Logo for: Rotary Old Saybrook

OS Rotary Meeting of 7/10/13

Pledge: Pres. Gerri Lewis
Prayer: Pres. Gerri Lewis
Song: Led by Bill McLaughlin
Brents Card Game Winner: Guest Maurice Raymond

Sergeants Report: Kathy Callinan
    Raffle Winners: Paul, Bill O., Brent
    Happy Bucks: Joan happy to be back from vacation in Canada, Maurice very happy for winning the card game, there were bucks put in for our guests and students in attendance, Bob A. was happy to be kicking off the art show food booth.
  
Announcements: 
    Please sign up to help out at the Art Auction food booth. It takes place on Sat. July 27 and Sun. July 28. There are 4-2hr shifts per day to cover including the breakdown on Sunday.
    Bill McLaughlin has taken over the Meals on Wheels scheduling. Volunteers are always welcome. Our day is Thursday - you report to the Estuary at 10:30 to pick up the meals and it takes about an hour to complete. 
    Programs are needed! 
    Since there are 5 meetings in July, Gerri suggested we have an eventing meeting the 31st. Venues will be researched.

    John Donnelly talked about the scarcity of books in Ghana and with a $35,000 grant from RI, is well on the way to establising a library there. John is working with Mr. Mecca collecting books (G-Tech in Providence provides storeage facilities) and shipping containers to the African country. The container is processed by Rotary Clubs in Ghana. Money will be used to train librarians and other personnel as well as infrastructure costs in Southern Ghana near the capital. Donations of all kinds of books (no encyclopedias please) are accepted. 

    Scholarship presentations were made by David Wight, chairman of the scholarship committee to two students who could not make the June 5 meeting. From Westbrook, Caroline Davis will be attending Smith College and enrolled in Liberal Studies. She is President of the National Honor Society and was awarded Student of the Month in language. From Lyme-Old Lyme, Arielle Sherman-Golembeski will be attending UCONN and majoring in Environmental Science. She is captain of her crew team and will be rowing for the huskies as well.

    Bill McLaughlin told us of his post-college life after graduating Univ. of Wisconsin with a degree in Mining Engineering. He worked for Anaconda in the 60s in Butte, Montana. Bill decided that working a half mile underground wasn't in his long term plans and following a miner's strike joined the Navy. After injuring his back, he went to Detroit where he met his wife Rosemary, then transferred to Newington, CT working for a company called Solair Compressors. Bill eventually settled in Old Saybrook raising his 3 daughters. Bill was the director of the Chamber of Commerce for many years. Today, he still enjoys taking his RV on trips across the country travelling 1/2 a year. He particularly enjoys going to other Rotary Clubs.
md