This week we had another well-attended lunch meeting. It really does make a difference in the overall feel of the meeting when the room is full of conversation. I am appreciative, as always, for your part in making that happen!
“New membership” was the theme for the week. Our membership rolls hit the triple digits (101 to be exact!) as we inducted three new members. David Erickson, Cathy Abreu and Justin Porembo have all officially become part of the international association of Rotary. They have now received their membership badges which will include a red ribbon.
Dave Erickson, Cathy Abreu, Justin Porembo
As a reminder of our protocols, this ribbon is our reminder to make sure we get to meet Dave, Cathy and Justin so that we can learn more about them personally and professionally. Within a few weeks of the induction, new members will be introduced by their sponsor and they will provide their classification talk. At that point, the new member ribbon is removed. We look forward to hearing from Dave, Cathy and Justin soon!
In that very spirit, Stacy Scholl introduced Maria Esposito who presented the club with her classification talk. Although Maria is new to our club, she is not new to Rotary, as the Bethlehem Rotary is the third Rotary club to call Maria a member!
Maria is originally from the pizza capital of the world…. Old Forge, PA where she was part of a very large extended family. Maria earned her B.A. in English and Business Communications (Journalism) from what is now DeSales University. As Maria described her professional journey, she summed it up nicely stating that her career took her to wherever she felt she could help. Maria currently serves as the Vice President for Advancement at PBS39.
Maria Esposito
Maria is married to John Conklin, and they have four children that includes three adult daughters; Jessica 31, Mary 26 and Kathryn and their 16 year old son, Johnny. When Maria is not raising money for PBS39, she enjoys gardening, cooking, traveling and spending time with her family. Maria, John and Johnny live in Fogelsville.
Thank you to Buck Jones and Maria Nathans for coordinating the Fun and Fellowship event at PuttU this past Thursday evening. The weather cooperated and twelve fellow Rotarians had a great time. In addition to all that we learned about Maria in her classification talk… we did not learn that she is a ringer on miniature golf course! Two holes-in-one, and an evening best of 51 on the scorecard! Way to go Maria!
As for a Tastes and Tunes update… WE ARE JUST TWO WEEKS AWAY!
The reminders are exactly the same as last week: we need your continued help in:
- Attendance - The event is not a success unless we have participants to enjoy the food and bid on our auction items.
- Volunteers - Please contact Cindy Glick to get signed up as there are still many open positions that need to be filled.
- Basket of Cheer Raffle – Please bring to our lunch meeting a bottle of “cheer” for the basket raffle. Either Dee Dee or a designee will be there to receive your donation.
- Silent Auction Items – We have made good progress but we need more. Please reach out to those businesses that you patronize and see if they can help.
Please be sure to come this week to hear James Becker, who is the Commodore of the Chesapeake Bay Fleet of the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians (IYFR). The IYFR, which started in England in 1947, is the oldest fellowship within Rotary. James will speak to us about the synergies that can be created through the Rotary Fellowships.
Announcements:
- This Thursday, please join us this Thursday at 5:30PM at Taps Tavern on Rt. 378 for our mini-meeting. Reach out to Paul Ricciardi if you need additional information.
- The Purple Pinkie 5K and Walk at LCCC registration period is open. The event takes place on October 13th. Remember that this is a district event that supports Polio Plus. Registration can be done online or I will have paper registration forms at the meeting on Wednesday.
- Mark Your Calendars for these Upcoming Events
- September 27th – Mini-meeting at Taps Tavern
- October 7th – Tastes & Tunes – Moravian College
- October 13th – Purple Pinkie 5K – LCCC
- October 20th – Rotary Leadership Institute - DeSales
