Vol. 66 No. 12 Notes from the Podium

President's Time

Back in our own little room today, President Debbie reminded everyone that September 29th is Fifth Friday.  RSVP to spend the evening at Snow's Jewelers with your credit card locked away for safe keeping. 

COMMUNITY SERVICE UPDATE - Deena Bell, Chair of the committee waxed on about what a good turnout we had for Coastal Cleanup on Saturday.  Between our members and Rotaract we had some 20 volunteers out picking up trash on Saturday.

Coming up this weekend is VA Bingo, from 1 until 3 p.m. at Veteran's Hospital.  If you've never given two hours on a Saturday to these guys, try it.  You'll have a really good time and you'll be happy that you took the time.


Also coming up is a charity Spin-A-Thon.  Hosted by Gables Fitness, our club is invited to spin and do circuit workouts on Saturday, October 1 beginning at 9:00 a.m. It costs $20 and ALL of the entry fee is donated back to our club.  These proceeds will go to the Jo Burke Memorial Fund to help support projects that were near and dear to Jo's heart.  That includes Veteran's Bingo, the India Eye Project, BioSand Water Filters and many more.  Jo was so generous with both her money and her time and we want to continue working in the community on her behalf.

Tomorrow night at 6 p.m. everyone is welcome to attend the Community Service Planning Meeting hosted by Carlos Ruiz de Quevedo at his home.  If you'd like to attend give Deena a call and she'll give you directions and details.

Welcome Our Newest Member

Andrea Covre

Andrea Fusero introduced our newest member, Andrea Covre.  Both are native Italians and good friends.  Andrea has a degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Rome and an MBA from Hult Business School in Boston.  He is a Certified Project Manager.  He served as an officer in the Italian Navy, then worked in Milan for awhile before moving to Toronto in 2004.  There he set up an import/export business while working as a systems engineer for Siemens.

He moved to Miami in 2008 and now works as the Controller for a Spanish real estate investment company supervising the construction and management of two high rise projects in the Brickell area.

He now joins Rotary as part of "Andrea Squared."  Say hello when you see  him and make him feel welcome in our Club. Be sure to tell any attractive single ladies about our Italian invasion too.

Lots of Birthdays to celebrate this week, two were born on the cusp of Virgo and Libra, Ana Fournaris on September 18th and J. Guarch today.  They combine Virgo practicality and worrying in a charming and slightly flirtatious Libra manner.  But Libra natives like Patrick Puton on the 23rd, Rick Tonkinson on the 25th and Gloria Burns on the 27th are very sociable, idealistic and changeable as well as being charming flirts.  Say Happy Birthday to all of them.  

Happy Rotary Anniversary 

To Andrew Dixon 

a member of our Club for six years this week.

Dick Bullman

Introductions of Guests & Visitors

Greg Martini brought two guests today, one is former member Rick Belz.  Deena Bell brought Lorraine Sheldon once again.  Gloria Burns brought Ray (the printer) back again too.  He's getting to be a regular!  Swiss Chris Tyson had his two favorite ladies with him today, daughters Natalie and Ellen.  We also had a visiting Rotarian from the Miami Club.

 Sunshine Club ALERT!

Our good friend and Rotarian, J B Spence has been ill.  He is back home from the hospital.  He would love to hear from a bunch of his friends.  If you call him, remember to shout ... he's a little hard of hearing these days.  But do remember him.  Send a card.  Stop by and say hello if you're in his neighborhood.  We want him back pdq.

Susan Guttmann

Happy $$$

Diva took over today, tap dancing in high heels and scholarships grew a lot!  But she was forced to let Dick Golden up first ... a mistake with today's joke about a fellow who went to Italy and the pope wanted to know where he got his awful haircut.  Even if you were there is was a bad joke!  Margarita Tonkinson

was happy to see Susan in high heels and doubly happy because next Tuesday they leave on a four week vacation to New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.  Andrea Fusero was happy to launch the new team of "Andrea Squared" and really happy that the other Andrea has become a new member.  Gloria Burns was happy to announce that Yoli Woodbridge is a finalist in the Noche de Honor awards. She's all over the Spanish media for all that she does good in our town.  The winner will be announced at International Mall on Friday, September 29th at 6:30 p.m.  Please come.  Rick Tonkinson re-invited everyone to the evening with Jackson Brown and Bruce Hornsby that the Tonkinson's are sponsoring in Festival Miami on October 26th.  They won't be here but son Steven will be in charge.  Pastor Arnie Perry was grateful and thankful for all the Rotarians who answered his plea for donations for the lady from his parish who lost everything in a fire.  Including the proceeds from the spaghetti dinner she was presented with a check for $3,500 to start life again.  Dan Scipione asked all the bankers and real estate people in the room to remember that Rick Belz is a really good real estate appraiser so please use him.  Carol Alexander was happy that she will no longer be the Chair of the Chamber South beginning October 1. None-the-less one of her final duties is to host the Governor of the State of Florida at next week's meeting at the Dadeland Marriott. Visitors are welcome.  Carlos Ruiz de Quevedo was happy that for the first time in 21 years he weighs less than 200 pounds.  But what really made him the happiest is that his son is coming back from New Mexico because the F-22 fighter planes have been returned to service in Miami.  Felix Pardo is happy for his brother-in-law J Guarch's birthday celebration. He and his daughter are going to the premier of a movie they both appeared in as extras a couple of years ago called "Men Are Beasts". It opens tonight and they're both going ... that's the best present of all for J.  Happiness pays so keep on smiling.  The Diva did good work today!

Working Rotarians - September 22, 2011

Greeters - Steven Spann

Registration - Deena Bell

Collections - Jorge Triay &John Porro

Head Table - Rodney Langer

Special Needs - Bonnie Blaire

Open the Meeting - Jack Witty

Invocation - Steve Magenheimer

Pledge - John Wallace

Singers - Bill Quesenberry & Dan Scipione

Pin Drawing Gift - Harry Horgan

Pin Drawing Winners - Dick Bullman & George Reeves

50/50 Raffle - Gloria Burns &THE Donald Trombly

50/50 Winner - Chris Tyson

5 Way Test - Sally B.

Today's Program

Harry Horgan, Co-Founder and CEO of Shake-A-Leg, Miami.

Shake-A-Leg's mission is to help people with disabilities overcome their handicaps and lead productive lives in spite of it.  Generally people who have lost their abilities are down, fell hopeless and lost.  Shake-A-Leg helps to change all that.  It helps those with physical, developmental and financial challenges to overcome their disabilities and feel safe on the water.  That gives people a significant change in attitude.

Bill Quesenberry is one of the regular volunteers and he likes taking new people out to the magic that is Biscayne Bay.  We live the in the premier boating center in the country.  Biscayne Bay is by far the best recreational body of water anywhere. Shake-A-Leg has two things going for it.  1) the property here in Miami is unequaled anywhere; and 2) people who CARE.  

They are undertaking a pilot project with Mexico and Brazil to bring people with disabilities here - a sort of tourism program designed to provide the kind of training and development that only Shake-A-Leg can provide to people with disabilities and their families.  

He spoke of Rotarian Bill Beckham's son Woody, injured in a Rugby accident earlier this year who has just started to rehabilitate at Shake-A-Leg.  Bill has been very good to Shake-A-Leg over the years and now it's their turn to give back. With community, anything is possible.

Rick Tonkinson came up after Harry's presentation with a $2,000 check for Shake-A-Leg.  It was a promise that he made to Miami Rotarians Robin & Susan Shelly who donated $2,000 from the Goldsmith Foundation in honor of their mutual friend Bill Beckham. Rick promised to match it and so took this opportunity to do so. 

NEXT WEEK'S MEETING:  Edwin Perkins, Ballpark Community Relations Manager for the new Marlin's Stadium.

Thought of the Week

by Abe Horowitz

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today,

its already tomorrow in Australia."

                                                   Charles Schultz

Scene Scenes

See you next week,

Same time,

same place,

same great bunch

of Coral Gables

Rotarians