Rotary Club of Buffalo VOL. 143 , NO. 14 www.buffalonyrotary.org January 25, 2017 Thursday, January 26, 2017 12:15 Thursday, Feb 2, 2017 5:30-8:00 PM Templeton Landing ENCHANTED EVENING UKRAINIAN CENTER SPEAKER: GARY WILLOUGHBY 562 Genesee St., Buffalo 14204 SUBJECT: SPCA OF ERIE COUNTY Gary Willoughby serves as the President and CEO Enchanted Evening of the SPCA Serving Erie County, leading a team of Ukrainian Center 120 employees and over 1,700 volunteers. Gary 562 Genesee St., Buffalo 1420 joined the SPCA last year after leading animal wel- Time: 5:30-8:30 PM fare organizations previously in Toledo, Ohio and Food: Authentic Ukrainian Beer & Wine included (cash bar for Aiken, SC and volunteering and serving as a board member for animal hard liquor). welfare organizations in Florida. Parking is in the lot on the right-hand Gary was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, but lived in Florida for most of side of the club and the entrance will be clearly marked his life. His undergrad degree was in journalism and communications There will be tours of the building and a brief talk about the history of from the University of Mobile in Alabama. He earned a certificate in the club. non profit management from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, as well as a graduate certificate in Gerontology and a Master’s in Pub- Entertainment will be provided by a Ukrainian member of the club lic Administration from Florida Gulf Coast University. DNIPRO building at 562 Genesee Street in Buffalo, New York, was built in 1914, and purchased by the Ukrainian American community in 1955. Most He is a member of the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators and of the founding members were recent immigrants to America that had is a board member for the New York Animal Protection Federation. been displaced from their Ukrainian homeland by World War Two. They Gary also was a board member for the Rotary Club of Aiken and a sought to establish a community center where they could maintain their member of the Rotary Club of Toledo and is a Paul Harris Fellow. cultural identity, pass their heritage onto their children, socialize, and or- His wife, Meghan, grew up in North Tonawanda and they now share ganize political structures that would continue the struggle for an inde- their home with their dogs and cats in Springville. pendent Ukraine. So it was natural that they would name their new Ukrainian Home after 2017 marks their organization's 150th anniversary (the 2nd oldest the largest river in Ukraine; which flows past the capital of Kiev south to animal welfare organization in the Western Hemisphere). Gary will Odessa, and empties into the Black Sea. talk a bit about their history. He’ll give a quick overview of the various Over the course of the past half-century, DNIPRO has hosted hundreds of programs and services they offer to the community, and talk about profound and life-changing events; such as weddings, christenings, con- their future plans, including their new 52,000 square foot facility that certs, movies, children’s pro- will be open in March. grams, banquets, lectures and Mission meetings. For decades, almost The mission of the SPCA is to create a caring and kind anything important that hap- community that encourages fair and humane treatment pened in the Ukrainian American of all creatures. Our knowledgeable, caring, and open- community in Buffalo, happened minded team of staff and volunteers achieves that mission through proactive efforts to address the current at DNIPRO, or was intensely dis- status of animals in our community, education of adults cussed at DNIPRO. and children, rescue and sheltering of animals in need, and placement of animals into appropriate homes. Register HERE ROTARY CLUB OF BUFFALO ROTARY REFLECTIONS January 12, 2017 701 Seneca Street, Suite 218 Buffalo, NY 14210 Phone: 716-854-3397 An unassuming two-story building sits on the north side of Main Club 28 Founded 1911 Club # 4725 Street, just outside Buffalo city limits. People drive past it every- www.buffalonyrotary.org day without ever realizing that it is the only one of its kind in CONTACTS the world. People Inc, Western New York’s largest non-profit Administrative: Heather Culverwell organization owns the building and conducts training on the [email protected] second floor. But it is the museum on the lower level that Financial: Mary Ellen Puleri makes it unique. Inside those walls exists the Museum of disA- [email protected] Phone 553-3670 BILITY History. David Mack-Hardiman, Associate Vice President Meets Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. of People Inc. came to Buffalo Rotary to speak about the muse- Templeton Landing , 2 Templeton Terrace um and related projects. Publication Committee Heather Culverwell, Editor The Museum of disABILITY History was founded in 1998. Its mission is to “advance the un- Associate Editors: Fred Batson, Bryce Bixby, Jack Karet, derstanding, acceptance, and independence of people with disabilities.” The museum hosts David Male, Stephen Robshaw, Katharine Smith exhibits, has various collections and conducts educational programs. The subject matter Suzanne Taylor, Jim Tyrpak includes both physical and mental disabilities. The museum also holds an annual film festival The COG (USPS 120-620) Issued bi-weekly by the Rotary Club of Buffalo, NY, U.S.A. as a source of around the topic of disabilities. Examples of films showcased include “Raising Matty Chris- information to its members. tian”, “Kelly’s Hollywood” and “Life Animated”. CLUB OFFICERS and Directors 2016-2017 One of People Inc.’s side projects has been conducting research about cemeteries on the Paul Hurley, Jr , President grounds of New York State institutions. These are mainly defunct psychiatric institutions and Michael Sendor , President Elect poor houses. Residents of those facilities were often buried on the grounds upon their Joyce DeLong, Vice President death. Those graves are still there, even if the facility is no longer in operation or has Katharine Smith, Secretary William Larkin, Treasurer changed hands. For instance, the grounds of UB’s South Campus contained as many as 3000 Laurie Albertsson, Immediate Past President graves. Most are still there today. These are remnants of that site’s use as a psychiatric insti- tute. At another such facility, patient belongings were discovered in storage after the institu- CLUB DIRECTORS with remaining terms tion closed. Those artifacts became a national exhibit entitled “The lives they left behind; 2015-2017 Term 2016-2018 Term Suitcases from a state mental hospital”. The Museum of disABILITY now has possession of David Knauss Hank Sokol that exhibit and plans to set it up as a traveling exhibit. Susan Schwartz Nora Eberl Christa Linsey Al Stocker Mr. Mack-Hardiman closed his presentation with a key point. One in five adults will experi- Nicholas Alberalla Carolyn Murray ence a mental illness within a year. That equates to 42.8 million people. It is hoped that places like this museum will raise awareness, reduce the stigma associated with disability, make it easier to discuss these topics and ultimately make it easier for people to get the help ROTARY INTERNATIONAL they need. John Germ, RI President Marlene (Marlee) Diehl, District Governor Bryce Bixby Congratulations to D7090 Rotarians (left to right): Naseem Sherwani (Hamilton), Ste- ven Cotten (Lockport), Gentiana Collaku (Hamilton), Wendy Hickey (Waterdown), Jeff Fancher (Buffalo), Andrea Scibetta (BNMC), Ralph Winslade (Fonthill), Julie Coy (Lockport), Paul Allen (Fonthill). A former graduate, DG Marlee Diehl, was in attendance also (in photo on right). Ab- sent from photo - graduates Marta Stiteler (Hamilton AM) and Jane Blums (Hamilton AM). ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE GRADUATES COG January 25, 2017 Page 2 Rotary Reflections—January 19, 2017 Our speaker, Lou Paonessa, presented us with some pertinent facts about the Niagara Power Project. It was constructed in the late 1950’s within 3 years, under mandate to replace the rockslide destroyed Schoellkopf Power Plant (On June 7, 1956, water seeping into a back wall caused the collapse of two-thirds of Schoellkopf Power Station No. 2, killing one worker and causing an estimated $100 million in damage). Considered the Hoover Dam of the East, it generates many times the power of the Hoover Dam, while attracting many times the number of tourists and visitors. Approximately 8 million people visit Niagara Falls each year. It is for these tourists and visitors, the NPA has assumed a new and more significant role. Spending several mil- lion dollars to refurbish and rehabilitate its visitor’s center, the NPA hopes to generate a greater impressive tour- ist destination. The admission-free visitor’s center, located at the Niagara Hydroelectric Power Plant, 5777 Lewiston Road, in Lewiston, has 50 interactive exhibits relating to the production of electricity, energy efficien- cy and the area’s history, plus the spectacular views from the observation deck 350 feet above the Niagara River Gorge. Added to the visitor center is a new elevator, exhibit upgrades by local Hadley displays and audio-visual stories of the history of electric pow- er, for our region was the birthplace of electricity generation. By taking visitors on a virtual tour of the plant, its marvelous engineering and design are revealed without having an actual physical tour of the facility. There is also a simulation where you can run the power plant. In addition, a description of the nature and beauty of the Niagara region is displayed, including its hiking trails along the gorge and geology. In Conclusion, as a grandparent, I have a new and inspiring activity for grandchildren when they come to visit. The center is open 7 days a week, from 9am-5pm and it is free. Your Reporter Photos by Paul Maze Jack Karet For those Rotarians who find it difficult to get away at lunch time to attend our regular meetings, the ROTARY GLOBAL REWARDS Rotary E-Club is an excellent alternative for makeups.