Coral Gables RotaryGram: Vol. 66 No. 35 Notes from the Podium

President's Time

It is WORLD ROTARY DAY. Rotary celebrates 107 years of service today, and clubs are being asked to recognize and celebrate this event.

Coral Gables has a couple of celebrations going on today. First is a huge birthday cake for all to share. But the most significant celebration is happening tonight thanks to the diligent efforts of Coral Gables Interact and District Governor Todd Dayton. At 6:00 p.m. tonight, Coral Gables High School will be lit with huge white letters that say END POLIO NOW and sports both the Rotary and Interact logos. Be sure to come by Gables High after dark tonight and see it.

We are counting down to March 9th and our upcoming fund raiser, A Night on the Red Carpet. Don Trombly is selling tickets or you can purchase yours at registration. $150 gets you an evening of dining, dancing, drinking and a really great silent auction. The Master of Ceremonies for the evening will be our Honorary Member, Ron Magill from Zoo Miami. It's going to be a great night and lots of fun. Remember, proceeds from the evening will be shared 50/50 between our Foundation and Citizen for a Better South Florida.

We also still have raffle tickets for sale for the Winner's Choice Raffle. Two more tickets were drawn today for the preliminary raffle prizes (the tickets will go back into the pot for the main drawing). Arsenio Millian and Margarita Tonkinson won tickets the hear the Cleveland Orchestra. AND President Debbie announced that if you purchase either a raffle ticket or a gala ticket today you will get a free ticket to the upcoming GET MOTIVATED seminar. Such a deal!

Mark your calendar for President Debbie's final 5th Friday party on Friday (of course!) March 29. The evening is being hosted by Deena Bell-Llewellyn at the new offices of Bell-Aqui from 6 until 8 p.m. Cost is $10 per person. Wine and hors d' oeuvres by Lovables. Don't miss this terrific fellowship event. It only comes around four times a year.

Update on Scholarships

Terry Long, Committee Chair

Terry wanted to share the importance of these scholarships with us today. The Committee is so impressed with the caliber of students that are applying for these funds. They received 16 applications this year. She read us a portion of one student's essay that most touched her to emphasize the importance of these small scholarships to the students. Remember to be happy because that's how we get Scholarship fund to Groh.

Foundation Minute

Foundation Chair Abe Horowitz presented Luis Boue with his first sapphire pin for two Paul Harris Fellowships.

Ahhh the fishes! Our Pisces Club (celebrating it's 66th birthday on March 4th) has lots and lots of Pisces members. Natives are sensitive, kind selfless people who are a bit idealistic. In other words, PERFECT ROTARIANS! Say Happy Birthday this week to Hank Langston and Ron Shuffield today, Deena Bell-Llewellyn and Hank Collins on the 25th, Luis Boue on the 26th and Yoli Woodbridge on the 28th. Best wishes to you all!

Happy Rotary Anniversary this week to Randy Groh celebrating 9 years on February 27th and toAaron Glasser celebrating two years on the 28th. Thanks to you both for all your service.

Introduction of Visitors & Guests

Dick Bullman

Lots of Rotarians visiting us today from far away including Dick Brutlag from Parker, Colorado; Bob Reeve from Miramar, Tom Maxwell from Ontario, Canada. We also said hello to Past District Governor Marcy Ullom from Rotary Club of Miami.

2012-2013 Board of Directors

President-Elect Walter Alvarez announced the appointed directors that have been selected to complete next year's Board of Directors...

Civic & Charity Bob Schreiber

Foundation Chair Andrea Fusero

International Chair Noelle Galperin

Program Chair Mead McCabe

Public Relations Gloria Burns

Rotarygram Ray Dehbozorgi

Vocational George Reeves

Those along with the Officers and Elected Directors that follow will take the reigns of the Club officially on July 1;

Donald Trombly President Elect

Debbie Swain Past President

Greg Martini Vice President

Rodney Langer Secretary

Bill Quesenberry Treasurer

Jack Witty Sargent at Arms

Deena Bell-Llewellyn Community Service

Steven Spann Club Meeting Service

Pat Morris New Generations

Fred Baddour Development

Bill Martinez Membership Chair

Dan Scipione Member at Large

We're all waiting for details on President Walter's Installation Party, so stay tuned!!

Happy $$$

Chris Morrison got charged extra today because he was delivering a commercial announcement in his professional voice about the new federal regulations that begin on March 1st for HARP. Ana Fournaris was happy to have had the opportunity to go to Tallahassee on behalf of residential property taxes. Kelly Sastre is happy that her daughter-in-law will be able to get her Ph.D. at University of North Carolina as a Dietitian AND she's going to have grand baby number five in August. Judy Pantoja was happy to see her good friend Marc Buonocotti at the Club today. Donald Trombly is selling $10 off tickets for the Cub Scouts (he's always selling something!). Dick Golden hit an all-time bottom with today's joke ... something about kids who can walk on water because they're born in January. Terry Long was happy to offer free parking tickets ($5) to everyone for Taste of the Bay being held in Palmetto Bay over the weekend. Finally Randy is still looking for folks who want to Safari with him in the fall. Happiness pays, keep on smiling.

Working Rotarians - February 23, 2012

Greeter - Steven Spann
Registration - Aaron Glasser
Collections - Lorraine Sheldon & John Porro
Head Table - Rodney Langer
Special Needs - Lan Nghiem-Phu
Open Meeting - Jack Witty
Invocation - Abe Horowitz
Pledge - Chris Tyson
Singers - Dan Scipione soloist
DeWitt Law Silver Dollars - Lan Nghiem-Phu
Given to - Chris Tyson & Marc Buoniconti
Pin Drawing Gift - Rodney Langer
Given to - Bob Reeve, Miramar
50/50 Raffle - Gloria Burns & Don Trombly
50/50 Winner - Sally B.
4-Way Test - Jim Skinner

Today's Program

Marc Buoniconti, President of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis was to speak to us regarding the now-controversial Matheson Hammock Boat Storage facility that he and his father are planning.

But Marc, an Honorary Rotarian and former member of our Club, realized that he's missed everyone in our Club and almost like he's been skipping school since he stopped coming to our Thursday meetings. He also decided that he didn't want to dodge tomatoes and so instead, he brought us up to speed on what's going on with spinal cord injury research. It's amazing!

Miami Project now has 250 full time people, with 28 principal researchers that spend all their time developing clinical programs and working towards a cure. It costs $250 million a year just to keep the doors open.. But all the hard work pays off because they have been able to improve the quality of life for people in wheel chairs and to keep them in the best health possible.

Hypothermal Therapy is the new emergency treatment of choice when there is a spinal cord injury. He cited the case of Kevin Everett who had the same injury as Marc, a double dislocation of C3 and C4 with damage to the cord, a life threatening injury. However, by packing Kevin in an ice pack bath and giving him a systemic IV of ice water, they were able to lower the core temperature by 3-4 degrees with a dramatic effect on the outcome. Hypothermal Therapy works on the inflammatory process. There's a five hour window for success.

Cell transplantation has also yielded some outstanding results. There's a specific type of cell that we each have in our leg, that causes injured spinal cord cells to regenerate and secretes a growth factor. The Miami Project is conducting the clinical trials and is submitting to the FDA what will be the first trial of cell transplantation in ten people. Miami Project pioneered this transplantation and paralyzed rats made up to a 70% recovery.

And just to address briefly the Matheson Hammock project, he just wanted us to know that the RFP was issued in 2008. This is not a new or a rushed project. They have made a thorough analysis of the park and its surrounds ... they've been working with the City so that every issue will be addressed. They feel the project will have a positive impact for the boating community. And honestly - there is no place else to build boat storage. Miami Dade County is out of space. He hopes that he will be invited to return and discuss this issue at a future date. He also promised that he will not be such a stranger to our Club.

NEXT WEEK'S PROGRAM: Judge Steve Leifman, Miami Dade County Court.

Thought of the Week

by Frank Sexton

For World Rotary Day ...

"The thought came to me why not in big Chicago have a fellowship composed of just one person from each of many different occupations, without restrictions as to their politics or religion, with broad tolerance of each other's opinions? In such a fellowship could there not be mutual helpfulness? ... Eventually, in February 1905 I called three young business men to meet with me and I laid before them a very simple plan of mutual co-operation and informal friendship such as all of us had once known in our villages. They agreed to my plan."

"We grew in numbers, in fellowship, in the spirit of helpfulness to each other and to our city. The banker and the baker, the parson and the plumber, the lawyer and the laundryman discovered the similarity of each other's ambitions, problems, successes and failures. We learned how much we had in common. We found joy in being of service to one another..."

Paul Harris, "My Road to Rotary"

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