Youngstown Rotary Clatter - Monday April 18, 2022 (Apr 18, 2022)

Rotary International asks us to Serve to Change Lives through its Focus Areas

January is Vocational Service Month

This month Rotary International asks us to Serve to Change Lives by helping to improve the lives of mothers and their children. Explore the possibilities with us at our meeting Wednesday at noon at Wick Park or virtually via Zoom.

http://www.youngstownrotaryevent.com

The Zoom ID is: 3567145262

Rotary International Foundation | Rotary International

This Week's Meeting

RCY’s annual scholarship awards ceremony for students of Youngstown high schools will be at noon Wednesday at the Tyler History Center, 325 W. Federal St., downtown.

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Also, the next installment of our Beers, Cheers & Gears social outing will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course, 655 N Canfield Niles Rd, Youngstown 44515. Finger foods will be served. Please RSVP right away to Membership Committee Chairman Mike Latessa at mike_latessa@yahoo.com.

Last Week's Meeting

Eight aircraft have been assigned to the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna, but visitors shouldn’t expect to see many of them on the ground at once. “We are somewhere around the globe taking care of business,” Col. Jeffrey Van Dootingh, commander of the 910th Airlift Wing at YARS, told Rotarians during the April 13 meeting.

YARS is a major employer, with 1,300 airmen and 400 civilians working there. The station is part of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, which is owned by Western Reserve Port Authority. Van Dootingh has been the 910th’s commander since June.

Van Dootingh said 90 percent of the airmen are traditional part-time reservists who hold other jobs as teachers, mail carriers and more. Most of the 910th airmen live locally, but others travel here from 32 states for military exercises. They train to the same standards and meet the same skill levels as active-duty airmen, he observed.

Members of the 910th volunteered for medical missions in hard-hit areas of the country soon after the COVID-19 pandemic began, Van Dootingh said. He spoke at length about the station’s ongoing aerial spray mission to control mosquitos and other disease-carrying insects, which included spraying 2.9 million acres of land in Louisiana and Texas after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. The spray program saves more lives than have been lost in combat, he noted.

When Congress approved a $1.5 billion omnibus spending bill earlier this year, it included $8.7 million for YARS to lengthen and widen a runway and obtain four new C-130 J military transport aircraft. In its current condition, the runway can’t be used by aircraft that are larger than C-130s, Van Dootingh said. Once improved, the runway will be comparable to those that personnel use during combat and will accommodate newer, bigger C-17 aircraft, he added.

In other news, President Josh Prest announced that a joint meeting of the Youngstown Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs will be at noon Thursday, May 12, at the YMCA. Bob DiBiasio, senior vice president of Public Affairs at Cleveland Guardians baseball, will be the featured speaker.

RCY YOUTUBE CHANNEL

If you enjoyed the video of Youngstown Rotary Foundation grant winners that was produced recently, then there is an easy way to view it again and enjoy more content. Subscribe to RCY’s new YouTube channel! By signing up for a subscription, you will be notified when new videos are posted. Check out the YouTube posts on RCY’s Facebook page to subscribe, or click here

Call to Action – Ukraine Emergency Aid

As one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations, Rotary has made peace the cornerstone of its global mission. The Ukraine crisis is a matter of great concern for Rotary.

In response to the deepening refugee crisis, The Rotary Foundation Trustees have decided to prioritize contributions made to the Disaster Response Fund until April 30, 2022 to support disaster response grants for districts affected by these events. These expedited disaster response grants can be used to supply water, food, medicine, shelter, and clothing.

Half a million people have fled Ukraine and are in dire need of emergency aid. The United Nations believes that number of refugees could grow to as many as 5 million people displaced. Rotary clubs in Europe and around the world have stepped up their relief work, some working on the ground to help displaced families.

Donate to the Disaster Response Fund to support communities and help rebuild lives during this tragic time.

Please join the Ukrainian Medical Association of North America (UMANA) Ohio Chapter by donating money or medical supplies for the war effort in Ukraine. Supplies are needed for surgical and trauma care as humanitarian needs are growing exponentially.

There are several ways to make a donation of money to assist with costs:
Donate through the website FundForUkraine.org
Go to PayPal and search for @FundToAidUkraine
Mail a check to Cleveland Selfreliance Federal Credit Union, 6108 State Rd., Cleveland, Ohio, 44134
To donate medical supplies text or call 440-823-7076.
You can also call president Josh for more information or to make a donation.

Operation Pollination

Please read to the end …

As we all know by now (right?) April is Native Plant Month.

But there are two more environmental recognitions also taking place this month: Thursday, April 14, was World Migratory Bird Day and Friday April 22 we will celebrate Earth Day.

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) celebrates and brings attention to one of the most important and spectacular events in the Americas, where the event has its origins, and around the globe -bird migration.

WMBD celebrates the phenomenon of bird migration and raises awareness to the challenges birds face during their journeys. It is officially celebrated on the 2nd Saturday of May in the US and Canada and on the 2nd Saturday in October in Latin America and the Caribbean. Because birds do not migrate on only one day, however, events and programs are hosted year-round. Learn more: https://www.migratorybirdday.org/history/

Monday, April 18, 2022

This Week's Meeting

Last Week's Meeting

RCY YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Call to Action – Ukraine Emergency Aid

Operation Pollination

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