Vol. 67 No. 12 Notes from the Podium

President's Time

Welcome once again to our Rotary meeting of September 20^th. announcements:

President Walter asked us to take some Rotarygrams and bring them to our offices. It's good PR!

The Golf Ball Drop Tickets will be sold from now until November 29.Buy as many as your wallet will allow!

The Club Foundation approved $500 for the Caroling Competition
The Coastal Cleanup went well.  President Walter was not happy that they were nine ladies and only two gentlemen. He hopes more people will attend our Community Service Projects.

September 22, 2012, Veterans Bingo, 1-3PM , V.A. Hospital

September 22, 2012, Diabetes Walk, Marlin Stadium, 7:30-9AM

October 4, 2012, International Meeting 5:30 PM, Andrea Covre’s Office.
October 5, 2012, Book Review with Author at Stanfill Funeral Home, 7-8PM.
October 6, 2012, American Heart Association Walk, FIU Campus, 8 AM.
October10, 2012, Scholarship Meeting, 5:30 , Tonkinson Financial.
October 12, 2012, Community Service Meeting, 6PM, Deena’s home.
October 28, 2012, Gables Bike Day, 10AM – 4PM, downtown Coral Gables (volunteers needed from 7am-6pm)

All of you are invited to participate in these event and remember:  they count as make-ups!

We then passed the hat for the Haiti-Benefit Project MediShare

Fundraising Minute

 

Gloria Burns, member of the Event Committee, told us that instead of one Fund Raiser we are  having four Wine Dinners during the year. The first one will be at Four Seasons. The cost is $125. Rodney Langer who is heading this Committee will explain more next week.  Four Seasons offered us a complementary wine or beer and flatbread on October 9 from 6 to 8 PM.  It will be a Membership social to which we can invite prospective Members.

 

Happy Birthday

George Corrigan        September 20
J. Guarch            September 22
Patrick Puton            September 23
Rick Tonkinson            September 25

 

Rotary Anniversaries

Andrea Covre        1 year on 9/22
Andrew Dixon        7 years on 9/22

   

Coral Gables Employee of the Month

Grethel Salas –Preez, Development Services, was the Employee of the Month of August. She has been with the city for 6 years and has been Employee of the Month once before. Her supervisor, Jane Tompkins, pointed out that Grethel is a great asset and has done a great job in particular by bringing new software into the Department, allowing it to provide better service, facilitating the timely delivery of building permits.

 

Introduction of Guests

 

Deena Bell Llewellyn introduced Andrea Fusero from the Brickell Club and Dayna Samra was a guest of Eddie Snow.       

 Happy Dollars

Abe Horowitz wished everyone a Happy New Year.  Chris Morrison was very happy that Stanford beat USC for the fourth year running.  Margarita Tonkinson was very happy to see Ron McGill who was Master of Ceremonies for last year’s  great event. Dick Golden told us that before he was married, he had a date and the lady told him he was a terrible lover. He asked her: how do you know that in 45 seconds? Trish Hoffman just returned from spending the summer in Washington D.C. and last week in Paris. She just took her parents to the airport.  They were babysitting her kids but when she found out Ron was the speaker, she came to the meeting! George Reeves announced that the U.S.S. Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that carried 100,000 sailors was to be decommissioned.  Perhaps Fred Baddour could bring the Enterprise to Kay West.  Debbie Swain invited us to an Afternoon with Nature presented by Citizens for a Better South Florida on Saturday, October 20, 2012 at Biscayne Nature Center (Crandon Park – Key Biscayne).

Today's Speaker

Honorary Rotarian Ron Magill, Zoo Miami Communications Director, began by pointing out that the sign in front of the Zoo was terrible.  Now the Zoo has a new sign that cost $800,000, is wonderfully big and visible from everywhere.  We were then shown some slides about baby animals growing up.  It is always wonderful to see Flamingo chicks turning from white to pink, going from ugly to beautiful (and pink) within a year.  Swans, he said, could be very dangerous if anyone went after their babies.  One man was even killed in Chicago by a mother Swan! 

The most beautiful wild ass born in captivity can be found in the Miami Zoo.  As Ron McGill has worked in the Miami for over 30 years, he has seen several generations of animals come and go.  Each type of animal has its peculiarities.  The Otter parents for example thrown their young into the water to sink or swim.  One of the slides then showed an Indian rhinoceros (female) who was sixteen months pregnant (the baby rhinoceros was very cute when born).  The hippopotamus baby was the size of a football. 

One of the interesting facts underscored during the talk was that mother Giraffes give birth standing up, letting the baby drop some six feet to the ground. 

Among the new things added to the Zoo is an aquatic playground for children.  The Zoo now has two mascots: Gigi the Giraffe and Kaz the Rhinoceros.  The director finished his talk speaking of the Amazon, where he spent two weeks observing river dolphins and piranhas.  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the talk and very likely spent all afternoon laughing when they got back to work.

Next Week’s Program: The Dolphin Project, with Lincoln O’Berry

Working Rotarians –September 20, 2012

Greeter - Dick Golden

Registration - Steven Spann

Collections - Pat Morris

Head Table - Steven Spann

    Open the Meeting -Jack Witty       

Invocation - Margarita Tonkinson

Pledge - Serre Murphy

Singers - Bill Q,/Dan S.

Introduction of Visitors/Guests - Deena Bell

Pin Drawing Gift - Yoli Woodbridge

Winner - Ed Morris

De Witt Law Silver Dollars - Ron

Given to - Yoli Woodbridge/George Reeves  

50/50 Raffle - Gloria Burns

Winner - Arnie Perry

 Four Way Test - Gene Witherspoon

Thought of the Week
by Tom Dixon

"Happiness is not a matter of events, it depends on the tides of the mind."

Alice Meynell

Did you know... Alice Christiana Gertrude Thompson Meynell was an English writer, editor, critic, and suffragist, now remembered mainly as a poet.
Born: September 22, 1847
Died: November 27, 1922

 

September is New Generations Month! New Generations Month is the perfect time to promote your club’s or district’s youth activities. You’ll increase their impact and encourage continued collaboration among youth, young adults, and your club.  

Group Study Exchange - As the time quickly approaches for the arrival of the Inbound GSE Team from Rotary District 3080 (India), our Outbound Team has been chosen.
GSE is a group of young professional non-Rotarians between the ages of 25-40 who are led by a Rotarian. They embark on a month long exchange of vocational visits and fellowship.
This year’s Team will be heading to Northern India at the foothills of the Himalayas where they will be visiting our sister club in Chandigarh among others.
Team Members are Marissa Leichter-Miami-Brickell, Andrew Navratil- Coral Gables, Nadia Payan-Coral Gables, Kyle Mullan-Miami Shores.
Michael Mayer from the Rotary Club of the Upper Keys has been chosen.

 

 

Rotary Moments