|
|
|
||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
President Dan Ouweleen wisely asked Ken Kaisch and Griff Duncan to start things off for today’s meeting by performing the Invocation and Song duties just prior to having Marty Burbank welcome guests and visitors who included: Sueling Chin, guest of past president Bill Schenk, Derek Kirk now working with Theresa Harvey at the North Orange County Chamber, formerly known ad Fullerton Chamber of Commerce. Carl Camp hosted Travis McShane while “in absentia” and Marty Burbank hosted Kraig Storm. Michael Williams, member of RYPEN joined us as well in addition to George Wilson of the Santa Ana Club, performing duties as District Assistant Governor. Joshua Ramirez visited us from Corona. SPECIAL CEREMONY
Past president Bill Schenk, with the assistance of past president Teri Grassi, representing our beloved past president J Richey, sponsor of Jim Ripley, who has taken the helm of Richie Advisors, (believe it or not) administered the induction ceremony of said Jim Ripley into our Rotary Club. (That was a approaching a run-on sentence- underlining was for clarification) Bill eloquently spoke of the high standard that Rotarians maintain both in their own professions and in our efforts for Rotary projects near and far. He pointed out that we are ambassadors of our professions and we know how to have fun! Several traditional items were presented to Jim (for instance- Rotary pin, plaque of the “Four Way Test”) and as is tradition in our club whenever we induct a new member, we all gave a standing ovation, relishing the special few seconds (or minutes?) when our own Jim Ripley was actually the newest Rotarian in the world…. and perhaps even in the Universe and more than likely in the entire Cosmos! It was an “out of this world” moment! Someday soon, technology will allow Rotary International to accurately maintain a “real time” tracking on it’s website of who “The world’s newest Rotarian” really is at any given moment. Perhaps someone will create a forensic/ historical log of this going back to Paul Harris days…. If you are reading every line of this Rotagram, you might just be a candidate to get started on this project! ANNOUNCEMENTS Mention was made of the successful social at Marty Burbanks’ home, sponsored by RYPEN. A meeting for the Fight Polio Jogathon to take place at 4PM. Thad Sandford announced that our District gave a $30,000 educational scholarship to Brenna McCullock for graduate work overseas. If you know of a perspective candidate for such an award, go the District website and look under “service opportunities” and then “Global Grant Scholars”. Past president Captain Dick Daybell is working on nominees for new board members for the upcoming year, so please contact him with your suggestions! OPPORTUNITY DRAWING The members present witnessed the undetectable but surely dramatic range of internalized emotions that Ken Kaisch most surely experienced right there in front of us… from the exhilaration of having his ticket drawn…. to the misfortune of choosing one of the remaining owls that did NOT say “Winner” on the bottom! For those of you who were absent, it was a remarkable exhibition of emotional restraint that you would not have noticed even if you weren’t absent for the meeting or had you not been there in person, even if you missed the meeting. (If you understood that, please explain it to me) RECOGNITIONS Scott Downs led the charge of several $5.00 fines onto our immediate past president with the help of Howard Minke and Marty Burbank who mentioned meetings missed and missing Don Ludwigs’s anniversary. We witnessed a cluster of fines heaped upon one member as a result of a single trip to Florida. It was a touching welcome back for our past President! Jim Williams celebrated his 28th anniversary and Ken Kaisch’s birthday wisdom was “Duck and Run”….. not really in the spirit of the “Owl” theme but no fowl was called… but who gives a “hoot”? Jim Williams honored Jim Thompson by recognizing his wife’s birthday even though he wasn’t present today. Jim was instrumental in procuring food and preparations for our big club events in the past and is appreciated for that and his positive can-do attitude that continues to be a theme of our club! Chuck Munson almost guessed that he’s been a Rotarian for 38years and Minard Duncan is celebrating 15 years as such. Bill Goetsch remembered (or gave the appearance that he remembered) that he joined in 2008. That is a good trick! Simple remember what year you joined Rotary (along with month and day for extra credit) and you’ll be hoping to be called out by the Recognition Master! Dick Daybell was welcomed back on a break from his stint in Florida. Good to see you Captain! Joe Lins gave a quick synopsis of his road trip to Canada, much if it solo coming down from the northwest. Jim Williams commented that Joe’s non-stop Facebook posts about his wonderful wife Suzi was starting to make Jim feel inadequate in the eyes of his wife, Sally an admitted Facebook aficionado herself. Mike Oates was recognized and as always, accepted his fine, gracefully refraining from blurting out some reason why he shouldn’t be fined. In a challenge to the club, Scott ask if anyone knew when and where the Rams football team originally was founded. No one guessed that it was in 1937 in Cleveland. They have never won a Superbown, but they had won the national champion ship before the Superbowl began. PROGRAM Margarita Martin director of the Colombo-American Education Foundation, believing in the importance of educating children who will build a future for Latin America. She believes that education of the youth is a vital solution to the drug war. She lives and works in Orange County, originally coming to California on a student exchange program. She went to school, married and settled in the United State, but never deserted the children in need of education in her home village of Neiva, Colombia. Her desire to help kids may have been inherited from her grandfather. Reinaldo Matiz, was a humanitarian and important political leader in Colombia at the turn of the Century. Matiz founded factories, established a newspaper, started the local postal service, and developed the first electrical plant in his native village, just outside of Bogotá. The government of Colombia in Neiva gives a prestigious journalism award, in his name, annually. The foundation has two fundraisers per year and gives $20-25,000/year in scholarships including uniforms, shoes and materials. Efforts are underway to start a Rotary club and a Foundation in Colombia. Efforts are increasingly helping orphan kids become employable so they are less tempted to become drug runners for the drug gangs. It’s important for the kids to have a safe place and some organization and stability. Their budget projection for 2016-18 is $44,000. CLOSING TRADITION The Rotary Club of Fullerton’s bell was sounded at an appropriate volume.
|
||||||||||||||
