ShelterBox challenge: Can you go ‘Off the Grid’?

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Screen shot 2016-06-23 at 3.20.15 PM• Scroll down to see invitations and sponsorship forms.

Many of us joke that we know people who can’t be parted from their many electronic devices for even a minute. Are you one of those electronic slaves?

Screen shot 2016-06-23 at 3.24.45 PMThere’s a way to find out on the weekend of July 16-17. Take the “Go Off the Grid for ShelterBox” challenge.

This could be an interesting family experiment, seeing that even though you’d have no power you still would not be powerless. By taking part, you’ll get a sense of what life is like for families who lost everything when disaster struck — the kind of people your ShelterBox contributions help around the world. They are forced to live  without electricity, no light, no safety, no place to cook and keep warm. No shelter over their heads.

If you, or you and your family, decide to “Go Off the Grid” it will mean no texting, no downloading, no videos, no tweeting, no music, no TV, no video games, not even lights, for a period of 24 consecutive hours during the designated weekend. But, that doesn’t mean you’d have to sit around like stunned sheep. You can download tips or order an “Off The Grid Survival Box,” packed with BBQ recipes, games, activities and other ideas from the folks at ShelterBox to keep the whole family connected — to each other.

The intent of the challenge is to raise awareness of just how difficult life is without the many everyday things we take for granted, and in doing so to increase interest in donating to ShelterBox. Of course, you can always do that without taking the challenge, but it’s a fascinating idea that your entire family will remember.

You don’t have to be a Rotarian to support ShelterBox. Throw a backyard cookout — call it an “OFF THE GRIDdle BBQ”), invite friends and neighbors (be sure to tell them no phones, tablets, etc., allowed.) Here’s an official invitation …

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… and, you can download free copies of it by clicking here. Then, simply send the donations along to ShelterBox. (You also can direct your invitees to our website where they can find details on what ShelterBox is all about.)

Another way to raise funds for ShelterBox is to use the 24-hour event the same way you would a walk-athon, a bike-athon, etc. Get sponsors. Here’s what the official pledge form looks like …

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… and, you can download free copies by clicking here. Then, just as you would with cookout donations, send the money along to ShelterBox.

July Rotarian magazine looks ahead and back

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The July issue.

The 2016-17 Rotary Year, which begins on July 1, will have a distinctly American look to it.

The annual Rotary International Convention will be held in Atlanta, GA. The Rotary Foundation, which was created by an American — RI President Arch C. Klumpf, will celebrate its 100th birthday. And, an American will become RI president for the first time in many years.

The current issue of The Rotarian magazine, which should have reached your mailbox in recent days, is tracing a major chunk of Rotary history with a fascinating timeline on the Foundation and what it has accomplished over the decades; is providing a look ahead in its cover story on John Germ, the Tennessee Rotarian who will become president;  and, is presenting a lot of other interesting articles, photos, and reports.

 

Today in history

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On June 23 in …

1314 — In the First War of Scottish Independence, the Battle of Bannockburn is fought near Stirling Castle, with Scottish forces defeating the English.

1683 — Founder William Penn signs a friendship treaty with the Lenni Lenape (a/k/a/  Delaware tribe of Indians) in the Pennsylvania colony.

1912 — Alan Turing is born in London. The English mathematician and computer scientist became a leading member of the Bletchley Park team of cryptographers that cracked the Germans’ Enigma coding machine, a turning point in World War II.

1926 — The College Entrance Examination Board conducts the first Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

2013 -– Nik Wallenda becomes the first man to successfully walk across the Grand Canyon on a tight rope.

 

Are you ready for ‘summer casual’ fun?

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SRC Summer Chart

This week, we will induct three more members of Rotary. Next week, we will complete the 2015-16 Rotary Year when we gather at the Forth residence for the annual “Presidential Changeover” event.

After that, we’re on to our usual busy summer schedule of picnics, cookouts, baseball, wine tasting dinner, summer stock theater, etc.

For your planning purposes, the chart shown above has one open slot left. Anyone interested in hosting an event or coordinating a field trip should contact incoming club president Debbie Rodriguez ASAP.

For each event, it is absolutely imperative that we have a correct headcount for planning food, seating, etc. To accomplish that, Bill Dowd will be handling the summer reservations schedule. He’ll be sending out regular requests for RSVPs, with a deadline based on what we’ve had throughout this Rotary Year. As always, guests are welcome, especially for these family-friendly events, but WE NEED YOUR HELP in keeping track of the headcount.

Peace Fellows: A Rotary educational opportunity

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The 2016 Class of Rotary Peace Fellows included Americans (first two from left) Ahmed Mohibbi and Kate Lonergan, as well as students from Gambia, Australia, France, Canada, Japan, and Somalia. (Two graduates are not pictured.)
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Lonergan

Rotary International encompasses many more venues and efforts than you might be aware of. The Rotary Peace Center is one such example.

The master’s degree-level program, headquartered in Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden, recently graduated a class of nine young professionals who had completed the two-year course of training, study, and practice in peace building and conflict resolution.

“Uppsala has prepared us to meet the headwinds of today’s winds of madness.”

— Krystal Renschler, a Peace Fellow from Canada

The Rotary Peace Fellows joined 30 other students at a graduation ceremony in the town’s medieval cathedral attended by friends, relatives, host families, and members of the local Rotary clubs. The Peace Fellows’ studies were supported by The Rotary Foundation, and a lineup of Rotary clubs and individual members. A U.S. student, Kate Lonergan, was honored with the department’s Mats Hammarström Prize for “Outstanding Essay in Peace & Conflict Studies.”

Although the Uppsala class is the latest to graduate, it is not the only one. Each year, Rotary selects up to 100 individuals from around the world to receive fully-funded academic fellowships at one of its peace centers. The fellowships cover tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation, and all internship and field study expenses.

In just over a decade, the Rotary Peace Centers have trained more than 900 fellows for careers in peace building. Many of them go on to serve as leaders in national governments, NGOs (non-government organizations), the military, law enforcement, and such international organizations as the United Nations and the World Bank.

It offers master’s degree fellowships at premier universities in fields related to peace and conflict prevention and resolution. Programs last 15 to 24 months and require a practical internship of two to three months during the academic break. The institutions involved (fact sheets, further information, and application information on each are available here):

• Duke University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• International Christian University, Japan
• University of Bradford, England
• University of Queensland, Australia
• Uppsala University, Sweden

If you know any young professionals interested in this field, you can point them to the Rotary Peace Centers’ Facebook page to get current activity information.

 

Today in history

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Screen shot 2016-06-19 at 2.36.37 PMOn June 22 in …

1611 — English explorer Henry Hudson — namesake of the Hudson River — along with his son and several other people exploring North America aboard the ship Discovery  for a Dutch company are set adrift in present-day Hudson Bay, Canada, by mutineers.

1633 — The Holy Office in Rome forces Galileo Galileo to recant his view that the sun, not the Earth, is the center of the universe.

1772 — Slavery is outlawed in England.

1942 –- The U.S. Congress formally adopts the “Pledge of Allegiance.”

1969 — The Cuyahoga River catches fire in Cleveland, OH, drawing national attention to water pollution and spurring eventual passage of the federal Clean Water Act and creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Today in history

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Screen shot 2016-06-19 at 2.36.37 PMOn June 21 in …

1736 — Enoch Poor is born in Andover, MA. He becomes a brigadier general in the Revolutionary War and is instrumental in the Colonials’ victory at the Battle of Freeman’s Farm, the first of the Saratoga area battles.

1788 — New Hampshire ratifies the Constitution of the United States, becoming the  ninth state.

1942 –- In the early days of World War II, a Japanese submarine surfaces near the Columbia River in Oregon, and fires 17 shells at nearby Fort Stevens.

1900 — During the Boxer Rebellion, an edict issued by the Empress Dowager Cixi declares war on the United States, Britain, Germany, France, and Japan.

2009 — Greenland and its 56,000 residents assumed full self-rule while remaining nominally a part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Tuesday RSVP for Thursday dinner and new-member induction

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If you have not yet done so, please be sure to email Debbie Rodriguez at debannrod@yahoo.com no later than Tuesday your RSVP for this Thursday’s dinner meeting at Quigley’s.

As we all know, we will be formally inducting our 13th, 14th, and 15th new members of the 2015-16 Rotary Year, the most newcomers of any of the 41 clubs in District 7190. District Governor Milan Jackson is scheduled to attend. Our guest speaker will be Fred Daniels, who will become District Governor-elect on July 1.

salmon
Our menu centerpiece.

This is a perfect opportunity for all of you who joined the SRC Rotary Club earlier in the year to be on hand to show support for your fellow “rookie Rotarians.”

Our menu centerpiece will be baked salmon, accompanied by vegetables, a specialty salad, bread or rolls, dessert, and beverages (tea, coffee, water, soft drinks). And, as always, Quigley’s cash bar is available to all.

Everything will change at 6:34 this evening

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That is when we reach the Summer Solstice, when the tilt of Earth’s axis is most inclined toward the sun.

It is the longest day of the year — about 17 hours of daylight — and the official first day of Summer 2016.

So, enjoy the great outdoors over the next few months, in particular by participating in the many “summer casual” activities our club has planned. And then, as we approach Labor Day, ignore those doomsayers who always like to rush into things by telling you that is the end of summer. In reality, summer will last until we reach the Autumnal Equinox at 10:21 a.m. (EDT) on Tuesday, September 22.

While the Summer Solstice happens every year, today’s occasion is unusual in that it also hosts a rare full moon, known as a “Strawberry Moon” or “Sagittarius Moon,” a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence for most people since it happens only once every 70 or so years. At the moment of the solstice, you should be able to see the rising moon and the setting sun in the sky at the same time.

 

Today in history

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Screen shot 2016-06-19 at 2.36.37 PMOn June 20th in …

1248 –- The University of Oxford receives its Royal charter.

1782 -– Congress adopts the Great Seal of the United States.

1877 — Alexander Graham Bell installs the world’s first commercial telephone service, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

1945 –- The U.S. Secretary of State approves the transfer of Wernher von Braun and his team of Nazi rocket scientists to America.

1975 –- The film “Jaws” is released in the United States, becoming the highest-grossing film of that time.