Newberg Noon Rotary Newsletter for September 19, 2018

~ GREETER ~

Leah Griffith was today’s GREETER….Thanks to Leah! [If you have not yet done GREETER duty, sign up to do so, as it is a great way to get to know your fellow Rotarians and our guests!]

~ Opening of meeting ~

Club President, Om, opened today’s meeting with her usual enthusiasm and a brief inspirational story from her going to the International Convention. She informed us that at the recent Club Board meeting it was decided that the proceeds from the Duck one [1] week per month would be dedicated toward Polio Eradication…starting today!  Om also mentioned my recent [Monday, the 17th] 79th birthday…and I appreciate the recognition, but thank goodness they only come once a year!

~ Pledge ~

Al Herriges led us in today’s PledgeThanks, Al!

~ Visitors – Guests ~

Guests today were: Tyler & Spencer McMaster, Jim McMaster’s sons/guests. Bianca Neff was Mike Caruso’s guest. Consuelo Christianson was an EarlyBird Rotarian visitor introducing their two In-Bound Exchange Students, Rosangela Ruiz Lopez and Matteo Crotta…more about them a bit later*. Welcome all!

~ Today’s Rotary Moment ~

Deborah Cathers-Seymour provided us with our Rotary Moment today…and spoke on the great opportunity to promote Rotary during her time spent at our display at Oktoberfest.

~ Announcements ~

New member Kim Abraham’s Rotary Classification talk is set for next week, 9/26/18…which meeting will be held at the Chehalem Cultural Center on the 26th…at the usual time…

Spencer McMaster is headed to Africa for a stint with the Peace Corps.  We wish you GOOD LUCK!

Tyler McMaster has joined the U.S. Coast Guard to help protect our nation’s coast lines…Thank you for your service!

With the first Rotary Mural a successful, now-completed project, the next one is already “in the works”. With the word out in our search for additional outside wall space for another mural, we have had offers by Aaron Lewis, Lewis Audio, on Highway 99W, as well as an offer from the Domino’s Pizza Manager to replace the graphics of their existing mural.  Geoff Gilmore says there will likely be other sites come up for the artists and committee to consider/decide upon before the second mural is begun next summer.  If you have any site suggestions, please bring them to the meeting on the 26th, or contact Geoff directly!

Also remember that the e-mail link is on the club’s website for volunteer sign-ups for Senior Meals, etc. https://signupschedule.com/noonrotary

~ The Duck ~

Mike Caruso handled the “Duck” today…managing to collect generous contributions from several Rotarians present…with today’s collections destined for Rotary International’s global Polio Eradication efforts…resulting in $155 raised today!  Thank you, Rotarians!

A primary service focus for Newberg Noon Rotary Club is on YOUTH. The recently completed MURAL PROJECT has been a great example…with details of the second Mural Project already in process. In additional youth service, Newberg Noon Rotary has helped support the efforts of the Earlybird Club’s Rotary Youth Exchange program. There are several ways we can help… including hosting students in our homes for a period of a few months…and other ways listed below**, inviting them to our weekly meetings, having them speak about their homes to us, and having them join our families when going out eat, or taking trip to the beach…or the mountains…or Disney Land…or ?…you get the picture…helping them GET INVOLVED … IMMERSED …in our culture…in our community!

*Rosangela Ruiz Lopez is 16 years old. She is from Oaxaca, Mexico. [Oaxaca is a city in central Mexico…about 300 miles SE of Mexico City. It’s known for its colonial buildings, many of which are made from green volcanic stone.] Swimming is Rosangela’s favorite sport. Her favorite classes: chemistry, biology and math. She is devoted to maintaining good relationships with friends and family….and helping with & learning from people. Scouting is another interest as well. Her personal goals for her exchange year are to share the diversity of ideas and customs of her own culture and learn from others…as well as gain additional personal independence. Rosangela describes herself as “responsible and respectful”.

*Matteo Crotta is also 16 years old. Matteo is from Lake Como, Italy, an iconic lake destination [in central northern Italy, very near to the Switzerland border, about 50 miles north of Milan] known for its scenic beauty, mountain vistas & historic lakeside residences.  Per sports, Matteo likes soccer [futbol], surfing, snowboarding, and cliff diving. He likes “hanging out” with his friends and listening to music. He wants to travel to South Africa, Bali, Portugal, France and the U.S. His favorite school subject is “History of Art”. He loves pizza, pasta, and every type of meat…but dislikes some veggies and cheeses. Matteo’s goals for his exchange year…learn different ways of living and to gain personal independence. He describes himself as a friendly and thoughtful guy!

**REMEMBER…these YOUTH are our FUTURE ROTARIANS! SOGET INVOLVED with their Newberg…Oregon…U.S. experiences! Host them as integral parts of your families…dinners out…dinners at home…day trips…to the mountains …to Portland…to our State Capitol, or the BEACH …how about a trip up the Old Columbia River Gorge Highway and a visit to Multnomah Falls!? Bonneville Dam…maybe Timberline Lodge…a rafting trip on the Deschutes…or the Rogue River…ski trips in the winter…check out the awesome clear/deep blue waters of Crater Lake…a visit to the Oregon Caves …ocean fishing out of Newport…or Astoria…the Cheese Factory in Tillamook…check out some of the universities in our state…we have several within easy driving distances…invite them regularly to OUR Rotary meetings!…so the list of possibilities is endless!

To get directly involved with these students’ exchange years in our community, contact Michelle at 503.476.5200.

~ Today’s Program ~

Our speaker for today’s program was Lisa Blackburn, Volunteer Coordinator for Newbeg FISH, with the topic of “Hunger in Newberg”. FISH is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization partnering with Newberg and Dundee to provide food and meal services to the elderly and disabled in need of such assistance. Receiving $2,504 from Food Bank, food boxes are sent out every 4 weeks to those in need. 20% of food is purchased. FISH gets its food from a variety of sources, including community donations/food drives; local grocery stores; Starbucks; farms [i.e, Mustard Seed] ; YCAP; regional food pantry; churches do community dinners on different nights; U.S. Commodities are free; and FISH took over the management of the “Friday Food Program” at Edwards Elementary School...whereby kids who may not have enough food for the week-end are provided a backpack to take home with enough food for them. FISH can always use additional volunteers and/or financial contributions to continue helping those in need in our communities. Thank you, Lisa!

Let your days be guided by Rotary’s “Four Way Test” of the things we think, say or do:

  1. Is it the TRUTH?

  2. Is it FAIR to all Concerned?

  3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

  4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

The FOUR-WAY TEST courtesy of Rotarian Herbert Taylor! RI President, 1954-1955

SAVE THIS DATE: October 24. District Governor, Larry Hatch, will be our speaker.

[Editor’s note: DG Larry is a good friend of mine…and a long-time Rotarian in the Forest Grove DayBreak Rotary Club…a club which I helped charter in 1991...Larry’s manner is generally very “laid-back”, but I assure you his message will be worth hearing!]

President Om, always a living inspiration to others, closed the meeting with her usual up-beat reminder for us to ….

~ “Be the Inspiration!” ~

In Continuing Rotary Service,

Respectfully submitted,

Rick Kaufman

Newsletter Editor

[Editor’s note: If you know of a good program for our club, please contact Corey Z., as he is looking for them.]