July 21, 2023Food Services in the Avon and Canton SchoolsMargaret Dreher, Director of Child NutritionThe 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: 27
Visiting Rotarians: None
Guests: Catherine Pellino, Northwest Community Bank (Prospective Member)
Happy Dollars: $10
Raffle Winner: None
Birthdays:
Robin DiNicola
Robin attended the meeting via Zoom, which she does almost every week. She lives in Wolcott and is grateful that Zoom allows her to sleep in - until 6 a.m. - rather than having to get up at 5 a.m. to get to the meeting in person. We enjoy having Robin with us in person, although we understand that extra hour of sleep can be very sweet. Robin has been a member of Rotary for about 11 years and has served the club in a variety of ways. Her husband was away on the evening of her birthday, so she went out to dinner with her son and his girlfriend.
We sang Happy Birthday to Robin, which was somewhat better when only Robin was on Zoom. We hope this will be a terrific year for Robin.
Happy Dollars
Linda Pendergast has been on an eight-month journey, moving to Chester for a time. Now she is moving back to Avon. She has had much appreciated help from several Rotarians. Greg DeManche helped with legal needs, Lisa Barall-Matt helped with real estate activity, and Phil and Beth Ferrari gave her a place to stay when she was in town. She has found a new place to live. She heard about Peachtree Village senior apartments, but she wanted to know more and found out that Bill Barnes lived there. He told her he should have moved there sooner. Then Linda found out that she will be living right below Bill, who has some concern she will have complaints about noise – not! We are so glad to have Linda close again.
Gary Hyde was happy to have attended an event for Korean War and Vietnam War veterans. The event was sponsored by the State of Connecticut at the Avon Senior Center. He was glad to see that there is a desire to show appreciation to these veterans. Gary told about being advised not to wear his uniform off base just before he left the military, because there was so much opposition to the Vietnamese War. It’s good that times have changed.
Alicia Canning didn’t have any money, but she was happy (and a little anxious), because her daughter Sarah is going for a pet scan this week. So far all the scans have been negative after four years since her diagnosis with Stage 4 breast cancer. May the streak continue.
Gary Miller had attended a Miller family reunion. Some of the family had settled in their home area in 1767. He was glad to have a good conversation with Rick Heath. Rick and Chris, who celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this week, haven’t found a comfortable Rotary club since they returned to Florida. However, they feel it is time to end their membership with Avon-Canton and look harder for a new club they might be able to attend in person.
Josh Gillooly was happy to be at the meeting after being away for a while. He was on vacation and camping in June, and he was on a cruise to Bermuda with 18 family members. He commented on the recent losses to the club – Phil Worley and Hank Frey. Phil helped Josh get into Rotary and gave him a lot of support when he was changing jobs.
Announcements
Cherie Morris needs help with the silent auction at the golf tournament. She encouraged members to get gift certificates at restaurants, golf courses, massage therapists. She is also willing to shop for items if members want to make a cash donation.
Larry Sullivan reminded us that the golf outing is now less than two months away. We need to get as many sponsors, tee signs, golfers, etc. Think about all the people you do business with. If they can't buy an ad, maybe they can give a gift certificate for goods or services. The success of the golf tournament will have a major impact on the amount of help we can give to organizations and individuals in need in our communities and beyond. Each of us needs to do what we can. Fundraising is another form of service above self.
Calendar
July 19, 2023 - Seniors Luncheon in Avon
September 11, 2023 - Annual Charity Golf Tournament
October 19, 2023 - Club's 50th Anniversary Dinner
Induction of New Members
None this week.
Awards
None this week
Community and International Service Grants
None this week
A Trip to India
Lauren Gardner
Lauren Gardner shared her experience of attending a wedding in India, highlighting the driving culture, the city of Chennai, and the cultural and spiritual aspects of the Indian households she stayed in. Lauren had more or less invited herself to the wedding of the brother of one of her close friends. The couple met online and had connections to the same small place in southern India. It was one of their favorite places, so they decided to be married there. The traditional Indian wedding was a multi-day and multi-location event where Lauren experienced various cultural practices such as eating with hands, witnessing an autism school run by a BCBA, visiting an ashram, participating in pre-wedding ceremonies, and enjoying a grand wedding celebration with hundreds of guests.
Note that the events take place in three locations over almost two weeks. The invitation is also very elaborate in two languages.
Lauren who has worked at Focus for Autism in Canton was pleased to visit one of the few schools for autistic students in India. She also showed examples of the unfamiliar foods she ate in India. Most of the country are vegetarians, so the foods reflect that.
The actual wedding invitation lists many events over four days. This required many changes of outfits. The host family provided Lauren with a number of saris. She sent her measurements in advance, so they could be made. She said that saris were awkward and difficult to put on correctly and to keep straight while being worn.
One tradition in India is to decorate the hands and sometimes other parts of the body with henna. The elaborate markings take quite awhile to apply and fade in about two weeks. Photographs are important in India as they are in the U.S. This was a formal family portrait.
The elements of the Indian wedding are somewhat like ours - special clothes, happy groups of people, and a beautiful setting. But every aspect of this wedding seemed much more elaborate than American weddings. Lauren has a wonderful experience in India, which also included some sightseeing and visiting with her friends. Soon it was time to go home from this beautiful country. Lauren showed with her hand gesture that she had come to love India and hopes to return.
Special Announcements
None this week.
Mail Bag
None this week.
Photo Credits
Mike Mezheritskiy
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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