Our best luncheon speakers come to us by way of member referral. If know of someone interesting that you think the Club might enjoy hearing from, please share your ideas with John Reynolds.
Last week we honored John R. Franchebois, who is selling his home in Pittsfield and moving out of state. JR joined the Club in 1955, and was Club President (1977-1978), served two terms on the Club Board of Directors, was the Club Photographer for 45 years, Rotary Information Committee for 9 years. Over his years with us he was a dependable volunteer, which is why the Club honored him in 1980 with a Paul Harris Fellowship. His daughter and son-in-law brought him to our meeting, which is probably the last time that many of us will see JR. We wish him well.
Last week we were entertained by Jessica Roemischer, a pianist, inspirational speaker and author. As part of her presentation, she invited a member to join her at the keyboard where, without any music experience, she invited the volunteer to select random notes that she would then interweave into a duet of sorts. It seemed rather fitting the JR Franchebois was "volunteered" for the assignment. At first somewhat shy, JR rose to the occasion as a wild man on the keys. Those of us who have been in the Club for several years will recognize some of those "memorable moments" in Club history. JR on the keyboard will be one of those moments for many years to come.
Twenty-five Rotary Clubs in northern CT and Western MA (Rotary District 7890) have joined together to fund a project that will bring fresh drinking water to two needy communities in Guatemala. Clubs from Avon-Canton, Bloomfield, Broad Brook, East Hartford, East Windsor, Enfield, Kensington-Berlin, Manchester, Newington, Plainfield, Rockville, Simsbury-Granby, Southington, Suffield, Torrington-Winsted, Watertown, West Hartford, Wethersfield/Rocky Hill, Willimantic and Windsor/Windsor Locks, CT along with Massachusetts’ clubs in Holyoke, Northampton, Palmer, Pittsfield, Southwick, West Springfield and Wilbraham/Hampden have raised $95,898. Two Rotary clubs from neighboring Massachusetts/Rhode Island District 7950, East Greenwich and Wakefield, RI, two in District 6990, Ft. Lauderdale, FL North Beach and Hollywood, FL, members of a Montreal, Quebec Rotary Club in District 7040, members of the Rotary Club of La Antigua, Guatemala District 4250, the Berlin H. S. Interact Club and the CT International Baccalaureate Academy also contributed funds to achieve the fund raising goal.
These funds will build complete gravity fed water system with gray water filters, vented pit latrines and improved vented stoves for the 135 families (750 people) who live in the rural communities of Chuchuca' Bajo and El Garabato, Guatemala. These are the eleventh and twelfth funded projects continuing the goal of Rotary International to have every Rotary Club support an international water and sanitation project every year. By working together, pooling their resources and obtaining a Global Grant with matching funds from The Rotary Foundation, the Rotarians have been successful in adding size and strength to their chosen projects.
District Water Committee Chair and Manchester Rotarian Rick Lawrence again spearheaded the drive to raise the necessary funds by making presentations about the project to the area clubs as well as several other Rotary clubs in Greater Hartford. In February he and his wife traveled to Guatemala to visit the two villages that were funded the previous year. While there, he documented photographically the improvements and expressions of gratitude displayed by the members of the village, utilizing these during his presentations and showing the Rotarians how important their past contributions were to these indigenous Mayans.
The project’s implementation will be coordinated through the host partner, the Rotary Club of La Antigua, Guatemala and its cooperating partner, ALDEA (formerly Behrhorst Partners for Development), a non-profit organization with ties to over 60 communities in Guatemala. ALDEA helps train community-chosen people as traditional birth attendants, a health promoter, a village dispensary manager and someone to oversee use of medical emergency transportation funds. ALDEA also provides extensive training in hygiene, maintenance of the water system components, micro loans, nutrition, including help in school and home vegetable gardens, as well as educational talks about family planning and birth spacing. In Guatemala over 50% of children suffer from chronic malnutrition.
This Rotary project will help address some of the basic causes of poor health in this area, and will help the villagers address basic sanitation – water systems, gray-water filters and latrines – in order to help prevent the constant illnesses that afflict the population, particularly children.
At a recent meeting of the Manchester Rotary Club representatives from clubs contributing to the Chuchuca' Bajo and El Garabato, Guatemala water projects are as follows (L-R):
Front Row:
Bill Squires Enfield; Past District Governor Mike Barnett – Manchester; District Governor Mike Roy – Northampton, MA; Zoe Kopp – ALDEA Past Vice President; Pam Lupoli - Windsor/Windsor Locks; Gina Herboldt - Wethersfield/Rocky Hill; Dennis Guay – Windsor/Windsor Locks; District Governor Elect Kyong Wilson; Ray Perlioni – Suffield; Manchester Rotarian & Project Chair Rick Lawrence.
Back Row:
Peter Klock – East Hartford; Kevin Mayo – Enfield; Mark Weisman – Bloomfield; Ed McCarron – Holyoke, MA; Ed Silverstein – Newington; and Kevin Nguyen – Connecticut International Baccalaureate Academy.
For further information, contact Rick Lawrence at elawrlaw@sbcglobal.net or (860) 643-4560 H or (860) 558-2793 C.
