Rotary International asks us to Imagine Rotary through our Focus Areas
This month Rotary International asks us to Imagine Rotary by developing and new members. Explore the possibilities with us at our meeting Wednesday at noon at Wick Park or virtually via Zoom.
This week we’ll hear from a familiar face, District Governor Michelle Charles. If you recall, she was at our meeting on July 6 to install Sharon Letson as President of Rotary Club of Youngstown.
Michelle calls Rotary Club of Canton her home club. She has been president of the Canton Symphony Orchestra since 2011. Michelle joined the Rotary Club of Canton in 2011 as a way to meet people in the community. Loving the fellowship of the group, she quickly became involved, serving her club as secretary, president-elect, and president in 2018-2019.
Michelle holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music History and Theory from Hiram College and an MBA in Leadership from Southern New Hampshire University. She received a Fundraising Certificate from Boston University (2020) and Negotiations and Leadership Certificate from Harvard University (2021). She also serves on the board of Friends of the Summit (91.3 FM) where she is board chair. She was a member of the 27th Class of Leadership of Stark County and is currently a member of Women’s Impact, Inc. In 2012, Michelle was honored to be named one of the Twenty Under 40 and in 2018 was inducted into the YWCA of Stark County’s Women’s Hall of Fame.
Michelle and her husband JC (also a Rotarian) got married right before the pandemic which gave them what she calls “the world’s longest honeymoon”. Together they have six sons – three each – ranging in age from 14 to 25, and one crazy Golden Retriever named Bea. In her “spare” time, she and JC enjoy hiking and travelling.
Last Week's Meeting
Buongiorno was the word of the day as Rotarians met Manuela D’Alessio, the club’s latest Rotary exchange student.
Her nickname is Manu (say Mah-NOO). Her family lives in Pompeii, which is famous for its ancient ruins. She is attending Cardinal Mooney High School as a junior. She plays basketball, and her father is a basketball coach. Her mother runs a clothing store, and her older brother attends college. At schools in Italy, it’s the teachers who change classrooms instead of the students, she observed, adding that she hoped not to be late in changing classes here. She is still discerning what to study in college.
Manuela received some welcoming gifts from the club, and cake was served to attendees on this special day.
Manu is staying with Deanna and Gregg Rossi and family until January and then will join Dave Stillwagon and family to finish the school year. Rotarians are encouraged to invite Manuela to join them in activities to add to her experiences in the United States.
If you would like a chance to use your social media, digital marketing, or video creation skills, the YoRo Communications Committee would like to talk to you. You would be helping to publicize the great work that our club undertakes, and come up with new ways to get the word out.
If you are interested, contact Communications Committee co-chairs Deb Flora or Linda Kostka.
We Need Your Plastic Film
We're off and running! So far, 141 pounds of plastic has been collected for the Trex project. Keep up the good work!
Don’t forget - the Operation Pollination committee is encouraging all Rotarians to save their plastic film and bring it to Rotary on Wednesdays. Once we collect 500 pounds of plastic, we turn it into Trex, the company that manufactures composite decking. Trex, in turn, will donate a bench made of the recycled plastic that we will place in a pollinator garden or near a Little Free Library.
We have until the end of February 2023 to collect the plastic. You can turn in your recyclables to Elsa Higby, Ra’Cole Taltoan, or LInda Kostka, who will weigh, track, and turn it in. Review the list of items below to see what’s acceptable.
Flooding Relief in Kentucky
Dear Rotary Members in Zones 30 and 31,
Once again, #RotaryResponds where human needs are great.
Recent flooding has devastated three counties in eastern Kentucky in economically challenged communities. At least 39 people have lost their lives. People who had very little before the flooding are now left with nothing. Flooding in small communities in hollows in our own District 6740 has destroyed homes and livelihoods. Many people are without power or running water. Additional rains have added to the suffering and complicated rescue efforts.
Rotary District Governor in 6740, Seema Sachdeva, the district leadership and Rotary clubs in the devastated communities are organized to accept donations to help these communities survive, recover and rebuild. At this time, cash donations are needed and are the preferred way for each of us to make a difference. Please help the people of eastern Kentucky. The Pikeville, KY Rotary club will serve as the district’s point of contact for cash contributions to a 501(c) (3) fund, through an account with the Pikeville Community Foundation.
Cash contributions can be sent to the following address: Pikeville Rotary Club Eastern Kentucky Disaster Relief Fund PO Box 988 Pikeville, KY 41502
Funds will be used for immediate disaster relief for the affected families. More information about relief efforts and needs will be communicated as it becomes available.
Please help out our communities and families that are in such desperate need in eastern Kentucky. Thank you for being a Rotarian, and thank you for your compassion.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Usovicz Rotary International Director, Rotary Zones 30 and 31
Decline in biodiversity = Growing threat to food
The plants, animals, and micro-organisms that are the bedrock of food production are in decline, according to a UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) study. The report, using data gathered in 91 countries, is the first such study of its kind.
Land-use changes, pollution, and climate change are all causing biodiversity loss. If critical species are lost, the report says, it "places the future of our food system under severe threat".
Biodiversity for food and agriculture is essentially the diversity of plants, animals, and other organisms, both wild and domesticated, that provide us with food, fuel, fiber, and medicines. It includes those organisms that provide essential services, such as bees and other pollinators, worms, mangroves, sea grasses and fungi which work to keep soils fertile and purify the air and water.
The new report, called the State of the World's Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture, is important because it highlights two key messages:
CROP DIVERSITY HAS DECLINED The world is relying on an ever-smaller number of foodstuffs to feed a growing population that's expected to rise to around 10 billion people by 2050.
Of the 6,000 plant species cultivated for food, just nine account for 66% of total crop production. The world's livestock production is based on around 40 species with only a handful providing the vast majority of meat, milk and eggs.
Many of the WILD FOOD SPECIES that support food and agriculture are under threat or declining. Around a thousand mainly plants, fish and mammals are decreasing in abundance.
“Biodiversity is critical for safeguarding global food security, underpinning healthy and nutritious diets, improving rural livelihoods, and enhancing the resilience of people and communities," said FAO's Director-General José Graziano da Silva.
From a Rotary standpoint that statement hits on the Foundation’s Seven Focus Areas.
Steak Fry 2022
Final call! Please see the link to the form for the Club's annual Steak Fry registration information.
THIS WEEK IN ROTARY HISTORY
August 21, 1965: Faithful Rotarian Harry Shagrin was memorialized by retiring his attendance badge and 50 year Perfect Attendance Pin.
CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION
Birthdays:
Suzanne Fleming - August 28
Anniversaries:
Stacia Erdos Littleton - 1 Year
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?
Foundation Board – June Meeting Minutes
At its June 21 meeting, the Youngstown Rotary Foundation Board of Directors adopted a budget for 2022-2023. Read all about it within the meeting minutes here.
RCY Board of Directors June Meeting Minutes
Why did annual dues increase? Why should future annual budgets be adjusted for travel to Rotary International conventions? Why do reservations matter for club events? All answers can be found here, within the minutes of the June meeting of RCY’s Board of Directors.
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