Happy Membership Development Month. Last week I was talking about inviting friends to join us in a future meeting. In the current environment where it is difficult to meet in person, the best way to help prospective members learn about what we do is to invite them to join our weekly Zoom meetings. And our industrious webmaster Al Philpotts made that process very simple. On the top of the home page of ClubRunner is a yellow box marked "Membership Inquiry". Just ask your prospective member to click that box, then fill in the information and finally click "submit" and they will receive an invite to join future meetings and see if Bethlehem Rotary is the service club they want to be a part of.
Taste & Tunes Dessert Edition is currently in the mixing bowl with new ingredients being added each week:
- SPONSORSHIP: We are a quarter of the way to my own personal goal. Please, consider being a sponsor or recruiting other companies or individuals as sponsors. There are various levels and plenty of recognition for your support. Download the form on ClubRunner.
- BAKERS: We need Bakery items for the on-line auction October 4-18. Go to ClubRunner and print some forms and ask your favorite bakery or restaurant to become a partner. I gave a form to my favorite bakery (actually I love them all) this morning, told the owner why we are doing this, and surprised me when she said Rotary holds a special place in her heart as she was an Exchange Student 40 years ago! She said yes!
- NON-DESSERT AUCTION ITEMS: As in past T&T, we need other items to complement this years bakery items. We need suitable items to bid on-email Maria Esposito for ideas. But I think this is where some of you can put the "Tunes" in our event! Many concerts have been delayed a year due to COVID-19. Consider donating tickets to a future concert, or even a gift card to a future Musikfest or Artsquest event!
The level of success of this years Taste & Tunes in a new environment depends upon each member participating. As you know, success will reap huge rewards for Northeast Community Center to keep their pantry stocked, and our Bethlehem Rotary Foundation to continue philanthropic partnerships in our community.
Mark your calendar for October 24, World Polio Day and the annual Purple Pinkie Race to Zero which will be a virtual event due to COVID-19. Details will be released soon, and we will have a speaker in September to talk about Rotary's Polio eradication efforts as a lead up to the event.
And this Saturday August 15, 8 am to Noon is cleanup day at Centennial Park on Sand Island across from the Ice House. The Park is large enough to socially distance, and we will concentrate our efforts on trimming, pruning, and hopefully planting a few perennials. Bring your own equipment, or we have tools to use. Please email me if you are coming so I bring enough tools and snacks. And you can pick up your Rotary Opens Opportunities pin and get an attendance credit!
Last week's meeting was a dual Classification Talk. We first heard from Laura Cunningham. Growing up in NE Philadelphia, she moved to town in 1990 and has a Master's in Special Education. Her career started at a nursery school where her 3 children attended, and then moved to the Assisted Living and Senior Daycare for Alzheimer's patients at Whitehall and Saucon Manor.
After working at some other organizations, Laura currently works for Retreat Behavioral Health helping clients overcome drug and mental health challenges. COVID-19 saw an initial dip in attendance with telehealth counseling, but thankfully clients have adapted to the new normal and are reaching out virtually for help. She likes doing the Rally in the Valley each year to celebrate addiction recovery, and due to spending more time at home this year, has discovered gardening; plus she will become a grandmother! A member of our T&T and Fun & Fellowship committees, we look forward to working with Laura on new projects.
Carrie Madigan was next. Growing up in northern Pennsylvania, she moved to the Lehigh Valley in 1994. Carrie is a paralegal by training, and worked for Cherrydale Farms for 15 years. Currently she is Vice President of Marketing for Bazzini Nuts in Allentown. Carrie gave a very fascinating talk about Bazzini, which since 1886 is the oldest nut company in the US. Since 1923 they have had a partnership with the New York Yankees as well as locally with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Bazzini is a master chocolatier in addition to their nut roasting and fruit processing. Their 200,000 square foot Allentown facility produces over 50 million pounds of chocolate each year, including snack bars and the new line of butters in cups. Many items are produced for major retail companies
under their own product label. We learned a lot about a major company that is a great friend of the community.
Carrie has two sons, with her 18 year old attending Moravian College this Fall. She is involved with other community groups, and presented a short segment about suicide prevention at Emmaus High School last year. And her work at Bazzini has led to supporting other community groups like the Bethlehem Mounted Police. A member of our T&T committee, look for Carrie to be helping us on future Rotary endeavors.
This week we will hear from Marc Rittle of New Bethany Ministries. The topic is the Impact of COVID-19 on the homeless and low income citizens. Last month Alicia Karner briefly told us what the City of Bethlehem is doing, Marc will update us on the needs presented by the pandemic.
See you Wednesday!
