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Next Meeting: February 13, 2015
Opener: Maury Hill
Program: Fiona Hodgson - Fairfield County
Community Foundation
Greeters: Rossi, Galan, Cady
Place: Bertucci’s
February 13, 2015 / Volume 25, No. 33
Sunrise Rotary Club of Westport ● P.O. Box 43 ● Westport, CT 06881-0043 ● www.westportsunriserotary.com
February 6 Club Meeting
Opener
Fiona Hodgson from the
Fairfield County Community
Foundation will speak at
February 13th Meeting
Dennis Wong stepped in to open the
meeting
Guests
Merm Palmer Smith, guest of Nick
Clarke
Nick Mathias, guest of Mark Mathias
Jack Mullen, guest of Steve Violette
Visiting Rotarians
Dave Walter, Downtown Bridgeport
Rotary Club
Program
George Martin spoke about the ups
and downs of his life as a restaurateur,
sports scout, celebrity cohort and 30year recovering addict. He is Currently
the Executive Director of the
McKinney Family Foundation raising
money for the Homeless and is
publishing his book titled ”By George”.
The Fairfield County Community
Foundation (FCCF) manages funds
st
for the Sunrise Rotary 21 Century
Foundation. Fiona joined the FCCF in
2012
as
Vice
President
of
Development and Marketing.
She brings 30 years of experience
in development and marketing,
including major capital campaigns at
universities and medical schools. She
most recently led development and
rebranding
efforts
at
Inspirica
(formerly St. Luke’s LifeWorks) in
Stamford.
Fiona previously served in key
development positions at Save the
Children in Westport, the London
School of Economics, Harvard
Medical School and the United
Nations International School in New
York.
She is a trustee of the Interfaith
Council of Southwestern Connecticut,
Aid to Artisans in Hartford, and a
former trustee of the CT Friends
School in Wilton.
Fiona resides in Westport.
http://www.fccfoundation.org/
Nick Notes
By Nick Clarke
Interesting week, one
might say. Monday I
went to NCC to pick
my membership card
for Adult Learning. I
meandered along to a
lecture that was about to start but the
lecturer was very late, so they asked
for someone to speak on any aspect
of history for fifteen minutes. I ended
up talking about the battle of Hastings
(you know about that, of course. It
was in all the papers), 1066 and
William the conquerer. I was amazed
at how much I knew.
I was looking for a fountain so that
my guitars did not dry up and with
that in mind, went into Geiger's shop
with my faithful dog Bill. There was
nobody there but a large blue parrot
who was pacing up and down atop
his (her) cage. He eyed Bill as he
paced and then flew in an ungainly
manner to the floor, whereupon
knocking a plant over and spilling the
contents over the floor. Then he
climbed up the cage and continued
his pacing. Still no one came so we
quietly left.
I met a nice lady in a coffee shop in
Darien and after an hour or so
chatting I invited her to join me at the
Sunrise Rotary Club meeting, which
she did. You will remember my guest
Mer Palmer-Smith. Apart from being
a nice friend to have, I'm sure she'd
be an asset to our club, were she
interested. I'm sure I would not be the
main attraction but I can dream.
The funeral date for my late brotherrd
in-law Phil takes place on Feb 23 ,
so I am flying out next week via
Norwegian Airlines. Not only are they
cheaper than other airlines but they
also go to Gatwick in the UK, a
conveniently located London airport
District 7980 Governor: Mukund Nori • Club President: Dennis Wong
now mostly ignored by the major
airlines. One shouldn't say such
things but I'd rather be going
somewhere tropical than a funeral in
England. In fact I had some sort of
escape
planned
before
this
unfortunate event took place. Ah well,
that's life.
Club Announcements
► Dennis Wong: -- Please Join the
Celebration on Thursday, February
12 From 5 to 7pm at Bertucci’s
Westport for free house wine, beer
and munchies. All other drinks at
Happy Hour prices. Stay for dinner for
another good deal – 15% off your
dinner bill and a free dessert. Please
RSVP for both events to Sheila
Keenan
by
Email
[email protected]
or
phone/text - 203-856-9172.
► Tom Lowrie: At the end of
January, the following members have
become Sustaining Members for this
fiscal year: Arlo Ellison (3rd), Sheila
Keenan (2nd), Robert Hauck, Joe
Renzulli and Carole Rubenstein.
Congratulations to all members who
buy $2 door prize tickets or write a
$100 check. By the end of May our
goal is to be a 100% Sustaining
Member
Club
supporting
the
International Rotary Foundation.
► Steve Violette: Fellow Rotarians There will be a Duck Race meeting
this Wednesday eve 5:30 to 7pm at
Town Hall room 201. Only 1 item on
the agenda – Land Operations –
general planning. Hope to see you
there!
Submit Club Announcements &
Happy Hollers to:
www.datacut.com/misc/crierinput.htm
Club Meeting Schedule
Sunrise Rotary Club members serve as
greeters and deliver the openers at the
Club meetings on a rotating basis. If a
member is unavailable on the assigned
date, it is essential that he or she find a
replacement and submit the name to:
www.datacut.com/misc/crierinput.htm
Greeters
February: Rossi, Galan, Cady
March Nair, Kleine, Bloom
April: Hass, Wetmore, Getraer
May: Strong, Hauck, Cederbaum
June: Sa’Couto, Ellison, Violette
July: Press, Zielinski, Clarke
August: Cowherd, Mathias, Bunche
Meeting Openers
February 20: Tom Ayres
February 27: Ken Bernhard
March 6: Linda Bruce
March 13: Phil Sharlach
March 20: Ned Hickok
March 27: Ron Holtz
Programs
February 20: Susan Granger –
Movie Critic
February 27: TBA
March 6: TBA
March 13: Patty Lewis & Julie
Mombello - Adam J. Lewis Preschool
March 20: Stephen Baumann Discovery Museum
March 27: David Levinson –
Norwalk Community College
April 3: Catherine Onyemelukwe Author
Gillespie Center Schedule
On the first Saturday of each month, two
Rotarians are assigned to deliver and
serve meals to the homeless at the
Gillespie Center. Please contact Mildred
Bunche [email protected]
March 7: Cederbaum & Adams
April 4: Ayers & Masumian
Club Calendar
Are you a committee chair scheduling a
meeting or an organizer of a Club or
Rotary event? Please submit the info for
the Club Calendar to:
www.datacut.com/misc/crierinput.htm
Feb 11 Wed – Duck Race meeting at
Town Hall room 5:30-7pm
Feb 12 Thu – Fellowship Celebration at
Bertucci’s, 5:30-7:00pm
Mar 2 Mon - Board of Directors meeting
at Christ & Holy Trinity Church Tower
Room, 5:30-7:00pm
Apr 6 Mon - Board of Directors meeting
at Christ & Holy Trinity Church Tower
Room, 5:30-7:00pm
May 4 Mon - Board of Directors meeting
at Christ & Holy Trinity Church Tower
Room, 5:30-7:00pm
Jun 1 Mon - Board of Directors meeting
at Christ & Holy Trinity Church Tower
Room, 5:30-7:00pm
Jun 6 Sat – Tue Jun 9 - Rotary
International Convention in São Paulo,
Brazil
Jun 13 Sat – Great Duck Race at
Saugatuck River, time TBA
Westport Sunrise Rotary Board
Meeting
Monday, January 5, 2015
Christ and Holy Trinity Church
Vestry (Tower Room)
Called to order at 5:32 pm.
Members attending were Dennis
Wong, Charlie Adams, Jeff Cohen,
Roy Fuchs, Bob Galan, Helen
Garten, Ron Holtz, Nora Jinishian,
Sheila Keenan (in at 5:37), Justin
Phillips (out at 5:50), Mario SáCouto,
Liz Wong, and Richard Jaffe. Ralph
Krueger and Steve Violette were also
in attendance.
Members not in attendance: Mildred
Bunche.
1. President’s Comments - none
2. December Minutes – Minutes for
the December meeting were
accepted, with two abstentions.
3. Treasurer’s Report – Jeff Cohen
Six members have not paid in
full. As a result, half way through
the year, we are slightly under
budget with respect to revenue.
One member is in contact with
Jeff Cohen. Dennis will touch
base with the other five.
To date we have not spent as
much as planned, mostly due to
timing issues, so overall we’re up
a bit for the year.
Our month end checkbook
balance was $9,399.13.
Motion: To accept the Treasurer’s
report for December. Passed
unanimously.
4. Membership –Ron Holtz
• Welcome Wagon Membership
with Westport Rotary.
Ron Holtz reported on a joint
Welcome Wagon venture with the
noon club. Our cost for this sixmonth membership will be slightly
in excess of $400, versus the
Membership budget of $500 for
the year. Dennis Wong asked Ron
to prepare a new expected budget
for this fiscal year.
• Move to Bertucci’s. WSR’s first
meeting at Bertucci’s will be on
Friday, January 9. The move has
The Crier – February 13, 2015 - Page 2 of 4
been fully planned to the extent of
our ability, and is going well
despite an issue regarding a
change
in
the
restaurant’s
management. A WSR information
plaque is up on the wall at
Bertucci’s. A storage area has
been set up, complete with new
file cabinets for Foundation and
other records. No decision yet as
to the mounting of our banners.
• The first meeting at Bertucci’s will
be a Club Assembly, with spouses
invited.
• Michael Thomas is a new
prospective member. Paul Block,
whose application review was
deferred
last
month,
has
withdrawn his application.
• Ron is working jointly with the
Westport Rotary on Membership
ideas.
5. Speaker Program – Bob Galan
Bob
Galan
presented
schedule of speakers.
the
6. International Service Committee
– Rick Jaffe
Rick Jaffe described the recent
Westport Rotary lunch meeting,
that he and Dennis Wong
attended, at which the check for
District matching funds was
presented in support of Westport
Rotary’s District Managed Grant
in Nicaragua.
For our own draft District
Managed Grant to aid the Tree of
Life orphanage in Haiti, we have
requested that the Westport
Rotary consider joining us at the
$2,500 funding level. Due to the
press of time given that beginning
January 1 clubs can file a second
DMG application for this fiscal
year, and given the dwindling
amount of matching funds
available, we do not have time to
approach other Rotary clubs to
join us in funding our DMG. If, by
reasonably after their coming
Board meeting, the Westport
Rotary agrees to join us in
funding the $13,050 DMG, our
club will donate the remaining
$4,025. If not, we will cut our
DMG application down to no
more than $10,000, because
$5,000 is the maximum any one
club can contribute and have its
funding fully matched, and
proceed on our own.
Dennis Wong distributed copies of
the application for our District’s
International Service Recognition
citation.
Motion: Pending approval of our
International Services Committee
(ISC), that this Board ask the
Foundation Board to fund up to
$5,000 for a District Managed
Grant for the Tree of Life
orphanage; funding to include the
$1,210 from restricted funds
raised for the Tree of Life at our
2014 Wine Tasting, and the
remainder from the ISC budget.
Passed unanimously.
• District Conference, May 2015 –
Conference Planning Committee;
support
7. Youth Services Committee –
Jeff Cohen, Dennis Wong
Interact at the Y: Dennis reported
that an organizational meeting for
our joint project with the Westport
Weston Y to start a (middle
school kids’) Interact club there
was held on December 17, led by
our partner sponsor, the Westport
Rotary.
Jeff noted that Interact wants to
do
something
with
Bridge
Academy, e.g., rock climbing.
8. Community Service Committee
– Hands-on – Mario SáCouto
Mario SáCouto spoke with Jeff
Wieser of Homes With Hope,
which has a high need for food.
Although there is very little time
to plan, Mario and Roy Fuchs will
try to arrange a Stop-and-Shop
food drive for the Saturday before
the Super Bowl.
Mario also noted that Joe Hawley
and Rob Hauck did a great job
over Christmas collecting and
distributing gifts at Person-toPerson.
9. Charitable Giving Committee –
Bob Galan
An organizational meeting will be
held this coming Wednesday,
January 7.
10. District and RI Report – Dennis
Wong
• District Awards Applications –
distribute to Board Directors to
complete
No report.
11. Marketing and PR
• Rotary Week – February 23,
2015 (Rotary’s 110th Anniversary)
Dennis reported on a joint meeting
with the Westport Rotary to try to
put together a public image
program, e.g., how to promote
ourselves
within
Westport.
th
February 23 is
the 110
anniversary of Rotary, and is a
possible date for a one-day or
weeklong program.
• Peace Poles – no report
12. Other Business
a) Great
Violette
Duck
Race
–
Steve
Steve
Violette
presented
a
financial summary of the 2014
Great Duck Race, noting that our
profit to date, based on an almost
complete
accounting,
is
$44,151.28.
Possible dates for the 2015 Race
were discussed, after which Steve
recommended Saturday, June 13.
We want to stay in the parking lot
on the south side of the bridge,
and not go back to our former
location at Parker Harding Plaza.
Motion: To hold the 2015 Great
Duck Race on June 13. Passed
unanimously.
b) Outdoor Fitness Parks – Rick
Jaffe
Rick described for the Board his
and Westport Rotary’s Steve
Lewine’s effort to bring outdoor
fitness parks to Westport sooner
rather than later.
The meeting was adjourned at
7:02 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard Jaffe, Secretary
The Crier – February 13, 2015 - Page 3 of 4
Rotary at a Glance
Avenues of Service
Founded 1905
Mission: The Mission of Rotary
International, a worldwide association of
Rotary clubs, is to: Provide service to
others; Provide high ethical standards;
and Advance world understanding,
goodwill and peace through its fellow of
business, professional and community
leaders.
Core Values: Service, Fellowship,
Diversity, Integrity, and Leadership By
Example.
Vision:
The
Vision
of
Rotary
International is to be universally
recognized for our commitment to
Service Above Self to advance world
understanding, goodwill, and peace.
Rotary Foundation: The mission of the
Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians
to
advance
world
understanding,
goodwill, and peace through the
improvement of health, the support of
education and the alleviation of poverty.
Membership: 1,220,115 Rotarians in
34,558 Rotary Clubs in 531 Districts, in
200+
countries
and
geographic
territories in all seven continents (as of
October 2013)
Rotaract (age 18-30, started in 1968):
195,040 members in 8,480 clubs.
Interact (age 12-18, started in 1962):
303,991 members in 13,217 clubs.
Rotary Community Corps (since
1985): 151,759 members in 7,033
Corps.
Rotary’s commitment to Service
Above Self has been channeled
through the Avenues of Service,
which form the foundation of club
activity.
Club
Service
(Fun,
Fellowship and Fundraising)
Club Service focuses on strengthening
fellowship and ensuring the smooth
functioning of Rotary clubs.
Vocational Service (Four-Way Test)
Vocational
Service
involves
club
members serving others through their
professions and aspiring to high ethical
standards. Rotarians, as business
leaders, share skills and expertise
through their vocations, and they inspire
others in the process.
Community
Service
(Charitable
Giving and Hands-On)
Community Service is the opportunity
Rotary clubs have to implement club
projects and activities that improve life in
the local community.
International Service (International
Projects and Polio Eradication)
International
Service
encompasses
efforts to expand Rotary’s humanitarian
reach around the world and to promote
world understanding and peace. It
includes everything from contributing to
PolioPlus to helping Rotary Youth
Exchange students adjust to their host
countries.
New Generations Service (Rising
Young Voices)
New Generations Service recognizes the
positive change implemented by youth
and young adults through leadership
development activities such as RYLA,
Rotaract and Interact club service
projects, and creating international
www.rotary.org
WSR Board of Directors
President: Dennis Wong
President Elect: Jeff Cohen
Past President: Bob Galan
Secretary: Rick Jaffe
Treasurer: Jeff Cohen
Sgt. at Arms: Roy Fuchs
P.E.N.: TBA
Member at Large: Charles Adams
Member at Large: Mildred Bunche
Member at Large: Helen Garten
Member at Large: Ron Holtz
Member at Large: Sheila Keenan
Member at Large: Justin Phillips
Member at Large: Mario SaCouto
Member at Large: Elizabeth Wong
Member at Large: Nora Jinishian
understanding with Rotary Youth
Exchange.
www.rotary.org
The Westport Sunrise Rotary Club
meets
7:30AM every
Friday
Morning at Bertucci’s, 833 Post
Road East in Westport. Meetings
are open to all Rotarians and their
guests.
Follow us on twitter: @WSRotary
Editor/
Photographer Hal Levy
Reporter
Roy Fuchs
Columnist
Nick Clarke
-----------------------------------------Crier Deadlines:
The deadline for all input for The Crier is
Noon on Tuesday for that week’s edition
and must be supplied by web form to
the editor.
The Crier – February 13, 2015 - Page 4 of 4