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.