President Oliver Ruiz welcomed everyone to today’s meeting.
Shirley Pardon gave an invocation and Dave Skinner led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
Guests and Visitors were introduced by Rick Hernandez:
Gaspar Collet Pereira is a professor at Bagozzi College in Brazil and a Rotarian from the Curitiba Brazil Rotary Club;
Maria Neves Collet Pereira accompanied her husband to the meeting;
Claudia P. Gallego, a guest of Shirley Pardon, is a financial representative for Thrivent Financial.
Arielle Biscayart is a real estate agent with FIP Realty and works with residential and commercial properties.
Announcements:
Oliver thanked all members who attended the Rotary Leadership Institute. Everyone learned a lot and he encouraged others to participate in the future. Oliver was pleased to present Randy Lichtman with a Discussion Leader Certificate. Congrats!
Thursday, September 15 - luncheon meeting at the Yacht Club;
Saturday, September 17 – members will be participating in a Community-wide Coastal Cleanup effort. Rick Hernandez will be sending out additional information.
Wednesday, September 21 – Rotary to Rotary (R2R) networking event at Whiskey Joe’s on Key Biscayne.
Thursday, September 22 – Board and luncheon meeting at the Yacht Club
Thursday, September 29 – an evening social event
Happy $$$$$$$$$$$
Robert Bull greeted our visitors from Brazil in Portuguese. He also spoke about a trip he made to Guatemala where he visited an indigenous population where children are susceptible to skin cancer when exposed to sunlight. There is great need in the area for support in many ways.
Phil Seipp reminded members of the EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) Challenge. Tim Ryan’s matching offer to contributions still stands. He also thanked Norm Kassoff for his connection at Bascom Palmer that helped Phil out with a medical issue.
Marcia Brod was happy to spend a weekend away with the entire family and also thanked Diane Landsberg for a Marlins plush throw. Go Fish!
Linda Singer celebrated her wedding anniversary at the Ritz Carlton on Key Biscayne. She was also thrilled to be driving her new car (a duplicate of what hubby Dave already has).
Diane Landsberg was happy to thank Dave Anderson for his legal assistance. She also spoke about the ever-present value to Rotary networking. Cathy Cahill helped a fellow Rotarian’s daughter connect to a new job.
Rick Hernandez was thrilled to have stayed up to watch the entire FSU football game. The first half was scary, but luckily the game turned around in the second half.
Arlene Terrinoni was excited to be joining the club as a new member today.
Randy Lichtman was glad Phil Seipp attended the recent RLI and shared that the program is a great way for everyone to learn a lot more about Rotary. Another session will be held in April.
Speaker:
Soraya Mora is Executive Director of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida.
She has a long-time connection with Rotary – her uncle was a Rotarian in Puerto Rico.
The Ronald McDonald House of Miami is located on the grounds of Jackson Memorial Medical Center. The house has 31 bedrooms which can accommodate 2-3 people each.
The Center is a haven for families of hospitalized children. The facility is always full, with a waiting list for openings when they occur. The maximum length of stay is 60 days and the “suggested” contribution is $20/night. No one is every turned away for inability to pay.
The organization also has a grants program to help others in the community.
There are many volunteer opportunities to help the organization sustain its important mission.
New Member:
Dave Anderson had the distinct honor of welcoming Arlene Terrinoni to the club as its newest member. The Club welcomes her with open arms.
Arian Pousa led the group in Rotary’s 4-Way Test of the Things we Think, Say and Do.
