Please mark your calendar for these upcoming events:

 

 

Jim Porter was named Publisher of The Repository and GateHouse Ohio Media in September 2013, overseeing management of The Repository, The (Massillon) Independent, The Times-Reporter in Dover-New Philadelphia, The Suburbanite and Jackson Suburbanite and their digital products.
 
He joined The Repository more than 27 years ago. Previously, Porter served as the circulation promotions manager, circulation zone manager, sales and marketing manager, vice president of circulation and general manager for GateHouse Ohio Media.
 
In 2001, he was both recognized as one of Presstime Magazine’s “20 Under 40” and won an International Newspaper Marketing Association award for best overall marketing results. He has also received a number of Ohio Circulation Managers Association awards.
 
Jim currently serves on the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Arts in Stark Board of Directors, Pathway Caring for Children Board of Directors and United Way of Greater Stark County Board of Directors. He is the founder and chairman of the Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame and Executive Director of the East-West game. He was inducted into the Plain Wall of Fame in 2004.
 
Jim resides in Jackson Township with his wife, Sarah, and four daughters including Kaitlyn, 21; Bayley, 18; Emma, 11; and Reagan, 8.

 

 

 

 

SPEAKER CHAIR - KEN WEBER

INVOCATOR - CHRIS BURT

SONG/GREETER LEADER - RYAN PARKINSON

 

President Elect Paul White and his committee have been working hard on the upcoming Rotary Club of Canton's "100 Year Celebration", taking place on April 11, 2015, at the Historic Onesto.

 

Invitations have been sent out with all the pertinent details.  Ticket prices are $60 for an individual ticket and $110 for a couples ticket.  

 

Sponsorships are also available if you or anyone you know is interested. Platinum sponsorships are $1,000, gold sponsorships are $500 and silver sponsorships are $100 or more.  Please contact Paul or the Rotary office if you are interested in sponsoring this special occasion. Your company's logo will be displayed throughout the event (we just ask that you provide the office with a jpeg of your logo).

 

Thank you and we hope we'll see you there!

 

 

A contribution to the Canton Rotary Endowment Fund has been made in the memory of Robert Luntz:

 

     - Virginia R. Neutzling

The Pancake Festival Committee would like to extend a very big "THANK YOU" to Mark Netro and his staff at Charlie Brown's Catering on the fantastic job they did at our annual event held March 14th!  They once again went above and beyond what the committee had asked of them and helped make this year's event one to remember.

 

The Committee would also like to extend a very heartfelt thank you to all the Rotarians and their family members who helped "set-up/break-down the event, flip pancakes, serve sausage, clean tables or assist our guests".  Without all of this help from beginning to end, we would not be able to put on this event.

During the past several months, the Rotogram has been highlighting the Rotary Club of Canton's Past Presidents' thoughts and experiences during their year as president.  We would like to ask you to share your favorite stories or memories of the Rotary Club, or any story about our Club's involvement in an activity or project that has meant something to you.

 

Please submit your story or comments for publication to the Canton Rotary office via email at info@cantonrotary.org.  Thank you!

3/29/04 to 4/7/04

 

submitted by Bob Wade

 

"Jack Barkan and I returned home about 12:00 midnight, the evening of April 7, 2004 after a very long day through 8 time zones.  The trip I found enlightening, productive and most enjoyable.  We attended Rotary meetings on April 2nd, 3rd and 4th.  April 2nd featured Russian speakers on children's health initiatives with simultaneous translation.  The speeches on the 3rd and the 4th mostly concerned the state of Rotary Clubs throughout Russia (46 in the Western Russia and 33 in Eastern Russia) and suggestions for starting more.  St. Petersburg has a number of clubs, the largest of which is the White Nights Club.

 

Part of our trip was about contacting the Russian medics who were in Canton before and encourage Rotary membership and perhaps setting up a twin club.  The former was accomplished - one definite and two probable.  I think that the latter will come about.  Jack knew the contacts and took the initiative with them.  We visited a very successful privatized model private practice clinic outside the State system - unique to St. Petersburg and Russia - fee for service only.  Sound familiar? They emphasized home care for Rx and Dx and have 40 Medics and 50 drivers for them plus ancillary personnel.  They also operate Rehabilitation and Pediatric Clinics.

 

The Clinic Director and a couple of Medics were exceedingly cordial and showed us around and took us to the Symphony and the famous Marinsky (Kirov) Ballet Theater for performance of Aida.  Jack also visited a more traditional style private clinic that caters to the well off. We visited tourist sites including the Russian and Hermitage Art Museums.  The food was good, leaning towards fish and meats, the traffic daunting (2 million cars for 4.7 million population), the people were slim, good looking and well dressed.  They walk in their city a lot bundled up in woolens, leather and furs, even in 5 - 10 degree Fahrenheit weather.  They seem proud of their city and national history.  They are casual about Communism and seem to regard it as an experiment in Government gone badly. They are very interested in Western and U.S. contacts.

 

Incidentally, I have never seen such opulence as there was in Peterhof (Peter The Great's Palace), in the Catherine Palace or in the Winter Palace (Hermitage Museum).  Gold, silver, marble, malachite everywhere.  The Amber Room in the Catherine Palace has been completely restored, one of the Western world's great artworks.  Tiring and tough on the sleep cycle, but a great trip."

The Rotary office received a letter dated March 10, 2015 from Carol Jones, Director of the Children's Dyslexia Center Valley of Canton.  Carol wrote:

 

"Dear Friends, The Children's Dyslexia Center of Canton has received a $5,000.00 charitable grant from you through the Stark Community Foundation which will be used for the needs and services of our children.  Thanks to this contribution, we can provide specialized tutoring to children who struggle everyday with dyslexia.  Our commitment to The Center is strengthened once again knowing we have the support of others as we enrich our children's lives.

 

There is a continuous need for our services throughout the community.  We will continue to make every effort to help every child and parent that approaches our organization for assistance.  The confidence to read and comprehend is something most people take for granted.  Our Center will continue to teach children to overcome dyslexia and to gain self-confidence in reading.

 

The Children's Dyslexia Center is a tremendous resource that effectively and efficiently helps children to reach their full potential. Your support continues and expands our work.  Please feel welcome to visit our Center and see your gift being used toward a better future for children."

During our meeting on March 20, 2015, Canton Rotarian Dean Gogolewski introduced the McKinley Student Character Champion Award Winner for March 2015, Bruklyn Williams.

 

McKinley Sr. High School had this to say about Bruklyn: "She is a truly remarkable young woman and a leader in the school.  Her accomplishments range from academic acknowledgments to athletic recognition. Just a few of the areas of involvement include: speech; varsity track; emcee for Pathfinders Assembly, which is a celebration of Black History and recognizes an outstanding graduate of McKinley (this is a completely student led school-wide assembly); Paws to Read, a program recognized at the state level for mentoring elementary students in our district; both McKinley varsity volleyball and a travel AAU volleyball team, where she received honors as 2nd Team All-County, All Federal League, All District 4, serve leader, and dig leader.  She has received offers to play volleyball at the collegiate level as well.  She is a National Honor Society member and volunteers for the American Red Cross Blood Drives, serves on Student Council, is Vice President of the Senior Class, and is a Martin Luther King Talent Show volunteer/participant and Black History Month Host. She will also host the district African American celebration next week at Umstattd Hall.  Bruklyn, a senior this year, will attend Kent State University to major in business. She has been awarded a scholarship from the university and looks forward to this next phase in her life."

During our meeting on March 20, 2015, Canton Rotarian Dean Gogolewski introduced the Timken Student Character Champion Award Winner for March 2015, Connor McCready.

 

Timken High School had this to say: "Connor is in the top ten at Timken and was inducted into the Timken chapter of the National Honor Society as a junior.  He is involved with the Canton Scholars Program and is a member of the National Technical Honor Society.  He has been involved in the Robotics Club at Timken for four years and has been a letter winner on the boys tennis team for four years.  He volunteers at Timken High School and also at Aultman Hospital.  His teachers have described him as conscientious and hardworking, and say that Connor has a reputation for consistent effort and outstanding character.  Connor has been accepted into the University of Akron's electrical engineering program.  We are excited to see what Connor accomplishes as he grows and learns in college and beyond."

At our weekly meeting on March 20, 2015, President Tom Clevenger announced that our Youth Exchange Student from Brazil is in immediate need of a new Host Family.  If you or someone you know would be interested in hosting this young man for the next couple months, please contact the Rotary office at (330) 452-2882.

 

Canton Rotarian Dean Gogolewski introduced our March "Character Champion" winners (see stories above).

 

President Elect Paul White provided an update to members regarding the 100 Year Celebration event.  He stated that our speaker for the evening will be Lt. Governor Mary Taylor and the emcee will be inspirational speaker, Marvin Montgomery. Theresa Blocher from Kiko Auctioneers will auction off some amazing items that we have acquired.  You do not want to miss this once in a century event, so get your RSVP's in quickly! 

 

Past President Dan Matthews continued with his 100 year celebration game of knowledge, entitled this week "Martini's for Memories".  This week Dan asked his contestants to provide a memory they have of their time in Canton Rotary.  The "winners" received two complimentary martinis at our 100 Year Celebration being held on April 11, 2015.  Our winners were: Jack Barkan, Don Sultzbach, and Lynn Hamilton.

 

Club Secretary Amanda Tietze welcomed the following guests to our meeting: Gary Schumacher, Kathy Stanton, Dianne Clary, Connor McCready, Cheryl McCready, Ruth Zitnick, Kim Kroh, Bruklyn Williams and Carol Williams.

 

The "Happy Bucks" news was then provided by the following Rotarians: Dan Jonas was excited his son just had his third child on St. Patrick's Day; Bob Wade was thrilled to learn his granddaughter was going to give birth to her second child in Holland and it will be a girl; Julia Dick congratulated our speaker, Alley Bussey, being named Interim Director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau; Rick Taylor was pleased to see Kozmo's Grill listed in the CVB visitors guide on page 23 and his friend Ernie Schott's establishment, Taggart's, was on the page as well; and finally, Bruce Hale provided his entire meal description and his experience at Kozmo's Grill from the prior evening (editor's note: I did NOT put Bruce up to that announcement!)

 

The following Executive Board members will receive a makeup for attending the Executive Board meeting held on March 17, 2015: President Tom Clevenger, President Elect Paul White, Vice President Craig Young and Secretary Amanda Tietze.

 

The following Board members and Trustees will receive a makeup for attending the Board meeting held on March 17, 2015: President Tom Clevenger, 

President Elect Paul White, Vice President Craig Young, Secretary Amanda Tietze, and Sergeant at Arms Robert Matthews; Trustees were: Becky Clark, Sharon Sirpilla, Mark Rojek, Nick Perini, Dean Wallace, and Dave Ewing. Also in attendance was Past President Curt Werren.

 

The following Rotarians turned in makeups at Friday's meeting: Charles Smith, Jerry Ortman (Plain), Rick Taylor (Jackson and Plain) and Bob Pattison (four makeup's from Cocoa Beach Daybreak, FL), 

Despite almost impassable terrain and the outbreak of a violent civil war, Rotary clubs in South Sudan and Wisconsin, USA, are determined to bring clean water to one of the most remote areas of the East African country.

The Rotary Clubs of Wausau, Wisconsin, USA, and Juba, South Sudan, are developing a sustainable source of water for 10 rural mountainous villages in Tennet Boma, Eastern Equatoria. The two clubs secured a $47,000 Rotary Foundation global grant to drill a deep borehole and install solar-powered water pumps, a 5,000-gallon reservoir, and six to 10 spigots. The water source will benefit almost 14,000 people.

While the violence is concentrated at the border of the country, the comparatively peaceful interior regions still suffer from economic insecurity and a dilapidated infrastructure. With almost no government assistance, these remote areas contend with acute waterborne diseases and famine.

"The civil war has shot the economy," says Wisconsin Rotary member John Kelly, who has traveled to South Sudan for years with Willamette International, an organization that improves health care and education in rural communities. "It's affecting so many people. Even if you're not directly involved in the violence, the war has destabilized almost everyone's lives."

The project is not without its roadblocks, both literally and figuratively. Only one road connects the cluster of villages on the steep northeast side of the Lopit Mountains to the nearest developed community. It's a three-day walk for many villagers. During the country's rainy season, between May and October, it's almost impossible to get construction materials and relief aid up the mountain, which exacerbates the ongoing humanitarian crisis. "You can't move anything in the area. The terrain is too wet and dangerous," says Kelly.

Because the grant was approved during the flood season, Rotary members had to wait to transport equipment until conditions improved.

Also, getting to these vulnerable populations has been a challenge amid the fighting. Many areas are off-limits to aid agencies, says Mathach Deng, a member of the Rotary Club of Juba.

"Rebel forces have blocked off many of the entry points to the project site. It's been a huge challenge to overcome," he says.

Juba club members are working with tribal elders in the area, who carry influence with government and rebel leaders, to gain passage to the area. "The people in these areas want and need this water project to continue. Educating the tribe leaders on the importance of this project is key to getting this project complete," Deng says.

The ongoing threat of violence caused the project's first contractor to back out, further delaying the start of the construction. "The war has decreased the availability of contractors. But we are working with other NGOs and the government to find another one," Deng says. "It's not easy to convince someone to come into this situation, but we're not giving up."

Although there have been setbacks, Kelly says there is no turning back.

"We [Rotary] have our credibility at stake. These communities trust us to come through. It's important to be patient in situations like these," Kelly says. "Build relationships and contacts. Gather intelligence by working with other NGOs and agencies. The more information you have at your fingertips the better you are at navigating difficult situations."

After successfully claiming independence in 2011, South Sudan, the world's newest country, descended into violence in December 2013, dashing hopes that it would soon become a prosperous, self-governing nation. The country's two predominant tribes, the Dinka and Nuer, are fighting over land and resources, a conflict that dates back to the 19th century.

Tens of thousands have already been killed in the gruesome war, which has also displaced almost 1.8 million people. On 2 February the two sides signed a fourth peace deal since the hostilities began. The previous three agreements signed by the government and rebels were broken quickly.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sudan Community Development Fund