Notes from Needham Rotary Club Meeting on February 24th

• Perhaps the biggest news of the day was that someone finally won the biggest 50/50 raffle pot in recent club history!   Marty drew the queen of hearts and won fifty percent of the pot of $1,076!   That meant he was very happy, and the club put $538 into community development projects!

Marty promptly turned around and gave $100 of his winnings over to our speaker for the day, Lori van Dam, who will forward the donation to One Fund Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.  

• We learned from our speaker for the day, Lori van Dam, Executive Director of the One Fund Boston, about the generous outpouring of support from Boston and beyond for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.   Begun by Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to aid the victims of the horrific bombing, the fund eventually paid out $80 million and became one of the most inspiring pillars of the "Boston Strong" community pride response.

One Fund Boston is no longer taking donations but is referring all incoming monies to one of several institutions for assistance to those with lingering problems from the bombing such as mental health and stress reduction as well as hearing loss and tinnitus treatment.

Lori described the chaos of the first few weeks of the fund, as major donations poured in before any legal or administrative framework had been created.  Donations were kept in desk drawers of the mayor's staff before a bank account had been authorized and an office set up in the Bank of America.  Ken Feinberg, the man who had overseen the payments to victims of 9/11, was brought in to create order.  Priorities and criteria for payments were set and victims contacted.  Loss of life was the highest qualifier, then double amputation, then single amputation and then a formula for nights spent in the hospital.  Eventually, the fund had to consider hearing loss, long term trauma and those with mental impacts from either being in the blast zone, losing loved ones or being traumatized by the blast and the aftermath.

There were only a couple of cases of fraud in the program.  A couple of brothers made up a fictionalized aunt who had amputations complete with forged hospital documents, but all $480,000 stolen was recovered.   One woman claimed thousands of dollars of outpatient costs, but she was extradited from Maine and all but $8,000 was recovered.

Some 200 of the 240 people injured were from Massachusetts.  More than 200,000 people contributed to the fund.  The response to the bombing turned out to be one the high points in the entire history of this great city!

• It was so good to welcome back one of our best members, Erica Bond, who has not been able to join us since before Christmas due to pressing family concerns and needs!

• Don't forget this Saturday, March 7th, is the dinner and music event for one of our Music Competition sponsors, Plugged In Youth Band Program in Needham.   If you can, please support the "British Invasion" program starring "Beatle Juice" which is billed as Boston's #1 Beatles Cover Band!  Buy a ticket or two, or send a check over to them as thanks for supporting our January music event.

• Happy Dollars included:  Ted who is expecting a grandson any day now and for the good results of his Gift of Life New England kids who are in the city this week getting surgeries; Bill for continuing on in spite of the weather; Rich welcomed back Erica; Tom happy to be closer to Spring (what evidence does HE see?); Greg congrats to Lori van Dam for the great work of One Fund Boston; Libby welcomed our guests; Jim anxiously awaiting Lori's talk; Roz HTBH; Kathy welcomed our guests; Deb for Baby Enza and Spring just around the corner; Scott claimed someone at his table was going to win the big raffle! (but he foolishly didn't buy as many tickets as Marty did at the next table!); Bob GTBH; Darell proclaimed, "Let It Spring"; Chuck HTBH;  Ken welcomed Mercedes; Chuck HTBH; Erica HTBH; George "recognized Mike Riley and Mercedes; Louise implored "Please no snow this weekend!"

• Don't forget that Spring is also a time to support the Rotary Foundation in the elimination of polio.   Please make a generous donation to RI for polio or for other club, district or international projects.