Our invocation was by Michael Ayers, who shared a lovely poem about the outdoors and our connection with nature...
We also sang today - 16 tons made famous by Tennessee Earnie Ford
Please note: the club is marching in the Labor Day Parade. If you would like to join in - contact David Runk.
We are in need of more members on the Sgt. at Arms committee. Please consider joining their ranks if you can.
Do you have children or grandchildren interested in other countries? We have noticed that we haven't been participating in the international exchange program recently - and our club has always benefitted from the experience.
Our Rotary foundation presented cash grants to The LSO, the DARE program, and the VMCC - when you see those organizations out in the community, tell them their doing a great job !
Our speaker today was Sgt. David Gillespie - talking about human trafficking. Prostitution has often been called a victimless crime - but when underage boys and girls are involved - the crime is pretty heinous. This area is known as a "source location" - with many girls recruited here to work all over the country. Often, these victims are taken to areas for large events, like the Super Bowl - which violates federal law.
Toledo seems to be a major source of handlers in the industry - called "pimps" by some. For some reason, even when arrested in other cities - they are often from Toledo. Lima has seen an increase in human trafficking cases - due in part to the local rise in heroin use. If you see a young boy or girl being treated inappropriately - don't ignore that these may be victims - not just prostitutes...
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