October 27, 2022

With the traditional ringing of the bell we bring this meeting to order!

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Welcome to this week’s meeting of the eClub of the State of Jefferson.

I am Bob Gibson, President of the Rotary eClub of State of Jefferson. Welcome to this week’s meeting. I hope this finds you well. 

Your Board discussed important topics at last week’s meeting. We reviewed and discussed the proposed changes to our By-Laws. Rotarian Carol Fellows and PDG John Cox have worked on developing this proposal. You will receive an email with this document attached. It will be a subject of discussion at our Zoom Membership Meeting on Saturday, November 12 at 9:00am Pacific Time. If you have questions or comments on the proposed By-Laws, this will be a great time to bring them forward.

As I mentioned above, we will be having another Zoom General Membership Meeting at 9:00 on Saturday, November 12. We believe getting together in these virtual meetings is valuable for a number of reasons. It gives the Club leadership an opportunity to hear comments and concernes about our Club. It is a perfect opportunity to bring ideas and suggestions forward. Rotary was founded to respond to a need for fellowship. While this can be challenging in an e-Club, the virtual meetings can bring us closer.

The No Borders Rotaract Club is participating in a wonderful and innovative fundraiser. Zoe Hershenson provided this information. “There are three pages with different jack-o-lanterns, and the idea is for each person to choose which carving they like the most and donate on that pumpkins page. Every $10 counts as one vote. The pumpkin with the most votes wins.”
“The pumpkins were grown for the Pumpkins 4 Polio Campaign in the South Island of New Zealand (Rotary District 9980). The Rotary eClub of WASH then decided to take four of the pumpkins and, with the help of the Dunedin Rotaract Club and No Borders, carve them into jack-o-lanterns for this fundraiser. All of the money donated goes to the Rotary Foundation, specifically for WASH projects/programs.” Zoe provides this link:
https://raise.rotary.org/kuzcategui/fundraiser
This Rotaract Club is truly amazing. Their passion and energy is extraordinary.

Thank you for your interest in our Club and your commitment to “Service above Self.”

Enjoy the meeting.

If you have any questions or comments, I am available. My e-mail address is: bob@bluewaterphoto.net.

email president@StateOfJeffersonRotary.org

Halloween - October 31st.
Have a "spooktacular" evening

October is Economic and Community Development Month

Nearly 1.4 billion employed people live on less than $1.25 a day. Our members promote economic and community development and reduce poverty in underserved communities through training, well-paying jobs, and access to financial management institutions. Projects range from providing people with equipment to vocational training. Our members work to strengthen local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities.

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A moment with Rotary that changed my life

 

By Dean Rohrs, Rotary Foundation Trustee and past RI vice president

A few years back, I was taking part in a polio immunization field trip in northern Nigeria, vaccinating children against the disease. After a dusty trip on non-existent roads right into the northern Nigeria countryside, I was dropped off under a tree with a Rotaractor translator, one other Rotary member, and the local polio immunization team. This is an area frequented by Boko Haram and although I grew up in Africa, and am adventurous, I wasn’t sure that I would ever be found again.

The whole morning, women and children came to us for their polio vaccinations – winding their way to our tree through the fields. But by the early afternoon when the women start preparing the evening meal, there were no further children to immunize. I then took the opportunity to wander through the groups of compounds looking for children to immunize. While doing so, I came across a simple well with a rope and bucket and little girls – aged 10 to 12 years – collecting water, filing containers, and then disappearing into the bush with their water.

I asked the head of the village where they were going, and he told me that there were two other settlements in the area – one 2 kilometers away and the other more than 3 kilometers away. These settlements had no water. These little girls walked twice a day to fetch water for their families and thus never attended school.

When I got back to the tree and back to the team, I asked this leader what it costs to dig a simple well like that. That answer changed my life – and the realization of how little it takes to change lives.

When I got back to my hotel that night, I took out my spending money and my travel emergency fund and laid the money out on my bed. I had enough money – not only for one well – but to dig two wells and to rehabilitate the well that I had seen that day.

Leaving those funds in the hands of the local Rotaractors – 10 months later I had photos of the “Canadian wells” in those two new settlements and the cover and new surround of the original well.

Every time I look at these photos, I remember how little it took to make a difference. I remember the sight of those little girls with their small dusty bare feet, their buckets and containers on their heads, and their strong little backs as they not only faced with courage and stoicism their walk home through this dangerous bush, but also the life they lead and will lead.

Just a brief moment and a few dollars from my life – but what did it mean to those girls? A safe environment of not walking through dangerous territory. A chance to go to school and better themselves. A community that could now focus on living instead of always stretching for the daily water.

We all have these moments in our Rotary journey. But what we do with them is really what counts.

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Editors Note: Dean Rohrs has been a member of Rotary since 1989 and has served RI as vice president, director, Rotary coordinator, regional Rotary Foundation coordinator, district governor and now Rotary Foundation Trustee. She earned the Service Above Self award in 2010-11 and served on the review committee in recent years. If you know someone who has demonstrated exemplary service, encourage their governor to nominate them for the Service Above Self award – one of Rotary International’s highest distinctions in service – by completing the online nomination form between 1-31 October.

Sign Up for the Benefits of Rotary's Biz Network

By Mike Corwin

One of the great benefits of Rotary is to be surrounded by people who have integrity, are leaders, respect diversity, are wonderful friends, and are dedicated to serving others in need. Well, wouldn’t you also want to do business with one of those grand associates?

Sign up now with ONE CLICK and reap the many benefits including:

1. Finding and doing business with like-minded professionals
2. A platform to advertise your business
3. Promotion of your business events and list special offers.
4. Connect your listing through social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
5. A portion of the funds generated from this program are used to support important service work in our local communities.
6. Using vocation and friendship as an opportunity to serve others in need.
7. You will receive a Rotary Business Network plaque to showcase in your place of business.
8. Potential to have your business spotlighted and honored in this District eNews!

So join us, sign up today a Rotary Business Network registration. PDGs Cindi O’Neil and Bill Grile have remained steadfast and dedicated to networking Rotarians who love doing business with other Rotarians! Click here for their letter of endorsement.

Visit the Rotary Business Directory if you have questions.

By Suzanne Gibson, 2019-20 governor of Rotary District 6440 and a member of the Rotary Club of Barrington Breakfast, Barrington, Illinois

While planning a youth assembly in the fall of 2017, Rotary leaders in my district were looking for a fresh way to connect young people with the story of polio. Their generation is largely unfamiliar with this disease because it has not been endemic in our part of the world for decades. They have little memory, aside from photos in history books, of polio scares and children in iron lungs.

We wanted to explain how Rotary has been working to deliver on the vision of a polio-free world and why. We have reduced the number of cases of polio by 99.9 percent since 1988. But still, as long as polio exists anywhere, it remains a threat. There is no cure, only prevention, through vaccines.

As work on our youth gathering progressed, we saw a feature in the February 2017 Rotary magazine about Roger Frank, a Rotary member in Upper Eden, England, who had purchased an iron lung and used it as a traveling demonstration piece. We were inspired. The quest began to secure an iron lung of our own, an iconic symbol of polio’s threat.

Clubs from throughout the northeast portion of the state of Illinois, USA, began collaborating to find one. Synchronously, The G. Whiz Science Museum in Sarasota, Florida, was closing and had a pristine iron lung available. And so the Rotary Iron Lung Education Exhibit (RILEE) sprung to life.

RILEE had spent her first life helping polio patients in Sarasota. Her second life was educating people at the G. Whiz Children’s Museum. And now in her third life, she is the centerpiece of a mobile museum serving northern Illinois. On Monday, 24 October, RILEE paid a visit to Rotary International World Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, for World Polio Day.

RILEE’s message and mission are as important as ever. The recent paralysis of an unvaccinated man in the state of New York reminds us that the threat of polio exists everywhere as long as polio remains anywhere. Under-immunized communities are at risk, and we still have work to do educating people about the importance of vaccines.

Perhaps you know someone who suffered from polio years ago or continues to suffer today from postpolio syndrome. Share your story and tell your friends and community about Rotary’s efforts to end polio. Learn more at endpolio.org and consider making a donation.

 

A 10-year-old’s bakery stand was stolen. Neighbors put him back in business.

A thief swiped David Hove’s table and cooler from his front yard when he went inside to use the bathroom

By Sydney Page

After several hours of selling scones on his front lawn in Toronto, David Hove needed a bathroom break. He left his curbside stand unattended for a few minutes, and in that brief time, it was stolen. The whole thing — including the cooler, a wicker folding table and some supplies — had vanished.

The only thing left behind was a handwritten sign that read “homemade lemon cranberry scones.”

David, 10, had set up a baked goods table on Aug. 27 outside his home. That day, he was selling lemon-cranberry scones — his sister’s specialty. The sibling pair had been running a small baked-goods business called The Hove Delights for about a month.

They operated the stand on weekends for a few hours a day. While David dealt with customers, his 15-year-old sister, Kimberly, did the baking and recipe development. Their goal was to earn money. David dreamed of owning an Xbox, and Kimberly wanted a new cellphone. They split the profits.

So far, their stand had been a success. They sold sweet treats — such as cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, oatmeal cookies and scones — for between $2 and $3.50, depending on the size of the desert. Kimberly used her mother’s recipe for lemon-cranberry scones, which quickly emerged as the top-selling product.

They sold a lot of baked goods and heard plenty of kind words from customers and neighbors, the siblings said.

“I felt pretty happy,” David said about his business. He took great pride in independently running the stand, adding that, “I love communicating with other people.”

But his excitement turned to disbelief when he returned from the bathroom that Saturday afternoon and saw that his stand had been swiped. The sixth-grader was crushed.

“I felt sad. I was thinking it was my fault for leaving it unguarded,” said David, adding that he’s glad he took the cash box and leftover scones inside with him.

His sister was discouraged, too.

“It was frustrating, because we had that table for a long period of time, and it held sentimental value,” Kimberly said, explaining that her parents received it as a gift from a cousin.

Although their profits remained safe, everything else was gone, even a reusable water bottle and paper towel that had been on the table. The theft was captured on a security camera outside the Hove family’s home. The footage shows a man stopping in a white SUV and loading his truck with the siblings’ stand. There also appears to be a child in the back seat of the vehicle.

The siblings’ father, also named David Hove, said he was stunned that someone would steal a child’s baked-goods stand. “I was so upset. It was like being kicked in the gut,” he said. “How can somebody do this to kids?”

“David was so heartbroken and devastated, and Kimberly as well,” Hove continued, adding that David felt responsible for the ordeal. “They were both so down.”

He reached out to neighbors asking if anyone had any clue who the thief was, and no one did. He contemplated calling the police, he said, but decided against it.

“I just thought the police are dealing with a lot of other issues, and I don’t want to stretch them thin,” explained Hove, who was surprised by the theft because the family lives in a neighborhood with minimal crime.

Still, he didn’t want to ignore the incident. He decided to share the video with local news in the hope that maybe the thief would return the items and perhaps apologize to his children, who, he said, developed a “mistrust in humanity” as a result of what happened.

Although the perpetrator never surfaced, as the story spread, a steady stream of support poured in. In a matter of days, the Hove siblings received hundreds of encouraging messages from strangers. Police officers also stopped by to show their support and reinforce that David was not to blame for the theft.

“I feel very lucky to be in a community that other people care about every person,” the younger David said.

“People went out of their way to help us by reaching out and supporting us,” echoed his sister.

David Ricci and his wife, Elizabeth Aiello, live in the same neighborhood as the Hove family, and stopped by their stand multiple times over the past month to pick up treats. They were especially fond of the scones.

“I’m not lying when I say this to you: They’re incredible,” said Ricci, 48.

Beyond their love of the scones, the couple also admired David’s ambition and wanted to support his entrepreneurial efforts.

“I thought it was admirable that he’s trying to reach his goals,” Ricci said. “This kid’s got it.”

When he heard that David’s stand was stolen, he and his wife ventured to a hardware store and bought a table and cooler, which they dropped off at the Hoves’ home.

David and Kimberly were elated and ready to get back to work.

“It felt really great,” said Kimberly, who began baking more scones.

“The kids were grateful to be back in business so quick,” her father said. “I’m so proud of them.”

Tim Byrne — who lives 55 miles north of Toronto in Barrie — had also seen the story and wanted to contribute. Knowing David was working toward a new Xbox, he decided to deliver one.

“I was an entrepreneurial kid my whole life,” said Byrne, 54, who spent his childhood mowing lawns and doing other odd jobs for money. He feared the theft might deter David from staying in business, so he decided to step in.

“I hope I inspired him to keep carrying on,” Byrne said.

The siblings also received dozens of offers to donate to their business, which they respectfully declined.

“We clearly stated how we didn’t want a GoFundMe,” Kimberly said, adding that she is close to being able to buy a new phone for herself. “We wanted to work for the money.”

In the past week, Hove Delights has received about 70 order requests — including from fans in the United States — and the siblings are crafting a plan to expand their business to offer shipping options.

“People from all over the world wanted to help by buying scones,” said Kimberly, who started 10th grade on Wednesday. “We’re still trying to navigate. We need to make a plan.”

In the meantime, though, their father said his children have learned a valuable lesson.

“In this world, there are way more good people than bad,” Hove said. “That’s the underlying story here.”

 

 

 

These cities turned parks into orchards where anyone can pick for free

In the United States and elsewhere, land is being converted to offer free fruits and vegetables, ‘no questions asked’

By Cathy Free

 

The city of Andernach, Germany, planted 101 varieties of tomatoes in the town center and told everyone to pluck and take whatever they wanted.

It was such a hit, the following year the city did the same with beans. The next year, it was onions. After that, the city planted fruit trees, lettuce, zucchini, berries and herbs. All were free to anyone who lived or happened to be in the town of 30,000 people.

The town, which sits in the Rhine River Valley, has an unofficial motto: “Picking is encouraged — help yourself.”

It’s one of a growing number of places across the globe known as edible cities. In the United States, there are public lands from Seattle to North Carolina where people are welcome to pick and take from fruiting trees and bushes.

Organizers interviewed for this article said there has never been a problem with people taking more than they need, whether they grab a single pear or a bag full of potatoes and artichokes. Every year, there is more than enough produce to go around.

“Many here are very proud when you talk to them about our edible city,” said Bettina Schneider, 29, city team coordinator for the Edible Cities Network in Andernach.

When word got out that Andernach’s public gardens and orchards — which started in 2010 — were free for the picking, other cities in Germany and throughout the European Union joined in, she said. Now the Edible Cities Network is funded by the European Commission, the executive body of the E.U.

The areas that were converted into fruiting gardens and orchards in Andernach were previously overgrown and unkempt, so the gardens were well received, Schneider said, noting that a medieval moat is now covered with peach, almond and pear trees, and vacant spaces near schools have been transformed into community vegetable patches. (Andernach, founded by Romans in 12 B.C., is one of Germany’s oldest towns.)

Since 2018, Andernach has been part of the Edible Cities Network, a group of about 150 cities around the world with fruit trees and vegetable gardens in public places for anyone to access free of charge, said Marisa Pettit, a coordinator for Edible Cities.

“Every partner organization in the project receives funding from the E.U. budget to carry out their work,” Pettit said.

Pettit said that several cities also receive funding for what Edible Cities calls “living labs” — green spaces where residents can hold community events and develop their own plans to help their urban gardens to thrive and produce bountiful harvests.

Edible Cities is now supporting a community garden in Cuba, while cities in China, Tunisia, Togo and Uruguay are also developing plans for urban food forests, said Ina Säumel, a principal investigator for the Edible Cities Network.

“Public green natural spaces in cities are incredibly valuable, and even more so as temperatures rise and cities become more densely populated,” Säumel said.

Edible Cities is trying to encourage people to get involved in their urban parks rather than only think of them as passive places, Säumel said

Many U.S. cities have similar projects.  Detroit has an urban farming movement, Philadelphia has food forests, and there are edible community projects in Atlanta and Los Angeles. All rely on volunteers to do the weeding, pruning and planting.

At the Dr. George Washington Carver Edible Park in Asheville, N.C., founded more than 20 years ago, residents can harvest whatever they like from 40 varieties of fruit and nut trees, said Lynx Bergdahl, a community organizer at Bountiful Cities, the nonprofit that helps manage the food forest.

“Anyone can get whatever they want, when they want it,” said Bergdahl, 33. “This is about taking away as many barriers as possible to create public food access, whether somebody wants a single apple or an entire basket.”

In Seattle, the neighborhood of Beacon Hill turned a steep and empty slope next to a public park into a vibrant edible landscape in 2012 through a partnership with the city.

The Beacon Food Forest recently celebrated its 10th anniversary as a diverse community garden that is open to anyone walking by, said Elise Evans, one of the project’s volunteers.

“We have seven acres to work with and we’ve used about half that so far,” said Evans, noting that the forest has more than 1,000 plants and trees, with everything free for the picking.

“To create something from a blank hillside was a big deal,” she said. “Our harvest truly offers something for everyone and it’s based on trust. People take what they need and are fed for free, and that’s an empowering feeling.”

More than 5,000 miles away from Seattle, Schneider said that’s what Andernach had in mind when tomatoes and fruit trees were first planted in public spaces tucked around the city’s medieval walls.

“A large number of unusual plants can grow here, so we now have banana trees, crunchy almonds and pomegranates,” Schneider said.

Like everything else, they’re available to early risers and late-night ramblers alike, she said, “no questions asked.”

 

 

weekly@StateOfJeffersonRotary.org