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The Scoop - November 29, 2021
AEP continues to invest in Northwest Ohio.
When transmission lines get to be about 50 years of age, they begin to fail and the number of outages increases, according to Meghan Blankenship, AEP Transmission Outreach Specialist. Meghan told us that's when AEP begins to replace the lines. Current local projects include: 

East Lima-Maddox Creek Transmission Line Project:
•Replacing 30 miles of existing wire on existing towers
•Upgrading local substations

Bluffton Area Improvements Project:
•Building a substation
•Building approximately 5.5 miles of power line
•Rebuilding approximately 3 miles of power line
 
East Lima Station Expansion Project:
Completed work:
•Expanding the station fence around East Lima
•Station upgrades
•Construction on surrounding transmission lines
 
North Delphos-Rockhill Transmission Line Rebuild Project:
•Building 16 miles of transmission line between North Delphos and Rockhill substations.

Meghan says the AEP 5 year forecast for Allen County supports 3,093 jobs with an annual compensation of about $61,000, stimulates nearly $168 million in economic activities across Ohio, and contributes $14 million in total taxes paid to state and local governments.

Also at Monday's meeting, Tim Stanford gave us an update on the Greater Lima Region Park and Amphitheater. Rotary has transferred the land to the City of Lima and is going out to bid. The contractor should be named by the end of December and work can begin immediately. It is hoped that the park and amphitheater will be completed by November 2022. Special thanks to three large donors who presented checks to the club for the project: AEP gave $50,000, Ford Lima Engine Plant gave $20,000 and Premier Bank gave $10,000. Thank you so much for your generosity!

AEP's Joe Rocca with Tim Stanford

Ford Lima Engine Plant's Cindy Wood with Tim Stanford

Premier Bank's Amy Hackenberg and Myron Meas with Tim Stanford

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Special Needs
Help give some special children a very merry Christmas this year.
Calling all Rotarians! Christmas is just around the corner, which means our annual Special Needs Christmas Party is quickly approaching. The party this year will be held on December 4th, at Shawnee United Methodist Church, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 
 
This year we are getting back to a more 'normal' agenda, with guest appearances from our super heroes, Mrs. Claus, and most importantly Santa! There will be crafts for the children and an interactive experience with our very own High Octane Drumline. Before departing, each child will receive a book, fruit basket, and present from Santa.
 
This is the part where you can help! We encourage any or all Rotarians that are willing and available on this date to get involved! You may bring a child to the party, provide a present for a child, or both! This is such a wonderful and rewarding way to give back a little during this holiday season. If interested in participating, in this years party, please contact Sophia Loser or Demi L. Burden to find out how you can help, you will not regret it!
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Jail -n-Bail
Nothing says Merry Christmas like throwing someone in jail!
The Lima Rotary Club presents a Lima Rotary Foundation fundraiser - Jail-n-Bail on Friday, December 10th from 12:00 to 4:00pm.  The Honorable Judge Richard Warren will be presiding over this kangaroo court!
 
How it works: Anyone in the Lima community can call one of the 6 arresting officers (the day of the event) or fill out this form and snitch on someone to be arrested anytime prior to the event. Get pledges for your bail (use attached form to submit to Catheryn) and you'll be free of your charges! The cost to have someone arrested is $20. To issue a warrant with their arrest, add $10. 
**Anticipate being jailed for approximately one hour.
NOTE: if you purchase a GET-OUT-OF-JAIL free card for $50 prior to 12/10 you are exempt from all this nonsense. If you turn yourself in and raise the suggested bail amount prior to 12/10, you are released of your charges. Mug shots will be taken for fun to post on social media!
PLEASE DROP OFF, EMAIL, OR MAIL THIS FORM TO:
Lima Rotary Club: Attention Catheryn Sarno
PO Box 1111, Lima, OH 45802
 
All proceeds benefit the Lima Rotary Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.
 
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Christmas Auction
We are looking for donations for our Christmas Auction on December 13.
Since we didn’t have a Christmas Party in 2020, let's make 2021 Christmas Party the best. Dig deep and donate! All donations are tax deductible and all proceeds go to the
Lima Rotary Foundation. We are lining up another great Christmas Party on December 13 for you, so please plan to attend! We will be there at 11:30am so you can get your Elvis immunity tickets and bid on silent auction items. More details to follow! We would LOVE to have our honorary members attend! Please let Jennifer Mason know what you would like to donate.
We can schedule pick up if needed. Thank you for your support!
 
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Bell Ringing
Your help is needed ringing bells for the Salvation Army.
Saturday Dec 11th is Lima Rotary’s day to “ring the bells” for Salvation Army. We need volunteers at Lima Mall main entrance, Kewpee West, and Walmart Allentown road from 9-11 a.m, 11-1 p.m., 1-3 p.m. and 3-5 p.m.  Joe Watson will have the signup sheet at Monday’s meeting or you can call him at 419-235-1186 to sign up. This is a very worthwhile event and we typically raise around $2,500 for this local charity.
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One Rotary Summit
January is right around the corner and so is One Rotary Summit!
Please plan to attend this annual event which will be held in person on January 8, 2022 from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM at Terra State Community College in Fremont, Ohio.

At One Rotary Summit, you will participate in focused discussions about Membership, Public Image and The Rotary Foundation.  Please see attached a flyer for more information.  All Rotarians are encouraged to attend!

Register NOW for One Rotary Summit

Hope to see you there!

Yours in Rotary,

Mary

Mary AufdenKampe

District Governor
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Rotary Friendship Exchange
Rotary Friendship Exchange Photo Award: Embracing Diversity
By Kholiwe Mkandawire, RI Staff
Through Rotary Friendship Exchanges (RFEs), we experience new cultures, expand our global understanding and perspectives, and immerse ourselves in unparalleled travel and service opportunities while building life-long friendships. The Rotary Friendship Exchange Photo Award showcases memorable exchanges around the world. The 2021-22 award theme was Embracing Diversity. Participants were asked to show how their exchange embraced diversity and diverse ideas by learning something new and reimagining how their district could participate in an exchange during the pandemic. We received amazing photos and strategies that demonstrated diversity and are excited to announce this year’s winner and runner up.
Winner: Districts 2202 (Spain) and 4921 (Argentina)
  • Virtual RFE between Districts 2202 (Spain) and 4921 (Argentina)
  • We learned how to cook roast beef from Argentina and how to eat calçots, a typical Catalan dish.
  • Group 1 meeting with district governors-elect from both districts.
  • Group 2 meeting with District 4921’s governor and District 2202’s governor-nominee.
An innovative, rewarding, and successful experience
By Montserrat Moral, 2020-21 District 2202 RFE Chair; in collaboration with José Luis Marino, District 4921 RFE Chair, Francesc Ozerans, District 4921 Assistant Governor, and Giselle Dubois, member of the Rotary Club of Sant Cugat del Vallès
Participating in Rotary Friendship Exchanges (RFEs) is a tradition among our clubs, but in 2020, the pandemic limited our ability to hold face-to-face meetings. So, we needed to think creatively and explore new possibilities. Through the will and friendship between District 4921 Assistant Governor Francesc Ozerans and me, we created the Virtual RFE Project.
Following the guidelines for virtual exchanges developed by District 2022, we designed a program to foster friendship and exchange knowledge not only between members in Spain and Argentina, but also among members of the same district. The project was presented as a virtual trip, where each of the “travelers” had to act as host and guide in their own land.
We started by hosting a call with the clubs in both districts. The response was excellent, and we ended up forming three paired working groups in both Argentina and Spain. Each group was tasked with:
  1. Designating a leader.
  2. Developing a calendar of meetings for the exchanges.
  3. Choosing what topics would be covered.
  4. Deciding how to present the topics.
  5. Creating a shared virtual space, such as a Facebook group.
Using this basic structure, each pair of groups undertook their own journey.
The virtual exchanges took place from November 2020 to May 2021. A total of 83 participants from 10 clubs from Spain and 24 clubs from Argentina took part. The meetings covered topics including holiday parties, gastronomy, popular customs, and history and geography. Many thanks to all the participants for their magnificent presentations.
We asked participants to evaluate the exchange process, and they were highly satisfied with the experience. 72% of participants responded to the survey. Below are highlights from the results:
  • 100% of participants would recommend the experience.
  • 91% thought that the knowledge they learned would useful during a future trip.
  • 87% were very satisfied with the activities.
  • 83% rated the presentations as “very good” and 17% rated them “good.”
This project, novel and ambitious, has been very positive. I hope that we will inspire others to host virtual friendship exchanges in the future.

Runner up: District 4455, Peru
District 4455 hosted an exchange in 2019 in Lima, Peru between members of their district and District 4700 in Brazil. They described their exchange as an unforgettable experience.
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Community Corps
Rotary Community Corps: Steadfast support amidst a series of unfortunate events
by Mary Ann V. Castillejos, Vice President of Rotary Community Corps – Pasig Premier, Philippines
In April 2019, months before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, the Rotary Club of Pasig Premier decided to sponsor a Rotary Community Corps (RCC). Our community group had worked with the Rotary club on previous projects and were glad to form an RCC to work more closely with them going forward.
Fast-forward to 2020, the Philippines started to experienced disaster after disaster. It started with the eruption of Taal Volcano in January, which evacuated all the nearby municipalities. Without hesitation, RCC President Jennifer Tuico took action to help evacuees in one of the major evacuation areas in Batangas. Our RCC brought relief goods, clothes, and medicine to the most affected families and individuals.
On 19 January 2020, news about the first reported case of COVID-19 reverberated around the country. As Filipinos, we had learned how to be resilient and believed that COVID-19 would just pass by. We were all wrong.
The Philippines faced one of the longest lockdowns in the world, and many families were subjected to hunger and depression. RCC Pasig Premier remained steadfast during these trying times. We were able to provide small communities with health kits, sanitation materials, and food packs.
Come June 2020, parents’ anxiety about their children’s schools grew by the day. No face-to-face classes would be held, kids would only interact via online platforms. Our group then launched the “Piso Print Project” with the help of Rotary Club of Pasig Premier– a project that supported underprivileged students by giving them access to low-cost printing for their distance learning materials, making education more accessible and reducing the financial burden for parents.
In May 2021, we facilitated a community pantry. With the continuous lockdowns and lack of employment, families were relying on community pantries for their daily needs. We provided staples like rice, noodles, canned goods and vegetables, coffee, and sugar to help support families as they faced economic hardships and isolation.
To this day, challenges have never stopped us. We are now facing not only the pandemic but also an economic crisis and educational difficulties. RCC Pasig Premier strives to be a source of inspiration to our small community, by supporting our community members and understanding their hardships. We are all in this together, aren’t we? Being resilient is one thing, but it helps to have someone to listen, to support you, and to show empathy. RCC Pasig Premier, in partnership with the RC of Pasig Premier,  is committed to being there for our community.
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Upcoming Events
Special Needs Christmas Party
Shawnee United Methodist Church
Dec 04, 2021
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
 
Jail & Bail
Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center
Dec 10, 2021
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
 
Bell Ringing
Dec 11, 2021
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
 
Christmas Party and Auction
Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center
Dec 13, 2021
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
 
View entire list
Speakers
Dec 06, 2021 12:00 PM
Allen County Juvenile Court
Dec 13, 2021 12:00 PM
Dec 20, 2021
Merry Christmas!
Dec 27, 2021
Happy New Year!
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ClubRunner
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