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 to improve the lives of mothers and their children. Explore the possibilities with us at our meeting Wednesday at noon at Wick Park or virtually via Zoom.
Come to the Wick Park Pavilion this Wednesday and meet Julie Rauzan, director of sales and marketing for the Day Trader Challenge. It’s a gaming app that is based on the stock market. It offers innovative fundraising options for volunteer organizations and a financial literacy component for corporate wellness programs. Rauzan is the former owner of Matina’s Bridal in Beachwood, producer of the annual Bridal Spectacular at Mr. Anthony’s since 1994, and a senior account manager at iHeart Radio.
This week’s menu: Chicken and vegetable kabobs; rice; tomato, cucumber, pepper and red onion salad.
Please represent Rotary at Cityscape’s annual Streetscape downtown beautification day, starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 31. Email President George Nelson (geonel1973@aol.com) or Troy Rhoades (tkr1028@zoominternet.net) to sign up.
Rotary Last Week
The 47th annual YSU English Festival was only a month ago, and yet planning for the 48th festival is well underway. Dr. Jeff Buchanan, chair of the YSU Department of English and World Languages, and Angela Messenger, director of the Writing Center, told Rotarians about the year-round work that goes into this three-day event.
To understand the impact of the festival within the broader community, search for YSU English Festival on Facebook and see how many schools post about their students who participate. It only costs $10 per student to register, and about 2,800 registered this year. Students read 7 books in preparation for the festival. They participate in pre-festival contests in essay writing, music, art, graphic essays, and writing. During the festival, judges review about 600 impromptu essays, 80 journalism articles, and 100 writing game entries per day.
The English Festival Committee needs volunteers to work in various capacities and welcomes monetary contributions. Send email to info@ysuenglishfestival.org for information about the YSU English Festival Endowment. Send checks payable to Youngstown State University in care of the YSU Foundation, 655 Wick Ave., Youngstown, 44502.
Also, congratulations to Rotarian Dionne Dowdy on her Athena Award nomination! Dionne was in elite company with other nominees at the annual dinner on May 15.
Special thanks to the many Rotarians who volunteered May 18 in support of the third annual Bike Belmont Ride, a fundraiser for the multi-county Building A Better Belmont Initiative. It was so good to see so many community members come together to enjoy a bike ride and learn more about the businesses and institutions along Belmont.
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.
TAKE THE CLUB SURVEY
Attention Youngstown Rotarians!
Please complete the Rotary Club Health Check by May 15th. This will provide valuable insights to President-elect Gerri and her leadership team as they begin working on goals aimed at fostering greater club engagement and driving growth.
To participate, scan the QR code with your phone camera or click the link below to access the survey. The Health Check will only take about 15 minutes, so please set aside time to reflect on your responses thoughtfully. We encourage you to be as honest as possible, as all responses will remain anonymous.
Your time and feedback are incredibly important, and we truly appreciate your participation in shaping the future of our club!
Art Therapy for Autism by Terri DiGennaro, May 28, Wick Park Pavilion.
Col. Christopher Sedlacek of 910th Airlift Wing of Youngstown Air Reserve Station, June 4, Wick Park Pavilion.
Strawberry Festival by The Rotary Club of Niles, 5:30 p.m. June 5, McKinley Memorial lawn, 40 N. Main St. (outdoor concert by Guys Without Ties at 6:30 p.m.)
Third Annual Girard-Liberty Rotary Catalina Wine Mixer, 6-9 p.m. June 12, Liberty Giant Eagle, 4700 Belmont Ave.
Year in Review by President George Nelson, June 18, Wick Park Pavilion
President’s Party, July 2 (no noon meeting)
Know Your Bees
By Scott Prajzner and Mary Gardiner
Department of Entomology
OSU Extension
Bees are beneficial insects that pollinate flowering plants by transferring pollen from one flower to another. This is important for plant reproduction and food production. In fact, pollinators are responsible for 1 out of every 3 bites of food you take. While the honey bee gets most of the credit for providing pollination, there are actually about 500 bee species in Ohio.
This fact sheet provides key features needed to identify 10 types of bees found in home landscapes. The following information is included:
Approximate size. Your bee may vary slightly.
Common nesting locations.
Identifying behaviors to watch for.
Additional ID features that may be seen with the aid of a hand lens.
April 19, 1952: Rotary Club of Youngstown won the District Governor’s Silver Cup award for the best all-around club at the District Conference, during Reed Pennel's Presidency.
.png)
