Rotareminder for the Rotary Club of Kent
September 16, 2025
Meeting opening:
President Amanda Senn called the meeting to order and welcomed Rotarians and guests. Sound booth volunteers were Roger Kramer and Bill Nome. Photos were taken by Dom Bollenbacher. Our patriotic song was God Bless America, played by David Dix. We recited the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the invocation, offered by Bill Childers. We then sang “Your Song”, with David Dix playing the piano and Dom Bollenbacher leading the singing.
Visitors/Guests:
There were no visiting Rotarians.
Jim Myers introduced his guest, Maggie McKendry. Asad Khan introduced the wife of today’s speaker, Hulya Abuzaid.
Announcements:
Nelson Burns was giving away bags of popcorn. The popcorn was sold by a Rotary Club in South Carolina as a fundraiser. Nelson was contributing to former Ravenna Rotarian David Petrone.
Kathy Myers reminded us about the Coleman event on Thursday evening. She encouraged us to visit the website and bid on the auction items.
Denise Baba handed out flyers about the PARTA community resource fair, also being held on Thursday from 4 to 6 pm.
Dominique Bollenbacher announced that a Touch a Truck event will be held on September 28th from 11 am until 2 pm. And tonight is the Tap Talk at North Water Brewing, featuring Ethnomusicology.
Dennis Campbell talked about 2 Chamber events. On September 25th at noon the program will focus on protecting security. On October 1st there will be a business succession planning program to be held at Standing Rock Cultural Center.
Kaleena Gharky told us to mark our calendars for the Homes for the Holidays Gala for Habitat. Postcards and flyers were left on our tables for this November 8th evening event.
Amanda Senn was pleased with the fundraiser held this past week at the Battleground. Funds were raised for polio eradication.
Student of the Month:
Dennis Love introduced Gage Rhodes as the Roosevelt High School Student of the Month. Gage is a senior at the High School. His parents and grandparents attended the meeting with Gage, as well as one of his favorite teachers. Gage is described as the Mayor of the High School. He greets students as they arrive at school. He loves sports and helps with the teams. He gets all A’s on his school subjects. He is always upbeat and encouraging of others. After graduation, Gage will attend a transition program to aid with career options.
Happy Bucks:
Todd Kamenash collected funds from the following individuals:
Tom Larkin – for Gage and his amazing teacher
Tom Myers – for Rotary tumblers, only 18 remain to be sold
Larry Lohman – pleased with the selection of a new Zone Director for Rotary
Nancy Whitehead – to celebrate the Battleground event
Anne Moneypenny – for her 60th high school reunion
Kathy Myers – for Gage
Randy Smith – for his granddaughter
Gage Rhodes – for Kent
Amanda Senn – for the Battleground event and Paul Organ’s donation of the 50/50
Raffle proceeds back to the district.
Program: A Professor’s Journey from afar to Kent
Asad Khan introduced his colleague and friend, Ayham Abuzaid. He gave us some brief background information about Ayham from his time in Syria and then his journey that led him to Kent.
Ayham told us he was born in Syria. His family had been in the textile business for over 300 years. In 1995 he dropped out of school, because he didn’t need a degree to go into the family business. He worked in the family business and then did military service. After the military he again worked in the family business. The business was expanding to other countries. He decided to return to education to help the family business. Translation services were needed in the family business, and those services were costly. In 2006 he came to the US to get his B.A. He later returned to Syria. In 2010 conflicts erupted in Syria. He needed to leave the country for his safety. He furthered his education. In 2013 Ayham came to Kent State University to accept a faculty position. After a few years here in Kent, Ayham saw opportunities to establish several business ventures. He talked about some of the diverse businesses he opened. Businesses included food service, translation services, healthcare options. Ayham told us he was blessed with access to helpful resources, such as the Small Business Association and SCORE.org to help him with financing and marketing. He described his challenges with managing people. He also said he needed help with making business decisions. He told us that one needs to know how to manage successes.
Ayham told us that life is interesting ; you never know where it will take you. He also talked about life as an immigrant. He defined immigrants as those who come to the USA to start careers. Immigrants come with huge expectations from friends and family. Some come to the USA to stay and others return home. Ayham told us that opportunities are always present, but those must be found. Adaptability is everything. You must handle whatever comes your way.
Response:
Mary Beth Harper thanked Ayham for his talk about immigration in general and his unique career journey.
Four Way Test:
The meeting closed by reciting the Four Way Test
Respectfully submitted,
Sue Hetrick
