Rotary International has assigned a theme to each month in the Rotary year. We just completed Rotary Foundation Month in November. In December, Rotary focuses on Disease Prevention and Treatment.
Disease results in misery, pain and poverty for millions of people worldwide. That’s why treating and preventing disease is such an important part of Rotary’s mission. Rotarians combat diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes and, of course, polio. And while prevention is important, Rotarians carry out many projects emphasizing health education and delivering routine hearing, vision and dental care.
With the support of The Rotary Foundation, Rotarians have achieved amazing results in disease treatment and prevention such as:
Providing clean water: Rotary has worked with partners to provide more than 80 percent of Ghana’s people with clean water to fight Guinea worm disease.
Reducing HIV infection: Rotary members are helping women in Liberia get tested for HIV early in their pregnancies. Through prenatal care, new HIV infections in children were reduced by 95 percent over two years.
Ending polio: In Rotary’s signature project, members around the globe have played a key role in bringing the world to the brink of polio eradication. Those efforts have not only ended polio in 122 countries but also created a system for tackling myriad other health priorities, such as Ebola.
Obviously, disease does not prevent itself. Your gifts to The Rotary Foundation support hundreds of health projects underway around the world at any given time. In this special time of year when we celebrate the giving and receiving of gifts, I hope you will join me in making a special contribution to The Rotary Foundation to support educating and equipping communities to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases.
Lisa Wolf is the Director of Prevention for the Center for Humanistic Change. What an interesting concept Lisa explained during her presentation on Thursday morning. Opioids such as Oxycodone, Tramadol etc are being prescribed by physicians for people who have just come out of surgery to relieve the effects of pain. But what happens after the pain is gone but the enjoyment of the pain killer is not. This was part of her presentation. Opioids are expensive but Herion is not expensive but can have similar effects on the human body.
She told the story of three young people of which two were Athletes. The athletes had minor surgeries and the teenagers were prescribed pain medication to help with the pain. Eventually the pain went away but the addiction for the pain killer did not. Both of the athletes and the other teenager died from an overdose. Some of the overdose was from what the heroin was laced with (Fentanyl). Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic drug equal to 50 times one dose of morphine. It is used in surgeries in very small amounts. Black market drugs, such as Heroin are laced with this drug and make them more powerful on the human body. Probably what happened to these three individuals from what we were told.
Lisa's talk helped us understand one of the ways to counter act this new wave of Heroin in our society is through education. Educate our most vulnerable populace our children. However, heroin addiction is not limited to any social or economic group. The best way the Center for humanistic change has found to combat heroin and other addictions is through education of not only the children but the parents, police, and the judicial system.
Lisa is a graduate of Lehigh University and DeSales University where she received her Masters in Education. Center for Humanistic change is CHC is dedicated to the philosophy that people learn best by doing. They are grounded in the humanistic approach to education, which means they believe that learning is most effective when it engages the whole person--head, heart, and hands.
Their programs focus on helping people of all ages learn to make healthy decisions and increase their resiliency for managing change and life's challenges. Their educational philosophy has its roots in four major disciplines:
Education
Psychology
Group Dynamics
Drug & Alcohol Prevention Education
CHC's holistic, humanistic approach to education engages the whole person. They strive to help people develop their mental, emotional, and behavioral abilities to the fullest. CHC programs are dynamic--Their participants learn through discussions, role-plays, art and writing projects, and other activities.
Humanistic education emphasizes the link between what is learned and how it applies to daily life. "Humanistic change" is the process of developing our personal assets and strengths, and using them to make conscious, responsible choices in our lives.
If you would like more information please visit the website for the Center for Humanistic Change: www.thechc.org
Please plan to attend the brick installation at the Emmaus Remembrance Garden immediately following tomorrow's Rotary meeting Thursday, December 7, 2017. We will install a brick in memory of Rotary Member Bob Bisbing
The Remembrance Garden is located on the east side of Emmaus near the Superior Restaurant at 164 E. Main Street (enter at the Cintas building driveway and follow the Garden signs).
Saturday, 18th November - Knauss Homestead Clean-up was well attended. Fellow Rotarians brought rakes and leaf blowers and managed to rake the leaves before the arrival of rain and wind a few hours later. Thank you to all who attended.
FINAL WEEK TO COLLECT THIS ITEMS! LETS MAKE IT A GOOD ONE!
This collection drive benefits Lily's Hope. Lily's Hope is an organization that packs baskets for NICU families for when their babies get to go home. Our own Rotarian, John Kunes, helped create this great cause with his daughter, Jennifer. Attached you will find a list of various items that are needed for the baskets. We will collect these items until the 12/21 meeting. If you have any questions, let Nicole Steirer know
Jan 25, 2018..........OFFSITE MEETING Brookside CLOSED
Breakfast Meeting at Smooth On (Located at intersection of Lower Macungie Road, East Texas Road and Willow Lane... enter parking lot off Willow Lane)
Feb 1, 2018..........OFFSITE MEETING Brookside CLOSED
Joint Evening Meeting with Interact Club - Meeting at Emmaus High School
Feb 8, 2018..........Regular Breakfast Meeting
Jim Palmquist - Could War End in this Century?
February 10, 2018 - Formal Cocktail, Dinner Gala to celebrate Rotary Club of Pottstown's 100th Anniversary
Tuesday, February 13, 5:30 p.m. Fellowship event
"Shrove Tuesday/ Fat Tuesday Pancake Day" at the Superior Diner, Emmaus. Let Byrce Ruggieri have a head count...rsvp.
Thursday, March 1st at 2:45 p.m. 4 Way Test Speech Contest at Emmaus High School
Sunday, March 11, 5 p.m. Fellowship event
The puck drops on center ice at PPL Center for the Phantoms vs. Binghamton Devils hockey game at 5:30 p.m. We will enjoy a party box view. See Byrce R. for tickets and informatio
Saturday, March 17 Rotary Leadership Insititue
Saturday, March 17 Rotary Foundation Gala
April 27, 28, 29 "Making Tracks to the Future"
7430 District Conference
Richard Gromis, District Governor
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Wyomissing. PA
June 23-27, 2018 "Inspiration Around Every Corner"
International Rotary Convention in Toronto, Canada
