Our meeting last Tuesday was fabulous. In addition to the ever popular prognostications on March Madness by our very own Laing Kennedy, Todd Kamenash showed us his approach to choosing the Final Four. The best part of the meeting was the induction of our newest member, Brian Grubich! Welcome Brian!
Going back to March Madness, according to Todd, our club raised about $750 for our club’s literacy projects thanks to everyone generously supporting the bracket busters. I don’t know about you, but I’m a little afraid to see how my teams are doing. Since I don’t keep up with college basketball (with a few exceptions, like the KSU Flashes), I relied heavily on Laing’s recommendations, then I added a little heart for those teams I have a connection to. I finished off my choices using Todd’s darts. It really doesn’t matter how I do, I, like many others, are just pleased to support our club.
Speaking of generously supporting our club’s projects, the Rotary Club of Kent raised $430 for the Blanket Project. That project will supply blankets to kids in foster care in Portage County. Thanks to all of you, 43 kids will receive blankets of their own.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR! April 22 and 23 is the District Meeting. It will be at the Sheraton Suites in Cuyahoga Falls. Since our very own Larry Lohman is District Governor, we want to show every other club in the district how AWESOME we are! (They know Larry is awesome, but we need to make sure they know the rest of the club is just as awesome!) I should have registration details on Tuesday. While the entire event will be worthwhile, I encourage each Rotarian to attend the dinner Saturday evening. That will be Larry’s big night to shine, plus we are hosting a hospitality suite after the dinner.
Remember, we can pay for our lunches and other Kent Rotary costs via Venmo. If you don’t have the app on your phone, take a few minutes to go to www.venmo.com. You can learn more about it and download the app. There is a small fee the club is charged when you pay by Venmo. It equates to an extra 25 cents for lunch. If you appreciate the convenience, as I do, please pay a little extra each week or once a month to cover that extra fee. As far as many of us are concerned, it’s worth it.
Introductions: The March 15, 2022, Rotary Club meeting opened with “My Country Tis of Thee” performed by David Dix, an invocation by Sue Hetrick and a round of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” Dennis Love introduced Richard Legg as the student of the month.
Visiting Rotarians and guests: There were no visiting Rotarians, but there were several guests: Kathy Myers’ guests were Deborah Covert, executive director of the Streetsboro Chamber of Commerce, and Erika Schoenberger, general counsel and vice president of Davey Tree. Laing Kennedy attended with his wife, Saundra. Carol Crimi invited Dan Johnson and Bee Saywell. Dave Myers invited Eric Asp. Rachel Kerns’ guest is E.J. Brinson, new development director at Habitat for Humanity. Bill Childers invited Tamera Hunter, CEO of Townhall II.
Announcements: Laing Kennedy, who was the speaker for Tuesday’s program, was congratulated for his admission to the Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame for his 16 years as Kent State athletic director. There was an auction committee meeting after the meeting. The club is seeking donations of things that can be donated in the silent auction or live auction. Sponsors are also invited to sponsor the auction. Other announcements included:
The Kent Club has raised $430 for blankets for kids in foster care in Portage County.
Volunteers are still needed for the audio-visual committee.
The district conference is April 22 and 23 — our club will be hosting a hospitality room. Details on how to sign up are forthcoming.
Every third Tuesday of the month is Tap Talks at North Water Brewing Company, put on by Main Street Kent and Kent Historical Society. Tonight, Mark Pennell is giving a lecture on Kent’s first family, the Haymakers. Next month will be Dave Hassler talking about the Wick Poetry Center.
Members were also invited to fill out their March Madness brackets — it’s $10 per bracket (men’s and women’s). So far, ahead of the meeting, $650 had been raised toward the literacy program.
New member induction: The Kent Rotary Club welcomed Brian Grubich as a new member. Brian is associate director of Athletic Advancement at Kent State. Laing Kennedy, his sponsor, introduced him as a rising star in athletic administration.
Program — Laing Kennedy prognosticates on the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournament: March Madness is back. Before sharing his tips on tournament betting strategy, Kennedy had some thoughts to share on matters of collegiate athletics policy. Kennedy commented that one of the hot issues is the new ability to compensate players for using their name and likeness in advertising. Kennedy is concerned about how this wealth and popularity can affect teams. Transfer portals are another concern; turnover is becoming quite high, affecting team cohesion. Kennedy said wellness coaches are essential to support the health and wellbeing of student athletes, a positive addition to sports departments. He also said social media networks present a challenge for college teams. When social media first emerged, Kennedy instituted a rule: “No student athlete at Kent State can be on social media.” The rule lasted about a week — it violated freedom of speech. He also cautioned parents and athletes against sports camps that claim to guarantee D1 athletic scholarships. And finally, he said that the NCAA has a long way to go in creating equality in women’s sports.
Kennedy offered tips about filling out March Madness brackets: 1) Usually #1 and #2 seed teams win games. 2) Don’t pick your underdog to win the tournament, but you can give them a shot at the Final Four. 3) Don’t pick a team seeded #8 or greater to win it all, unless it’s Kent State. 4) If you pick all favorites to win the first round, you’ll likely do well.
Todd Kamanesh offered his alternative approach to picking teams: Bill Childers throwing darts. “You can listen to Laing … or you can take it from the fingertips of Bill Childers.” Roger Kramer delivered the response
Information in this eBulletin comes primarily from the Rotareminder, board meeting minutes, and stories submitted by members.
If you have any Rotary stories, events or speaker information to benefit the Club, please submit it to info.rotarykentohio.org@gmail.com. We will add it to the next appropriate eBulletin.
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