Coral Gables RotaryGram: Vol. 66 No. 50 Notes from the Podium

President's Time

June is Fellowship Month in the Rotary World. President Debbie could think of no better example of Fellowship than to have Dick Golden tell six really bad jokes with the clean punchline ... hmmmm.

DUES ARE DUE and time is running out for the 20% discount. Pay your 2012-2013 Dues and Registration (lunch) on or before June 30th and you'll get 20% off your lunches next year.

Mark your calendar now for June 29th. President-Elect Walter Alvarez and the 2012-2013 Officers and Board of Directors will be installed at a "Fifth Friday-Style" party at Fred & Annette Baddour's home. Stay tuned for more details.

The Blood Drive Cometh ...

Time to double up on your iron pills! Our summer Blood Drive is scheduled for next Thursday. Please sign up and plan to donate. The Community Blood Center will be parked in the back parking lot from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., or later if there's a long line waiting.

You can come early. You can go out during the meeting. You can hang around after the meeting. Pick the most convenient time to give.

For more details contact Greg Martini or RSVP to Terry Long at terryclong@bellsouth.net.

Intellectual, lively and inquisitive describes people born under the sign of Gemini. Say Happy Birthday to Dar Airan on June 10th.

Ana Fournaris is celebrating 13 years as a Coral Gables Rotarian on June 10th too. Congratulations Ana, you're an asset to our Club!

Terry's is Perfect!

Terry Long celebrates 10 years of Perfect Attendance on June 5th.

And she did that in spite of going on a safari and taking a cruise last year!! Weekly meetings aren't the only way to get Perfect Attendance. Ask your Membership Chair for more information!

Introduction of Guests & Visitors

by Dick Bullman

Dick was very happy today because not only was attendance good, we had a lot of new faces at the meeting. Glenn Kritzner was visiting from the Rotary Club of Miami. Trish Hoffman brought her daughter Morgan. President Debbie brought not only husband John but her son Adam and he bride Andrea. Bill Oates introduced us once again to Andrea Stone a local attorney. Chris Tyson was escorted today by his 16th Grandson John who brought his lovely girlfriend Bobbie. Alfredo Iglesias introduced us to Chris, his friend who is a Professor of Nursing at FIU. Sally B introduced us to Yvette Levia. She's new to Coral Gables from California and she is a banker at SunTrust on Miracle Mile. Also visiting us today is Coral Gables Mayor, Jim Cason. We love having visitors, come back again soon.

Happy $$$$$

Dandy Randy returned this week to Groh scholarships as only he does! He was ecstatic to be able to announce that this year's photo safari will leave on October 16th for Zimbabwe. It will be be Terry Long's third trip of the seven that he's made. Join up, sign up, call Dr. Randy for more information. Walter Alvarez was happy for two reasons. The first is that he just came back from Tallahassee where he attended orientation for his youngest who's going to FSU. The second is that his installation will be held on Friday June 29th at Fred Baddour's house beginning at 7 p.m. Be there or be square. Tom Dixon was twice happy too. First because he picked up Andrew at the airport after his trip to London. The second because he took him back to the airport so he could go to a Bachelor Party in Boston. Pat Morris is happy because Judge Leifman is being honored by us today. He's also got a problem ... being from Boston he's a life long Knicks fan and has a reasonable hatred for the Celtics. Game 7 of the playoffs is Saturday night. He really wants to see the Celtics get it handed to them. BUT it's the YMCA's annual gala and there are 420 people coming so he must be there .... choices. Judy Pantoja, in her role as a member of the board of the UM Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to announce that their fishing tournament is a "go". So far 35 boats have signed up. The proceeds from the tournament will benefit Shake-A-Leg. She hopes to have a few Rotary boats in the flotilla too. Frank Sexton, Chairman of the Shameless Commerce Division of Rotary was pleased to let us know that Greg Martini was featured in the Business Review for closing a $25 million real estate deal. This on the heels of Catarna Jimenez being honored by Miami Today. What, you might ask, do these two people have in common? They both presented a Craft Talk at Rotary and voila! Their lives turned around! Happiness pays so keep on smiling.

Working Rotarians - June 7, 2012

Greeter - Yoli Woodbridge

Registration - Aaron Glasser

Collections - Steven Spann & John Porro

Head Table - Rodney Langer

Special Needs - Lan Nghiem-Phu

Invocation - Pastor Arne Perry

Pledge - Judge Steve Leifman

Singers - Dan Scipione

DeWitt Law Silver Dollars - Tom Dixon

Given to - Chris Tyson & Betty Metcalf

Pin Drawing Gift - A Box of Chocolates

Pin Drawing Winner - Greg Martini

50/50 Raffle - Gloria Burns

50/50 Winner - Alfredo Iglesias

4 Way Test - Aaron Glasser

Today's Program

Frank Sexton, Chair of the Vocational Avenue of Service for our Club brought us the program today. He opened by explaining that Vocational Service as we in Rotary view it has three components: 1. Celebrate the City of Coral Gables and it's service to its citizens; 2. Celebrate the Club and how it's members serve and 3. Honor the recipient of this Award who satisfies the criteria of Service Above Self.

County Judge Steve Leifman, whose compassion led to the creation of a national model to help mentally ill defendants, has been named the 2012 Martin Hughes Rotary Citizen of the Year.

A resident of Coral Gables for the past 12 years, Judge Leifman received the honor at the Thursday, June 7, meeting of the Rotary Club of Coral Gables.
In nominating Judge Leifman for the award, Pat Morris cited the judge’s concern for criminal defendants with mental illness. Time and again the same defendants appeared before him, having fallen through the cracks of a dysfunctional public mental health system.

In response to this, Judge Leifman began to convene stakeholders on the local and state levels to organize resources and to develop more effective, humane, and sustainable responses to people with mental illness.

In 2000, Judge Leifman created the 11^th Judicial Circuit Criminal Mental Health Project, which he continues to chair today. This program, which has become nationally recognized for its innovations and effectiveness, diverts individuals with serious mental illnesses charged with less-serious offenses away from the criminal justice system and into community-based treatment and support services.

This has resulted in fewer arrests and incarcerations of people with mental illnesses, reduced crime, reduced injuries to law enforcement officers and people with mental illnesses, improved public safety and reduced burdens on taxpayers.

Due to his expertise in the areas of criminal justice and mental health, Judge Leifman has been appointed to serve in a variety of capacities on local, state and national bodies. In October 2010, for example, the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court appointed Judge Leifman to chair the Supreme Court’s Task Force on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues in the Court.

A former public defender, Judge Leifman graduated from The American University in 1981 and earned his law degree in 1986 at Florida State University. He became a judge in 1995.

NEXT WEEK'S PROGRAM: Amanda Hermes, 2012-2013 Ambassadorial Scholar outbound to Mexico.

Thought of the Week