Over the past several months as your President-Elect, I’ve had the privilege and pleasure of being immersed in PETS training learning about all things Rotary. We are truly connected to one of the world’s greatest service organizations consistently working to serve and change lives for over 100 years. Also, closer to home, I’m a member on our club’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee chaired by Jim Palmquist and Alicia Ruiz-Orbin along with a number of other ERC members. This committee is looking at how welcoming our club is and are we doing our best to be a good reflection of our community in all respects?
DEI was an important presentation in our PETS training last week with several outstanding speakers who gave me much to think about. This can be a very uncomfortable topic but one that we are all going to have to address in our workplaces, social gatherings and our clubs in the coming future. Something that may help is attending this free workshop this Saturday, March 6 at 10:00 a.m. via Zoom. Use the link below to register and I hope to see you there.
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Workshop
Saturday, March 6, 2021
10 am
A top priority for Rotary is growing and diversifying our membership to make sure we reflect the communities we serve and are inclusive to all cultures, experiences and identities. District 7430 is pleased to announce the formation of the D7430 Diversity Equity & Inclusion Committee. This committee will be led by Co-Chairs Mary Cook (Collegeville RC) and Dan Watson-Bey (Harleysville RC.)
EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!! If you haven't heard we are back live at the Brookside Country Club. Vaccinated guests do not need to wear masks inside or outside of the club. Non-vaccinated or partially vaccinated people should continue to wear them inside and outside while moving around the Clubhouse but can remove them when seated. As of next week (June 28th), the mask mandate expires and all guests, vaccinated or non-vaccinated, can retire their masks until our next pandemic.
But as we move slowly towards getting back together in person our meetings will continue to be Hybrid and continue to provide you the meeting virtually.
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.
Let's celebrate our fellow Rotarians who have birthdays in June:
June 7 - Gordon Reese & Meghan Reed June 8 - Karen Paules June 11 - Courtney Kennedy June 14 - Gary Guthrie June 16 - Jean Onyambu June 17 - Michael Lahanas June 26 - Cindy Hornaman June 29 - James Kenny June 30 - Joe Pugliese
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.
Our Rotary Interact Students have taken a page out of the International Rotary Book and have given new meaning to "Service Above Self". The youtube link below is a video of what they have done on Valentines's Day 2021 for others in our area. They are making us PROUD!
Our Emmaus Rotary Club Virtual 4-Way Speech Contest took place on February 17th. Congratulations to our three talented EHS contestants who were Olivia Pinocci-Wrightsman, Maeve Yanes, and Emily Deneen. Many thanks to our Emmaus Rotary Club's speech contest volunteers included Rick Zaiyatz, Sue Straeter, Lexa Shallcross, Roger Whitcomb, Mike Waddell, and Cindy Hornaman.
Now the Contest move to the Regional Level where Tony Moyer could use some assistance. The Regional Contest date has changed and is now slated for April 7th at 4 PM
Last week’s program was a chilling presentation about an international program to facilitate the placement of low-smoke, fuel-efficient, and safe cookstoves in collaboration with local communities of mostly Latin American which will support families and protect the environment.
THEIR MISSION: “We empower local people in Latin America to produce safe, clean-burning cookstoves” .
To date, the StoveTeam group has made safe kitchens a reality for more than half a million people.
AN ENORMOUS PROBLEM: Each year, smoke inhalation from indoor cooking fires kills more people than malaria and AIDS combined. And CO2 emissions from cooking fires are a major contributor to climate change. StoveTeam's innovative model for launching local projects in Latin America has been awarded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Partnership for Clean Indoor Air Award for Developing Local Markets for creating local employment while improving health and reducing air pollution. To date, local projects started by StoveTeam in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and Mexico have produced more than 78,000 stoves, improving the lives of more than half a million people and preventing nearly one million tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
COOKSTOVES ARE ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE: Each $100 Justa cookstove saves 15 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere, equivalent to the average American’s yearly carbon footprint.
There are also over a dozen ways to get involved, plus inspiring stories from the field at stoveteam.org/next-steps
Anyone who would like to write to to the Stove Team can do that at: PO Box 14707, Portland, ORStoveTeam is currently focusing on our Justa stove project in Guatemala.
Their goal is to install 5,000 cookstoves into homes in the next 3 years. They are working on gathering club and district support to fund their efforts and would welcome any support from our club or advice on approaching our district.
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
Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehab Centers, located in both Fountain Hill and Allentown, is looking to our Rotary Community to help brighten the day of some residents who have been unable to have visitors or social programming for many months. Inspirational and nonreligious cards and or letters along with Valentine greetings too, would be a welcomed addition to everyone’s day. Please sign your correspondence “from an Emmaus Rotarian” or feel free to just sign your name. The dedicated staff at Cedarbrook would also enjoy notes as well !! Mail all items to the attention of Kerry Magliane, Cedarbrook Senior Care & Rehab., 350 S. Cedarbrook Road, Allentown, PA 18104. Thank you all for your kind attention.
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.
NOW is the time to make your decision to become better educated about world-wide Rotary. If you have any wish to maximize your Rotary club membership, especially if you are new to your club, RLI makes it easy. Attend the virtual RLI training session on March 13, 2021. DEADLINE TO REGISTER FRIDAY March 5th.
Any Rotarian, newcomer and “seasoned" members, who attends a day of RLI programs becomes a more valuable, and more dedicated, member of your Rotary club.
Please register NOW for Part I, II, III, and if you have graduated you may register for the Post Graduate Course.
Click the link, on the left hand side under "Upcoming Classes", Find the information for the 7430 – Pottstown RLI and click on "more info", the next screen click "RLI Registration" on bottom right. Enter the security code as shown in the box, and click "Register Now". At this point you will be able to enter your information.
For other information or registration help, please feel free to call or e-mail Len Gieseler, District Chair, at 610-323-2201 or lgieseler2023@gmail.com.
Rotary Fellowships Month - Make New Friends Around the World
Rotary Fellowships Month - June is designated as “Rotary Fellowships Month” by the RI Board to recognize the importance of international fellowship and good will among Rotarians with similar recreational interests, vocations, and health and medical issue-oriented interests, to promote increased participation in fellowships and increase understanding of this program. The RI Board encourages fellowships groups to highlight activities through projects, activities, and events in celebration of “Rotary Fellowships Month” in June.
“Fellowship is wonderful; it illuminates life’s pathway, spreads good cheer, and is worth high price.”
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