PROGRAM: The Harrisburg High School Tour Choir is a 12 member vocal ensemble selected from the larger HHS Concert Choir.  They have performed extensively throughout the community including the State Capitol, the Governor's mansion, various service organizations and nursing and assisted-living facilities, and also at Strawberry Square.  They also performed at the second inauguration of Governor Ed Rendell this past January.
 
The Tour Choir will be performing selections from their holiday concert, which was held last Tuesday, December 11, at the John Harris Auditorium.  Performance venues this holiday season include the Rutherford House Senior Citizens Center in Harrisburg and the Loyalton of Creekview Assisted Living Community in Mechanicsburg.
 
The Choir is joined by Michael Clements, Choral Director, Harrisburg High School.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS / MEETING LOCATIONS:  

• Dec 17                   Harrisburg High School Tour Choir
  Hilton
• Dec 24                   NO MEETNG
• Dec 31                   NO MEETING
• Jan 7                      Estelle Richman, Secretary of Welfare
  Hilton                     “Truths and Myths about Welfare”
• Jan 14                   Robert D. Hanson Rotary Excellence Award
  Hilton
• Jan 21                   NO MEETING

For complete programming go to our website: hbgrotary.org and click on calendar.
December is Organ Donor Month

NEWS AND NOTES:  

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

• JAN-MAR 2008 Dues Invoices will be sent at the end of December.  Below are the dues:
Active Members $220/quarter
Active Specials - $50/per quarter plus $13/meal
Included in the mailing will be the $100 invoice for Rotary International Foundation.

• Salvation Army Bell Ringing
Tuesday, December 18      Wednesday, December 19
Sign up at the information table.

• Please send in your nominations:
           Robert D. Hanson Rotary Excellence Award by December 17
           Vice President (President 2010-11) by January 1

• JOINING HANDS - Rebuilding after Katrina

The Club is joining hands with the District to rebuilt homes and lives after Katrina devastation. Five members of the Club are planning to fly to Biloxi, MS to join with others to rebuild homes. Another member has contributed toward the cost of construction materials.

At the December 17th  Rotary meeting those who can give a week of their time this winter will decide on their preferred dates for this service.  Volunteers are needed most weeks in January through March.

The program calls for those volunteering to fly to Biloxi on a Sunday where local volunteers meet them. Meals and housing will be “dormitory style” in the fellowship hall of a local Lutheran Church. Volunteers are asked to provide their own airfare (about $265 from Baltimore) and $20/day for food and housing expenses. Some members are considering flying down privately. The local arrangements committee provides tools and transportation to the work site.

The construction work varies from week to week. January will involved general construction. February will involve drywall, taping, spackling, orange peel spray coating, and insulation. March will need interior finishing: painting, installing cabinets and fixtures, trim, doors and flooring. Also needed are people to prepare meals and provide clerical and administrative support. People with all levels of skill are needed.

The World Fellowship Committee and President Carrie hope that a large number from our Club can participate in this humanitarian service. You will hear more at our Club meeting Monday. Please pick up a registration form at the meeting Monday and indicate all possible weeks of service, What a plus for our club to have members working  together!  Applications will be on the tables and on our website:   www.hbgrotary.org
Tom Johnston or John Judson

• DISTRICT:  The 2008 Teacher Impact Awards seek to recognize Teachers who have made a significant difference in the lives of their students.  You may nominate a teacher!
Forms are on the information table or go to the district website:  www.rotary7390.org
Deadline:  January 25, 2008
All nominated teachers will be invited to a special awards banquet on Monday April 14, 2008.  The five winners will receive a plaque and a $1,000 check, given to the school in the teacher’s name.

•  YOUTH EXCHANGE INFO
The Rotary Club of Harrisburg is sponsoring Ange Sauvage from Lyon , France. Ange is attending Susquehanna Township High School. The Youth Exchange Committee will be interviewing host families (they do not need to be Rotarians) in Susquehanna Township. Ange will stay with 3 host families during the school year. He will stay with each family about 3 months. Host families are to treat him as you would your own child. Ange will receive an allowance from the Club. If you are interested in hosting Ange or you know of someone else in Susquehanna Township who would want to host him, please contact Linda Freedenberg or Ron Guss ASAP. 

•   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: 12/10/07       52%
Rotarians  85   Active Specials  15    Guests  4    Visiting Rotarians  1 =  105

Minutes by Andy Rebuck:
“Preheat oven to 300 degrees and gather recipe items.”
“What, I thought you wanted my favorite holiday cookie recipe not the minutes of the Rotary club of Harrisburg’s meeting on December 10, 2007!”
 
In fact, I had this same problem last year! Well, the good news is you can e mail this scribe if you want the famous “chip cookie” recipe. The other good news is that much like the cookies you would soon enjoy with this secret recipe, the meeting today was filled with delicious surprises and tantalizing developments.
 
Today started with Jack “I’m a New England Patriot fan” Snavely jumping into a seat at this scribes table like a tike on Christmas morning! Fortunately, exactly seven minutes later, President Carrie, rang the bell and the Steeler fans at the table were able to relax again.
Marion “Maestro” Alexander led club singing, Wil “Pinch Praying” Everhart offered today’s invocation and Steve “IMAX” Krempasky introduced our guests.
 
As quick as you can flip a cookie, Barry “President-Elect” Ramper turned on the heat with a warm introduction of five, new club members and awarded blue badges to four more members celebrating a six month anniversary!
 
Speaking of warm, we welcomed to the podium our very own Bob and Bob show. Yes, Dominican Bob Hall and Bouncing Bob Hostetter took time from their holiday shopping to share some warm memories of their efforts at the Dominican dental clinic this past March and November. (If you want to feel really good about donating $100 to the Rotary International fund, catch up to Bob and Bob to hear about the good work we can do with these funds!)
 
Now, this is where the meeting got delicious! Rotarian Jeannette Archer-Simmons took three minutes to give us an update on her job with the Girl Scouts of America, but most importantly she invited us to open up and dig into the boxes of Girl Scout cookies she had strategically placed on our tables. Three cheers for Jeannette and perhaps the program committee noted that she might be the perfect guest speaker for an ongoing series that might last say several months!
 
Did someone mention Holiday shopping? The Peggy and Gib duo brought the last four tantalizing items from the pancake auction and fortunately we had Jack “Candy Land” Detweiler, Tom “Call Me YMCA” Arnoldi and Karen “Super Shopper” Snider step up and purchase these items to fatten the pancake breakfast fundraising initiative.
 
We saved the best for last as District Governor Dennis was welcomed to the microphone by our very own Karen “Hospitable” Paris. (She did note that he is not AKA Dennis the Menace, but rather Dennis the Doer! Dennis recapped our club programs and most assuredly was supportive and appreciative of Club #23 in all the world!
In a compelling, heart-warming and sometimes humorous style, Dennis led us through a series of informative slides and then a series of photographs from his humanitarian trips to Brazil, Peru and Mississippi. 
 
He finished by adding that he might not have been able to say everything he had planned and by that he did encourage us to “act with kindness, have fun and remember that laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.”

Please support our Officers and Board by serving our club and our community as we begin our new Rotary year!