Today was an In-Person meeting at Cedar Crest College starting at 7:30 A.M. There were 16 of us present plus 6 more on line. Pres. Gail was in North Dakota.
Our Greeter was Len Salines. Mitch Huston handled registration, prizes and Happy Dollars.
GUESTS:
Nick Millward, Peace Scholar, calling in from Australia.
OPENING:
P-E Gwenn Carr opened the meeting at 7:30 A.M.
Marlene Heller gave a nice invocation.
Ron Coleman led us in the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. Flag.
Gwenn Carr led us in reciting the Four Way Test, and added “Is it Fun?”
CELEBRATIONS:
The member celebrations for April are listed below.
AWRC GREEN THUMB GARDEN:
The Garden Clean up and Planting project with both Interact Clubs has been moved to Saturday, May 13th.
PRIZES:
The $10 door prize donated by Len Salines was won by Ernie Boll who donated it to the club.
The $8 50:50 prize was won by Bill Palmer who donated it to the club.
HAPPY DOLLARS:
Amir Famili is happy to have celebrated the end of Ramadan. He said no member took up his offer to fast a day, so he extends it to next year.
Marlene Heller announced that at 7 P.M. tomorrow the Webers will be discussing the history of their farm at the Upper Milford Historical Society meeting.
Michelle Steiner is happy about her parents.
Ernie Boll still is happy.
Lisa Walton is happy about something.
Helen Papathanasiou is happy to be here.
Ron Coleman is happy to see his grandkids.
DINING OUT – MAY:
Bill Keba reports that “Our May Flex Meeting / Dining Out is scheduled for May 2 beginning 6:00 at Casa Catrina, 1905 Brookside Rd, Macungie. Come between 5 and 6 for Happy Hour session, if you like. There is an access ramp if needed.
The food is authentic, and the atmosphere is pleasant.
I'd really like to know about how many people will be attending, if more than 14 they need to know beforehand.”
SNACK PACKING:
The next Snack Packing event at Parkland is on May 17th.
The NWL Snack Packing dates is Wednesday, May 17th.
ROTARY DAY OF SERVICE:
April 29th is this district-wide event. The Rotary Day of Service will be a roadside cleanup project in conjunction with the Parkland Interact Club.
Anyone who can help will meet at 9:00 A.M. at the flagpole in front of Parkland High School this Saturday, April 29th. The Interact Club has planned this project to clean areas along Cedar Crest Road. Our exchange student, Samuel, will also be helping that day.
Please let Gail know if you can help.
KINGDOM LIFE FOOD DISTRIBUTION:
Come and help next time.
The upcoming date for Kingdom Life Food Pantry Giveaway is
May 13.
Each time we start at 7:30 A.M. and usually are finished by 9:30 A.M. Volunteers are needed.
PARKLAND C.A.R.E.S. PRODUCE DELIVERY:
The Pantry will hold its food distributions on the first Saturday of each month for all of 2023. The next date is May 6.
Three volunteers are needed each time.
Food collections for Parkland C.A.R.E.S. will be held the third Wednesday of each month at the Pantry on Kernsville Road.
MEALS ON WHEELS:
Meal delivery by AW Rotarians takes place twice each week. Helen Papathanasiou needs substitute volunteers.
INTERACT BREAKFAST:
We will hold an Interact breakfast on May 31 at the Parkland H.S. Library. Start time is 7:30 A.M.
SPONSORS ARE NEEDED TO PAY FOR THE STUDENTS’ MEALS.
YOUTH EXCHANGE ISSUES:
Please work with Chris Blechschmidt to take our Y.E. student, Sam, to complete his “bucket list.”
MEETING SCHEDULE:
The second and fourth Wednesday of each month are In-Person meetings at Cedar Crest College.
The first Wednesday of each month will be a Dining Out meeting, or equal. It might not be on a Wednesday.
The third Wednesday of each month will be a ZOOM ONLY meeting with a program, unless we have a better idea.
FUTURE TOURS, ETC.:
All members are asked to make suggestions to Gail Micca about other tours, Dining Out events, etc. for future meetings.
NEXT MORNING MEETING IN-PERSON:
May 10 IN-PERSON at Cedar Crest College starting at 7:30 A.M.
The program will be Jaime Hill, Director LifeSmart-Lehigh Valley to explain how to Experiencing Life Smart.
PROGRAM:
P-E Gwenn Carr said they will cover three topics --- Financial Update, the Mongolia 21|21 project and STEM YEA. They added the District Training Assembly.
AWRC FINANCES:
Treasurer Gary Englehardt reviewed the latest financial information for the Operating account and both Foundation accounts. He handed out a summary sheet of the records.
Gary noted that the many ways money has been coming in and going out had made it difficult to know how much remains in a number of accounts. He has plan to improve on this.
Gary also thanked the members for using the requisition form to get payments. That helps.
MONGOLIAN 21 / 21 PROJECT:
Peter Wohlsen, Gary, Gwenn and Nick Millward spoke.
Mongolia 21|21 is a project to uplift Mongolian families and provide them with hope. Our objective is to support Nick Millward, FOM (Friends of Mongolia), and the Matthew Girvin Foundation. Nick was a President of our Northwestern Lehigh high school Interact Club and is currently the District 7430 Peace Fellow studying in Queensland, Australia.
Higher education in Mongolia costs approximately $1,400.00 per year for each student. Our immediate goal is to help Nick find three service Clubs to pilot the program for the 2023-2024 academic year. Each club will support one student from one Mongolian province for a total of 4-6 years depending on the course of study.
Friends of Mongolia (FOM) is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, and developmental purposes. Our mission is to develop partnerships with the people of Mongolia in furtherance of cultural exchange and human development. In fulfillment of this mission, our membership and fundraising support core programs that contribute to the future of Mongolia.
FOM was founded by volunteers, and it has remained a volunteer-operated organization. Membership was and still remains open to all people with an interest in the cultural and educational exchange between the United States and Mongolia. Current members include returned Peace Corps Volunteers, individuals from the private sector, people who have served in the diplomatic corps, and those who have an interest in or family connections to Mongolia.
The Board of Directors advises Friends of Mongolia, and Officers manage day-to-day operations. Both the Board and Officers are elected by FOM members, and all serve as volunteers without salary. A Country Program Representative is appointed by the board to coordinate activities in Mongolia.
FOM is incorporated in the United States of America as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, conducting activities in both Mongolia and the United States. It is also affiliated with the National Peace Corps Association, but Friends of Mongolia membership is open to anyone with an interest in Mongolia.
In partnership with Matthew Girvin’s family, FOM has offered annual, full-tuition scholarships for 10 students from the countryside for more than 10 years. These scholarships are awarded on needs and merit. A team of 5 Mongolian volunteers carefully screen, evaluate and interview applicants, ensuring they meet the intent and requirements prescribed by the Girvin family. This year, they received the largest number of applications ever, over 240, for only 5 scholarships. FOM is eager to expand its impact and support students with varying professional interests from all provinces of Mongolia.
The objective of the 21|21 initiative is to locate 21 service clubs in the U.S. to partner with Friends of Mongolia in providing a full tuition scholarship to a student from every province in Mongolia by the 2025-2026 academic year. It’s an achievable goal at just $1,400 per year per student.
Gary, Peter, Nick, and Gwenn have begun this project by developing a website (www.mongolia2121.org) to provide more information to interested individuals. Gary and Gwenn are also sponsoring an informational and fundraising night on June 10th at their home in Kutztown. It promises to be an evening of great fellowship, fun, and food. We have invited inspiring speakers and Nick promises to Zoom in as well.
Contact Gwenn for more information. We are limiting the event to 20 individuals who will donate $50 each to support our first student.
Thanks go to Peter Wohlsen for creating the website. Gwenn said that we are trying to sign up 3 RCs to sponsor students from 3 Provinces in Mongolia for the first year. The end goal is to cover all 21 provinces.
STEM YEA 2023:
Gary and Gwenn presented the update --
STEM YEA is a four-day, three-night immersive STEM experience for 7th graders who may not otherwise have this opportunity. STEM YEA is sponsored by the Allentown West Rotary Club and is open to all clubs in Rotary District 7430. STEM YEA 2023 is scheduled for July 6 to 9 at Kutztown University. Today we learned the details of STEM YEA 2023 and more about volunteer opportunities. You can learn more about STEM YEA 2023 at www.stemyea.com.
The budget this year is $34,000. This will cover 45 students total expenses. Their bank account is under control.
Thanks go to Peter Wohlsen for creating a gorgeous, informative 4-page color flyer about the STEM YEA program.
DISTRICT TRAINING ASSEMBLY (DTA):
Gwenn Carr reviewed the DTA ---
The District Training Assembly was held Saturday, April 22 at Bucks County Community College in Perkasie, PA. Topics covered included the Environment, Membership, Service/Foundation, Public Image, Youth Exchange, and the Welcome Mat. President Elects had a special session focused on developing goals for the Presidential Citation. Three AWRC Rotarians attended-Gary, Bill Keba and Gwenn.
DGE Diane Donaher provided a glimpse into the year ahead. On October 7 there will be a Vibrant Club Summit, and a Purple Pinkie event will be held at the end of October. The District Conference will be held April 26-28 and will be centered in Bethlehem and at the Wind Creek Conference Center.
AWRC CALANDAR:
Gwenn distributed copies of the AWRC events for the month of May. You can view this on our website all year long.
CLOSING:
P-E Gwenn led us in reciting our motto “One profits most who serves best.” And she adjourned the meeting.
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