High Gear, April 24, 2013
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What a gorgeous day—bright sunshine, warm, what a relief from the chilly winds and rain we’ve been having. The day must really have been unusual—Steve Jacoby was there already! As it turns out, besides taking orders for Duck Race Tee Shirts, he was giving the invocation, which he based on Indian wisdom of our north-west. It was almost a mini-sermon of graciousness.
Lunch was a picnic on a plate—cheeseburgers, potato salad, cole slaw, followed by cupcakes. Alex Wisz shared a brief Foundation Moment with us, centered on the Foundation’s Mini-Grants, which truly do amazing things all-around the world.
Guests today included Chickie Amberg, (Dave’s wife), Bob Dugger from Glastonbury, and our speaker, Dr. Rob Hemin. Frank and Ceil led us in the Welcome Song.
Jack Martin was again Sergeant-at-Arms. He’s persistent! Four, no, it turned out to be five, early leavers. 
George Agnelli had an anniversary—38th-- gave generously (Jack commented that the cost of jewelry would be going up!). 
Jim Fallon paid for a birthday (he wanted silence) and Stu Harris for a birthday (everyone under age 56 sang—it sounded a bit ragged). Bill Saunders paid for a gallon of gas, high test, for having acquired a previously owned up-market (supposedly a Rolls Royce?) automobile. (When do we see it?) Yvette Roming paid for an announcement regarding the South End Senior Center—they have a “gift shop” which is where we can put our unwanted usable items to good cause. And Dan Larson got flowers from Bob Buettner, but not for Dan, for the Senior Ball tonight. And we welcomed Pat Gately
back form Florida.
Caring moments:
Kathy McCabe is having surgery today. Keep her in your thoughts. And Jay Stewart announced that Dick Seidman is at home in Florida, after nearly four months in hospital. His address in Florida: 127 Andalusia Way, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418-1723.
Announcements for the good of the Club:
Friday, May 17 is Career Day at East Hartford High School. If you can take a student for the morning, and the student is interested in what you do, it can turn into a career—I did it, I know.
Tuesday, May 21: District Assembly with registration deadline of May 8th. Club pays the registration fee and incoming officers and newer members are urged to attend.
Wednesday, May 22: Ribbon Cutting for the Book Mobile! 222 Roberts Street, what I call the Truck Stop—you want to drive a trailer across the country, that’s where you get your tractor—continental breakfast followed by the ceremony at 8 a.m. Let President Sheryl know by May 17th if you plan to go so she can inform caterer. We had our lunch meeting there several years ago. More next week.
June 5th: who can think that far ahead? District Installation Dinner, at which our new District Governor will be installed, and our incoming club presidents (including our own George Schoen) will officially take office, if my information is correct. Registration forms are on the website with a deadline of May 10th. Note on bottom of registration that you would like to be included in the East Hartford Rotary tables.
George Schoen has a Larry Hangland
produced “poster” showing our Book Mobile (look alike) which will go to the District Conference for inclusion in the Friendship Room—it’s a $45,000 project which we, with lots of help, have accomplished.
There was a confusing announcement about Sponsors for the Duck Race, --it sounded like a two for one—with the Golf Tournament. (I think the details need to be printed out for us to carry away to any of our potential sponsors.) The good announcement: There will two spots per hour, at the many gasoline stations that have a radio blaring at you while you pump, about our Duck Race!
The Raffle was won by Jim Watts.
Guest Chickie Amberg
was called upon to introduce our guest speaker. Wow! Did you, as a child, dread going to the dentist? Imagine living in a tropical climate, and walking five to ten miles, to see a dentist for the first time in your life, as an adult. That, my friends, is what life is like for many people in Guatemala. We do not begin to realize how available our health care is to us. Dr. Rob Hemin has been Chickie’s family dentist for years, and he had been besieged 
by requests to go to Guatemala for about ten years, and he finally acquiesced. Based on what he told us, with words and a rather difficult to see video, about his experiences and what he and his associates had established, there is a great opportunity and need there.
This is all about dentistry to the underserved—and in the area near the city of Esquipulas (I wrote what I heard phonetically, and then researched with a magnifying glass my World Atlas) which is in the mountains. We have to remember that so many people in the world are hungry, do not have good water, do not have medical care, to not have shelter at night—we are truly fortunate. Dr. Rob and his associates have established an amazing thing: a clinic—all the equipment is portable, they have to carry it in, but in two days, they would see 450 patients, complete 750 procedures—they need to establish a permanent clinic, with equipment, clean water. There is a tremendous need, can we help?
We closed late, but what Dr. Rob had to tell us was captivating, and worthy of our time and of serious thought.
Nice to have been with you—Dan Russell