Coral Gables RotaryGram: Vol. 65 No. 17 Notes from the Podium

President's Time

This week Russia unveiled it's faux army of inflatable tanks, missile launchers and other decoy weapons. The equipment ismade otu of a special material so radar detects them as the real thing.

A Massachusetts woman was arrested for throwing a bag of dog poop at a speeding car. She wanted to slow the car down but the bag came open and splattered across his face. She was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.

CLUB BYLAWS REVISION You have all received a copy of the proposed revisions to the Club Bylaws which were emailed to everyone yesterday. The changes are mostly of a housekeeping nature, making updates in order that we are current with the changes made by Rotary International. The copy that was sent out is a red-lined version so the changes are quite obvious. We ask that you review them and be prepared to vote at the next meeting.

PETIT GOAVE, HAITI HOSPITAL PROJECT The Club Foundation Board voted on Monday to contribute $10,000 to the District 6990 Haiti Project. Our own Noelle Galperin is the Chair of this District initiative and for all intents and purposes, the project began in our club back in April. A fellow from RI came with "hospital in a box", looking for a place to put it. Carol Brock brought in the Methodist Church. They hold clear title to a building in Petit Goave (at the epicenter of the January earthquake) that was strong and still standing. Then everything began to snowball. Donations and pledges now exceed $400,000 BEFORE any grants from District or Rotary International. Our donation has been earmarked for the Coral Gables Rotary Club Trauma Center. Rotary Rocks! Coral Gables is awesome!!

GOLF TOURNAMENT UPDATE Chris Morrison announced more sponsors and golfers today including Hole Sponsors Ana Fournaris (1st Hole), Fowler Rodriguez Valdes-Fauli, Snow's Jewelers, and Forshee & Lockwood. Judy Pantoja sponsored a foursome and Chris has filled his foursome with Steve Novak. Andrew Dixon, Gary Lockwood and Bill Forshee have signed up as individual golfers. Remember, the 7th Annual Rotary Golf Classic is being held on Thursday, November 4th at The Biltmore Golf Course. Our meeting and lunch that day will be held outside on the 19th Hole. You'll have a ringside seat at 1:30 and you can watch the Gates Challenge Golf Ball Drop as it happens.

SPEAKING OF THE GOLF BALL DROP Yoli is still selling balls at $25 each. This is the year that we complete the Gates Challenge - matching the $255 million that was given to The Rotary Foundation to END POLIO NOW. The prizes are great and it's only $25 but it helps to take us to the end of this long campaign. Be sure to buy your balls next week.

ROTARY YARD SALE is November 13 & 14. The warehouse isn't close to full so clean out your garage, your storage unit or your teenager's bedroom and bring it for the sale. We need volunteers on Friday November 12 to help load the truck and unload it at the sale site and of course lots of volunteers for Saturday and Sunday. The proceeds of the Sale will go to both International and Community Service to help fund some of the many projects we are currently working on. Whatever committee has the most volunteers get's the greater percentage of the take. How's that for a challenge? Sign up now to work. Call Sally B. if you want to donate.

DON'T FORGET OUR HALLOWEEN 5TH FRIDAY at the new Coral Gables Museum on October 29th. Come in costume. The best ghoul will win a one year membership to the Museum. It's from 6 until 8 p.m. Catering by Lovables. $10 per person. RSVP to Terry NOW.

Determined, passionate, compulsive and obstinate are characteristics of the Scorpio. Say Happy Birthday this week to Bruce Kerestes on the 22nd, Harlan Chiron on the 24th, Jim Brown on the 25th and Dick Bullman on the 27th.

This week's Rotary Anniversaries include Ron Robison who has been a member (and past president) of our club for 40 years. Eddie Snow, 20 years and Diane Thurston has been with us for nine years already. Thank you for your years of service.

ROTARY DAY AT THE MIAMI DOLPHINS GAME
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5TH - there are two more tickets left at $45 each which includes the bus. Call Dick Golden to get them.

Ted Pappas bought tickets for Rotary Day at the Miami Dolphins quite some time ago. Now Marie says they can't go. Rather than waste the tickets, Ted went Bullmanesque and decided to auction off the tickets and donate the money the The Rotary Foundation. Bidding was active but Yoli Woodbridge took the tickets - 2 for $55. Ted sent the $$ to The Rotary Foundation. Thanks Ted & Yoli!

City of Coral Gables

Employee of the Month for October

Congratulations to Lillian Portu, Deputy Collector for the City of Coral Gables for the past 27 years. Her boss, Don Nelson, City Finance Director thinks the world of Lily. He's really pleased that she is being recognized since her job is responsible for collections for LIcenses and Fees and brings in more than $3,000,000 a year in revenue for the City.

Keep up the good work Lily!

The Giving Tree Gives Back

Joan Reitsma owns The Giving Tree, a Needle Arts and Gift Boutique at 256 Giralda Avenue here in Coral Gables. She has just reopened after nearly a year when she was forced to close down due to a flood in her store. She sells unique, different and fun gifts that are moderately priced, like the cow that sings Besame Mooocho shown here. Needle Art isn't just for the ladies either. In fact it was invented by a man and she has a lot of guys who sneak in and buy their crochet and knitting supplies. Joan gives to nearly every organization that asks including the Junior Orange Bowl, the Coral Gables Community Foundation, Women in Need, International Kids Fund, the list goes on and on. She's having an open house on November the 10th and proceeds go to the RCCG Scholarship Fund AND the May Van Sickle Children's Dental Clinic (Coral Gables Womens Club). So plan to come and do a little early holiday shopping.

HAPPY $$

Mercury is hop scotching around Jupiter and it appears more than the planets are a little crazy. Dr. Randy will NEVER be able to even come close to today's happy Rotarians. Never! The Diva Does It!
Things started off calmly with Chris Morrison being mildly happy about going to Seattle to see Mom and Stanford play Washington. While he's away Bill Beckham is taking care of all Golf Tournament matters. Jerry Santeiro invited everyone to go to the Coral Gables Community Foundation After Party - after our Halloween 5th Friday. It's $50 at the door starting at 9 p.m. at Comer Hall across from The Biltmore. Jim Hirschmann is happy he retired as Medical Director for the Fire Department and became a cruise ship medic. Now he and his wife get to travel all over and he gets to watch while his wife is "entertained" in the wheel house by the Captains ... hmmm. Dick Golden is going to Morroco for two weeks and said this joke would hold us in his absence. The husband dies, contacts his wife at a seance, tells her what he's living the life having sex and being on the golf course...turned out he came back as a rabbit! Jack Courtright, President of the Miami MetroZoo Rotary Club traded banners with our club and was happy that our speaker today is a member of his club who does their marketing. After hearing all that Joan Reitsma does, Luis Boue came forward representing the "deviant table" (photos to follow) armed with a $600 challenge for Frank Sexton. If Frank would agree to put on the hand knitted baby clothes that Joan brought, they will donate that $600 to Joan to be split between our Scholarship Program and the Dental Clinic. Frank has never been one to shy away from a challenge, especially when it's for a good cause ....

When things calmed down Telin Fernandez, formerly a member of this whacko group visited today and brought us a flag from his boring Rotary Club in Santurce PR. Chris Tyson was happy he found his Rotary membership card but it was for the wrong President. Noelle Galperin was extremely happy that our club gave $10,000 to the Petit Goave Project AND she has been asked by the President of Rotary International to appear in a documentary about the NID's being filmed in India by ABC News! Gloria Burns was happy to report that her daughter is on her way to Puerto Rico. Catarina Jimenez brought news of our Club trip to Honduras. The dates are February 18 thru 22. The airfare (3 flights) is $400. The whole trip including accommodations and food should run less than $1,000 per person. We'll get to visit our wheelchairs, our cook stoves and Tegucigalpa and Copan. The Final extraordinary happiness for today was The Singing Miamians and our Dancing Diva. They invited everyone to come hear them at the Old Cutler Presbyterian Church on November 6, two performances of their Broadway Concert. There is NO DOUBT. Happiness pays! And laughter pays more!

WORKING ROTARIANS - OCTOBER 21, 2010

Greeters - Rodney Langer & Rolf Frankfurter

Registration - Aaron Glasser

Collections - Abe Horowitz & Carlos Bolado

Head Table - John Wallace

Special Needs - Ed Morris & Frank Sexton

Invocation - Pastor Perry

Pledge - Hadley Williams

Singers - The Singing Miamians

DeWitt Law Silver Dollars - Digger Martinez

Given to - Bill Beckham & Noelle Galperin

Pin Drawing Gifts - Fred Baddour & Joan Reitsma

Pin Drawing Winners - Donald Trombly, Janette Diaz & David Mitchell

50/50 Raffle - Gloria Burns & Fred Baddour

50/50 Winner - Miki Speijers

5-Way Test - Elizabeth "Lovables" Silverman

Today's Program

"Marketing your Business"

Jack Hardy

Jack Hardy considers himself a business plumber. He cleans out all your bad stuff when he consults with business owners about how to market their company and products. His system is called the Core Value Proposition. The process begins with an idea and there are five words that define each value driver. The first of course is the IDEA. How then does it BENEFIT your customers? How can you best TARGET your idea to the right customers? What will be your customers PERCEPTION of your product? What is in it for you? What is your REWARD. Jack provides a unique single session business review that helps focus on and resolve marketing problems. For more information visit www.jackghardy.com

NEXT WEEK'S PROGRAM: Darwin Hood of Beta Analytic, the world's only privately owned carbon dating lab.