klein (Editor), William Irwin (Series Editor)

Sort of a light hearted approach to philosophy using Harry Potter and his trials and tribulations as a base. As the book says most of us would like to solve our problems with magic but Harry has magic. His problems are as troublesome to him as ours are to us and he use magic in a lot of ways but fundamentally he must meet his problems in the same way we do.

The book touches on all the great philosophers of the world Kant, St. Augustine, Descartes, and of course Aristotle. Its a good way to revisit Philosophy 101, and if you have not read any of the Harry Potter books a good introduction to them.


The Rotary Foundation News

The Foundation of Rotary Stands Firm in Earthquake’s Aftermath
By Tonya Weger, Rotary International News, 2 June 2006

With more than 6,000 people killed and 30,000 injured by Saturday’s 5.9-magnitude earthquake on Indonesia’s Java island, relief is in great need. Rotarians are busy providing grassroots aid for hungry villagers, who news outlets are reporting to be pleading for food.
“At this time of crisis, one thing appreciated in the Rotary organization is the benefit of the communications systems in place,” says Rodolfo Balmater, district governor of District 3400. “This assurance provides hope to many local Rotarians that they are not alone in undertaking humanitarian works for the less privileged members of the community.”

Rotarians in the neighboring cities of Solo City, Semarang City, Purwokerto, and Cirebon have donated necessities such as food, blankets, and medicine. And large-scale relief efforts are already taking place.
“As I see it, the inner strength of the Rotary organization is the value of the networking,” Balmater says. “Our fellow Rotarians from Europe, USA, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and other parts of the world quickly assured Rotarians in Indonesia that they will help during the emergencies and also the forthcoming rehabilitation and reconstruction.”

An estimated 130,000 homes – including Balmater’s – were destroyed or damaged by the quake. In response, London Rotarians quickly flew about 400 Shelterboxes – containing tents and necessary equipment – to the stricken region. The ShelterBox project began in England but has since spread to Australia, Canada, and the United States. The Rotarian-sponsored groups ship units globally to areas in need.

This article is © 2005 Rotary International and is provided for the non-profit use of Rotarians worldwide; commercial use is prohibited. The article may be quoted, excerpted or used in its entirety, but the information should not be changed or modified in any way. Read more information in the RI copyright notice.



Other Dates to Remember
June Is- Rotary Fellowships Month—see a featured fellowship below.

June 11-1April, 2006- Rotary International Annual Convention, Malmö, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark

June 25
District Awards Banquet, Fredericksburg Country Club

July Is Literacy Month

July 1—The Rotary Year Begins

August 16—District Governor’s Visit

The International Fellowship of Rotarian Musicians began in 1972 to "promote and encourage the use and appreciation of music in Rotary clubs by Rotarians in our society and, thereby, to encourage world-understanding." It was first registered in New Mexico as a not-for-profit corporation in 1985.

Over the last 30 years, officers and members of the fellowship have taken a leading role in inspiring the cultural and educational use of music in Rotary, including group singing, musical entertainment, and the fostering of music projects.

IFRM has published and arranged the annual RI Presidents themes song; furnished musical leadership and performances at events ranging from local to international levels, and manned a booth at the last 12 International Conventions. For instance, entertainment is provided at the booth, songbooks and tapes distributed and new members recruited.


Upcoming Programs

June 7 -Janice Lancaster of the Image Studio.


June 14— " Sabine", a motivational speaker and singer who won the Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2004.

June 21 - Martha Crimmons, owner of the Spooner House bed and breakfast.

June 28— Tracy Coleman, cake designer and owner of Let Them Eat Cake.

Change in Rotary International Fellowships Program

As of 1 July 2005, the Rotary Fellowships program belongs to a new parent entity known as Global Networking Groups. The new entity includes groups of individual Rotarians organized to focus on shared topics of interest on an international basis. Effective 1 July 2006, all existing and future fellowship groups with a service-oriented focus will be reclassified under a new category called Rotarian Action Groups, while existing and future fellowship groups focusing on fellowship of a recreational or vocational nature will remain under the designation of Rotary Fellowships.

During this period of transition, both Rotary Fellowships and Rotarian Action Groups will be represented on the Rotary Fellowships pages of the RI Web site. Pending the development of a separate Rotarian Action Groups Web page, both pages will be linked through a common portal for Global Networking Groups. Please check back periodically for further updates.
Global Networking Groups currently comprise more than 90 independent Rotary Fellowships and Rotarian Action Groups. Join the growing number of Rotarians who are sharing their favorite activities and professional interests through organized recreational and vocational groups in Rotary Fellowships, or explore new opportunities for international partnership in service in Rotarian Action Groups. Whether you are interested in bird watching, motorcycling, volunteer dentistry, or the fight against AIDS, Rotary’s Global Networking Groups are fantastic resources for all Rotarians to develop new friendships and to advance opportunities for service.



Bluemont at Porter Library

The Bluemont summer concerts in Stafford will be presented on the grounds of Porter Library at 2001 Parkway Blvd.

The first concert will be held Friday, June 30.

The Stafford Rotary has volunteered at these events many times. This is a fun event. Sign up to volunteer.

Here’s the Schedule

June 30 – Bill Wellington
July 7 – The Dixie Power Trio
July 14 – Daryl Davis Band
July 21 – Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer
July 28 – Trout Fishing in America
August 4—TBA