Geometry was great. Trig and calculus not so much. Beyond my years at school, I have struggled to read financial reports. I do balance my checkbook. But -- well, why do I tell you that? Three reasons: which fall at our local club, the district, and at Rotary’s international level.
First, this Thursday, following our regular morning meeting, there will be a hybrid Board meeting both at Brookside Country Club and on Vox Tandem. So once again, I am peering at our own balance sheet. As the Rotary year 2020-2021 ends and designated funds are released, it seems harder to find wiggle room for incidental expenses that come up. That is alright as I am backed up by Chris Wills who does know numbers! And because I have learned that Emmaus Rotary is always reaching to do more, do it with less, and do it gracefully with a big heart for service. What I am looking for right now are your questions and agenda items. Let me know, please.
Second, as your President, one of my assigned tasks is to sign off on the District 7430 proposed budget. So I am asking my questions! All that is good and energizing at our club level, perks up to the district level. We have several members very active in the district. Thank you to Cindy, Bill, Gary, Dee, Valerie, Rose, and now - Rick. Let me take a moment to remind you that this year’s Tri-District Conference is virtual on April 30, May 1 and 2nd. The link to register is Discon2021.com Brian Casey is the Registrar (brian.casey@swarthmorerotary.org) There is a $25 fee.
Third, it is the big numbers at the international level that I want to highlight. Did you know that the Rotary Foundation is a billion-dollar engine for our grants and projects? I finally got some help to wrap my mind around that amount. One million seconds pass in roughly 11 days. Less than 2 weeks. It takes years and years --- 31 ½ years -- for one billion seconds to click by! (see footnote) Service is the heart of Rotary and our Rotary Foundation pumps blood throughout the body of Rotary. We are the head, hands, and shoulders --- we see the needs and plan ways to help, we reach out to give and put our muscles into everything we do. Together! We act around the globe, in our communities, and within ourselves to make a difference. Thank you to everyone who has already supported this year’s EREY drive- Every Rotarian Every Year is asked to give $100 to the Rotary Foundation.
Yours in Service,
Lexa Shallcross
Emmaus Rotary President 2020-2021
Footnote: The YouTube Formula by Derral Eves, p. 19
On page 26, Eves notes that in 2019 1 billion hours of YouTube were watched daily!
Our Meetings will continue to be Hybrid until further notice. While we will continue to meet in-person at Brookside Country Club we will also continue to provide you the meeting virtually. If you prefer not to join us in-person, you are more than welcome to join us virtually this week and every week if you desire.
If you are joining us online, please use the link below to join us this Thursday, at 7:30 AM or sooner if you would like.
We still encourage you to invite a virtual guest to help introduce Rotary to someone who could make a great Rotarian. Simply share the link provided in the red section below with your guest. Pleas ask all guest to sign in as - their name (guest of...?) - in the name field so we know who they were invited by.
To enter the virtual meeting, just click this link or copy and paste it into your URL Browser. Please note that you will need Firefox or Google Chrome as your browser to join the meetings.
2) Scroll down on the sign in page and you will see the list of recorded meetings under "Public Room Recordings".
3) Click on the blue presentation button of the meeting you'd like to view. 4) Click on the triangle shaped play button at the bottom left of the screen to play the recording.
5) Enjoy!
WE ARE GRATEFUL TO ERIC LOCH AND JOHN CHISCA FOR MAKING THE HYBRID MEETINGS POSSIBLE EACH WEEK! And a special thanks to Wade George for helping with the camera and microphone this week.
TEAM WORK! Last week our club came together as one team for a great Service Project for the Allentown Rescue Mission. We assemble over 60 bags containing items for the men.
All of the items assembled were donated by the members of this fantastic club.
Many thanks to Karen Hobson and Nicole and Nicole Steirer who organized this event.
If you remember, our Sargeant At Arms has been looking for an anonymous donor to match any Happy Dollars collected in one month so that we could all avoid fines!!! I am Happy to report that we found an "anonymous donor" (who just might be in the photo above) to match all Happy Dollars collected in the month of May. Many Many thanks to this generous person!
I will be competing in the Habitat for Humanity Lehigh Valley, She Nailed It! hammer relay competition in May. (Yes, my hammer will sparkle 💎)
She Nailed It! is an all women, nail-hammering, relay competition and one of Habitat for Humanity of the Lehigh Valley's signature fundraising events! Habitat Lehigh Valley invites women to devote a day to building strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter.
She Nailed It! raises crucial funding and awareness for the housing inequity women face locally and beyond.
In order to compete my team needs to raise $1,500. If you’d like to to support Team “What’s a Hammer 🤷🏼♀️“ I would truly appreciate your generosity!
Camp Neidig will be held on Saturday, May 1, 2021. Neidig Chairs from each club should go to www.campneidig.com.
For more information about Camp Neidig and we would like to encourage any high school aged Juniors and Seniors within our district (children or grandchildren) to visit the website using the following link:
To register the club, the chairperson can click on the "2021 Club Registration Page". We are asking for clubs to register by April 15th.
Once the club is registered, they will be sent a link to register their individual students. We are opening the 2021 Camp to both Junior and Senior high school students. This year, the Neidig Chairs from each club need to register their students rather than letting the students do it on their own.
Deadline for camper registration is April 26th.
If the club is not holding a service project on May 1, the Camp Neidig Committee will assign the student to a project near their home address. This and other information can be found in the Club Chairperson Packet.
One of the best ways to have a successful club is to grow your club. As your club membership grows you will be able to provide additional services. The more services a club does the more successful it becomes. So let me give you an idea to increase membership during these unusual times.
It is important to remember that every person you talk to is a potential member. Ask them to visit your club or come to help with a project. You will be pleasantly surprised when that person says ‘I have been looking for some way togive back…’ I have done this many times with great success.
Look, I will be the first to admit it is more difficult when you can’t meet face to face. So, here is your challenge. Pick up the phone and call just one person that you think would make a good Rotarian. Just One! You may be amazed by the response.
Don’t forget the Rotary Rebound incentive; every new member you sign up before May 1st will earn your club $100.00.
So, S.T.A.R.T. Now! Pick up the phone andSimply Talk About Rotary Today
Rotary believes in developing the next generation of leaders. Our programs help younger leaders build leadership skills, expand education and learn the value of service.
Two great examples if this are the The Rotary Leadership Awards (RYLA) which is a leadership development program for young people who want to learn new skills, build their confidence, and have fun. Events range from one-day seminars to weeklong camps; and the Rotary Youth Exchange builds peace one young person at a time. Students learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens.
For more information go to: https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/youth-programs
Lehigh Valley Health Network also announcing mass vaccination drive-through event on May 12 at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
On Wednesday, May 5, LVHN will begin accepting walk-ins without an appointment for the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine for everyone 16 and older at all COVID-19 vaccine locations. (Note: Anyone under the age of 18 will need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to get vaccinated.) Those who already received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine will receive the second Moderna dose at these sites. COVID-19 vaccinations provided by LVHN are free. Pfizer vaccine has emergency use authorization (EUA) for people ages 16 and older, while Moderna has EUA for people ages 18 and older.
Many thanks to our own Bob Goehler for this information.
As you all know the Emmaus Rotary leads the establishment of the East Penn Food Coalition along with other community service groups to meet hunger needs in the East Penn School District Community.
We have reached a critical point to fund the East Penn Food Coalition, Feed East Penn Students Program. We currently serve over 200 children a week and need your help to raise money to continue to feed hungry kids in our community.
WE NEED YOUR HELP! We are seeking business, grants, and individual donations to support over $20,000 in need.
You can provide help for our neighbors in need in the following ways:
If you are interested in being part of this group, please let us know. Thanks to all of those who have contributed thus far.
We can all work together to help the families in our own East Penn Community.
Lastly, we also need your help in sharing our mission with your friends, family and colleagues. Here are quick and easy ways to participate in crowd funding.
Share the link on your social media pages. (Share on your own page and in groups you belong to)
Email your contact list.
If you own a business share with your clients via email or social media.
COVID-19 is impacting us all in our personal, professional and Rotary lives. We must base our decisions about Rotary activities on the health and safety of our members and compliance with government and health regulations. Even though we may not be able to conduct the usual weekly in person meetings, many of our clubs are leading or participating in food and other relief programs in their communities. These efforts will likely be continuing through the balance of this Rotary year and into the future.
With this in mind, the following are guidelines for all Rotary District 7430 activities:
All guidelines set forth by the Governor, counties and other authorized persons in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the CDC should be followed.
Should any Rotarian be diagnosed with or have symptoms that they suspect to be consistent with COVID-19, that Rotarian shall:
Not participate in any Rotary event that involves a personal appearance at the event.
Report their diagnoses or symptoms to the Rotarian supervising any program in which they have participated in-person within fourteen (14) days before the diagnoses or occurrence of symptoms.
We also suggest that you adopt guidelines for your clubs that reflect the current health crisis.
Welcome to the Emmaus Rotary Club!
We meet at 7:30 AM on Thursday mornings
at Brookside Country Club, 901 Willow Lane, Macungie, PA 18062