Spring is coming! I can almost see the early spring flowers popping up and birds are making their nests. With many of us starting to receive our vaccines, there is hope filling the air. My friends are taking hikes in the parks.
Thank you, my fellow Rotarians, for keeping safe through this year of a pandemic and for finding opportunities to reach out to lend a hand to others.
I often say, this is what we do – who we are, we continue to find opportunities to connect, unite and take action.
Rotary International (R.I.) has been taking opportunities this month to address two important priorities, Diversity, one of our 5 core values for 116 years, and the new focus, the Environment, which will be elevated to become the seventh area of focus of R.I. as of July 1, 2021.
Environment: Rotarians around the globe have become increasingly concerned about the environment and the need to work together to ensure that when addressing clean air, water and sanitation, peace and conflict prevention, curing and preventing disease, the underlying conditions in the environment provide that opportunity. Gary Huang, the chair of the Rotary Foundation Trustees, said “Rotary is a global group of problem solvers with diverse talents.” Therefore, the Foundation has made the Environment the seventh area of focus and has established guidelines in the grant funding models with applications now available for funding beginning July 1, 2021. Click here to access the Areas of Focus Policy Statement.
Diversity: Rotary has always united with other countries and cultures around the world, whether to eliminate polio, support exchange students and youth programs, peace fellows, global grants, and more. R.I. President Holger Knaack said, “we should be proud that Rotary reflects so many cultures, generations and lived experiences, and offers the potential for countless leaders to tap into those experiences to make a difference.”
R.I. has established a task force to prepare a concrete plan to make sure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are ingrained in everything that we do and reflected in the actions we take.
DISTRICT 6630 CONFERENCE OF CLUBS
The inability to hold an in-person District Conference is not stopping our conference committee from planning a celebration of all our clubs on April 22-24, 2021.
We have an exciting opportunity to join with other districts in Ohio for a portion of our own District Conference. During the joint sessions, we will be able to showcase our District and have some fun together.
In our stand-alone District Conference sessions, we will feature our Four-Way Speech Contest, Celebration of Life honoring all Rotarians who have passed away the last two years, 50-Year Rotarian Celebration honoring those members who belonged to Rotary for 50 years, Interact and Rotaract. We will also conduct our Annual Meeting. Registration will open soon.
WOW!!
I am so impressed with everything going on in the District, that I encourage you to read the entire Newsletter to see everything that is happening in Our District. I am so proud to be a member of Rotary with each of you.
If your Club subscribes to ClubRunner create an event within ClubRunner and mark the event to be shown on the District website. Your events will then appear within the Club Calendar on both, the District Bulletin and District home page.
RI sends out various newsletters throughout the month.
You can sign up/manage your subscriptions for publications atrotary.org- simply sign in, then go to news & media then select newsletters. If you need assistance, please EMAIL ME.
Since many of you already receive these email newsletters, in lieu of reproducing them in the body of the District newsletter, moving forward you can now use the links below to download them all or individually.
I have included the story headings to help you see what is in each issue.
Ideas for strengthening membership | February 2021 (a bimonthly publication)
Membership Minute is a bimonthly newsletter that provides the latest membership trends, strategies, best practices, and resources to help strengthen membership in your clubs. The newsletter is sent to Rotary coordinators, district governors, district membership chairs, club membership chairs, club presidents and subscribers.
Achieve your professional development goals in the new year
Rotary Award for Excellence in Service to Humanity
World Rotaract Week is March 8-14, 2021
State of Rotary's Membership
The 2019-2020 RI Annual Report
3 ways to create a harassment-free zone in Rotary
RYLA fuels the creation of new clubs
How we held our speech contest on The Four-Way Test online
Connect. Partner. Serve. | February 2021 Rotary Service Newsletter
The Rotary Service newsletter provides information to help Rotary members plan effective and inspired service projects. The bimonthly newsletter is sent to subscribers, District Governors, District Community Service and International Service Chairs.
Be an everyday peacebuilder
Collaborate with our partners to foster peace
Newly recognized Rotary Action Group for Refugees, Forced Displacement, and Migration
Connecting students and communities around the world | February 2021
This newsletter is a source of news, resources, and event details available every other month for those who promote global understanding through the Rotary Youth Exchange program.
Create and take part in meaningful virtual exchanges
2021 Youth Exchange Officers Preconvention to be held virtually
Engaging the next generation of Rotary Leaders | February 2021
Young Leaders in Action is a monthly source of news, resources, and event information for young leaders in Rotaract, Interact, the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program, and New Generations Service Exchange and Rotarians who support them.
As a member of The Rotary Club of Aurora and co-Chair of our Fundraising Committee 2020 posed several challenges for us as a result of the Covid-19 Pandemic and CDC Guidelines for safe distancing and limits to the number of people allowed for social gatherings. Traditionally, our main fundraising mission is The Taste of The Western Reserve. Due to the aforementioned constraints we were forced to postpone the “Taste” and in lieu of this venue were faced with coming up with ideas for alternate venues for raising money for the causes that we support, locally, nationally and internationally. It was decided that we would research online fundraising platforms to take the place of “The Taste”. In our search we came up with two possibilities, Q- Give and e Tapestry. We decided on e Tapestry due to the versatility in tracking and reporting capabilities for metrics like donor profiles, real time fund tracking, transaction reporting downloadable as pdf, excel and other formats. Q- Give did not provide these capabilities.
E Tapestry is a platform designed by Blackbaud.com which requires subscribing to a minimum three year contract billable on a yearly basis. E Tap and Blackbaud have different menus of offerings, and we decided since this was our first venture into this type of event, we would go with the basic platform which included tracking and reporting, training and online credit card transaction and funds disbursements into designated accounts, (via e commerce and Blackbaud Merchant Services), our bank account is in the name Rotary Club of Aurora Foundation. In addition to the subscription bill of $99/month plus training there are also credit card processing fees and transaction fees which are fractional percentages of the ticket purchase price. Due to time constraints we decided to launch a Valentine’s Day 50/50 Raffle, whereby donors, (accounts) could buy tickets online by clicking on a QR code that we set up on an e-flier with a link to our website where we embedded a link to an order form that I designed through an e Tap template.
Initially the time involved to take the online training and get up to up to speed on the platform was fairly extensive, but being online you can do it from home on your own schedule which made things much more flexible. I also set up a daily running total of ticket purchases on our Club Runner website aurorarotaryclub.org. The Valentine’s Day 50/50 Raffle was launched at the end of December with the first ticket purchases logged in the first week of January. We set the timeline for the drawing to expire on February 13th at Midnight with the drawing on Sunday the 14th. Over approximately 6 weeks of online ticket purchases we sold 340 tickets, our half more than covered the cost of implementing the e Tapestry platform. Each ticket sale represented an individual transaction which logged the purchasers’ contact info including Name, Address, Phone # and e mail address. This information automatically gets uploaded into a data base which also included past donors from “The Taste” and Rotary Club members which were uploaded separately as an excel file.
I won’t say that this process was entirely seamless, as we did learn a lot along the way, including how to generate various reports which allow us to slice and dice data, maintaining best practices like not posting personal information on our Facebook page nor on our website due to privacy laws etc. and being able to reach out to past and prospective donors electronically to thank them for their past support and to encourage their continued patronage to our fundraising missions.
I would consider this new online fundraising mission a success, one which we will be utilizing on at least a quarterly basis going forward. Feel free to reach out to me directly should you have any questions. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank and mention fellow Rotary Club Members Cheryl Duraski Warren for her guidance and expertise in Club Runner functionality and Alex Jacobs for his desktop publishing skills in creating our flier and assistance in website maintenance.
Motivated by other clubs that have replaced in-person fundraisers with creative virtual solutions, The Rotary Club of Lakewood-Rocky River Sunrise has launched a virtual "Jewelry Raffle". The Raffle replaces our annual fundraiser dinner and auction that has been in place for 12 years. Transactions are virtual through credit cards or the good old US Mail.
The attached flyer has all the details as well as a picture of the diamond bracelet valued at $3750. Information and links for payment are also available on our club’s website: https://www.lrrsunriserotary.org/page/raffle.
Please help us by sharing this information and/or purchasing a raffle ticket, one ticket is only $10 or you can purchase a bundle of tickets at a discount!
Thanks for your help and support,
Eric Jolly, President, TRC Lakewood-Rocky River Sunrise
The Rotary Club of Mantua and the Downtown Mantua Revitalization Corporation have joined together to organize a virtual reverse raffle on March 13th.
GET THIS!
First place - $2,000,
Second Place $1,000
Third Place $500
Fourth Place $250
Fifth Place - $100.
Other prizes include $50 gift cards for Mantua Village businesses for the first number drawn and every 10th number beginning with the 10th and ending with the 140th.
Only $100 per ticket!
Only 150 tickets sold.
The Crestwood Middle School Student Sunshine Fund assists students and families with basic housing and nutritional needs as well as for pay-to-participate fees, field trip fees and clothing needs that cannot be met with the existing CMS Clothing Closet. There also may be times that families also need access to fuel to heat homes or gasoline to transport students.
Visit one of these five Village of Mantua stores Restoration 44 Coffee Shop, Jake’s Eats, Bibury & Co., Crooked River Florist, and R44 Butcher and Baker
Last year’s wildly successful raffle featuring the award of a brand new Chevy Equinox vehicle to the lucky winner, will once again give away a brand new 2020 Ford F-150 vehicle to a lucky winner.
The vehicle is provided by the Pat Preston family of dealerships and Preston Ford in Burton, Ohio.
Many other great prizes including individual cash prizes of $2500, $1500, and $1000, a Chain Saw Package, a Diamond Pendant, a Big Screen TV, a Snow Blower and Instant $100 cash tickets.
This year we are featuring Early Bird cash drawings in varying amounts to be awarded monthly until the main drawing in July.
Last year over $50,000 was given away to many community organizations including food cupboards, The Red Tulip Project, Next Step, children’s meals, scouting projects, the Geauga County Historical Society and many other worthwhile organizations throughout the county.
This year we hope to equal or surpass last years funds and continue our club’s long tradition of being an active and strong supporter of our community.
Anna Dey, the Event Creator/Director of The 24 in 24, had the honor of being named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Mentor Rotary Club, “in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.”
Rotarians designate a Paul Harris Fellow as a tribute to a person whose life demonstrates a shared purpose with the objectives of Rotary International Foundation. In becoming a Paul Harris Fellow, Anna will join a remarkable company of persons throughout the world. This is an award recognizing those for the devotion to the ideal of goodwill, peace, and understanding, as is the shared purpose of the Rotary Foundation.
Anna wrote on Facebook "Thank you to Chester and Lee of Mentor Rotary for not only sponsoring The 24 in 24 (and Lee for running it!) but also for deeming our event worthy of such an honor."
She added "Thank you to Chester and Lee of Mentor Rotary for coming to Smoothie King for this presentation, and for bearing with me as I was dressed in uniform and had to work this day. 🤣 My dress and choice of location are by no means intended to undermine the significance of this honor or how much it meant to accept it. I will proudly wear my pin, and I vow to continue dedicating myself to The 24 in 24 and try to make my tiny part of the world a better place. Thank you Mentor Rotary"
Congratulations Roger Sustar! What a great Rotarian!
Rogers Sustar is the founding member of AWT (training center for skilled manufacturing workers). Roger Sustar and AWT received the Lake County NAACP 2020 Selma C. Award! A special thank you to
The Medina Sunrise Rotary Club is deeply grateful to receive this unexpected and selfless donation, especially during these difficult times of the coronavirus pandemic. It was surely given in the same spirit of Service Above Self to which Rotary aspires. This donation will allow Medina Sunrise Rotary to carry on serving its mission of “continuing to make a difference in the lives of children in our community and beyond, through our time, talents and treasures.”
"What great news this morning of this wonderful, anonymous $50,000 donation to our club!" exclaimed Toby Butt, a distinguished Paul Harris Fellow from the Medina Sunrise Rotary Club. I hope that every Rotarian and every beneficiary of our community service knows that this generous contribution comes from the heart - and represents ALL of us.
"It is an honor to belong to an organization of people like Rotarians who have shared the same core values for over 115 years. One that shares their resources and skills, uniting with others to create sustainable change by meeting needs in their communities, in the world and in themselves. How fortunate for the families and children in Medina County." -- Patricia A. Myers, Rotary Ohio District 6630 Governor, 2020-2021.
The Rotary Club of Nordonia Hills presenting a $1,000 donation to Joyce Hunt, Executive Director of The Emergency Assistance Center.
The Rotary Club of Nordonia Hills presenting a $1,000 donation to Michael Wolfe, Director of Nordonia Campus Life.
Steve Bugenske, President of The Rotary Club of Nordonia Hills, presented $1,000 checks to two cherished community service organizations, The Emergency Assistance Center and Campus Life, aligned with the club’s goal of serving the community. “The services provided and the ethics that both The Emergency Assistance Center and Campus Life live by perfectly align with what Rotary is all about. It is a privilege to support both organizations!” said Bugenske.
The Emergency Assistance Center volunteers Tom Dirmyer and Vini Ventura unloading supplies.
The Emergency Assistance Center provides food, clothing and personal hygiene items to Northern Summit County neighbors in need. First and foremost a pantry, it provides a monthly 7-day supply of food to feed the hungry. They serve those in need of emergency help, as well as those in the service area who need continued help. According to Joyce Hunt, Director, “This generous donation comes at a critical time when so many families are experiencing difficulties, often for the first time, brought on by COVID-19.” www.teacenter.org
Nordonia Campus Life outing to SkyZone
Campus Life is a program of Youth For Christ, a non-profit organization that has been active throughout the United States for over 65 years, with over 1,000 sites located throughout 40 states. Campus Life Nordonia Hills combines healthy relationships with creative programs to help young people make good choices, establish a solid foundation for life, and positively impact their schools through bi-weekly meetings, fun trips and events. The program is open to every student regardless of their race, gender, religious beliefs, or economic circumstances. Per Michael Wolfe, Director, “This generous donation will go towards Nordonia students as we offer bowling, sky zone, laser-tag etc. which does cost something per family. We have never left a student out of anything based on finance thanks to partners like the Nordonia Rotary.” www.nordoniacampuslife.com
Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves. Right here in your community, your local Rotary Club generously donates funds, time, labor and love for numerous vital endeavors such as upgrades to the Veteran’s Memorial Park, Safety Town, Student of the Month, The Chuck Sterling Scholarship Fund, and so much more!
The total amount raised this year was $315,961(photo was taken prior to the final tally)!
Our presenting sponsor Wayne Homes has been a part of the Chili Open since 1993. This year they stepped up their support with a matching raffle ticket purchase which resulted in $7,420 in raffle ticket purchases. Wayne Homes leadership also presented the Chili Open with a $5000 donation in addition to the presenting sponsorship. Thank you again to all the sponsors listed below in this newsletter.
Congratulations to our raffle ticket winners:
1st Prize:
Rhonda Mele
Vandevere Sponsored 2021 Chevrolet Trax LS
2nd Prize:
Keith Anstine
S Group Sponsored 55" 4K Smart LED TV
3rd Prize:
Julie Lehman
Steve Warren Sponsored FOX Sports Ohio Media Package
SnowmaniaWinner: David Miller
Our club members went above and beyond in securing sponsorships, camperships, raffle ticket sales, donations, and silent auction items. It was truly a remarkable day to celebrate as a club.
Mark your calendars for the 32nd Chili Open on Saturday, February 5, 2022 where we hope to be back at Hale Farm.
We welcomed two new members Steve Bossart and Zach Prosser!
Steve Bossart was sponsored by Julie Brandle. Steve has been attending our meetings routinely before his induction.
He is the Vice President of Business Development and Marketing for Coleman Professional Services and has over 30 years of professional experience, his past 14 years were in the healthcare and behavioral health industries.
At Coleman, he leads a team that includes regional development and marketing executives and grant writing staff. He is also charged with exploring avenues to expand the Coleman business throughout the state.
He has an established history in the nonprofit sector of our community and is very passionate about community service and philanthropy.
Julie wrote, "Steve embodies the word service. He is optimistic and enthusiastic about serving others".
Steve is very involved with his fraternity, Delta Chi, and serves as an alumni advisor.
He is married to Lorrie and they have two young children.
Steve earned a degree in Public Relations from Kent State University and a Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Management from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.
Zachary (Zach) Prosser is not new to the Akron Rotary Club, he was a member of our Club previously but had to step away temporarily and is thrilled to be back.
He was originally sponsored by Sam Lupica and recently, Tom Knauer helped him get back into our Club.
Zach and his wife Heather life in Stow. He leads a very busy professional life. He has completed his tenure as the president of a nonprofit coaching organization, and now remains active as Lead Pastor in North Hill at Celebration Church. He also founded Zach Prosser Coaching and is a Master Facilitator and Coach Trainer.
As a trainer, Zach provides International Coaching Federation (ICF) approved coach training to those desiring to utilize coaching skills either professionally as a coach or those looking to advance their skills in leadership. He received the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Young Leader Award (Prague) and the ICF Chapter Recognition Award (Dublin).
In addition, he is now the Director of Coaching & Coach Training for Emerge in Akron.
He shared that he "always enjoyed being a part of Rotary and the projects and is looking forward to re-engaging and serving".
Akron Rotary Foundation & Akron Rotary Members Help Refugio de Ancianos San Cristobal in Medellin
Claudine Schooley shared the following thank you sent to the Foundation and Club Members. The report of how the funds were used along with photos are also included below their thank you.
Rotary Club of Akron
District 6630 Ohio
Mrs. Claudine Schooley
Dear Rotarians,
As legal representative of the Refugio de Ancianos San Cristobal in Medellin I wanted to express my deepest appreciation for your kind donation to our institution.
Your donation is very important and will help us maintain a dignified and brighter life for our 60 seniors, all of them coming from a previous life of neglect and abuse.
Please remit our appreciation for your generosity to the members of your club.
Warm regards
DORA LUZ MEJIA PIEDRAHITA
Director
AYUDAR A UN ANCIANO ES PREPARAR NUESTRO INCIERTO FUTURO
Teléfono 216 16 58 - 216 16 40
Nit 890 984 879-8
Personería Jurídica 12191
Report on the $500 donation from Akron Rotary Foundation
When Claudine Schooley first reached out to me about a donation to buy food for families on the dam where the Alberto Chedrani School is located, they were suffering from the pandemic. Many people lost their jobs, others could not even leave the area due to government restrictions.
Then, in November, two tropical storms impacted Honduras within 10 days. The general area of the dam was among the hardest hit, and thousands of families lost everything in the floods.
2020 was a truly tragic year, and this year will be complicated, too. This is why I am so happy and grateful for your donation of $500 for food for poor families on the dam. It brings a ray of hope in a time of great suffering. Thank you so much for allowing us to serve.
With the funds, equivalent to 12,192 Lempiras, we purchased 300 lbs of rice, 200 lbs of beans, 50 lbs of coffee, 82 lbs of sugar, 144 lbs of wheat flour, 75 lbs of spaghetti, 50 lbs of fat, 50 tomato sauces and 270 lbs of corn flour. This is the basic Honduran diet. The kids at El Refugio packed 50 bags for equal number of families. We think that each bag feeds a family of six for up to a week.
We distributed the bags all along the dam, all the way from the beginning to the school. We handed one bag to each mother or grandmother present and took many pictures.
I hope you can feel how happy these families are to receive your gift.
Dan Riemenschneider, a fellow Rotarian, suggested that we share this information for venues that have been shuttered because of COVID and may not be aware of this grant.
Emergency assistance for eligible venues affected by the COVID pandemic.
Eligible entities may be live venue operators or promoters, theatrical producers, live performing arts organization operators, museum operators, motion picture theatre operators, and talent representatives, per the Economic Aid Act. Additionally, entities of these types owned by state or local governments (for example, museums or historic homes) are eligible to apply if the governmentally-owned entity also acts solely as a venue operator, museum, etc. and not also include other types of entities.
Dear Rick & the Rotary District 6630 Grants Committee,
Thank you again for your support of University Hospitals during this unprecedented pandemic and especially for safe guarding the health of UH front line caregivers. Here’s a quick update from UH Geauga’s Supply Chain manager on the importance and value of the 1500 Level II Isolation gowns the Rotary contributed to us in 2020:
The gowns arrived at UH Geauga Medical Center just in time for the largest surge of COVID patients seen yet which took place in mid-December. Upon receipt of the donation, the Rotary gown supply was used immediately to replenish our disaster stock which we were depleting during a very stressful time. COVID was heating up and the isolation gowns we were ordering were not meeting the demand. Usage of the gowns was skyrocketing- we were literally just getting enough to make it through by using safety stock from Corporate Supply Chain.
As the vaccine rolls out across Ohio, I know everyone is anxious to get on with vaccinations when available for your age group and to learn what is next. Below are links to register for vaccines and to Monday’s webcast with UH experts which is always proactive, informative and often encouraging. I hope it helps.
One of the most excited new opportunities is welcoming members of the 2020 Leadership Hudson class as members of our club. We are looking forward to getting to know our new members and hope that they enjoy being part of our club and learning about Rotary and its many wonderful experiences! Thanks to all of the Rotarians who have volunteered to be sponsors. Photo: The 2020 Leadership Hudson Class, courtesy of Leadership Hudson.
Our weekly meetings provided several opportunities.
January 6, 2021 We began the month hearing from Jim Ahern, Director of Hudson Job Search which is an ecumenical effort of churches in Hudson to help job seekers find positions. As of today, 4500 clients have found success through Hudson Job Search. Jim is also one of the facilitators of the 4-way speech contest.
We continued our monthly segment of "When in your Life did you feel most Vibrant and Alive?" Ted spoke of two experiences while a college student at Dartmouth and their effects on him.
January 13, 2021 We kicked off our new book discussion group with the Leadership Hudson Alumni on the book, GMorning,GNight! by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Books were also chosen for February of Blink and Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladstone. Readers are invited to read one or both books.
Jeremy Lavoie, the Hudson High School student presented the book collection project for the Cleveland community and prisons which has collected 9,100 books. Books are still being collected and can be dropped off at Jeremy's house, 7165 Colebrook Dr., Hudson by the garage. Jeremy will also pick up books. His e-mail: pslotter@windstream.net. The next book distribution will be during the Hudson Schools Spring break at the end of March.
January 20, 2021--no meeting so members could witness the inauguration.
January 27, 2021--Dan Reynolds, the Executive Director of the Akron Rotary Camp joined us as part of our monthly segment of "What is Rotary?". We learned about all of the great work that is being done at the camp to provide a summer camp experience for disabled children.
We also featured our "Business of the Month": Lager & Vine. Cliff Cravens, owner, spoke about the experience in operating a restaurant during Covid-19 including the safety features that have been added. Lager & Vine is our home for our meetings and has been featured on our website during the month of January. Thanks to John Murphy. our webmaster for an excellent presentation about Lager & Vine, which Cliff very much appreciated!
Looking ahead...
February 3, 2021--11:45---Lisa Sabol, President, Leadership Hudson Board.
February 10, 2021--5:30--Book discussion group--led my Jim Knauf and Kate Schladerman. Books: "Blink" and "Tipping Point".
February 17th--11:45--Donna Skoda, Summit County Health Commissioner
February 24th--Bob Drew--2021 Tax Update. Club Assembly: election of officers for 21-22.
February Business of the Month--Olive My Heart. The new owner, Gayle Creme will be speaking at the February 24th meeting.
Leadership Hudson Alumni update. Rotarians are invited to the February 11th, 7:00 p.m. meeting at which Dr. Danielle Coombs will be speaking. Danielle is an assistant professor at the Kent State School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is an author and media commentator.
We have a Snowman!! Rotary Clocktower teamed with the Leadership Hudson Alumni to create a Snowman for the Hudson "Tour of Snowmen". Downtown Hudson is overrun by snow people! We can vote for our favorites through February 28th while making a donation to the Hudson Community Service Association. I hope that you will have an opportunity to take the tour. Our Snowman is on Main Street in front of the Fair Trade Store.
Rotarians tackle the environment! In June, 2020, Rotary International approved a new area of focus for Rotary: the environment, which is Rotary's seventh area of focus. It joins peacebuilding and conflict prevention; disease prevention and treatment; water, sanitation, and hygiene; maternal and child health; basic education and literacy; and community economic development.
In case you missed it, the October, 2020 Rotary has an excellent article about pollinators, which stated: "Seventy-five percent of the world's plant species are dependent on pollinators to survive." Without the help of pollinators, 30 percent of the food in any grocery store would disappear.
Rotary Clocktower is in discussions with the morning Rotary Club on a joint project to create pollinator gardens within the Hudson community. A proposal is being prepared to give to the Hudson Schools to create pollinator gardens at the schools. Chris Foster, a member of the morning club has offered his greenhouse for the planting of the seeds. We are exploring the possibility of offered the plants to Hudson citizens at the Farmers Market. Pat Myers is co-chairing this service project on behalf of our club, and Ted Olson will be working with this committee as will I. Please contact us if you would like to be involved.
I hope to see you soon! (Virtually, at least for awhile longer)
February 2021:
I begin this month by sharing information from a recent news article which caught my attention about vaccines which included information about the importance of Rotary in the fight to eradicate polio.
The March of Dimes, founded by President Franklin Roosevelt, who was diagnosed with polio, funded development of the first polio vaccines, which were created in the 1950s. Polio numbers in the U.S. fell off dramatically, with the last recorded case in 1979.
Around the world, infections were still widespread. Rotary International and the United Nations established the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. The group aimed to make polio the second human disease after smallpox to be vanquished. The alliance was joined later by more partners including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and it has provided more than $173 billion towards the eradication of polio.
What did Rotary Hudson Clocktower do in February?
On February 3rd, we welcomed Lisa Sabol, President of the Leadership Hudson Board. As Leadership Hudson is the primary service project of our club, it was a good opportunity to get an update on the planning for the next class and changes being addressed by the Board.
We also heard from Cynthia Peeples from the Emergency Overnight Shelter in Akron, a service opportunity that was brought to our attention by 2020 Leadership Hudson class members, Melanie Johnson and Jenn Scheeser.
For our member spotlight we heard from our President-elect John Laird about his business career that took him to many different locations.
On February 10th, our book discussion group continued with a focus on the Malcolm Gladwell books, "Tipping Point" and "Blink". Thanks to Jim Knauf and Kate Schlademan for leading this conversation where aspects of both books were highlighted including that people can be connectors or salespeople; but raised the questions of "What is the tipping point for our club?" and "What are our broken windows--what do we need to fix?"
Books were selected for future months---March and April: "Start with Why", by Simon Sinek; and May: "Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown.
On February 17th, we were fortunate to have as our speaker Donna Skosa, the Health Commissioner for Summit County. Donna reviewed various aspects of the Covid-19 vaccination process and other responsibilities of the Health District.
We continued our monthly segment of "What is Rotary?" by Ted Olson sharing the details of the upcoming 4-way speech contest involving students from Hudson High School and Western Reserve Academy. The WRA students will compete on Thursday, March 11th at 8:00 p.m. Thanks to the Rotarians who have volunteered to be a judge. All Rotarians are invited to observe the competition even if you are not a judge. The final competition will occur on April 7th at 7:30 a.m. Thanks Ted for organizing!
On February 24th, our member and resident tax expert, Bob Drew presented the annual and popular tax update. Thanks to Bob for his work in providing a comprehensive overview of the tax changes in the past year!
During a club assembly, the following officers were elected for 2021-2022:
President: John Laird
President-elect: Kate Schladerman
Co-President-elect: Cheryl Maimona
Club Administrator: Gerry Sawyer
Secretary: Kathy Cybulski
Treasurer: Jake Jackson
Board member: Jim Knauf
Board member: Ted Olson
Board member: Gerry Sawyer
My best wishes to John as he continues the process of planning for his year as President which begins on July 1, 2021!
Also, during the club assembly, the 2020 Leadership Hudson class members were accepted into membership as associate members. The formal induction of the members will occur on March 3rd.
Looking ahead...
Wednesday, March 3rd--11;45 a.m. J.R. Campbell, Executive Director, Design Innovation Initiative,Professor, The Fashion School, Kent State University; Induction of Leadership Hudson 2020 Class by District Governor and member, Pat Myers; and Business of the Month, Amy Manko, owner of Ross Farm Mercantile.
Wednesday, March 10th--5:30 p.m. Book Discussion: "Start with Why" by Simon Sinek. Jake Jackson and De-de Mulligan discussion facilitators.
Wednesday, March 17th--11:45 a.m. St. Patrick's Day music by Mavis; and "Baseball!", by Wayne Nieman
Wednesday, March 24th--11:45 a.m. Susan Licate, U.S. Census Bureau
Wednesday, March 31st--5:30 p.m. Elaine Marsh, Summit Metro Parks Watershed Specialist: removal of Gorge Dam and impact on environment
Borrowing from the Rotary International webinar of February 25th on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Be engaged! Be an example!
I am forwarding information on a virtual water conference offered by the organization that the Kent Club, along with others in or District, have worked with to construct water projects in Central America.
Thank you,
Carol Crimi, Rotary Club of Kent
I am excited to announce CoCoDA’s 2021 Virtual Sun and Water Conference on April 17-18, 2021. This event is intended to gather Central Americans and North Americans on Zoom for two days of learning, story, inspiration, and conversation about the impact of solar powered water systems in rural Central American communities.
We recognize not everyone gets as excited about that as we do, but we also know you are someone who can appreciate how these water systems change communities forever! We’re hoping you will join us for the conference. More importantly, we’re hoping you’ll share the attached promotion with your network, especially with those who might have that rare combination – a passion for water and for Central America. The promotion includes the tentative schedule for the event.
Please take a few minutes to review the promotional materials, to register for the event and to pass this information onto others. Once we receive your registration, we’ll send you more information in preparation for the event.
As always, thank you for your support of CoCoDA and of Central Americans
--
Jim Mulholland
Executive Director
Companion Community Development Alternatives (CoCoDA)
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The Rotary Club of Mantua and the Downtown Mantua Revitalization Corporation have joined together to organize a virtual reverse raffle on March 13th. 
The celebration for 31st Chili Open Classic took place this past Saturday, February 6th. 
Zachary (Zach) Prosser is not new to the Akron Rotary Club, he was a member of our Club previously but had to step away temporarily and is thrilled to be back. 
January 2021:
