Youngstown Rotary Clatter - Monday January 17, 2022 (Jan 17, 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 everyone learn skills that will allow them to become economically self sufficient. 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

Vocational Service interviews

Last Week's Meeting

Beerfest Update

Samantha Turner, co-chair of this year’s Groundhog Beerfest, reported that ticket sales are steady, and reminded Rotarians to sell their four tickets to the event. There are 22 breweries participating. Sponsors are still needed, and if there are questions call Scott Schulick or Shannon Tirone, sponsorship chairs.

One thing all Rotarians can do to ensure the success of the event is to like and share all of the FaceBook posts. And encourage friends, family, and co-workers to attend!

Put Kids First

The winter coats have been delivered to Taft, Harding, and Volney elementary schools, but the only school that has distributed them to students is Volney.

Harding is scheduled for their coat distribution on January 25, and 8 – 10 volunteers are needed to help. Volunteers should plan to be there from 8am until noon. Let Samantha Turner or Barbara Brothers know if you are available to help.

Bingo!
There are still seats available at the table donated by Mike Latessa for Designer Purse Bingo on January 22. The event benefits the Rich Center for Autism. If you’d like to support this great organization by attending, let Mike know.

Last Week’s Meeting

In observance of Vocational Service Month, two Rotarians will conduct live interviews with two other Rotarians about their careers during the month of January. Last week, parings were Samantha Turner with Kader Makanera and Aundrea Cika Heschmeyer with Dionne Dowdy.

Aundrea Cika Heschmeyer & Dionne Dowdy

Dionne is the executive director of United Returning Citizens, and founded that organization after witnessing friends and family have difficulties transitioning back into the community after incarceration. Dionne and her staff provide the resources needed for success. She was attracted to Rotary as a result of the networks she established through her work in the community and friends who are members. Dionne feels uniquely positioned to serve the needs of residents because of her ability to relate to all walks of life an experiencing firsthand the obstacles hindering returning citizens. A typical day for Dionne is attending meetings, trainings to help her grow her organization, and overseeing a staff of five.

Aundrea began her career as a journalist and through many twists and turns, is now president of Marquee Creatives, a strategic marketing and event planning firm she established in 2017.

A typical day for Aundrea is working to bring in new clients and managing her team of specialists in their various roles. She was attracted to Rotary because of our community projects and the energy of our efforts.

Dionne and Aundrea share a passion for dancing, and both were raised in Youngstown. Aundrea lived near Youngstown’s Krakusy Hall, while Dionne attended many events there. They both have fond memories of Idora Park. Dionne is a licensed massotherapist, while Aundrea enjoys her weekly Sunday massage!

Samantha Turner & Kader Makanera

Kader is a financial relationship manager at Huntington National Bank, and has been interested in finance and the creation of wealth since he visited New York City as an 8-year old boy. He knew at that age what he wanted to do in life, and followed through. Born in Africa, Kader has travelled the world, and during these travels, wanted to see what was being done to improve living standards. He also observed the “service above self” that Rotarians in many countries displayed, which created the desire to join. Kader did just that when he arrived in Youngstown.

Samantha, immediate past president of RCY, is currently a council member for Youngstown’s 3rd Ward. After attending and graduating from college in Florida, Samantha returned home, and, heeding the advice of her grandmother, immediately got involved in the Youngstown community. A typical day for Samantha is attending council meetings and meetings with the various departments in the city, and tending to her family. She was attracted to Rotary because of its commitment to service above self and adherence to the Four-Way Test, which keeps her grounded and focused.

Kader and Samantha share a passion for politics, and are both committed to Rotary and the service to others.

Beers Cheers & Gears Photos

Fireside Chat Photos

Windshield Phenomenon

I was sharing a cup of tea with a friend, discussing garden successes and failures when she hit me with this verbal poke in the eye: “Did you notice, when you returned from that trip to Columbus, that your windshield was NOT splattered with insects?”

So I checked, and yes, it is a thing.

Entomologists call it the windshield phenomenon. Wolfgang Wägele, director of the Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity in Bonn, Germany confirms - drivers spend less time scraping and scrubbing.

Though observations about splattered bugs aren't scientific, few reliable data exist on the fate of important insect species. Scientists have tracked alarming declines in domesticated honey bees, monarch butterflies, and lightning bugs. But few have paid attention to the moths, hover flies, beetles, and countless other insects that buzz and flitter through the warm months. "We have a pretty good track record of ignoring most non-charismatic species," which most insects are, says Joe Nocera, an ecologist at the University of New Brunswick in Canada.

Rotary Magazine Janurary

Service—to our community and the world in which we live—is central to our lives as Rotarians.
This month’s Rotary features the story of two refugees—one a girl who fled North Korea and
one a young boy who fled Somalia. How Rotary helped them become self-sufficient is an
inspiration for us in our work. Ju Fun Seok is now leading a South Korean Rotary Club. We are
blessed by our gifts. Perhaps the most important understanding I gain each month by reading
Rotary is a rekindling of my sense of belonging to a community that includes all living creatures
and the planet we inhabit.

Beerfest News

Beerfest Update

The beer is near! RCY’s Groundhog Beerfest will be Saturday, Jan. 29, in Stambaugh Auditorium. Sessions will be from noon to 4 p.m. and from 5 to 9 p.m., with the first hour of each session reserved for VIP ticket holders. This is our club’s major fundraiser, and proceeds are returned to the community as grants in support of the amazing work of local nonprofit organizations.

An often-repeated question is what attendees get for their admission. The general admission ticket ($50, which includes service fees) gives them three hours to sample beverages from 20 local breweries, enjoy live entertainment and chat with beer makers and beer lovers. VIPs ($70) get all of that over four hours!

The list of sponsors this year is “impressive,” Beerfest co-chair Kevin Chiu says. Ticket sales are building, co-chair Samatha Turner adds.

To volunteer at Beerfest, please contact Mike Latessa. Afternoon volunteers are especially needed. Volunteering is not limited to Rotarians.

Reminder to those who already have signed up to work: Enter Stambaugh through the service door, which is to the left of the main entrance.

All Rotarians can ensure the success of the event by liking and sharing Facebook posts. Also, encourage friends, family, and co-workers to attend! Sell those tickets! Thanks to all who made pretzel necklaces to sell during Beerfest.

Creating an account on MyRotary will not only give you great information about how you can maximize the impact of your Rotary involvement, it can also help Rotary International by giving them demographic information about you as a Rotarian. This is also how you get access to the Brand Center, which provides Rotary graphics and instructions about how to properly use them. Getting an account is simple:

Monday, January 17, 2022