Following yesterday’s four and a half inch deluge the membership gathered...May Day 2014

New Canaan Rotary Club Bulletin                                       May Day 2014

 

Following yesterday's four and a half inch deluge the membership gathered at the Roger under clearing skies and spring-like temperatures.  Our president arrived in full uniform and wooden shoes with a tulip in his lapel.  Apparently he had a good time on his Tauck river cruise through Belgium and the Netherlands.  He got the flagless meeting off on time with a salute to the naked wall where the flag usually stands, Eric rushed through the blessing, and we were off and running.  No Visiting Rotarians, but Chief of Police Leon Krolikowski was a welcome guest.

 

Saturday's Clean Your Mile effort, hosted by Trash Master Rob Avery, who graciously supplied coffee, donuts [NO muffin for Amy], gloves and bags, was successfully completed by the hard core picker uppers Amy and Bruce Wilkinson, Marty with his son Benjamin and two recruits [father and son] named Victor, John Bemis, Valerie, Dr. John and two Hobbses.  No deer carcass or topless photos this year, but a mountain of cigarette filters [filthy habit].

 

Following up his e-mail notification Brock confirmed that the Engel Open is on!  Golfers from New Canaan, Stamford and Wilton will gather at the CCNC at noon next Thursday, May 8, for lunch and a 1:30 shotgun start.  The cocktail/raffle event will follow the golf at approximately 5:30.  Carolyn still needs prizes for the raffle [she is actually becoming a little cranky] as well as a few volunteers to man the table selling mulligans and raffle tickets starting about 11:30.  The most inventive donation suggestion came from Eric – a free funeral service!!  For those hard core members who are planning to show up for lunch at the Inn next Thursday – DON'T.  No meeting.

 

Membership Chair Jim Cole reports that his campaign is going well and thanks all who are mining their Rolodexes for prospective members.  Keep up the good work [or you may receive a visit from the Police Commission].

 

Keith reported that he, Brock and B.T. had received enthusiastic welcomes from the third graders at South, East and West Schools and, upon receipt of their personal dictionaries, gratitude from all, although the West Schoolers trumped the others by delivering a very large and well-written thank-you note.  Keith has been unsuccessful in getting a response from either the Administration at St. A's or Monsignor Engel so those dictionaries remain undistributed  If the school were run by Jesuits, to whom learning is important, you can bet the books would already be in the little students' hands.

 

Sergeant Scott, who apparently was concerned about having become too mainstream and civilized, recounted, in honor of Earth Day, an instructional tale dealing with tree identification.  Fines included a sad from Keith for the loss of his [and the Town's] good friend Dick White; Rob for his son's 11^th birthday; Scott for his enjoyment of last Friday's Gridiron extravaganza [the first in recent memory in which George Baker was seated in the audience]; Fred  for his marvelous trip; and Carolyn for her 95 year old mother having been named Ms. Senior Connecticut!!!  All the women in that family are foxes.

 

 

Leo gave a quick update on his efforts in the Philippines.  Although they started with trying to help East School spend the money they raised to send books to typhoon-ravaged schools wisely, they have morphed into a broader effort to connect with Young Pioneers, a new NGO founded by Marshall Mayer, son of Westport Rotarian Jeff Mayer, which recruits on social media and uses crowd sourcing to fund raise, and is doing good work there in water treatment, housing and education.  The effort continues.  John Bemis is working with East School Principal Bunny Potts on the book delivery.

 

Speaking of John Bemis, Assistant District Governor Ben discussed this weekend's District Assembly R.I. Foundation Steward training in Mystic at 2:30 on saturday.  John was previously certified, but new "simpler" rules have made updating necessary.  Anyone interested in the subject who would like to work with John is welcome.  The motivation for developing some expertise in this area is the multiplier effect on a project budget.  Small numbers at the local level can be leveraged many times by the time a project is approved at the R.I. level.  Since it is hard to raise money there appears to be some wisdom in learning how to access other people's funds.

 

John Engel then asked Chief Leon and Jim Cole about the future of the Caffeine and Carburetors downtown events.  For those who did not attend the most recent, and much expanded, gathering of hundreds of exotic automobiles and thousands of spectators which effectively closed down Elm and Pine Streets for three hours on a Sunday morning, it was a wonderful, well-behaved happening.  There is another scheduled for this Sunday.  Jim and Leon allowed as how the event is becoming too large for the laissez faire style of [lack of] management employed to date and will require a project manager if it is to be allowed to continue.  Apparently founder and moving force behind the idea, Barista Doug Zumbach, is not interested in managing all the details required to make the growing operation smooth and orderly.  Stay tuned.

 

Finally, Lisa Oldham invited everyone to register for the sixth annual NC Library Conversations With Business Leaders on Sunday, May 4 at 5:00 in the Lamb Room featuring President and CEO of Ascena Retail Group, Inc., David Jaffe, who will discuss "Thriving in Challenging Times."  The previous five programs, all featuring NC resident CEO's, have been enormously informative and entertaining.  Highly recommended.

 

Jack Welch