Members Present:  Alix, Peggy, Harvey, Barbara, Fr. Philippe, Jeffrey, Shahid, Frank, Loren 

 

Guests Present:  Janet DiBenedetto, Anthony Ruiz (prospective Member)

 

Alix opened the Meeting at 12:30 with the Pledge, a Prayer for Rotary and the community by Barb, the recitation of the Four-Way Test, and the Rotary song led by Harvey.  The Meeting adjourned at 1:55.

 

Minutes of the 30 August Meeting were not approved due to a lack of quorum.

 

Janet DiBenedetto is a Past District Governor of District 7230 and has served twice as the District Foundation Chair.  She is currently the Assistant Regional Foundation Chair for 3 Districts.  She commended Shahid and Aura for making donations totaling over $10,000 in the past few years.  She awarded Shahid with a pin and a crystal for their donations.

 

Hurricane Harvey – Donations may be made directly to the various Texas Rotary Clubs or to the District Foundation to provide immediate assistance to those affected by the hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Louisiana.  Donations to the District 7230 Foundation will be used as part of a Global Grant in about 6-8 months. 

 

As an example of the importance of waiting to provide emergency relief to hurricane victims, Janet described how Hurricane Sandy victims were aided by District 7230 Foundation by a Global Grant.  The fund was used to provide 100 children with mental health support for a year, a senior center was completely refurbished, and vans were purchased for the Bowery Mission.

 

Janet also reported that RI had previously had a Disaster Relief Fund, but found that it was too costly to maintain.

 

Kinship Support Program – Alix, Barbara, Lisa, and Sundra attended the August 31 event at Macy Park in Ardsley.  Sundra provided  an art program for grandparents and children.  Alix, Barbara and Lisa put together Back-to-school baskets for children K-12.   An organization that normally provides clothing to the children was not available this year. YEY will be contacted regarding critical clothing needs.

 

District Grant Proposal - A 2017-18 District Grant proposal, prepared by Club Rotary Foundation Chair, Bina  has been submitted to the District Foundation for the Basic Education and Literacy Program.  The Project proposal targets literacy needs for the 600 students in the Hostos Micro-Society School in Yonkers.  This will include iPads for digital learning in the classrooms for autistic children and enhancement of the library  with the acquisition of new books for all grade levels.

 

Alix indicated that she would be attending an area meeting on 7 September with the Presidents of clubs from Yorktown, Eastchester, White Plains, Bronxville and the Rivertowns.  She would be presenting our program at Hostos to see if other clubs might be interested.

 

Donation – Shahid indicated that he will provide $1,500 in donations next week -- $500 for the Hostos School Project and $1,000 for a school in Pakistani.

 

Meeting Venue – 27 September – The Meeting will be held at 6:15 p.m. at the Dolphin Restaurant.  Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano will be our speaker.

 

Dream Court – A meeting, arranged by Jeffrey, will be held on 8 September with the Yonkers Commissioner of Parks, Recreation, and Conservation (Anthony Landi) to discuss the City’s approval and support of this project.  Those to attend include: Alix, Lisa, Pete, Barbara, Peggy, and Bina.

 

Area 5 BBQ – Rotary Clubs of Harlem, joined by Chinatown, Metro NYC, Riverdale, Wall Street and Inwood will sponsor a BBQ to raise funds for the "Bridges to Prosperity" on 16 September from 12-4 p.m. Bridges to Prosperity envisions a world where poverty caused by rural isolation no longer exists. Their programs provide access to health care, education and markets by teaching communities how to build footbridges over impassable rivers, in partnership with organizations and professionals. Bridges to Prosperity proves the value of their work through a commitment to the community and its bridge that lasts long after the opening celebration.

 

Treasurer – Barbara Hanna announced that she is no longer Treasurer of the Club.  The Board will decide on a new Treasurer.

 

Happy Bucks was collected in the amount of $27.

 

Frank won the 50/50 on 23 August, and he drew his card for the Queen’s Dowry this week – the 8 of Clubs, which has been discarded.