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ADDITIONAL DATES TO DONATE FOR "PACK THE BUS" ON NOV. 30TH AND DEC. 7TH!

On Tuesday, November 20, 2018, President Michelle Mullaly and her band of merry Rotary "elves" hit the ground running for the 2nd Annual "Pack the Bus" program. Rotarians Bruce Schorsten and Paula Mastroianni, along with office staff, Lauri and Barb, met President Michelle at the WalMart on Tuscarawas Street to shop for the children of Canton City Schools. Three hours later a grand total of $4,520.88 was spent on non-perishable food, clothing, winter coats, hats, and gloves, and hygiene products. These items were added to the items donated by Rotarians and the public, which were collected on Wednesday, November 15, 2018. 

President Michelle's second shift of "elves" met later that day at Allen Elementary School and helped her unload the trailer. The "elves" consisted of Bob Matthews, Rick Taylor, Ernie Schott, Jim Thomas, Mark Rojek, Jim Blake, Bruce Schorsten, Lauri and Barb. Many helping hands were needed, so the children and staff of Allen Elementary stepped in to cheerfully help the Rotarians unload the items into a classroom where it was sorted.

Since the Rotary office is still receiving monetary donations, another shopping day will take place prior to the school system's Christmas holiday break! If you were unable to participate in this event and would still like to do so, it's not too late!

 

During the November 30th and December 7th meetings, we will once again be collecting your non-perishable food items or monetary donations. The Canton City Schools will inform President Michelle of any items they feel are still needed at the schools and an additional shopping day will take place. We still have an estimated $1,000.00 from grants received to spend on these children.

 

Remember the story Ernie Schott relayed during a recent Rotary meeting...."my wife, Patty, who was a school volunteer, told me about a Canton City elementary student who had complained about an upset stomach. The student was asked if he needed to use the restroom and his response was "no". He was then asked if he had had breakfast. The student replied he was given something to eat when he got to school that morning. The student was then asked what he had eaten for dinner the night before and his response "I had ice cubes for dinner". 

The principal of Allen Elementary (Ernie and Patty Schott's daughter, Christen Sedmock) told President Michelle that when given the choice, students at her school will very often choose a toothbrush instead of candy

Last year Canton Rotary was able to help restock the pantry at Allen Elementary, which subsequently helped students eat breakfast and lunch, plus  snacks, during each school day. We also helped feed 80 families from three schools, Allen Elementary, Gibbs Elementary and Belden Elementary schools during the two-week holiday break, and also provide coats, hats, gloves, shoes, socks, underwear and clothing to students at Gibbs Elementary.

It is thrilling to know that just a few hours of hard work and some extremely generous individuals can change the lives of so many.

Thank you to the "elves" who worked the collection day on November 15th: Terri Barry, David Schrade, Ernie Schott, Bob Pattison, Chris Burt, Shawn Dougherty, Rick Taylor, Drew Pelger, Paul Hervey, Kyle Brown and Amanda Tietze; along with the "elves" listed above who worked the shopping/distribution day on the 20th.

 
PHOTO'S (click this LINK to view all photo's)
 
                         
 
 
 
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FRIDAY'S MEETING WILL BE OUR MONTHLY FELLOWSHIP MEETING
     Letter from the President

     November 27, 2018
 
     Dear Rotarians,
 
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
 
It’s Fellowship Friday! Once again, I encourage you to sit with someone new. There are so many great members in our club – this is a wonderful opportunity to get to know someone different.
 
This Friday, we will have a special guest… William Underwood, from the Kent Club, who will be joining us to talk about their water project in El Salvador.
 
IN OTHER NEWS
Thank you to all who volunteered for Pack the Bus!
 
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Please remember to do your Canton Charitable Fund donation as well as your Rotary International Foundation donation. Remember – donations given to the International Foundation return to us in the form of district grants.
 
 
 
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LUNCHEON MENU & ASSIGNMENT FOR NOV. 30TH
MEATLOAF
SCALLOPED POTATOES
CARROTS
 
SPEAKER CHAIR - SHAWN DOUGHERTY
INVOCATOR - DAVID ROBERTS
GREETER LEADER - JIM MOLNAR
 
 
 
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HOLIDAY "TIP" COLLECTION TO TAKE PLACE THIS FRIDAY
Rotarians, it is once again the "giving time" of year when we remember the exceptional service we receive from the volunteers at St. Haralambos Church. We will be taking donations of "tips" for these folks this Friday, November 30th.
 
Any monetary amount is appreciated! Just look for the "tip" containers which will be located on the attendance table to make your donation.
 
 
 
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THE CANTON ROTARY CHARITABLE FUND AT WORK IN OUR COMMUNITY
The Canton Rotary Charitable Fund (CRCF) is the nonprofit portion of our club that helps us bring important services to the greater Canton community.   One great example of a community service project that is helped by our CRCF is the exciting “Pack the Bus” food drive event.
 
As I had stated in last week's article, the “Pack the Bus” event was a smashing success.  The group put together by President Michelle Mullaly was all-hands on-deck, as we delivered box after box of cereal, soups, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, pastas, plus toiletry items such as soap and toothpaste.  The room used to store the goods at the school was packed at the end of our day!
 
But the real satisfaction in this event was derived from the faces of the young students at Allen Elementary, who helped Rotarians bring in the goods.  Many kids were delighted to help carry boxes and find the proper place to store the items in them.  Little ones just learning how to read were studying the colorful cans and boxes and thrilled to figure out what they were helping deliver. Virtually all the kids had favorites (“Mmmm…I love mashed potatoes”) and not-so favorites (“Green beans… yuck”).   And you could see the excitement in their eyes at the prospect of some delicious food that they otherwise would not have had to eat at Thanksgiving.
 
It is this type of community outreach that reinforces our mission of “Service Above self”.  And it is through your generous donations to the CRCF that bring this mission to life. 
 
The annual charitable fund that I am leading is one of the primary funding sources for the CRCF.  At this point in our drive, we are just hitting the home stretch.  Many Rotarians have responded generously thus far, but many still have yet to make a contribution.  Now is the time for all of us to give to this important part of our club.  We have several ways to give, including:  cash or check; credit card; the donation of appreciated securities; or qualified retirement distributions.  Just pick your method and give.
 
Please decide to make this important contribution to our club… and our community.  Your gift will be greatly appreciated and will help make a child’s day become a good bit brighter.
 
 
 
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THANK YOU LETTER RECEIVED FROM THE FIRST TEE OF CANTON
The Rotary office received a thank you letter dated November 21, 2018, from Angela Palomba, Executive Director for The First Tee of Canton. Angela writes:
 
"Thank you for your recent contribution in the amount of $1,000.00 to The First Tee of Canton. Your gift makes it possible for us to achieve our mission of impacting the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.
 
"The First Tee of Canton goes beyond youth golf. We are a youth development organization that teaches character education, healthy habits and life skills through learning the game of golf. Last year we celebrated 15 years as a chapter in The First Tee network and underwent facility improvements to offer year-round programs including new after-school classes. In 2018,  over 11,000 young people were impacted through our certifying programs at our facility and outreach partnerships with 33 elementary schools, 11 YMCA locations and relationships with various youth organizations in Stark County.
 
"Your generosity enables us to accomplish our goal of providing and maintaining an accessible and affordable golf facility and life skills program in our community. We sincerely thank you for your active support and helping us continue to impact, inspire and influence the youth in our community.
 
"On behalf of The First Tee of Canton, thank you for your investment in our young people. Together, we will shape them into tomorrow's leaders."
 
 
 
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DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS!
NEUTZLING, VIRGINIA                                        Dec 10
GORDON, SPENCE                                               Dec 11
LUNTZ, WILLIAM L.                                              Dec 11
ROBERTS, DAVID                                                  Dec 12
DICK, JULIA B.                                                       Dec 14
CLEVENGER, TOM                                                Dec 16
ROLAND, ROB                                                        Dec 19
SPRING, FREDERICK J.                                        Dec 21
SHETZER, TIMOTHY J.                                        Dec 23
WERREN, J. CURTIS                                             Dec 24
GORDON, CRAIG                                                   Dec 25
MASON, JONATHAN P.                                        Dec 29
 
 
 
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DECEMBER CLUB ANNIVERSARIES
JONES, PARA                                       9 years  
KALOGERAS, JOHN                             1 year
MARKLING, JAMES A.                      65 years  
MUSTAFAGA, AMY L.                        22 years
SHAFFER, MARK                                 2 years
SANDROCK, SCOTT P.                      27 years  
SCHRADE, DAVID                              17 years  
BERKELEY, AMANDA                          1 year 
MARCHINO, REBECCA                       5 years  
FURBAY, TIMOTHY A.                       28 years  
BERTIN, ANTHONY                             1 year 
MATTHEWS, J. DANIEL                    43 years  
 
 
 
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NOVEMBER IS ROTARY FOUNDATION MONTH
November is Rotary Foundation month! There is an 8 minute video of "Making a Difference in our Community" prepared by Peter Apicella, M.D., District 6650 Foundation Chair. The video shows examples of the Foundation's good work including the new Military Family Center project. This project was a big undertaking requiring over three years and lots of local Rotarian support, both financially and in time and talent. To view the video, you may visit www.Rotary6650.org.
 
November Paul Harris Fellow Challenge - Each member will be provided a special envelope for their donation. Envelopes will be available each Friday for members to participate in this challenge. For each $20.00 donated, a member will have a chance to win a Paul Harris Fellow for themselves, a spouse, or another person.  You just need to fill out this envelope and return it to the Rotary office or to Lauri/Barb. The envelopes will then be forwarded as a Club packet to Dr. Peter Apicella.
 
All donations must be made before January 1, 2019. The drawing will be held in early January and the winner will be notified.
 
(Editor's note: The Rotary Foundation supports the efforts of Rotary International throughout the world; funds donated to the Foundation can also be available for clubs and districts to use locally, as in the case of the Military Family Center. However, the Rotary Foundation is separate from our Canton Rotary Charitable Fund, which is our club's fund to support our local projects and community groups (see President-Elect Mark Rojek's article above). During this time of year, Canton Rotarians are encouraged to consider donations to both the Rotary Foundation and the Canton Rotary Charitable Fund). 
 
 
 
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ROTARY INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENTIAL MONTHLY MESSAGE

Barry Rassin
President 2018-19

December 2018

It's traditional that the first Rotarian magazine of the Rotary year carries a profile of the incoming RI president and his or her family. I've always read those profiles with interest, never giving much thought to the possibility that one day, I might be the one bringing a writer from the magazine to my Rotary club meeting! I have never liked a lot of attention, and the idea of having my picture on the magazine cover made me a bit uncomfortable. But when I saw the photo the editors chose, I smiled. Because the star of that picture definitely isn't me, or even my wife, Esther. It's the flock of flamingos, none of which could care less about Rotary, all strutting past us in the same direction. All of them — except one.

I couldn't think of a more appropriate image to reflect the message I want to convey to Rotarians. That one flamingo, going the other way, represents so much of what we need to do in Rotary. That flamingo knows everyone's going one way. She sees it. But she also sees that maybe the path they're on isn't the best path. Maybe, just maybe, there's a better path over there, and she wants to get a good look before she goes marching on with her friends. And if, when she does stop and look, that new path does seem better, she'll call the rest of the crew to come over and check it out with her. And maybe, just maybe, they'll all choose that better path together.

Change is hard. And the longer we've been going one way, the more friends we have with us, the harder it is to be the one who turns around and does it differently. But change — not change for its own sake, but careful, considered, goal-directed change — is essential for any organization that wants to evolve, stay relevant, and move forward in the right direction.

So take a look at that picture, but don't look at me. I'm not the one that cover's about. That cover is about the flamingo. It's about having the curiosity, the courage, and the conviction to look at different paths that might be better — whether you're out for a stroll on a beautiful Bahamas morning, or helping chart the course for our organization.

 

 

 

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UPCOMING EVENTS
Please mark your calendar for these upcoming events:
 
     -"Pack the Bus" donation collections - December 7, 2018 - at meeting
     -NO MEETING - December 21st and December 28th - Holiday break
     -Rotary Office Closed - December 19, 2018 - January 2, 2019
 
 
Speakers
Dec 07, 2018
Invocator - Robert Matthews
Dec 14, 2018
Invocator - Bill Liber
Dec 21, 2018
Dec 28, 2018
View entire list
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