Join us Wednesday at the Wick Park Pavilion to meet Sharmon Lesnak, a past president of Altrusa International of Youngstown and past officer of Altrusa’s Ohio-Michigan district. Altrusa’s mission is to improve communities by promoting literacy and solving problems. Altrusa, in partnership with Goodwill, recently donated 173 books to RCY to restock Little Free Libraries. Sharmon will discuss that and additional Altrusa projects. This also will be the final weekly meeting to be led by President Deanna Rossi, who will share some memories.

The annual President’s Party will begin with a social hour at 6 p.m. Thursday at Youngstown Country Club, followed by dinner and a program. We will honor Deanna and celebrate RCY’s successes during her term. Entertainment will be by the Jim Frank Trio. Business or cocktail attire is recommended. The reservation deadline has passed. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Here, George Nelson recaps the President-Elect Training Seminar that took place March 15 and 16 in Columbus.

The weekend kicked off with pre-PETS sessions for the individual Ohio districts. The sessions for our District 6650 featured an appearance by Rotary International President-Elect Stephanie Urchick, who fielded questions from the District PEs and previewed her keynote speech. Her three priorities: 

• Growing membership through her action plan; 

• Healing a divided world through positive peace; and 

• Focusing on continuity of leadership by incorporating both past and current leaders and continuing to support successful programs (i.e. eradicating polio) as we develop new ones (such as Operation Pollination, which aligns with Rotary’s newest area of focus, support for the environment). 

Under incoming District 6650 Governor and RCY member Elayne Bozick, initiatives will include restarting the Rotary Leadership Institute to grow the next generation of club leaders, with another Youngstown Rotarian, District Governor Designate David Stillwagon, participating. We also aspire to establish Peace Builder Clubs, an effort being led by Peace Chair Tom Carlisi of District 6690.  

Throughout the weekend, we heard from inspirational speakers, including:

• Jason Browne of the Rotary Club of State College Downtown (PA), who urged us to “Go Further” to be irresistible; 

• Dustin Dale of the Rotary Club of Reynolds Corners, who encouraged us to not just be Good but to be Elite; and

• Jenny Stotts of the Rotary Club of Athens Sunrise, who addressed mental health issues.     

In sessions, we discussed topics such as alternative membership models, including several I’m interested in exploring. Satellite clubs may meet the needs of people who can’t attend the noon meeting regularly but want to serve their communities. Impact clubs are cause-based satellite clubs. An expanded Rotaract could incorporate young professionals. RCY member Maureen Drummond is our district Membership Chair as well as DGE Elayne’s collaborator on alternative memberships.

I met with PEs of neighboring clubs, and we already are discussing ways to collaborate. One possibility is a joint mixer that may serve as a kickoff for a local project (as the club did with Operation Warm at a 2016 Beers, Cheers & Gears event).

Looking forward to the 2024-2025 Rotary year with all of you!

Total solar eclipses don’t last, and neither will the Rotaryclipse merchandise sale. See Aimee Fifarek about our very limited inventory of keepsakes.

Rotaryclipse will kick off with a special event Friday, April 5, at Penguin City Brewing Co. At 4 p.m., we will tap the Black Moon IPA that Penguin City has brewed for us and begin sales. Remember, $1 of each Black Moon pour will go to support our fundraiser for STEAM education. We also will preview some of the merchandise to be sold at the main event. Invite friends!

Join us again from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 7, at Penguin City for the full Rotaryclipse experience. It will be a family-friendly event with fun, educational exhibits to include movie props from the science fiction and fantasy museum under development in Warren. Buy your NASA-approved eclipse-viewing glasses and be ready for the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8.

Ra’Cole Taltoan is one of seven new members of the League of Women Voters Greater Youngstown Women’s Hall of Fame. They were inducted on March 20. Read about it here: League of Women Voters of Greater Youngstown Hall of Fame | Mahoning Matters

Thousands Of Hummingbirds Are Headed For Ohio During Their Migration This Spring

By April Dray

Is there anything more beautiful than spring in Ohio? Well, yes, actually, yes there is: Hummingbirds in Ohio! Thousands of joyful, colorful hummingbirds, like a miniature feathered rainbow fluttering through the air. Each spring, the hummingbird migration in Ohio will have thousands of these beautiful little birds appear in the skies over the Buckeye State. 

Are you wondering, “When do hummingbirds come back to Ohio?” You can usually start to catch them in late April, during their annual migration. They’ll be easy to spot in quiet yards, especially those armed with hummingbird feeders, all across the country. Read on to find out more about these bejeweled birds.

In February, hummingbirds began migrating from Mexico and Central America to the U.S. and Canada.

Fun fact: There are more than 300 recognized species of hummingbirds, but only about a dozen migrate to the U.S. and Canada.

Ohio hummingbirds are ruby-throated hummingbirds. The males are particularly easy to spot, with their bright red throats that give the species its name. The ruby-throated hummingbirds, in fact, are the only type of hummingbird that breeds east of the Mississippi River.

Male hummingbirds typically arrive about two weeks before the females on the hummingbird migration in Ohio. Males usually arrive in early April. Visit the Hummingbird Central website to stay up to date about their migration patterns and the best time to see hummingbirds in Ohio.

At just under four inches long, the ruby-throated hummingbird is tiny but mighty. In fact, they flap their wings an average of 53 times every second and fly up to 25 miles an hour.

If you'd like to spot some hummingbirds in your yard this year, it's a good idea to put your feeders out a few weeks before their expected arrival. You don't have to purchase anything fancy, just a basic hummingbird feeder like those from an online retailer like Bed, Bath and Beyond will do.

Get your sugar water ready, have your camera on hand, and sit back and wait for the hummingbirds to arrive in Ohio! It will put a big smile on your face, we promise.

And if you’re feeling major spring vibes, be sure to check out this butterfly house in Cleveland — it’s stunning!