The wait is over! Fred is back in the civilian population, virtually anonymous...July 10, 2014

New Canaan Rotary Club Bulletin                                    July 10, 2014

 

The wait is over!  Fred is back in the civilian population, virtually anonymous at the rear table, and the reign of President Eric has commenced.  Demonstrating a virtuosity rarely achieved in Club history, the confident cleric both led the Pledge AND offered the blessing.  No stranger to the spotlight or as the object of heckling and derision for which the Methodists are so justly infamous, our new President successfully navigated all hurdles and acquitted himself in chief executive and divine representative fashion.  A promising debut.

 

Apparently laying out his theme for the year, the Pres cited Michael Buble's song title, "It's a Beautiful Day and I Can't Stop Myself From Smiling."  He then asked for introduction of Visiting Rotarians and/or guests.  Though we had none of the former, B. T. introduced his guest Cesar Gonzalez.  The late entry table made up of Chris Snyder, Gene Tonkovich [both apparently having been restrained in the bar], the inimitable Kevin McLaughlin and our very own Sergeant Scott, sat contritely, feeling shame.  To return some positive energy to the meeting local R. I. Foundation Officer John Bemis reported that  he was able to report that, with only several damaged kneecaps, we achieved Every Rotarian Every Year status with 100% of Club members having contributed $100 or more to the Foundation.  Congratulations to John!

 

Following his successful performance as the Purple Heart recipient Pop-Up Park participant, Rob Avery announced that he has been selected to run the 2014 edition of the Lobsterfest.  One can only shudder to think of the damage he may cause himself in this much larger responsibility.  Add NC Volunteer Ambulance Corps presence to the checklist!  Posters and tickets should be ready for distribution in two weeks.  Three tweaks to the pricing model: first, the price goes to $35.00; second, there is no discounted ticket for chicken or hot dog; third, the split with any partner organization will be $15 for them and $20 for us [we bear 100% of the overhead].  Put the Lobsterfest mantra into practice and sell, sell, sell.  President Eric closed out the business portion of the meeting by announcing a Board Meeting following the July 24 luncheon meeting at the Roger.  He pointed out that hope and change were in the air and, in an effort to have "the most transparent administration in history," invited all interested to attend and "see how the sausage is made."

 

Sergeant Scott arose and, utilizing his instantly recognizable accent, told an illuminating tale of intelligent estate planning as practiced by an elderly Italian gentleman [Pete Santella?].  Leo had a happy fine for celebrating a birthday he came very close to not having and a sad for the passing of iconic Ferguson Librarian Ernie DeMattaia; Fred a happy for rejoining the hoi poloi; Carolyn for celebrating her 39^th birthday [which brought on a spontaneous rendition of Happy Birthday from the Club]; John Marlowe for his only patient who happens to be his father-in-law celebrating his 101^st birthday [if you want to live past the century mark, call John]; and John Engel threw in his last $5 after returning safely from Paris.

 

Long-serving Program Chair Ken then rose and, in a somewhat wooden reading of their prepared material, introduced newly rebranded Waveny LifeCare Network Director of Marketing Kristin Sinatra and Community Liaison Mary Ntiri.  Kristin had last spoken to us when she was a new hire at Waveny Care Center a decade ago.  She explained that Waveny has evolved to meet the changing needs of the community.  It was founded in 1975 as a skilled nursing facility.  It has morphed into a continuum of care which includes the original skilled nursing piece; an assisted living facility [The Inn]; an early stage dementia unit [The Village]; in and out patient therapy including physical, occupational and speech; adult day care; respite stay quarters; homecare nurses, aides and companions; geriatric care management; and a geriatric evaluation unit.  Recent improvements include the new Peter M. Santella 80KW generator capable of running 100% of the Farm Road facility in a power outage, conversion of studios to suites at the Inn and the Village, and  in-house IV capability to reduce hospital admissions.  They are working with their in-house homecare personnel and local organizations to ameliorate the one missing link in their continuum – conventional assisted living.  Waveny LifeCare Network is a priceless asset of the Next Station to Heaven.  The only confusion arose when Ben, seeking a room for visitors from out of town, called on the then New Canaan Inn only to be turned away.  Very sad.  A special program, even in the absence of current WLCN Board Chair and NC Rotarian Tom Lewis.

 

Bill Piper