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Club Newsletter
The Rotary Club of Wakefield, Rhode Island
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Place & Time:
Arturo Joe's
140 Point Judith Road, Narragansett, RI  02882
Meets Thursday @ Noon (except Thursday after 2nd Wednesday & holidays)
Photos:  None taken
RITUALS
Pledge and 4-Way Test: Pam Ancheta
Prayer: Ben Bardo
Song:  Marion Humphrey, "Star Spangled Banner"
 
About the meeting program:  The bell will be rung at 12:15PM to help the staff with food service timing and a final attendance count.  Also, a subtle "two minute warning" reminder before the end of the meeting will be signaled to help the program end promptly at 1:30PM. 
VISITING ROTARIAN AND GUEST INTRODUCTIONS
Besides today's speaker, there were no guests nor visiting Rotarians.
CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS
For all the latest details concerning club related meetings and events click on the Upcoming Events section in the right column.
 
Please note:  Board meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 28 & Balloon Fest meeting on Tuesday, Mar. 13.
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
REMINDER:  Club Assembly - March 1
Club assembly is scheduled for Thursday, March 1st.   At a club assembly there is typically a review of the budget; the standing committees; any ad-hoc committees; and any proposed initiatives.  There will be no guest speaker presentation.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
REMINDER:  Balloon Fest Committee Needs Your Sponsorship Help
The promotions team (fellow Rotarians from the Pawtuxet  Valley Club) hired to help develop the Balloon Fest this year are very eager to get your business or organization contacts for festival sponsorship opportunities.  Just get the details to Tarah by email or phone and SHE'LL TAKE IT FROM THERE & DO ALL THE WORK:
TMW Productions
Tarah M. Warner, President & CEO
email:  tarahandzachary@tmwproductions.biz
phone: 401-589-1321
[if you're old fashioned:  P.O. Box 1052, East Greenwich, RI  02818]
 
RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) CONFERENCE INFO
Fees due date:  Saturday, March 31.  Participant registration forms due date:  Friday, April 20.  Conference dates:  Friday, May 18 - Sunday, May 20.  Further details are here.
 
Paul Harris Awards nomination Deadline - February 22
Applications will be reviewed after today's meeting.
 
REMINDER:  Rotary Foundation - EREY Contribution
Co-Chairs Deb Casey and Fran Alexakos are still in the process of collecting a $10 or more contribution from members for the "Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY)" program.  The goal is that our membership have 100% participation in this EREY donation.  Please contact Deb Casey <dc4of7@aol.com> for further info.
SERGEANT-AT-ARMS REPORT
 
number of members present:   22   /number of visiting Rotarians:  0   /number of guests:   1   
 
Gene gave fines to:  Jim Buchanan got a late fine.
MEMBER NEWS
Dave Kring was in attendance & he paid his birthday buck.  Steve White paid his club induction anniversary buck.
 
Dave got to hear fellow Rotarians sing a "proper" Happy Birthday song.
HAPPY BUCKS
Pam Ancheta --  fined herself for not knowing her daughter was in New Orleans this week...and used the leftover cash from this month's social at ChopHouse to do her happy bucks.
 
Jim Buchanan --  will postpone his raffle of the 82" flatscreen TV for another time....maybe.  He found that there was a lot of prep work required for doing a charity raffle and wasn't able to get that done in time ahead of March Madness tournaments.
 
Beth Leconte --  will be selecting her new puppyin New Hampshire with hubby Glen Zibolis.
 
Marion Humphrey ---  loves happy buck so she can brag on her grandkids:  Emily will be helping to landscape design an area along Narragansett's Narrow River; Andrew is working for Senator Grassley's office in Washington, D.C. and she will be visiting him there soon; Caroline is working out of Boston for a travel excursions company.
 
Fran Alexakos --  talked about visiting her relatives in Florida
 
Betsy Wisehart -- told a story about how she "hates winter!"
 
 
PRESENTATION  -  What is Rhode Island Doing to Prepare for Climate Change?
Meg Kerr, Senior Director, Policy for Audubon Society of Rhode Island
 
The Ocean State is already feeling the effects of climate change. Intense storms cause riverine and coastal flooding and some coastal communities regularly flood during extreme high tides. This talk summarized how Rhode Island’s state leaders are working with local communities to prepare for climate change. Meg mentioned bills under consideration at the General Assembly that relate to climate change policy including a "green" bond initiative of $48.5-million for protecting open space, clean water and coastal recovery.
 
During Meg's presentation she talked about helpful tools developed through the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, the state's regulatory and management agency for the state's waterways.  Below are a couple website applications which help the public understand the growing issues of climate change:
 
Stormtools:  This is the tool that allows you to view any coastal property in RI with sea level rise
 
SLAMM:  These are the maps that show salt marshes and how they will be affected by sea level rise
 
Meg Kerr also suggested these short training modules that are designed for planning boards but are useful for the public, too:
 
Here are Audubon’s 2018 Reports that include excellent articles on climate change: [click here]
 
Meg Kerr is the Senior Director of Policy at the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. She is an environmental scientist, advocate and policy analyst with expertise in water quality and watershed management and experience working for government, university and non-profit organizations. Before joining Audubon in 2016, Meg was the Director of RI Clean Water Action and the Watershed Program Manager for the Narragansett Bay Estuary Program. Prior to moving to Rhode Island, Meg worked for the State of North Carolina and for the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, DC. Meg has a MS in environmental biology from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and a BS in aquatic biology from Brown University.
ADJOURNMENT
Next Meeting:  Thursday, March 1!
Upcoming Events
Balloon Festival Committee
Easter Seals of Rhode Island
Mar 13, 2018
 
NO THURSDAY MEETING
Mar 15, 2018
 
North East PETS
Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center
Mar 15, 2018 – Mar 17, 2018
 
Board of Directors Meeting
Easter Seals of Rhode Island
Mar 28, 2018 5:30 PM
 
Rotary Leadership Institute
AMICA
Mar 31, 2018
 
Easter
Apr 01, 2018
 
Maternal and Child Health Month
Apr 01, 2018
 
Balloon Festival Committee
Easter Seals of Rhode Island
Apr 10, 2018
 
NO THURSDAY MEETING
Apr 12, 2018
 
Distric Assembly: Secretaries, Treasurers, all Rotarians...
Apr 14, 2018
 
Thank You Notes
OLLI @ URI - received January 2018
Kingston Chamber Music Fest - received January 2018
Medical Center/U.S. Depart. of Veterans Affairs - Dec. 2017
Girl Scouts of Southern New England - Dec 2017
Easter Seals Rhode Island - Oct. 2017
Jonnycake Center - received October 2017
Welcome House
Habitat for Humanity
Jonnycake Center - July 5, 2017
Galilee Mission
Bulletin Editor
Pam Ancheta
Russell Hampton
National Awards Services Inc.
ClubRunner