CLUB SERVICE

Membership: Jewel Cooper, Chair

6/30/06 188 members 6/30/07 199 members

New Members: (+34)

Attrition: (-23)

Website

Kent E. Frese, Webmaster

The new interactive website, which was launched as part of our Public Relations campaign, includes; Club Leadership, Committees, Membership Application, Calendar of Events, Membership access to our Roster, Rotary Roundup, Good News Reporting and links to the District and RI and more.

Public Relations

Shelly S. Myers, Chair

Rotary International awarded our Club a $3,000 Public Relations grant to support a year-long, multi-media campaign concentrating on membership recruitment and retention. Entitled “Top 10 Reasons to Join Rotary,” this campaign centered on the work done by our Membership Committee and fulfilled a key strategic plan initiative to attract and retain members. Media outlets included 10 billboards through LAMAR; 18, ten-second spots on WITF public radio; a 1/6 page ad in monthly Harrisburg Magazine; and a 6’ x 20’ outdoor banner hung on the Hilton’s exterior façade to celebrate our 95th Anniversary. Many thanks to the following Rotarians who leveraged their professional connections so that our Club could receive maximum benefit from the $3,000 award: Patti Boccassini, Barry Dively, Andy Rebuck, and Bob Saline.

Robert D. Hanson Rotary Excellence Award: May 21, 2007

ROBERT S. SALINE

Bob has provided exemplary leadership, service and commitment to The Rotary Club of Harrisburg through his service with Public Relations in our club and the District.

Strategic Planning Retreat: May 15 and June 12, 2007

Kent Frese, Facilitator

The following Major Objectives were established for the Rotary Club of Harrisburg during two Strategic Planning meetings held on May 15^th, 2007 and June 12^th, 2007. The specific Major Objectives, as defined in the process, for the club from July 1, 2007 through June 30^th, 2008 are as follows:

The focus area was designated by the incoming President, Carrie Wissler Thomas, for the groups to work within during the process. The second column, Major Objective, is the goal to be achieved by June 30^th, 2008. Lastly, the Major Objective Manager is the person responsible for coordinating the activities related to the goal and reporting the progress back to the club. They will act much like a project manager to ensure success and should have the full support of the membership and related committees.

COMMUNITY SERVICE HIGHLIGHTS

Community Service Award: May 7, 2007

ANDREW R. REBUCK

Andy has served as a dedicated volunteer and she epitomizes the values embodied in the Community Service Award. He has played a meaningful role in countless organizations that have had a positive impact.

Harrisburg School District • $10,000

Dear Rotarians:

In collaboration with Capital Area Head Start, community childcare providers and the Capital Area Intermediate Unit, the Harrisburg School District Preschool Program (HPP) will begin its sixth year of operation in September 2006. We expect to enroll 560 three and four-year-olds at that time; and with additional PA PreK Counts funding possibly up to 300 more children in January, 2008.

HPP classrooms for the 560 students will be located at Steele, Melrose, Marshall, Downey, Camp Curtin, Scott and Foose Elementary Schools in the 2007-2008 school year. Classrooms consist of 16 children with two teachers in each classroom. Except for Foose school, the program will operate from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM Monday through Friday. At Foose, Capital Area Head Start operates a half-day program with morning classes from 8:00AM to 11:30AM and afternoon classes from 11:30AM to 3:00PM four days a week. The fifth day (typically Wednesdays) is devoted to home visits and parent contacts. This model was developed in order to accommodate the large number of children on the waiting list in the South Harrisburg area. Childcare is available to families at all sites and is operated in partnership with community childcare providers before and after the instructional day. An optional five week summer program is available for preschoolers.

Over the past five years, HPP has used the HRF donation to purchase developmentally appropriate books, big books, books on tape, alphabet strips and resource materials for teachers. These materials continue to greatly enhanced our classrooms and have provided rich professional development resources. Your continued support of our program is allowing us to reach our goal of having 500 books in all of our classrooms; as well as, the opportunity to begin replacing books that have been lovingly used by the students. We are deeply appreciative of this year's donation and invite all of you to visit our classrooms to see the effects of your efforts. Deb Reuvenny, Early Childhood Program

Habitat for Humanity: May 19, 2007

Allen R. Westbrook, Chair

On May 19th nine Rotarians and family gathered at the Habitat headquarters to work on three different projects. One crew mixed mortar for a foundation for an addition to a home; one crew worked on framing for a new house, and one crew moved topsoil to alleviate a drainage problem. I think we all used a new set of muscles, however, the highlight was watching President Elect Carrie mix a " perfect " wheelbarrel of mortar mix. The Rotarians working were, Carrie Thomas,Scott Thomas, Bruce Thomas( cousin to Carrie ), Connie Siegel, John Morefield, Tom Johnston, Fred Hartman and Tom Imholte and son.

Pancake Breakfast: October 21, 2006

Karen M. Paris and Jacqueline Bedard, Co-Chairs

Attendance at the 10th Annual Apple Harvest Pancake Breakfast was 901 and included 63 Rotarians. The event generated a record sum of money, over $18,206, and continued the Club's tradition of supporting the Harrisburg School District. $16,206 was given to the REACH program and two additional scholarships will be made available to the School District's Sci-Tech and William Penn Campus High Schools.

Salvation Army Ringing: December 12 and 13, 2006

Harold S. Hurwitz, Chair

36 Rotarians were Bell ringers and $2,558.26 was collected for the Salvation Army. Best amount in Rotary history! Many thanks to the Rotarians who donated their time for this worthwhile event.

InterClub Thanksgiving Luncheon November 20, 2006

Twelve service clubs attended the luncheon hosted and $1,444 was collected for InterFaith Shelters.

SERVICE ABOVE SELF AWARDS: December 6, 2006

Sharon Stabinski, Chair

The "Service Above Self" award is presented annually by the Rotary Club of Harrisburg to recognize outstanding volunteer service in the non-profit community. The committee considered an array of worthy candidates and was unanimous in its selection of the following individuals for recognition. :

• Top Awardee $1,500 Barry Landis, Goodwill Industries-Keystone Area
• Honarable Mention $750 Maryann Chiavetta, The Arc of Dauphin and Lebanon Counties.

International Service

Rotary International Foundation

John P. Judson, M.D., Chair

Contributions: $ 9,438.50

Paul Harris Status

FELLOWS: Sustaining Current Club Members:

(4 of which are new) ( 14 of which are new)

World Fellowship

Robert J. Hall, Chair

The work of the committee continues to expand. Two Dominion missions were completed during the 2006-2007 Rotary year. The Harrisburg Rotary club has partnered with the Temple University Dental School to provide on an on-going basis two Dental missions to the Samana Region of the D.R. each Rotary year. The first two mission treated in excess of eight hundred patients. The Dental team is made up of two interpreters,four administrative support staff, six dental students and their professor. The local Samana Rotary Club provides transportation and refreshments for the Dental Team on a daily basis. There are plans currently formulated for two missions to be conducted during the 2007-2008 Rotary year, the first will be conducted October/2007 with another program scheduled for March/2008.

Work in Haiti also continues. We cooperated with another Rotary Club in Hamilton, Ontario, to use $69,000 for the purchase and shipping of a truck and drilling rig to Hopital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) in central Haiti. This equipment was placed in service in March and is making clean water available to remote villages who have no wells or other source of safe water. Although we have not sent a full team to Haiti this year, John Judson has made three trips during this year to HAS as a volunteer surgeon and to monitor the drilling rig project.

Group Study Exchange: May, 2007

David Morrison, Chair

During the past year the Group Study Exchange Committee coordinated a special business educational exchange initiated by the Rotary Club of Randers, Denmark. In September 2006, 22 students and several faculty members from Minerva Business College (formerly Randers Business College) visited Harrisburg for two weeks to take business classes at HACC and visit local businesses. Plans have been initiated to bring another group from Minerva in September of 2007 for a similar study exchange.

INTERNATIONAL SERVICE

Youth Exchange

Terry Barnaby and Ron Guss, Co-Chairs

INBOUND: Ricky Zambrano from Venezuela

Host families included Jim and Janis Creason • Dominic and Kristie Cavallaro • Carolyn and Dick Dumaresq

Youth Exchange Weekend: March 17-18, 2007

Terry Barnaby and Ron Guss, Coordinators

The Harrisburg Rotary Club hosted the international exchange students on the weekend of March 17. Some of the students stated that it was their favorite of this year's weekends. Some changes in this year's program were made to streamline the logistics for the organizers and the hosts. The weekend began at the Whitaker Center Imax Theater. The students had a tour of the Capital and time in the Whitaker Center and Strawberry Square followed by a pizza party in the PSEA building. Peggy Grove made last minute arrangements to take the students to a Civil War ball fundraiser in the Capital Rotunda. It turned out to be the highlight of the weekend for the students. They loved the costumes and were invited to join the dancers. They had a wonderful time and were reluctant to leave. The Master of Ceremonies introduced us to the participants. The group then went to the Harrisburg YMCA overnight where they could swim in the pool, play volleyball, basketball, use the exercise equipment and "hang out". There were lots of snacks and music provided by the students. The weekend ended with breakfast at the Y on Sunday morning, before the very tired students left for home.

Support for the Troops: June, 2007

A. John Smither, Chair

For the fourth consecutive year, our Club has continued its support of our troops, by providing financial aid initially to cover the costs of shipping overseas personal items donated by local citizens, and more recently, to the “Wounded Warrior Project” headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, in support of its mission of ministering to the personal and family needs of those servicemen and women grievously wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan, who face long-term rehabilitative care at Walter Reed and other military hospitals. Our Club’s goal has been to raise $2,000 each year ($10 from each member) as our contribution to these worthy and necessary wartime endeavors.

Thanks to the105 members who either contributed the $10 requested, or who generously made larger donations, we collected $2,974 and exceeded our 2006-07 goal, bringing the Club’s total financial aid disbursed over the four years to $11,000.00.

DISTRICT SERVICE

Foose Eye and Dental Mission, May, 2006

Foose Elementary School: Eye and Dental Mission - Our Club contributed volunteers and $500 for each mission. 80 Students received dental services and 100 students received eye exams.

VOCATIONAL SERVICE

YOUTH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Karen F. Snider, Chair

MISSION STATEMENT: To learn the value of Rotary’s Service Above Self principles through teaching high school juniors and seniors the importance of philanthropy in our community.

CORE VALUES: Participating youth will develop leadership and team building skills that will focus on a philanthropic ethic.

The YCDT project completed its third successful year in 2006-07. Thirty-two juniors and seniors from Harrisburg High, Sci-Tech High and Bishop McDevitt High Schools met monthly at the Patriot News each month during the school year. Students were accompanied by their class advisors and met on school time.

The year began with an all day Orientation at HAAC where students from the schools got to know one another and began thinking about community philanthropy. With the assistance of the United Way of the Capital Region, students did an assessment of unmet youth needs in their community.

This year the students focused on pregnant and parenting teens. They prepared a Request for Proposals which as sent to non-profit agencies in the area who work with this population. Proposals were received, evaluated and interviews with the applicants took place with the YCDT students.

The Harrisburg Rotary Foundation allocated $6,000 for the students to reallocate to the agency or agencies having the best response. This year $3500 was awarded to the Harrisburg School District Pregnant and Parenting Teen Program and $2500 was allocated to Healthy Communities.

The YCDT committee welcomes Rotarians to become active in this very successful endeavor.

Harrisburg Rotary Foundation $1,000 Scholarship

Peggy A. Grove, Chair

• Megan McGrady, Bishop McDevitt High School
• Latresa Baker, Harrisburg High School John Harris
• Corey Black, Harrisburg Sci-Tech
• Cachat House, Harriburg High School William Penn

Ecology Award $500 from Harrisburg Rotary Foundation

Carrie Wissler Thomas and John R. Detweiler, Coordinators

• Adam Runkle Carlisle High School - for his project entitled,
• “Quantifyng Nutrient Content of Legacy Sediments in Cumberland Valley”

Rotary Leaders Conference/Messiah College: June, 2006

Fred R. Hartman, Chair

• Terrace C. Brown from Harrisburg High
• Daniel J. Tomaso and Amy E. Miller from Bishop McDevitt

Students and Teachers of the Month

John H. Sutliff, Coordinator

Thirty-two students and teachers from Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg Sci-Tech, Career Technology Academy, A.C.T.S. Program and Bishop McDevitt High School were honored at our monthly ceremony held October-May.

Rotary Belle

Deb Abel, Cowmootee Chair

Rotary Belle is on the Mooooove

1. I Visited the hot spots of downtown Harrisburg.

The Cowmootie asked Rotarians who work in downtown Harrisburg businesses to host me for a week at a time. That way all Rotarians have to do is roll me around the streets and through hallways. I have a feedbag with brochures, cards, and membership applications. My sign advises that the Rotary organization is about service, fellowship, and networking and gives our phone number and website. I visited about 6 businesses in downtown Harrisburg in November and December.

2. I Paraded around Harrisburg.

November 18 was a beautiful day, and the Rotarian farmhands and I went for a beautiful walk though Harrisburg in the Holiday Parade. Children, Rotary spouses and members of our YCDT team joined us as well. I especially enjoyed the sunlight and the public accolade.

3. I made my acting debut.

The Cowmootie wanted me to appear in the Strawberry Square atrium in Harrisburg over the busy lunch hour. It wasn't going to be enough just to stand there and be ignored. Anne Alsedek, Program Director of Capital Area School for the Arts (CASA) and a Rotarian, chose a MOOOOvelous musical number and directed 13 of her wonderful students and had us singing and dancing up a storm.

Rotary Belle

95^th Anniversary Celebration - November 9, 2006

Our club salutes its members for their support and service. Special thanks to pur patrons: Garry Brinton, Kent Frese, Lou Grammes, Hal Hurwitz, Sally Klein and Andy Rebuck. Special thanks to BRP Entertainment for the generous donation of music, Pealer’s Flowers for balloons and Chuck Schulz for preparing the delicious anniversary cake. 75 attended the buffet and enjoyed a warm evening of fellowship, door prizes, IMAX movie, Mystery of the Nile and desserts.