No Tuesday Meeting

Join us as we kick start the holiday season!  What better way to kick start the season than with food, fun and friendship. 

We are again, this year, asking attendees to bring an item(s) to donate to Foodlink. We will take the donation delivery to Foodlink the day after our event just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.  

We will kick things off at 4:30 p.m. at the Rotary Office.  Please RSVP to Brandi at 546-7435 x210 or brandi@rochesterrotary.org so we can purchase food and drinks appropriately.

Keynote Speaker:  At the Tuesday luncheon meeting this week, Dr. Amit Batabyal, an economics professor at RIT, spoke to us about our national debt and the debt ceiling.  His address was mostly an economics lesson, but also included some non-partisan political commentary.  Dr. Batabyal imparted six key points to understand the national debt, and gave us an historical perspective on the debt ceiling law and the crisis our nation just experienced, and may go through again in a couple of months. 

Forever Sunshine:  At our luncheon meeting, Ken Pink updated the membership on the status of the Keep the Sun Shining Campaign, which has been re-branded as Forever Sunshine.  A cabinet was assembled more than a year ago to develop our strategy and lead this effort.  A lot of work has been done to raise the public's awareness of the Rochester Rotary Sunshine Campus, which often gets confused with Camp Good Days and Special Times.  A number of cultivation events have been held, and tours of the campus conducted, to communicate our message to many specific individuals and foundations.  Special thanks were given at the meeting to Don Alhart, Mary Lewis Consler, and Jeff and Nelson Leenhouts for their work in that regard.  Thanks also to everyone on the cabinet, and to Ken Pink and Tracey Dreisbach, who co-chair the cabinet.  Stay tuned: another update is planned for the December 10 luncheon meeting.

Philippines Disaster Relief:  The Rochester Rotary Club is joining other clubs in our district, and around the world, by partnering with ShelterBox USA to provide assistance to the people of the Philippines, who were affected by the typhoon that struck on November 8.  Lisa Norwood personalized the issue for us on Tuesday.  Rotarians from the Philippines recently visited our club, and then Lisa visited them in the Philippines.  They need our help.  Please click on this link (http://shelterbox.kintera.org/RochesterRotary) to learn more, and to contribute.  Each box supplies an extended family with a tent and life-saving equipment to use while they are homeless.   Our club's goal is to provide 10 ShelterBoxes by Christmas.  Thank you.

11/26/13 - No Tuesday Luncheon - Join us at GobbleFest Monday, November 25th at the Rotary Office.  Food - Drink - Fun - Friendship before the holidays kick off! 

12/3/13 - Tuesday Breakfast - 7:45-8:45 a.m.

Guest speakers, John White - Organize and Agonize 

Lisa Norwood - Philippines Disaster Relief

Memorial Art Gallery

12/3/13 - RDDC Joint Luncheon - Reservations must be made through the Rotary Office

Rochester Riverside Convention Center

12/10/13 - A conversation with the Minority and Majority Leaders of NYS Assembly, facilitated by Don Alhart

Rochester Riverside Convention Center

12/17/13 - Annual Holiday Luncheon with musical entertainment from the Rochester Oratorio Society

Rochester Riverside Convention Center

12/24 & 12/31/13 - No Tuesday Luncheon due to the Holidays.

The Rochester Rotary is excited to announce we will again join the Rochester Downtown Development for their Vision-Future Rochester's Leadership Team Luncheon.  Our guest speakers will be Monroe County Executive Maggie  Brooks and Rochester Mayor-Elect Lovely Warren.  

County Executive Maggie Brooks will share her plans to move our region's economy forward in the coming year.

This event offers an opportunity to hear Rochester Mayor-Elect Lovely Warren transition plans and vision for the future.

This year's luncheon will be held Tuesday, December 3rd at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center.  This will be our weekly luncheon meeting.

This a sit down luncheon and reservations are required.  Rochester Rotarians will receive a special price of $25 and all guests will be $45.

If you would like to make reservations please contact Brandi Koch  at 546-7435 x210 or brandi@rochesterrotary.org.

We are excited to continue our tradition this year of assisting in the Salvation Army Red Kettle Campaign.  The Rochester Rotary Club has agreed to provide bell ringers for outdoor kettle entrance's at Eastview Mall on Wednesday, December 4th from 5:00-9:00 p.m.

Our volunteers will serve a 2-hour shift at each kettle. 

Shifts:

#2 - 6:45-8:45 p.m.

We would like to form teams of four or six per kettle per shift to allow for inside mall "warming breaks" as needed.  Family members and friends are welcome to join us.  This is a wonderful way to share in the spirit of the holiday season with your fellow Rotarians, family and friends!

Please email or call Brandi Koch at brandi@rochesterrotary.org or 546-7435 x210 to sign up for a shift by Wednesday, November 27th so that we can appropriately organize our teams.

We promise to do our best to fulfill your preferred shift request.

Brighton Rotary Club is asking for our help they have a bit of a crisis, their 17 year old exchange student from Bangkok, Thailand (named Pop) who is currently attending school at BHS and doing quite well is in need of a host family.  The host family lined up backed out at the last moment, her current host family is leaving for an extended vacation the day before Thanksgiving.  They are looking for a Brighton family to host Pop from right before Thanksgiving through the holidays, and hopefully through at least January.

The family would be expected to supply shelter and food for Pop.  The family is basically to consider her as one of their own family for the time she is with them.  If anyone is willing to host Pop please contact Richard Marchese, Jr. at clarick@rochester.rr.com.

We need your help. The Community Service Team has a fun and important volunteer opportunity coming up:

Salvation Army Christmas Gift Distribution, December 18

• Low-income families come to Salvation Army's Distribution Center before Christmas for presents and food.
• Rotarians are needed to help these clients tour the Toy Shop and choose toys for their children, along with a food bag.
• Two shifts are available: 8:30 a.m. to noon and 12:15 to 5 p.m.

Please consider helping out with either of these opportunities. To sign up, contact Pat Stack at (585)683-4689 or pstack@frontiernet.net.

 27

Days Until RPO Holiday Pops Concert

THIS JUST IN...........DON ALHART TO BE OUR GUEST CONDUCTOR!

Join us Thursday, December 19, 2013 at Kodak Hall at the Eastman Theatre for the annual RPO Holiday Pops Concert.  

As part of your membership obligation, we ask you to participate in one of the following ways:

1. Purchasing or selling eight (8) tickets at $47.00 each (inc. service fees) OR

2. Purchasing two (2) Patron tickets with preferred seating and program recognition at $150.00 each (this must be done through the Rotary Office) OR

 3. Making a suggested donation of $300.00 to the Rochester Rotary Charitable Trusts, Inc.

You may choose one of three (3) ways to exchange/secure your tickets:

- Online at www.rpo.org (click on "Rochester Rotary RPO Holiday Pops" OR on the calendar date of Thursday, December 19th - follow the directions to "exchange your voucher")

- In person at the RPO Box Office located in the Eastman East Wing at 433 East Main St.

- By phone to the RPO Box Office at (585) 454-2100

Rochester Rotarians and their guests are cordially invited to the Rochester Riverside Convention Center for an exclusive pre and post-show reception the night of the RPO Holiday Pops Concert.  The cost of the dinner reception will be $45.00 per person, in addition to concert ticket and includes:

5:30-7:00 p.m.

Riverside Convention Center

Open Bar

European Cheese Display with Ciabatta Bread and Water Crackers

Handpassed Hors D'Oeuvres

Salad Station

Carving Station

Pasta Station

Shrimp Scampi with Butter, Garlic and Olive Oil

7:30 p.m.

Eastman Theatre

Holiday Pops Concert

9:15-10:30 p.m.

Riverside Convention Center

Desserts, cordials and coffee

Valet parking will be offered upon arrival at the Convention Center and transportation will be included between the Convention Center and Eastman Theatre.

RSVP to Brandi in the Rotary Office at 546-7435 x210 or brandi@rochesterrotary.org

Thank you everyone who came to the B2B event held at Foodlink.  Everyone had lots of fun partcipating in the can building contest.

Did you miss the golf tournament?  Don't worry we still have these great Callaway jackets available.  You can get either the Rochester Rotary logo or Sunshine Camp logo embroidered on the jacket; sizes are limited.  Contact Brandi at 545-7435 x210 or Brandi@rochesterrotary.org to order.

Prices:

Men's Vest - $40                       Men's Full Zip - $50

Men's 1/2 Zip - $45                  Women's Full Zip - $40

It's that time of year - the 2014 Entertainment Books are now available.  

For just $25.00 you save thousands of dollars on everything from movies to food, groceries to vacations.

To purchase a book stop the Rotary Office or contact Sally Stookey at 385-3498 or sstookey@frontiernet.net.

To all Rotarians:

Polio National Immunization Trip

We are in the final planning process to organize a trip of about 35 people to travel to Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, India in February 2014 to participate in the polio eradication program.  You are receiving this correspondence because, as Governor, we are inviting you to let the Rotarians in your District know that an announcement for such a trip is coming up in the next few weeks.  Even if you are not planning on joining us in February, please share it with anyone in your District who may be interested.

Currently, we do NOT have the final dates of the program, the cost of the trip, and we are not accepting membership.  However, we wanted to give you advance notice that we expect to have all of the details in the next few weeks.  Now is the time to prepare for the possible trip for anyone who may be interested in such a trip.

Permit me to itemize a few key points: 

1. We expect this trip will be held the second half of February 2014.  The trip, including travel days, will be approximately 10-12 days.  Currently, we are not sure if the polio immunization exercises will be February 16 - 18 or February 23 - 25.  The Indian Department of Health is expected to make this decision shortly.  Last year, the final February dates were decided by the government in late November and we announced the trip in mid-December.

2. This year's trip will be unique as we expect to include participation in a Polio Summit.  This Summit is being planned by Senior Indian Rotary leaders and the Indian government to recognize and celebrate three years without a case of polio in India.  This accomplishment will allow the World Health Organization to designate India as a polio free nation.  We expect that this will be an extraordinary event to attend.

3.  We have been organizing these trips since 1998, and have taken almost 900 Rotarians, family and friends on these trips.  This program will be the 20th such trip we have organized; the sixth in India.

4. Last year, we announced this trip at 5:00 p.m. on a Thursday, and the trip was sold out, with a waiting list by 12:00 p.m. on the following Monday.  We expect that this trip will sell out just as fast.

5. If some is interested in joining this trip, this is what they should do to prepare for this trip:

a. Make sure they have a passport that is valid until AT LEAST August 31, 2014.  They SHOULD NOT attempt to secure an Indian visa.  They will need instructions and a letter of invitation.  We will facilitate that process when they are confirmed on the trip.

b. Make sure their travel vaccinations are up to date.

c. We will send out another e-mail when this trip is ready for membership.  We will also post it on our web site (www.howardtours.net).  We will post an announcement on our Facebook page  (http://www.facebook.com/howardtours).  If they like Howard Tours, they will receive a notice as soon as the trip is announced.

d. After the announcement is made, we will confirm people on the group first come, first served based on when we receive their completed application that will be a part of the announcement.

Please rest assured, we will announce this program as soon as we have received the firm dates from the Indian Government and we have secured all reservations for the trip so that you have confidence in the cost of travel and the program.  We look foward to having members from your District join us.

Best regards,

Bradford R. Howard

Rotary District 5170

Governor, 2002-2003

November District Newsletter

Grapevine Newletter

Birthday gift contributions made will benefit the students at our adopted school, School #8, Roberto Clemente School #8 scholarship students and community service projects with in our community.  You may mail your gift to the Rotary Office or bring it with you to a Tuesday meeting.

Please contact the Rotary Office if your birthday is not listed so that we may update your information.

   2013 RPO Sponsors