High Gear, January 11, 2012
Wow! A great Spring-like day in the middle of the Winter-a wonderful treat and very different from last year! How long will it last? It's a pity the golf course is closed. Our treasurer had a treat for us as we paid for lunch - our second semester dues! Thanks, Mark. President Peter called the meeting to order, and we went through our usual spirited opening. Dan Larson delivered a thoughtful invocation thanking God for the "Gift of the Day", and asking us for a renewal of our commitment to "Service Above Self, and our obligations to one another. Lunch was a salad, a chicken pot pie, and a nice chocolate cake roll, a meal which is a favorite of today's writer.
President Peter reconvened the group and the meeting began. No guests today, but Dan Larson volunteered to lead the Welcome Song anyway. He then took on the roll of Sgt. at Arms, which he called part of his trifecta of duties. Sheryl O'Connor paid for the opportunity to vacation with her boss, Dan Firestone paid for 36 years in our club, and Larry Hangland paid for 12, Jack Sayre paid for his 77th birthday, and Mayor Marcia LeClerc announced the date for the Mayor's Charity Ball - March 24th at the Rent! It will benefit 4 charities -YMCA. Senior Citizens, Project Graduation, and the Interfaith Ministry. John Kelleher paid for a Giant Victory, Ned Lynch paid for a safe passage for his son on a trip to Panama, and Dave Amberg for Notre Dame's stunning upset of UCONN! (Go Huskies)Today's announcements: 1. Bill Leone is now at Glastonbury Health Care in Glastonbury. No visitors yet. 2. Pat Gately underwent surgery today at St. Francis Hospital. 3. Look for the Billboard on 1-91 South for the Sue Klock Rotary Awareness display - a gift from Peter. 4. A $500 donation from Russell & Dawson will go to upgrade the sound system at the Ridge. Thanks! 5. Our Club will support 2 women for a year of school in India. Sue and Peter will visit the school and also attend a Polio Summit in India. 6. We will give the Raymond Library $500 for our speaker book donations. 7. We will donate $1000 to the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign. 8. We will also donate 200 tickets for the Science Center along with our Dictionaries to the various schools. 9. Steve Jacoby brought us up to date on the Interact Club. 10. Gil Wishart announced that the Rock Cats baseball game will be May 4th - save the date.11. Jim Fallon announced that there will be a Scholarship meeting next week at 11. After that, Gil won the Raffle, keeping it at our table for the 3rd week in a Row! Way to go, Gil!!!
Frank Collins introduced today's speaker, Alexis Sturdy, a 2010 graduate of Wesleyan University and former Rotary Scholarship winner. Lexi is Director of the Center for Prison Education at Wesleyan. This center developed as a result of her involvement through her Sociology Major and her volunteering to work at the Women's Prison in Niantic. She and another student went to the Wesleyan President and submitted a proposal to start an educational program for prisoners. They were given a 2 year probational opportunity and thus began a very successful program. In essence the program lets selected prisoners enroll for actual Wesleyan courses which are taught at the prison by Wesleyan Professors. Prisoners were selected based on certain criteria - a high school diploma or GED, a test, a written essay, and interviews. Initially 19 people were selected and allowed to take courses. All were up to the task, and one student got better grades than the actual Wesleyan students taking the same course. Their first major success story was a prisoner who had successfully passed 8 courses was released from prison and then accepted at UCONN as a second year student. The program has been given another 5 years, now enrolls 37 students, and hopes to start a program at the Women's facility next year. The program operates on a $95,000 a year budget derived from donations, uses Wesleyan Faculty, and has involved many Wesleyan students as tutors. Lexi is a courageous individual, well spoken, and dedicated to making this program a continuing success. Great Program.
'Til next week, Bob Wood