Please mark your calendar for these upcoming events:

 

 

 “Boomers, Bachelors & Bakers: The divergent convergence of generations, education & workforce”​

Eric Smer joined the Chamber in 2012. As director of Community & Workforce Development, he is responsible for an evolved and inclusive initiative of the Chamber’s collective interests in education, workforce, economic development and young professionals. Included are: ystark!, university relations, workforce partnership initiatives, workforce and education task forces, regional retention and expansion networking efforts, business retention surveys and visits, and energy industry relations. Areas of commonality are cohesively integrated to allow for opportunities of greater development in our regional community and workforce competitiveness.

A Stark County native, Smer was raised in Jackson Township and received a dual-major bachelor’s degree in business administration in marketing and business management from Kent State University, graduating with distinction and honors. Prior to joining the Chamber, Smer was Executive Director of Stark County Hunger Task Force, the leading countywide anti-hunger non-profit in the region. Smer’s community involvement is extensive but his proudest accomplishments are: Leadership Stark County Spotlight graduate; Twenty under 40! recipient; immediate past President of the Kent State University Alumni Association Stark Chapter; founding board member and current President of Friends of Plain Township Parks; past Chairman of the North Canton Jaycee Fair; current board member and Young Professionals Chair for the Rotary Club of Plain Township. Smer’s personal mission is to work to make a great Stark County region even greater with the help of the ystark! members.

 

 

 

SPEAKER CHAIR - DENISE BURTON

INVOCATOR - BILL LIBER

SONG LEADER - WARD SCOTT

 

At our weekly meeting on July 17, 2015, Past President Tom Clevenger (sponsor) introduced our newest member, P.S. Murthy, to the Rotary Club of Canton.

 

Dr. P.S. Murthy is the current elected coroner here in Stark County.  He was first elected to the office in 2004 and he is currently serving his third term.  Dr. Murthy is a board certified pathologist and he has performed more than 6000 autopsies.

 

Dr. Murthy came to the United States in 1959 and became a naturalized citizen in 1964.  He received his board certification in pathology in 1966 and in 2016, he will have been a pathologist for 50 years.

 

He started his medical career with the Veterans Administration in Kansas City, Missouri in 1966, Veterans Administration Center in Dayton, Ohio and then later moved to Springfield, Ohio where he worked for a community hospital until 1971.  He went to Hastings, Nebraska in 1971 and remained there until 1988 when he decided to take a different medical path towards forensic pathology.  He was a deputy coroner and forensic pathologist at the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office in 1988 and he remained there until 1993, when he came to Stark County.

 

Dr. Murthy worked at Doctor's Hospital in Perry Township as a hospital-based pathologist, and he also was the Chief Deputy Coroner and forensic pathologist for the Stark County Coroner's Office.  In 1997, he initiated the current autopsy program for the coroners of the surrounding counties, allowing them to send their cases to him for forensic autopsy and toxicological analysis.

 

He has been married to Shoba for 39 years, and he has a son Vishnu, a daughter Vani, and especially beloved grand dog, Rugby.

The following Rotarians have received perfect attendance for this 2014-2015 Rotary calendar year.  They are as follows:

 

Thursday Sept. 17, will be the inaugural Canton Rotary Oktoberfest. Our goals are to make this event one that elevates the name and image of Canton Rotary in our community, one that becomes our signature fundraiser for our club’s charitable fund, and one that is a fun event with lots of fellowship via participation from Canton Rotarians. It will also be an event that will increase awareness of Canton Rotary and our work in the community, plus be an excellent vehicle for membership recruitment.

 

We need the support of all Canton Rotarians in this new event to make it successful. There are many ways to support this event: volunteering to work the day of the event, event sponsorship, selling tickets for the event, and more. Please note – Rotarians will NOT be asked to buy the tickets, but rather to promote the ticket sales at their business and to their customers, associates, and friends.

 

Event information:

 

Thursday Sept. 17 from 4:30 to 8:30

Location – Market St N. between 3^rd and Tuscarawas

Tickets - $30 in advance, $40 at gate

 

What is the Canton Rotary Oktoberfest? Our Oktoberfest is centered on beer sampling from 6 or more local breweries, as well as 2 wine distributors. The ticket includes 6 beer or wine samples. We will have local downtown restaurants as our food vendors, and we will also have entertainment including a German style “Oktoberfest” band.

 

We are making the sponsorship opportunities available to Canton Rotarians first. The sponsorship levels and benefits are listed and can be found by following this LINK. You can use this form (LINK) to indicate your sponsorship commitment, and Canton Rotary will bill you in August for your commitment.

 

Thank you for your support and help in making our first annual Canton Rotary Oktoberfest a success!

 

Please email Michelle Mullaly at mmullaly@cantonsymphony.org or Craig Young at cyoung@youngtrucks.com with your sponsor information.

 

Michelle Mullaly       Rick Taylor   Paul White     Dave Beule   Craig Young

Get ready for a great day of golf and fun at our annual Stark County Rotary Golf Invitational.  Sign up now for the Four-Person Scramble on Friday, August 21st at Tam O'Shanter Golf Course.

 

Sign-up sheets are available at Friday meetings or you may access this LINK to fill out your foursome.  Please return your sign-up sheet to Golf Chairperson, Nick Perini, or to the Rotary office.

 

We will be featuring Old Carolina Barbecue for lunch this year! Lunch begins at 12 noon, modified shotgun starts at 1:00 p.m.

 

The cost is $50.00 per person for Rotarians and guests.  Cost includes lunch, 18 holes with a cart, and beer and beverages on the course.

 

NEW THIS YEAR will be a putting contest and the winner will receive the use of a BMW for a weekend compliments of Cain BMW!

 

All skill levels welcome and of "course" it's a great time to bring a prospective member.  Don't forget this is our weekly meeting with a whole lot of fun added!

 

You can contact Golf Chairperson, Nick Perini, at (330) 454-6555 email nperini@beesefulmer.com or Lauri/Barb at the Canton Rotary office at info@cantonrotary.org.

If you have a gift item that you would like to donate for the annual golf outing on August 21st, please contact Chairman Nick Perini at (330) 454-6555 or email nperini@beesefulmer.com.  For your convenience you may bring your donated gift item(s) to a Friday meeting.

Hole sponsorships are available for this year's golf outing on August 21, 2015, at a cost of $75.00. You can promote your organization with a sign near the tee box at the course.

 

Contact Chairman Nick Perini at (330) 454-6555 or email at nperini@beesefulmer.com  You may also contact Lauri/Barb at the Rotary office (330) 452-2882.

At our weekly meeting on July 17, 2015, President Paul White opened the meeting and introduced President Elect Craig Young.  Craig brought the members up to date on the Rotary Club of Canton's inaugural "Oktoberfest". Craig stated there were many individual or corporate sponsorship opportunities available. *Please see story and then follow the LINK within the story for a sponsorship form.

 

Golf Committee Member Dave Schrade took to the podium to bring members up to date on the upcoming Stark County Golf Invitational taking place on August 21st at Tam O'Shanter.  Dave stated the foursome sign-up sheets are available on each table as well as on the Rotary Club of Canton's website.  He stated new this year was a putting contest and the winner of this putting contest would receive the use of a 2015 BMW for a weekend compliments of Cain BMW!  *Please see story for more information regarding this event.

 

Vice President Amanda Tietze welcomed the following guests to our meeting:  Tony Pierce, Mark DeChellis (North Canton).

 

The "Happy Bucks" news was then presented by the following Rotarians: Craig Young announced there were Oktoberfest packets for outside sponsorships on the tables and Lauri/Barb would also have additional forms if needed; Amanda Tietze was very proud of her son who was at Scout Camp getting 5th year Pipestone and also received his Life Scout Rank; Amanda also was happy to announce that at the end of the Rotary meeting today she would be officially on vacation and heading to the beach.

 

The following Rotarians turned in a makeup during Friday's meeting: Lynn Hamilton (Massillon); Ray V. Pelanda (2 Plain); Kitty Pelanda (2 Plain).

K.R. "Ravi" Ravindran is CEO and founder of Printcare PLC, a publicly listed printing, packaging, and digital media solutions company. It is arguably the world's largest supplier of tea bag packaging, catering to nearly every major tea brand, with manufacturing facilities in Sri Lanka and India. Printcare is the winner of national and international awards of excellence. Ravindran has been a featured speaker at several international print and packaging forums.

Ravindran also serves on the board of several other companies in Sri Lanka and India and charitable trusts, including the MJF (Dilmah) Charitable Foundation. He is the founding president of the Rotary-sponsored Sri Lanka Anti Narcotics Association, the largest such agency in Sri Lanka. During the country's civil war, Ravindran was involved in the business community efforts to find peaceful solutions to the conflict and was a featured speaker at the United Nations-sponsored peace conference in New York for the Sri Lankan diaspora in 2002.

A third generation Rotarian and a member himself since the age of 21, Ravindran has served on the Rotary International Board of Directors and The Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees and as RI treasurer.

As his country's national PolioPlus chair, Ravindran headed a joint task force of the Sri Lankan government, UNICEF, and Rotary and worked closely with UNICEF to successfully negotiate a ceasefire with the northern militants during National Immunization Days. Aided by Rotary's efforts, Sri Lanka reported its last case of polio in 1994.

He also chaired the Schools Reawakening project, in which Rotary District 3220 raised more than $12 million to rebuild over 20 tsunami-devastated schools to benefit 14,000 children. He continues to play a role in his club's project to build a cancer prevention and early detection center in Sri Lanka. Once completed, it will be the only dedicated national facility to offer comprehensive screening and early detection services.

Ravindran is a recipient of The Rotary Foundation's Citation for Meritorious Service, Distinguished Service Award, and Service Award for a Polio-Free World.

He and Vanathy have been married since 1975, and they have two children and a recently born grandchild.