Newsletter 1-3-17

 

 

. Ted reminded us about our Food Packing project on January 31^st at 12:30 at Needham High cafeteria – NO LUNCH/MEETING AT SHERATON – Honor Society students will be joining us.  They were able to raise $3,700 for this project; we will add $1,000, so we will be able to package about 16,000 meals.  Trucks with supplies are due to arrive at 11:30. Ted will need 3-4 able bodied members to help him unload.  We will start packaging at 12:30 and need to be finished and cleaned up by 2:30 when another group will need the room.

. NO MEETING on Jan. 24 because of dinner at RFK Kitchen restaurant that night at 6:30.  Fee will be $35 for Rotarian and $55 for guest – cash bar. Check should be payable to Needham Rotary by next week. Louise will get menu by then. 

. John McQuillan, a long time Rotarian, passed away last week from Parkinson’s disease at 87.  We sent flowers to the wake.

. Ted told us about 2 more children who are coming into Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME for heart surgery.

. There will be a Board of Directors meeting tomorrow night (1/4) at 5:00 at Ryan’s office.  All are welcome.

. The nominating committee will be contacting all members about possibly being on the board.  If you volunteer, the term will be 1 year. Greg asked why we need anyone else since we have Ted.

. Watertown Rotary will join us next week since their meeting location is not available.  We hope to have Jim Boyd as our speaker.

.Kathy W. gave Ted some smoke detectors that came from Needham Community Council.  Ted gave them to Dan for safe keeping.  Needham Fire Department had a meeting at Needham Council at the Heights but didn’t have many in attendance.  They will try again in the future and we will be included.

 

Happy dollars: Ken, Bill, Ryan, Jim and Charles wished us a happy new year and welcomed Louise back; Marty was happy for a great Christmas holiday in the snow in Washington state; Stuart glad he is going to be a grandfather; Bob happy his grandson visited and they could enjoy Needham’s First Night; Chuck wished the Pats good luck; Kath and Libby had a wonderful holiday and Greg is happy to be a Rotarian.

 

50/50 drawing: Our guest, Stuart Tucker pulled the ticket; Marty had the magic number but no luck. $316 in the pot for next time.

 

Humor: Louise is back and had a great bit of humor for us from the book “Old Jokes for Old Folks”.

 

 

Presidential minute: None today

 

 

Guest speaker:  Karen introduced Rev. Stuart Tucker, the retired pastor of Needham’s Carter Memorial Methodist Church.  He spoke to us about Paws to Read where volunteers bring their therapy dogs into libraries to help children read out loud to the dogs. Dogs just make the children feel more comfortable and easy to relate to.  He goes to 3 local libraries, Millis, Norfolk and Franklin.  Each child has a chance to read out loud to the dogs for 15 minutes – the dogs are non-judgmental.