Rotary International asks us to Serve to Change Lives through its Focus Areas
This month Rotary International asks us to Serve to Change Lives by preserving access to fresh water and quality sanitation in our community. Explore the possibilities with us at our meeting Wednesday at noon at Wick Park or virtually via Zoom.
Deb Cunningham will update us on AmeriCorps, the federal agency that promotes civic engagement through service and volunteering to strengthen communities. AmeriCorps provides human and financial resources to assist with natural disaster recovery, the opioid crisis and education across the nation, including in Youngstown.
Last Week's Meeting
Our St. Patrick Day program started on a great note, with honorary Rotarian Mike Shaffer playing Irish songs on his accordion. Mike also is a past president of RCY.
Speaker Greg Hartz of The Mahoning Valley Ulster Project discussed the resumption of the annual peace project after a 3-year COVID hiatus. Since 1975, the Ulster Project has promoted leadership development by bringing Christian teens ages 14 to 16 from Northern Ireland to the U.S. to build friendships, trust and understanding with peers whom they otherwise would not know.
Residents of British Commonwealth-controlled Northern Ireland, or Ulster, and the Republic of Ireland are deeply divided over matters of religion, politics and economics. Even as violence by radical minority factions eases, centuries-old attitudes and stereotypes persist. “By not knowing one another, that is where tensions result,” said Hartz, who is the local Ulster organization’s treasurer.
Ulster participants are evenly divided between girls and boys, and they usually travel here during the summer Marching Season in Ireland, when people demonstrate neighborhood pride and tensions escalate, Hartz said.
Same-age teens from American host families share in a variety of experiences with Ulster teens. They discover common ground during confidential group discussions, in which they can delve into matters of prejudice.They experience religious diversity by joining in Catholic, Protestant and Jewish services. They participate in community service projects, which this year will include helping at the Zion Lutheran Church food pantry in Cornersburg.
The group also will enjoy social events – a Mahoning Valley Scrappers baseball game, a visit to a Handel’s ice cream stand, pizza tasting among them. They also will visit a grocery or big box store because the Irish youth “have nothing like it at home,” Hartz noted.
As Ulster Mahoning Valley eases back into the annual program, some adjustments have been made this year. It will be a 3-week program instead of four weeks, and there will be 8 participants instead of 12, Hartz said. The program seeks host families for teens, who must be Catholic or Protestant with a teen age 14 to 16 in the household; young adults ages 21 and older to be counselors; host families for two Northern Ireland adult counselors who will be part of the travel group; and event sponsors. Go to UlsterProjectMV.com or email infoW@ulsterprojectmv.com for more information.
In other news, President-Elect Deanna Rossi recently attended the Presidents Elect Training Seminar in Columbus. She observed Rotary’s emphasis on innovation in the year ahead, and her own belief that RCY is ahead of the curve because it is already “making shifts,” such as diversifying its membership.
East Palestine Disaster Relief
The ramifications of the train derailment in East Palestine will be felt indefinitely. While District 6650 finalizes its plans to provide relief, persons who want to act now may consider providing help through The Way Station, a nonprofit organization in Columbiana. Learn more at www.thewaystationinc.org .
Travel to Australia in ‘24!
“Highlights of Australia and New Zealand with an extension to Fiji” will be the next international travel opportunity sponsored by the Rotary Club of Youngstown through EF Go Ahead Tours. The 2024 adventure will be an active itinerary with 4 internal flights that allows you to see the best of Australia and New Zealand in 15 days (18 days including Fiji). This itinerary includes a just-right mix of guided tours and group meals, plus free time so you can explore your own interests at your own pace.
The full details of this fabulous tour including day-by-day itinerary, optional excursions, and price are here.
Ukraine Trip and Assistance
Some RCY members are planning to travel to Krakow, Poland and potentially into Ukraine for humanitarian purposes between June 9 and June 17. Contact Josh Prest if you would like to make the trip.
Our club will hold a fundraiser in the coming few months to raise money to purchase Individual First Aid Kits, or IFAKs, for use by Ukrainian troops serving on the front lines and civilians being targeted by Russian forces. Approximate cost per kit is $125. An IFAK will be displayed at an upcoming meeting. Club travelers will either take those kits with them to Poland to pack with our partner, Operation White Stork, or donate the funds directly to White Stork to purchase the kits at cost, with travelers assisting with assembly.
Donors will be encouraged to write notes that will accompany the kits. White Stork will likely share videos from the soldiers thanking the club and members for the kits. To learn more about Operation White Stork’s work in Ukraine, go to https://operationwhitestork.org/.
Manu on the Move
Manu, RCY’s Exchange Student, finished her basketball season at Cardinal Mooney High School and has pivoted to a spring sport: Lacrosse!
You may not understand the game, but we know what it means to Manu to have supporters in the stands. The season has just begun. See the team schedule and attend a match when possible.
Feed The Trees
Most people think “flowers” when we talk about pollinators, but pollinators need trees too.
Trees are a source of nectar while they are in bloom, and
They are places for pollinators to rest and nest.
Trees provide seeds, fruits, and nuts during the winter when other food is scarce.
Trees are also good for the environment.
https://ohiodnr.gov/search/?search_query=native+trees Trees hold soil in place with their root systems.
They absorb carbon while producing oxygen.
Trees serve as host plants for many butterfly and moth species.
Oak trees are rock stars in the pollinator world!
They host over 400 species of butterflies and moths as well as feed wasps, birds, squirrels, deer, chipmunk and many, many, other animals.
Learning the proper way to plant, grow, and care for native trees is an important part of building a healthy habitat to support biodiversity and local wildlife.
March 24, 1934: James A. Henderson, a local car dealer, and Richard Graham provided a sparkling program by debating the following: “Resolved – The Modern Automobile is a Better Vehicle than the Ancient Ox-Cart.”
CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION
Birthdays:
Trina Williams - March 24
Anniversaries:
Frank Kishel - 32 Years
Debbie Esbenshade - 29 Years
The Four-Way Test
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?
Save the Date:
March 25 – Highway litter cleanup; details to follow.
April 22 – Public open house, Spring Arts Festival at Youngstown City School District, in cooperation with SMARTS Art School and Operation Pollination, at SMARTS; volunteers needed throughout April to assist; details to follow.
Save the date! On Thursday, April 20, Bob DiBiasio, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for the Cleveland Guardians, will make his annual visit to update us on the upcoming baseball season. This is a joint event of Rotary Club of Youngstown, Youngstown Lions Club, and Youngstown Kiwanis.
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