Our August 3rd meeting was a Club Assembly with many areas of business discussed:
Camp Neidig Recap
For the benefit of our newer Club members, Dale Kochard shared information about Camp Neidig, a District 7430 program our Club sponsors every year. Camp Neidig is a leadership camp that brings together talented high school students for a four-day weekend of fun, friendship, and team-building activities. Campers interact with guest speakers from various professional backgrounds who share what it means to be a good leader. They also participate in various problem solving activities that can be both physically and mentally challenging. Every activity is designed to help campers develop their leadership and teamwork abilities.
High school students who exhibit above-average leadership abilities are invited to participate. This summer, our Club sponsored three students one of whom joined us at our meeting to share her personal experience at Camp Neidig. What impressed Haven Mitchell-Huskey, a senior at Liberty High School, the most about her experience was learning that different people bring varied leadership skills and styles to a team, which helps to make the team stronger. She enjoyed her experience and learned much more than she anticipated.
Taste & Tunes Update
Taste & Tunes Chair, Thea Phalon, introduced Paul Lynch, Executive Director of this year’s event beneficiary, Second Harvest. Paul explained that Second Harvest believes, it is extremely important to provide fresh fruit and vegetables, in addition to non-perishable food staples, to their clients. In order to make that possible, Second Harvest is in need of a refrigerated truck that will allow them to travel to the more than 200 agencies in its six-county service area, including Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton, Pike and Wayne Counties. The approximate cost of a new truck is $120,000. He noted that they have already raised $70,000 to purchase the truck and is looking forward to partnering with Rotary to raise the final $50,000.
Some eye-opening facts about the work of Second Harvest include:
Last year, Second Harvest distributed 7.7 million pounds of food and grocery product to low-income families and individuals in a six-county service area in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Each month, our member agencies serve more than 65,000 individuals that are at-risk for hunger.
Of those 65,000 people we serve, more than half are children and senior citizens.
For every $1 donated to the Food Bank, Second Harvest is able to distribute 9 pounds of food, which is equivalent to 7 meals.
More than 1,000 people volunteer annually at Second Harvest, sorting food, working in the warehouse and helping in the office.
After Paul’s presentation, Thea asked the Taste & Tunes Committee to join her at the podium for a mini pep-rally. Club members were encouraged to help the committee by securing sponsorships, auction items and restaurants. All who volunteered received chocolate and were entered into a special drawing. Six lucky winners received a light-up wine glass - just in time for Musikfest!
Anyone who wasn’t at the meeting and wants to help, please contact Thea Phalon at lind_thea@hotmail.com. We need everyone in the Club to get involved to ensure our signature event, Taste & Tunes, raises at least $50,000 for Second Harvest. It’s a big goal but we can do it if we all pull together.
Club Announcements
Our annual Golf Tournament held jointly with the Morning Star Club netted $15,200. Part of the proceeds, $10,000, were donated to the Bridges Foundation, which provides scholarships and assistance for tools/equipment, to students at the Bethlehem Area Vo-Tech School (BAVTS), many of whom are involved in Skills USA. The remaining $5,200 was divided equally between our two Clubs. Our Club’s share will be used to help match the funds ($7,700) we received from a District Grant for our Centennial Park Project. Members of the Golf Committee were asked to stand and be recognized for their hard work and great success!
A big thank you went out to Jill and Gerry Long for their efforts in raising funds for this year’s Phillies Strike out Hunger on August 16. Through our Club’s generosity, 15 children from the Boys & Girls Club and 50 children from Northeast Ministries are going to the game, perhaps their first, on Tuesday. Transportation was also made possible by donations from our Club. Gerry and Jill will be representing our Club at a dinner on August 15 in Mount Laurel, New Jersey at which time our Club and others will be recognized as top participants in this effort.
Don’t forget -- Next week’s Club meeting, August 10, is being held at Musikfest. Kassie Hilgert, President & CEO of Musikfest, will be taking time out of her busiest week of the year to be our guest speaker. The deadline for registering was Friday, August 5.
District Governor, Linda Young, will be visiting our Club on Wednesday, August 17. Everyone is encouraged to come hear Linda share her vision and plans for the 2016-2017 Rotary Year.
Rotary unites leaders to take action in their communities and all over the world. From joining our historic movement to eradicate polio to being a part of the original social network, there are many reasons to love Rotary. Check out our list in theAugust issue of The Rotarian and find out why mentoring young leaders should be onReasons to love Rotary right now
Rotary unites leaders to take action in their communities and all over the world. From joining our historic movement to eradicate polio to being a part of the original social network, there are many reasons to love Rotary. Check out our list in theAugust issue of The Rotarian and find out why mentoring young leaders should be on your list. your list.
