High Gear - August 10, 2022

The Rotary Club of
East Hartford

 

High Gear

Volume 78 | Issue 5  / August 3, 2022
 
Great weather, cooler temperatures, reported by attendees all around New England, including at home in East Hartford. Today’s Zoom meeting began a few minutes after noon with President Alex leading the group in the Pledge and the Four-way Test. Sue Klock offered an invocation combining words from Mother Theresa and Rabindranath Tagore, both of whom believed that service gives joy and fosters peace.
 
Scholarship Recipients Join Us
Alex then asked Connor Martin, Chair of our Scholarship Committee, to introduce some of our 2021-2022 scholarship recipients who joined us today. We heard from four of our six awardees* – Faith Anane, Cheyenne Crumpler, Tyler Davis, and Chloe Sheer.  Two of the four, Tyler and Faith, will be attending Boston University, while Chloe plans to attend Western Connecticut, and Cheyenne will enroll in Eastern Connecticut.  While they all have significantly different plans and goals, all agreed they are looking forward to living away from home, and the freedom and independence they hope results.  Connor asked each of them about the effect of missing over a year of in-person high school and then returning for their senior year.  Again, there seemed to be agreement that online learning was at best just okay and at worst a depressing experience.  Cheyenne described her junior year as a “missing year” though added that it may have caused her to mature.  All four were selected in part due to exceptional records of service during their high-school years.  During his four years as a CIBA student, Tyler was a member of the Interact Club, served as vice president during junior year, and president during senior year.  Though not in Interact, Cheyenne explained she always has wanted to help others, and difficulties she and her friends experienced during Covid and its isolation resulted in her changing her plans for higher education.  She will study social work and hopes to be a therapist.  In her words, “When you help somebody, your day just gets better.” 
 
Many thanks to Connor for leading the Scholarship Committee and encouraging the recipients to join us today.
[Editor’s Note:  If you missed the meeting, the recording is available using the following internet link and passcode:
 
Following this, President Alex asked Bob Buettner to comment on progress for this year’s golf tournament.  Bob reminded everyone, we still need sponsors, players, raffle prizes and gift cards.  There will be a meeting of the golf committee immediately after next week’s in-person meeting at Goodwin, Room 311.
Alex mentioned the Backpack Project for East Hartford students, which our club has been supporting.  Backpacks will be given out this afternoon.  In addition to members assisting in person, the club donated $500 toward the project.
Sue Klock mentioned the need for more volunteers to do invocations at our meetings.  She will bring a sign-up sheet to next week’s meeting.  She asks everyone to bring their calendars and prepare to volunteer.
Deirdre reminded us that she continues the girls’ hygiene project.  Cash donations are very welcome so she can purchase projects.  Later this year she may need volunteers to help deliver items to schools.
Alex followed up with three trivia questions.  Neal Cunningham won a $10 gift card to Russell-Hampton by correctly answering that the fortune cookie was invented in San Francisco.
Lastly, Alex concluded the program with a quote from Henry Ford: Failure is an opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.
 
*Six Scholarship Recipients are Isabel Burgo, Tyler Davis, Chloe Sheer, Faith Anane, Cheyenne Crumpler, and Paris Hancel.
 
Submitted by Sue Klock, High Gear writer this week.