Don Saracen led us in inspiration. We have 30 days until the Gala. He asked why our focus on literacy is so important? Because it is literally life changing for students. Early childhood literacy is far-reaching in its benefits:
- Improved academic performance: Children who are exposed to reading and writing from a young age are more likely to perform better academically. This early exposure helps to build a strong foundation in literacy that supports learning across all subjects.
- Enhanced communication skills: Literacy enriches communication skills. As children learn to read and write, they also learn to comprehend more complex ideas and communicate their thoughts more effectively. This aids them in academic settings but also improves their interpersonal interactions and ability to express themselves clearly and confidently in everyday life.
- Increased self-esteem and confidence: Mastery of literacy skills from an early age boosts children' s confidence and self-esteem. Being able to read and write well allows children to participate more fully in their educational journey, contributing to a more positive self-image.
- More future opportunities: The benefits of literacy extend into adulthood. Literacy opens doors to better career opportunities, enabling individuals to achieve greater economic security and mobility. Additionally, individuals with strong literacy skills are better equipped to navigate the complexities of today’s (and tomorrow’s) digital world, enhancing their adaptability and potential for success in various fields.
He thanked everyone who has already sponsored, bought tickets or volunteered for the gala. Without them the gala would not be possible.
Three new sponsors this week: Kris and Alex David, Venning CPAs, Simone Fargiorgio. The total raised is $59,500 so far!
Guests
Major Larry Setty, jr. with the Salvation Army. He is our newest member and will be inducted next week.
Birthdays for August and September!
August 16: Liz Messier (shares a birthday with Madonna!)
August 23: Ralph Gianfrancesco and Jane Berkowitz (also Kobe Bryant’s birthday and the International Day of Remembrance of the Slave trade and its Abolition)
August 27: George Babcock (Shares a birthday with Mother Teresa)
August 28: Mark Cruise (in 1963 on this day, Martin Luther King delivered his famous “I have a dream” Speech)
September 14: Don Saracen (on this day in 1814 Francis Scott Key penned the poem that would become the “Star Spangled Banner” during the War of 1812)
September 23: George Lemois (autumnal equinox, marking the beginning of fall, also the day the planet Neptune was discovered)
September 24: Tony Mendez (shares a birthday with Jim Henson and F. Scott Fitzgerald)
(Simone Fargiorgio mentioned his B-day was Sept 9, but it wasn't in Clubrunner - until now!)
Happy Bucks
- Pete Brock is happy because fall is in the air
- Liz Messier is $5 happy - 1 for her sister whose dogs were mauled by coyotes but will survive, 1 for a great Saturday at the Rotary event at Bridgewater State, and 1 for her friend Trish who is our speaker today
- Kevin Oates is happy for a family reunion he had on Sunday, and a great day connecting with family he hadn’t seen in a while
- Jenny Koehler is happy because she is back from a great trip to Greece and Turkey, and that Anthony Hollingshead was literally there at the same time.
- Bill Efthimiades is happy for the Rotary onboarding event that was hosted at the Applegate’s last night.
- Pete Peterson is happy for a new My HomeCourt in Silver Lake. (See sidebar! Click view in browser if this newsletter is clipped.)
- Don Saracen is happy for his birthday and that his daughter’s father-in-law from Greece is visiting and cooked incredible Greek food.
- Bill Applegate is happy because we had a great onboarding event and a good turnout at his home last night.
Speaker
Liz Messier introduced the speaker, Tricia Driscoll, The executive director for the Center for Mediation and Collaboration in Rhode Island. She has 25+ years of non-profit experience and is a trained mediator, certified in workplace mediation. Today she will share with us what her organization does to navigate change, create leaders and facilitate conflict resolution and better communication. Trish is also President Elect of the Wakefield Rotary Club and best of all a dear family friend.
Trish shared the example of driving on the road - we all have to navigate conflict on a daily basis. They are Rhode Island’s only Mediation center. Mediation means different things to different people - for the organization it means training, education and mediation, empowering Rhode Islanders to resolve their conflicts. If it is your conflict, it is your problem to figure out.
Their work falls in 4 buckets:
- Access to Justice: The Center provides mediators at four courts of Justice across the state. They are present 1 day/week and they provide free mediation services to folks who are in court (including cases like landlord/tenant disputes, civil cases, small claims, etc.). Why work with people who are already in court? There is a difference between being right and having the law on their side, so judges’ rulings may be disappointing - they help people find a more satisfying resolution. They saw about 140 cases last year. Their funding comes from the courts and the RI Bar Association. They also have an Out of Court Pre-trial program, where individuals are allowed to schedule mediation before they go to trial.
- Agriculture and Aquaculture field: They provide mediation surrounding transition and succession planning. Fact: the state of Rhode Island has the most expensive farm land per acre of any state in the country. Every farm is a small business, and there is often not a formal ‘business structure’ that can ‘referee’ these difficult conversations.
- Training: they offer training courses on how to mediate conflict. Their motto: “recognize, respond and resolve.” Our brains are trained to think “us vs. them” and they help people recognize the grey areas. There is always another side to the story, and we have to ask for the other side. They offer trainings in things like deescalation, communication, certification and work with people at the Department of Labor and Training, Corrections and more state organizations.
- Workplace and Private Mediation Services: managers spend 40% of their time managing conflict at work. This can very often get in the way of doing the actual work.
The center was founded about 30 years ago by a group of people that were frustrated by not having alternative methods of mediation specifically surrounding youth violence. They now work with youth frequently to learn how to recognize and navigate conflict, and they have problems at New Bedford and East Providence high schools.
Final thoughts: You are in complete control of how you navigate through the world - you have 0% control over how anyone else does.
