"The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for and I hate very much to leave it." - Ernest Hemingway American Novelist (1899-1961)
Greetings to my fellow Rotarians! I hope this Rotogram finds you well. We are now 30 days or so into our social distancing efforts and I am sure most, if not all, of you are working your way through your daily life. There are signs on the horizon that indicate that the war against this invisible killer is shifting in our favor. Keep doing the right things and stay safe.
The executive team of your club continues to work behind the scenes to address the needs of our club and community...and to stay connected with our members. This week’s message highlights some of the things we are doing to keep this Rotary Club of Canton moving forward, despite the social separation.
New Officers and Directors. I am pleased to report that the email election of our new Officers and Directors is complete. The entire slate of individuals was elected to serve in these important club positions (see the full list below). This group, under the leadership of President-elect Drew Pelger, will assume their new roles beginning July 1, 2020. Thanks to all the Rotarians who responded to our first ever email election… it was a virtual success.
Helping the Community in this Time of Need. The executive team is reaching out to the community to see how we can help during this time. We have received several pledges from Canton Rotarians and friends who want to give to our area to help those in need. Families are struggling to get food as jobs are lost. Small businesses are struggling to stay alive and keep their employees on the payroll, while revenues have disappeared or diminished.
The executive committee is evaluating several worthwhile projects to support in this time of need and secure the time, talent, and treasure to help. For those of you able to safely serve, we have received requests from Stark County Hunger Task Force who have an urgent need for volunteers to help distribute food (see the details below). More information on our concentrated club effort to help in this time of need will be available in the very near-term.
Virtual Videoconference Meetings. We are firming up plans for our first full 'virtual' Rotary meeting on Friday May 1, 2020! This meeting will be held using ZOOM, a free videoconference software that allows you to see and hear others, while we conduct a meeting. For best results, you should participate by using a computer with both video and audio capabilities.
In the meantime, we have begun to conduct Rotary “Meet-ups” each Friday at 11:30 AM using ZOOM. All of you should have received an email invitation from Past President Michelle Charles. (This is the former Ms. Michelle Mullaly, who was recently married and changed her last name to that of her husband, J.C. Charles.)
This Friday, April 17th will be our second video chat. Please try to drop-in for some interaction with your Rotary friends and practice using ZOOM! Just click on the link in Michelle’s email invitation and join in.
I encourage all of you to stay connected with your club during this time of change and I pledge to help keep our club engaged and vital during these difficult times.
The following individuals have been approved by members of the Rotary Club of Canton to begin serving as the Directors and Officers of the Board of The Rotary Club of Canton, effective July 1, 2020.
President - Drew Pelger
President Elect - Mark Clendenin
Vice President - Julia Dick
Secretary - Paula Mastroianni
Assistant Secretary - Bruce Hale
Treasurer - Tom Clevenger
Sergeant-at-Arms - Robert Matthews
New Trustees: (For the term beginning July 1, 2020 and ending June 30, 2021)
Jon Adland
Wilbur Allen
Paul Hervey
David Roberts
This slate of candidates was presented for nomination by our club Secretary, Julia Dick. A motion to present this slate to the Club for approval was made by PDG/PP Bob Pattison and seconded by PP Rick Taylor on 4/6/2020. A vote via email by the Rotary Club of Canton members was made as of 4/7/2020 - 4/10/2020.
Congratulations and thank you to all Officers and Directors.
A small but mighty group came together on Friday, April 10th for our first virtual meeting. The hour and a half flew by, talking about what we are all doing during the quarantine, and other club-related stuff. Bob Pattison shared some great insights on COVID-19 and we were excited to have John Werren take part from his home in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea. Those on the call but not pictured below include Julia Dick, Bill Maddox and Paula Mastroianni.
A shout out to Past Prez, Michelle Charles, for setting it up. Please join us this Friday 4/17/2020, same time (11:30 AM) through Zoom.
Help us stay in touch with each other by sharing your photos, happy bucks and stories of what you have been doing during this time of social distancing. Please forward any pictures, cartoons, happy bucks or stories into the office at: info@cantonrotary.org and we will post these items in our weekly Rotogram and our website.
Stark County Hunger Task Force - Urgent Need for Volunteers!
With the increased demand for emergency food we are moving our pantry operations outside and using the drive thru pantry model. This will allow us to get more food out to more people. In order to do this we need more volunteers, twice as many in fact. Help meet this critical need during these trying times by signing up for a shift or two, or three! We will be operating our pantry Monday-Friday. Share this email and link with friends to help spread the word!
April 17, 2020
Greetings to my fellow Rotarians! I hope this Rotogram finds you well. We are now 30 days or so into our social distancing efforts and I am sure most, if not all, of you are working your way through your daily life. There are signs on the horizon that indicate that the war against this invisible killer is shifting in our favor. Keep doing the right things and stay safe.
