The Eastside Rotary Tradition

The Eastside Rotary Tradition November 23, 2011

Thank Goodness It’s Wednesday

Get those Christmas party reservations in to Amy or Susie, ASAP. It’s this Saturday for goodness sake. December 3, six to nine at the 36th Street Commerce Bank. Plenty of parking. Bring your snacks or dessert items. And a couple dozen Eastsiders need to step up on the Instant Paul Harris Board, to fill the squares before the party date. If you haven’t been to lunch to get this done, you can email Ken Hamlin or Hod Symes and they’ll put you on a space and put the charge on your bill.

Jerry and Sharaon got the birthday picture this week; Ed Gorsky missed the meeting so you can just remember what he looks like. Jerry admits taking a golf lesson, as he tries to act more and more retired. Susie and Amy presented Hod Symes with his Past President’s lapel pin. Sjoert has attended the Head Start Breakfast club several times and strongly recommends more of us go down to eat and read to the kids. Boeringer’s corporate division has made a $1000 gift to the Bangkok water project and Sjoert may set up a white elephant auction to pick up some serious bucks from Eastsiders, Somebody---sloppy note taking precludes better identification—is reported to have an unflattering picture on Facebook. If it’s you, please let me know so this story can be completed in the next bulletin.

Shawn Drew sent this report on Downtown Rotary’s centennial banquet: Rotary Club 32 celebrated their 100th birthday on November 18, with Rotary International Immediate Past-President, Ray Klinginsmith and his wife Judyi and several special District guests in attendance. Three St.Joseph East Rotarians were in attendance: Amy Ryan, Shawn Drew and wife Kate; and Ralph Schank and wife Lisa. Our frequent guest, Glen Easter, also enjoyed the evening activities. Rotary Club 32 was recognized by the District and RI as a 100% Paul Harris Club, after awarding nine new Paul Harris fellowships. Attendees also enjoyed a silent auction and entertainment by a singing comedian. Not bragging, just comparing…..If I have correctly interpreted a recent newspaper article, respected executive Ross Woodbury is Downtown Rotary’s longest serving member, having been a Rotarian for 27 years. How many active Eastsiders have belonged to Rotary that long? At least four— our charter members—and probably about eight or ten more. We’re investigating further and will report when the statistics come in.

Mea culpa. The Bulletin is later than usual this time because I got distracted by the holidays, grandkid visits and the like.. Not by Black Friday, though. My 16 year old Sony still lights up and there’s no flat screen on my horizon yet. Anyway, we at least got this one out before the next meeting.

OUR FIRM FOUNDATION Ralph Schank presented a Rotary Foundation Program, in recognition of November’s designation as Foundation Month. (Photo attached) He reminded us that the Foundation originated at an RI convention in Kansas City in the 1920’s. After passing the establishing motion, RI funded it royally by donating the surplus left over in the convention’s expense budget—the grand sum of $26.50. Its first major donation was $500 to the International Society for Crippled Children, now “Easter Seals”. The Foundation took off after Paul Harris’s death in 1947, when Rotarians wanted to do more to recognize the founder. Over the years more than a billion dollars has passed through the Foundation’s hands. Since 1985 the Foundation has been the major private funder of an international project to stamp out polio, and recently has received major gifts from the Gates Foundation. Polio survives in only four nations, and there were only 502 cases world-wide in 2011. Locally we are directly benefited when the Foundation supports local projects through District Simplified Grants. {Heather Shearin announced that our project for this year has again received DSG approval—for playground equipment at Family Alliance.) We also receive group study exchange visitors every other year; this year’s group will come from Romania and Moldova. Ralph and Lisa are long-time hosts for these visitors.

An outstanding and relatively new program is the Foundation’s Peace Fellowship. They established eight training centers for peace and conflict studies around the world. These train fellows in specific techniques that promote world peace, such as mediation and negotiation. Each year 110 fellowships are awarded. Ralph pointed out that Eastside is deeply involved with Foundation support, as a part of our club’s collective personality.

COMING PROGRAMS November 30 Mo.Western Athletic Director, Kurt McGuffin.

The Tradition is the weekly news bulletin of The Rotary Club of Saint Joseph, East. Eastside meets every Wednesday at noon, at the Albrecht Gallery, St.Joseph, Missouri. Officers for the 2011-2012 Rotary year are: Susan Campbell, President; Heather Shearin, President-elect; Shawn Drew, Past President; Tom Roetto, Vice-President; Dave Richmond, Treasurer; Jeanne Chavez, Secretary; Director, Club Service: Amy Ryan; Director, Community Service, Mark Trullson; Director, Vocational Service, Lynette Saxton; Director, International Service, Sjoert Zuidhof;