# 192 Lake Ridge

members move to the speaking area after finishing the meal

lots of information

The coffee pot adds new dimensions to the money in the pot

This was the second breakfast club of the day, which I understand has an outstanding breakfast. Having been at this facility for another club, I would believe it.  The featured speaker reviewed a high speed rail system for Virginia, something that would be very welcomed, especially in the congested northern corridor of the state.  The speaker had met me early in this journey at his own club in Richmond, and was pleased to see that I had be able to complete the task.   While I spent a limited time with the club, I was impressed with what I saw.  A table with all sorts of Rotary and club information was laid out and in particular they had 2 bumper stickers, one on Polio which I had only seen as an image on internet searches, no one knew where it came from but it was offered to me.  I may have some made up. I would like them to have it available for all the members.  I also learned that one member had a family member who had Polio and was very driven to help with the eradication of Polio, unfortunately, the member was not in attendance on this day.

Now  for two new concepts:  first, in a picture above you will see a coffee pot, with the Rotary emblem.  This is the 2nd club I have seen that has a lottery system for sustaining members.  Each week the winner of the normal raffle drawing has the opportunity to put $10 into the pot, along with their name.  This is done for ten weeks, at the end one of the ten names is drawn and the money goes for their sustaining member in the foundation.  The second new concept, is after finishing the meal the members move to a seating area to listen to the presenter.  So the members are focused on the presentation and not the meal plate.

Thank you for the banner and the member donation!

Meal $15
Donation $20
Banner $5

# 191 West Springfield

President Karen receiving the 200/200 Certificate for the club

A very quick visit to this club, as I was squeezing two breakfast clubs in on one day.  President Karen was very gracious to give me time, just after ringing the bell and holding up the buffet line.  I know some members through RLI or having met them at other events.  One member was hoping to join the NID trip this year, but the timing did not work, hopefully he will be able to join the group next year.  The club is currently involved in a Reverse Raffle with the top prize $10,000.    I will be going back to this club as a featured speaker talking about Rotary beyond the club and the projects we worked on during the trips to India.  The Governor Nominee is a member of this club, and is excited about his upcoming term in 18 months.

Meal Donation: $15

# 190 Melfa (7610) Eastern Shore

County Board member Robert Crokett speaks about projects in the county

Members Jeanette and Willy at the end of a good meal

This is the forth club on the eastern shore for district 7600 and the only club that does not meet on Thursday. The Sage Diner is the spot for a great plated breakfast, which today consisted of a ham and cheese omelet, perfectly cooked potatoes and toast. I do believe they will make it into the top five breakfast clubs for the meal.  Aside from the food the club is very active in supporting Special Olympics, a local food pantry and several other projects.  They are currently involved with the upcoming  "Taste of the Eastern Shore"wherein many restaurants will gather at the community college for food tasting. This is the 12th year of the event and the proceeds benefit the Foodbank of the eastern shore.

After receiving an email today I have updated the blog, the club made a generous donation of $100 for the Polio Plus efforts.  Thank you very much!

Meal $10
Donation $100

# 189 Warwick

Col Molloy engages the club with his tactical maneuvers

Display case shares awards the club has received

With Col Matt Molloy, Commander of the First Wing, Joint Base Langley-Eustis speaking on the Raptor F-22A, the club had a full house.  This energetic Air Force officer held every ones attention throughout his presentation.The club meets at the Women's Club in Newport News and has been there for years, but is planning to move their venue to the Virginia Living Museum, a facility which they were charter sponsors of.  They are looking forward to the move as this is one of their focus benefactors. Others include the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and one other that I can't recall off hand.  They are supporters of the foundation and sent sign up sheet around during my talk to add to their club donation, (I will get the total soon to add to the list). I very much appreciate the extra support.
Diner was very good and different; meatloaf, potatoes, greens and pineapple up-side down cake.  I think the clubs have been reading the blogs ahead of time as I have not had chicken and green beans in over a week....

Meal $10
Banner $5

# 186 Williamsburg

Robin and Rob use props to discuss
the Foundations efforts with maternal and infant care

President Frank receives the 200/200 Certificate for the clubs support of Polio Plus

Closer to home The Williamsburg evening club is a delightful group.  Meeting at the Williamsburg Lodge they are known for good food and many visiting Rotarians.  I enjoyed the Rotary minute provided by member Robin who talked about how Foundation funds are used to aid mothers and children in developing countries, She and member Rob have been presenting different areas of Foundation focus each week to inspire and remind members what the Foundation does.  The club has been actively supporting Polio Plus and plans to continue.
The Chancellor of the Thomas Nelson Community College spoke on the role of community colleges and in particular  the benefits of the programs especially in the technical application fields; welding, nursing, etc.
Sitting to my left on this evening was Frank, who during Happy Dollars announced that he was celebrating his 61st anniversary from graduating from The Ohio State University.  He held in his pocket three buckeye nuts....I never knew what a buckeye was until he showed me. My late husband went to The Ohio State University.  The meal of soup, steak, potatoes, mixed vegetables and sweet potato pie was delicious.

Meal: $22 

# 188 Fair Lakes

Club members and scholarship applicants

The wheel is used for fines,  just not today

What a day to attend. The club was holding it's interviews for the student scholarships.  The schools selected eleven students to vie for 3 scholarships.  Each student shared their community service, extra curricular activities and their hope for the collegiate experience.  One of the students knew Chad from RYLA.  Prior to the students speaking I shared my brief 200/200 journey and expressed my gratitude for the students and their volunteer spirit and for the community service they were participating in.  At the conclusion of the meeting the students were interviewed one at a time. I left at this point, I was glad I did not have to make the decision, these are all brilliant young people who are all deserving.

Meal $12

#187 RLI Annandale

The graduates w/ some of the facilitators

Facilitators at Asian Grill the night before RLI

participants Sue, Anapum, Mike Trudie and Mary
work on the group  project

Laura, Mal Barry and Ray are creating a rotary vision with Legos

Anapum and Mike share with the group
what the group creation represents

Steve shares with the group

On Friday evening the facilitators came together at the Asian Grill in Springfield for dinner and reviewed the agenda for the next day.  A favorite of Jon and Mary Allen's the Asian Grill serves great food with outstanding service.  I like the variety of asian foods and the unique dishes not found elsewhere.

Holding the event at Northern Virginia Community College in Annandale; this was the largest graduating class in Zone 33's history.  Eighteen Rotarians fulfilled all three parts of the Rotary Leadership Institute.  I led the Effective Leadership session in part 3 and was co-leader of the Service Projects for part 1.  Using Legos in my facilitation is always fun and I am amazed at how the participants relate their creations to how Rotary is moving forward.  A great day.

#185 Wilmington South

President Chris accepts the 200/200 Certificate for the club

After visiting the worlds largest Rotary wheel, I took in a meeting with the Wilmington South Club.  President Chris and members could not have been more welcoming.  They were pleased to be the only Wilmington club on the 200/200 schedule.  The simplistic lunch of a ham sandwich, fries and brownies al a mode was perfect and not too heavy for the long ride that laid ahead of me.  The members were all enthralled with my adventures and invited me to come back when I am in Wilmington. A smaller club they are relaxed and enjoy the company of the group.  Several members were lined up to help with the Rotary Wheel beautification to be held over the weekend.

Meal $ 12

World's largest Rotary Wheel

File image taken in 2001

Springtime at the wheel

The gazebo behind me is the center of the wheel

AG Don Adkins

First and foremost I want to thank AG Don Adkins for making time to show me the World's Largest Rotary Wheel at Greenfield Lake last Wednesday (March 16th).  Started as a project for the 50th anniversary of Rotary it must be seen from the air to get the full image.  At 240 feet in diameter wheel is a permanent park for all to enjoy.  This past weekend the six Rotary clubs in Wilmington gathered together for a re-beautification and restoration event where 234 Encore Azaleas were planted, and the Bradford Pear trees were transforming their blooms into leaves.  In the center of the Wheel is a gazebo that was added in 1965 and sod from a football field was recycled for the grass areas last month.  The six Rotary Clubs in Wilmington are very proud of this landmark and I very much enjoyed the tour and history that Don shared with me.  On April 8th the clubs with the Wilmington Parks department and Cape Fear Garden Club will host a ribbon cutting for the opening ceremony of the Cape Fear Garden Club Azalea Garden Tour at this site.

 I will note that while I did some research I found a Rotary Wheel in Oldham England that claims to be the largest Rotary Wheel, built in 2005 for the 100th anniversary of Rotary, at 29 meters it is one-third the size of Wilmington's wheel. But this wheel does have the correct number of cogs, 24.

184 Maysville (7730)

President Rita blends right into the wall art

Speaker Rev Ross, President Rita, member Diane,
guest Rev Don and IPDG Nancy

In the small hamlet of Maysville, NC is my dear friend Nancy,  a member of the Maysville Rotary Club, she is the IPDG of District 7730 and the leader of the past two NID trips to India.  The small club meets at Andy's Diner which serves a traditional breakfast.  Service projects include matching grants which have provided a library in the impoverished community of Dhanbad, India and a current nine district grant that is giving children with congenital heart defects in India the life saving surgeries that they so desperately need.  At this time they are selling tickets for a reverse raffle, which will support scholarships for local students.

The featured speaker was a minister from Uganda who spoke about the uprising when he was younger and how Uganda is rebuilding itself.  I want to thank the members for pulling together to offer an additional $100 for Polio Plus during my visit. President Rita was gracious and gave me ample time to share my story with the members.

Meal $10
donation $100

# 183 Kinston Evening

Products that support Eastern NC Stop Human Trafficing

The House of Wang, I knew I would be having Chinese this evening; the small clubs make for easy connections to most members in short order. President Earl and sec/PE Pam were very accommodating and gave me ample time to talk about my quest.  The speaker today spoke on human trafficking, something that I have seen firsthand while in India.  I shared my observations of the brothels in India and of the 6 year old who was sold into prostitution by her parents which mirrored the talk.  Unfortunately human trafficking is not something just in far-away lands; it is here in North Carolina and in most states in the USA.

The club will be hosting its Wine and Beer tasting on May 19^th from 6:00-8:00pm at the Chef and The Farmer at 120 West Gordon St in Kinston. For more information call 252.522.5510.

Thank you for the pen, I actually do use all the pens I have received.

Meal: $10

# 182 Morehead City Noon

I expected today’s meeting to be very somber with the passing of member Wayland Besset just ten days earlier.  But it was a celebration of Wayland’s life and service to Rotary especially his service to Meals on Wheels. His daughter, Debra spoke of her father’s commitment to serving those in need.  Even on holidays when meals on wheels did not deliver, he and the family would cook and deliver meals to those alone, bringing smiles and companionship.  She wanted to thank the Rotarians who were so much a part of his life and how each was a true brother/sister to him.  While I did not meet Wayland I learned he lived his life by the 4-way test and served others with a loving spirit that was an example for all to follow.

The group met at the Harborview where Wayland was and Bill Conte is a resident.  Bill with his wife, son and daughter-in-law, shared not only a meal but stories of Rotary and his career as the Police chief.  Bill had us all in stitches with his stories and it gave me a glimpse of not only Bill’s history, but that of the club.

After giving my short version on my mission, I was surprised again by the generous nature of this district and club, they like Lenoir, offered $200 for my 200 clubs in 200 days. I know that Rotarians are generous of heart and wallet, but I still am very humbled when others offer additional donations for Polio Plus.

Now, the food was fantastic, shrimp rolls and a lemon pie that was heavenly, yes I ate it all!  I have decided that the diet will have to wait until I have finished with the Challenge on April 9^th. And I saw two new things, first was a Foundation Drawing, this is a great idea for enticing new and sustaining members; ten members sign up for the drawing; the 1^st week a name is drawn, the club pays $10 and the member $90 to the foundation, then each week the number goes up on the club side and down on the member side by $10. This I is how I understand the drawing (any member please feel free to correct me if I am mistaken).  Secondly, and I will say ouch….was the singing of an original rendition of Happy Birthday, if I said it sounded like the moaning of a love sick moose I may be close to what this collective group presented.  I will have to make a new category for this.  Lastly, I had the pleasure to see several friends from past NIDs and the Zone.  Thank you for allowing me to share this special day.

Meal $10

Banner $5

Donation $200

# 181 Lenoir County, NC

I was absolutely wowed by this small club, with ten members at the meeting, Nancy introduced me and I spoke on the 180 club visits prior to them.   The breakfast club meets at the Barn Steakhouse in Kinston and was the normal breakfast fare,the blueberry pancakes were very tasty. I understand the restaurant has a delicious lunch and dinner menu.  As one member pointed out they give more hours of service per person than most other clubs and based on their projects I can see why.  They work smart with fundraisers, the spaghetti lunch events they hold twice a year nets over $800 for 2 hours of work each.  They also made a contribution to Polio plus of $200 in honor of my 200 clubs in 200 days, this is the first club to put the donation this way.  I am humbled and very grateful.

Meal : $10

Donation: $200

# 180 Newport, NC

President Marilyn excepts the 200/200 Cerificate for the club 

2nd time in 1 day Speaker Bill (right) talked to
Beaufort and Newport on property assessments.

I like how this evening club does its meal; each week a different member is in charge of purchasing ingredients (or take out) and preparing the meal, while others do set up and/or clean up, this is done on a rotating schedule. President Marilyn Everett was in charge this evening and we were treated to homemade sweet and sour chicken, rice, sautéed garlic green beans and cake.  The club owns the building where they meet and it was festive with Club banners hanging as a border around the room, they have more banners to hang I was informed.

The speaker Carl; spoke at the Beaufort club earlier so Nancy and I were familiar with his talk on the property reassessment values in Carteret County.  It was very informative and I found the information very interesting, the values of properties has dropped significantly since the housing bubble burst in 2008.

This club is the home cub of Pam and PDG Bevin Wall who organize and manage RLI in our zone.  As an RLI faculty member, I enjoy seeing this gregarious couple.  Marilyn also was in charge of the district conference two weeks ago, her husband James is the PE and will be heading to PETS this weekend.

The

Meal $15

Banner $5

# 179 Jones Senior High School Interact Club

Polio Chair Sydney and President 

This is the first Interact club that I have visited.  Jones Senior High School Interact in Trenton, NC, was chartered in October 2010, less than 200 days ago. They have already been very active in supporting Habitat for Humanity, Polio Plus, Stop Hunger Now and other activities.  The club will be hosting a Purple Pinkie Fundraiser all next week during lunch time; I anticipate most of the students in the school will be bearing purple nails next week.  It is important to note that this rural school is in a very impoverished area and many families are in need, in fact many of the students in the school are in need of assistance.  So to see students giving to others when they themselves are in need is truly inspiring.  This generation is one that has the spirit of volunteerism and a desire to provide community service.  They are the future of Rotary and well on their way to being fabulous Rotarians.

I am honored to make a donation of $100 for this club.

# 178 Beaufort Ole Towne NC

Jon, Nancy and Tom, NID particpiants 2010

A great day for a drive to the Carolina coast and the village of Beaufort.  This seaside town once the home of the infamous black beard pirate is now known for its giving to the locals rather than the taking.  The club meets at Clawson’s on Front Street where they serve a choice of three plated options, a change from the normal buffet.  Today I was joined by PDG, Nancy Barbee the leader of the NID trips, who was my guide for the area and chauffer.  This made for a fun day of reminiscing.  I was surprised to see John Scibal, a member of last year’s NID team, and learned he was the AG for the area.  Then we were joined by another team member whom I had not seen in over a year Tom Steepy.

The Beaufort club is known for its community service. This weekend the club is scrubbing down the Boys and Girls Club from floor to ceiling and in between.  One event that the club participated in that piqued my interest was a bus tour to the Beaufort with the seven area clubs and visiting Rotarians from Canada, who were visiting their sister club.  It is wonderful to see clubs gathering together to participate in service and fellowship.  Another upcoming fellowship opportunity is for the area clubs to gather at a baseball game.

Meal: $10

Banner: $5

# 177 Blue Rige Mountains & Piedmont Council

to come

# 176 Oyster Point

I have been by the Christopher Newport University several times, but had never been on campus, let alone in the buildings, it is beautiful the Student Center is spectacular and the design is what I call relaxed elegance.  The club gathers outside the meeting room for the invocation and pledge before fixing a plate from the buffet and entering the meeting room.  This large club is getting prepared for several events to support local youth, a picnic for children with life threatening illnesses at Edmarc, a golf tournament to support the Boy Scouts and Relay for Life.  This is a young dynamic club with lots of energy.  The speaker spoke on CERT, Certified Emergency Rescue Training, very appropriate given the morning's events in Japan.  With the threat of hurricanes and tornados in this area, it is good to having this training which is free to local residents.

BMeal $10

Banner $5

# 175 Smithfield

PE Elizabeth offer's theme banner  for 2012-13 to President Dale

President Dale receiving the 200/200 Certificate

Yum!

I was very much looking forward to this club, as it meets at the Smithfield Station; they make the BEST She Crab Soup. Arriving early I met up with several members in the lounge area before making our way to the dining room. There I was pleased to see my friend and AG Bill Billings, who has been at several of my club visits.  Now maybe President Dale knew I would be rating the food, because it was Delicious with a capital D.  They started with a cream of potato soup, perfectly cooked Prime Rib, mashed potatoes and baby banana splits for desert…it was so good I won’t mention that it was my one-hundredth meal with green beans. 

Away from the food, I was happy to be the featured speaker and share my latest adventure to India, one that Bill had not yet heard.  This is not only a fun group but a club that loves to do service, they have projects scheduled almost every weekend. PE Elizabeth had just returned from PETS and was excited about all she learned.  I know I will be back to visit this club.
Thank you for the pen


Meal $25

# 174 Suffolk

New Paul Harris Fellow

Making an announcement will cost $5

Gina's Chair

President Jay with phone ringers father and son Everett and Bob

This club had 8 visitors plus the speaker, I was amazed at the number.  The food was very good offering a cold salad plate or hot buffet. The meeting started promptly at 1:00 and Happy dollars were taken to a new level today.  During Happy Dollars member Everett's phone rang, which President Jay assessed as a $5 fine, Everett proposed that since it was a first offense he should be given a warning and sans the fine.   Jay offered a double or nothing and let the member's decide...Everett lost, the verdict was double to which everyone chuckled to.   But then not two minutes later a visiting Rotarian's phone went off....it was Everett's father, needless to say the club was on the floor laughing.  From there Happy Dollars turned into  $5 to make an announcement.  This may be a new avenue of fund raising...I probably owe $5 for my talk (I'll add $5 to my donation).

The new item of the day is a personalized padded Rotary chair for member Gina.  This puts a new spin on assigned seating.  Gina shared that she was trying to get the club to buy padded chairs as the plactic chairs are too hard.  She met with a dealer who made a sample chair (with her name), well the club did not order the chairs, but now Gina sits in comfort.

The club recognized a Paul Harris Fellow and also tried to figure out who lost their PH pin, still in the box, in the driveway two weeks earlier.  The speaker was from Dominion Power and talked about the Surry Nuclear Power Plant, including safety provisions. Very timely given the next morning the Tsunami hit Japan and their plant is in peril.

Meal $10
donation $5

# 173 Nash -Rocky Mount

Welcome back to the club

President Chuck and members receive the 200/200 Certificate

Set at the beautiful Benvenue CC, in a beautifully appointed room over looking the pool area is the Nash Rocky Mount Club.  This buffet was as pretty as the setting and the variety of salads and entrees was a delightful change from the normal lunch fare.  Taco cheese soup was my choice, which tasted just like a taco. 

This club has 24 members the same as West Point, with only one or two members missing, President Chuck said they have a very good attendance rate, due in no part to the food, excellent speakers and relaxed atmosphere.  The first call of order was to re-induct a member who had left some years ago and was now back.  The club was extremely please to welcome this member back.

 I was introduced and able to share my abridged version before the featured speaker, David Johnson, gave a introduction to Jobs for Life, a program that provides job training and support strategy enabling unemployed and underemployed individuals to obtain and maintain meaningful employment. Visit their web site for more information: jobsforlife.org

Before the meeting concluded, Tim spoke about the upcoming Blessing of the Bikes fundraiser, which benefits among other groups, Polio Plus.  The website even shows Polio Vaccines being delivered via a Yamaha.  This festival offers a ride, blessing and music and is sure to be a hit.  I plan to travel down in June to this event.  Visit  www.downeasternevents.com  for more information!

Thank you for the mug.

Meal $15