Rotary Log for Meeting of July 27, 2017
By Mark Larusso
Photos by Jim Rini
It appears President Ben did his level best to surpass former President James’ stellar attendance record. The same one that included absence from his first official Rotary meeting. Ben got off to a smashing start, making his first two before missing a meeting. Way to go Ben! Vice President Cleo filled in admirably on short notice for our missing President.
VP Cleo began our meeting with the introduction of guests and visiting Rotarians. Dave Underhill brought his wife, Linda. Madeline Warren invited two guests, Nicole Lacore and Katie Duncan. Yvonne Legge was Aileen Dugan’s guest. Lindsey Hery introduced MaryGail Sycamore. Basil brought his son Basil Jr. and Judy Loto. Lastly, Kevin Shultz introduced his wife Elizabeth. Welcome to all!
Today, we welcomed our newest Rotarian, Colleen Westcott, a transfer from Nashua West. She was a member there for eight years. Colleen and her husband moved to the seacoast and started Portsmouth Eats, a restaurant tasting company. Among other talents and activities, Colleen has been a yoga instructor for 21 years. Welcome Colleen!
Dennis Moulton started announcements with an update from the Cross Country Race Committee. The event is this Thursday, August 3. The race begins at 6 pm. Volunteers are still needed, particularly race course monitors. Please sign up! How about it, Red Dotters?
Birthdays were announced with a special shout out to Ted Alex who turned 60! We honored his milestone accomplishment two weeks ago with a pack of Depends. The special gift of his good friend and fellow Rotarian, John Pappas. Happy Birthday Ted!
Further announcements included a plea for donation requests for the Cash Committee. Please send in any requests you deem worthy of support. Announcements wrapped up with Rotary Day at the Boston Red Sox, September 13. Those that wish to participate need to purchase tickets by August 18.
What may be a first in Rotary raffle history, the ticket picker won the $48 raffle, guest Yvonne Legge. There was no match so the $75 bonus remains in play.
Sue Bowen sent us a thank you card for our donations and kind wishes to her family. May they find solace with time.
Leonard Seagren introduced our guest speakers, the latest Friends Forever group. This has really become a time honored annual tradition for our club. For those who are new, Friends Forever was initiated by members of our club decades ago. It has become a global movement. The current group hails from Israel and is a mixture of Jewish and Palestinian students.
Leonard began by introducing Steve Martineau, the Executive Director of Friends Forever. Every year, Steve and his staff bring groups of students to the Friends Forever facility on Route 4. There, for two weeks, they receive cultural integration and immersion. And every year, hearts and minds are changed. Will this group continue that trend?
The group leaders, Enad (sp?) for the Jewish team and Nairus (sp?) for the Arab team, each took turns introducing themselves. They shared familial backgrounds (temporarily leaving husbands and children behind—best experience EVER). They then explained the process that is Friends Forever. The program begins with each group spending time with the other group on their home turf.
One fact became immediately evident to the group leaders. The stereotypes and prejudices perpetuated through the press and older generations are unfounded. Nairus commented how she hated those stereotypes. She sees them slowly becoming a part of the forgettable past.
Following local exchanges, the groups travel to the USA for the second stage. Here they live together for two weeks and engage in activities geared to improve relationships and understanding. The third stage brings them back home for a year of programs and community service.
A few of the students gave us their impressions of the program. They spoke about how hard it is to get in. Yet many of them still needed prodding from their parents and teachers to make the leap. One student in particular, captivated us with his candid assessment of the program.
Thor, a member of the Jewish team, is the product of a Jewish father and a Danish Christian mother. He enthralled us with his sobering take on the program and life in a troubled region. He remained skeptical through his introduction to Friends Forever and initial activities. Activities that immersed him into a confluence of two cultures and the program’s potential for positive change.
For reasons perhaps not even fully understood by him, his attitude about and belief in the program slowly changed. He now has a more open mind. He concluded by strongly affirming the program and the potential for peace that it’s designed to foster. For someone so skeptical to embrace such an outcome, it appears the trend for positive change continues.
Respectfully submitted, Mark Larusso
