eSpoke - February 11, 2022 (Feb 11, 2022)

City Club

Posted by Anne Decker on Feb 11, 2022

The Lima Rotary Club will be meeting in the City Club on Monday, February 14. A large event will be taking place in the Exhibit Hall that day, so parking will be at a premium. Please leave a few extra minutes to find a parking place.

Social

Posted by Anne Decker on Feb 11, 2022

Enjoy these photos from the February social at Westgate Entertainment Center.

The Scoop - February 7, 2022

Posted by Anne Decker on Feb 11, 2022

Heart health and public health topped the agenda at Rotary Monday.

February is Heart Month and we welcomed Lima Memorial cardiologist Dr. Pamela Gardner for her annual visit to talk about heart health. Dr. Gardner told us that it's very important for those who have heart failure or a heart attack to get help immediately. She says with the proper medicine and care, the heart can frequently begin functioning properly again. Dr. Gardner also encouraged us know know our numbers such as blood pressure, A1C, cholesterol and heart rate and work to keep them within healthy range with a proper diet, exercise and medicines. Lima Memorial offers two low cost cardiac screenings that can help determine heart health. There are available to anyone without referral from a physician.

Also on Monday's agenda, we met Allen County's new Health Commissioner, Brandon Fischer. The goal of Allen County Public Health is prevention of disease, injury, disability, and premature death. Brandon told us that he concentrates on education and prevention, because the most successful public health programs are the ones that prevent problems and keep the community healthy. Some of the many things that fall under the health department's purview are septic systems, water systems, food safety, STDs, health education, birth records, death records, public health statistics, and much more. But the things that get the most attention are disease outbreaks. Brandon told us that Allen County Public Health actively plans and prepares for things like the COVID pandemic. Their staff is trained in emergency response and they work with other community agencies on plans to deal with pandemics. Again, he says community education is a strong component of their emergency response plan, and they also helped organize the distribution of vaccines in the community. Brandon told us that fortunately the COVID numbers are beginning to go down and we are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Ballots

Posted by Anne Decker on Feb 11, 2022

You have been mailed ballots for Board of Trustees for the Lima Rotary Club and Lima Rotary Foundation. Please vote and return the ballots promptly.

The candidates for the Lima Rotary Board are: Demi Burden, Adah Ellerbrock, Sarah Newland, Tracey Regula, Tim Stanford, and Jeff Unterbrink.

The candidate for the Lima Rotary Foundation Board are: Aimee Bucher, Chris Hardesty, Berlin Carroll, Tommie Harner, Craig Kupferberg, and Aaron McLaurine.

Thank you to these candidates for stepping up and agreeing to take a leadership role in our club!

Board Highlights

Posted by Anne Decker on Feb 11, 2022

Here are the highlights from the February 8th board meeting.

Call to Order Jeff Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald called the meeting together at 11:38 A.M. with the following board members present:

Derek Stemen, John Ficorilli, Elizabeth-Brown Ellis, Carrol Buettner, Andy Wannemacher, Dan Best, Lesley Fry, Jeff Fitzgerald. Also, Secretary Anne Decker present.

Secretary’s Report Anne Decker

Approval of the January 11, 2022 Board Minutes

Buettner made a motion to approve the minutes of the January 11, 2022 meeting as submitted. Brown-Ellis seconded the motion. Board approved.

Attendance report for January 2022

One new member joined the club and two members resigned. Membership is down -7 for the year. January attendance was an average of 43.38%. Total active members: 135, honorary members: 4.

President’s Report Jeff Fitzgerald

Tornado Relief

The club collected $500 to send to victims of the deadly tornadoes in western Kentucky in December.

Joint Board Meeting

There will be a joint meeting of the Lima Rotary Club Board of Trustees and the Lima Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees on April 12, 2022 at which time the new board members will be announced.

Annual Meeting

The Board has decided to move its annual meeting to April 18, 2022 from its previously scheduled date of April 25, 2022 so the club may host the Allen Lima Leadership Youth Graduation ceremony on April 25.

Reverse Raffle

Fitzgerald is looking for a chair of the 2022 reverse raffle. Cat Sarno is not able to chair it as she did last year, though she is still willing to participate. Fitzgerald contacted the rest of the reverse raffle committee and all are willing to participate in the same roles as they held in 2021. The board discussed the possibility of securing corporate sponsorships to help raise money and all were in agreement that it would be a good thing to pursue.

Social Meeting

This month’s social meeting is February 10 from 6:00-8:00pm at Westgate Entertainment Center where the club has lanes reserved for bowling. Members are welcome to come early and socialize.

4-Way Test and Essay Contests

The 4-Way Test and Essay Contests are being organized by Heather Rutz and Jill Ackerman and are on schedule.

Board Reports All Board Members

Six candidates have been selected for the Lima Rotary Club Board of Trustees. They are: Demi Burden, Adah Ellerbrock, Sarah Newland, Tracey Regula, Tim Stanford, Jeff Unterbrink. Regula and Unterbrink have asked not be considered for a higher club leadership position.

The six candidates for the Board of Trustees of the Lima Rotary Foundation are: Aimee Bucher, Chris Hardesty, Berlin Carroll, Tommie Harner, Craig Kupferberg, Aaron McLaurine.

Decker will send the names to ProForma and ask them to mail the ballots to the club membership.

Empowering Girls Initiative Lesley Fry

Dr. Susan Hubbell will have a few minutes to address the club on February 28 to ask if any members are interested in pursuing RI President Mehta’s Empowering Girls Initiative and to gather suggestions for possible projects.

PolioPlus Derek Stemen

The club has raised approximately $3,000 of its $5,000 PolioPlus goal. There are plans to raise money with a dunk tank when the weather gets warmer. Members will be able to purchase immunity from the dunk tank.

Golf Outing Andy Wannemacher

The date for the Rex Perry Memorial Golf Outing has been moved to August 17 with a rain date of August 24.

Treasurer’s Report Dan Best

Net income is $4,960.94, down $8,420.90 from the same period last year, largely because last year we were meeting virtually and didn’t incur catering and room rental expenses and also had our district dues waived. The club’s working capital is $17,189. Stemen made a motion to approve the financial reports as submitted. Ficorilli seconded the motion. Board approved.

New Business:

New Member Application Anne Decker

Jessica Trinko, Executive Director of Lima Convalescent Home

Fry moved to accept Trinko’s application. Seconded by Brown-Ellis. Board approved.

Resignation:

Wayne Korpics

Wannemacher made a motion to approve the resignation with regret. Buettner seconded the motion. Board approved.

Amphitheater Update Jeff Fitzgerald

Jeff Fitzgerald stated that one of the items on Lima City Council’s agenda last night was the hiring of Alvada Construction of Findlay to construct the Greater Lima Region Park and Amphitheater.

The club is meeting in the City Club on February 14. It will not meet on February 21 due to Presidents’ Day.

Brown-Ellis made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 12:48 P.M. Fry seconded the motion. Board approved.

Respectfully submitted

Anne Decker, Secretary

2021 Interact Awards

Posted by Anne Decker on Feb 11, 2022

2021 Interact Award Winner: Learning Through Service

Editor’s note: this essay was submitted to Rotary International’s 2021 Interact Awards.

Walking down Flinders Street, the constant banging of coins echoed in my ear. I took in a sharp breath as the harsh clinking carried on, before it was lost to the blare of trains as I entered the station. Taking one last glance back, his hopeful eyes met my own, mouthing a soft ‘thank you’ amidst the bustle of the city. All around us, waves of people marched on, lost in their own world, seemingly oblivious to the signs and blankets that they loomed over. It was a sea of eyes, yet the orbs remained glued to their screens, pointedly averted from the people sitting below them.

The constant buzz finally faded when I hopped into the train and was hit instantly with a gush of warm air. As I huddled with my parents, coats thrown haphazardly across our laps, I gazed towards the receding line of towering buildings. A shiver rose up my spine as I watched the greys and dull blues of the city fade and blur into one another, followed immediately by a twang of pain for the people living within that cool, unforgiving environment.

The train sped up now, and with it, my thoughts followed suit. I’d only donated to one person… How many others were left to fend for themselves? I felt something brewing inside of me, something fueled by a fierce drive to help the others who I’d briskly walked past at the train station. These thoughts coalesced into one, and I knew I had to act. My school’s leadership team entrusted me to carry the torch as the Interact President this year—this was my opportunity to ensure that I, alongside my fellow Interactors, am able to keep the flame alive, and warm up the lives of those closest to us by advancing Rotary’s cause.

The memory of the man remained ingrained within me in the days following, rising to the forefront once more as I perused an old copy of a school newsletter. As my eyes skimmed through the pages, the section on Rotarians belonging to Rotary Club of Canterbury volunteering at a FORaMEAL event caught my eye. Enthusiasm radiated through their smiles as they worked side by side, packing meals for disaster-stricken areas within the Philippines. Turning to investigate and digging deeper, I came to learn that a portion of these meals were being redirected this year, in order to assist those affected the most by the COVID-19 pandemic in Melbourne.

I immediately contacted the Rotarians and the rest of the Interact board, knowing this was the key to not only building a bridge with our global neighbors, but also aiding those closer to home. Collaborating together, we introduced the idea at our club meeting to plan and prepare for our participation within a FORaMEAL packaging event. Emails shot out in a frenzy, as each Interactor became electrified by the thought that they too would be able to be the change they wanted to see in the world.

Rounding the corner, a buzz of excitement filled the air. I was welcomed with the chatter of other students, as more and more volunteers milled around, eagerly discussing the event that was waiting ahead of us. With a start, the doors finally opened, and with it came the ebullient greetings of the Rotarians running the day. With a few short words they soon set us to work, and I found myself surrounded once more with my peers. Pack by pack, the grains, lentils and rice were slowly but surely packaged away, work made merry as I got to know the people around me. Passion shone within them, and I realized how like-minded we were, as we united together in our goal to provide our services to those less fortunate.

As the last of the boxes was filled to the brim, I looked around me, back aching but heart beaming with pride. I basked in the warmth that lightened the room as everyone hurrahed at what we had achieved, and I felt something surge inside of me as well. I knew the joy felt here today would not be limited to OneChurch, where the initiative took place, instead extending all the way out into inner Melbourne too, reaching the lives of those who I had walked past in the train station that day. 17,000 meals packed today… 17,000 meals which would enable more people to sustain themselves, improving their quality of lives to a level which we as humans all deserve. The immense scale of our FORaMEAL volunteering means that this wide-reaching issue of hunger is able to be tackled more greatly, with nutrients found in the grains and rice within the packs, making their way to those who faced difficulty receiving them during the COVID-19 restrictions.

Upon reflection of this opportunity, I stumbled upon Rotary’s service-learning course. The striking resemblance between the values it promoted, and my Interact club’s own FORaMEAL project struck me with a start. Compassion to investigate the food insecurity challenges we face within both our community and global environment. Dedicated commitment towards planning a project which addressed this issue. Zeal in taking action to initiate this project and the volunteering entailed. And above all, a reflection of the pivotal role service plays in the lives of those around us. Whether it be service to people like the man encountered at the train station, or even service to ourselves, through the greater understanding gained about the struggles of food insecurity, my Interact Club and I have truly grown to appreciate how learning through charity has developed us as leaders of the future.

And that takes us to now, as I sit here with my team, writing about how one simple meal can demonstrate the love and solidarity of an entire community. I’m taken back to that eye-opening day once more, where hope had glistened in that man’s eyes. Now, with words pouring out about everything we had achieved, it reaches my own orbs too.

Congratulations to the 2021 Interact Award winners! This year’s award categories included essays, videos, and photos. View the finalists and winners here: https://on.rotary.org/2021InteractAwards.