October 12, 2007 Meeting

Pledge, Song and Invocation

President Helene led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, song-mistress Marie Stultz led us through multiple choruses of “She’s Got the Whole World in Her Hands,” and the Reverend David Sollars sought divine and other kinds of guidance in his invocation.

Introduction of Visitors and Guests

We welcomed our guests who included Kathleen (daughter of Bill) Buck, Robbie (grandson) of Paula Evans, Don Corbisiero (Manager of the Wyndham in Andover), Felipe Pedrosa e Silva (Youth Exchange Student), and Bruce Barkley from North Andover.

Club Announcements

President Helene talked about the special United Nations Day on November 3rd. Check out the registration form at http://district7930.clubwizard.com/

Helene also mentioned that she and Brian attended the district seminar on the Rotary Foundation. The speaker was talked about the work done by the foundation in Russia and Africa. Everyone can make a difference.

Reverend Cal Mutti wrote a letter to Helene talking about his and Karen’s life in retirement and how much they appreciated the words, thoughts, and activities from Rotary. Cal noted that is indeed a profound transition, one for which it is impossible to be totally prepared.

Where will we meet?

Helene talked about all she had learned from the balloting process. Her “10 Things I Learned from this Experience” were summarized as follows:
#1 – Those who like a hot breakfast really like a HOT BREAKFAST. No Continental breakfasts need apply!
#2 – Those who like the continental breakfast don’t really mind a cold breakfast.
#3 – Where we meet matters to almost everyone, but the opinions on where to meet are pretty divided.
#4 - When you shake a tree/ you get a lot more than the green apples
#5 – Most importantly, the members care about it each other and they care about the fellowship of our club.

So, the majority prefer to stay at the Inn and the Board met after the meeting to discuss how to keep that affordable.

AUCTION MINUTE

YOU MIGHT NOTE THAT I AM PUTTING THIS IN CAPITAL LETTERS THAT ARE BIG BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE 2 WEEKS LEFT TO GET ITEMS AND PEOPLE TO ATTEND OUR GALA/AUCTION. VERY SERIOUSLY – WE HAVE ONLY 67 ITEMS, $10,400 IN SPONSORS, AND MOST CRITICALLY HAVE SOLD ONLY 65 TICKETS. I really hate to sound so pushy, but we have a guarantee of 180 people for the event. Please, PLEASE HELP NOW BY BUYING OR SELLING MORE TICKETS!

Today's Program

Paul Mercandetti introduced Deedee by noting that she has devoted her life to doing things for children. Physical Therapy – that’s what Ironstone and horseback riding are all about. When a person sits on a horse that is walking, the movement is transmitted through the pelvic area and everything – the body, mind and spirit - about walking is engaged. This help produce normalcy in a disabled child’s life. Physicians first started referring children to Ironstone in the 1990s. In the late 1990s, a very determined mother of a young autistic child got the state Department of Education to approve hippotherapy as a qualified form of treatment for disabled children. To emphasize how much this form of therapy can affect a person’s life, Deedee told the story of a young woman who is back working at Ironstone after attending lessons as a child. Therapy can change lives. In answers to questions, Deedee mentioned that regular riding classes comprise 20% of their total business.

Happy Dollars and Dollars of Concern

Finemeister Henry Broekoff fined all those who had not yet brought in even one item for the auction. It seemed that practically everyone gave dollars for the Deedee, and the Red Sox. Those tossing out dollars included Joan, Howard, Matt, David Sollars (who included the Pats), Gail, Jim Greeley, Bob (who included Felipe), and Helene (who also gave for the vote and for moving on from the vote). Rick Downey gave a most happy dollar for his daughter’s successful operation and their upcoming trip to Aruba. Someone, Jim Greeley maybe, made the clever comment that this weekend would be one time he hoped both the Cowboys and the Indians lose. Mark gave Jim a sign he had found at Merrimack College noting that Jim graduated from there in 1961. Don’t you believe it! He is far too young, 1971 maybe. Helene also noted the Nobel Prize for Peace is awarded by the Norwegians and they honored Al Gore who will share the £750,000 prize with the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations panel which has worked for two decades to establish consensus on the science of man-made warming.