I am calling a virtual ERC Board of Directors Meeting this Thursday April 2, 2020 at 11:00AM. All BOD members, Committee Chairs and the General Membership are welcome to attend.
Since we missed our regular March BOD Meeting, this will replace that meeting so we can dig into our new way as we adjust to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Just click on the link below anytime from 10:45AM on Thursday morning and it will take you right to us. If you have any questions or any Board Member has any difficulty trying to login to this meeting, I will be standing by along with John Chisca to help you get connected. That is why we are allowing logins starting at 10:45AM.
To enter the virtual meeting, just click this link or copy and paste it into your URL Browser: https://conf.voxtandem.com/b/ste-m9r-f9j
Again, if any Board Member has problems accessing the meeting, please call my cell phone at 610-657-2175 or John Chisca’s at 610-730-7998. Hopefully all others trying to join the meeting will be successful, however since this is our first attempt virtually and it is Board Meeting, we will be standing by for this specific meeting to help the Board Members having a difficult time accessing the virtual meeting. All others, and take no offense, you are on your own for this meeting however we feel we are using a very simple platform suited for all.
Attached please find the agenda for this meeting. It has been adjusted a bit from our normal layout. Chris and Jim, please email us your Treasurer’s and Secretary’s Reports prior to Thursday’s meeting if possible.
Please email me if you have any questions or additions you would like to see added to the agenda.
Given the Club is not meeting, we are planning to vote for our four Board of Directors seats by email. These are Directors who will serve on the ERC Board from July 1st, 2020 until June 30th, 2021.
The first votes have been submitted to the Club Secretary as of Midnight, Tuesday, April 14th. The top 8 vote getters will be on the second ballot, going to all active and satellite members by email on Thursday April 16th. Ballots must be received by the Secretary before midnight Tuesday April 21st.
How you can vote:
You can forward the ballot email to me at jim.palmquist01@gmail.com giving me the four names you vote for. Make sure you give me your name as the voter.
You can call 484-575-6038 and leave a voicemail giving the four names you vote for plus your name.
You could text me at 484-575-6038 giving the four names you vote for plus your name.
You could postal mail your vote to me at the below address but it must arrive by the deadline to be counted.
The four Board of Directors selected will go out by email to the Club soon after the votes are tallied.
Jim Palmquist
International Sponsor, IPTI Women Peacebuilders West Africa GG1757637
Club Secretary, Emmaus Rotary Club 5427; District 7430
Our Committee Chairs are encouraged to continue engaging with their committees and stay on task as best as we can during these times of quarantine. Times like this are exactly when Rotary needs to stay focused and thinking ahead so we are able to help as best as possible now, and spring to action in the future.
Please take advantage of the virtual meeting options available. For example, many of you learned last week John Chisca kindly set our club membership up with a Vox Tandem account to make staying connected with our committees easier. Holding an online meeting can be very productive and boost moral. If you have any questions, for John about Vix Tandem please contact him directly at johnc@voxtandem.com or direct cell number 610-730-7998.
Please also be sure to log onto ClubRunner and check your individual committee listings! Our homework assignment from Mike Waddell is due! Read more for details.
A lot has been happening with the dynamics and needs of our East Penn School District Feeding Program. As an update, our weekend feeding program has been going on this school year for the Lincoln and Jefferson Elementary Kids-- feeding about 33 kids a week. At the beginning of March we added Macungie Middle School for 44 a week. The feeding has been made possible by a District Grant through our Foundation Giving and our Club giving. We were given approval through the District to expand the original grant to include this situation. Rick Zayaitz is also working to obtain some corporate and business donations to insure that we have the funds. We then went to 50--- Last week we added to 94-- which includes 24 homeless families. This Week we will do 118. The school district is providing bagged lunches on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays at three locations: Lincoln Elementary, Alburtis, and Lower Macungie. This week the lunches ran out-- so the food is appreciated and needed. Starting in April and for the full month we will provide 200 bags of food each week.
THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH EVERYONE FOR VOLUNTEERING FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL-- WE NOW HAVE ENOUGH VOLUNTEERS( ALL WITHIN A DAY!)
We learned last month during our program about The Rotary Foundation of the importance of raising funds to support grants for local and global projects. We have seen first hand through our Feed East Penn Students Program how our club is able to make a big impact in our community. Especially in times of crisis. Although we have not been able to hold regular meetings we still have a goal to meet as a Club for our contribution to The Foundation. Let's rally the EREY Troops and listen to our inner Paul Harris. In fact, April 19th marks the 152nd anniversary of our Rotary Founder's birth. Celebrate with a gift to the Rotary Foundation!
Here are some simple ways that you can participate and any amount is appreciated.
Enroll in Rotary’s recurring giving program, Rotary Direct, which makes giving easy, fast, and secure. You can schedule a monthly, quarterly, or annual donation that empowers Rotarians to change lives in communities around the world. https://my.rotary.org/en/rotary-direct
Weekly Door Prize Donations Needed! Be our next meeting's prize sponsor!
It seems like we all like the idea of winning a festive prize at our meetings (in person or online). We have had some very generous and fun donations over the past few months since incorporating this new aspect to our meetings. Many thanks to all who have donated a prize! It is a nice way to give back to each other while doing some low-key networking for your business. In the wake of the Corona Virus now more than ever it's important to show the local businesses in our community we care and support them. They have shown us support with raffle donations and sponsorships throughout the years. Consider purchasing a $20.00 gift card from one of the many small businesses in the East Penn Area. As we know every little bit helps. It's also a great way to start a conversation about Rotary and invite business owners and managers to a club meeting. Please contact Meghan Reed for more information about our weekly door prizes and how you can be help!
Upcoming Committee Meetings: Consider holding a virtual meeting to stay in touch and on task with your committee!
(Does your committee have an upcoming meeting? Let Meghan know and we will list it here)
Rotary and Beyond:
If you are participating in a fundraiser outside of Rotary and would like help spreading the word to our club members please contact Meghan Reed. It may be eligible to run in our new section in the Trumpet called "Rotary and Beyond". It will cost $2.00 (Happy Dollars) each time you'd like to run the information in the Trumpet. To have the information posted in the Trumpet you must be an active committee member or board member of the non-profit organization facilitating the activity outside of Rotary participation. The $2.00 entry may be given to Meghan at a club meeting. Contact Meghan with any questions.
The Feed East Penn Students Food Packing Program needs your help!
It has become more difficult for Second Harvest to supply us with protein sources for the 200 children we feed each week. We are reaching out to our membership for help in collecting cans of tuna fish. We will be collecting weekly until we have met the need.
Bring your cans of tuna fish donations this week:
Thursday June 25, 2020 (The time will be adjusted due to the Board Meeting this week please stay tuned for a time from Rick in a separate email)
In front of Bethany Bible Fellowship church (418 Elm Street Emmaus, Office entrance)
If you can help please take a ride and drop off your tuna fish. We feed 200 people each and every week and with the continued protein (peanut butter, tuna, chicken, cereal, and milk) shortages at all food banks we know our Rotarians will step up and help. We order food from Second Harvest each month for the children. We have had a substantial contribution of monies from a lot of different sources and I thank each and every one of you for helping. To keep our monies available and still help all of these children throughout the summer we are going to need your help. We will continue to ask each and every week until either we have too much or Second Harvest has the supplies on hand we need.
Thank you for your continued generosity in advance
Each year, Rotary awards up to 130 fully funded fellowships for dedicated leaders from around the world to study at one of our peace centers.
Through academic training, practice, and global networking opportunities, the Rotary Peace Centers program develops the capacity of peace and development professionals or practitioners to become experienced and effective catalysts for peace. The fellowships cover tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation, and all internship and field-study expenses.
Since the program began in 2002, the Rotary Peace Centers have trained more than 1,300 fellows who now work in more than 115 countries. Many serve as leaders in governments, NGOs, the military, education, law enforcement, and international organizations like the United Nations and the World Bank.
Our fellowships
The Rotary Peace Fellowship is designed for leaders with work experience in peace and development. Our fellows are committed to community and international service and the pursuit of peace. Each year, The Rotary Foundation awards up to 50 fellowships for master’s degrees and 80 for certificate studies at premier universities.
