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Our meeting today at Cafe Spiga was ably led by Bob Huttemeyer, who welcomed the 12 members and 2 guests in attendance. Bob asked us to note that next week, in addition to honoring a Comsewogue Most Motivated Student, we will have our monthly collection of OPEN CUPBOARD donations. Please continue to be generous. Kevin provided a review of last week's Annual Holiday Gift Wrapping Event: 100 youngsters who are Open Cupboard clients will undoubtedly be quite pleased with the (mostly) toys you purchased for them. The PJHS Interact students who helped with the wrapping seemed especially elated to be serving the community in this manner. All in all, this activity was deemed a success and an enjoyable prelude to Christmas. We were reminded that our Annual Winter Golf Outing will take place in the Village on Saturday, February 5th. Prepare to volunteer to assure another successful fundraiser. Pat noted that the Chandler Estate property continues to be well maintained. The 200 feet or so of fencing by the shoreline is in place; he and his son continue to mulch and clear paths; Al made sure that the benches are properly installed and level; and walkers/runners frequently offer their appreciation for the clean-up effort. You are invited to come visit this park, bring your family- including dogs- and enjoy this special, natural, tic-free space throughout the winter. Deb was our astounding Sergeant this week, posing trivia-type questions that stumped most of us- more than once! (Do you know what Elon Musk considers to be the most fake/useless title?....Answer: CEO) We sang to Bob, who recently celebrated his birthday (27th???). We also learned that this was Dawn Murray's first visit to a Rotary meeting since she and Kevin attended one at an Irish pub when they were on their honeymoon- before women were allowed to do so. She declined the opportunity to hear us sing again in celebration of their anniversary. More $$ were collected as members offered their reasons to be happy, ie., Cindy was glad for visits from family members, and also for the great success enjoyed by the Historical Society during the Dickens Festival, when the Mather House Consignment Shop earned an impressive sum through the sales of antique jewelry, china, and the like. (The Consignment Shop will be open again this weekend. Check with the Society or Cindy for the hours.) Bob introduced our other visitor, Alyssa Pecorino, the Executive Director of Camp Pa- Qua-Tuck since 2019, who was invited to be our guest speaker today. Alyssa began by thanking our club for its great support of the camp through the years- both financially and as volunteers at our twice annual camp cleanups. She reminded us that the camp runs on volunteerism and couldn't have survived the pandemic thus far if not for our physical and financial help. While many new capital projects were completed, Covid has had both a negative and positive impact on the camp. Programs had to be adjusted and modified again and again. Funding took a big hit- State funds have been slashed . Alyssa suggested new ways we can volunteer to limit the financial impact of Covid- for example, by purchasing materials for the camp (ie., buying juice machines, mattresses, picnic tables, a corral for the animals), or performing other needed labor. Among the new replacement programs now available to special needs individuals from all over LI and beyond, the camp is offering special social nights. Parents can register to send kids on certain Fridays, 6-9 PM, to enjoy dinner together- perhaps pizza, hang out, and play games. Recently the youth enjoyed a Bingo Nite, where they used emoji's instead of numbers. Beginning with once-a-month gatherings, this popular program will offer twice a month opportunities beginning in January. Special themed events included a Halloween Nite, where cabins were specially decorated, and the kids were able to visit each to receive "trick or treat" goodies. A Holiday Party is coming up this month. Santa and Mrs. Claus will greet the youngsters and will read stories. Carolers will serenade, as well. Alyssa is proud of the fact that despite Covid, services for the disabled will now be provided year round. The camp currently needs employees to make the planned programs possible. For a while, staff internships were created for nearby college students; however, that program has been eliminated. Hiring employees here has become a challenge. Alyssa will be travelling to a job fair in London, hoping to attract new hires from abroad. She wonders what summer and other season projects will be like, as it seems like Covid will not be quick to leave. Ever-changing plans are challenging, and Alyssa doesn't expect life to return to "normal" any time soon- if ever. When invited to ask questions/make comments, Al was quick to suggest that ALL Rotary Clubs in the District be contacted about the need to get involved to protect the camp and keep it going. We need to get clubs that are involved and those not yet involved with the camp to "up their ante" and help us take care of/preserve this precious resource. He also suggested that our club's $1,200 donation to the camp also needs to be increased. Alyssa responded that Patchogue Rotary has invited non-participating clubs to visit and learn about the camp. She will try to get other speakers to visit these clubs, as well.  Above: Dennis & Bob present our club's donation to Camp Pa-Qua-Tuck. Dawn Murray won the Raffle. Have a healthy, enjoyable week- and make it a productive one! |
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