Rotary Roundup

Meets Noon Mondays at the Hilton
www.hbgrotary.org
Executive Director: Linda Freedenberg Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Telephone: 717-234-1208
Fax: 717-234-3234

Speaker: Tiffany Brown Manager, Donor Recruitment, American Red Cross 
Blood Drive:10-2 at Hilton

Topic: What the American Red Cross provides to our local community, including the Northeastern Pennsylvania Blood Region and the importance of donating blood with the Red Cross.

Greeter:  Dave Warren
Invocation:  John Cavanaugh
Mini-Classification Talk:  James Good
Club Singing: 
Publications:  Peter Henninger

Corporate Member

PROGRAM:
Tiffany Brown currently serves as Manager, Donor Recruitment for the Northeastern Pennsylvania Blood Region of the American Red Cross. She has worked for 10 years within this region serving previously as an Account Manager covering Dauphin, Lancaster, Berks, Lebanon and Snyder County.  Tiffany held other marketing positions prior to joining the Red Cross. Tiffany graduated from Shippensburg University in 2000 with a degree in Business Administration. She resides in Mechanicsburg with her husband and 11 month old son.

NEWS AND NOTES:
• Roster information sheets are available:  Please check the information for accuracy, circle the committees you would like to be on for 2012-13 and return to Linda.
• Please submit your nomination for Community Service Awardee from our Club.

• Rotary/Red Cross Blood Drive:2nd Blood Drive will be on April 2 at the Hilton.  We will have our regular Rotary meeting that day in the banquet room with a speaker from the Red Cross.  Please sign up for time slots 10 AM - 2 PM (blood drive in another room) and you can still attend our meeting.  You will also receive future attendance credit for your blood donation.  

Below are the Links to sign up sheet for Blood Drive April 2 and the Red Cross Donor info site:  http://www.timetosignup.com/ipackman/signupsheet/7485   ---- use this link to sign up to donate blood

http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood/eligibility-requirements  ---use this link to read the donor requirements

• FREE IMAX show:  Whoa, hold on to your hat!  That's right, we are face to face with a tornado on the horizon my Rotary friends!  Thursday, April 19th at 7 PM sharp you and your guest are invited to a complimentary showing of the IMAX thriller Tornado Alley!  Please RSVP to Linda as soon as you can. There will not be tickets provided, just show up at the Whitaker Center IMAX for open seating when doors open at 6:40.  The IMAX seating is limited to 200 and we hope to have a full house of family and friends join us for a windy, good time. Oh, yeah, plan to bring a few dollars so you can grab a tub of popcorn!  ALSO – you get attendance credit!

• Rotary Evening at the Ballet on Friday, April 20, 2012. All Rotarians and guests in the district are invited to attend the evening for only $15 per person.  Typically, the seat and the food cost would be close to $60.  Respond to Dan Zalewski This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested in attending.

DISTRICT NEWS: 
• The February Governors Newsletter is available at:
http://www.rotary7390.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Ok1pspPQ9Sk%3d&tabid=113

BIRTHDAYS
Kent Patterson   APR 4
Bruce Grossman  APR 5
Russell Wert  APR 6
Larry Means  APR 7
John McHenry APR 8
Norma Swain   APR 8
Barry Goodling  APR 9
Jim Smeltzer  APR 9
Joan Prescott  APR 10
Betty Hungerford  APR 14
John Smither  APR 14

UPCOMING PROGRAMS
at the Hilton   
4/9    NO MEETING
4/16  Kelly Lewis, President/CEO
TechQuest Pennsylvania
"IS TECH AND MANUFACTURING OVER AND DEAD IN RUSTY PA"?
4/23  YCDT Presentation
 For complete programming go to our website: www.hbgrotary.org
and click on calendar.
For meeting cancelations:
Check your e-mail or call the
Rotary office at 234-1208.

YOUTH EXCHANGE REPORT: On Saturday, March 17th, twenty-six (26) Rotary Youth Exchange Students from all over the world descended on the Harrisburg YMCA at 8 AM to tour the Capital City of Pennsylvania.  The Students and their Rotary chaperones left the Y promptly at 8:30 AM for their tour of Pennsylvania’s Capitol building at 9 AM.  After they all took some terrific pictures in the Rotunda, they proceeded on to the Senate Chamber, State Supreme Court Room and the House of Representatives.  They made it back to the Rotunda without being button-holed by one lobbyist.

On the way to the State Museum, they took a water and granola break.  At the Museum a Planetarium Show was sandwiched between guided tours of each floor.  Another picture opportunity was taken with William Penn on the 2nd floor.  After a final stop at the Museum’s Gift Shop, they were off to lunch at Strawberry Square.  At the Food Court they were given $5 for lunch.  Then it was off to the IMAX at the Whitaker Center for the 3-D movie Tornado Alley.  After the Gift Shop at the Whitaker Center and a quick stop at the popular Starbucks, the girls went prom dress shopping at the Dress Barn in Strawberry Square while the boys walked to City Island and toured Metro Bank Park.  Who would have known that Dress Barn sold $20 prom dresses?  Peggy Grove!, that’s who!  And she has pictures to prove it.  They also had time to shop at The Plum before closing time. 

Both groups eventually made their way back to the YMCA.  Once there, John from the Y’s staff gave a tour of the building.  It included the basketball court, volleyball court, racquetball courts, pool, fitness center with 70 different exercise machines, and the locker rooms with saunas.

At 6:30 we all gathered for a Pizza Dinner with veggies and chips.  We had Birthday Cake and Ice Cream for dessert to celebrate Anti Nool’s birthday.  Anti, from Estonia, is the Harrisburg exchange student attending Cumberland Valley High School this year.  After a rousing Happy Birthday and a special performance of We Are the World, it was playtime the rest of the evening including basketball, dodge ball, volleyball, dancing, hula hooping, racquetball and just talking.

It was lights out around 1:30 AM with the girls adjourning to the daycare annex room while the boys slept in the daycare center.  Continental breakfast was served at 8 AM in the first floor board room after the students cleaned up the daycare rooms.  Students began leaving around 9 AM and by 10 AM the Y was turned back to the control of the Y’s staff.  Of course there was a lost and found at the end of the weekend.  It included a t-shirt, sweatshirt, boxers and a pink purse.

Because of the generosity of many Rotarians making monetary and food and beverage donations, their was no cost to the Rotary Club of Harrisburg. Thanks also go to the Whitaker Center for the donation of IMAX tickets.  Rotarians making donations were Janice Black, Pauline Wallin, Tom Arnoldi, Jack Huskin, Carolyn Dumaresq, Charlie McNutt, John and Chris Cavanaugh, Bob Saline, Steve Feinour, Rich Bowra, Corinne Rebinski, Ira Packman, Caryn Carr, Hava Pell, Sally Klein, Ginny Roth, Bonnie McCann, Jeb and Robin Stuart, Robin Scaer, Ron Guss, Linda Freedenberg, Peggy Grove, Michael Hanes, and Rich Curl.

The following Rotarians volunteered to Chaperone the students during the day: Peggy Grove, Steve Feinour, Ron Guss, John and Lisa Kooti, and Linda Spotts (Susquehanna Rotary Club).  A SPECIAL THANK YOU to the following Rotarians who chaperoned overnight: Dave Bedard, Corrine Rebinski, Myra Badorf, Kent Patterson and Tom Peluso.

Thanks to all who made this a memorable weekend for the foreign exchange students.  

Steve Feinour and Dave Bedard
Youth Exchange Committee Co-Chairs

LAST ROTARY MEETING:  3/26/12      Minutes by Dave Freet:
President Bob opened today’s meeting at 12:22 PM. He asked the members to join him in a moment of silence in memory of long-time Rotary member Harry Banzoff, who recently died. The bell was rung to end the moment of silence and begin the rest of the meeting agenda.

The meeting was re-opened at 12:30 PM with the Invocation given by Jeff Boswell, followed by Club Singing led by Caryn Carr, and the Pledge of Allegiance to our Flag formerly opening the day’s meeting.  Greeter for the day, Charlie McNutt, introduced visitors and guests.

New member, Joe Arthur, Assistant Director of Pennsylvania Food Banks, provided his mini-classification talk. Joe has had an interesting background having begun his work career in banking prior to moving to the Food Bank. Please greet Joe when you see him and extend a warm welcome.

Bob Hostetter introduced our speaker for the day, Tim Potts, Co-founder of Democracy Rising PA to share results of a 2012 “Integrity Poll” conducted by Terry Madonna of Opinion Research From Franklin & Marshall College. The poll was funded by citizens donations. (For those who missed this excellent presentation, or for additional details and complete poll, go to DemocracyRisingPA webpage at www.democracyrisingpa.com and click on the public opinion poll). Tim has had extensive experience in the public arena and brings a dose of reality of how the process works/doesn’t work in PA!

Tim postulated that people have a “right” to govern themselves. The poll was performed to determine what voters want from their elected officials. Interestingly, many public officials “fear” citizens becoming too involved in what’s happening in State Government. This was the first public opinion survey devoted exclusively to matters of public integrity. Highlights of what citizens want/don’t want/have every reason to expect of lawmakers before Election Day are:
•  68% to 28% say PA needs a Constitutional Convention to repair our government.
•  62% to 30% want to reduce the size of the legislature
•  64% to 27% believe lawmakers should NOT be allowed to vote on legislation between October and December of election years.
•  86% to 12% want to make a lawmaker’s complete record of service available to voters before Election Day.
•  71% to 16% believe delegates to a Constitutional Convention be selected in a way that ensures accurate representation of our citizenry.
•  72% to 15% want to change the way legislative districts are drawn.
•  81% to 12% want to change the structure and operations of the General Assembly, including size and term limits.
•  87% to 11% want to amend the Constitution to give citizens the right of initiative.
•  88% to 7% want to change the way political campaigns are financed.
•  65% to 31% want to provide some public money to candidates in order to reduce influence of special interests.
•  74% to 22% want to limit the amount of money individuals and organizations can give to candidates.
•  65% to 26% allow lawmakers to have pensions and health care benefits.
•  82% to 9% want to change the way local governments are financed.
•  82% to 13% want to require lawmakers to wait at least 48 hours between final amendment to a bill and a vote on final passage.
•  87% to 10% want to require voters to show some form of State-issued ID prior to casting their ballots.
•  93% to 6% want to prohibit public officials from taking “anything” of value from those who try to influence them.
•  95% to 4% want to have the same requirements for all candidates to get on the ballot, regardless of party affiliation.

The above summarizes points made by Mr. Potts and outlines areas of discussion from attendees subsequent to the formal talk. In responding to a question, Potts shared 70% of PA voters don’t want public services cut in the PA Budget and a larger % support education not being cut further.

A very enlightening talk highlighting underlying perspective of The PA electorate. In addition to his comments, Mr. Potts handed out Democracy Rising PA (DR) 2012 Political Survival Guides. Several key points:
•  Never believe anything one candidate says about another
•  Watch to see who plays by the rules.
•  Find out what candidates are for, not what they are against.
•  Listen to everyone’s ideas.
•  There are no easy solutions to hard problems.
•  Don’t reward the slick and sleazy.

You missed a good one!

OFFICERS:

DIRECTORS:

Robert S. Saline              
Una Martone
Karen F. Snider
John P. Judson, M.D.
Carolyn Dumaresq, Ed.D.
William B. Boles
Richard Utley                

President
President-Elect
Vice President
Immediate Past President
Secretary
Treasurer
Sergeant-at-Arms

Sandra Beck
Caryn J. Carr
David E. Freet
Kent E. Frese
Lisa Lewis
Thomas A. Peluso
Andrew R. Rebuck
Robin Scaer