Newsletter 9-4-12
**Rotary Club of Needham**
September 4, 2012
Location: Needham Sheraton
President Charles led us in the Pledge of Allegiance; we sang God Bless America, with Bob Cocks leading us, and the invocation was delivered by Karen Wetmore.
Announcements:
• Louise updated us on Kathy’s health. She is home and doing well!
• Crutches for Africa is winding down according to Karen. The container is due to depart for Africa in September.
• Looking for 80 hosts for a 4-day stint to host folks as part of the Bandy Hefler exchange this fall. See Karen for details.
• Looking for STORAGE SPACE for all the Rotary gear. We are losing our space at Jim Brown’s place and need to find a new location by November.
• Pancake Breakfast date is set for November 3 at the Needham High School. Be there!
• Karen is still looking for hosts for this falls Bandy Hefler hosts.
Guests:
• Fred Garmon from Wellesley Rotary.
• Brenda Diaz, hopefully one of the last meetings she is a ‘prospective’ Rotarian from Wingate.
Happy $$$: Ken Davis-great to be here, and Happy New Year for our Jewish brethren, as Ken will be in abstentia next week; lot’s of ‘Great Labor Day Weekend; Louise Condon, feeling sorry for Bobby Valentine; Fred Garmon will be celebrating his 91st Birthday next week; our guest speakers gave a Happy Dollar for the privilege of talking to Needham Rotary!
Upcoming Events:
9/23 Charles River Center 5K Race: see ‘coach’ Chris Teachout for details
10/6 Rotary Leadership Institute 8:30 to 3 pm. Charles is going, check with him for details.
10/6 Needham Harvest Fair on town common.
10/9 Wellesley Rotary is hosting a tribute to Gino Capaletti, who is now the retired broadcaster for the patriots, at their usual Tuesday nigh meeting.
11/3 Our Pancake Breakfast at NHS. All hands on deck!
11/20 Dinner with Wellesley Rotary at the Sheraton to celebrate the football rivalry
11/22 We serve Thanksgiving Day dinner
12/14 Needham Public Library Gala at the Sheraton
50/50: Melissa drew the winning ticket, but not the winning card. When asked how much was in the pot, our Asst. Sgt. At Arms replied “…not too much..”.
Joke of the day:
An elderly man is stopped by the police around 2 a.m.
And is asked where he is going at this time of night.
The man replies, "I am on my way to a lecture about gambling,
alcohol abuse and the effects it has on the human body, as well
as smoking and staying out late."
The officer then asks, "Really? Who is giving that lecture
at this time of night?"
The man replies, "That would be my wife."
Guest Speaker: We were delighted to host the following people from the Needham Coalition for Youth Substance Abuse for Children;
Carol Reed, actually works for Needham’s Health Department
Bob Timmerman
Karen Mulley
Kathy Toray.
The NCYSAC functions under a grant from the Federal Government, which is in it’s fourth of 5 years. Their goal is to deter children from the use of drugs, cigarettes and alcohol. They are looking for ways to create and sustain programs, given the nature of their funding.
In a survey taken at Needham HS and some 23 other high schools, 36% of the NHS students say they drink once a month or more; 23% say they smoke marijuana in a typical month. Wow! Both numbers are overwhelming.
One of their biggest activities is to put on the ‘Fifth Quarter’ pizza party at the high school immediately after each home football and basketball games. They typically have a student DJ creating the music, and provide pizzas for the kids, and this year, will be auctioning off an iPad, to generate interest. They typically use 50 pizzas a night! Wow! At that age, I am sure it all burns off as they typically have some 300 kids in attendance.
This parental group supporting this function typically meets once a month 7:15 to 8:30 am at the Needham Public Library. Looks like the next meeting is Tuesday October 2nd.
They are performing a wonderful service for our kids. They were soliciting our time and financial support. Go to www.needhamma.gov/substanceabuse to see how you might help!