eSpoke - January 15, 2021 (Jan 15, 2021)

The Scoop - January 11, 2021

Posted by Anne Decker

Guardian Lima Ethanol is an industry leader.

The Guardian Lima ethanol plant grinds 420 acres of corn every day. "We take one bushel of corn and turn that into 3 gallons of ethanol, 15 pounds of distillers grain and one pound of corn oil," says Plant Manager Jack Wolfcale. Wolfcale told us that a bushel of corn is valued at $3.90. Once Guardian has processed that bushel, the finished products are worth $5.10.

The plant sources its corn from Allen County and 17 surrounding counties from 1,200 producers. "Ethanol is a product of fermentation. Corn is the feed stock that we use. We take that corn and break it down into glucose and we feed it to the yeast." The resulting ethanol is the same as you find in beer, wine, whiskey and hand sanitizer. Wolfcale says the main difference in the products is that it is purified to different levels. "What makes ethanol great? Energy independence. Every year we're making 15.8 billion gallons of ethanol that goes into the fuel market. We are offsetting the need to import oil." Wolfcale says ethanol also benefits the environment by helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

Wolfcale told us that thanks to technology and operational improvements, the Lima plant has seen a tremendous increase in efficiencies and output, making it one of the higher performing ethanol plants in the country. It has 45 employees.

Board Highlights

Posted by Rita Brown

Here are the highlights of the January 12 board meeting.

Call to Order John Ficorilli

President Ficorilli called the meeting to order at 12:02 PM with the following members present: Carol Buettner, Peggy Ehora, Andy Farley, Jeff Fitzgerald, Kevin Horner, Theresa Schnipke and Derek Stemen. Also, Treasurer Dan Best, Secretary Rita Brown and Anne Decker attended.

Secretary’s Report Rita Brown

Buettner made a motion to approve the December 8, 2020, Board Minutes as submitted. Stemen seconded the motion. Board approved.

Attendance report with Club and District Statistics

Brown shared the Attendance Report for the month of December 2020. The month ended with a total of 150 members – 4 Honorary and 146 Active and Active Corporate. Attendance for the month of December was 32.57%. To-date, we are down a total of five members for the 1^st half of the fiscal year. Seven new members joined the club and twelve left the club. The District indicates being down 42 for the time period. The Lima Club has remained healthy and strong during the pandemic.

Our composition of members includes 19% Active Corporate and 81% Active,

New member growth shows 3% growth in number of females in the club.

Age of the Membership indicates we have 47 under 50, 77 between 50 and 69, and 22 over 70. We are seeing a younger club evolve.

Our years of service distribution is a good mix. 48% have 5 years or less of service and 14% have over 26 years of service. The remaining 38% have between 6 – 25 years of service.

President's Report John Ficorilli

Joint Meeting with the Foundation Board – April 13, 2021

The Rotary Board and the Rotary Foundation Board will hold a Joint Meeting on Tuesday April 13, 2021. Newly elected Board Members will be announced at that time.

4-Way Speech and Essay contest

Due to the Safety Challenges caused by the Pandemic, the 4-Way Speech and Essay Contest will be cancelled at the District and Local Level this year.

Virtual Reverse Raffle Update

Plans to hold a Virtual Reverse Raffle in March are underway. Cat Sarno and Anne Decker are reviewing the Event Software Platform - Greater Giving. The Non-Profit Platform has the ability to perform all segments of the fundraising. The goal of the Raffle is to raise $20,000 Plus for the Lima Rotary Foundation.

Social Committee Updates

The next Social Meeting will be held on Thursday January 21^st at 5:30 PM at The Met.

Salvation Army Bell Ringing

Chairman Joe Watson reported the event raised $2,313.30 which is slightly up from last year. Twenty Rotary Members participated in the event.

Disabled Children’s Christmas Party.

Esther Baldridge reported that 50 – 60 children enjoyed the party this year. Forty-two Rotarians and nine Interact students participated to make it a special day for each of them.

Board Reports:

Rotary Board Candidates Report Jeff & Derek

Fitzgerald and Stemen are actively recruiting candidates to run for a term on the Rotary Board of Directors. Terms will run from July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2024. Ballots will be sent to the members in March 2021.

Polio Campaign Derek & Keith

The Campaign has raised nearly $4,000 to-date. Additional fund-raising activities will be held in the Spring.

Treasurer Report Dan Best

Best reviewed the Financial Reports for December 2021.

The Cash Position has increased on the Balance Sheet because of decreased expenses. Net Worth is up by $21,000.

The Profit & Loss Statement indicates income is down because of decreased dues. Also, with reduced Meal cost, VMCCC rental cost and District Dues being down, a $22,000 Savings is indicated.

Best indicated due to reduced expenses, membership dues will be reduced $50 per member for this quarter.

Stemen made a motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report as submitted. Fitzgerald seconded the motion. Board approved.

New Business: John Ficorilli

Strategic Planning for the Club

Ficorilli is interested in forming a Committee of Club Leaders to develop a Strategic Plan for the Club. Fitzgerald stated the latest issue of Rotary Magazine features an article on the process. Details will follow.

Applications – None Rita Brown

There were no New Member Applications during December.

Resignations

Julie Bassitt
Ben Swartz

Resignations were received from Julie Bassitt and Ben Swartz. Ehora made a motion to accept the resignations of each of them with regret. Schnipke seconded the motion. Board approved.

There will be no club meeting on January 18, 2021, in observation of Martin Luther King Day.

There being no further business, Ehora made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 12:48 PM. Schnipke seconded the motion. Board Approved.

Respectfully submitted,

Rita Brown, Club Secretary

Social Night

Posted by Demi Burden

We made it through 2020 and that calls for a celebration! Join the Lima Rotary Club at The Met for wine and great fellowship on January 21 from 5:30-7:30. Let Demi know if you can attend so we can plan the proper distancing precautions.

Peacebuilder

Posted by Bob Ruehl

10 ways to be a peacebuilder

8 January 2021

A roundup of Rotary news

10 ways to be a peacebuilder in the new year

Resolve to be a peacebuilder in 2021. Peace underscores much of the work that Rotary members do in improving communities around the world. Rotary’s peacebuilding initiatives seek to create environments where lasting peace is possible. We do that by investing in sustainable and measurable peace programs across the globe, creating an extensive network of peacebuilders dedicated to peace and conflict prevention; and giving members opportunities to participate in peacebuilding. How will you build peace in 2021? Here are 10 ideas.

This week's stories

Presidential conferences promote Rotaract

RI President Holger Knaack is holding three virtual presidential conferences this year that will showcase the leadership of Rotaract members and collaboration between Rotaract and Rotary around the world. The three events will be hosted from Brazil, 15-16 January; Nigeria, 22-24 January; and the United States, 14-16 May.

How to hold a food drive

Rotary members around the world hold collection drives to help people, particularly families with children, get the food they need. Discover six tips for organizing a successful food drive.

2020 Annual Report available online

Rotary is about the power to connect, partner, and create change. Read about the many ways our members methodically and steadily advanced long-term results in the 2020 Annual Report.

Distinguished Service Award

Nominations are being accepted through February for the Distinguished Service Award, one of Rotary International's highest distinctions in service. The award recognizes Rotarians who have demonstrated exemplary service to the Rotary Foundation and have received the Citation for Meritorious Service four or more years ago.

© Rotary International
One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201-3698, USA

Malnutrition

Posted by Bob Ruehl

A solution that ends malnutrition

For Food Plant Solutions Rotary Action Group, we have had more opportunities to speak to clubs all around the world by Zoom. I personally have enjoyed meeting so many committed Rotarians in clubs this year and to hear of the many programs they are involved in. It reassured me that Rotary is still offering opportunities for us all. But when I open my email each day and read statistics like the Word Bank estimates "That an additional 38 to 150 million people will fall into poverty this year”, I am inclined to be overwhelmed.

However, I know we CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE to that statistic if every Rotary Club started one garden in a school, a hospital, or a community garden and encouraged their community to grow their own food. It only has to be a couple of pots to start with, or a tub, or small garden bed. The Brief Garden Guides we have prepared for many clubs around the world have been great starts for this process. They don’t only explain how to grow these plants but why these plants are good for you and how your body uses the nutrients in them.

We have increasing requests for these guides, and clubs and individuals have received them with open arms.

The downside of course, is that we continue to have an urgent need for funds - we have many request we cannot meet because of the funding situation. Our one part-time employee, Karalyn, cannot keep up with the requests, and her skills in this area are better than most!

SO, could you please share this with your clubs? If they have only a few dollars left undistributed this year, we would be very thankful to receive it and would use it wisely.

The committee continues to look for a corporate sponsor to support our projects. If you know of anyone we could speak to we would be delighted to be referred to them.

For clubs who have not already heard our presentation, please pass on my details to them, so we can tell our story. We are good at Zoom meetings too!

Best wishes for the second half of this year when Rotary continues to Open Opportunities.

Yours in in Rotary

Una

PDG Una Hobday OAM

Chair, Food Plant Solutions Rotary Action Group

www.foodplantsolutions.org

+61 419 902 955

International Bridges

Posted by Bob Ruehl

Building international bridges during a pandemic

By Natalia Kunzer, Open World Program Officer at Rotary International

The Open World Program has adapted and built a solid record of virtual programming events for Open World delegates of 2020 and Open World Alumni in light of these uneasy times. The pandemic has shut opportunities for travel and all in-person Open World programs have been suspended since March 2020. While virtual meetings do not replace in-person ones, they offer vital opportunities during these unchartered times.

Virtual programming is a useful tool for maintaining dialog and connections between Rotary hosts in the United States, local community leaders and Open World visitors from Eurasia. Our virtual events have included, but were not limited to, the following themes:

Local Legislators - Anti-Corruption
U.S. Wastewater Treatment and Management with Linkage to Solid Waste Management System
Agriculture focusing on Amalgamated Territorial Communities
Energy Efficiency
Partnerships: Social Business
Development/Community
Activism/Volunteerism
Health focusing on Pediatric Ophthalmology
Entrepreneurship

We have had virtual events for Open World delegations and alumni from Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine.

Meetings with Open World alumni include discussions about what has happened since the delegation visited a local host community and how the pandemic has affected local communities and individuals. Aside from host families’ participation, we have local community leaders and U.S. counterparts join to discuss issues related to alumni’s professional sphere.

For the Open World programs that have had to be postponed until international travel can safely resume, virtual events became a venue of introduction to host communities and clubs. For Rotary hosts, it is an opportunity to meet their Open World delegates who they will host in the future. Both sides are using presentations and short videos to enhance their stories.

Rotary hosts also share how their clubs have had to adopt during these times of crisis in order to continue their work. For instance, clubs are using new fundraising techniques for virtual events to raise money to support local businesses and Rotary projects. These meetings also serve as preliminary discussions about joint projects and future visits.

Even though these are virtual exchanges, they are traits of people-to-people diplomacy and a good way to stay connected and engaged. Throughout these months, our experience with virtual programs helped to rethink some of the programming aspects and will not be abandoned when the world resumes travel and meeting in person.

We are so grateful to local Rotary host coordinators and host families who make the program what it is – topnotch content along with unforgettable experiences for Open World participants. Thank you for stepping up and providing generous support to Open World’s in-person programs and now to virtual programs for delegates and Open World alumni. In gloomy pandemic times, these meetings are rays of sunshine – hope for a brighter future.

We look forward to a vibrant and productive year ahead!

The Open World Program, operated by the Open World Leadership Center, an independent U.S. federal agency, is a special program available to Rotary clubs in the United States through a grant secured by Rotary International.

The Open World Program was originally established as a Library of Congress–administered pilot project in 1999 to give emerging Russian leaders firsthand exposure to the American system of democracy through visits to local governments and communities in the United States. Since 2003 the congressionally sponsored program brings emerging leaders from the following Eurasian countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan to the United States in order to give them firsthand exposure to the American system of participatory democracy and free enterprise. The principles of accountability, transparency, and citizen involvement in government are among the concepts emphasized by the Open World Program.

The 2020 hosting year marks 21^st anniversary of Rotary's participation in the Open World Program. Rotary International serves as a national hosting organization, with Rotary clubs serving as local hosts for Open World delegations. Rotary clubs in 280 cities and 48 states have hosted 3,726 of all 29,000 Open World participants throughout these years. RI is able to reimburse Rotary clubs for many of their hosting expenses through Open World grants.