Visiting Rotarians:Craig Buhrendorf; Marc Glass, District Governor-elect
Guests:
RaviPrajapati introduced his friends: Dr.Bal Chondra Mishra, professor & former secretary to the Prime Minister of Nepal and Mohan B. Karki of West Hartford.
PaulMikkelson introduced Lisa Gray, Simsbury Chamber of Commerce executive director and today's speaker and her husband, Gary Gray, a Simsbury police officer. Paul also introduced Marc Glass, Rotary District Governor-elect.
Bill Barnes introduced Rob Hyde, no relation to Gary Hyde.
Heather Pantano, Mohan Karki, Bal Chondra Mishra, Ravi Prajapati
Birthdays
Arnie Goldman, whose birthday was 9/11, noted his ongoing joy at being part of a Club so dedicated to service, philanthropy and fellowship, and feels he could sit at any table at our meetings, and be among good friends.
Happy Dollars
Scot Nardozzi was thankful for a successful golf tournament and noted the upcoming FAVARH Annual Gala at which we will try to fill two tables. Cost per person will be $137.50
Gary Miller announced that his beloved cat Bucky also wished Dr. Arnie very best wishes on his birthday. He noted also that the District Foundation committee met and shared good news on the Rotary Polio Plus program: Nigeria is now Polio free and while Afghanistan (21 cases in 2018, 15 cases this year) and Pakistan (12 cases in 2018, 51 cases this year) still harbor the disease there is a realistic hope they can also be Polio free in the near future.
Joanne Santiago noted the Foundation dinner that is upcoming on November 7th. We will arrange carpools and tables for members who want to attend. Last years scholarship winner will
be the keynote speaker.
Bill Barnes thanked Larry Sullivan and the rest of the golf tournament leadership team for a successful tournament. He noted, that along with Ike Eickenhorst he monitored a hole where competitive prizes were available. Ike developed his own unique signaling style to alert Bill that a golfer had placed one on the green, which was a two arm wave complete with jumping. Fortunately, (for the Club) no car was awarded, as no hole in one was accomplished. Bill then continued extemporaneously, and at length, with an erudite disquisition on the significance of the day known as Friday, when one happens to fall on the 13th day of a given lunar circumnavigation of the earth. Bill enjoyed holding forth this esoteric discourse, which included the now not expected hermeneutic of "friggatriskaidekaphobia", a completely rational, normal and common human trepidation surrounding such a day. Quoting fellow Rotarian Bob Cave, Bill sustained his stem-winder by subsequently elucidating "paraprosdokian", a descriptive term for sentences terminating with surprising or humorous turns of phrase. Heather Pantano graciously ended Bill's protracted elocution by noting: "That's enough", a facile phrase clearly intended to be anti-paraprosdokian.
Larry Sullivan thanked members for their hard work on the golf tournament, and especially recognized Paul for his auctioneering skill at the dinner. On a somber note, Larry noted Phil Worley's absence at today's meeting, due to his wife Kathy's sudden and serious illness. Larry asked that we keep both of them in our prayers.
Linda Pendergast thanked Heather Pantano for her effort in handing out candy from baskets at the golf tournament.
Calendar of Upcoming Events & Announcements
September 18th: Rotary Pub Night at Season's Restaurant
November 22nd: FAVARH Annual Gala featuring Shake-A-Tail-Feather tribute to Motown
Induction of New Members
None today
Awards
Don Bonner rose to speak regarding our Community Fund, noting that over 5-years ago the Community Fund was split to create a new International Fund intended to support international projects on our behalf. For all of these 5-years that fund has had a great leader in Craig Buhrendorf, who has recently moved south with his wife for retirement.. Don and Heather presented Craig, who is visiting, an engraved, glass globe, inscribed with: "With our greatest appreciation we present this globe to CraigBuhrendorf in recognition of his leadership of the International Committee."
Community and International Service Grants
None this week.
Presentation
Lisa Gray
A Promise To Jordan
Paul Mikkelson introduced Lisa Gray, executive director of the Simsbury Chamber of Commerce, and the founder of "A Promise to Jordan", which she founded after the death of her son Jordan Arakelian, aged 24, on June 30, 2018. A Promise to Jordan works to raise awareness of substance abuse disorders particularly opioid abuse, to erase the stigma surrounding such disorders and to improve access to care for victims of the disease. They strive to give hope to those struggling with addiction and to offer optimism and confidence to their families.
Lisa Gray explained she was originally from Southern California, before moving to Connecticut in 1996. After living in both Bloomfield and Avon, she settled in Simsbury, and her 3 sons graduated from Simsbury schools. After polling our audience on our experiences with others suffering from substance abuse and loss related to it, she noted that few of us were untouched.
Her son Jordan had a normal child hood, with sports, play dates, chores and family vacations figuring prominently in his days. He was a Cub Scout, a Boy Scout and a Little League baseball player. He worked at jobs in Simsbury and Avon businesses and even into his 20s, continued to attend family gatherings. His compassion for others was notable, but unfortunately he seemed not to extend that compassion to himself. At 24-years old, he died of a heroin overdose in the family van, parked on the driveway.
Jordan's problems began approximately at age 15 or 16, when he was first caught smoking marijuana. Admonished to stop, he refused, declaring he enjoyed how it made him feel too much. He continued, advancing to more potent substances, and in so doing repeatedly hurt those who loved him, driving some away. In place of his non-substance abusing friends, he surrounded himself with others with similar proclivities. Then, after 13 overdoses and subsequent failed attempts at therapy and recovery, he succumbed to the final overdose, with one of his brothers finding him deceased in that van.
Why couldn't he just choose the better path? After his death, Lisa read his journal, and only then came to understood the depth of his despair. He hated himself and used substances to stop that feeling. This is what addiction can do to a good person.
Over 72,000 Americans died in from overdoses in 2018, the majority due to opiates. Like a year of 9/11's every day (when over 3000 were lost in one day). More even than in the Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. The leading cause of death of Americans today is overdose. We are more likely to die from a drug overdose than a motor vehicle accident. Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and carfentanyl, otherwise medically useful and effective pain relievers, are particularly dangerous.
A Promise to Jordan, still a new 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, is based on the hope to reduce deaths like that of Jordan. A board of directors of 8 people, with a supporting membership of 100 is our current status. A Promise to Jordan leaders are actively seeking speaking opportunities and have done fundraisers including toy collections, as well as presented to and made meals for residents of substance abuse treatment centers. On Thursday, November 26th, from 6 t0 8 PM, they will hold a Narcan & QPR Training at Eno Memorial Hall in Simsbury. For more information on this program email: info@apromisetojordan.org or call (860) 305-0605
More information on A Promise to Jordan is available at: http://www.apromisetojordan.org/
Mail Bag
None this week.
Photo Credits
Today's photographs courtesy of Mike Mehzeritskiy and Arnie Goldman.
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?
