HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEK Betty Hungerford   APR 14 John Smither         APR 14 John Logan           APR 16 David Warren       APR 16 Shelly Myers         APR 18 Jeannette Archer-Simons  APR 19 Connie Siegel        APR 19		HAPPY APRIL ANNIVERSARIES Greg Sutliff   45 years          Doug Wisehaupt 11 years Henry Rhoads  39 years Jeb Stuart  11 years Steve Schultz   38 years Christopher Markley 10 years Howard Ammons   33 years Dolores Liptak  8 years Paul Mahoney  31 years        Kendall Hanna  6 years Hal Hurqitz   28 years Mike Love 6 years Neil Hendershot  24 years Jacqueline Bedard   4 years Jack Snavely 23 years Rich Moultrie 4 years Charles Clevenger  20 years Sean Dolan  4 years Tom Johnston   14 years Dave Epple 1 year Marie Lick  11 years Andy Hetrick 1 year

PROGRAM: Stephen R. Reed was elected Mayor and Chief Executive Officer of the City of Harrisburg at the age of 32, taking office in 1982 and reelected 6 times since.  In the past five-reelection bids he was the unprecedented nominee of both political parties.  He is the longest serving mayor in Harrisburg history and is currently the longest-tenured mayor of all of Pennsylvania’s cities.  Prior to taking the helm of government in Pennsylvania’s Capital City, he served three terms as a member of the state’s House of Representatives (1974-1980) and he also served as a Dauphin County Commissioner (1980-1981).  He was the youngest legislator and youngest commissioner ever elected in Dauphin County and the second youngest Mayor in City history.  He was born August 9, 1949, in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.  He is a 1967 graduate of Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg and he attended historic Dickinson College in nearby Carlisle, PA.

Mayor Reed has initiated a wide range of programs and policies aimed at stimulating business and residential programs in Harrisburg.  As a result, over three decades of decline in the City’s economy have been reversed with major net gains in the number of businesses, private sector jobs and livable homes, with major increases, after 25 years of sharp decline, in property values.  The highest level of private investment in City history has now been realized in the period since 1982, amounting to over $3.8 billion in new investment in Harrisburg.  The number of businesses on the City taxrolls has increased 450%, and property values have risen eight-fold from $212 million in 1981 to over $1.6 billion today.  Programs he initiated have resulted in substantial reductions in the crime, fire, unemployment and vacant property rates.

Mayor Reed has also focused on restoring the City’s financial health, resulting in the City’s credit rating, non-existent in 1981, being restored and upgraded.  Today the City is able to routinely enter the public finance market with credit endorsements at an AAA rating, the highest in the U.S. market.  His financial programs and policies have earned Harrisburg the nation’s top two financial awards, the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award and the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, making Harrisburg one of six out of the 2,460 municipalities in the state to do so.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS / MEETING LOCATIONS:   
Apr 14                                    Mayor Stephen Reed
Hilton

Apr 21                                    Debra Bowman, Executive Director Central PA Conservancy
Hilton                                     “Land protection efforts in Cumberland , Dauphin and Perry Counties”

Apr 28                                    Robert Wurzbach, Verizon Pennsylvania Inc.
Hilton                                     Director State Government Relations
“My Life as a Lobbyist: Upfront and Behind the Scenes!”

April 30                                  STRATEGIC PLANNING RETREAT for Board and Committee Chairs
PSEA 400 N. 3rd St.  4-9 PM  RSVP required for dinner

For complete programming go to our website: hbgrotary.org and click on calendar.

NEWS AND NOTES:  

• DISTRICT CONFERENCE: Thursday, May 8-10. Register: Forms are on the information table or Go to our website www.hbgrotary.org and then to the District. The Rotary District 7390 Conference will be held in Gettysburg at the Eisenhower Hotel, May 8-10. Golf on Thursday, Plenary Sessions on Friday and Saturday, and Governor's Banquet on Saturday - sign up now for a conference full of fun, fellowship and birdies!!

•  Please make sure you have paid your $100 Harrisburg Rotary Foundation.

•  "Rotary at Work Day" on Tuesday, April 22, in conjunction with Earth Day. Please join us that day in a clean-up project along the Riverfront and Greenway in Harrisburg, assisting the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy.  You will receive an attendance make-up!   For further information contact:  Ecology Co-Chair Jack Detweiler – 214-9241.

•   HABITAT for HUMANITY Work Day: May 17.  For further info contact Fred Hartman.

•  SUPPORT OUR TROOPS PROJECT
Donate $10 cash or check payable to the Harrisburg Rotary Foundation, in support of our 2007-08 goal to raise another $2,000 to assist the non-profit “Wounded Warrior Project” minister to the personal needs of our severely wounded troops who face long-term rehab in military hospitals. Your contribution is 100% tax deductible.

For meeting cancellations due to inclement weather.... Tune to ABC27-TV
or check your e-mail or call the Rotary office at 234-1208.

ATTENDANCE:

LAST ROTARY MEETING: 4/7/08       55%
Rotarians  80   Active Specials   12   Guests   6 Visiting Rotarians  0   =  98

Minutes by Peter Henninger: 
Your minuteman has returned from his self-imposed exile to report the goings on at the Rotary Club of Harrisburg’s April 7, 2008 meeting.  President Carrie called the meeting to order.  Caryn Carr led us in singing God Bless America followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.  Al Schmidt provided the invocation.  Chuck Wingate spoke for a Rotary Minute on alternate ways of giving, through service and through donation of our air miles with Airlines.  Harry Derrick then introduced three of our members to introduce their guests.  The guests were Ted Reese, Joyce Libby and Doug Byers. Julie Girsch then gave her classification speech which was then followed by two committee reports:  One concerning our club’s earth day project of beautifying the riverfront on election day, April 22; and the other regarding the Habitat for Humanity work day on May 17.  Check with Linda for more details.  After lunch Beth Peiffer introduced our speaker Peter Greer, President of Hope International, a global non-profit organization focused on alleviating poverty, both spiritual and physical through micro-enterprise development in the most challenging places on earth.  Mr. Greer gave a wonderful presentation on his organizations work and successes throughout the poorest of the third world and educated our club that the way to improve peoples’ lives in these counties is not necessarily through direct aid but through the encouragement and assistance of supporting micro-enterprise through such vehicles as bank loans to spur business development and a sense of accomplishment and purpose.  I am sure all who were there agree that this organization is clearly on the right track in helping the poorest of the poor.  The presentation concluded with a question and answer session and adjourned at 1:10 pm.