Please mark your calendar for these upcoming events:

 

 

 

SPEAKER CHAIR - PAUL WHITE

INVOCATOR - TOM GRACE

SONG LEADER - RYAN PARKINSON

GREETER LEADER - DON SULTZBACH

   Please mark your calendar for Saturday, March 19, 2016, for the Rotary Club of Canton's Annual Pancake Breakfast!  This year's event will once again be held at McKinley High school.  The Pancake Breakfast will include: Pancakes, Sausage, Orange Juice, Coffee and Milk.

The Rotary office received a "Thank You" note from Joyce Triner, Meyer's Lake Ballroom.  Joyce writes:

 

"Rotary Club of Canton -- People like you make the whole year brighter.  Thank you and have a happy New Year.  Thank you for the Christmas donation!"

   On Friday, January 8, 2016, the Rotary office received a "Thank You" note from Mr. Mike's Catering staff.  George wrote:

 

"Thank you very much for your generous bonus to our staff.  Mr. Mike's and I appreciate your business and look forward to a great 2016.  Thank you!!"

 

On the same notecard, Shelley, Helen, Margie and Dottie wrote: "Dear Rotary Members -- It's so like you...to be so thoughtful. Thanks!"

 

The Rotary office received a flyer from Barbara Loudon, District 6650 RYLA Conference Coordinator, asking for our Club's assistance with donating items to be used in "Goody Bags", which are provided to students who attend the conference.  At the RYLA conference, which stands for 'ROTARY YOUTH LEADERSHIP AWARDS', High School students from all over District 6650 come together for a weekend of leadership development activities.

 

At RYLA, these students really enjoy receiving goody bags with giveaways provided by District 6650 Rotary Clubs.  The 100 bags are for 16-17 year old students.  The kids enjoy pencils (especially mechanical ones), highlighters, post-it notes, key chains, note pads, playing cards, Frisbees, fast food coupons, gum, candy bars, etc.  If you have any promotional items from your business, please contribute 100 of any item.  Please do not provide any political giveaways, as they will not be used. Please NO caffeine snacks or drinks. They cannot distribute them for safety reasons.

 

Since the bags are assembled before the students arrive, items must arrive before Tuesday, February 16, 2016. With this being said, please have any items you wish to donate delivered or mailed directly to ATTENTION: Janet Keene, Lyle Printing and Publishing, 185 East State Street, Salem, Ohio 44460.  Janet's business phone is 330-337-3491, cell phone number is 330-853-5114, and her email is janwel2002@yahoo.com. 

 

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact Janet Keene directly. The Canton Rotary office will not be accepting the donated items. They must be delivered or mailed directly to Janet.

   Youth Exchange Chairwoman Amy Mustafaga would like everyone in the club to consider becoming the new Host Family for our Youth Exchange Student, Ella Vehmas.  Ella, who is from Finland, will need a new home beginning in mid January until mid June.

 

If you would like to become the new host family or you know of a friend or family member who would like to host this young lady, please contact the Rotary office at (330) 452-2882.  You may also contact Amy at (330) 760-4079 if you have any questions regarding becoming a Host Family.

   At our weekly meeting on January 8, 2016, President Paul White asked the members to keep Rotarians Becky Clark and Ryan Parkinson in their thoughts and prayers.  Becky sustained a stroke on Christmas Eve and is recovering in Florida.  Ryan's step-mother was admitted to the ICU unit at Aultman Hospital.

 

President Paul then asked any Rotarian with a January birthday to please stand and be recognized.

 

Club Secretary Michelle Mullaly welcomed the following guests to our meeting:  Randy Williams, Nick Bagnolo, Susan Feaser, Adrian Allison, Bill Smuckler, Corey Voorman, Jennifer Kiko and Jim Keller.

 

The "Happy Bucks" news was then provided by the following Rotarians:  Amanda Tietze wished everyone a happy new year and was looking forward to the year ahead; Mark Clendenin stated he was happy he was able to spend the holidays with Jennifer Kiko and he was also happy to see Lucia Cirese was still a member.  Mark then announced his son is a recent OSU graduate; Joe Niamtu wished good luck to the new Mayor; Greg Triner was very happy to announce his grandson was accepted into The Ohio State University for Chemical Engineering; and Jerry Ortman was pleased to announce he and his wife would be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary the next day.

 

The following Rotarians will receive a makeup for attending the "New Member Project" meeting on January 8, 2016:  Lucia Cirese, Mike Garcar, Drew Pelger, Amanda Tietze, Tony Pierce, Kim Kroh and Dean Gogolewski. 

K.R. RAVINDRAN

PRESIDENT 2015-16

JANUARY 2016

There is a story told in my Hindu tradition of two sages, Shaunaka and Abhipratari. They were worshippers of Prana, the wind god. One day, the two men were about to sit down to lunch when a poor student knocked on their door, asking for food.

"No, boy, do not bother us at this hour," was the reply. The student was surprised but very hungry, so he persisted.

"Tell me, honored sirs, which deity do you worship?"

"Prana, the wind god," they answered impatiently.

"Do you not know that the world begins and ends with wind, and that wind pervades the entire universe?"

The two sages were by now very irritated by their impertinent guest. "Of course we know it!" they replied.

"Well, then," continued the student, "if Prana pervades the universe, then he pervades me also, since I am but part of the universe. He is also in this hungry body, which stands before you begging for a bite to eat! And so in denying food to me, you deny it to the very deity whom you say you serve."

The sages realized the student spoke the truth and invited him to enter and share their meal. For they understood, at that moment, that by opening the door to one who sought their help, they were not only serving that individual – but reaching toward a larger goal.

Our experience of Rotary is, for the most part, based in our own communities. We meet every week in our clubs, in the same places, with the same familiar friends. While almost all of us are involved in some way or other in international service, the Rotary we see and share from day to day feels very local. It can be easy to lose sight of the larger picture – of what our service truly means.

Every impact you have as a Rotarian, individually and through your club, is multiplied by the power of our numbers. When you feed one person who is hungry, when you educate one person who is illiterate, when you protect one child from disease, the impact may seem small. It is anything but. For it is only through the power of numbers, through the power of our individual actions and gifts, that we can have the impact we seek: to truly Be a Gift to the World.