Today was an In-Person meeting at Cedar Crest College. There were 20 of us there, plus 6 more on line.
Our Greeter was Laurie Grube and S-a-A Mitch Huston handled Registration, Prizes and Happy Dollars.
GUESTS:
Nick Millward, Peace Scholar; and Bianca Rivera, member candidate.
SHELTERBOX NEEDS FOR EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS:
AWRC has raised $3,000 so far; trying for $5,000. Contact Gary Englehardt.
See separate article.
OPENING:
Pres. Gail Micca started the meeting at 7:30 A.M.
Marlene Heller gave a very nice invocation.
Ron Coleman led us in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the U.S. flag.
Laurie Grube led us in reciting the Four Way Test, adding “Is it fun?”
RLI (ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE) :
In- Person meeting at DeSales University on March 25th.
See separate article.
CELEBRATIONS:
The list of February member celebration events is shown below.
We sang Happy Birthday to Mitch Huston.
PRIZES:
The door prize donated by Laurie Grube was won by Lisa Walton.
The $13 of the 50:50 was won by a very happy Laurie Grube.
HAPPY DOLLARS:
Nicole McGalla is happy to report that her parent’s cancer is in remission.
Ron Coleman is happy to be visiting his grandkids in S.C. this weekend.
Herb Klotz is happy that he attended a Mixer at the Upper Perkiomen RC.
Ralph Witcher is happy that we will be dining out next week.
Laurie Grube is happy to be a member of such a great Rotary family.
NEW MONGOLIAN SCHOLARSHIP PROJECT:
On June 10th we will hold a Mongolian Night Dinner. RI’s theme for RY 2023-24 is “Hope.” This ties in nicely with the scholarship project.
FOUR WAY TEST SPEECH CONTEST UPDATE:
The three contestants will speak at our In-Person meeting on March 8th.
Bill Keba is urging us all to attend.
NEXT QUICK FUNDRAISER:
We agreed today to have another fundraiser for March Madness basketball coming up. Gail needs help on how to do this.
DINING OUT – MARCH:
Ralph Witcher is making a plan to go on March 2nd to Sumo Sushi and Japanese Fusion, 3174 Tilghman St. in Village West. He will e-mail details.
Quentin Sowers will give his classification talk then.
SNACKPACKING:
The Snack Packing event at Parkland is on March 8th is next.
KINGDOM LIFE FOOD DISTRIBUTION:
There were about 300 clients served at the Saturday Feb 18th session.
The date for the next KLFC Food Bank Giveaways is March 11 .
Each time we start at 7:00 A.M. and usually are finished by 9:30 A.M.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY:
Will be celebrated at the Emmaus RC meeting.
PARKLAND C.A.R.E.S. PRODUCE DELIVERY:
The Pantry will hold its food distributions on the first Saturday of each month for the entirety of 2023. March 4th is next.
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:
Still doing this two days each week. Helen needs substitute volunteers.
INTERACT BREAKFASTS ARE BACK:
We will hold these meetings on March 29th at NWL Middle School, and May 31st at the Parkland H.S. Library. These days are the 5th Wednesday of the month.
The NWL start time will be at 8:30 A.M.
STEM YEA FUNDRAISER:
Please remember that the 2nd Annual Big Ticket Reverse Raffle (BTRR) will be held on April 15 at Brookside Country Club, in Pottstown from 5:30-10:00 P.M.
AWRC GREEN THUMB GARDEN:
Gail is gathering seeds. Planting time is here. Gail welcomes help for next Sunday.
YOUTH EXCAHNGE 2023-24:
Our district has 4 outbound students, and 10 inbound.
Sam has a bucket list. Contact Chris Blechschmidt if you will help Sam, our Y.E. student.
MEETING SCHEDULE:
The first Wednesday of each month will be a Dining Out meeting, or equal. It may not be on a Wednesday.
The third Wednesday of each month will be a ZOOM ONLY meeting with a program.
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:
March 8 IN-PERSON at Cedar Crest College starting at 7:30 A.M. Come early and mingle. There will be a Zoom option.
The program will be the Annual 4-Way Test Speech Contest.
We welcome our high school contestants as they apply the 4-Way Test to a topic of their choice. Please join us at Cedar Crest College for this inspiring meeting as we hear from our young speakers and select our student to advance to the regional contest.
PROGRAM:
Pres. Gail introduced DGE Diane Donaher, Exec. Dir. at Cay Galgon Life House, to discuss “Navigating Motherhood.”
Diane said she always enjoys coming to our meetings.
She said that she only has been in this job for 3 months. They reach out to about 600 families each year.
Pres. Gail asked AW members to donate diapers, etc. Here is a photo of what was collected and given to Diane.
This organization walks with women who are navigating the challenges of motherhood by letting them know they are seen, known, and loved.
Our Mission----
We prepare pregnant women and mothers of infants for a life of self-reliance.
In 2012, our center opened at the former St. Simon and Jude Convent, named after Cay Galgon, a wonderful woman, community leader, and champion for pregnant women and their babies. The former convent was renovated into a beautiful group home with seven rooms for homeless pregnant women. From the beginning, this home has been central to our work, where our focus has been on healthy pregnancies, educational/vocation support, and housing.
Over the years, our services have expanded to include services for pregnant women, mothers, and their families throughout our community, where we meet the needs of more than 500 women each year. Our services and case management provide urgent needs and relational support for women from pregnancy through their child’s first birthday,
Client Services, Housing, and Economic Empowerment are at the heart of our work and are woven into all aspects of our programs. We have established partnerships with other organizations that provide supportive services, and we collaborate with other local Lehigh Valley agencies to provide resources and the best outcomes for our clients.
Cay Galgon’s legacy was her tenacious, active fight for the most vulnerable in our communities, and this fight continues daily through our work as we prepare pregnant women and mothers of infants for a life of self-reliance
Core Values----
Community
We believe investing in the most vulnerable strengthens our community.
Compassion
Leading from a place of love and empathy allows us to provide the highest level of support.
Collaboration
We work with local agencies in strategic and creative ways to maximize the outcomes for those we serve.
Ethics
Every interaction is done with integrity and the highest moral standards.
Service
We provide our clients with every available resource to ensure a life of self-reliance.
Our Services-----
Our programs and services are designed to work seamlessly together to prepare pregnant women and mothers of infants for a life of self-reliance.
Residential Program
We provide safe transitional housing for women who are pregnant and experiencing homelessness as we help them navigate the challenges of motherhood. In this home environment, we provide intense case management, life skills classes, education support, and agency referrals — with the goal of empowering women to transition to long-term, safe, affordable housing.
Community Outreach
We meet the needs of families in the community who are pregnant and parenting children under 12 months of age by working with the whole family during the vulnerable time period from pregnancy to postpartum. We offer free pregnancy testing, case management, basic baby necessities, adult hygiene products, consumable goods, and agency referrals.
Diane answered some questions. She thanked us for this invitation.
CLOSING:
Pres. Gail led us in reciting our motto, “One profits most who serves best,” and closed the meeting.
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