Donna Johnson and Linda Werts spoke to the club about their most recent trip to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico to carry out service projects.
Opening and Invocation led by Jean Bendix
Wellness Report – Sharon SanAngelo - doing much better, continuing with PT; Jim Bush, of Palmyra Rotary, passed away (Jim performed the magic shows for us for many years) -
Grace Kreuser being entertained by Jim in 2010
Frank All's grandson entertaining all of us with Jim in 2011.
Memorial Service on June 28;
Norma and Gary visited Hannelora and Helmuth — keep them in your thoughts and prayers; President Adam is having surgery on 5/31
Guests: Luis Alonso - exchange student,
Visiting Rotarian: Leslie Vecchiotti - Pal-Mac Rotary
More Rotarians in attendance this week!
Strange Laws: Minnesota
- A child may not talk on the phone without their parents permission.
- You may not cross state lines with a duck on your head.
- All bathtubs must have feet.
- All men driving motorcycles must wear shirts.
- It is illegal to tease skunks.
Announcements:
- Remember to purchase Raffle Tickets - we need to sell approximately 50 more to break even.
- We have now reached our goal of $10,000 in donations to the Rotary Foundation thanks to Helmuth and Hannelora Reinhardt.
- Remember the Rotary District 7120 Changeover dinner on June 27th
- Steve Hallagan mentioned that we need some programs lined up for the summer.
Birthdays: 5/27 - Alex Quku
Club Anniversaries: Ted O’Toole, 5/28 - 9 years; Sue Colacino and Russ Harris, 5/29 - 10 years; Bill Doebler, 6/1 - 55 years
Program: Linda Werts and Donna Johnson on their recent trip to Tabí, Mexico. Newark Rotarians have been providing clean water to Mexico since 2011. We are partnered with Living Waters for the World (LWOW). Our current project is in Tabí, Mexico. LWOW is a faith based, non profit organization that partners with communities to implement and operate sustainable water purification systems and health education programs.
In April 2022 the water plant in Tabí was opened and celebrated. Clean water is need for: drinking, cooking, bathing water and brushing your teeth. They provide free water to various schools and clinics.
There were 4 Rotarians and one person from the Presbyterian church who traveled down to complete the sustainability visit in April. The trips focus was on relationship building - working with the team and the community. They visited customers in their homes and brought gifts of toothbrushes and toothpaste. They brought the local team to a larger plant for training and continued relationship building.
The team is comprised of 3 roles: project managers, educators and technicians
Linda and Donna are Project Managers. They recently purchased a new moto-cargo truck in August 2023 to deliver the 5 gallon bottles to customers.
Lesilie Vecchiotti led the education component - giving water plant tours and teaching how to properly use the purified water.
The Water Technicians and Operators do monthly maintenance and inspect the testing logs. Water is tested for hardness, minerals and bacteria.
On the last day they held a celebration lunch and presented a 2nd anniversary certificate to the Water Plant Operators.
They also had a few days to explore and enjoy the beauty of Mexico.
Next years trip will be in February 2025 and looking for 3 new members for our International Committee. Next meeting will be 6/13.
President Adam’s closing thought: “Whenever someone calls me ugly I get super sad and hug them, I know how tough life is for the visually impaired.” — Will Ferrell