Last Week's Meeting
Congratulations to Bonnie Burdman, who earned her Paul Harris Fellow plus one!
President Josh handed out new name badges to members in attendance. They are beautifully done, and so easy to read!
The RCY board of directors approved sending $1,000 to Rotary District 6710 in Kentucky for tornado relief.
Vocational service month ended with our last two pairings of members, Shannon Tirone and Msgr. Bob Siffrin, and Luke Politsky and George Nelson.
Did you know Msgr. Siffrin knows sign language? He even taught Shannon a few things! Msgr. Siffrin grew up in Massillon, Ohio with two sisters. The family moved to Cincinnati when he was 8 years old, and it was there that he realized what his life’s vocation would be. He was surrounded by clergy, who had a great impact on him as a child. Msgr. was ordained on June 23, 1979 and is now the Vicar General for the Diocese of Youngstown.
Msgr. joined Rotary after he witnessed Rotary’s exchange student program. He was particularly impressed that families took in the exchange students without an exchange of money, as some programs do. In the spring of 1987, Msgr. joined the Rotary Club of Warren, then transferred to Youngstown in 1992. He was past president from 19997-1998 and has had perfect attendance for 27 years!
Shannon Tirone is Associate Vice President University Relations for Youngstown State University and loves what she does. Her affiliation with Rotary goes back to when she was a child – her dad was a member and past president of the Boardman club and her mom was a member of Struthers and Canfield Rotary. Scott Schulick brought Shannon into the Youngstown club last year.
George Nelson is a journalist, reporter, photographer and editor for the Youngstown Business Journal. He began his education at Youngstown State University as a biology major but after only one quarter, switched to journalism after spending time at the Jambar, the university newspaper. His days are varied and depend on what news is breaking at any given time. He was invited to a Rotary meeting by Ellie Platt in 2016 and felt it was time to give back to the community, so he became a member.
Luke Politsky is the Director of Development & Stewardship for the Diocese of Youngstown. He feels that it was “divine intervention” that led to his career. He heard there was a position open at the Diocese, and contacted the development Director there to declare his interest. Luke was quickly hired. Luke’s duties include the diocesan appeal, grant writing, and communicating with and stewarding donors. Previously he was in YSU’s housing department, assigned to Cafaro House. We all know Luke as our club’s pianist, a side job that actually led him to becoming a member. Luke’s musical talents also include the accordion, and he is a substitute organist at various local churches. Luke also teaches first year orientation at YSU for incoming students.
