Meeting opening:
President Amanda Senn called the meeting to order and welcomed Rotarians and guests. Sound booth volunteers were Roger Kramer, Mark Pennell and Bill Nome. Photos were taken by Dom Bollenbacher. Our patriotic song was the National Anthem, played by David Dix. We recited the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the invocation, offered by Sue Hetrick. We then sang You’re a Grand Old Flag, in honor of Flag Day.
Visitors/Guests:
Tom Hatch introduced his guest Oguzhan Yilmaz, a visiting professor at KSU from Turkey. His nickname is Oz.
Announcements:
Will Underwood noted that programs in August will focus on getting to know new Kent Rotarians.
Todd Kamenash told us that next week’s Rotary program will be on youth protection. This training is required for all Rotary clubs. Look for an email quiz. Completing the quiz before next week is advised. If that is not possible, you can bring a computer to the meeting to take the quiz. Those who completed the quiz can play trivia games. Asad urged us to take this seriously since we do interact with youth as a part of our club work. Look for an NYNET email.
Nelson Burns is taking over invocations for Roberta. He circulated a sign-up sheet for offering opening messages.
Doug Fuller announced that Tap Talks has been postponed. It was scheduled for tonight.
Dennis Campbell talked about the Heritage Festival, which will be held on July 3rd. He noted ways we can help, especially with some of the car activities.
Dom Bollenbacher told us that the Jaycees are changing the Ducks over the River events. Instead of lots of little ducks, there will be 12 large ducks to be sold. See Dom if you want to purchase a duck. She also told us that Main Street Kent turns 20 this year. On July 25th there will be a fundraiser for the organization. See Dom for tickets to the event.
Bill Childers reminded us of opportunities to volunteer to help Salvation Army with food distribution. See the club bulletin for details.
Amanda Senn explained why Kent Rotary is not hosting a booth at the Heritage Fest this year. Wear your Kent Rotary tee shirt during the Heritage Fest. Also look for Amanda’s email.
Happy Bucks:
The following Rotarians donated their dollars to celebrate a variety of trips and family achievements: Sandee Reid, Kathy Myers, Laing Kennedy, Lee Higgins, Tom Hatch, Will Underwood, Janice Simmons Mortimer, Carol Crimi, Roger Kramer, Amanda Senn.
Program:
Sandee Reid introduced Penny Forster, Senior Director, Community Impact. Penny works with the community programs sponsored by the Guardians.
Penny told us that Community Impact provides resources for education, youth programs and select health and environmental initiatives. The Impact programs start with elementary students to give them an introduction to baseball. Guardians players and staff give back with time and money to provide a positive impact in the community, especially in the inner city. When SNAP benefits were not available, Guardians Community Impact helped with food distribution.
Guardians community impact programs partner with good community organizations to maximize the positive results. Penny talked about the partnership with Davey Tree company. Every time a Guardian player hits a home run a tree is planted. Community impact planted over 480 trees in partnership with Davey Tree.
Penny told us about the efforts made to have the Guardians players express what their passions are and how they want to give back. For Steven Kwan it is a love of chess and mentoring youth. Jose Rameriz gives back in his Domican Republic home town and in Cleveland. Players assist with youth baseball and softball development. Coaching clinics are offered to prepare youth for success.
There is a RBI program, which stands for Reviving Baseball in the Innercity. RBI programs are designed for teens. Fields for the Future provides turf for fields to make them safe for youth.
Before turning to audience questions, Penny told us that she hopes that Jose’s injury will not require a lengthy healing period. She fields lots of questions about Jose’s recent injury.
Response:
Anita Herington wore her Cleveland Guardians shirt and thanked Penny for her presentation. She emphasized the need to get young children and families involved with baseball.
The meeting closed with the recitation of the Four Way Test.
Respectfully submitted,
Sue Hetrick