Sometimes, a small thing grabs your attention; like a hummingbird at your backyard feeder. Other times, a big thing - a bald eagle soaring high in a clear blue sky - captures your eye. So, today, one small thing and one larger.
First, the small one. Earlier today while I was ordering online Amazon informed me that counting my $6.18, there is now $27.04 designated for the Emmaus Rotary Foundation. I thought "how silly". Then I thought again. Pennies add up to dollars. It all counts. So I am asking any of you who may order from Amazon to designate your account to an Amazon Smile designation of your choice. Don't leave money on the table.
Second, several Emmaus Rotarians went to the Tri-District Conference last weekend which was a zoom event. Cindy Hornaman was a presenter. Mike Waddell staffed our table in a friendship room to talk about our ongoing Feeding Program and Dee Eng popped in to back him up and answer questions. Sunday morning, Mike attended the business meeting for our District 7430 as our President-elect. Thank you to all three.
And the big part of that? I got jazzed about some of the break-out rooms I visited and have more to say about them than fits into a weekly letter. So, please look around the Trumpet to find articles about two of our seven areas of concern and focus: Peace Building and Sustaining the Environment. Thank you.
I am looking forward to this week's program and hearing about Via from Michele Gross. Via of Lehigh Valley is a non-profit providing service to children and adults with disabilities like autism, cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome. I am not sure how Meghan is doing with her studded hammer! But, she is killing it as our Program Coordinator.
Please mark your calendars for a special Remembrance Garden brick installation for three of our past Rotary Members. Our Vice president Michael Waddell with facilitate the brick installation of Bob Halsey, Bob Pfander and Paul Sarver on Thursday, June 3rdaround 9 AM. For any details please speak to Michael.
HOLIDAY FLAG PROGRAM - This new program is designed to provide each recipient with an American Flag to be installed in your yard at each of the following US holidays. For an annual subscription of $49, a 3' x 5' American Flag will be placed in a designated area in your yard and removed immediately after each date:
Memorial Day
Flag Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Patriots Day
Veterans Day
To sign up please use this link: Flags.EmmausRotary.org
IT'S NOT TO LATE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR BAGS AND BEEF EVENT! It's time to show off your arm techniques! Whether you are throwing bags or lifting a beer, we want to see those arms! We have combined our annual Beer and Beer event with the new Cornhole Tournament. This year the event will be held at the famous Gio Italian Grill in Macungie. What more can you ask for? Great food, great drinks and the enjoyment of a cornhole tournament. You can sign up for the tournament and the beef and beer is included. If you prefer not to play, you can just come and enjoy the beef and beer (and wine). We have awesome sponsorship opportunities as well. Please use the link below for all of the details. If you have any question do not hesitate to contact me directly. Many Thanks to Steve Gould and the Better Homes and Garden family for being our Event Sponsor. If you have issues registering for the event, please contact Sal Verrastro and I will help you!!!
At the break-out learning session that was part of Saturday's program for the Tri-District Conference on April 30, May 1, and 2nd which was hosted in part by our District 7430, three Rotarians focused on peacebuilding spoke.
Past District Governor Pamela Akins: Moderator
Pamela Akins announced the establishment of another site for a Peace Center in the Middle East/North Africa region. It will be named after the generous benefactors whose giving is second only to the Gates Foundation support to eradicate polio:
Otto and Fran Walter Rotary Peace Center.
She also spoke about the history of Rotary in peace efforts. She noted the 8 Pillars of Peace which should be addressed simultaneously, as much as possible: a well-functioning government, a sound business environment, an equitable distribution of resources, an acceptance of the rights of others, good relations with neighbors, free flow of information, a high level of human capital, and low level of corruption.
She introduced Ana Patel whole is currently working at the United Nations and establishing Peace Outbound programs for young adults. Patel said she remains in daily contact with the other Peace scholars with whom she studied. This is the cutting edge of bringing peace-making skills to Rotary and Interact. There is an online circulumm being launched on 9/21/2021. For updates-- http://youthpeaceaction.org
Scrambling to speak against the clock, Captain Nicholas Millard is a current Peace scholar who anticipates finishing his studies at Queensland University in 2023. He is currently stationed in Japan.
DON'T FORGET - This is our food collection week. Ralph Lewis will be standing by the check-in-table to collect food for the needy. Please bring any non-perishable food and Ralph will make sure that it gets delivered to the food bank. In lieu of food, Ralph welcomes and collects donations which will also go to the food bank. Lastly for those in Virtual Land who would also like to donate food, Ralph will wait for an additional 15 minutes after the meeting if you want to stop by the Brookside CC and drop of some food donations. The Emmaus Rotary Club thanks everyone for their generosity!
Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG), Founder and Director of Projects
Karen Kendrick-Hands led the Environmental Sustainability break-out learning center on Saturday, May 1st at the online Tri-District Conference which included District 7430 and Emmaus Rotary Club.
Maybe you know that Paul Harris was all about planting trees for both a symbol of peace and unity as well as for replenishing this valuable natural resource. In 2018, Rotary International’s President Ian Riseley called on local Rotary Clubs to plant trees and a documented 4.7 million were planted during that Rotary year!
Since then Rotary International has added Sustaining the Environment to the list of its focus areas where money and energy will be directed.
Richard (Dick) Stevens Past District Governor 2012-2013 and Founder of the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club
She introduced Dick Stevens founder of an Eco Club. Dick Stevens, founder of the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club described some of their activities: numerous field trips to watch Habitat 4 Humanity install solar panels, tour a desalinization plant, and see old VW Bugs being refurbished with reclaimed Tesla batteries. Their hallmark project is working with BCK to teach 5th graders how to write grants to meet the climate crisis. They recruit using the environment as their focus and include families in many of their activities while building a traditional Rotary culture. For example, the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club takes part in the tried and true Rotary dictionary project.
Addressing the climate crisis is sparking Interact and Rotaract clubs across the nation. Our conference moderator suggested that each club start a stand-alone ES committee. Together club members might consider how to be responsible consumers, support natural resources, minimize the use of plastics in our lives, look into putting solar panels on schools and community refrigerators in local centers.
Global grants are available in the area of Environment Sustainability. Clubs are looking at keeping girls in school to delay motherhood and help reduce overpopulation by providing solar cooking education and sani-pads.
JUNE 5, 2021
is the
UNITED NATIONS
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
Rotary Action Groups (RAGs) are springing up around this concern. These action groups have been divided into 12 geographical areas and Emmaus Rotary is in Region 9-- Eastern North America. Any Rotarian can join. Environmental Sustainability Rotarian Action Group (SE RAG). Log onto http://www.esrag.org There is a $30 a year membership cost.
Additional Information on Karen D. Hendrick-Hand follows:
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.
Thanks to Ron Beiler who gave us a "State of the Township" report for Lower Macungie. Ron is the current President of the Lower Macungie Township Board of Commissioners and is in his seconded elected term and is also currently a candidate (unopposed) for Lehigh County Commissioner District 2. District 2 includes Lower Macungie, Upper Macungie, South Whitehall and Alburtis Borough.
Ron proudly proclaims that he a lifelong resident of Lower Mac and a local small business owner as well. He also serves as treasurer of the Lehigh County Farmland Preservation Board. Ron is review the accomplishments of the Township while he has been a commissioner. The following is a summary:
Over the last few years:
We successfully reduced property tax bills for homeowners using the homestead program. As it stands Lower Macungie’s property tax is the lowest of any suburban community in the entire Lehigh Valley.
We have preserved nearly 300 more acres of open space and farmland over the last 3 years.
We’ve become the most transparent local government in the Lehigh Valley.
HELP!! We are all responsibility for making each week's meeting a success. But since the pandemic, we have stopped issuing meeting assignments due to the lack of in-person meetings. So many thanks to all of you who have stepped up each week and staffed the front reception table and all of the other assignment since we have returned to Brookside. And thanks to the following people who volunteered to take on the respective assignment this week May 20th:
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!
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
