Caring moments:  Deirdre Stolte, our newest member, was supposed to be enjoying a vacation at the Cape last week. Instead, her youngest daughter began exhibiting some mysterious tremors, which have worsened and are mystifying a cadre of doctors. She’s going to be dealing with that again today and may not be able to join us for a few weeks. If you would like to reach out to Deirdre, 285 Long Hill St., East Hartford, CT 06108.

 

George Schoen mentioned that Rev. Al Turner’s obituary is now on D’Esopo’s website -- https://www.dignitymemorial.com/funeral-homes/east-hartford-ct/desopo-east-hartford-memorial-chapel/8083?utm_source=google_my_business&utm_medium=organicA celebration of Rev. Al's life will be on Sunday, August 29, 2021, at the D’Esopo East Hartford Memorial Chapel, 30 Carter Street, East Hartford from 11am to 2:00 pm.

 

Marc and Larry commented on the great showing by Bill and Bev Leone’s daughter Christina on Jeopardy last night.

 

Celebrating birthdays in August, this is quite a week for our club:  Bill Saunders, Aug 1, Bob Buettner, Aug 2, and Ceil Collins today. Congratulations to all. We spared them from singing “Happy Birthday.”

 

We enjoyed hearing an update from Lori Goeckler who rejoined our club June 16 at the Recognition/Installation Event at Goodwin. Lori studied financial planning at UConn and has continued as a financial advisor. She is also pursuing her passion, which in addition to service with Rotary, is art. She has been creating logos for friends’ businesses and hopes to create children’s books. Great to have Lori back!

 

Each week, the District Governor asks club presidents to share information about The Rotary Foundation. You can read her message about the Annual Fund at the end of this edition of High Gear. As important as big international projects are it is just as significant to recognize how the Annual Fund is used for smaller, local efforts.

 

 Our club was notified this week that our application for a district grant (for money from the Annual Fund of The Rotary Foundation) has been accepted. This means the club can proceed with the $10,000 literacy project with the public schools and the public library.

 

Sue followed up on what our club learned about the planned large mural celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. and other great Black leaders--

As of this afternoon, $5,793 of the $7,500 goal had been raised, with forty-eight participants of the hoped for seventy-five. Sue hopes each of us will help with this, most importantly by going to the link below, donating any amount from $10 to $100. We have over 50,000 residents in town. Surely, it is not too much to hope East Hartford can reach the goal of 75 participants. Deadline is 7 PM on August 14th.

https://www.patronicity.com/project/east_hartfords_mlk39_racial_equity_mural#!/. The quickest and easiest way to contribute is online via credit card, however If you prefer to give offline by cash or check mail donations to:  The Rise UP Group, Inc., 942 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103. The RiseUP Group, Inc is a Registered 501(c)(3), Tax ID 45-5512480.

 

President Sue reported on last evening’s Board meeting, beginning by thanking everyone who participated. We agreed to do the Holiday Project with Liberty Bank again this year. Sue and George will manage paperwork with the bank. Bob Buettner agreed to remain involved with this.

 

The Board discussed best approach to getting scholarship money to students once they submit acceptable proof of enrollment. At today’s meeting, Connor added that he has reached out to the recipients, and several have agreed to attend a Zoom meeting. August 18^th is the chosen date for us to meet and greet the students.

 

On behalf of our Social Committee, Bob Buettner reported on a date for this year’s Holiday Party. The Board agreed that he should reserve the December 15^th date; Wes will send a deposit to the Manchester Country Club where this event will occur.

 

Sue proposed, and the Board agreed, that the club donate $500 to the MLK mural equity project. In recognition, the club’s name will appear on a plaque near the mural.

 

The Board discussed getting t-shirts or other apparel with our club’s name on them to help with recognition when we attend events or participate in service projects. This discussion continued at our club meeting with several suggestions about the most cost-effective way to go about this. We hope to get samples and decide about this soon.

 

Segueing, looking to events when such apparel may be useful, Sue mentioned the Board agreed that the fifth week in September, there will not be a regular club meeting. Instead, we all will be encouraged to participate in some way at the Rotary in Motion event Saturday morning, October 2^nd. We will hear more about that in September.

 

Marc Glass reported that last Saturday night’s Yard Goats game was not so great for the team, which lost 6 to 0 in a near no-hitter, it was a great night for Rotary. Nearly three hundred Rotarians, a record number, participated, and in addition to raising the flag during the national anthem, Rotarians on the field read a proclamation from Governor Lamont that this day recognizes our district’s 100^th anniversary. $1700 was raised from $6/ticket for PolioPlus, which will be matched 2 to 1 by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; so, at the end of the day, $5,100 raised, and we all had fun.

 

George Schoen encouraged everyone to continue promoting our September 20^th golf tournament – we need donations to the raffle, sponsorships, and players. The 2021 Registration Form and Sponsor Letter are both available on our club website, in dropdown list under “Club Documents.”

 

WHAT IS THE ROTARY FOUNDATION’S ANNUAL FUND?
The Annual Fund is the primary source of unrestricted support for the programs of The Rotary Foundation. From digging clean water wells for villages in Africa to teaching basic literacy skills to children in Latin America, during any given moment in a day, thousands of Rotarians volunteer their time and expertise to ensure that all contributions given to the Annual Fund are spent wisely on quality Rotary projects.
In the 2019-20 Rotary year, US$123.6 million was donated to The Rotary Foundation’s Annual Fund. The Annual Fund is comprised of donations from Rotarians, friends of Rotary, corporations, workplace giving vehicles and can be matched by corporate matching gifts to leverage your donation. There is even an online resource that allows you to see if your company has a charitable matching program…check it out at: www.rotary.org/matchinggifts .

Will you support the Annual Fund with a monthly gift this year? Rotary Direct is a great way for you to donate monthly - you can "set it and forget it."

 

 

Our meeting ended about 1 PM.

 

Report submitted by Sue Klock, this week’s High Gear editor.