Monday, October 3, 2022

Rotary International asks us to Imagine Rotary through our Focus Areas
October is Economic and Community Development Month

This month Rotary International asks us to Imagine Rotary by supporting the members of our community to become economically self sufficientExplore 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

This Week's Meeting

President Sharon Letson and Scott Schulick will provide an update on the Youngstown Rotary Foundation, which supports community development and efforts in greater Youngstown based on Rotary International ideals of encouraging and fostering service for community development.

Last Week's Meeting

Rotary was on the road last week at the Williamson College of Business Administration on the campus of Youngstown State University. In her introductory remarks, President Sharon commented that the Williamson School has played an important role in the development of downtown Youngstown since its ribbon-cutting and opening in 2010. Not only was the building a $3.4 million investment in the campus, the city of Youngstown contributed $1.2 million for the Hazel Street link from the University to downtown. 
 
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson, Dean, welcomed Rotarians to the Williamson College of Business Administration. We discovered that Dean Wilkinson has a connection to Rotary – her father was a member of the club in Pocahontas, Arkansas. 
 
As students observed our meeting, Dr. Wilkinson noted that it was the loyal alumni, former students who still love YSU, that brought her here. Dr. Wilkinson took over as dean in December 2021.
 
Dr. Wilkinson sees the role of WCBA as one of innovation, engagement, and impact. Already, the school is among the top 5 business schools in the country for career readiness, and top in ethics and integrity. Faculty and staff are open to diverse and new ways of thinking, and are in the process of modernizing the curriculum in order to be a lifelong learning center for the community. 
 
Dr. Wilkinson wants to develop a mentoring program with the business community, so upon graduation, students know what to expect in the workplace. She would like to see in the future, that each student receives $3,000 in “development funds”, which can be used for study abroad, internships, or even buying the appropriate clothing for interviews and that new job.
 
Although enrollment is down 4% this year in the Business School, more than 500 students are enrolled in the online MBA program. There are fewer high school seniors graduating, so there is a smaller pool of applicants for all colleges. Current WCBA students have an average GPA of 3.0, an accomplishment of which to be proud. And despite news reports to the contrary, the accounting program at YSU is not going to be cut! As the profession itself undergoes change, YSU will be meeting that challenge by bringing the curriculum up to date. 
 
In other news: 
 
  • A Rotary golf outing at Stambaugh raised $500 for Ukraine relief; 
  • Beerfest committee needs members; 
  • The “Night for Ukraine” fundraiser in District 6650 is almost halfway to its $100,000 fundraising goal.
 
Read more...

Rotary in Action 

 

Youngstown Rotarians collected donations for Ukraine relief during the Boardman Rotary Oktoberfest on Oct. 2 in Boardman Park. Thank you, Boardman Rotary, for making the space available, and to RCY members who worked in shifts.


 
RCY’s end-of-summer golf scramble on Sept. 26 at Stambaugh Golf Course also was a fundraiser for Ukraine, and the dinner afterward was for golfers and non-golfers alike.


 
Prior to the Sept. 21 meeting, Rotarians packed school supply boxes for 30 students in the CCD program at St. Angela Merici Parish on the city’s East Side. Dr. Linda L. Miller of St. Angela Merici picked up the kits from RCY President Sharon Letson. 


 

Oxford Junior Dictionary’s replacement of ‘natural’ words with 21st-century terms sparks outcry

How can we teach our children about the biodiversity crisis and protecting native plants and animals
from extinction if they don’t have the words to name and recognize them?

“A” should be for acorn, “B” for buttercup and “C” for carrot, not attachment, blog and chatroom,
according to a group of authors including Margaret Atwood and Andrew Motion who are “profoundly
alarmed” about the loss of a slew of words associated with the natural world from the Oxford Junior
Dictionary, and their replacement with words “associated with the increasingly interior, solitary
childhoods of today”.

The 28 authors, including Atwood, Motion, Michael Morpurgo and Robert Macfarlane, warned that the
decision to cut around 50 words connected with nature and the countryside from the 10,000-entry
children’s dictionary, is “shocking and poorly considered” in the light of the decline in outdoor play for
today’s children.

The likes of almond, blackberry and crocus first made way for analogue, block graph and celebrity. The
current edition maintained the changes, and instead of catkin, cauliflower, chestnut and clover, today’s
edition of the dictionary, which is aimed at seven-year-olds, features cut and paste, broadband and
analogue.

“We recognize the need to introduce new words and to make room for them and do not intend to
comment in detail on the choice of words added. However, it is worrying that in contrast to those taken
out, many are associated with the interior, solitary childhoods of today. In light of what is known about
the benefits of natural play and connection to nature; and the dangers of their lack, we think the choice
of words to be omitted shocking and poorly considered,” the authors have written to OUP.

“When, in 2007, the OJD made the changes, this connection was understood, but less well publicized
than now. The research evidence showing the links between natural play and wellbeing; and between
disconnection from nature and social ills, is mounting.”

The 28 signatories to the letter, who also include Sara Maitland, Helen Macdonald, and Ruth Padel, say
their concern is “not just a romantic desire to reflect the rosy memories of our own childhoods onto
today’s youngsters”.

“There is a shocking, proven connection between the decline in natural play and the decline in children’s
wellbeing,” they write, pointing to research which found that a generation ago, 40% of children regularly
played in natural areas, compared to 10% today, with a further 40% never playing outdoors. “Obesity,
anti-social behavior, friendlessness and fear are the known consequences,” they say.

We Need Your Plastic Film

We're off and running! So far, nearly 200 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. 

Board of Directors – August Meeting Minutes

“Service Above Self” has no limits, as is clear from the minutes of the August meeting of RCY’s Board of Directors. Learn what RCY is doing locally by installing Little Free Libraries, promoting literacy and welcoming an exchange student from Italy. Learn also about binational participation in Operation Pollination and District 6650 fundraising for Ukrainian citizens by clicking here.
 

THIS WEEK IN ROTARY HISTORY

August 2, 1953: Eight graduate students from Finland arrived in Youngstown through “Experiment in International Living” (via Rotary International Service Committee) to live for one month prior to the opening of college, in the homes of eight Youngstown Rotarians.
 
CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION
 
image
 
Birthdays:
 
Domminck Brown - Oct 1
Dave Stillwagon - 
Oct 3
Debbie Esbenshade - Oct 9
 
 
Anniversaries:
 
Flavio Aiken - 1 Year
 
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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?
 
Bulletin Editor
Steve Poullas
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Club Information

Welcome to Youngstown Rotary

Service Above Self

Wednesdays at 12:00 PM
Wick Park Pavilion
260 Park Avenue
Youngstown, OH 44504
United States of America
Phone:
(330) 743-8630
Connect through Zoom: http://www.youngstownrotaryevent.com/
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