Presentations:
Club Forum
President Don Bonner opened the Club Forum with a request for Committee Reports.
Rollie Sterrett reporting for the Bylaws & Constitution Committee noted our Bylaws were last revised 4/2004 and needed work. That process is underway, with his committee having met 4 times so far.
Taste of the Valley Committee chairman Steve Roberto reported their committee has met once so far, and 4/1/2017 has been selected as the date of the event. They are actively seeking an auction coordinator.
The Community Service Committee, represented by Paul Mikkelson, reported that their committee designates and distributes $30,000.00 in charitable donations each year.
Thor Cheyne, reporting for the Golf Committee, indicated their committee has decided that the second Monday after Labor Day is to be their regular tournament date.
Len Dunstan, chairman of the Membership Committee reported that Rotary District 7890 has a combined membership of 2,091 members and hopes to increase that number substantially. Rotary International is evaluating methods to broaden Rotary's appeal to younger professionals. Ideas including digital meetings, breakfast optional meetings and corporate memberships are being explored. Our club has two potential corporate members awaiting creation of an appropriate form of membership for them.
He introduced our newest members: Kathleen Parr and soon to be inducted Colleen Sullivan Grasso and advised Rotarians present to expect a member survey at our next meeting. Finally, Len requested, and President Bonner promised, funds for a new club brochure.
Reporting for the Budget and Finance Committee, Gary Hyde indicated the clubs assets totaled $298,710.59 as of June 2016, and that we currently have $131,000.00 in cash and $183,000.00 in the community fund. There was $76,000.00 in accumulated profit through June 30, 2016. He noted that the Golf Tournament, under Larry Sullivan's leadership produced $44,735.00 profit, despite having fewer golfers, and that Taste of the Valley had grown from $14,000.00 to $16,405.00 this year.
Tom Voorhees reported that our Amber Alert Program held 7 enrollment events this year, registering >200 children in total, and thanked all members who had assisted during the year.
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Guest Speaker: Steve Morris, FAVARH
Following the Club Forum, Don Bonner prefaced the upcoming FAVARH presentation by asking members to listen, while keeping in mind the Rotary International goal of each club developing a Club Initiative. He indicated our club has been investigating ideas for our Club Initiative for more than a year.
Ann Clark assists Steve Morris during his presentation.
He then invited our guest and speaker, Steve Morris to introduce himself and present to the members. Mr. Morris is the executive director of FAVARH, based in Canton. Mr. Morris thanked our members for their consistent support over the years and gave a brief history and overview of FAVARH, which was established in 1958. At that time 8 families with disabled children sought help in educating and caring for them but discovered no such programs existed. Most were advised to "lock them away" in institutions, a practice that was considered proper at that time. Compounding these families' distress, the public schools barred their children from admission, leaving them with nowhere to turn. Thereafter FAVARH was first created as a day school, operating out of the basement of Avon Congregational Church. Today, FAVARH functions with an 11 million dollar budget, 275 employees, in 14 facilities in the Farmington Valley, mostly in Avon and Canton. Programs and services are delivered to more than 400 children and their families.
FAVARH, under Mr. Morris' leadership, seeks to expand and consolidate its activities into a "FAVARH Campus" to be located in Canton, primarily on Commerce Drive. An existing industrial building sited adjacent to a soon to be developed apartment complex which will include ADA compliant housing for the disabled, is to be renovated, and will create an ideal setting for FAVRAH clients to live, work and thrive. FAVARH seeks to partner with Rotary to complete this project, and is willing to name it the "Rotary Building" in return for our support. Finally, having terminated their long time golf tournament fundraiser, they will also assist us by funneling their golfers to the Rotary tournament, potentially doubling our tournament's participants. Mr. Morris, ably assisted by Rotarian Ann Clark displayed images of the proposed building, and maps of the site.
Steve Harris explains details of proposed project to Paul Mikkelson.
Don Bonner thanked Mr. Morris for his presentation and opened a discussion about the intended nature of a Club Initiative, and that it must be consistent with Rotary International values. A Club Initiative must include an element of a service project for our members. It cannot be constituted solely as a donation or donations. Don asked us to consider whether committing to $30,000.00 of support for FAVARH for 5 years might be a wise and effective way with which to promote Rotary International values, while providing members with opportunities for service in raising those funds. In the future our membership will connect with the existing Club Initiative focus group to evaluate the idea and its ramifications. Don thanked Mr. Morris for his presentation.
