Gallipolitan for November 24th
President Bonnie McFarland opened our meeting and welcomed guests including Shana Booher from Holzer Clinic and Chris Marazan from the Medical Plaza. Chris and Shana have both completed membership applications and will be considered at the December board meeting.
Christmas Party—The club’s Christmas Party will be held on Tuesday, December 15th in the evening, and therefore, THERE WILL BE NO MORNING MEETING THAT DAY! President Bonnie and Past President Debbie Rhodes are still working on the venue and will have that information by next week. We are hoping to have some special entertainment for the evening as well as the traditional ornament exchange.
4-Way Test Speech Contest—President Bonnie announced that the District 6690 is reviving the 4-Way Speech Contest. Our club should be able to develop interest in the area high schools and the club needs a volunteer for this special project. James Wellington thought there should be more involvement by Rotary in the schools and by default has now become the chair for his efforts! Congratulations, James! He will work with Lou Ellen Werry and others and form a committee to promote this event. This is a good start to promoting Rotary in our area high schools.
District Governor Nominations—President Bonnie also announced that District 6690 is opening nominations for District Governor for Rotary Year 2012-1013. Bonnie discussed the qualifications and level of commitment that his required for candidates before the club.
Coin Box—Chuck Clark turned in a heavy coin box to the club to benefit the Rotary Foundation today. It was ‘topped up’ from all the loose change he brought back from his recent vacation. Margaret Evans offered additional coin boxes to members. This is such a great way to collect loose change over time for a very worthwhile cause, the Rotary Foundation. Members are encouraged to keep one in the car for the change you receive when going through McD’s! It makes your “Every Rotarian, Every Year” effort manageable.
Rotary Reading—Literacy Project Chair, Emily Dailey, offered congratulations to the club for fulfilling all the reading slots for November AND December! Emily always has a box of books available for the schools and members are encouraged to start thinking about January slots. This is really a great club project!
Split-The-Pot—Jim Morrison ran STP for our meeting today and asked Emily Dailey to pull the winning ticket. Our winner today was Debbie Rhodes who won the $9.00 small pot. Debbie drew for the large pot of $29.00, just missing the mark by drawing the Jack of Clubs. So, so close! Our Foundation Fine for the day was assessed against anyone who is NOT cooking a turkey for this Thanksgiving Day.
Fellowship—Cleeland Willis ran club fellowship for our meeting and quickly set about to collect a fine from James Wellington for a late entry. We had several birthdays for the week including Shirley Doss, Jeff Lanham, Brett Boothe, and Shawn Siders. The club sang Happy Birthday to Shawn, since the others were not present. Cleeland fined himself for a picture in the paper without a Rotary pin, and also fined President Bonnie and Jim Philippe for recent photos in the paper. Cleeland lauded John Ellison for wearing his pin which was easily distinguished in the photo. Good job! Cleeland recommended that members be sure to check out the excellent articles in this month’s Rotarian magazine.
Happy Buck$—Thankfulness was prevalent today with a number of happy bucks offered today. Jim Morrison offered a happy buck for OSU’s victory over the team up north. Margaret Evans offered her buck for an upcoming performance with her theatre group. Jodie Anderson offered TWO happy bucks—one for Chuck’s return and the other for her trip to Florida. Melissa Kimmel offered a happy buck to offer a rescued dog that needs a home. If you know of someone who could use a good dog, please contact Melissa! Dave Nadler offered a happy buck in honor of his brother who is here from Rome, Italy. Chuck Clark offered two happy bucks—one thanking Jodie for her work on the newsletter these past two weeks, and the other for a great trip to New Mexico and Arizona.
Program—President Bonnie asked Chuck Clark to say a few words today for our program. Chuck announced that for the first time in his
recollection our club has 12 members who are on their way to perfect attendance in the first six months of this Rotary year. These Rotarians include Resty Alonzo, Gordon Amsbary, Shirley Doss, Margaret Evans, Paul Koch, Bonnie McFarland, Kevin Petrie, Debbie Rhodes, Shawn Siders, Mel Simon, Lou Ellen Werry, and Matt Willis. Be sure to make up any missed absences!
Chuck described his recent trip to New Mexico and the many differences and contrasts that are offered in this beautiful state. Three of our club members have been to Cloudcroft, New Mexico which is a mountaintop community located at 9,000 feet above sea level and a popular ski area. Chuck highly recommends New Mexico as a travel destination.