Inspiration
Anna Knes noted that April 4 is the 55th Anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968. The previous evening Dr. King gave his inspiring “Mountaintop” speech in which he stated that he would like a long life, but if that is not to be he does not care because God has allowed him to go to the Mountaintop and have seen the Promised Land. He stated that “I may not get there with you” but that “we as a people will get to the Promised Land”.
In this speech, King called for action to address many aspects of social injustice, the immediate one being the plight of the striking sanitation workers, calling for the audience to show “dangerous unselfishness” in not focusing on what will happen to them, but “If I do not stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them”.
Through speeches like this and his actions Dr. King has inspired countless individuals to believe in equality and fight for justice and his inspiration continues.
Guests
Visiting Rotarian was Brian Sciantarelli, a professional airlines pilot and a member of the Rotary Club of New Braunfels, Texas. He was presented with a Providence Rotary Club banner.
Jenny Burns was a guest of Kris David.
And Anthony Hollingshead introduced Troylynda Williams, Community Relations Manager of Living Innovations organization in Providence.
Announcements
President Steve Hug made the following announcements:
On April the 11th there will be no meeting at the Marriott. The meeting will be a Rotary After Dark “Bring A Guest” meeting at the India Restaurant,1060 Hope St. in Providence from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. The cost will be $15 for each member and guest. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served and there will be a cash bar.
The speaker on the April 18th meeting will be Providence Mayor Brett Smiley.
On Earth Day, April 22, Anna Knes, Chair of The Environment Committee is coordinating a clean-up of India Point Park with a Providence morning workout group.
Help is needed in regard to financial operations issues related to the upcoming Fall Legends for Literacy Gala. Members are asked to determine if they know of an individual willing to donate their time to this project.
Get well wishes are extended to Reverend Ralph Barlow (Rotary member for 52 years) and Margaret Kane.
Jonathan Kaufman advised that at all April meetings (including April 11 Rotary After Dark) he will be collecting dry pasta products and canned soups to donate to the RI Pride Food Bank.
Past President Richard Applebaum, Chair of The Nominating Committee, announced the Officers and candidates for Board Of Directors for the 2023 - 2024 Year. They are as follows: President - Kris David; President Elect - Pete Brock; First Vice President - Bill Applegate; Second Vice President - Liz Messier; Secretary - Alex David; Treasurer - Luis Lourenco. Board Of Director Candidates: Cap Wiley, P. J. Fox, Mary Brewster, Rob Brewster, Jonathan Kaufman, Mary Cullen, and Robert Morse. Ballots will be mailed to members to vote for 5 of the 7 candidates.
Kris David announced that on May 16th the Rotary Club of Falmouth is sponsoring a food tasting event at the Falmouth Congregational Church. The cost is $30 for adults and $15 for children with the funds that are raised assisting “Her Future Coalition”, which provides shelter and education for at risk girls in Nepal and Guatemala City.
Liz Messier announced April birthdays: Those born between April 1 and 19 are Aries represented by a Ram and known to be fiery and passionate go-getters who are natural leaders thriving on competition. They play hard and are fun to be around. Those born after the 19th are Taurus who are determined, sensible, and having a steady personality, making them dependable. They are a treasured friend with a “take on the world” attitude. The Aries are Sharon Garland (3rd), Herb Altman (13th), Mike Kelly (14th), Anthony Hollingshead (16th) and Jan Feyler (18th). The lone Taurus is Kris David (25th).
New Member Induction
Robert Watt was inducted into the Club. Robert is an attorney who advised he had two experiences encouraging him to become a Rotarian. A fellow member of Mr. Watt in The Providence Quaker Meeting is Marcus Mitchell who told of the work of Providence Rotary furthering literacy in Providence Schools. And Mr. Watt attended the March 7th meeting at which Frances Jeffries spoke on the Rotary Peace Centers.
Happy Bucks
- Pete Brock $5 for upcoming trip to his alma mater University of Colorado for reunion with his brothers at Spring football program and meeting new Head Coach Deion Sanders. Also, for an upcoming Pilgrimage trip to the Holy Land.
- Jim Gilcreast is happy.
- Liz Messier for the return of warm weather.
- Bill Applegate $10 for attending Red Sox opening game at Fenway Park.
- Anthony Hollingshead $10 to welcome Robert Watt into the Club, Anthony turning age 65, and the work of Anna Knes on the Environment Committee.
- Don Saracen for the great work of Anthony Hollingshead in recruiting new Club members.
- Alex David for his starting a new workout regimen based on that of actor Hugh Jackman.
- Richard Applebaum in appreciation for the work of Jim Gilcreast as parliamentarian in meetings of the Nominating Committee.
Speaker
Madison Burke-Hindle, Education and Outreach Manager of RI Resource Recovery Corporation, spoke on the issue of Food Waste Prevention.
One Third of all food produced in the world is wasted. The causes of this waste are many. Some food is never harvested or is rejected based on appearance. Restaurants serve excessive portions and throw out the excess. Individuals dispose of food based on spoiling due to improper storage, or neglect to use based on the belief that food beyond the expiration date is not edible. This wastage has several economic loss effects as the money used to raise, ship, and prepare the food is wasted.
Among the strategies to alleviate this problem are proper labeling of food and realizing that the peak quality fresh date should not be the date used to dispose. Individuals should buy only food needed and properly store it.
As part of the effort to encourage Rhode Islanders to participate in this effort, the Resource Recovery Corporation has recently launched a new waste sorting game titled “Ready, Set, Sort” which is an interactive way to learn how to dispose of debris properly. Ms. Burke-Hindle furnished Club members with printed materials explaining the composting process and detailed instructions on how to store food items to maximize their longevity for safe consumption.
