December 19, 2007

At our weekly lunch on December 12, several of the many rewarding aspects of being a Rotarian made themselves clear. First of all, we had as our guests several members of the Hancock Rotary Club who came to share lunch and thank our club for inviting them to our Christmas party, which benefited the Food Pantries of each community. The presence of our Hancock friends was yet another reminder of the fact that the Rotary spirit of community service extends beyond our own club and is shared by Rotary members in virtually every community, in our own region, across the United States and throughout the globe.

It was wonderful as well to hear news of our local club's recent achievements. Our Christmas party yielded more for the Food Pantries than had I had originally reported—we raised $533 for each the Deposit and Hancock organizations. Sue Elinsky also informed us that the total result of our efforts during this holiday season was that $2,374 was raised for the Food Pantry Turkey Celebration. It's really amazing that an organization that has such fun times also accomplishes so much good work.

It was also a great treat to learn about the nation of Iceland from Rotarian Jim Ficurilli, who, along with his wife Ellen, had visited the country on their way to the wedding of a former Rotary exchange student from Finland who had stayed in Deposit for a year. We saw several stunning pictures of the Icelandic countryside, formed by volcanoes, and heard interesting details about the country and the people who inhabit it. Everyone seemed particularly fascinated to learn that many of the hot springs and natural baths that are huge tourist attractions are most often visited without bathing suits!

I'll see you back next week for the latest Rotary news and gossip!

December 12, 2007

I write this having just returned home from the Rotary Christmas party held at the Chestnut Inn on Saturday, December 8. Rotarians and guests were greeted by the Inn's beautiful holiday décor that was made even more charming by the homey ambience offered by the Chestnut's picturesque setting on Oquaga Lake . Everyone seemed to be in gracious holiday spirit as they warmly greeted old friends and happily met new ones. It was wonderful to see a strong contingent of Hancock Rotarians joining us for the evening.

After our delicious meal, the fun of our Christmas auction began. Wrapped gifts brought by the attendees were sold off by our own auctioneer, Smitty Axtell. I am very happy to announce that by the end of the evening, both the Deposit and Hancock Rotary Clubs had each taken in $475, which will be given to each community's respective food pantry. Can you imagine a more fun and rewarding way to give back to the community? Many thanks to Mark Tucker for making this party a wonderful reality!

In other Rotary news, our club was treated to a performance by the sixth graders of the DCS Elementary School chorus at our weekly meeting. Under the direction of Mrs Rae Turner, the students performed "Festival Sanctus," "When Christmas Comes to Town," "I've Got Rhythm," and "One Candle." I was astonished by powerful quality of the students' voices, their ability to handle complex harmonies, and their excellent pronunciation of Latin in two of the pieces they performed. Solo parts highlighted the talents of the individual singers and by contrast, demonstrated the immense sound of the full chorus. This variation of intensities truly demonstrates the artistic sophistication Mrs Turner instills in her students. It was also amazing to see how many students are part of the chorus! We extend our gratitude to Tina Strong for arranging for the chorus to visit our weekly meeting. Stay tuned next week for more news from the world of Rotary!

December 5, 2007

Our club's lunch meeting on Wednesday, November 28 was a busy and exciting one. First of all, it was announced that our club has raised $1,617 for the Deposit Food Pantry to buy Christmas turkeys for families in the local community. We were very excited and proud of this accomplishment. Many thanks go to Sue Elinsky for all of her work in helping our club raise this money!

Rotary is also looking forward to our upcoming Christmas party and auction on December 8 at the Chestnut Inn. I'm especially looking forward to spending that time with my fellow Rotarians in such a beautiful setting. Thank you to Mark Tucker for making it happen!

We were also treated to a visit from the DCS Girls Field Hockey Team and their coach, Mrs. Heather Conklin, and the team statistician, Mrs. Margaret Blaho. After our lunch, Coach Conklin introduced each player, her interests, accomplishments, and future plans, many of which included challenging and exciting college and career ambitions. It's clear that their coach really cares about the girls and maintains high standards of them both on the field and in the classroom, thus encouraging them to develop not only into skilled athletes, but well-rounded individuals of limitless potential.

During the meeting, Coach Conklin made two significant announcements regarding her team this year. First, Lindsey Wagner and Emily Cecere were named First Team All Stars and received field hockey player figurines. Coach Conklin was also very proud to announce that Deposit's JV and Varsity Field Hockey Teams received the Sportsmanship Award out of all teams in New York State 's Section IV. Our club was very happy to have the team join us and it was wonderful to be able to congratulate all the girls on their accomplishments and great season!

November 28, 2007

The Deposit Rotary Club is once again planning our annual Christmas party to be held on Saturday, December 8 at the Chestnut Inn on Oquaga Lake. I'm particularly excited for the party for a number of reasons. First of all, the menu sounds absolutely delicious with selections of prime rib, salmon, and stuffed chicken. I always can't wait to have the chance to hang out in that festive setting with my fellow Deposit Rotarians with whom I've come to really enjoy spending time every week.

Also, I'm excited to have the chance to meet some new people since we are also inviting our friends in Hancock Rotary Club to share in the event with us. Most importantly, we are planning a holiday gift auction at the party to benefit the Deposit and Hancock Food Pantries. As is always the case, Rotary has found a way to delightfully combine the fun and excitement of holiday socializing, complete with delicious food and a beautiful atmosphere with important and significant service to the larger community. Guests are always welcome at our events, so feel free to voice your interest to any of our club's members!

November 21, 2007

The Deposit Rotary Club was fortunate enough to have Lynn Hartz of the Deposit Foundation and Rural Housing Services, Inc. join us for lunch on November 14. After our meal, Lynn filled our club in on two very important topics associated with the Deposit Foundation: the new Deposit Community Center project and the Toys for Tots program.

Lynn informed us that the Community Center is currently having a professional feasibility study completed, which should give valuable information on how well our community could support and benefit from such a facility. Right now, the vision includes a meeting and banquet space which could accommodate more than 150 people and a commercial kitchen for catering events, preparing food for the Meals on Wheels program, and also the senior citizens program meals. There would also be space for smaller events and other organizations and a community room to house recreational activities and computers for people to use.

Filling us in on the Toys for Tots program, Lynn pointed out to us various ways that the community as a whole could help to make Christmas special for children of less-privileged families. Because the program prides itself on making the holiday as memorable as possible for these kids, they ask for specific wish requests from the families who register for the program to better ensure that each child will get exactly what he or she was hoping for. Because of this, cash donations are always appreciated and enable the Toys for Tots volunteers to purchase much-needed toys from major retailers, who provide discounts. However, donations of new or near-new toys are also appreciated. Specifically, there is much demand for new board games, toys for infants and toddlers, and drawing and artistic supplies. If you're looking for a way to really spread the holiday spirit, donating to Toys for Tots is an ideal gesture. If they receive your donation at the Deposit Foundation at PO Box 41 , Deposit by December 12, the program will make sure your gift gets to a deserving child for Christmas. Thanks to Lynn Hartz for joining us and educating us about these very important community projects.

November 14, 2007

As usual, it's been a busy couple weeks for the Deposit Rotary Club. On October 31, we had the opportunity to listen to the stories of Carol Franz and Mary Lou Robinson, both of whom credit their survival of cancer to having received adult stem cell transplants. Out of gratitude for their survival and the desire to help save other lives, they have become activists to inform the public as to the wonderful possibilities that adult stem cell transplant technology offers. Both women had discovered that they had advanced terminal cancers and because their doctors were aware of the new techniques, they were able to donate stem cells from their own bodies which enabled them to grow healthy new tissues in the wake of unbelievably aggressive and intense chemotherapy regimes. It is now Carol's and Mary Lou's mission to encourage those facing cancer to ask their doctors to pursue new treatments that are available from stem cell technologies. Thank you to Ray Cornwell who hosted our guests.

In other Rotary news, we held a lunch auction on November 7 to benefit the Deposit Food Pantry. A huge thank you goes to Sue Elinsky for organizing the auction and to the Historical Society for offering our club a venue in which to hold the event.

The food pantry is not the only good cause that has recently benefited from Rotary's efforts. Club president Harry Dilello and Bonnie Hauber, DCS Superintendent and also a Rotarian, bestowed brand new hardcover dictionaries to our district's fourth graders. While one initially might think that a dictionary might not rank highly on a fourth grader's list of things to be excited about, I was very pleased to learn just the opposite when one of my dance students, Michelle Brejwo, came into the studio with a huge smile and said "Jesse, guess what?! The Rotary gave us all free dictionaries today!" It seems that this organization makes an impact not only on the world and community as a whole, but on all the individuals who benefit from and are thankful for all of Rotary's work, including the very young ones.

November 7, 2007

The evening of October 24, I had the pleasure of attending the Rotary District 7170 Annual Rotary Foundation and New Member Banquet held at the McKinley in Endicott. More than forty local community clubs from our district were represented and our Deposit delegation was especially strong, consisting of our President Harry Dilello and his wife Becky, Joe Esteves and his wife Peg, Stan and Sue Elinsky, Brenda Lee, and myself. We were also pleased to be joined by Paula Mazepa, our exchange student from Poland . This banquet was particularly special because the president of Rotary International himself, Wilfrid J. Wilkinson, and his wife Joan were in attendance.

That evening is truly one I will never forget as I was first struck by the beauty and elegance of the McKinley's massive ballroom, illuminated by chandeliers and candlelight, and further adorned with an astonishing display of colorful flags, reminding us of Rotary International's diverse programs and tremendous influence throughout the planet. Hundreds of impressively dressed Rotarians from around the Southern Tier were enjoying hors d¢oeuvres and dancing to the live music. Adding to the energy and excitement of the atmosphere was the vast number of young people: Interact and Rotaract participants, Ambassadorial Scholars, and all the inbound youth exchange students, who themselves helped to decorate the room with their diverse ethnic clothing and vests covered in dozens of pins and buttons, displaying their individuality and pride in their accomplishments. Many of them already friends, it was seeing the delight with which they hugged each other and crowded into informal photos together hoping to remember the event, that I think we were all reminded why we were here as Rotarians and how important our mission has become in a very global community.

I was very proud to be able to speak with the international president, to whom I was introduced by our own Harry Dilello. I found him to be wonderfully personable and deeply committed to his work. After the new members were pinned by our District Governor, Dave Reynolds, we listened to President Wilkinson¢s speech as he urged our local clubs to invite new members and generously contribute to the Rotary Foundation. So, I encourage anyone who has been following my column or watching Rotary¢s work here and abroad who might be interested in joining or learning more about our local club to check us out at www.rotary.org or even better, to come join us for lunch Wednesdays at noon at the Methodist Church. You will discover for yourself what a warm, fun, and rewarding organization Rotary truly is.

October 24, 2007

As usual, the Deposit Rotary Club has been busy organizing and running its meetings, projects, and programs. On October 10, we had the pleasure of having last summer's Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) students as guests at our weekly lunch meeting. Amelia Blair, Lindsey Wagner, and Kimberly Bosket were the guests of Pete Hempstead, who organizes Deposit's delegation to the annual RYLA conference held at Hartwick College in Oneonta. Local Rotary clubs sponsor students from their home communities to attend the week-long conference to give them a great opportunity to develop their leadership potential while meeting other accomplished young people from around the area.

Every year, high school juniors from Deposit are selected after an application and interview process to represent their school at the annual conference. Once at Hartwick, they are divided up into groups of about 15 students, purposely separated from the students they already know so that they are given the chance to forge new bonds and friendships. Amelia recalled that she met lots of new people this way, which was greatly beneficial in developing new leadership skills. Kim Bosket told our club that she is a participant in New Visions, a program administered by Broome-Tioga BOCES to give high school seniors access to experiences in the profession of their choice, whether it be health care, communications, law, or education. She said that she regularly sees other RYLA alumni at New Visions and so she is able to sustain the friendships she formed there. Lindsey told us that she still sees RYLA alumni at school sporting events and in this way, RYLA has contributed to deeper connections between students of different districts. Each of the girls commented on how good the experience was at making them not fear, but rather look forward to, college and the experience of living with new people in a residence hall.

On October 17, I had the particular delight of having my dance students perform at our meeting. Kyley Vandermark performed a ballet piece and Airin Rynearson presented her tap solo. Then, my adult dancers, Sandra Davis, Ellen Ficurilli, Sheila Katen, Phyllis Baker, and fellow Rotarian Brenda Lee tore up the floor with their piece "You Don't Own Me" from last summer's recital. I was immensely proud of the dancers and this, combined with our other activities, made me deeply proud to be a member of our own local Rotary Club. More to come next week!

October 10, 2007

I thought that this week I would take the opportunity to explain a little bit about how our Deposit Rotary Club functions with the hope that it might entice some local citizens to take more of an interest in our activities and perhaps even consider joining our club and our cause.

In order to plan all our various fundraisers and manage the club's programs and commitments, we meet every Wednesday over lunch at the Methodist Church on Second Street from noon to 1 pm. While all the traditional tasks of an organization's meetings are carried out, I was amazed at how much fun is had and how great the food was when I attended my first meeting! Birthdays, anniversaries, and achievements of all kinds are celebrated with mock fines and happy bucks, which not only add to the high-spirited atmosphere but helps raise some extra funds for the club's service programs. There is almost always some interesting or entertaining program at each meeting as many individuals or groups can attest to, many of whom have been our guests. In fact, on October 17, I will be bringing some of my dance students--including my adult class!--to provide the entertainment!

What really makes the meetings the most special, however, are simply the great people who are present. The Rotarians invariably greet each other with delight and it's clear that not only are they tied to each other through the business of the club, but that they are actually close and long-time friends. I have such a great time laughing at everyone's jokes and hearing great stories. Of course, no one can miss hearing the latest installment of the epic saga with which Smitty Axtell consistently regales the group!

Stay tuned next week for more Rotary stories and the latest news!

October 3, 2007

To kick off the start of the Deposit Rotary Club's weekly column in The Deposit Courier, I felt it appropriate to introduce our local club, as well as the worldwide Rotary International organization, to everyone in the community who might be unfamiliar with Rotary, its aims, and its functions. It is also my goal to keep everyone informed of the club's news and activities and to highlight the many ways in which Rotary contributes to building a thriving and enriched community here in Deposit. It is a particular honor to me as our local club's newest Rotarian to share news of the Rotary's work with Courier readers each week.

In case you were unaware, the first Rotary club was founded by Chicago attorney Paul P. Harris and three of his professional friends who, on February 23, 1905, formed a club dedicated to community service. They agreed to schedule their meetings on a rotating basis at each of the member's offices and thus chose to name their new organization "Rotary." Within five years, the initial club had inspired so many similar clubs in other communities, that a national organization was founded to help coordinate their efforts. Rotary clubs sprang up so rapidly and profusely that in 1922, with local clubs established on six continents, the global network of service clubs was named Rotary International.

Today, Rotary International consists of more than 32,000 clubs in over 200 countries and counts more than 1.2 million Rotarians as members. The organization dedicates itself to several global programs for the betterment of humanity including the eradication of polio, numerous youth exchange and scholarship programs, and in 2002, the Rotary Foundation partnered with eight major universities throughout the world to create Centers for International Studies at vastly influential academic institutions such as the University of North Carolina, Duke University, and the University of California, Berkeley. The goal of these centers is to promote intellectual work that will diminish conflict and establish long-lasting peace.

In addition to all this, perhaps Rotary's greatest and most direct impact is through the workings of its individual community clubs, such as ours here in Deposit. Most are aware that our club brings exchange students from around the globe to live and study with us each year, but Rotary contributes in countless other ways--of which giving a new beautiful and elegant sign to mark the entrance of the Historical Society's Museum is but one recent example. You can expect to read all about Rotary's important work right here in our column in the Courier! Catch you next week!

ROTARY BROCHURE

DEPOSIT ROTARY CLUB

Deposit Rotary club, a Broome/Delaware County Community Club,
Chartered 1947

Meets Wednesdays -- 12:00 Noon at the United Methodist Church, Second St., Deposit, NY.

WHAT IS ROTARY?

Rotary is an organization of business and professional men and women, united worldwide, who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build good will and peace in the world.

Each Rotary Club meets weekly so members may enjoy each other's fellowship and discuss the Club's service goals. Our club meets from noon to 1:00 pm each Wednesday at the United Methodist Church.

Each club is part of a Rotary District, ours being District 7170 covering a large part of Central New York. Each district is a part of Rotary International, based in Evanston, IL. Worldwide, there are 1,219,532 Rotarians in 31,936 Rotary Clubs spanning 166 countries.

Every Rotarian is welcomed as an honored guest at any Rotary Club meeting.

THE OBJECT OF ROTARY

In the beginning, Rotary was founded in Chicago in 1905 by a group of businessmen led by Paul P. Harris. The first meetings were held at the offices of its fonding members in rotation--thus the name Rotary. Rotary has grown and so has its ability to tackle worldwide, as well as local, needs. The Rotary Foundation evolved to carry out the expending global projects and international programs of Rotary. The Foundation's success is derived from the commitment of many Rotarian volunteers "in the field" and contributions by clubs, individual members, and non-Rotarians supportive of Rotary's endeavors for world health, peace, and understanding.

YOUR OBLIGATIONS IN ROTARY

Participation

To be a Rotarian, you must give of your time and talents . . . in community work . . .and in club activities.

Dues

The mere cost of about $50 semi-annually covers local, district, and international membership, plus Club activity insurance AND your subscription to the international Rotarian magazine! Meals are presently $8 each week.

Attendance

Good food, great fellowship, and interesting meetings will do their part to encourage you to attend all meetings--do YOUR part by coming! One hundred percent attendance is encouraged and honored in Rotary, though NOT a requirement. This goal can be achieved by attendance at our own meeting or a Club project or by "making up" at another Rotary Club or District event within 14 days before or after the meeting missed.

Declaration

As a Rotarian engaged in a business or professtion, I am expected to : (1) consider my vocation to be another opportunity to serve; (2) be faithful to the letter and to the spirit of the ethical codes of my vocation, to the laws of my country, and to the moral standards of my community; (3) do all in my power to dignify my vocation and to promote the highest ethical standards in my chosen vocation; (4) be fair to my emploer, employees, associates, competitors, customers, the public, and all those with whom I have a business or professional relationship; (5) recognize the honor and respect due to all occupations which are useful in society; (6) offer my vocational talents to provide opportunities for young people, to work fo rhte relief of the special needs of others, and to improve the quality of life in my community; (7) adhere to honesty in my advertising and in all representation to the public concerning my business or profession; (8) neither seek from nor grant to a fellow Rotarian a privilege or advantage not normally accorded others in a business or professional relationship.

Enjoy the privileges of Rotary membership!

Online meetings too!

For those with busy schedules making it hard to attend regularly, try this new Rotary invention--Meet with otherws worldwide, 24-7! For information, visit http://www.rotary.org or to do a make-up online at your own computer, go to www.rotaryclubone.org.

The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

FIRST, the development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service; SECOND, high ethical standards in business and professions;the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society; THIRD, the application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life; FOURTH, the advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of buisness and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS PAMPHLET IS

1. To give you--as a proposed or newly installed member--a bird's eye view of Rotary.

2. To let you know what you may expect of your membership.

3. To let you know what our club will expect of you as a member.

4. To answer some of the questions that you might have about Rotary in general . . . and our club in particular.

THE FOUR WAY TEST OF THINGS WE THINK, SAY, AND DO . . .

Is it Truth?

Is it Fair to all concerned?

Will it build Good Will and better friendships?

Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?