Gallipolitan for September 22nd
Good Turnout–We had an excellent turnout for our meeting today and it was good to see Jeff Lanham again! President Bonnie McFarland opened our meeting on time and Cleeland Willis provided the invocation. Our singing of “My Country Tis of Thee” was suspended by our Sergeant of Arms, Kurt Dailey, to get everyone on key. We still need lots of practice.
Guests—Our guest this morning was Andrea Gannaway. Andrea has been with us for a number of weeks and has also submitted her application to join Gallipolis Rotary. Welcome, Andrea, it is good to have you with us!
Blue Badge Presentation—President Bonnie called on Dave Nadler to come forward today and receive his permanent Rotary blue badge. Dave retires his red badge after fulfilling all the requirements such as handing out badges from the badge box, attending a board meeting, working a club project, and attending a meeting at a neighboring Rotary club. Congratulations, Dave!
District 6690 Foundation/Membership Meeting—President Bonnie reminded everyone of the District’s Foundation and Membership Seminar at Cherry Valley Lodge, this Saturday, September 26th. This is a great way to learn more about the workings of Rotary and is especially important for our new members. Attending will be Resty Alonzo, PDG Mel Simon, VP Lou Ellen Werry, and Secretary Chuck Clark.
Polio Plus Update—After 20 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease. A strong final push is needed now to root it out once and for all. Your contribution to the RI Foundation will help Rotary raise $200 million to match the $355 million in challenge grants from the Gates Foundation. The resulting $355 million will directly support immunization campaigns in developing countries where polio continues to infect and paralyze children. Here’s a video from RI:
http://rotary.org/en/serviceandfellowship/polio/Pages/ridefault.aspx
Relay For Life Auction Results—Do you have some extra stuff that is just hanging around that you would like to get rid of? Load it in your car and bring it to the next meeting! Dan Whiteley will take it off your hands and it will be sold at the Middleport Auction on the following Thursday to benefit Relay For Life. Chuck Clark donated a several items last week which brought over $120!
Happy Buck$—Jim Morrison bought a happy buck to announce that Arjan and his wife, Sophie, will be in Gallipolis for a visit during BEF week, Oct 9, 10, 11. Arjan was a Rotary exchange student from the Netherlands several years ago who stayed with the Morrisons. President Bonnie bought a happy buck to brag about the successful health fair that ran during the recent Emancipation Proclamation weekend. 
Coinbox—John Ellison turned in a Foundation Coin Box today. Thank you, John! This is a great way to contribute to the Rotary Foundation by using your pocket change. Three boxes a year should easily total the $100 annual contribution. Remember, Every Member—Every Year!
Split-The-Pot—Jim Morrison ran STP for the meeting today and built the small pot to $8. Jim had Dave Nadler draw for the winning ticket which was held by Shawn Siders! Shawn drew carefully for the large pot of $170 only to miss it by drawing the 10 of spades. Shawn assessed the Foundation Fine against anyone who did not attend a recent OU football game.
Fellowship—Fellowship chair, Emily Dailey, provided club fellowship today and immediately collected a tardy fine from Jeff Lanham. Emily announced the celebrity birthdays for the day as well as famous events that occurred. Our words of wisdom came from J. Paul Getty: “Rise early, work hard, and strike oil!”
Program—President Bonnie turned the meeting over VP Lou Ellen Werry and introduced our speaker for the morning, Kurt Dailey. Kurt thought it appropriate to take the time to introduce himself personally more to the club, to especially for the benefit of our newer members. This is important because our club is not static, but constantly growing and changing. We need to take the time to learn more about each other so that we are more than just ‘the guy or gal who usually sits over there!’ Kurt emphasized, “We need to know who we are beyond our regular Tuesday meetings!’’
Members learned that music is an important part of Kurt’s life as he 
presented a PowerPoint show. He even had a picture jammin’ with his boss. Kurt likes to seek out the music spots when he travels and finds some interesting places. He likes to mountain bike and had several pictures of his recent trip to Snowshoe and a mishap or two. Kurt has enjoyed white water rafting as well. He told of an interesting experience while involved in a mission church in North Carolina. One of the members that he and Emily got to know is now a NASCAR driver. He and Emily travel to at least one NASCAR race and enjoy the spectacle. NASCAR fans are some of the finest, down to earth folks one can be around. Thank you, Kurt, for the great program!
Next week’s Program Chair is Shirley Doss. Have a great week.