Take advantage of a great deal from the District. Giving Tuesday is April 2. If you contribute on line to The Rotary Foundation on April 2, your donation up to $500 will be matched by the District. It is an easy way to either become a Paul Harris Fellow or to reach the next level of giving.
Please note that Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation or for those who would become Major Donors are not eligible for the match.
To give on line, go to www.rotary.org and follow the links to "My Rotary." If you do not have an account at My Rotary, please sign up at least two days before Giving Tuesday (March 31).
Barb Lipskis (PHF + 1) and Sigur Whitaker (PHF + 6) were recently honored for their contributions to The Rotary Foundation. Pictured with President Pam are Sigur (l) and Barb (c).
Donations to The Rotary Foundation help to benefit our local community. Fifty percent of the District 7600 donations are returned to the District three years later. Half of those funds are used to support the District's international efforts while the other half are used to support the club's efforts to improve their communities. This past year, the Rotary Club of Norfolk partnered with three other Hampton Roads clubs in an effort which raised over $25,000 for the new Nature Play area at the Virginia Zoo.
Fellow Rotarian Michael Desplaines delivered a very informative – and scary – presentation on climate change. He says organizations like the Norfolk Botanical Garden need to educate the public about climate change and what needs to happen in order to save the planet. “I don’t want the Botanical Garden to become a zoo of sorts, a place where people come to see what nature used to look like,” he says.
The stakes couldn’t be any higher. Michael says that a study released last fall by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) projects that we have 12 years (now, 11 ½ ) to prevent temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. If we fail to do so, the damage to the planet will be irreversible, resulting in catastrophic weather, massive population migration, and food scarcity.
Michael says increased prosperity in places like China is putting considerable pressures on the planet. “The world wants what we have,” he says. “The thing is that if all the world’s inhabitants were to enjoy the standard of living we do here in the United States, it would take five planets to produce the needed resources!”
There is some good news, however. Michael says that meeting the goal set out by the IPCC is most certainly doable. Among other things, we need to reduce our consumption of meat which accounts for an out-sized proportion of resources relative to the number of people fed. We also need to significantly increase our use of wind and solar power, eliminate or drastically reduce single use plastics, replace toxic chemicals like Roundup, and conserve energy.
The Meeting
After prayer, pledge, and song, we heard the following announcements:
One visiting Rotarian – Joe Hansley from Churchland.
Guests – Jeff Wells accompanied by Joe Sherman and his daughter, Madison. Michael Desplaines introduced us to Dale Murray (architect), Sally Parker (psychologist), and Ken Boxer (corporate trainer).
Don’t forget about Giving Tuesday, April 2. If you are not already a Rotary Foundation donor, that’s the day to make it happen!
Ann Baldwin is offering fellow Rotarians a free copy of her new book, “62 Most Misused Words and Phrases plus Pesky Pronouns: A Quick Guide to Better Grammar.”
Wine Needed – right now, we only have 24 bottles for the Suds & Buds Wine Pull, but we need at least 100! Please remember to bring a bottle to the next meeting. It must be at least $20 in value, but more is even better!
Happy Bucks:
Bob Latimer – on TV for the closing of Greenies in Ocean View
Marilyn Gowen – daughter’s wedding
Barry Kesser – for Chuck Spence and a speedy recovery from shoulder surgery
Lorna Cochrane – got a new car
Joe Massey – new grandson, Spencer Massey Hall
Dr. Bill Lehew – fourth grandchild born
John Cameron – great vacation at the Petrified Forest and Santa Fe
Angela Kerns – for the new exhibit at the Virginia Zoo
Jim Kitz drew the winning ticket from the drawing, but not the winning card, so the pot continues to grow.
Norfolk Rotarians read this morning to students at P. B. Young Elementary. The program, sponsored by Horizons Hampton Roads, focuses on helping low income students improve their reading and math skills. Did you know that a child that grows up in a low income home hears only 62,000 words a week at home while those growing up in a middle class family hear more than three times the number of words?
Buy your tickets NOW for our fifth annual Suds & Buds--Norfolk's best spring party! On Friday, May 17, we'll enjoy a casual after-work evening amid over 250,000 gorgeous roses in full bloom at the Norfolk Botanical Garden (NBG). In addition, the party features fabulous food and drink, great music, and fun with friends! Suds & Buds proceeds always benefit the Garden, Norfolk Rotary Charities, and one other local charity; our charitible partner for 2019 is Lee's Friends. For complete details, sponsorship information, and ticket purchase, go to the fundraiser's website, sudsandbuds.org.
Back by popular demand at our May 17 Suds & Buds party will be the charity wine pull. To make it work, we need club members to each donate at a meeting a bottle of wine valued at $20 or more. Or, donate $20 and our wine committee will buy the wine for you. Wine bottles will be bagged and numbered and guests at the party will pay $20 and take home a mystery bag of wine. Proceeds will benefit our Rotary Club, Norfolk Botanical Garden and Lee's Friends. The wine pull sold out quickly at last year's Suds & Buds and netted more than $2,000.
Chick Robison is chairing the wine pull committee with help from George Compo. If you have questions contact Chick at cdrobison3@cox.net.
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Back by popular demand at our May 17 Suds & Buds party will be the charity wine pull. To make it work, we need club members to each donate at a meeting a bottle of wine valued at $20 or more. Or, donate $20 and our wine committee will buy the wine for you. Wine bottles will be bagged and numbered and guests at the party will pay $20 and take home a mystery bag of wine. Proceeds will benefit our Rotary Club, Norfolk Botanical Garden and Lee's Friends. The wine pull sold out quickly at last year's Suds & Buds and netted more than $2,000.