On Wednesday, we all welcomed “Ned,” the large headed star of several children’s books, as his creator and former Bethlehem resident Ron Madison brought Ned to life in an inspiring and engaging presentation. Mr. Madison, father of our fellow Rotarian with the same name, is a retired Bethlehem Steel engineer who found himself spinning stories for his children and grandchildren and turned them into a second career as a successful author of children’s books. The “Ned” books help children develop a sense of self-esteem, appreciation of religious diversity, compassion for others, and even coming to terms with a parent on military deployment. Through poignant reflections on his own life experiences, Mr. Madison created an imaginary world in which youngsters and even adults can learn profound lessons through Ned’s adventures. Thanks, Ron the Younger, for sharing your father’s talents with the Rotary Club. It was an unforgettable presentation.
On Wednesday, we recognized the ongoing contributions of four Paul Harris Fellows and thanked them for their continuing financial support of the Rotary International Foundation. Ron Bauer (+7), Mike Albarell (+4), Sandy O’Neill (+2) and Chris Nelson (+1) accepted congratulations and thanks from Rotarians for their outstanding efforts to advance the humanitarian initiatives of Rotary worldwide.
In the same spirit, PP Ham Malek recognized the significant contributions of Bethlehem Rotarians George Kurtz and Kerry Wrobel as Bequest Society members in Rotary International Foundation’s Million Dollar Journey campaign. Along with the donations of George and Kerry, District 7430 Rotarians raised $2.3 million for the RIF.
Finally, Congratulations to Hank Barnette for being named to the inaugural class of inductees into the Bethlehem Hall of Fame. It is a richly deserved honor.
Other News
Please remember to bring children’s books to the Wednesday meetings. Shannon Sigafoos is collecting them for distribution at the Cops ‘n Kids Celebration of Reading Day on April 23rd. Please consider signing up for an hour to staff the Bethlehem Rotary Club’s table to give the books to children that attend.
For our meeting on April 6th, our own Kamran Afshar will be the speaker, no doubt bringing us up to date on the economic fortunes of Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley. I hope you can be there.
Until we meet again, continue to be a gift to the community.
