Rotary International asks us to Serve to Change Lives through its Focus Areas
This month Rotary International asks us to Serve to Change Lives by helping everyone learn skills that will allow them to become economically self sufficient. Explore the possibilities with us at our meeting Wednesday at noon at Wick Park or virtually via Zoom.
This month is Rotary Foundation Month and our own Sharon Letson will be talking to us about the Foundation and its impact.
Operation Warm coat distribution will be from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday at Harding Elementary School, 1903 Cordova Ave., Youngstown, 44504. Operation Warm Co-Chair Stacia Erdos needs more volunteers to help with fitting the students and printing their names in coats.
Club members are asked to ring the bell during the Salvation Army Red Kettle Drive from 10 to 4 Friday, Nov. 28, in the lobby of Cornersburg Sparkle on South Meridian Road. Contact John Fahnert to sign up for a 2-hour shift.
Registration for the annual Rotary Holiday party has opened. This year the party will be held at Yosteria on December 6th. Early Bird ticket cost is $40 (before 27th November), or $45 after. The deadline is December 2nd (no exceptions).
Menu: Breaded Chicken Sandwich, Condiments and Sauces on side, Waffle Fries, Mac and Cheese, Coleslaw
See you Wednesday, Noon at Wick Park.
Rotary Next Week
YSU English Festival Committee Co-Chairs Jeff Buchanan and Angela Messenger will be our guests on May 14 at Wick Park. After 47 years, the festival is such a strong draw that it takes three days to complete. Thousands of junior high and high school students from northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania hear from well-known authors; write essays; attend artistic performances and book discussions; and play language games. It’s all to promote reading and writing among our future authors and artists.
TWO ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES
A message from Elsa Higby, RCY Environmental Committee Chair:
We have 192 lbs. to go and only two more plastic collection days to meet the Trex recycling goal. It’s a little too close for comfort. For those of you who intend to start collecting, please use these last two months of this campaign and bring in your plastic!
As for meeting our OP District Challenge, listed below are some action items from the complete list of eligible activities found here. You will find more resources at this link, such as garden design, recipes, and a list of books to read.
1. Promote OP topics on social media consistently. At least monthly. When you do this, send Elsa the link: 10 points per 10 posts. (Perhaps we can divide this up between a few of us? Email Elsa if you are interested at elsahigby@gmail.com)
2. Plant a pollinator’s garden (at least eight varieties of native plants) in your community or in a club member’s yard—15 points per garden.
3. Host an event for your community. This may be educational and include inviting community members to a meeting with a relevant speaker. Have a mixer or club meeting to invite prospective members and serve pollinator cocktails (see link above) 10 points per event.
4. Grow a native plant or milkweed in your yard, window box, or pot. OR choose another project from the resource packet or on the back of this page.
5. Read a suggested or related book or article, and for extra points, share takeaways with the club during fellowship or in the club’s newsletter. 1 point per article read. If you share takeaways at a meeting, we get an extra point. Here are a few suggestions:
RCY’s Peace Committee strongly encourages participation of Rotarians at three events during Ohio Nonviolence Week in October.
The 15th Annual Nonviolence Parade and Rallywill be at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, downtown. It will begin at Wood Street and Wick Avenue and finish at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre, where a rally will be held. Parade participants will include Sojourn to the Past students, various Valley schools, churches, nonprofit and community organizations, political candidates and others. Awards will be given for the best float, best banner and best in show for highlighting the themes of peace and nonviolence. The rally will feature speakers, music and food.
Peace will be the theme of our weekly meeting on Oct. 8. A peace pole – purchased through the generosity of Rotarians – will be installed in Wick Park. We expect speakers and additional guests to join us as we advocate for peace in our community, country, and around the globe.
Rotarians also are urged to volunteer during the 51st Annual Youngstown Peace Race in and around downtown on the morning of Sunday, Oct. 12.
Plan now to engage in these events.
SAVE THE DATE
Operation Warm Nov 20, 2025, 8:30am to 11:30am, Harding Elementary, 1903 Cordova Ave., Youngstown, 44504
Canfield Lighting of the Green Nov 22, 2025, 6:30pm, 13 N Broad St, Canfield. Featuring lights, Carriage rides, activities, music, and of course, the arrival of Santa! It is a wonderful opportunity to support fellow Rotary Clubs in our District.
Salvation Army Red Kettle Drive, Nov. 28, 2025, 10am to 4pm, Cornersburg Sparkle Lobby on South Meridian Rd.
Light Up Night Dec 5, 2025, 6:00pm, the Holiday Parade begins on Federal Street.
Holiday Party Dec 10, 2025, 6:00pm, Yosteria, 252 Valley St, Youngstown, OH, 44407. Celebrate the holiday season with a night of food, fun, fellowship and friendship in Rotary. Spouses and guests are welcome! More Details
Beavers and the Bees
A new study by the University of Stirling suggests that beavers could play a vital role in reversing the “dramatic” decline of pollinating insects across the UK. According to the research reported by The Standard, wetlands engineered by beavers supported 29% more hoverfly species, 119% more hoverfly individuals, and 45% more butterflies than artificial ponds.
Hoverflies are crucial pollinators, while butterfly numbers are suffering steep declines — up to 80% of species are shrinking in range or population. The beaver-created wetlands also add greater variety to flower-foraging habitats, giving pollinators richer and more diverse food sources.
The study lead Patrick Cook argues that current agricultural subsidy schemes, which favour human-dug ponds, should evolve to support beaver wetlands too — since the ecological benefit is clear. Professor Nigel Willby cautions against removing beaver dams too readily: each dam lost means losing not just a wetland, but vital pollinator habitat.
Conservationists hope these findings will encourage landowners and policymakers to recognise beavers as a scalable, nature-based solution for rebuilding pollinator populations.
January 10, 1947: Youngstown Vindicator reporter Esther Hamilton, who covered Rotary Club of Youngstown weekly meetings on her beat, was made an honorary member of Club.
