Rotary International asks us to Imagine Rotary through our Focus Areas
This month Rotary International asks us to Imagine Rotary by developing new members. Explore the possibilities with us at our meeting Wednesday at noon at Wick Park or virtually via Zoom.
We are 144 days away from the Groundhog Craft Beerfest, our club’s major fundraiser and social event extraordinaire, but only 10 days away from kicking off the Traveling Groundhog Craft Beer Preview. It will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at Noble Creature, 126 E. Rayen Ave. Jack Kravitz will share details during lunch Wednesday at Wick Park.
Also, remember to bring recyclable film plastic to this meeting. Thank you for your ongoing support.
First Fridays, the downtown celebration that was postponed Sept. 6 because of weather, is back on for Friday. Events will begin at 4 p.m. Check out the Chalk the Walk contest, enjoy live music at the Phelps Street stage, visit the vendors’ market, and attend the Elton John/Billy Joel tribute show at 8 p.m. at the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater. Need more incentive? Spin the Rotary Wheel at Phelps and West Federal streets to win $25 gift cards to downtown restaurants and bars.
Rotary Last Week
As president and publisher of The Business Journal, Andrea Wood has reported on many changes in the way we do business locally. One of the most significant shifts occurred when the business community demanded that local governments stop fighting among themselves and start collaborating to secure economic development projects. “Once we got our act together, we started getting more recognition” at the state and federal levels, she told RCY members on Sept. 4.
As for current challenges, businesses can’t find enough qualified workers, and inequities among school systems exacerbate the problem, she said. The Valley still has “serious issues” concerning poverty and repopulation, she added, the latter topic being a recent focus of a Business Journal series. Asked what surprised her about feedback from young adults who may stay or go, Wood said they want to see more opportunities to network with peers and have a voice in work and civic matters.
In other news, Operation Warm Co-Chair David Stillwagon says donations are still being accepted for this year’s winter coat drive for students at city-located schools. Coats need to be ordered this month if we’re going to distribute them ahead of the cold and snow. In addition to coats, the committee wants to purchase 225 pairs of shoes at $20 per pair for kids. Your generosity will be appreciated.
Also on Sept. 4, a good number of members and friends gathered for Rotary After Hours at The Federal.
STEAM MINI GRANT EXTENSION
RCY is extending its call for applications for its STEM and STEAM Mini Grant Program for Educators. Awards with a monetary value up to $500 will be given to applicants from public and private schools grades K-8 in the City of Youngstown. The instructions and application to apply are available on the Rotary Club of Youngstown website https://youngstownrotary.com through Sept. 30.
Funding for the grant program comes from monies raised from the Rotaryclipse fundraising event held at Penguin City Brewing Co. the day before the total eclipse in April. The grant program was created to show appreciation to local educators and support growth in STEM and STEAM for local students.
OPERATION WARM ON FIRE
Operation Warm is getting a big push this year. Kudos to Committee Co-Chair Stacia Erdos on her heartwarming column in the Business Journal. You can read on our Facebook page if you missed it last week.
Stacia and Co-Chair Dave Stillwagon also have support from Richie Bernacki and Aspacia Lyras-Bernacki, co-owners of Penguin City Beer, who gave RCY space during the Night Market on Aug. 15 to accept monetary contributions. We’ll do that again on Sept. 21, during Penguin City’s Oktoberfest celebration.
The goal this year is to raise $20,000 by Sept. 1 to secure 1,000 coats for city school children in grades Kindergarten through six. Here are ways you can help:
Make a personal contribution or solicit donations from friends, family, employers, local businesses and more. The suggested donation is $20 per coat. Checks should be payable to The Youngstown Rotary Foundation and mailed to 201 E. Commerce St., Suite 450, Youngstown, OH 44503. Donations are tax deductible.
Visit the club’s Facebook page and share our messages within your social media circles.
Work a 2-hour shift at the RCY table on Sept. 21. Contact Stacia to sign up.
Talk about heartwarming – have you seen this thank-you note that Rotary received after last year’s drive?
SAVE THE DATE
Traveling Groundhog Craft Beer Preview, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 19, Noble Creature Wild Ales & Lagers, 126 E. Rayen Ave.
Operation Warm Donation Drive at Penguin City Oktoberfest, noon-6 Sept. 21, Penguin City Brewing Co., 460 E. Federal St.
Purple Pinkie Project district-wide doughnut sale for End Polio Now campaign, Oct. 23-25 (delivery dates; order ahead).
Official Visit by District Governor Elayne Bozick, noon Oct. 23, Wick Park Pavilion.
Monarchs and Milkweed Matter
By Debora Flora
As fall approaches, the North American Monarch Butterfly migration draws near.
East of the Mississippi River, Monarchs find summer breeding grounds across much of the U.S. and southern Canada. In seeking warmer climates ahead of winter, Monarchs will travel as far as central Mexico. Depending on their point of departure, that can be a 3,000-mile journey. West of the Mississippi, Monarchs depart Oregon and Washington for California.
A steep population reduction has qualified the Monarch for Endangered Species Act protection, although no action has yet been taken. Declines have been attributed to pesticides, loss of grasslands in favor of development, and climate change. A threat to the survival of any pollinator has implications for our food supply and overall health.
As reported in the Global Change Biology journal, Monarchs can make up for smaller numbers in their winter colonies with successful summer breeding seasons. Very recent news stories demonstrate that the future of the Monarch population remains as delicate as the butterfly’s wings.
Last week, Tribune News Service reported that the Monarch count dropped this summer throughout the Upper Midwest. One hypothesis is that the summer egg-laying peak was thwarted by a rainy June, which may have caused some new adult butterflies to fall to the ground before their wings had fully expanded.
“The story is, we’re puzzled at this point” as to why the 2024 numbers are low, said Karen Oberhauser, a professor emerita of entomology at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. “And before we have all the data and can really look at weather patterns over a broad scale, we’re only guessing.” Oberhauser also founded the national Monarch Larva Monitoring Project.
Another Tribune News Service story focused on Monarch Joint Venture, a nonprofit organization that collaborates with the U.S. Department of Defense to monitor these insects and restore habitat by planting milkweed at 50-plus military installations. Over the last two decades, Monarch populations dropped between 48 and 69 percent east of the Rocky Mountains, and 99 percent west of the Rockies, said Mercy Manzanares, program coordinator with Monarch Joint Venture. Monarchs lay their eggs exclusively on milkweed leaves.
DOD manages almost 25 million acres of land, a TNS reporter wrote. Don’t let that stop you from planting a small patch of milkweed in your backyard. Monarchs and milkweed matter!
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