#96 Crystal City (7610)

This was originally planned to be club #100, but with the holidays many clubs have altered schedules and so, my schedule was changed.  So Crystal City is #96.  This is the home club of our District Governor Ron Marion, and I had the pleasure of staying with him and his lovely wife Rosane. The accommodations were most comfortable.  I was also looking forward to meeting two club members who will be participating in the upcoming Polio NID trip to India next month.

Alas, the two members traveling to India were not present as well as two other members that I am acquainted with.  I had the pleasure to see club member Sue Bentley brought into the Paul Harris Society.  I have absolutely enjoyed seeing members awarded for their commitment to the Rotary Foundation and what that will do to help so many people around the globe in so many ways.  
This breakfast club meets on the 3rd floor of the Crystal City Sports Pub, where the traditional breakfast fare is served.  This morning we heard from Cindy Ann Peterson & Pat Locke (Springfield club) on the upcoming Leadership for New Generations Conference which will be held at George Mason University on March 11th.  Facilitated by West Point Military Cadets this program encourages and teaches leadership skills to middle school students.  At the conclusion of the meeting Cindy Ann came up to me and shared that her brother is a wheelchair bound Polio survivor.  It is inspiring to hear the stories of the Polio survivors and of their resilience.

Meal $15

Member Eric Barr updates the club on the projects in Uganda

Sue Bentley receives the Paul Harris Society Plaque from Ron Marion

Sue is presented with the Paul Harris Society ribbon

Pat Locke of the Springfield club talks about the
Leadership for New generations Conference

# 95 McLean Holiday party

This was my official visit wit the McLean club, I presented to the club about 2 weeks prior to my official start, so this visit I have dubbed the official visit.  The holiday party was held at the" beautiful "  country club.

Arriving with Ron & Rosane Marion we were welcomed by several club members, and were absolutely delighted Thank you President Yarbrough for inviting me.  I must say the food was delicious, no chicken & green beans.  This club leads the way when it comes to Polio fundraising and their efforts to help in the eradication of Polio.  I look forward to being with the club on February 23rd for Rotary's Anniversary and hopefully lighting up something with "End Polio Now".

# 94 Matthews Rock Fish Tournament (7610)

What kind of fund raiser can you do when it's really cold outside, why a Rock Fish Tournament.  The Matthews club has been successful with the tournament for years and this year was no exception, cold temperature and little winds made for a great day of fishing.
Friday evening the anglers came to this waterfront community to sign up and get their boat tags.  It was expected that about 50 boats would be out on the waters.  I was there to help with sign in the boats and promoting the raffle.  One member's wife made bar-b-que with all the trimmings for the crowd.

Angler, signing in

Nice sign

sign in table, IPP Dave runs a tight ship

2nd place winner, that's a big fish!

# 93Bon Air (7600)

Gale handing member Paul Harris Sapphire Pin 

PE Gale & Richard

Jim Minz, Greeter & automatic door opener.  54 years perfect attendance

Breakfast at Joe's Inn, yummy!  PE Gale was walking in when I arrived so it was great to see a face I knew.  This club has many items to note.  The food was great and the variety overwhelming.  Member Richard Cunningham and his pins. If he was younger I would have confused him with a Rotary Exchange Student!  And the Banners they have over 450, which may be more than Alexandria.  This club threw me for a loop when they said the invocation in unison, which was written on the club bulletin.

One light hearted note: The club was recognizing 5 members for perfect attendance....only two were there!!!!

Congratulations to President Cora on the completion on her doctorate in Physical therapy. Member Jim Minz has 54 years of perfect attendance, only missing one day when his wife was hospitalized.  Next year's holiday party will be on Dec 2nd which will also be Jim's 100th birthday....He said he hope that he's there to attend... by the way he is the greeter opening the door for all using his cane.  AG Karin was also in attendance, I'm looking forward to visiting her club, the James River club.

I can wait to come back to this club.

Thank you for the flag.

Meal $10

# 92 West Point Holiday Party

My third evening with the Cawley's; Monday night was the Area gathering, Tuesday night; the board meeting and tonight the club holiday party.  It was well attended and as usual the Cawley's are wonderful hosts.

# 91 Innsbrook (7600)

PE Kay, President Gerard and AG Steve

I had company going to this meeting, my next door neighbor and fellow Rotarian Mike Matthews joined me, as his office is just down the street from this site.  This large club could find one hidden in the crowd, but I soon found that people don't hide here.  During "Happy Talk" a member stands up and usually shouts out to another member and fun banter and/or support goes back and forth to announce upcoming events or announcements.  At first I thought how odd that one member stood up called out to another and announced the item.  But then it happened at least 3 more times.  It was a fun way to get items out to the group.

I knew several members at this club either from RLI, or the district conference.  One Rotarian was delivering Poinsettias from the West Richmond Club, I called him out telling the audience that I had a groupie, to which he replied...I'd follow you anywhere...I have enjoyed the humor of the clubs on this trip.

After giving my talk, Eric Latham a honorary Rotarian with the Gainesville-Haymarket club, spoke about his journey walking across the US to raise funds for cancer research.  We had a good talk after the meeting,  after telling him that I was trying to work on getting Ramesh Ferris to the district conference, he said the two have been  in correspondence since their cross-venture trips.  It would be great for the two to meet.

I very much appreciate the flag.

Meal: $15
Donation: $5 (from a member)

# 90 Louisa (7610)

This small club west of Richmond, is a dinner club and by all account enjoy their weekly gathering.  This small group was very inviting and interested in the undertaking I have embraced.  I was happy to see AG Julie Green & husband George, who had come to support my efforts. On the recommendation of a member I ordered the chicken Alfredo and was not disappointed.  Although the portions were excessively large, this provides a nice snack for teenage boys at my home.  But the best part of the meal was the homemade brownies in little rose bundt shapes.

You will see a white board with items, names & dates.  This shows the members when they come in what items that are current or coming up, who is the leader of the item and date due.  Great idea!  I never did learn what the cold weather kits were, but it sounds like a good idea.

I had ample time to share my past and future trips of India as well as the Polio Plus efforts.  The club donated the happy dollars and raffle moneys to Polio Plus.  As well as other members offering to make donations.  It was all very much appreciated.

Meal $20
Donations: $15

# 89 West Richmond (7600)

James Earhart showing tools of the
trade for competitive tree climbing

Flowers, Flowers and more Flowers.  The West Richmond club was hosting a Poinsettia sale and by all accounts they did quite well in the sale of the holiday favorite.  These plants were huge I'd guess  three feet tall.  While this is not new I was pleased to see a club member who played the piano for the enjoyment of the members.  He was very very good and he wore a beautiful Rotary pin of a musical staff with the Rotary emblem.  By the way, this is the second club that meets at the Westwood Racquet Club.

The featured speaker was a competitive tree climber and while I have never heard of this event, it was very interesting and the videos amazing.  But what I was most taken with at this club was what they do to honor their speakers.  They donate ten Polio vaccines in the speakers name, I was almost brought to tears.  Thank you so very much!  This is how they do their fund raising for Polio Plus and I could not be happier to see this.  This is the first club that I have heard of to offer this.

By the way the lunch buffet was outstanding.  I enjoyed the company of the members at my table and have been asked to come back in April to speak on my next trip to India.

Meal: $15

# 88 Fluvanna (7600)

Fluvanna is very much like the West Point Club, located at the end of a district with ties closer to the neighboring clubs in another district.  It is also a water community, although they actually meet in a building overlooking the water, a very nice view to start your day.  But all districts have to draw a line somewhere.  Fortunately 7600 and 7610 do work together in several areas and this alliance helps both of the districts.

I had no problems finding the meeting spot which is located inside a gated community with one entrance for outsiders.  I was also the first to arrive, so was a little nervous when there were no other cars.  But they soon came and I was able to meet the club.  I met club member Bob, who traveled to India 2 years ago to participate in a Polio NID, wherein I eagerly absorbed his story from his journey.  This was the first time I learned someone from 7600 had also participated in an NID.

Thank you for the  4-Way test coin.

Meal $10

# 87 West Point Board Meeting

Okay there is not a lot to say about a board meeting, but we are in  the throughs of locating a new caterer, with pricing that won't push members away.  It is very challenging to find the right mix and with prices escalating and facilities charging rent, it can be difficult to meet the needs of all the members.  Our meeting typically last about an hour and a half, and we are usually successful at accomplishing the goals.
We voted for a new member and if no one objects we will induct this person later in the month.

# 86 Newport News

I met President Patty at the District Conference and was happy to join this club for lunch.  A busy meeting was in order with a new member joining the ranks. I know a couple of members and can I tell you this club has some amazing members who are leading the way to make communities around the world better. Ken Franz and the Bridges to Prosperity program that helps connect communities with footbridges and Ken Hodges who rode a motorcycle to South America to raise funds for the Rotary Foundation and is looking forward to cruising across Africa for another event.  The Club offers it's Happy Dollars to Polio Plus and has a piggy bank to aid in the collection.

Newest member is pinned

The piggy bank for Polio

The featured speaker, former member and attorney, turned author, Robert "Buster" Brown, introduced us to "The Longbridge Decision" a fast paced legal thriller, which has just been published.   The group was very happy for this accomplished attorney and had lots of questions from coming up with the story to publishing.

 The meal offered fish which was a nice change from the usual chicken.


Meal: $13

# 85 Courthouse Virginia Beach

I didn't know anything about this club, but what a delightful group to share a meal with.  Meeting at the beautiful Virginia Beach Nation Golf Club is a great way to start your day.  This club is only two years old and already is working to make a difference in their community.  I will also say that the food was great, you can only do so much with breakfast, but the sausage gravy & biscuits was delicious.  I spoke about my journey and the upcoming NID trip, which gave many a better understanding of what we are doing in the eradication efforts.

The club is working with Toys for Tots and  the Salvation Army to make the holidays better for the youth in the area. They have also partnered with many other clubs to work on joint projects in the area.  The Muscular Dystrophy Association summer camp was their first service project which they are very proud of, meeting and working with the kids was an amazing opportunity I was told.  They look  forward to participating in Polio Plus events.

Meal $10

# 84 7610 Area 2 Holiday Gathering

AG and fellow club member Juanita Cawley, last year, brought together the club presidents, PE and area chairs once a quarter to talk about what the clubs were doing and ways the area clubs could work together.  Since we are a rural area and the clubs are spread over a 30 mile area, we don't have a lot of interaction and this was a great way to share ideas and success stories.   Juanita and her husband & club president Bill hosted the evening, we were joined by Governor Ron & Governor Elect Jon Allan & his wife Mary.  I was pleased that the immediate past presidents were also invited.

One special highlight of the evening was that Juanita was just named the District Governor Nominee Designee, so she will be our District Governor for 2013-14.  She is the first from our club and we are absolutely thrilled for her.

# 83 Harrisonburg (7570)

It was a beautiful day for a drive over to the western part of the state to see my friend Abe Clymer.   Abe & I have know each other most of my Rotarian career,  which is only 4 years.  He surprised me by popping up in Calcutta last February for the Polio NID.  Abe has a more hectic travel schedule than I, so I made sure that he would be in attendance.  You know there are certain people whom you meet in Rotary, who make an impact on you and you look up to as a mentor, Abe is one in the handful that I admire for their dedication and work to Rotary and aspire to be more like.

My GPS, put me on the wrong side of town, but I made it to the meeting with just minutes to spare.  As luck would have it, a member whom I had met the month before at RLI was walking in at the same time.  Abe quickly informed me that the scheduled speaker was unavailable and could I talk longer than 3 minutes....can I talk longer, anyone who knows me can attest that I can talk.....

Perfect timing for me to be there, as the club was focusing on the Foundation.  I added my reasons for donating to the Foundation.  Three members became Paul Harris Fellows, by way of contributing as sustaining members and one member and his wife were honored as major donors.  Wow what a great day to be in Harrisonburg.  The meal was fine, a good selection on the buffet and the members were welcoming.

Meal: $12

# 82 Western Henrico

This club almost beat Powhatan for most energetic, and I understand that they were quite tame this morning, so I might have to come back to see them at full force.

The first of three clubs that meet at the Westwood Racquet Club, this breakfast club was happy to have me share my story and I was pleased with the Polio write up on the Polio eradication efforts in the newsletter.  The newsletter is crisp, clean and attractive, very well put together.

I had the opportunity to share time with several members and learn more about this club.  Not seeing any women, I was told that they are trying to attract more and to add that to my blog.  Club President Christina was out on maternity leave, so my congratulations to her and her family.                

On this day the club was treated to the music of the Hermitage High's "Keynotes" Chorus. This sixteen member women's group delighted the club with six holiday songs which we all enjoyed.  Now for some additional fun, the group sang The Twelve Days of Christmas while acting out the verses. Our table acted out "A partridge in a pear tree" and "Eight maids a milking" It was hilarious, and if I could have figured out how to work the video on my camera I would have included it on the blog.

I did take some pictures while at this club but, they were not on the camera, so if someone from the club has a picture or two of the group or activity, I would be happy to add them to this post.

Meal: $13

# 81 Bell Ringing for Polio Plus

Christmas on The Town in West Point, I was pleased, albeit very chilled, to participate in the bell ringing for Polio Plus in West Point.  One of our club members came up with the idea, as the Salvation Army does not have any bell ringing in town for their causes.  Christmas on the Town is an opportunity for the merchants in town to showcase their shops, various service groups to create fun activities for the children and celebrate the holiday season in our community.

In front of West Point Antiques, the club set up 2 man groups armed with buckets (displaying "End Polio Now"), Polio brochures and a bell.  We took 1 1/2 hour shifts throughout the afternoon.  It was great to see the children drop the coins into the bucket.

Mason adds coins to the bucket

Newest member Gary is put right to work, with past President Leo

Now I must tell you about what happened earlier in the day.  I teach 3rd grade Sunday school and somewhere during our activities one student looked up at me and said " I know that Rotary is trying to eradicate Polio"  Well after I picked myself up off the floor, I said why yes they are how do you know this.  To which he replied, we got dictionaries the other day and they told us about Polio and we looked up the word eradicate it means to destroy completely or put an end to.  At this time I told him I was in Rotary and that we are working very hard at eradicating Polio in the world.  Out of the mouth of babes.  Four members of our club delivered the dictionaries and did the short lesson plan, the kids were listening and understand the efforts.  I can not tell  you how happy I was that this young boy shared this story.

# 79 Goochland (7600)

I  have enjoyed the close proximity of most of the 7600 clubs, Goochland is one hour from my home so the morning commute is not bad.  And while I think one hour is short many clubs are surprised by my travel times.  When I arrived at the Goochland club, they were concerned that the speaker would not be to my liking.  I very much enjoyed the speaker, a ventriloquist who was hilarious.  The club was having a wood chucking community service project this weekend, where they cut wood and deliver it to families for firewood.  They are the 2nd club that I am aware that does this and I love the unique service opportunities that are out there.  The West Richmond Club delivered poinsettias that they are selling as a fund raiser, it is great that the local clubs support each other's fund raising efforts.

On the down side I have not seen my India NID photobook since this meeting,  I think; I accidentally left it on the table, the wait staff could have disposed of it.  The sad thing, was that my son made it as a gift for me.  If it is not found, I hope we can reorder from his original.

Thank you for the book donation, this is a great way to honor speakers and guests.

Meal $13

# 78 Caroline County's Senior Gala

LJ Moyer is introduced to the attendees

Wow, wow, wow....What an event this club puts on!  I was absolutely blown away by this event that the Rotary club of Caroline provided to the senior citizens of the community.  The 12th year, it was bigger, better and bolder with the addition of live music from the Caroline County High School jazz band, High School Chorus and Richard Green and the Sound Solution band as well as a special appearance by "Message Sent" that had the attendees dancing the night away.   The high school band and chorus were unbelievable,  I don't remember hearing a high school group with as much talent before as these two groups.  The energy level was off the charts.

The food was prepared by the Caroline High School culinary arts students and yes while it was chicken & green beans, it was the best chicken & green beans on my tour.  I was amazed by the preparation and the Caroline High School Interact Club served over 400 meals in less than 20 minutes, a record for them.  The whole event went off without any glitches.   The local seniors look forward to this event every year and Chair; LJ Moyer did an outstanding job arranging and coordinating this wonderful evening.  I met some of the sweetest people.   All participants received a gift and there were door prizes and a grand prize.  I will state that I did not stay to see prizes as I was a hour from home and had to be out the door at 5:30 the next morning.    The club members provided, transportation, set up, serving, clean up, fundraising, and more, DG Ron Marion & wife Rosanne also got into the spirit while serving and clean up and enjoyed this event just as I did.  I definitely would come back to help with this again.