March 29, 2024 - No Meeting Lonely Rotarians meet at Lasalle's MarketApril 5, 2024 Sean ScanlonDuties and Services of CT State Comptroller
The meeting will be held both in person and via Zoom.
Watch for an email from the Club for Zoom access and
please note we use a recurring ID for your convenience.
Sergeant-at-Arms Report
Rotarians Present: 29
Visiting Rotarians: None today.
Guests: Elaine Chagnon, Markus Dogo (speakers)
Happy Dollars: $25
Raffle Winner: Brian O'Donnell
Fines:None today.
Birthdays
Loren Clarke (3/22) - Not Present
Bill Budde (3/20) - Thanked the club for the birthday wishes!
Happy Dollars
Gary Miller is happy to be back from his trip to Naples. He had a great time working with FAVARH Lion King and couldn’t believe how well Mufasa (Steve Morris) could sing!
Steve Morris thanked everyone for volunteering, watching, and supporting the show! It was a successful program. Steve made the point that the FAVARH actors accomplish something that most people are afraid to even try!
Cherie Morris had three happy dollars: one for Mufasa, one for receiving a letter that she is receiving a Paul Harris pin, and the last for a wonderful vacation in the Azores—an island 900 miles off the coast of Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean.
Brian O’Donnell was pleased to report that the Afghan family arrived. They had a harrowing journey through several countries and touched down in the US yesterday at 1 AM. The family is law-educated, and the father has worked with the CIA and army. Their 12-year-old daughter is looking forward to going to school.
Phil Ferrari served at Loaves and Fishes with eight other people. He had a great time, and he hopes that everyone can serve at some point.
Yvonne Gardner is happy to have her guests, Bishop Dogo and Elaine, in attendance and is honored to build a friendship with Elaine.
Rollie Sterrett celebrated a big sports week with both good news and hard news. Colgate women’s hockey (ranked 3) beat Cornell, and later that night in the Frozen Four will play Wisconsin (ranked 2). The men got upset by St. Lawrence 2 out of 3 games, and the Colgate basketball team (14) is seeded against 3. For a school with 3200 students, it’s great that they can be in March Madness.
Chris Lamadrid had ten happy dollars because Rotarians are in the community. Every Tuesday, she goes from Avon Prime Meats to gather donated meat and produce, and she drives it to Chrysalis Center in Hartford, where disenfranchised people can feed wholesome meals to their families. She also reminded the club that we could use more money, sell TOTV tickets, get on a committee, and get more people involved.
Awards
Announcements
Former Avon/Canton Rotary member and Past President Art Hayes died in Belfast, Maine, on Saturday, March 23, after a long illness.
TOTV is happening in four weeks. We need to sell tickets and organize raffles. However, we are short on raffle baskets. Cherie can help train people to serve food at TOTV. On Friday, April 5th, she will do the training after the meeting, and she will take a group before and after the Community Service Committee. For the booze toss, we need bottles with a minimum value of $20.
Luke Violette reminded us that we have a new Rotary Club membership event on Thursday, April 4, at Golf Lounge 18. All Rotarians are invited. The event starts at 6:00 PM.
Calendar
April 4 - 6-8 PM Membership Recruitment Event/Open House at Golf Lounge 18
April 20 - Tastes of the Valley at Farmington Gardens. Colleen Grasso has details and needs help with the event.
Induction of New Members
None this week.
Awards
None this week.
Community and International Service Grants
None this week.
African Education Program
Elaine Chagnon, Bishop Markus Dogo
Yvonne Gardner introduced Bishop Markus Dogo and Elaine Chagnon.
Bishop Markus Dogo has been bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Kafanchan in Kaduna State, Nigeria, since 2011. He is married and blessed with four sons. he is in the US pursuing a Master's Degree in International Peace Building at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace. He is firmly committed to fostering peace and harmony within his communities. He works tirelessly to engage religious leaders and stakeholders in constructing dialogue to cultivate trust, respect, and tolerance. During these challenging times in Nigeria, bishop Markus shares his passion for creating peaceful coexistence and violence-free communities to build a better society. He is eager to establish connections and partnerships.
AEP rebuilt classrooms and installed toilets at the Godogodo School Project with Rotary funds, now educating 400 students.
Bishop Dogo highlighted education's role in overcoming Nigeria's waterborne diseases. These are the first toilets this community has used. Because of the lack of plumbing, they use the bush, which is problematic because rain washes human waste into rivers and water sources, where water is gathered for drinking and bathing. The toilets address this sanitation issue.
The Godogodo school also built security walls to protect school properties from theft amid poverty. However, the walls are not for protection against Boko Harem, as they are farther east. Besides, if Boko Harem were to kidnap students, they would do so with extreme force. Unfortunately, a wall would not stop them; they have intelligence and powerful weapons.
A new kitchen, dining hall, and toilets are being built at Kfanchan School, which has over 800 students.
AEP launched an education fund providing $300 scholarships for primary students, now supporting 108 children regardless of faith. This helps heal Muslim and Christian relations and promote peace in the community. $300 is the cost of education for one child per year in Nigeria compared to $20,000 in the US.
AEP scholarships empower orphans and vulnerable youth and promote interfaith harmony. The scholarships cover uniforms, tuition, books, and maintenance fees. They also monitor the Nyra exchange rate for donations, which can fluctuate greatly. For example, concrete was 1,500, and now it's 8,000.
Sanitation and healthcare remain urgent needs.
Special Announcements
None this week.
Mail Bag
None this week.
Photo Credits
Photos by editor
Technology Credits
Zoom platform management expertise by Mike Mezheritskiy.
Editor's Notes
Submission Deadline: Members are kindly encouraged to submit all materials for each week's Early Riser as early as possible. Please note that some editions may be published and distributed as early as the Saturday following our meetings, and during those weeks further contributions to the Early Riser will be included in the subsequent week's edition.
“The FOUR-WAY TEST of the things we think, say or do”:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all Concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
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