Pledge: Pres-Elect Rick Beck
Prayer: Sam Fulginiti
Brents Card Game Winner: Joe Arcari in a card-off with Rick
Sergeants Report: Joe Arcari
Raffle Winners: Brent, Sam, Charlie R.
Happy Bucks: Spring is coming, the success of the Wine Tasting, Pete's daughter safely in Stockholm and beginning her new job, UCONN women basketball team at 102 and counting, Bill O is early today!
Raeleen St. Pierre, Fred Astaire Dance Studio
Raeleen is the owner of Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Old Saybrook. She gave a brief bio in which she told of her passion for dance and athletics. Before taking over ownership of the studio, Raeleen studied psychology (traumatic brain injury in children), computers and worked for 12 years in business doing international development. In her youth, Raeleen was a gymnast and enjoyed the limelight. As an adult, she has a passion for dance and making everyone aware of the health benefits of dance, both physical and mental. There are documented psychological effects when people embrace for more than 20 seconds for example. Endorphins are released and you can't stay angry. It can also help improve your golf and tennis games by making you more aware of your body and its movements. Raeleen is on a mission to make ballroom dancing a part of the high school curriculum. Ballroom dancing can improve study skills, concentration and confidence. When you get kids moving they concentrate better. For older folks, ballroom dancing has been shown to help with dimentia by causing different parts of the brain to increase activity. Raeleen belongs to an organization called USA Dance and she has been tasked with promoting dance in schools grades K-12. Because she is running a business and there are costs involved, Raeleen is appealing to the club to help her financially with this endeavor. Further discussion will be forthcoming.
Following Raeleen's presentation, Bill O'Shaughnessy discussed the reason for our meeting price going up by $1. We've been informed by GM John Lombardo of Saybrook Point Inn, that the state considers our meals taxable since we are paying for them. Guests get their meals tax free since its an expense and we don't get reimbursed. Going forward, SPI will give us 2 bills for the meetings, 1 that charges for the members and 1 for guests.
Our new incoming District Governor for 2019-2020 will be Jack Solomon from East Hampton. He has visited our club many times as Assistant District Governor.
Meeting ended with the 4-way test.
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