Pledge & Prayer (Keeping Brent in mind): Pres. Gary McCauley
Four-Way Test: President Gary
Happy Bucks: MD: Happy for the new year of hope and promise; GF: The new year with friends; CN: for the new year and seeing everyone; JW: snow storm we didn't get; JP: glad to make the meeting, regretfully can't make more meetings, Brent's memory; BO: weather getting better; JM: entire family getting together; BM: 75 degrees in FL; CR: time with family in New Zealand, hope for troubles ending in 2022; TW: for the nice Christmas, memories of Brent; PD: COVID hopefully passes soon; PD: fond memories of Brent, our display at the Essex Savings Bank with thanks to Kathy and Bill; AS: for the nice new year, good times with Brent, prediction that 2022 will see the end to the pandemic; PZ: did Meals on Wheels today, tried to do it under 1 hour like Brent; GM: 2021 was a great year and hopes it will continue
Happy Birthday wishes to Patty, Bill M, Bill O and Dr. Eugene
President's Report:
- Pat Settembrino wrote a great article about our activities and was recently published in the Harbor News.
- Thank you's were printed and delivered by Gary to the vendors who contributed to the Torchlight Parade and were happily received.
- Pat Devito and Kathy Callinan has set up a display in the lobby of Essex Savings Bank and it looks great!
- Scholarship committee chaired by Amber Scherber will be meeting and begin the process of awarding scholarships to deserving high school seniors. Applications are being accepted
- Bent Taylor donations are coming in. To date, 6 donations have been received mostly from club members. A scholarship fund in Brent's memory will be started probably in the fields of math and science. A subcommittee will define the parameters.
Things Brent did that have to be addressed:
Mail: Kathy Callinan
Meals on Wheels: Charlie Renshaw and Pete Zucco will head this up. For now, we will continue to do Wed and Thu but will probably go to just Wed. Please let Pete know if you can do one day a month or more reliably. One person can do it but its easier if 2 do it. A rotating schedule of 5 or more people would be ideal. If you can be a backup, let Pete know.
Card Game: The sergeant-at-arms will take this over. Pete is filling in for Joe Arcari who is away. He will order official Rotary cards.
Paul Harris nominating committee: Charlie Norz will head the committee
Wine Tasting discussion
Marty talked about the upcoming wine tasting and addresses concerns about having the event on the scheduled date of Feb. 18. Other events have been postponed or cancelled as the number of Omicron virus cases increases. Attendance issues, leading to donation issues, ticket sales were thought to be adversely affected. We took a poll of people present and it was decided, by a wide margin, to try to postpone the event to a date before summer. Marty and Gary had a meeting scheduled with SPI next day.
Upcoming meeting: Jan 12, ZOOM at noon. Our guest speaker is Rick Bassett, District Vice Governor. Gary will speak to Penny Lane Pub about future meetings.
Lots of thank you notes received for the dictionary project
Joan Michaud reports a request from the Theater Club at Old Saybrook HS. It was decided to support them through the Interact Club with a full page ad and sponsorship ($150+$100)
Bill McLaughlin requested help with getting speakers.
