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                        Volume 27                     February 2, 2022
Stories
NOTICE: DUE TO WEATHER, ZOOM MEETING ONLY THIS FRIDAY!
Due to the impending weather, the Executive Committee has decided that this Friday's meeting, on Feb. 4th, will be
ZOOM ONLY!
 
NO IN PERSON MEETING!
 
In lieu of our scheduled speaker, we will participate in a special conversation with Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta, starting at noon. This special meeting will consist of questions brought by Rotary Clubs throughout our region for President Shekhar.
 
If there is time after this event, President Mark will lead us through our regular club business,
 
To participate in this Zoom meeting, please go to our normal Zoom link as shown in the article below. President Mark will log on for the RI event and share it with us all from his computer.
 
Canton Rotarians are welcome to join Zoom before the R.I. event at 11:30 for the usual banter and stretching of truth! 
 
 
Shekhar Mehta, a member of the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar, has been a Rotarian since 1985. He trained as an accountant and founded a real estate development company, Skyline Group, which he also chairs. But his professional title tells only a small part of the story of who he is. He is also a director of the India arm of Operation Eyesight Universal, a Canada-based nonprofit focused on preventing avoidable blindness. He helped establish more than 15 eye hospitals, in several Indian states, that together carry out nearly 50,000 surgeries each year. And he started Saving Little Hearts, a project that has facilitated more than 2,500 heart surgeries for children from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and some African countries and that is now an India-wide program.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NEW PERMANENT ZOOM LINK FOR MEETINGS
Thanks to Jennie George, we now have a new recurring Zoom link for those of you who prefer to attend on-line. 
 
You can join us remotely each week on Zoom at the following Link: 
 
DON'T MISS OUR "NEW & IMPROVED" 4-WAY TEST SPEECH CONTEST FEB. 25TH!
FEB. 25TH - LET'S HAVE  A "HUGE" TURNOUT TO SEE THESE AMAZING STUDENTS!
 
If you've ever attended our annual 4-Way Test Speech Competition at Canton Rotary, then you know what an AMAZING job these McKinley High School Speech & Debate Team members do applying the 4-Way Test! It really is a meeting NOT to be missed!
 
Well, we're happy to announce that this Competition is now BIGGER & BETTER!
 
First of all, there has been an addition of one more speaker to round us out at FOUR contestants.

Secondly, the Board has approved additional support of the program by increasing the prize money that the participants will receive:

1st place ……$300

2nd place…….$200

3rd place……. $100

4th place …….$100

Thirdly, the Board also approved an additional $300 to sponsor the McKinley speech team with their events. That totals up to $1,000 in additional support to this fine program and their excellent team members!

So........Mark your calendars on February 25th to attend the Canton Rotary 4 – Way Test Competition between four McKinley Students, with the winner earning the right to represent us at District 6650 competition on April 2nd at the Fairways Golf Club in N. Canton.

These students are extremely well-trained by long-time coach, Manuel Halkias, and Kitty Burgett, and their teams consistently place at or near the top in state, local, and regional competitions. 

You do NOT want to miss this chance to see these top-quality teen speakers at this meeting! 

BTW…. I will need 3 judges to score their presentations. Please let me know if you are interested in helping! Jeff Scott

PRESIDENT MARK'S WEEKLY MUSINGS

Welcome to February everyone.  We are getting closer and closer to spring which not only means warmer weather, but we also get our snowbirds back.  We miss seeing you in person.

This week’s lunch seems like a perfect match with meatloaf and mashed potatoes aligned with Kelly Joseph talking to us about the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway.  I’m looking forward to a fascinating conversation about where they have been and where they see things going.  I believe they represent an integral part of infrastructure efforts and easing some of our country’s logistical issues.

Don’t forget that there are plenty of things gearing up in February including Pack the Bus, Spring Raffle, 4-Way Test Speeches, and probably a few more things I’m not mentioning.  Let’s get involved with these activities by reaching out to the committee chairs and offering your assistance because jumping in without being asked is what we do.

• Pack-The-Bus Paula Mastroianni

• Spring Raffle Paul Hervey

• 4-Way Speech Jeff Scott

See you all Friday. 

President Mark

WHAT'D I MISS LAST WEEK?

On Friday January 28, 2022, President Mark welcomed a slew of Canton Rotarians and five guests: Carl Bliss, Megan Blair, Chris Schoeppner, Tracie Clendenin (wife of Pres. Mark) and Richard Regula (Massillon Rotarian).

Our speaker, Bill Smuckler, local businessman and Canton City Councilman, gave a splendid update on some issues and opportunities in Canton, as well as his perspective on challenges to our supply chain, as well as his take on the small business community in Stark and surrounding counties. 

After Bill's presentation, Secretary Paula provided the following info:

On This Date in History

   1547 – Nine year old Edward the VI succeeds King Henry the VIII as the King of England.

   1901 - Professional baseball’s American League is founded in Chicago.

   1956 – Elvis Pressley made his first national TV appearance on the Dorsey Brother’s “Stage Show”.

   1958 – The Lego Company patented their design of Lego bricks. They are still compatible with bricks produced today.

   1986 – The USS Space Shuttle, Challenger, exploded 73 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral.

Weird Fact:

Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz was born today in 1890. A convicted murderer, he became an expert on bird diseases while spending 44 years in solitary confinement discovering a cure for the hemorrhagic septicemia family of diseases in birds.

OUR TEEN ROTARY AFFILIATE, INTERACT, SEEKING CANDY DONATIONS (OR CASH)!
Interact is our Club's Rotary affiliate at McKinley High School. Our Interact Chairperson, Jennie George, showed a short video last Friday that these Interact students produced, in which they ask for donations of candy that they can sell at the school to raise money for t-shirts for their members.
 
If you wish to help, you may either buy candy and bring it to our meetings for Jenny to forward to the Interact folks, or you may make a cash donation to provide funds so the Interacters can purchase their own candy to resell. You can bring cash to our meetings to give to Jenny, or you may make a donation through our website: click the "Make A Payment" button on the home page, fill out that form and make sure to enter "Interact candy donation" in the comments section. 
 
Interact is Rotary's attempt to reach out to high school age young people, with the intent of instilling the principals of Rotary and to teach these young people the value of giving back to the community, as well as working together as a team to achieve a goal. It's a great way to introduce them to Rotary, as well as help them with their personal development. 
 
More info on the success of our local Interact Club will be coming in the near future, In the meantime, please support our Interact's candy fundraiser. Thanks!  
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