Tuesday April 05, 2016 Lunch Meeting
Presiding: O’Driscoll
Reporter: Cole
No visiting Rotarians or guests
Announcements:
Eileen wished safe travels to our group traveling to Jamaica.
May 18th: Presidents Ball hosted by Walter Head Foundation. I will email at another time to all how to make out the checks and where they should be mailed later as time gets closer. The cost will be $125pp Please come out and support Eileen!
Rotary Leadership Institute: West Orange High School, 51 Conforti Ave. West Orange on April 9th. Go to www.rlinea.org to sign up.
District Conference will be in Baltimore’s inner harbor April 28 - May 1. Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Hotel.
Double Room Occupancy (per person) $675
Single Room occupancy: $975
Conference registration fee: $75
I encourage people to take the bus down and back. It will be a chartered bus and we will meet on the morning of the 28th at a facility known to Past District Governor Domenic Jengo. There parking lot has 24 hour surveillance costs $100. The trip is about 4 hours and we will leave after breakfast on May Day. Contact me about going to the conference and/or the bus. james.cole37890@gmail.com.
Walter Head Foundation will host a golf outing at Ballyowen Golf Course, Crystal Springs, Hardyston Twp. Sussex County May 10th
District Assembly: May 21st
Steve Wiessner Announced that there will be a meeting of The Nominating Committee after next week’s meeting.
Janet Sharma related that dues notices will be going out soon.
Carol Rauscher announced that The Englewood Chamber of Commerce will be honoring Steve Wiessner and Gil and Marcia Dominguez, proprietors of Buckley’s Drug Store on April 13th at The Englewood Field Club beginning at 6 pm.
Shelly Wimpheimer noted that The Community Chest is honoring Joe Klyde and Devry Pazant on May 5th at the Knickerbocker Country Club.
Aleta Frazzell noted that Kathy Frost, a close friend, has plans to hold some sort of musical event to benefit The First Presbyterian Church. More details to follow. Along that line yours truly noted that the Interact students are collecting money from fellow students for the same purpose. VERY public spirited!
Eileen noted that the Rotary Business Mixer gathering at the Crowne Plaza Hotel bar area had about 15 to 17 people present last week. All seemed to enjoy it and the hotel was pleased. This will continue monthly, please join us for the next one – last Tuesday of the month, 5:30pm
Program: Judy Schaffer gave a wonderful presentation about an organization she founded; Heroes to Heroes. Her Father was a veteran and did not speak much about his experiences in his deployments. He did, however, go to Ft. Dix once or twice a month to drive veterans to various places. Her father never spoke much about his motivation for helping out other servicemen and Judy felt, as she became older he suffered from some sort of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Judy found out that 22 soldiers a day! take their lives due to PTSD. In evaluating their situation she found that the men (and it is almost all men) were being given financial and social aid but felt they were receiving no spiritual help. She started her organization with the thought of taking the men in groups of 15 or so to Israel, figuring that as it is a home to the three most populous Western religions the pilgrimage may benefit the men. She takes them to the West (Wailing) Wall, the stations of the cross and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. She then described the reaction of four different men who were depressed and suicidal and their transformation into positive thinking human beings who now engage their society! The impact has been palpable with many men now part of the staff that makes the trip to Israel.
Past Arkansas Governor Mike Huckaby and his wife are the honorary chairpeople. Money comes from many sources. Cost is about $6,000 pp. For the first time in a number of years she has organized an all female trip.
It was a very moving presentation.
50-50: next week - we have new cards.
Attendance: Off a bit due to the group having gone at the crack of dawn to Jamaica.
Upcoming programs: April 12th Aimee Mehnert, Bergen County Sheriff’s office: Identity theft.
May 3rd. Office of Concerned Food Pantry
May 10th. Lois Horowitz - sponsoring a child in Kenya; Australian Fellowship Exchange.