Due to the Holiday there will be no Spoke newsletter next week. We will resume December 30th.

We wish you and your families a safe and healthy Holiday. We are looking foward to a great 2014.

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday lunch program on Tuesday.  Resonanz, a touring ensemble of the Rochester Oratorio Society, performed holiday music for our entertainment.  They sang many holiday classics and recognizable carols, and the program very enjoyable. 

We followed up Resonanz with the RPO Gala Holiday Pops concert last night.  Jeff Tyzik made some changes, which made the annual concert refreshing.  The members of the orchestra and the school choirs are amazingly talented, and we appreciate their sharing the gift of music with us. 

Thank you to Joe Floreano, Tracy Armstrong and the staff of the Rochester Riverside Convention Center for the dinner reception before the concert and the dessert afterward.  Thank you also to Paul DeCarolis for providing bus transportation between the Convention Center and the Eastman Theater.  So many of our guests expressed to me last night how impressed they were with the entire evening. 

Special thanks to Don Alhart for all he does for Rochester Rotary, Sunshine Camp and our community.  We were thrilled to honor him last night as the guest conductor.  He was fantastic too.

Hopefully, these events filled your heart with holiday spirit.  I wish all of you safe travels.

HAPPY

HOLLIDAYS!

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

1/7/14 - Tuesday Breakfast at 7:45 to 8:45 a.m.

Memorial Art Gallery

1/7/14 - Brian Sampson - Unshackle Upstate Panel Discussion

Speakers - Mike Durant, State Director, National Federation of Independent Business, Brian McMahon, President, NYS Economic Development Corporation and Rick Herman, CEO, Rochester Homebuilders Association 

Rochester Riverside Convention Center 

1/21/14 - Dr. Susan Hildenbrand - " The effects of poverty on a child's educational experience."  

Rochester Riverside Convention Center

Wednesday, January 15th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. - Business After Hours: As one of the country's leading not-for-profit, professional theatres, Geva Theatre Center is Rochester's flagship theatre company and the most attended regional theatre in New York State.  Founded in 1972, Geva serves up to 160,000 patrons annually, including more than 16,000 students.  Geva's productions are created and rehearsed in and for Rochester.  Geva draws upon the talents of the country's top actors, directors, designers and writers who are shaping the American theatre landscape.

Come tour the backstage of the theatre where you will get a chance to glimpse behind the scenes of New York's most attended regional theatre.  Visit the set of Last Gas and see where actors rehearse the productions that appear on the stages.  Meet a few of the talented artisans who work tirelessly offstage to make things happen onstage.  Hors d'oeuvres will be provided.  Geva Theatre Center is located at 75 Woodbury Blvd., Rochester, NY 14607.

RSVP to Myrna Padilla at the Rotary Office at 546-7435 x201 or myrna@rochesterrotary.org.

  Sunday, January 26, 2014

1:00 to 3:00 pm

Kings Bend Park (Located in Pittsford on Jefferson Road Between Clover Road and Main Street)

 Two Ways to Enjoy:

1. Come as a SPECTATOR.

2. Enter your favorite soup, chili, bakery or whatever item as a CONTESTANT.

Please register yourself and your prize-winning specialty (soup/chili/bakery or whatever items) with Brandi Koch at the Rotary Office at 546-7435 x210 or brandi@rochesterrotary.org.

Cost:

Spectator:        $15 (includes tastings and beverages)

Contestants:     No Admission charge

How it will work:

• You must bring with you a list of ingredients (to show in case of allergies).
• Please transport your soup and bring the necessary seving equipment (ladle, crockpot or warmer, pot, etc.).
• Tasting cups and spoons will be provided.
• All Spectators will be given 5 tickets to be used for voting.
• Prizes will be awarded to our Contestants with most votes.

Soup/Chili/Bake-off Flyer

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

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

   

December 1- John Wise December 2- Lila Ford December 5- Ethan Welch December 7- Duncan Moore December 8- Bob Buckpitt December 8- Jenn Sommers December 10- Gidget Hopf December 12- Tracey Dreisbach December 13- Sandy Frankel

December 14- Pat Coakley December 17- John Griffin December 18- Lori Parker December 21- Rick Krempin December 26- Ken Pink December 28- Nicole Calcagni December 30- John Heveron December 31- Stuart Small

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