INSPIRATION
Don Saracen quoted RI Past President Gian Paolo Lang from his speech to the 1957 Rotary Convention in Lucerne, Switzerland:
"The spirit of Rotary is not exclusive, it expands. It is not local, it is universal. It is the wish to understand and be understood, to see virtues rather than faults in others, to find what we have in common rather than what divides us."
ANNOUNCEMENTS, Etc.
Pres. Steve thanked members for their well wishes during his bout with Covid and extended Get Well wishes to Rev. Barlow and Margaret Kane.
Steve also congratulated PP Jan Feyler for becoming a Paul Harris Plus donor to Rotary International.
Membership chair Anthony Hollingshead introduced two guests who learned about the club from our website and are thinking of joining:
- Dave Hamill moved here from Boston and set about looking for an opportunity to use his skills and energy to help others. Does that sound like Rotary, or what?
- Dr. Nathaniel Ramos came here from Colorado to manage workforce programs at the Providence Community Libraries. No stranger to Rotary, he participated in Interact and RYLA in high school and says he loves giving back.
The Marriott will soon impose parking fees, but they don’t apply to Rotarians or guests.
Mary Brewster reported there are only two weeks remaining in the club’s peanut butter drive and asked that we bring it in. And Mary is looking for volunteers to host this year’s version of Tent Suppers -- informal dinners at members’ homes to raise money to help civilians affected by the war in Ukraine. Contact Mary to volunteer.
HAPPY BUCKS
- Pete Brock - $3 for waking to see 6 inches of snow and having to clear it
- Rob Black - $1 for his mom's 94th birthday and a visit by his brother from California
- Kris David - $3 to see Walter Adamowicz at the meeting, for Alex getting to Florida, and for the district meeting over the weekend
- Walter Adamowicz - $5 for celebrating his 89th Birthday and a chance to promote the book club.
- Steve Hug - $2 for getting well enough to attend the meeting live, and for his brother who got a haircut and pedicure before having cardiac catheterization – “just in case” – but he’s all OK.
- Sam New - Virtual Bucks saying that his family is on the mend and he plans to be at next week's meeting.
- Barbara Harris $5 - for going on a ski trip to Vail next week and grateful she can still do that.
SPEAKER
REUSING A HISTORIC CHURCH TO SERVE PEOPLE IN NEED
Our guest speaker, Karen Gager, says she’s in the business of providing a home for “small programs doing impactful work” as executive director of the 134 Collaborative, a nonprofit formed to oversee secular activities taking place in unused areas of the Mathewson Street Methodist Church downtown.
Organizations using portions of the church building through the
134 Collaborative include:
- Black Box Theater in a former gym
- Community Kitchen available for use by groups serving at-risk youth
- Out of School Jam organizing family support events (recipient of several grants from our club foundation)
- Better Lives RI connects people with services at community meals
- RI Organizing Project teaches people how to advocate
- OASIS Wellness & Recovery offers peer-to-peer mental health support
In addition to providing a home, Gager says the 134 Collaborative helps the tenant organizations support one another.
Rotary Tent Supper Project
The Providence Rotary Club is once again doing the Tent Supper Project to raise money for food for civilians in Ukraine. These suppers have proved to be a valuable way for us to deepen our Club connections as well as help people in difficult situations. And to have some delicious meals that someone else has cooked!
We currently have 4 Tent Supper events available:
|
Date and time
|
Day of week
|
Time
|
Location
|
Seats available
|
|
February 10
|
Friday
|
6pm
|
Warwick
|
4
|
|
February 13
|
Monday
|
6pm
|
Lincoln
|
8
|
|
March 3
|
Friday
|
6pm
|
Narragansett
|
6-8
|
|
March 10
|
Friday
|
6pm
|
Providence
|
6
|
Please email
mary.brewster@gmail.com to sign up for one of these dinners. If there are any dietary issues, I will communicate with the hosts to see if they can accommodate them. If there is more than one date that works for you, that would be helpful. Spouses and others can also attend.
Mary is actively looking for more hosts so that more of the Club can attend.
The hosts will be collecting checks at the supper, and they will be grouped and sent out as a package from our Rotary Club. The suggested donation is $50 a person, but please do whatever works for you. Donations from non-attendees are also welcome and can be sent or given to Mary Brewster.
We have decided to send our donations from the Tent Suppers to the UN World Food Program – Ukraine. Previously we had mentioned World Central Kitchen, a fine organization, but they do not allow donations to a specific area.
Please make your checks payable to:
UN World Food Program – Ukraine
Book Club
The Providence Rotary book club is interested in having fellow Providence Rotarians join the book club. It was established sometime in 2003. We hope to encourage a couple of you in doing this. We hold monthly meetings and review the selected book.
Meetings are currently held at Marion Avirista's home at 1:00 PM. However, the club is in the process of evaluating the addition of a ZOOM component to the meetings.
Past readings have included authors: David McCullough, Ken Follet, former Secretary Of The Navy - J.William Middendorf II, and other established local and international authors. The current book being read is:
Frederick Olmsted was an Abolitionist, Conservationist, Designer of Central Park, and founder of the Red Cross. The book was written by Justin Martin.
Please contact Maury Ryan, President at 401 921 3191 or Walter Adamowicz at 401 383 4747 for more information on joining.
