Gwenn Carr opened the meeting at 7:30 a.m.
Marlene Heller provided a reflection on Finding Your Purpose within Rotary.
MINI FUNDRAI$ER
Amir Famili created a mini-fundraiser. He displayed a framed wool-blend carpet depicting the baby Jesus and Mary, which he purchased in Iran, where it was made. The auction began at $300. Several bids were in hand before the end of the meeting. Anyone still wishing to bid should contact Amir: [email protected]
Membership Moment
Today's Membership Moment was provided by Diana Dunn. Diana is working with the Impact Club to modernize Rotary and be more attractive to a certain demographic. Impact Club members are not required to attend meetings; their focus is on service. Eight people are currently involved, and they are going to work with Community Bike Works. According to Diana, "We could do this without being part of Rotary. But our hope is, it will last beyond us. If we're part of Rotary, there is power in numbers." She likened it to Snack Packing, saying, "We don't necessarily know who started it, but it's still here, still going strong."
Welcome Guests!
Today's guests included Lisa Luciano, and Anne DiSanto, our speakers.
Our Rotarian of the Month is Patty Mulqueen, who we featured on Facebook and in the newsletter previously. Today, she received her gift, a coin with the 4-Way test on one side. If you have a suggestion for Rotarian of the Month, please email Gwenn Carr.
Responses from the last Ballot Box
5 people are signed up for the Vibrant Club Summit
1 person is signing up for the Race to Zero
11 people would support a golf event
9 people would support a reverse raffle
13 people would support doing a community service event with AR Club
AWRC MONTHLY CALENDAR:
The October Allentown West Rotary Club Calendar was distributed.
50/50 Ron Coleman was the winner
Door prize of $10 was won by Ernie Boll who returned the cash to the club.
Sixteen people attended in person, with three more by Zoom.
HAPPY DOLLARS
Guest Lisa Luciano was happy to be here.
Len Salines is happy for various family celebrations.
Diana Dunn is happy that her kitchen is getting renovated.
Ron Coleman is happy that he helped a friend, who just moved to senior living, to sell his house, and everything went smoothly.
Ernie Boll is happy.
Gary Englehardt is happy their power and Internet were restored after several hours last evening.
Mitch Huston is happy his sister and brother-in-law were approved to buy a house in Maine, and happy for the collegiate drum festival this weekend at noon that will include six food trucks!
INTERACT BREAKFAST
A sign-up sheet for the Northwestern Lehigh Interact Club breakfast was circulated. The event is on October 25 at the Middle School and begins at 8:30 A.M. We will meet at the Northwestern Lehigh Middle School to have breakfast with our Interactors. Two special students will be honored at that meeting. Please join us at 6636 Northwest Road, New Tripoli. The breakfast will be served at 8:30 A.M. Please sign up with Gwenn by October 10 so that we can provide an accurate account to the food services group.
SAVE THE DATE:
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, will be a special meeting. DG Diane will be attending, and we will have special recognition of our members who work on food insecurity projects. It's the day before Thanksgiving, so please plan to spend your morning with us before you travel or begin your Thanksgiving preparations. This is our day to give thanks for our District Governor and for all of you who are serving the hungry in the Lehigh Valley.
CELEBRATIONS:
The member celebrations for September are listed below.
SNACK PACKING:
The NWL Snack Packing will take place Wednesday, October 18, starting at 2:00. Each month will be the 3rd Wednesday from 2-2:35.
The next Snack Packing event at Parkland will be October 19. If you wouldlike to help, email Diana Dunn at [email protected]
KINGDOM LIFE FOOD DISTRIBUTION:
Much help is still needed. There are many more people looking for food than before the pandemic, and the setup work takes many hands. Please come out if you can help.
The upcoming dates for Kingdom Life Food Pantry Giveaway are:
Oct. 14 Nov. 11 Dec. 9
PARKLAND C.A.R.E.S. PRODUCE DELIVERY:
The Pantry holds its food distributions on the first Saturday of each month for all of 2023. Three volunteers are needed each time. Food collections for Parkland C.A.R.E.S. are 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 always needs substitute volunteers.
PROGRAM:
Lisa Luciano, VP, Commercial Loans, and Anne
Di Santo, VP, Cash Management Officer, both of American Bank, presented a program on "How to Protect Yourself From Increasing Bank Fraud."
Bank fraud has been steadily increasing. In 2022 banks saw an 84% increase in check fraud, costing consumers $815 million.
The most common types of business fraud include:
Wire fraud
Internet Fraud
AI Fraud (AI voice and Email)
Check Washing (Payee, amount are "washed" off the checked and filled in with fraudulent information)
ACH or Direct Deposit (change in ACH or Direct Deposit. Email received to change banking info for ACH payments or direct deposit)
Fraudulent Invoices (PayPal, fake phone numbers)
Some solutions:
Positive Pay: A service from your bank (fee-based) that verifies amounts on checks and ACH payments as items clear your account.
Pay bills online, check accounts regularly, know your vendors. Call back to verify changes or requests. Verify wires, changes in payments, unexpected invoices. Beware of links sent via text and email that ask for login info.
Maintain internal controls in place: Ensure Checks and Balances are in place. Make sure confidential information is kept in a secure location. Use complex passwords.
Use Gel Pen: Gel pens are safer than other pens for writing pens, as they don't "wash" like ballpoint ink will.
Important Resources:
Report scams to FTC at: report fraud.ftc.gov
Alert your state attorney general:
Consumerresources.org/file-a-complaint
Report identity theft: identity theft.gov
NEXT MORNING MEETING IN-PERSON:
The next in-person meeting is October 11 – Club Assembly. Chairs need to provide their update reports to Gwenn by October 4.
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