US Aid Food for Peace Program in Ethiopia

The Program:

VP of Programs Laurie introduced Sally Hartman as the Rotarian of the Day. Sally has been a member of Rotary since 2007. Something you might not know about Sally is that she was a High School Exchange Student in Japan. During her time oversees she introduced her host family to Snoopy and friends, and now 45 years later she is still connected with her host family. She recently mailed handmade Snoopy facemasks for the family and twins. Sally still loves Snoopy today.

Sally introduced our speaker of the day – Ross Wood, Rotarian Peace Fellow. Ross grew up in Norfolk and currently works as a Food for Peace Officer for US AID. Ross completed his Rotary Peace Fellowship at the University of Bradford, England. Ross lives is Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with his wife Andrea and son Gideon. A fun fact about Ross is he has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in a snow storm, and is fluent in Arabic.

Ross gave an insightful four-part overview of Ethiopia and the US AID Food for Peace Program. Part one referenced the long and troubling political history of Ethiopia.

Part two included the many struggles and challenges the Ethiopia communities endure such as physical challenges with extreme weather, unpredictable droughts, effects of climate changes, intercommunal conflicts that cause mass displacements, plus locust storms from East Africa that are over a 50 year high causing mass destruction to greenery for livestock and agricultural crops. Ross shared a video with us of these invasive locust storms.

Part three focused on the US AID programs in Ethiopia which are supported by US crops and Ethiopian local crops. The small team of 5 support over 4 million every year through refugee camps and local community efforts.

The final part of Ross’s presentation took a hard turn to focus on the people and their love for Volkswagen (VW) Beetles. Ross and hi co-worker Fitsum Arega explained why the community has such a love for these cars which are meticulously maintained. The presentation included many images of supped-up, decked out, colorful VW Beetles including Ross and Andrea’s very own 1961 VW Bug. The VW Beetle is a symbol of perseverance and defiance to the Ethiopian population. They have immense pride that through all of their challenges they will survive. During this part of the presentation many Rotarians joined the chat room to share their VW Beetle memories.

In closing, Ross gave a quick update from his last Norfolk presentation on his time in South Sudan.

Jim explained that the Norfolk Rotary Club has a deep interest in literacy so it is our pleasure to donate a book in Ross’s and Fitsum’s honor to James Monroe Elementary School.

The Meeting: Jim rang the bell to begin the meeting at 12:32. John Cameron sang two seasonal songs – In the Good Old Summertime and A Bicycle Built for Two. Jim led “The Four Way Test” followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Jeff Wells gave the invocation.

Visitation Report: Chip Robinson informed us that he and Kay Kimper visited with Bob and Erle Merle Latimere, they are doing well with all of the COVID19 restrictions but would love to have Rotarians visit, please reach out to Chip if you’re interested and he’ll help coordinate. Chip said Bob truly enjoyed seeing Kay as she was one of his mentees at ODU. Kay has recently been appointed to the ODU Board of Visitors. Congratulations Kay.

Introduction of Guest: Jim welcomed our guest speaker Ross Wood, Andrea Wood (wife of Ross) and Ross’s Colleague Fitsum Arega.

Announcement and Club Business:

Jim conducted the first ever Norfolk Rotary Zoom Poll. It was a yes or no questions – Would You Be Comfortable Attending an In Person Meeting? The votes came in at 57% - Yes and 43% - No. If you’re a maybe, reach out to Jim with your concerns.
Jim also announced that the July Invoices have been mailed, please be on the lookout and return them as soon as possible.
All club members should have received an email with information on the August District 7600 Club meetings. If you don’t see it, reach out to Jim.

Happy Bucks/Fines

Konner Pritchard gave happy bucks for buying a new house with his girlfriend and adopting a dog. Life is good.
Marcia Conston gave happy bucks for being able to open back up. This is especially important as educators. It’s good to be back to work as a benefit to the community.

The next meeting is set for August 4^th with Susan Sussman a stand-up comedian who will join us from Florida.

Meeting adjourned at 1:36pm

NOTE*

(You will see a temporary glitch stating Ross Wood as our upcoming speaker. We are working to resolve this issue with the clubrunner software.)

Meet President Jim

Not many people can say that they were hit by a line drive in the leg by Darryl Strawberry of the New York Mets in an exhibition baseball game. That happened to President Jim when he was playing for the Army Black Knights. But that was not the high point of his collegiate career. Rather, it was in the Army/Navy game as a plebe when he got a save by picking a Navy player off at first base which led to Army winning the game.

Jim was born in Manhattan but grew up in Stony Point, New York. He has always had a love for baseball and that influenced his seeking an appointment to West Point. Jim wanted to play baseball at the Division 1 level and to get a good education. Since he was one of four children and his father was a New York City policeman and his mother a nurse, he didn’t want for his education to cost his parents a lot of money. He had been assured by West Point that if he was accepted, he would be on the baseball team.

During college, Jim’s concentration was in economics. It had always been an interest of his. Long term thinking led him to choose the Transportation Corp as logistics could be applicable to a life after the military. His first (and only) assignment was at Ft. Eustis. After five years, Jim left the Army and was hired by a Naval Academy graduate at Kidder Peabody & Company in Norfolk. He has been at the same company for 30 years although today it is known as UBS. His focus is on individual investors and mid-sized non-profits.

Jim met his wife, Clare, when her family moved from New York City to Stony Point, New York, in the fourth grade. They married a year after Jim graduated from West Point. They have two children. Bryan, an attorney in Charleston, has just gotten engaged. Jessica lives in Manhattan and works at the Betty Cunningham Art Gallery.

His love of baseball continued after his playing days at West Point. Jim knew that he didn’t have the skills to play major league baseball but he continues to be a (long-suffering) fan of the Mets. When Bryan was young, Jim coached youth baseball at the Warwick Little League.

Jim and Clare moved to Smithfield when the children were young. The town reminded them of the small town in which they grew up.

Jim and Clare enjoy jet skiing and have taken trips by water to a variety of places including Richmond, the Outer Banks, and around Hampton Roads. His valuable tip about jet skiing is always to fill up on gas when you pass a station. Jim also enjoys cooking with a specialty of cheesecakes and enjoys watching college football.

President Jim joined the Rotary Club of Norfolk in May 2014. During these challenging times, Jim is focused on making sure that club members remain engaged with each other and the community in a meaningful way. He is a Paul Harris Fellow +2.

The Four-Way Test

Of the things we think, say, and do:

1) Is it the TRUTH?

2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?