Glen Hammond thought for the Day: The unfortunate need people who will be kind to them; The prosperous need people to be kind to. Aristotle.
Great meeting today with 29 attendees! Including David Simmer, DG and Annie, Ambassador for Crutches for Africa coming up. David Simmer noted that we can check the District website to see what various clubs are doing to fight the COVID 19 Virus and help their communities. Also, Rotary International is working on several fronts to combat the COVID19 Pandemic: They have shifted their focus from Stop Polio to combat the COViD19 pandemic, partnered with the Red Cross, Amazon.com and several large corporations to create a Certified Nursing Assistant training program on line for anyone over 18 YOA who would then be able to take on the less skilled nursing tasks to allow the Licensed nurses to focus on the patients most in need due to COVID19. There also is a new 8-10 hour program to train people to do phone work calling from home to people who are in need of support to triage their situation. Finally, the District conference (In person version) scheduled for Late June has been cancelled and they are creating a new on-line conference for end of June. Attendance will be free and the format is very exciting. They hope to have many more Rotarians than usual participate in this conference.
Todd Clancy: Reminder of Food Drive this week: Dates and Time for Drop-off: Thur. & Fri., April 23 & 24, 4 PM – 7pm; Sat. April 25, 9AM -4PM. If you can’t make those times, please drop off in one of the bins in front anytime.
Art noted that the ‘Let’s Make a Deal” program has been extended until end of April so don’t forget to donate towards your Paul Harris status. Donations to Rotary Foundation can be on line, or mailed to Art at 802 Oak Terrace, Prescott, AZ 86301
Sergeant: Jerry Fohrman served: Noted last week voted to fine all members $3 and put on bill. Happy Bucks: Jerry noted he was putting in $2 because he was now 9 days without a nose bleed! Jane Anne -$5 then noted had donated $100 to a food bank just yesterday as she did not know about our drive. This became the challenge to members to match Jane Anne’s $100 for our drive. Greg Raskin noted for $5 that he was at Costco picking up food for the drive, grabbed 5 of the packages of canned Tuna and checker only allowed him to keep one even though he advised it was for a food drive. Lots of other Happy Bucks and donations of $5 for the drive.
Speaker: Dennis Light introduced
Bill Brookings representing the FireFighters Angel Program. Bill is the official St. Nicholas for the
program which provides help and support for families and kids who are in need or have suffered a traumatic event/setback.
The program started in 1988 through the Chino Valley Firefighters Assoc. when they heard about a family whose father was diagnosed with cancer and was not expected to make it to Christmas. They are not a 501C-3 organization and going strong.
Jamie, one of Bill’s “Elves”, showed a short, amazing video of their deliveries at Christmas with the Firefighters and Police involved. The looks on those kids faces has to be a real reward to these generous folks!
Hopefully Dennis can have it shown at a regular meeting in the future. Bill said Hi to Don Schiller who got him started in doing this program and the Santa piece.
They have several annual fundraisers that may be somewhat curtailed this year due to COVID19. An Annual pancake breakfast held at stations in Chino Valley, Prescott and Prescott Valley. There is an annual car show held at Stoneridge on the putting green (A thing not usually allowed by golfers!). And a Stuff the Bus event scheduled for July 29 at Findlay Toyota (Hopefully). One result is that each year they donate over 4000 back to school backpacks to kids in need.
Bill noted that the needs of recipient families are not always readily evident. Financial need or traumatic event effects
are not always obvious but no less impactful on them. The organization tries to show them that people are good and will help. He told of a boy who had a fast-growing cancerous tumor that broke his leg. They visited him while he was undergoing chemo treatments and invited him to go outside and ride a fire truck. He was afraid to go out and someone see him without his hair. Bill told him that his wife had gone through those treatments recently and was just getting back her hair. She was there and he went over and talked with her and became more comfortable about it. The family noted this was the first time they had seen him smile or laugh in a long time. The child is now in full remission and has had a knee replacement.
