President Robert Bull welcomed everyone to our May 13th meeting. This was our 46th meeting of this fiscal year. We had fifty=three attendees that included several international visitors from Armenia, Ecuador, Germany and India.
Cory Gittner gave the invocation. Linda Singer led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Annoucements:
Today is National Apple Pie Day. They say: “You can’t get anything more American than Apple Pie. So in this slide we see a baseball bat and ball.
Jewish Heritage Month: May is Jewish Heritage Month and Jewish people have been an integral part of US history. George Washington in a letter to the Touro Synagogue in New Port, Rhode Island wrote the following: “May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants, while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and the shall be none to make him afraid”.
Cinco de Mayo Happy Hour: This Happy Hour was held last week at the Miami Yacht Club. This was our first in-person meeting since March 12th last year. Photos of the event were shown.
Renew Your Membership: Another reminder to renew your membership was discussed. An email on this topic went out. Our dues are very reasonable just $200/year. Please pay by June 15th to avoid a $20 late fee. If you pay by credit card or PayPal, the total is $204 to cover the service fees. Please get this done soonest. We do not want to chase after stragglers.
Beach Cleanup at Matheson Hammock: We will have a Beach Cleanup at Matheson Hammock this coming Saturday, May 15th. Please arrive at 8:45 and wear your Rotary T-Shirts. If you do not have a Rotary T-Shirt, we will have some there.
Virtual Banner Exchange with Club Rotario de Guayaquil Cerro Azul. Larry Solero from that Club told us about their history and their projects. Now are now working on a feeding station for homeless, drug addicted youth in the city.
Virtual Banner Exchange with Rotary Club of Yerevan (Armenia). Aram Abrahamyam who is now on long term visit to Miami told us about their Club. It was the first Rotary Club in Armenia, which started in the 1990’s. All other Rotary Clubs in Armenia are spinoffs from their Club.
Keynote Speaker: Robert Bull introduced our keynote speaker, Dr. Aileen Marty. Dr. Marty is an infectious disease specialist, epidemiologist and a distinguished professor at Florida International University. Dr. Marty’s presentation was captivating. After the Q&A period, Robert Bull presented her with a Certificate of Appreciation and told Dr. Marty that will be plant a tree in her honor at our next tree planting. We will email her a photo of the tree with the dedication. She was very pleased.
Four Way Test: Carlos Bonadies led us in the Four Way Test to end our meeting.
Next meetings: Next week we will have two meeting. The first Rotary Club of Miami Evening Satellite Club will have its first meeting on Tuesday, May 18th at 6:30 PM. Our midday meeting will be on Thursday. This will be a unique an extremely interesting meeting. Details will be sent out on Tuesday morning.
Dr. Marty’s presentation was captivating. After the Q&A period, Robert Bull presented her with a Certificate of Appreciation and told Dr. Marty that will be plant a tree in her honor at our next tree planting. We will email her a photo of the tree with the dedication. She was very pleased. 