Pledge/Prayer: Pres. Gerri Lewis
Song: Paul Moore
Brents Card Game Winner: Glen Anderson
Welcome Guest Heather Asch and Sam & Angus back from vacation.
Sergeants Report: Kathy Callinan
Raffle Winners: David Wight, Donna Lash, Ken Roche
Happy Bucks: Bucks were put in for our guest, our special program, Davids daughter who is playing the lead in a NY play, Joan Michaud's birthday tomorrow, John was happy for his wife's birthday and news reports that the obesity rate for children in the US has dropped 43%.
Meals on Wheels this week: Sam Fulginiti
Next weeks program: Chris Cryder talks about "The Preserve"
Program: Glen introduced Heather Asch
Heather was born and raised in Old Saybrook, daughter of Wilma who has been involved in OS economic development for many years. Heather received her BA degree from the Univ. of Hartford. She has worked for Nicolodeon, Jim Henson of Sesame Street in costume design. Today she is Director at "No Strings" and has won 3 Emmys for her work in costume design.
Heather brought 2 puppets with her and demonstrated their movements and personality. Her company produces films which point out dangerous situations in various parts of the world. The films are geared for children although adults learn and enjoy them as well. In Afghanistan, the film talks about land mines and the consequences of tripping one. They did a film in Japan where a tsunami hit and Syria where there is fighting and peace building is the message. They have produced 13-15 film in 24 languages. The actors are puppets and local people are trained on their use to get important messages across, breaking down barriers and touching peoples' hearts. The company has gone to Haiti which is still in bad shape but the hope is to improve conditions by engaging NGOs (Non-government organizations) and coming up with an action plan - you have to start somewhere! The focus in Haiti is health and preventing disease through propper washing and hygiene techniques.
The founder is Johnie McGlade and Michael Frith of Dr. Seuss is a co-founder. He designs many of the characters and sets used. There are in-country workshops in Afghanistan, Indonesia and more.
The puppets have names and life stories that could be a real person's. About 100 hours go into the making of a puppet which puts their value at about $15K.
For more information, go to: http://www.nostrings.org.uk
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