President Bob rang the bell promptly and led us in the pledge, then invited Ceil Collins to provide the invocation. Ceil did an inspiring job asking us, while enjoying a beautiful clean and dry summer day, to remember folks on the Gulf coast in path of Hurricane Laura, and interweaving Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self” and goal of “World Peace and Understanding” with a reminder that each of us should be working to make the world a better place.
Rick Lawrence makes annual visit
Guests today were our speaker, Rick Lawrence, and a favorite former club member, the Reverend Bill Flynn.
Announcements and Reminders:
President Bob reminded us that we will once again combine with Liberty Bank, the bank matching funds we deposit in a special account $.25/$1.00 for Covid Relief and holiday projects. Currently we have over $2000 in that fund. (See more about how you can help build that fund in end note to this report.)
The Board has approved this year’s bare-bones budget. A copy will be shared with club members soon; Bob will attach it to an email.
Yvette Roman will keep us updated on progress at our town’s new Senior Center. Rooms honoring George Agnelli and Loren Andreo have been designated.
Happy to see Dick McCarthy with us. Dick reported that Coats for Kids is still scheduled to happen; new date is Sunday, October 25th. Some details are still being adjusted due to Covid concerns. The town was experimenting with online applications, but the results so far are disappointing. May be going back to some old-style approaches to reach out to families who want to apply for the program.
Solar powered electrical pumps in use
Our program today featured Rick Lawrence, a good friend and member of neighboring Rotary Club of Manchester. Rick reminded us that our club and 11 others in District 7890 were involved in his first project for the village of Cojomachaj. [ed. note: For those who are new to our club, this was during the ’06-’07 Rotary year, when Dan Larson led our club, and Sue Atkins was District Governor.] Between then and the ’18-’19 Rotary year, cooperation has gone from 12 to 48 clubs, raising over a million dollars, from one district to ten.
The huge opportunity Rick seized on in ’13-’14, was The Rotary Foundation’s introducing Global Grants. These projects provide clean water, gray water filters and latrines to Mayan families in remote mountain villages in Guatemala. Villagers participate in building water systems and each household is required to contribute $25 for a 3-part sink and $75 for stoves. One of the exciting changes is in the last couple of years is the use of solar-powered electrical pumping systems, which eliminates the need for villagers to pay for fuel to operate a diesel generator, not to mention reducing air pollution.
Rotary in Motion scheduled for October 3rd
Because our club is involved and some or our members will volunteer to help with Rotary in Motion, I have added below an explanation of this event which appeared in the most recent District 7890 newsletter.
The Rotary Clubs of Manchester, East Hartford and Rockville, in collaboration with Bike Walk Bolton and the Connecticut Greenways Alliance, are again hosting Rotary in Motion. This free, community wide event will take place on Saturday, October 3 originating at Charter Oak Park in Manchester. For the second year we will be celebrating mobility in all forms featuring a 26 mile-bike route. Walkers, joggers, pet walkers, and adaptive bikers are all welcome. Rickshaw and golf cart rides will be along the tour route up to Highland Park. Registration begins at 9:30am following the completion of the Rotary Pavilion/Michael B. Lynch Sr. Memorial dedication ceremony at 9:00am. Dixieland jazz by the Dukes of Bourbon Street will add to the festivities.
In deference to the Covid-19 threat, we will require adherence to all CDC guidelines including social distancing and masks. Bike riders will be expected to use good judgement with adequate spacing. The ride will be accompanied by SAG support. Rest stops will be hosted, major intersections will be monitored, and a special treat will be awaiting at Highland Park. This is a perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy the fall weather as a supportive community.
*The COVID-19 crisis is having a significant impact on our club’s ability to raise funds for the charities that we support. Please consider donating the money you would have spent weekly on lunches to help fund our COVID-19 related activities, such as additional food bank donations. Checks should be made out to EHRC Charitable Fund, include a memo that donation is for COVID-19 relief, and be sent to George Schoen at 53 Duxbury Lane Glastonbury, CT 06033. Thanks for your support!
Submitted by Sue Klock, taking notes for our August 2020 club meetings
