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

August 31, 2009

Community Service Award - Thomas M. (Tom) Johnston, Jr.

Greeter: Steve Feinour
Invocation: Howard Ross
Rotary Minute: Maria Persico
Mini-Classification Talk: Jim Brock
Good News Reporter: Steve Feinour
Club Singing: Doug Pieper
Publications: Carrie W. Thomas

Corporate Member

PROGRAM:
Today's recipient of the Community Service Award is Thomas M. (Tom) Johnston, Jr. A native of Coral Gables, Florida, Tom shaped his commitment to service there through the Wheel Club, a high school service club sponsored by Rotary.

Tom went on to earn degrees from Amherst College [where he lettered in tennis and crew], Yale Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, and San Francisco Theological Seminary.

During his career as a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), he served as chaplain at North Carolina State University, as an urban pastor in West Philadelphia, and as organizer a multi-racial new church development in Clearwater, Florida.  There he sought to develop an open, humane and inclusive community through pastoral care and community development. In the course of this work he helped organize seven not-for-profit corporations, served on a score of boards and foundations and was listed in Who’s Who in America. One of these, Religious Community Services, joined Protestant, Catholic and Jewish congregations in community service and continues to be vital and active today. The Governor of Florida recognized his leadership by appointing him to the Pinellas County School Board to which he was subsequently elected.  He also served as President of the Pinellas County Head Start Board and a member of the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Authority.

The Synod of the Covenant then called Tom to serve the thirteen presbyteries and their churches in Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan. From there the Synod of the Trinity elected him Executive to serve its sixteen presbyteries, 1,343 churches and 311,529 members in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and SE Ohio. Its mission includes seven colleges, thirty-six campus ministries, two career centers, and numerous other educational, justice, communication and church development ministries in the region.

Tom is proud of his service through Rotary.  While Club president he led sixteen to Ethiopia for polio immunizations. He also spearheaded a Rotary matching grant that provided 30,000 schoolbooks to the children of The Gambia, West Africa. He now serves the District as its Global Networks representative.

In retirement, he is active in numerous voluntary service activities as:

• an AngelFlight pilot flying medically indigent persons and their families to and from hospitals and treatment centers;
• chair of the Northeast Americas Section of Rotary's International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians;
• serving on various United Way allocations panels;
• a construction worker or team leader in the District's Joining Hands program rebuilding coastal Mississippi homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina;
• board member of Lend a Hand, an agency that recruits, transports, and deploys a busload of volunteers monthly from south central Pennsylvania for disaster recovery throughout the eastern United States.
• participant in the 100 Men Reading Program in the Harrisburg elementary schools.
• Planner of  the Fiftieth Class Reunions of Amherst College and Yale Divinity School;
• an officer of Christian Churches United and its programs of HELP, food distribution, Prison Chaplaincy, and housing for the homeless;
• member of the Pennsylvania Council of Churches Centennial Celebration Committee with other former presidents of the organization;
• initiator to raise $1,000,000 for Susquehanna Harbor Safe Haven, a new US Department of Housing and Urban Development funded program to provide semi-permanent housing and social services to twenty-four mentally disturbed homes men; and
• a breakfast server to the homeless on Sunday mornings and a host for their winter overnight shelter.

His family includes his wife, Anna, a retired social worker and educator; and three children:  Kathryn, acting director of the library at Chicago School of Optometry; Timothy, a senior health economist with the World Bank in Cambodia; and Sara, formerly Peace Corp staff now living in Charlottesville. Tom particularly enjoys, sailing, skiing and visiting with his three grandchildren.

Birthdays:
Bridget Montgomery - AUG 31
Diane Voda - AUG 31
Anthony Worrall - SEP 1
Harry Derrick - SEP 2
Frank Fischer - SEP 2
Joyce Libby - SEP 4
Marc Scaringi -  SEP 4
Ellen Kyzer - SEP 6
Kendall Hanna - SEP 7
Churchill Pinder - SEP 8
Henry Rhoads - SEP 9
Don Alsedek  - SEP 12
Chuck Friedman - SEP 12
Ron Guss - SEP 12
John Hickey - SEP 13

UPCOMING PROGRAMS / MEETING LOCATIONS:

• August 31        Community Service Award- Hilton

• September 7 –
  NO MEETING - Labor Day

• September 14 -
  Gregory Fajt, Chairman of PA Gaming Control Board and Licensing Analyst -Hilton
• September 21 -
  Mehdi Noorbaksh, Ph.D.,  Associate Professor International Affairs, Harrisburg University – Hilton Iran after the June election

• September 28 -
  NO MEETING – Yom Kippur

For complete programming go to our website: hbgrotary.org and click on calendar.
For meeting cancellations due to inclement weather.... Tune to ABC27-TV
or check your e-mail or call the Rotary office at 234-1208.

NEWS AND NOTES:
• MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
**SUPPORT THE R.I. CLEAN WATER PROJECT SEPT. 5th, 6th, 7th KIPONA Weekend**

Did you know… a donation of $1.00 can provide about 1,000 gallons of clean drinking water, or the minimum amount of clean water needed for each individual per year?

Jack Huskin, Chair, is heading up our first-time Clean Water Project on Kipona weekend. Come out and volunteer Saturday-Monday, Sept 5th, Sept 6th or 7th in the front of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on Front Street. You will be helping thousands of people in underprivileged countries around the world in dire need of clean water and sanitation.  Keystone Rotary members will be selling delicious root-beer floats alongside our booth and will assist in bottled water sales. Harrisburg Rotary Club members are encouraged to fill up the Sunday time slots initially with a need for additional volunteers on Saturday and Monday. (Sunday's shifts are 12-2, 2-4, 4-6, 6-8)

Joining with the Carlisle Rotary, our efforts will help bring clean water to nearly 1500 underprivileged people near the Village of Comayagua, Honduras. This is one of many R.I. projects providing safe, clean water and sanitation to those in need.

We are asking each Rotarian to commit to purchase one case of water / 24 District labeled bottles for only $6.00 … that’s only $.25 per bottle! The Harrisburg Rotary Foundation  have already made this commitment and have made the same challenge the Rotary Board ---many who have already committed  – now we challenge you to do the same!

Our goal is to sell 35 cases of bottled water during the fun-filled Labor Day weekend.  Water bottles will be sold for $1.00 each. With the help of Rotarian volunteers we can raise $840.00!

Please write your $6.00 check payable to the Harrisburg Rotary Foundation… AND sign up to be a clean water volunteer!

Come out and celebrate this Labor Day Weekend! See Jack Huskin (237-7127) or Linda Freedenberg (234-1208) following the meeting to sign up.

You're invited to Al Baker's Happy Hour Thursday, September 10th 5:30-7:30 PM.
This fabulous event will have a $20 minimum donation the Harrisburg Rotary.

Thanks to the generosity of Al and Joan Baker, you will be treated to wonderful food and drink, have great time and you will receive attendance credit.    Please RSVP to Linda: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with how many will be attending.

October 24th is the Annual Apple Harvest Pancake Breakfast.

• Please send or give Linda your $10 cash or check for the 2009-10 Support the Troops effort.

• HRF 100% participation goal – All Rotarians have received their $100 invoice for the Harrisburg Rotary Foundation.  We have already received 45% of our membership’s contributions.

• Thanks to Howard and Bev Ross for hosting a Pizza Welcome Party for Lukas.

The Harrisburg Rotary Club will have a Rotary Exchange Student from Bielefeld, Germany during the next school year.  Lukas Kebschull will be a senior at Susquehanna Township High School.  We want to make sure that Lukas has an enjoyable and rewarding year.  Therefore, we are asking the members of our Club to provide entertainment opportunities to him over the next year.  If you have Senators tickets, Penn State tickets, Hershey Park tickets, Hershey Bears tickets, Whitaker Center tickets, IMAX tickets, Theater tickets or tickets of any other kind that you can donate to Rotary for use by Lukas and his host families, please give them to Linda at any Rotary meeting.

Lukas will also be available for dinner/other invitations with Harrisburg Rotarians and their families.  We have been told that Lukas is an excellent golfer.  If you would like to invite Lukas to join you or your family, please contact Dave Bedard (Lukas' Rotary Counselor) after August 17th to get on Lukas' calendar.

Thank you for helping to make our Foreign Youth Exchange Program more successful.

Caryn Carr & Ron Guss
Youth Exchange Committee Co-chairs

• DISTRICT NEWS:
1.  Group Study Exchange applications for Rotarian Team Leader and Non-Rotarian Team Members are        being accepted now for the spring 2010 exchange with District 1460 (Denmark & Lithuania).   Team members must be a young professional, age 25-40 who lives or works in District 7390.  For more information, contact GSE Chair Jeff Hines or the Rotary office

Looking for Doubles Team tennis players. The District Doubles Tennis Tournament will be held on September 17th at Allenberry from 2:30-5:30 PM with dinner to follow.  Cost to players will be approximately $40 (which includes court time and dinner).  Please contact Linda if you are interested.

3.  Check out the District Newsletter: www.hbgrotary.org
click on click on About Us
click on District 7390
click on District Happenings
click on Rotar- E Reporter
or  http://www.rotary7390.org/Portals/0/August%2009%20Newsletter.pdf

ATTENDANCE:
LAST ROTARY MEETING:  8/24/09      50 %
Rotarians  81     Active Specials   11           Guests     11    Visiting Rotarians  0   = 104

Minutes by: Mark Stone
President Carolyn opened our weekly meeting at 12:18 P.M. Joan Prescott led us in prayer, followed by the singing of "America the Beautiful" and the pledge to our flag.

Jeff Boswell was called upon to introduce club Rotarians who brought guest with them. Rotarians Martone, Lutz, Katzman, Frese, Kohn, Morefield, Bedard and Piscioneri presented their guests to the club.  Celebrating birthdays this week are Joe Capita, Ray Pepe, Bob Spicer, and Bridget Whitley. Happy Birthday to all!

Committee report -Clean Water Project

President Carolyn asked Charlie McNutt, Marie Lick and Jack Huskin, Chairman of the committee to come forward.  The committee tells us that volunteers are needed to assist with sales of bottled water during the Kipona weekend, September 5, 6, 7th in front of St. Stephens Episcopal Church on Front Street. Our club is partnering with the Carlisle club in an attempt to raise money from bottled water sales to assist nearly 1,500 underprivileged people near the Village of Comayagua, Honduras.  The committee also is asking each Rotarian to commit to purchase one case of water (24 district labeled bottles) for only $6.00.  Please sign up to be a clean water volunteer or consider purchasing a case of water. Please see Linda Freedenberg to sign up to volunteer for the Kipona weekend event or contact Jack Huskin (237-7127) who can assist with additional information.

Program-- Gerald W. Kohn, Ed.D. Superintendent, Harrisburg School District, Topic:  "Harrisburg School District Update"

Bob Hostetter introduced our member and friend Jerry Kohn to the Harrisburg Rotary Club.

Dr. Kohn began his duties as Superintendent of the Harrisburg School District in July 2001 after serving as a superintendant in school districts in Massachusetts and New Jersey. His presentation today focused on the changes that have been made within the district since the mayoral takeover in 2000.  He began his remarks by thanking the Harrisburg Rotary Club for the clubs support over these past eight years. Proceeds from pancake breakfast sales over these years have been directed to the school district.  He then highlighted two new teachers within the district, Volanda Harris, Class of 2004 and Ray Isom, Class of 1983.

The Harrisburg school district consists of fifteen schools from elementary to middle to high schools serving some 9,300 students. 93% of students come from homes with household income below the poverty rate and 20% of the students are considered special education students. Student achievement results indicate that the graduation rate is up 171% since 2002 and the States PSSA test results show that scores of students who pass have doubled since 2002 to a current rate of 31.9%.  Other indicators show that the dropout rate is down 53% and college acceptance up 419% from 2001 to 2009.  The new push is to increase the "writing" score portion of the PSSA test scores within the district. 

Jerry talked about the connective learning centers, which provide some 2.5 million students worldwide with the opportunity to utilize the internet in a controlled fashion to work and learn with other students in different states and countries.  The Harrisburg School District is one of three school districts in the United States utilizing this technology and has partnered with a school district in Kansas. He talked about the gains being made in the Pre-Kindergarden program.  Finally he addressed the challenges of proposed Senate Bill 850 which would eliminate some $5.6 million dollars in state funding to the Harrisburg School District and the impact this could have on the district.  He further indicated that the John Harris campus of Harrisburg High School will dedicate the school gym in the name of the late principal, Evangeline Kimber, on October 24th, as well as, the dedication of the school library in the name of the late teacher Carolyn Henry on October 10th.  All in attendance are invited to attend these dedications. A short question & answer session followed Dr. Kohn's remarks.  For those Rotarians who missed today's meeting, you missed an informative program which summarized the progress made and a discussion of the challenges ahead.  A check was presented to Dr. Kohn for the purchase of one hundred mini calculators for students within the district.

We stood and recited the Four Way Test and the meeting was adjourned at 1:15 P.M.

OFFICERS:

DIRECTORS:

Carolyn Dumaresq            
John P. Judson, M.D.      
Robert S. Saline              
Barry Ramper, II,             
Carrie N. Wissler Thomas
William B. Boles                
William M. Tillett

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

Caryn J. Carr
John R. Detweiler
Kent E. Frese
John J. McHenry
Lawrence M. Means
Maria B. Persico
Andrew R/ Rebuck
Karen F. Snider