Last week's meeting was very busy with recognition of the many members who helped make the Liberty H. S. Interact Club's Toys for Tots collection a huge success. Those who had manned the Rotary rings the bell for The Salvation Army learned from Ron Bauer we did in fact have very successful ring which will give a boost to their efforts in meeting the many needs currently in our community. District Governor-elect Bob Hobaugh congratulated our club on our many successful events and helping District 7430. Thank you Bethlehem Rotary!
We also heard from Freedom High School senior and BAVTS student, Alessandra Scipioni. Her area of focus is studying Police, Fire, Military, and EMS tactics with teacher John Karb. She is also the current SkillsUSA President. She is very active in local programs helping youth. Her dedication earned her the Artisan of the Month award for December, for which she will receive a $100 award from our club! Congratulations and best wishes for much success to Alessandra.
Our main program featured Judy Swartley from The Chemo Bag. Founded 7 years ago, they provide "bags of comfort" to patients beginning chemotherapy treatments. The bags contain a water bottle, bottled water, beanies (knitted by local retirement community women), puzzle books, hand sanitizer & lotion, plus a journal to pass time during the treatments. The goal (and result) is to lessen the fear and anxiety of entering a treatment program. Judy said they can always use donations and/or sponsors of the items provided. Currently they supply 70-150 bags per month at 11 area infusion centers. Please visit thechemobag.org to learn how you can help.
I would like to thank all of you for making the first half of my term as President a very rewarding experience. Despite the current restrictions, our club has moved forward and accomplished many projects thanks to the dedication of all of you. Thank you for supporting all we do and making us a stronger organization. And a BIG thank you to Al Philpotts who runs our weekly ZOOM meetings, edits my message, and has made our ClubRunner website a much more useful tool in our virtual world (not to mention all of the committees he is a part of).
This week our meeting will be a rather informal gathering. I invite EVERY member who can to "ZOOM in" and say hello and take a minute to tell us how you are doing. Even if you cannot video, please call on your phone and join the fun. It is that time of year to be with family, friends, and I see Bethlehem Rotary as one big family. We will also showcase two holiday/Christmas videos performed by local musicians, right here in Bethlehem with a local message. Plan to join us.
