Genesis Donation

YWCA Genesis Director Becky Studebaker spoke to the club on the operation of her agency's assisting individuals who have been victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and Genesis acting as a homeless shelter.

She stressed that money is always in short supply but that, in addition to donations, contributions of materials in-kind are always needed. She is constantly seeking out grant money, as state grants are currently at an all-time low. Drastic cuts in personnel have been necessary during recent months.

She noted that spousal abuse is behavioral in nature, brought on by generational and historical conditions.

The shelter, which serves women, children and men, is open 365 days a year. She added that on average, a woman leaves a man seven to nine times before leaving him "for good." Rotarians were invited to visit the facility and Becky thanked the club for its check contribution from the Quiz Bowl fundraiser.

A group photo taken on May 25th for Executive Shelley Rhoades' last day. WE WILL MISS YOU SHELLEY!!!!

IU East Athletics

Mark Hester, Athletic Director and Men's Basketball Coach at IU East and Kyle Wright, Sports Information Director, spoke about IU East Athletic programs and how they were doing.

In the NAI Division 2, IU East has one of the top 25 basketball teams in the state. They are the Red Wolves and are really beginning to make a name for themselves.

IU has Scholarship Athletic team programs and is looking forward to making their successful programs something for the community to be proud of. They also hope to attract fans from surrounding areas to come and spend time and money in our community.

The club signed up for a bus trip to one of the basketball games this season and we are looking forward to some great IU basketball!

Sierra Leone Trip

Jim Roselle, Melissa Owens and Beth Ann Stein spoke about their recent humanitarian trip to Sierra Leone. They were part of a group called World Hope.

The journey was partly a medical mission trip, as malaria, worms and upper respiratory infections in the country account for many deaths and are the most common maladies. Sierra Leone is a study in contrasts, consisting of great poverty and vast beauty. The roads are in need of constant repair.

One of the problems there is polygamy; another is the primitive lifestyle the inhabitants are forced to live.

A group from Eaton, Ohio has pledged to help five villages over the next five years, and this includes building bathrooms, purifying water, drilling wells, giving eye examinations, along with additional plantings, medicine and giving hearing tests.

New member SUSANNA NAVE was officially inducted into the club on April 6, 2010. Welcome Rotarian Susanna!!!

Ken Bailey's American Flags

Fellow Rotarian Ken Bailey displayed and discussed his collection of American Flags on Tuesday. He noted that in the early days of our country, each region had it's own flag.

Many of the early flags incorporated the likeness of a snake into them. However, eventually the banners became somewhat standardized.

Those he discussed and showed the club members included the Grand Union Flag, Bennington Flag, Betsy Ross Flag, Star Spangled Banner Flag, Great Star Flag, Texas Flag, 26 Star Flag, 31 Star Flag, Grand Medallion Flag, and the Stars and Bars (Confederate Flag.)

Also there were flags bearing the following number of stars: 35, 36, 37, 38, 45, 46, 48, 49 and 50. Ken owns additional flags which are displayed at his residence. A great program!

Josh Brown's new book about Allen Jay

JOSH BROWN SPOKE ABOUT THE STRUGGLES AN EARLY MIDWESTERN QUAKER UNDERTOOK FOR THE BETTERMENT OF HIS LARGER COMMUNITY. BORN IN NORTH CAROLINA, HIS FAMILY MOVED TO MIAMI COUNTY, OHIO WHERE SLAVERY WAS UNLAWFUL. EDUCATED UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES, HE ENDURED THE TORMENT QUAKERS SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF HIS NEIGHBORS WHO AT TIMES PUT THE LAW OF THE LAND ABOVE THE LAWS OF GOD.
THE REV. BROWN RELATED A POIGNANT STORY ABOUT A RUNAWAY SLAVE WHO WAS AIDED BY THE FAMILY OF ALLEN JAY. THE SLAVE, TREATED WITH UNDERSTANDING AND COMPASSION, WAS ON HIS WAY NORTH AND COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT HE WOULD BE ASSISTED WITH KINDNESS OF WHITE STRANGERS.
BY TODAY'S MEASUREMENTS, JAY WAS RELATIVELY WELL EDUCATED, HAVING OBTAINED A SEMESTER OF COLLEGE AT EARLHAM AND A YEAR AT ANTIOCH. HE LATER MARRIED AND SETTLED IN LAFAYETTE, INDIANA. HE WAS DRAFTED INTO THE SERVICE DURING THE CIVIL WAR, BUT PRESIDENT LINCOLN, AT THE REQUEST OF GOVERNOR MORTON, EXCUSED QUAKERS FROM THE DRAFT.
AFTER THE WAR, JAY TRAVELED TO THE SOUTH TO AID SOUTHERN QUAKERS RE-ESTABLISH THEIR LIVES DURING RECONSTRUCTION, AIDING IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF 60 SCHOOLS AS WELL AS BUSINESSES AND AGRICULTURAL PURSUITS. HE THEN RETURNED TO EARLHAM, ASSUMING A TITLE THAT WAS A COMBINATION OF TREASURER AND DEAN. WHILE THERE, HE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN EXPANDING THE COLLEGE FROM ONE WITH ONLY ONE BUILDING TO AN INSTITUTION WITH SIX, WHILE ALSO IMPROVING ACADEMICS AND WIPING OUT PREVIOUS DEBT. HE DIED IN 1910.

CENTER CITY DEVELOPMENT

Renee Oldham, Director of Center City Development, spoke on the subject of the Innovation Center and the multitude of services it renders to the entrepreneurs in the area. Not only is it a place designed to stimulate business development and provide support for business ideas and plants, it also encourages entrepreneurial activity and greater awareness of resources available to grow new businesses in Richmond and Wayne County.
Nearly 25,000 individuals have utilized the services of the center, and the staff has worked with nearly 1,300 entrepreneurs. She stressed the need for users to understand hard work.
Various organizations utilize the center, including Indiana Wesleyan University, Indiana University and Purdue University.
Staff members work one on one with clients as long as three years until is is felt that the client is capable of independent pursuit. She differentiated between entrepreneurship and interpreneurship, which is represented by a person who has an idea but doesn't want to leave his or her home community.
She concluded by noting that the concept of Main Street is still in tact.


Marcy Crull was inducted into the Richmond Rotary Club on March 16th. She is the Executive Director for Junior Achievement of Eastern Indiana.
WELCOME TO THE CLUB, MARCY!!!!

CIS- COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS

Communities in Schools Executive Director Vivian Ashmawi spoke to the club on March 9th and gave an update of the programs currently in place with the organization. She noted that every nine seconds, a student drops out of school in the United States; thus, CIS has as it's mission making it's resources available to potential dropouts.

One means of reaching such students is by pairing one adult with one student in the hopes of improving ISTEP and reading scores.

CIS utilizes numerous coordinators and assists Peers Helping Peers, The Discovery School, aids with a Reality Store, helps sponsor the Test Expo and sponsors Eagle Buddies at Western Wayne Elementary School.

Rather than duplicating services or competing with other youth-serving organizations and agencies, CIS identifies and mobilizes community resources and fosters cooperative partnerships. CIS also tracks outcomes, and tracks better grades as well as the reduction of discipline problems.

Also last week, Third Graders at Crestdale Elementary received their Rotary Dictionaries. Our goal to provide Dictionaries to all 3rd Graders in Richmond and Centerville is nearly finished. This is one of the ways our club contributes to the efforts of improving literacy in Wayne County.

We had a good time March 2nd discussing what our club does in the community and world. We watched a video that reminded us of what Rotary is all about. Susanna Nave was a guest of Mandy Jack and works at Meridian Services. She is interested in Rotary, so we took turns talking about club activities. Frank Bruggner from the Fishers Indiana Rotary Club talked about some of the projects and fundraisers his club is involved

with. Max Bailey and Jodie Scheiben received fantastic ice cream sundaes from Little Sheba's because it was their birthdays!

Mandy is sad in the picture because she is getting ready to move away from Richmond area and will no longer be able to join the Richmond Rotary Club for Tuesday luncheons. WE WILL MISS YOU MANDY!

Group Study Exchange to Africa

Steve Currens of the Kokomo Club, spoke on the GSE trip to Africa in May of 2009 to visit four countries, including Zibabwe, which had to be cancelled.

However, the group visited Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique and observed the vocational and cultural lives of the residents. During the trip the Rotarians built good will and friendship among the people they encountered while observing wildlife and nature, particularly the scenery and especially the rivers.

John Kelley Hats and Patches Collection

Fellow Rotarian and President-Elect John Kelley gave the club his annual update on his hats and patches collection. The collection is from various police agencies from around the world. You would never realize how many different types of protection agencies exist in other countries.

John Simpson is poses in one of the hats, campaigning for a future position as the club's Sergeant at Arms.

Stephen Angell- Neighbors, East and West

Stephen Angell spoke to the club on February 2nd regarding his recent experiences in Iran as a member of a group of twenty-four. The trip was led by Richmond natives Sam and Ruth Neff, who are sponsors of "Neighbors, East and West," an organization that attempts to bring together countries whose past has been unfriendly.

He said that Iranians are well educated by Middle Eastern Standards and that the proportion of women in higher education is remarkable. English is the second language of the country and young people everywhere seek out Americans to practice their English skills. He noted, however, that one rarely sees an American in Iran.

Regarding the most rercent election, he said many individuals believe the re-elected incumbent was returned to power by fraudulent means, with about only forty per cent of the populace actually supporting the regime.

The Iranian people are acutely aware of their geographical dilemma in that the nation lies between Iraq and Afghanistan.

John Ford spoke to the club January 23rd on Philanthropic giving in Wayne County. A volunteer himself, he has headed the Wayne County Foundation as well as the Reid Hospital board.
He defined philanthropy as sharing one's personal wealth with the needs of others less fortunate, a maxim which is both American and Biblical.
He noted the compounding of donations in relation to the recent Haitian disaster, citing that 355 million dollars had been donated by the end of last week, to the fund, mostly from individual Americans.
Wayne County has a number of private foundations, which are managed by individuals, with a total of 25 million dollars in assets. The Wayne County Foundation has approximately 30 million dollars in assets.
Ford noted that his generation will probably be the last which is capable of making significant gifts to philanthropic organizations.
He concluded his address by stating that in 2005, 3.2 billion dollars in accumulated assets were held by philanthropic organizations while urging club members to consider making gifts as a way to distribute their wealth.

EMILY DAWES, 2010/2011 AMBASSADORIAL SCHOLAR

Emily Dawes, 2010/2011 Ambassadorial Scholar, is a graduate of Purdue University. She has experienced three studies abroad and spent most of her time in Asia. She studied Ancient History and soon decided that she was more interested in Modern History. She speaks English, French and Arabic fluently and is working on Spanish as well as other languages. She will be using her scholarship towards Middle Eastern Studies for 2010/2011 at the University of Lebanon in Beirut. Her overall goal is to get her PhD in teaching and teach at the college level.

Emily is an amazing woman with a lot of work and a bright future ahead of her. In talking with her and hearing her speak to the club about her accomplishments and her goals, we have no doubt that she will be successful. Great Job Emily, and we wish you all the best!

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA CHALLENGE DAY

Judy Painter talked to the club on January 12th about her experiences as a teacher. She became involved with a program provided by the Boy Scouts of America called "Challenge Day." The program focuses on special needs kids in schools throughout the state of Indiana. There are 17 volunteers in the program that teach children etiquette, proper manners and morals. The children range in age from 3 to 22 years old. The Challenge Day is held during the 2nd week of May, Monday through Friday. It takes place at Camp Belzer in Indianapolis. There are many activities for the kids to be involved in, such as a petter zoo, pony rides, games and many other activities. Some 2,000 kids per day attend the event. The kids earn the right to attend the event each year and many adult volunteers are involved. Judy expressed the wonderful feeling it is to be involved in the event for special needs kids. She will send additional information to the club regarding how you can be a volunteer for this event.

Everything you always wanted to know about Rotary

Ed Mattson, Mishiwaka Rotarian and Ambassador of Goodwill spoke to the Richmond Rotary Club on December 22nd about the power of networking to make a difference. Mattson is involved with multiple organizations, projects and fellowships. He uses these connections, in addition to Rotary to make a difference and accomplish his goals.

He brought awareness to www.humanitariannetwork.org , www.cancergroup.org and www.greatcausecards.com . These websites are not only extremely informative, but they can bring Rotarians together with non-Rotarians to fight sickness, hunger, thirst and disasters worldwide. Mattson also discussed Rotarian fellowships, which Rotarians have access to for FREE. Check out RI's website.

This super-committed man puts his heart and soul in to helping others have a better quality of life, and is a great role model for many.

Charlie Matthews, actor and local celebrity, talked to the Richmond Toary Club on December 15th about his childhood Christmas memories in Spiceland, Indiana.

With a wonderful sense of humor, this talented story-teller captivated the Rotary audience and our guests. Matthews gave vivid descriptions of a little boy spending Christmas with his grandparents and other family members in a small town some 80 years ago. He spoke of the great joyous season that Christmas was and the fun they had as they hand made many of the decorations for the Christmas tree. He told stories about the members of the family and roles each of them played as the family gathered for the holidays. He closed by reading selections from "A Christmas Carol" and the Bible.

It truly was a joy to have Charlie with us and we also thank Jim Hair for his assistance.

GIFT OF LIFE

Dottie Hancock, District 6560 Gift of Life Chair spoke to the club on December 8th. The Gift of Life Program began in New York when a Ugandan child was the first recipient of the surgery. Now a grown woman, the Ugandan recipient will speak at the 2010 District 6560 Conference.
District 6560 began supporting the Gift of Life Program in 1998 and has helped save more than 150 children worldwide. Previously, the program has only supported heart surgery needs, but recently has also helped children with other ailments. This year, a Haitian girl was brought to Indianapolis with a large tumor in her stomach. She was unable to stand up straight because of the size of the tumor. After her life-saving surgery, her father allowed her to be adopted by an Indiana couple. Also this year, a Kenyan girl needed heart surgery and cleft palate surgery. Another child from Honduras and 2 children from Uganda were also recipients of heart surgery at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis.
Another project Gift of Life supports is sending a medical team to Jordan. In the past 3 years, through 5 teams, 50 children have been saved because of this project. Rotarian Dottie also talked about the potential of a Pediatric Heart Center in Uganda, where surgeries could be completed without having to pay for the children to travel.
The Gift of Life Program is supported by donations from clubs and individuals, matching grants and Riley Hospital. For each sugery done at Riley, Rotary pays only $5,000 and Riley takes care of the rest. Children are chosen after an EKG of their heart is reviewed. The goal is to correct their ailment with only one sugery. Programs like Gift of Life and Polio Plus are what Rotary is all about.