Today was an Open Cupboard Collection Day. Thank you, donors, for your continued generosity, and Dennis, for delivering the goods safely to their destination!
We also welcomed and honored our newest Most Motivated Student, Luke Dickhuth, who was accompanied to our luncheon by both of his parents in addition to ELA teacher Deirdre Filippi, PJMS Principal Bob Neidig, Dist. Sup't. of Schools Paul Casciano, and Ass't. Sup't. for Business Sean Leister. Bob introduced Luke and enumerated the reasons why this student merited this award. In addition to possessing a tremendously high GPA, Luke was praised by his teachers for being exceptionally dedicated and hard-working and for displaying a quiet confidence that allows him to stand out without trying to dominate classroom discussions. Respectful of others when sharing his ideas, Luke's demeanor and positive attitude are appreciated by all. Working well with his peers, he helps keep them on task in the classroom. His Latin teacher praised Luke as being an amazing student, able to grasp with ease the complexities of the grammar involved in Latin studies. In nominating Luke, Deirdre noted that she considers him to be an excellent role model for his fellow-students: diligent, active in class, caring, and kind. In summary, Bob praised Luke for the positive qualities that he demonstrates consistently and that the school tries to cultivate and instill in its students. Bob quoted R.J.Palacio, the author of "Wonder", and concluded that if Luke continues to follow the path he's on, he is certain to be successful in life.
At 2:40 PM, many of our members reconvened in Port Jeff High's cafeteria, having hauled into the venue hundreds of gifts destined to go to many of the young clients of The Open Cupboard. Joined by members of the Interact Club and Deirdre, their sponsor, District administrators and staff, and a few spouses and children- and to the accompaniment of Christmas music- all undertook the joyous task of wrapping the gifts that came in all shapes and sizes. Kevin and Jim helped organize the wrapped items by number and checked the lists to ensure that no child be left out as a recipient. Wrapping and labeling ultimately completed, the gifts were then placed in large bags for delivery to The Open Cupboard by a caravan of members' vehicles.
Celebration of another job well done followed at Ruvo's, at a gathering hosted by our generous Jackpot winner, Ward. Bravo!
ANNOUNCEMENTS/REMINDERS: The pot containing $970 was won today by Ward Clarke when he picked the ace from the 3 remaining cards (including a Joker). Congratulations, Ward! - And thank you for offering to treat Rotarians at the fellowship gathering at Ruvo following our Annual Gift Wrapping Event at PJHS! (A jolly time was had by all attending both events!) We'll be starting a new pot next week with a full deck of cards.***Next Tues., December 19th, we will hold our Annual Holiday Party & Gift Exchange (with gifts of a value of $15 or less) at Cafe Spiga and will also collect donated gifts for the Woodhaven Center of Care residents. The Executive Board will meet at Michael's office on Friday, December 15th, at 7:30 AM. The Golf Tournament Committee will meet at 8:30 AM on the same date, same place. Please note:Plans for our upcoming Winter Golf Outing Fundraiser ( The 1st Ever Putt & Pub Crawl to be held in Port !), scheduled for Saturday, February 10th (rain date Saturday, March 3rd), are coming along well. Area restaurants that will each sponsor a hole (so far) include Brewology, Burger Bistro, C'est Cheese, Crazy Fish, Port Jeff Brewing Co., Ruvo's, Schaeffer's, and Tommy's. ***One more restaurant venue is being sought. Can you help with this? Danford's will serve as our Club House for Registration and the Rewards Reception. Each player fee of $100 includes a round of golf (9 holes) indoors, three free beer/wine/drink tickets and free appetizers, a commemorative event gift, many laughs and much fun! Businesses are invited to be sponsors at a variety of levels (and costs); foursomes are encouraged- as is participation in our Best Costume Contest, when the best named/dressed foursome could win $100 and best individual costume will win $50; and there will be a raffle drawing, too. The day's activities will begin at Danford's between 11-11:45 AM. Play begins at noon, including a Hole-In-One contest. At 5 PM, the Awards & Raffles will be announced and celebrated at Danford's. ***The planning committee is hoping that each member will donate a raffle prize of $50 (or more) in value (ie., a gift certificate) and that we hand out event brochures and hang posters throughout the village. Michael reported that he attended the Port Jeff Lions meeting Monday night. The Lions, who meet once a month, welcomed many guests including Michael at this meeting. They plan to participate in our Winter Golf Outing, will have at least one foursome at the event, and even offered to set up a hole. Kevin reminded us that 6 of our members will be among the 18 participants in the Annual Ski Trip, Wednesday thru Saturday, January 10th-13th. ***Also, more places are still available.*** Contact Kevin if you're interested.Judi announced that the Suffolk County Council of the Boy Scouts of America is in the midst of a year-end fundraising effort where donations will be matched benefiting LI youngsters who could not otherwise afford to participate in Boy Scout programs. She invites you to send your donations to the Suffolk County Council of BSA, 7 Scouting Boulevard, Medford, NY 11763-2285. Dennis reported on a meeting he attended in Hicksville with RYLA kids in Senior Leadership, and he will be, in the near future, explaining to us possible changes to the RYLA program as well as making a request for club donations to help ensure RYLA's continued success. Erika invites us to Friday's December 15th Ice Skating Fundraiser (6:15-7:30 PM) to be held at The Rinx, sponsored by Trinity Lutheran Church. The cost of participation will be $12 per person. Monies raised at this event will go towards the church's house-building project in North Carolina, which involves youngsters and adults from the congregation. A second fundraiser, a Breakfast held for the same purpose (cost $10 p/p), will take place on Saturday, December 16th, from 8-10 AM, at Appleby's in Miller Place. Contact Erika for more information. The Hope Children's Fund invites you to its 1st "Passion for Education Gala" supporting the education of the residents of the Jerusha Mwiraria Hope Children's Home in Meru, Kenya. The Gala, which will be held on Sunday, February 18th, from 6-10 PM at East Wind's Northampton Ballroom in Wading River, will include a Cocktail Hour, Dinner, Entertainment, & a Silent Auction. Tickets are $200 p/p (tax deductible). Discounted overnight accommodations at Eastwind are available. Please RSVP to HCFgala@gmail.com or Hope Children's Fund, P.O.Box 1345, East Northport, NY 11731 or via FaceBook.com/hopechildrensfund. Do you know of a woman who lives and/or works in the Town of Brookhaven who you feel deserves to be recognized as a Woman of The Year at the Town's 32nd Annual Women's Recognition Night in March, 2018? Please visit the Town's web site to learn of the award categories available and for applications required to submit award candidate proposals. Sal shared a photo of Samantha's baby, Amelia, who attended her first Dickens Festival in Port Jeff. Cute!
Jim has a supply of PJ Rotary golf shirts and will part with them for $10 each. Do you own one? If not, why not?
Bob is still seeking evening meeting places, 1 per month. Contact him if you can provide a meeting site.
***Please check out our page on Face Book- and Like Us.
If you missed today's meeting, kindly inform Yvette about make-ups in a timely fashion.
***The following is a list of donation "assignments" for members' once-a-month donations via the Club to the Open Cupboard: (*If you don't see your name on this list, select an item from it for your donation.)
Betts, Judi: Toilet Paper
Bossert, Ken: Shampoo/Conditioner
Brennan, Dennis: Canned Fruit
Brennan, Sharon: Spaghetti Sauce
Berner, Cynthia: Rice
Curry, Bill: Apple Juice
Dinunzio, Ed: Diapers
Engelhardt, Debbie: Juice Boxes
Gautam, Archana: Baby Wipes
Hanson, Susan: Baby Formula
Hohler, Yvette: Beans
Jaeger, Bill: Canned Vegetables
Janhsen, Karl: Milk (Dry or Boxed)
Jurasits, Erika: Cereal (Hot or Cold)
Kopcienski, Al Cereal (Hot or Cold)
Lund, Amy: Canned Chicken
Murray, Kevin: Tuna
Rhatigan, Jim: Diapers
Sabo, Pat: Beans
Sceiford, Michael: Grape Juice Boxes
Vigliante, Paul: Milk (Dry or Boxed)
***Check the list for your name and assigned item. (If you are not listed, you may donate any listed item. Corporate members are encouraged to donate individually. If you would like to be listed with a specific item, contact Debbie and specify your item of choice.)
***Bring contributions to the Heritage Diner on the 2nd Tuesday of the month or give to another Club member who will be attending.
*** If you would like to be reimbursed, bring receipt(s) to the meeting.
...BOB HUTTEMEYER, whose birthday was December 1st; SARANTO CALAMAS and HOWIE WUNDERLICH, who will both celebrate their birthdays on December 13th; WARD CLARKE, who has an anniversary and celebrates his 55th year in Rotary this month; and JIM RHATIGAN, who is celebrating his 33rd year as a Rotarian!
