North Elba Councilwoman Emily Politi paid us another visit, providing updates on two projects currently underway here. Affordable housing is a big issue nationwide, not just in our community. But the Homestead Development Corporation has found a way to provide quality homes at a reasonable entry point for aspiring home owners. The Makeover McKinley project as as its goal the transformation of an existing park into an area with new playground equipment, pickleball courts and improved accessibility for those with mobility issues. Emily's presentation may be found in our public files space https://bit.ly/3rn6iwW For more information about these projects, there are contact links at the end of the presentation.
A return visit from Lori Fitzgerald this morning. If we had to list all the things Lori is involved with, we would run out of space on this website. Club members were keenly interested in Lori's updates as to expectations for the 2023 World University Games, happening in not to many weeks here in Lake Placid. Covered were expectations as to crowd size (athletes, support staff, onlookers), housing for athletes and visitors alike as well as demands on the town and village infrastructure. Needless to say, the large numbers of people who will be descending on our little town will create certain conditions that we'll have to deal with - such as road closures (especially Main Street), limited parking and so on. Lori also talked about projects the Development Commission and the Arts Alliance are dealing with and various issues that are faced in terms of project funding or the need to engage certain professional expertise to deal with community issues (housing, transportation and what Lori called "over tourism." Another interesting talk but as Rotarians, we know we'll be called upon to assist wherever we can and we'll step up to the plate.
It was a a chilly evening at the John Brown Farm Historic Site but our Thursday Night Socials continued with a group gathering under the pavilion tent. Good food and a hot game of dominos which lasted beyond sundown. Fun times with good friends.
What a great day and a great time for all. Right now we don't have the final tally but thanks to our very generous donors and ticket purchasers, it looks like we're on course for a record-breaking total of funds to make available through our Donations Committee. The 2022 team is sorting out the details, reviewing notes on what when right and where enhancements can happen. There will be more pictures posted at a later date, but in the interim, you can check out our Facebook page for more stuff https://www.facebook.com/rotarycluboflakeplacid
Sawyer Cresap is the Exec. Dir. of AdkAction and at today's meeting, Sawyer took us through several of the projects that are making a difference to Adirondack communities. From seeking to improve broadband, delivering meals to those in need or stressing the need to have pollinator-friendly native plants, AdkAction seeks to plan and develop projects that matter and improve the quality of life now and for the future. We invite you to learn more about AdkAction by visiting their website https://www.adkaction.org or downloading their latest annual report https://bit.ly/3wvSTp1
This morning we welcomed two new members to the Rotary Club of Lake Placid, May Chow and Marcy Miller. Both May and Marcy say they are excited to have been inducted into the club and we look forward to their contributing their skills and talents on our various committees, Welcome May and Marcy. In the picture (L to R) are Kate Thompson (May's sponsor), May, John Huttlinger (Treasurer), Marcy, and Harris Semegram (Marcy's sponsor).
Former championship figure skater and now coach/yoga & pilates instructor/event planner joined us today to talk about her role as Manager of Ceremonies for the upcoming World University Games. Mimi (pronounced "Mimmie") took us through the huge amount of coordination required to bring these events to home and mobile screens. Mimi has worked in production for ABC Sports and as Public Affairs Coordinator for the Olympic Authority (ORDA). Mimi is no stranger to the pressures getting events to happen per plan. Over the last decade-plus, she has coordinated events including: the premiere of The Wild Center, Tupper Lake NY (20,000 in attendance) the Opening Ceremonies of the Empire State Games, University Galas — as well as over 200 weddings, conferences and family celebrations of all types and sizes. When we're watching the events next January, we'll appreciate all the behind the scenes work that took place. Did we mention that Mimi was a member of the US Figure Skating team in the Nancy Kerrigan/ Tonya Harding days and a principal performer in the Ice Capades.
Lithium-ion batteries, while powering many of the devices and toys we enjoy (and depend on) create issues on many levels when it comes to proper and safe disposal. Introducing a project for this Rotary year, At our first assembly, Club Pres. Bill Flederbach's presentation outlined how our Club can participate with ESRAG (Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group) through a turnkey solution package. We'll create a path for the community to have local solutions/programs for implementation as our contribution in supporting the environment - one of Rotary International's Seven Areas of Focus.
On a nice sunny day in July, the Road Crew assembled at Mt. Van Hovenberg to spread out on our designated stretch of Rt. 73. In addition to picking up unsightly trash from the roadside, the Road Crew was looking for some prizes hidden along the way by club President Bill Flederbach. Is that the Rotary wheel painted on the road to show we've tagged it as ours?
Our annual Horse Show Breakfast this year was enjoyed by all as we welcomed Phillip Richter, Chair of the Lake Placid Horse Shows. On a seasonable morning (great weather for the horses and riders), we were given many insights as to the future of equestrian shows here in Lake Placid and worldwide. Participants and spectators alike always remark that the Lake Placid shows are a premier event on the circuit and with some planned enhancements to the show grounds, these shows will continue to be a feature of summer in the Lake Placid area. We're already looking forward to next year's breakfast, marking the start of the Rotary Year, full of events and club projects.
Our Changeover Event was held at the spectacular Mt. Van Hovenberg Lodge where we recognized outgoing club leadership and welcomed our new officers and directors. A recap of a year in transition was done followed by a delicious dinner and fellowship. Quite nice to have this social event. We also recognized Martha Spear & Bridget McKillip with Paul Harris Awards, Chandler Ralph received our Eagle Award as Rotarian of the Year, leading up to the presentation by Debbie Erenstone (L) and Chandler Ralph (R) of the prestigious Service Above Self Award to Dr. David Balestrini for his many efforts in making our community a great place to live and work. And a thank you to Kate Thompson, Stephanie Pianka, and Martha Spear for putting the event together and setting the stage for our club to move into Rotary Year 2022 - 2023. https://bit.ly/3c2RW0d
Concluding the Rotary Year - 2022 Changeover Event
Closing out our 2021 - 2022 speaker series was Aaron Kramer, CEO of Adirondack Health (AH). Simply put, providing excellent and caring health care services in a rural area such as the Adirondacks is challenging on several levels. From overall health of the population AH serves, to recruitment of providers, to financial pressures, and to being flexible to respond to emergencies or planning for the upcoming World University Games, the job of a hospital CEO can be a daunting task. Since becoming CEO in September 2021, Aaron has already made his mark on several levels. Aaron joined us to highlight some of the many services AH offers, a look into the future for AH and what the community can do to support AH, one of only two hospitals in NY to receive a 5-star patient experience rating (Becker's Hospital Review, March 2022) and is a Joint Replacement Center of Excellence (Healthcare Facilities Accredtation Program (HFAP - on site survery, March 2022).
Tina Leonard's Family writes about Caleb: "This student was chosen because they had their military dreams and aspirations shattered due to an underlying physical ailment, but then that student volunteered and found a different passion to pursue that will still bring them to do some of the same things they had always wanted, but through journalism instead of military service." The Tina Leonard award keeps Tina's legacy and spirit alive as it annually will recognize young persons in our community who are overcoming obstacles and achieving success. For more information about the award and how to support it, visit http://www.lpnyrf.org
Caleb Mihill Receives First Annual Tina Leonard Award
Dr. Tillis joined our meeting via Zoom from Colorado to show how our recent donation to the Cambodian Community Dream Organization via Together We Can Change The World is showing visible help to children in the villages around Siem Reap via providing the basics of dental hygiene. Conditions are such that these children's teeth are decaying and with the accompanying pain it is very difficult for these children to focus on schooling, etc. Improving oral health (which is done in school) is a not so small step to in the mission of bettering the health and education of impoverished women and children throughout Southeast Asia. Watch the video and visit these websites: https://theccdo.org and https://www.twcctw.org
Newly installed Chief Chuck Dobson, a veteran of the LPPD, visited with us to talk about the many large events his 12-person Department must cover (Ironman, University Games, Can-Am Tourneys) as well as current issues such as homelessness, school safety, and substance abuse. Also discussed was the mental impact of dangerous and sometimes tragic situations on his officers and measures taken to help cope and be an effective community servant. Chief Dobson took many questions and received much positive input from the group. A very informative and thought-provoking presentation. Chief Dobson is pictured in this 2015 photo seen in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise.
Speaker/Guests at our first meeting in June were Tony & Nancy Corwin, proprietors of South Meadow Farm Lodge & Maple Sugarworks. The production of maple syrup is something closely associated with the Adirondacks. Tony and Nancy took us through several stages of the production process and provided an overview on the past sugaring season. We had a discussion of how the changing climate has impacted the time when the maple sap is running as well as an explanation of the relatively new system of grading for maple syrup. A bottle or jug of maple syrup should be refrigerated after opening but left closed, the product will be quite good for a long period of time. It takes about 40 years for a maple tree to grow before it is big enough to tap. Tony and Nancy also spoke to the sugaring process itself and what changes have been seen in recent years.
Mitch Teich is Station Manager for North Country Public Radio (NCPR). This morning Mitch spent an hour with us in a broad-ranging discussion about NCPR's presence and its diverse programming from in-depth original news features to a broad spectrum of music. We learned about Mitch's journey through public radio and the role public radio plays in providing listeners with content that is unique and thought-provoking. We had some techhie stuff on how NCPR reaches its listeners on the FM band and through the internet. Mitch also commented on the future of terrestial radio, the influence of the talk radio format and how he reacts and learns from listener comments - both pro and con. NCPR recently won 7 regional Edward R. Murrow awards for overall excellence and other categories. Visit https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org and be part of the important role NCPR has in the North Country.
Per the Skin Cancer Foundation, an estimated 1.8 million cases of SCC (squamous cell carcinoma) are diagosed each year - that's 205 cases per hour. At today's meeting, Rotarian Dr. Henri Gaboriau from Adirodack Health walked us through several situations where, with proper attention, skin cancer is preventable. Dr. Gaboriau discussed his practice which includes plastic/reconstructive surgery, sinus infections of ear, nose and throat in addition to cosmetic procedures. To focus on preventing skin cancer from developing and what to check for, Dr. Gaboriau suggests starting by visiting http://www.skincancer.org
We were joined today by Abby Saferstein and Dr. Amanda Klinger, both from NYU Langone Health to talk about an international services project in Northern Ghana, initiated by the Westport Sunrise Rotary Club. This is a project to bring healthcare and healthcare education to the remote northern areas of Ghana as part of a goal to advance global health equity. The full presentation deck may be viewed here:https://bit.ly/39dBhpd This is a project which our International Services Committee will explore in the near future to see how we can join with the Westport Sunrise Club, The Tamale (Ghana) Rotary Club, NYU Grossman School of Medicine and the University for Development Studies in Ghana.
A thank you to Dr. Bart Szczech (Adirondack Health / Lake Placid Sports Medicine) for a fascinating presentation on knee and hip pain and treatment protocols. Dr. Bart explained causes of these conditions (impacting a growing percentage of the population) and via his presentation deck described how joints deteriorate, his approach to surgical procedures and measures to deal with arthritis and osteoporosis. Dr. Bart certainly had the focused attention of our members -those in the room and on Zoom. Today's talk continued our series of presentaions on health related topics.
Brendan Mills from John Brown Farm/NY State Parks wants us to know that Saturday, May 7 is I Love My Park Day across NY State. Here in North Elba, John Brown Farm is hosting a cleanup event to help beautify this historic site. Visit the Parks and Trails NY page at http://www.ptny.org/ilovemypark or call 518.523.3900 for more info.
This scholarship award has been given each year since 1994 to a Lake Placid High School Junior or Senior who has demonstrated excellence in vocal and/or instrumental music. This year's winner in Andrew Scanio. Andrew received a $1,000 award to use towards college applications or other college related expenses. Andrew was chosen by a committee including the LPHS music faculty, guidance counselor and principal as well as a representative from Rotary. At our April 28th meeting, Andrew performed vocal and trombone selections. Our congratulations to Andrew and his family.
At our 4/28 meeting, the Literacy Committee presented awards of $1,000 each to the Adirodack Family Book Festival and the Educational Opportunity Fund of the Lake Placid Central School District. The Book Festival is planned to be a celebration of community, diversity and storytelling at historic John Brown Farm. The EdOp Fund identifies "next level" initiatives to address opportunity gaps (economic, social, cultural) facing our school district's children. Click "Read More" for images from the presentation ceremony.
Another health related presentation, focusing on the increasing number of individuals experiencing hearing loss. Not just as part of an aging process but impacting younger people as well due to excessive levels of noise all around us. Today, author Monique Hammond provided insights as to causes of hearing loss, why this is a quality of life issue and what can be done to protect our hearing. Hearing loss has been shown to lead to mistakes in following critical directions and recently as a possible cause of dementia.
Derek Doty joined us this morning to discuss topics from housing to dog control to the future of KLKP (that's the call sign for the Lake Placid Airport, btw). Lots of questions for Derek and we're looking forward to his working with our Bus Shelter Committee on placement of shelter #3 in a spot where it will get good utilization. We're glad that Derek found time in his busy schedule to talk with us and we know his door is always open to hear items of concern from residents and business owners alike.
AsRA's Leanna Thalmann updated us on the on-going initiatives to keep Mirror Lake healthy and alive with continued efforts to focus on minimizing salt runoff into the lake. Heavy concentrations of salt and chorlide will prevent the lake from "turning over" each year. If the lake doesn't "turn over" and refresh, the levels of oxygen in the lake will severely diminish and impair or prevent the lake's being a habitat for lake trout and other cold water species. A dead lake is not good for recreation, tourism and the economy. Area residents are asked to take the Mirror Lake Salt Survey to guide AsRa and its partners on measures to take to maintain a healthy Mirror Lake (and other area waters.
Here is the link for the Salt Survey https://forms.gle/TV6zZ7monERj7QRF7 Complete the survey for a chance to win a $100 gift card from The Bookstore Plus or Green Goddess.
Eight months into his job as the Superintendent of the Lake Placid School District, Tim Seymour outlined his plans for greater involvement of the Lake Placid schools as the lynchpin of partnerships between schools and other community activities and resources. Tim's vision is to establish a point of coordination among the wide variety of activites which happen in our town and village, leading to more efficient use of resources and available funds in a cycle of continuous improvement of educational opportunities. Greater parental and community involvement along with incorporating teaching methodologies that stimulate critical thinking are important to the long-term health of our community.
The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA), welcomed Elizabeth Cooper as its Executive Director in July 2021. At our meeting today, Elizabeth’s presentation provided detail on how ANCA is helping to position the economy of the North Country’s local communities for sustained wealth and growth. Elizabeth spoke about ANCA’s 4 program areas: food systems, clean energy, the entrepreneurial economy, and the Adirondack Diversity initiative. ANCA provides guidance and education utilizing cutting-edge resources to help small businesses emerge, grow and thrive. Visit them at www.adirondack.org or contact Elizabeth at ecooper@adirondack.org or call her at 518-265-3957. Learn how you can support ANCA’s efforts by becoming a member or learn about having ANCA help your business or the business of someone you know to grow.
Mark your calendars for August 20, 2022 from 10a to 4p at the John Brown Historic Site. At today's meeting, Martha Swan (John Brown Lives!) along with Bambi Pedu and Karen Armstrong from the Lake Placid Public Library provided details about this Festival which will feature award-winning children's book authors and other activities in a fun-filled day of activities, hands-on art making and discovery. Children's and young adult authors and illustrators will meat their readers of all ages, read aloud, and talk about their work. We also had an overview of the "best kept secret on Main Street," our library. Click the read more button for the full presentation.
On March 16, Dmitry Feld was interviewed by Harris Semegram & Betsy Brown and provided his views on the Russian invasion of the Ukraine as of March 16.
Jenn Deschamps is the current President of the Cornwall Sunrise club. Recently Jenn made a presentation to the District 7040's DEI committee about her club's efforts in implementing the overall DEI intitiative from Rotary International. Jenn's presentation to us today described issues which faced her club and the path taken to arrive at a solution. A solution which recognized the concerns of club members, needs of the communities served while building connections and staying true to Rotary's 4-Way test. Click on "Read More" for some of Jenn's presentation.
The objective of Rotary Exchange Programs is to foster world peace and international understanding. It is hoped that the participants will experience firsthand, the challenges and accomplishments of other countries, by living with and meeting people of different cultures. Rotary Exchange students are between the age of 15 and 18, spending one academic year living in another country, usually with two or more host families. Students become part of those families and their community. These Rotary accredited families are volunteers who will welcome and care for you, supervise your year and introduce you to their culture and lifestyle. At our March 3 meeting, Yourth Exchange District Coordinator Francine Allard and Program Chair Patrick Mahaffy Zoomed in to provide information for clubs who are considering to participate in the program. Patrick also shared many interesting anecdotes about his experiences in Brazil as part of his participation as a student.
At our 2/24/22 meeting we welcomed Dr. Anthony Tamontano, Medical Director of Cardiology at Adirondack Health (AH). Dr. Tramontano took us through AH's Cardiology Department's services and an overview of the diagnostic tools employed to provide care and treatment of heart related medical conditions. His presentation images and readouts from these tools, showing what providers look for to diagnose heart disease and apply solutions - either invasive or non-evasive. His PowerPoint presentation may be accessed here: https://bit.ly/3pCCZpJ Having a healthy heart is a combination of diet, activity and certain lifestyle behaviors.
A different perspective of the climate change summit (COP26) recently held in Glasgow. At today's meeting Elodie Linck and Witter Swanson presented two stories to us. First, a very local perspective of what school districts and youth groups in the Adirodacks are doing to heighten awareness of climate change and its impact to our area. Then we heard about what actions were taken with the multi-national gathering in Glasgow so teens, millenials and Gen-Zers could bring back to their home countries about what's happening to the planet. To see the scope of activities, visit these two Wild Center pages: https://www.wildcenter.org/our-work/cop26/ and https://www.wildcenter.org/our-work/youth-climate-program/
In 2022, the Adirondack Mountain Club celebrates its 100th anniversary. The Club's Executive Director, Michael Barrett, spoke with us at today's meeting, outlining the club's goals and objectives - both short and long term. Recently the Club closed on the Cascade Ski Center property and will use it to provide a welcome/education center for all. Michael also took us through several of the line item proposed for the NY State Budget, which features a $10 million committment to improve trails, provide for more summit stewards, develop DEI programs to make the Forest Preserve more welcoming, amoung other things. Please visit this link for a webinar happening on February 23: https://adk.org/event/forest-preserve-education-day-webinar/
Michael Barrett, Exec. Director, Adirondack Mountain Club
This comes via a Facebook post from Plattsburgh Rotary, shared by our AG, Jenn Grisi. Click "read more" for the full story - a little about the designer, Riki Salam, and the meaning of each of the visual elements.
Paul Wylie, silver medalist in figure skating at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, FR, gave a very engrossing "backstage" look at figure skating ant the road to the Olympics. Paul talked about his background and the road which lead to his career in skating as well as afterwards his business achievements and now as Director of Sport for ORDA. Most facinating was Paul's discussions of what it takes to be motivated to world competitive level, how technology has made training so different from 30 or 40 years ago and the deliberative process that goes into choosing music to accompany the performace. Paul also had a PowerPoint covering the upcoming games in Bejing and alluded to some of the controversies which put additional pressures on our athletes.
Click the "read more" button for the list of final scores from January's trivia night. Over $1,000 was raised to benefit efforts in the area to improve literay in the community led by the efforts of the Literacy Volunteers of Clinton, Essex and Franklin Counties https://www.lvcef.org/
Our next virtual trivia event will be on March 3 and of course you don't have to be in the North Elba/Lake Placid area to play. Invite friends and family from around the country to play. Registration details will be sent via ClubRunner and posted to our Facebook page as the date approaches.
Our incoming club President, Bill Flederbach (CEO of ClimeCo, Inc) attended the recent COP26 conference in Glasgow. Bill summarized his experiences at the summit with emphasis on what Rotary is doing worldwide to address mitigating issues facing the planet. Additionally, Bill showed us his growing company's involvement and global reach with insights into several on-going projects. As incoming President, Bill gave us a sneak peak at what he's looking at as a project arc for the 2022 - 2023 club year.
StoveTeam is a nonprofit organization started by a Rotarian in Eugene, Oregon that facilitates the placement of safe, affordable, fuel-efficient cookstoves in collaboration with local communities to support families and protect the environment. StoveTeam's innovative model for assisting entrepreneurs in Latin America has won numerous awards for creating local employment while improving health and reducing air pollution. To date, local projects started by StoveTeam in Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and Mexico have produced more than 78,000 stoves, improving the lives of more than half a million people and preventing nearly one million tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. StoveTeam is currently focused on the expansion of our Justa stove project in Guatemala. The Justa cookstove (pronounced “hoo-stuh”) is built in place inside the home by local stove technicians trained by StoveTeam. Each stove benefits an average family of nearly 8 people and provides meaningful employment, while contributing toward a solution to climate change and deforestation. Our club has donated $500 which has made 5 Justa model stoves possible in Guatemala. See project photos at this link: https://bit.ly/33DZxyp
The Rotary Club of Lake Placid NY is saddened by the loss of Charter Member Richard Brewer. Richard was always available to help with projects or provide guidance on many things during club meetings, assemblies and board meetings. Dick regularly reminded members of assigned obligations and published the duty roster as part of his work on the club service committee. He was very involved with membership, providing historical and actionable information via service on the membership committee. Recently he has been an active participant on our DEI committee, at the club and district level. We miss him and may his memory be for a blessing. Here is a link to his obituary as seen in the Albany Times-Union https://legcy.co/3rnVvC1
Please click "read more" for a some pictures as shared by Paula and Anna.
The CDC says each year about 255,000 women get breast cancer and 42,000 women die of the disease. About 1 out of every 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the USA is found in a man. Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older. This is an important health topic in our area and today, the Breast Health Director at Adirondack Health, Dr. Emily Szczech discussed the challenges a breast cancer diagnosis presents in a rural area and what is being done at Adirondack Health in terms of patient education, preventative measures and caring treatment. Click the button below for several of the slides from her presentation dack and Dr. Emily's contact information if you'd like to reach out.
A very interesting and informative presentation about an iconic symbol of the Adirondacks, the common loon, was provided at today's meeting by Jennifer Denny. Communications-Education Coordinator for the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation https://www.adkloon.org From the ACLC's website: Common Loons are a Species of Special Concern in New York State and are protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Their populations face numerous threatss, including environmental mercury pollution, shoreline development, fishing line entanglement, lead poisoning from ingestion of toxic fishing tackle, and human disturbance. Loons live 20-30 years, and are fish-eating birds at the top of the aquatic food web. They are a signature species for understanding environmental quality and the health of aquatic ecosystems on a regional and global scale.
Continuing a tradition, our club once again served shoppers and passers-by hot cocoa during the 2021 Lake Placid Holiday Stroll. We'll be giving the $80 in donations to the Shipman Youth Center. Shown are Debbie Erenstone and her daughter Holly, an honoroary club member. Not shown because she took the picture is our newest member, Stephanie Pianka. And a thank you to ROOST for providing the cocoa.
Our incoming President, Bill Flederbach, is CEO of ClimeCo Corporation https://climeco.com . ClimeCo's mission statement, from their website: "To create environmental asset revenue streams through customized strategies to develop and support the continued growth of clean air technologies." But they also are recognizing that December is Universal Human Rights Month. On ClimeCo's Facebook page there is a posting talking about this and provides some resources for further study. Click the button below to see their posting (which is now also on our Facebook page).
We welcomed the LVCEF's Executive Director, Karen Dispos-De Boos to our meeting to fill us in on the LVCEF's activities. There's a lot to talk about re the value the programs bring to children and adults alike.. Click the button below for highlights from Karen's presentation as well as an explainer brocure listing even more accomplishments.
Dan Kelting and Zoe Smith from the Adirondack Watershed Institute at Paul Smith's College joined us today with Dan presenting some very informative graphics on a growing problem in our area. Uncontrolled spread of invasive species has negative consequences to our economy, much of which is based on tourism and water related activities. A series of images may be found by clicking the "read more" button below and by vistiting https://www.adkwatershed.org Learn about what plants and animals are considered as invastive and the job the watershed stewards do to keep invasive out of our waters. Dan and Zoe welcome your questions and will gladly provide you with information on how you can help this critical ecological project.
Bill Flederbach is in Glasgow this week. Here Bill is seen with RI President Shekhar Mehta and his wife, Rashi. Bill wants us to know that RI is working on some great environmental projects incluing 9 mangrove restorations. Bill is CEO of ClimeCo and is working with RI and the esrag group https://esrag.org on CFC destruction and plastic recovery programs. We're looking forward to hearing a full report from Bill in just a few weeks at a future meeting.
A very informative program today from Erica DeNicola-Scher of the Epilepsy Foundation of Northeastern New York. Our meeting was 100% Zoom with Erica taking us through an understanding of what epilepsy and seizures are along with some general guidelines on how to help someone having a seizure. "Epilepsy" covers a broad range of situations and, as one of Erica's slide said - it's more than just seizures. Click to expand images and visit https://www.epilepsy.com/local/northeastern-new-york
We're quite appreciative of the amount of time the very busy Mike Pratt, CEO of the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) spent with us at today's meeting. In addition to providing an overview of ORDA's activities at the Olympic Venues in our area and at the Bellayre facility in the Catskills, Mike gave us insights into the strategic thinking and planning that has gone into venue improvements, creating for vistiors and athletes - in additiona to us locals - experiences that are modern and sustainable for years to come. Quite an interesting hour with Mike, full of information and things we can look forward to enjoying.
People were happy, as we were, to have Trivia Night be in-person again, with questions posed by MC Martha Spear. First Place went (again) to the Irish Mafia, captained by Tricia Preston. Second place went to Mary Johnson's Literary Bombers and third place tie resulted in two playoff rounds between Roger Catania's Ed Oppers and Bill Barnes' Indian Rockers. A suspense filled coin-toss had to be used to award 3rd place to the Ed Oppers. Of course proof of vaccination was required with masks worn when not seated at a table. Thank you to the Saranac Waterfront Lodge for hosting.
A few weeks before Tina's sudden passing, she had mentioned in one of our weekly meetings how pleased and proud she was to begin blogging on her Tina Leonard Real Estate Website. Perhaps you haven't had a chance to read it. Tina's daugher, Daci, has provided the link to the blog page. Take a few moments read it and share in Tina's thoughts about some life experiences: https://bit.ly/3j2lPOM
Jacinthe Paillé is from the Rotary Club of D7040 Quebec. At our October 7th meeting Jacinthe "zoomed" in with her presentation as the 2021 - 2022 District Literacy Chair . Jacinthe uses Padlet to create a "wall" of the many programs she wants to share and discuss with other educators and students. Here's a snapshot of the wall but to see it "live" and explore its content, please click https://padlet.com/j14intoronto/AlphaLiteracy
It's the 20th anniversary year for the Adirondack Film Festival. At today's meeting, Gary Smith paid us another visit to update on this year's festival and some upcoming events as the festival's organizers work to make this a standout event among all the other film festivals in the world. Please visit http://www.adirondackfilm.org for more details on this year's festival. Gary told the club about a project backed by Amazon Prime that will begin filming in our area. A multi-episode series that looks to be quite interesting.
Gary mentioned several seminars that are in the works as well.
Coming right on the heels of the Duck Race (do webbed feet have heels? Inquiring minds want to know), several Rotarians staffed a table at the Lake Placid Community Day celebration. Left to right are Kate Thompson, Susan Friedmann, club co-President Heather Perkins, Mary Liz Alexander and Chandler Ralph. Also thanks to Rotarian Martha Spear who was co-chair of the entire event. In addition to letting folks know about our club, information was also available about the Lake Placid New York Rotary Foundation.
That's what Howie Rose says at the end of a game when the Mets win and that's what we say as the Lake Placid community wlll benefit from the proceeds of the 2021 Dam Duck Race.
At today's meeting, Emmett Smith, a founder of Northern Power and Light, spoke to the club about the local renewable energy movement - hydro power and the power grid. Emmet's company provides electricity from a small, family run hydro business via New York's Community Renewables Program. The Foley and Smith families have been involved in Adirondack hydroelectric power projects since the 1970s. As owner-operators, they’ve worked to contribute to strong communities and healthy ecosystems, while producing distributed renewable power for the Niagara-Mohawk electric grid. More information on how to get involved with this project may be found at the company's website: http://www.npandl.com Here's a link to Emmett's podcast (listen for free) looking at the Texas black out, exploring similarities between the Texas and New York electricity systems and what we can learn from outages in the South. https://www.audible.com/pd/Peak-Power-Northern-NYs-Energy-Podcast-Podcast/B08K57SF33
Northern Power & Light - the renewable energy movement
Today's speakers were Brendan Mills from John Brown Farm and Martha Swan from John Brown Lives! There's much to tell about the history of this historic site and of John Brown so you'll need to visit this historic location. And much of the history you won't find in most textbooks. Here are some links to get you started: https://on.ny.gov/38dDnBV and https://johnbrownlives.org/
At our 8/19 meeting, our club presented a donation to help establish an area in the LP elementary school library to honor Mary's memory and how she touched the lives of so many students. We heard - both in person and via Zoom - wonderful and heartfelt stories of Mary's relationship with her students and the admiration of Mary felt by students, parents and the community. Please follow this link to a recent story in the Lake Placid News: https://bit.ly/37UAdmr Shown (clockwise from left) are Heather Perkins, Nora Matthews, Natalee Colby, Tim Kelley and Shelly Vancour. Not pictured is Stacey Martin.
Club members Randy Quayle and Mary Liz Alexander present a check for $3,000 to Roger Catania, Mary Dietrich and Sybil Quayle, representing the Educational Opportunity Fund of the Lake Placid Central School District. Visit the Fund's Facebook page at https://bit.ly/3iKgmMZ The Fund has developed a Five Initiatives Program Commitment which you can find here: documents/en-ca/104ea3fd-92a3-42ad-a1d6-d027ad945e44/1
At our August 12th meeting, Bridget McKillip was recognized and honored with being named a Paul Harris Fellow in light of her continued contributions to The Rotary Foundation. Congratulations Bridget for this achievement and thank you for all the work you do for our Rotary club.
Today's presentation by Carrie Reardon, AVP Patient Care at Adirondack Health http://adirondackhealth.org discussed an initiative which provides health care that is a systematic approach that recognizes increased risk factors faced by aging patients while preventing needless decline while in hosptial and restores health. It is a system that elicits patient goals and preferences while identifying, coordinating and supporting family caregivers. Clinical staff are specifically trained and expert in the care of older adults.
Lake Placid Rotarians and their friends marshall up at the entrance to Mt. Van Hovenberg and head out on Route 73 to help keep our area looking good. We won't go into detail so let's just say there are always interesting things that make their way into the orange trash bags.
At today's meeting (held via Zoom) our club welcomed Mayor Art Devlin to chat with us about his first 90 days as Mayor. A veteran of many years on the Village Board, our conversation touched on the outlook for the Village in the coming months and years including the World University Games and current issues facing residents and visitors alike.
Brian LaVallee teaches Technology Engineering and Art at the Lake Placid Middle High School. At today's Club meeting, Brian explained a program involving robotics and other technologies Students participate as part of Team 7030 - The ROBOlympians. Studens learn the intricacies of design, graphics, media presentations and game strategy in a high pressure problem solving situation that incorporates various learning disciplines - including fun - to develop problem solving methodologies. Click "read more" for pictures of the team in competition.
Rotary members Don Woodlief and Chandler Ralph are shown cleaning glass plate negatives as part of the Lake Placid Center for the Arts restoration and archive project. Also assisting on this activity were Martha Spear, Courtney Bastian (LPCA Director) and former LPCA Directo Carla Elio. Our Rotary members have assisted the LPCA with the project on several occasions in the past and are always happy to help out as needed.
Whilte gloved or purple gloved, Rotarians Chandler Ralph and Don Woodlief are shown cleaning historical and valuable glass negative photographic plates at the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society. Also participating in the project on this day are Martha Spear, Society Director Courtney Bastian and former Director Carla Eilo. This is just another small way Rotarians participate in many activities in our community as part of our service to make our village and town a better place.
At today's meeting, Emily Kilburn Politi presented an overview of the activities of the Lake Placid Institute for the Arts & Humanities http://www.lakeplacidinstitute.org. The Institute involves numerous school districts within the Adirondacks to encourage students with interest in photography and/or poetry to showcase their talents. Student works get published and are also placed in a public gallery display. In addition, the Institute runs a chamber music seminar and conducts roundtable breakfast sessions (open to the public) offering a chance to hear and interact with notable people from various disciplines such as John Bogle, Gov. Madeline Kunin and James Burrows.
With relaxation of COVID restrictions, we held a hybrid meeting on May 27 with 10 Rotarians online and 12 in person. Rotarian Sean Donovan gave an engaging presentation - with exhibits - on the manhunt for Major James Call, a former Air Force officer. Major Call murdered Lake Placid PO Richard Pelkey and was the subject of a nationwide search, finally being captured in Nevada. Sean provided details of Call's method of operation, how he evaded the searchers for months and also spoke about the theory that Call was linked to the murder of Marilyn Sheppard in Cleveland, for which Dr. Sam Sheppard was convicted and later acquitted. The Sheppard murder is said to have inspired the TV series "The Fugitive."
At our evening "social" this week, Marco DiGirolomo from Senior Planet introducted us to the wide variety of free programs and opportunities offered by an organization dedicated to helping seniors with computer skills. From learning how to master P2P sites like PayPal and Venmo to being safe on social media. There's even a free help desk that can be of valuable assistance in solving a computer issue. Check out https://seniorplanet.org/locations/north-country/
The Rotary Club of Lake Placid is proud to name John Armstrong, a junior at Lake Placid High School as the winner of the Kate Smith Music Scholarship Award for 2021. In addition to being listed on a plaque of past winners prominently displayed at the school, John will receive a scholarship award of $1,000 towards his college plans. John is seeking appointment to one of our nation's military academies as he continues to explore his passions for music and several team sports. Via Zoom, John sang "Some Enchanted Evening" at our club's May 6th meeting.
Dean Dietrich and Haley Breen paid the club another virtual visit this week now that construction is proceeding daily on the Main Street Project. It's both useful and important to keep up to date on the status of the project as construction locations and activities change on a daily basis. What's the best thing to do for residents and visitors alike? Simply click this link and don't forget to subscribe to the daily email updates so you're in the know: http://villageoflakeplacid.ny.gov/content/Generic/View/141
A very informative presentation today by Peggy Wittberger, Nick George and Sara DeSimone to inform us about the mission of High Peaks Hospice that the care hospice provides when someone reaches an end of life condition. Hospice eases the burden on caregivers and serves as a resource to address the challenges a household may face, including bereavement care. High Peaks Hospice has served our area since 1986. http://www.highpeakshospice.org
Steve Sama, representing the Housing Development Corporation, addressed the Club regarding the Fawn Valley Housing Project. From an article in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise dated 2/20/21 by Elizabeth Izzo: "This development is being undertaken by the Homestead Development Corporation, an organization led by Sama, North Elba town Councilwoman Emily Politi, local real estate agent Whit Bissell, former Lake Placid mayor and current mayoral candidate Jamie Rogers, and accountant John Huttlinger Jr. It’s one of three housing developments currently in the works in housing-crunched Lake Placid, and the second planned for Wesvalley Road. The HDC’s goal, according to its application to the Lake Placid-North Elba Joint Review Board, is to “help develop more affordable housing stock in Lake Placid” — specifically housing for “skilled trades, professional workers and their families who are challenged to find housing near their workplace.”
Parmalee Tolkan, President of the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society address our club this morning with some of the Society's history and to update us on activities and events which make the Society's location at the former New York Central RR station building a most interesting place for locals and visitors alike. The Society is a membership organization created in 1948 for the purpose of documenting and preserving the history of the Village of Lake Placid and the Town of North Elba in New York State. The Society is located at what will be the terminus of the new rail trail. Please visit the Society's website at http://www.lakeplacidhistory.com to learn more about the many activities the Society is involved with.
Local author TJ Brearton ( http://tjbrearton.net ) was guest at our Thursday evening "social" meeting, holding forth with his story of what it takes to be an author in today's mix of hard copy books and digital media. Tim spoke of his fondness for the Adirondacks and how he comes by his muse to develop story lines where the boundaries of right and work are blurred and characters carry with them serious flaws. Tim has written over 20 books including eight novels set in the North Country. A story not set in the Adirondacks is Into Darkness, focusing on FBI Special Agent Shannon Ames who must capture a serial killer who targets reporters. This is a mystery involving deception at almost every turn, calling for intuition and out of the box approaches to apprehend the murderer. Tim spoke to us about the journey to publication - a journey involving literary agents, publishing executives, book retailers - a whole litany of people who work to get a book into your hands (or in the case of audio books0, your ears. It was a very interesting hour with a lot of questions from those who joined our session.
We Meet Local Author TJ Brearton at our Thursday Evening "Social"
Peter Labelle, Chairperson 2020-2023 for Rotary District 7040 International Service projects, along with Grants Subcommittee Chair Elizabeth (Bette) Miller, presented an update on several international service projects at our March 18th meeting. From the web page of the Committee ( https://www.rotary7040.com/page/international-service ): "While we serve in countless ways, we’ve focused our efforts in six key areas to maximize our impact. These areas encompass some of the world’s most critical and widespread humanitarian needs, and we have a proven record of success in addressing them: Peace and conflict resolution/prevention, Disease prevention and treatment, Water and sanitation, Maternal and child health, Basic education and literacy and Economic and community development." Please click "Read More" to see several images from Peter's presentation.
Rotarians Mary Liz Alexander and Randy Quayle deliver a check for $1500.00 to Laura Coffin, Reading Specialist at Lake Placid Elementary School, to help support the school summer reading program. The Rotary Literacy Committee made this donation with funds raised by the Trivia Night events.
Our final trivia night of 2020 - 2021 continued to raise funds for the expansion of literacy projects in our area. The evening began with a remembrance of Mary Kelley who taught at Lake Placid Elementary School for 37 years. Mary's obituary, as posted by the M.B. Clark Funeral Home is here: http://bit.ly/3rp3ZI6 For the final scores from the contest and for some pictures from the night's salute to Mary, please click the "read more" button below.
Rotarian Randy Quayle (L) presents LPCSD Superintendent Roger Catania with gift cards for the teachers and all support staff to recognize overcoming all the challenges in keeping things going during this difficult school year. Rotarians and the communities they are in. Partnership at its best.
Catherine Bemis, St. Agnes' school principal, is shown with Mary Liz Alexander accepting gift cards on behalf of the entire staff at St. Agnes School.
At this week's evening meeting, Brittany Sternberg introduced us to ADKArtrise, a new venture in Saranac Lake seeking to provide a creative outlet for people of all ages and abilities using different types of media. Their programs range from introducing youngsters to artistic opportunities to staging events for adults such as an "Art Date Night." More information may be found at https://www.adkartrise.com
Linda Young was presented with our Service Above Self award for her many years of leading a team of dedicated volunteers at the Lake Placid Ecumenical Food Pantry. The award is presented annually to a non-Rotarian whose significant volunteer service has contributed to the betterment of our community. With the pandemic increasing the demands on the food pantry, Linda has been there to answer the call.
Results are here from our February trivia contest where once again Team Irish Mafia takes first place. Another night of interesting questions and putting some techy issues aside, another night of fun. But more importantly, we've raised over $750 to support literacy initiatives in our community.
Thanks to all who played and we look to see you again on March 4 for our last virtual trivia night of the 2020 - 2021 season. Click "Read More" for the list.
Caleb Mihill is a Junior at Lake Placid High. He's devoted quite a bit of time and effort to create and produce video content that is enjoyed by students and faculty alike. His series is an alternative form of "morning announcements." At our meeting today, Caleb presented a highlight reel from the 60+ episodes he's created thus far.
Very interesting and informative presentation today by Mr. Kimball Daby, Superintendent of Lake Placid's Electric Company. His talk included history about our electric service, rates, challenges for future service and some technical items - all of which were clearly explained. The video of today's session (held via Zoom) may be accessed here: https://youtu.be/TB-kskvRUBQ
At the first of several planned evening meetings, we listened intently as author Sharon Linnéa read the opening to her book "Death By Tranquility," a murder mystery set in a fictionalized version of Lake Placid. Sharon told us of how she gets her inspirations and ideas for her plot lines, turning characters on a page into three dimensional people. A feature of the book is to include drink recipes as part of the story of bartenders turning into sleuths in the series "The Bartenders Guide to Murder." More about Sharon can be found at http://www.sharonlinnea.com
Our first virtual Trivia Night of 2021! 15 teams, 54 players and almost $700 raised to support literacy initiatives. Check your team's score and get ready to play with us again on February 4th. Click the "read more" button to see the final standings.
A special holiday treat for residents receiving care at Elderwood of Uihlein. Club members generously donated gifts of books, personal care items and games to each of Elderwood's residents in addition to a box of chocolates for everyone. Rotarians chose what to provide from a wish list that was made available to the Club. Several club members also sang Christmas carols to the residents by being socially distant and singing outside windows of the facility. Shown here are Club members Bill & Linda Flederbach, Chandler Ralph and Bridget McKillip making the delivery. Elderwood staff, recognizing the devotion to their work, will be treated to a pizza lunch.
Our last meeting of the year had Joe Tastrom, representing the Beagle Freedom Project, inform us about the BFP's mission of rescuing and rehabilitating animals used in testing and research and subjected to other forms of unique cruelty, abuse and neglect. BFP strives to end this cruelty through its educational programs, campaign initiatives and lobbying efforts to make the world a better, safer and healthier place for both animals and people alike. More information found at http://www.bfp.org
Our December 10th meeting saw Jori Wekin, co-founder of The Hub on the Hill bring us up to date on the organization's mission to strengthen the local food supply chain. Find out more by visiting https://thehubonthehill.org The Hub covers over 2,100 miles each week delivering farm fresh, local food to the doorsteps of individuals, retailers, and institutions from the Canadian Border to NYC.
This week's feature article in The Lake Placid News highlights the Colonel himself, Kerry Gates. You may recall the video presentation from a few meetings ago. Kerry, as a young lad of 7, was at Pearl Harbor with his family on December 7, 1941. Click this link for Kerry's story: https://bit.ly/376cIXQ
On 12/3 we were joined by the Editor of The Lake Placid News, Andy Flynn. Andy spoke to us about the importance of a local newspaper to the community. Andy generously provides space in the paper for our Club's monthly column. This provides a vary valuable channel of information to our community, in addition to our web page and social media. Andy also informed us of upcoming workshops dealing with the art of crating a good press release, something that's important when the subject involves fundraisiting.
Our members and guests were treated to a presentation by noted basketball coach Jim Johnson who shared with us the story of Jason McElwain and the "miracle night" on a high school basketball court near Rochester NY. Jim shared a short video about the night and you can see the video again or for the first time here: https://youtu.be/O-nMab6XDNI
A goal of the North Country Healthy Heart Network is to design, develop and implement strategies to raise awareness of and decrease the incidence of cardiac diseases, stroke and related illnesses. At today's virtual Club meeting, Ann Morgan, Executive Director of the Healthy Heart Network presented an overview of the organization's history and current projects. For more information visit https://heartnetwork.org/ and while you're there, take the simple 1 minute test on prediabetes - a growing medical issue in our area.
On Oct. 29 our club welcomed Rob Riley, President of the Northern Forest Center, who spoke to us about trends impacting population changes not just in the Lake Placid area but across what's called the Northern Forest. We were shown very interesting charts and data to consider as rural areas focus on how to attract a mix of tourists and those who seek to move to an area where there's an affinity with the environment. Click here for Rob's presentation: https://bit.ly/3oHatAU The Annual Report of the Northern Forest Center may be found here: https://bit.ly/34CAlWK
Our club welcomed NYSP Major. Tony Oliver, commander of Troop B, to our virtual meeting on October 22. Maj. Oliver spoke about the history, mission of the NY State Police as well as the high physical, mental and ethical standards Troopers are expected to maintain. Maj. Oliver replied in depth to several questions from our club including how troopers handle specific situations in the field and current issues such as use of body cams. We thank Maj. Oliver for his time today as well as his service over a 30 year career with the NYSP.https://bit.ly/2FSHgS9
On October 15, Attorney/Educator/Motivator Kelly Charles-Collins spoke with our club on several topics which are frequently in today's news cycle such as diversity and unconscious bias. Club members were shown a video which stressed how "words matter" and raising individual awareness to certain behaviors which may impair personal relationships in our everyday activities.
In a past issue of the Lake Placid News, we have a story seeking to gain engagement with the community to support for this project. The story is here: https://bit.ly/3j9FT06
Our changeover dinner was held at the Lake Placid Horse Show Grounds on July 2, 2020. Tina Leonard and Tracey Coolidge were inducted as Co-Presidents for the new Club year. To see more pictures, please scroll down to the Photo Library section/
Our guest speaker this morning was Nicole Hylton-Patterson, informing club members about the creation and purpose of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI). Ms. Hylton-Patterson said the goal of the ADI is to help our region be more welcoming and inclusive to visitors and residents to the Adirondack Park, benefitting the economic and political health of the region. Through a series of upcoming lectures and programs, the ADI will seek to elevate "cultural consciousness" on several levels with emphasis to be found in a series of programs called "The Black Experience in the Adirondacks. More about the ADI may be found in the press release from the Adirondack Council: https://bit.ly/2BJUP3F Find out more about Nicole in this story from NCPR: https://bit.ly/2VuQKrd
David Brunner spoke to our club on June 18th about the history and mission of Asgaard Farm in Ausable Forks NY. David says that the small-scale sustainable farming being done at Asgaard is an example of "good food, good business and great for the environment." Asgaard Farm also functions as business incubator for agricultural efforts in our region. This link will take you to a video of David's presentation including the Q & A session with our members The video is 42 minutes in length.
Our first Saturday morning collection day helped fill up the Lake Placid Food Pantry's shelves but there's a need for constant re-supply. Click https://bit.ly/2YB3ywS for more info including a list of what's needed.
Rotarians volunteered after gaining special permission to enter and clean up Mill Pond Park to get it ready for enjoyment when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Here's a very short video showing what was done. Thanks to Martha Spear for providing the pictures. https://youtu.be/MupncESW9kQ
The Rotary Club of Lake Placid congratulates Anne Smith on her winning this year's Kate Smith Scholarship Award. Anne was presented with a check for $1,000 towards her college education. Click here https://youtu.be/kQiabOMR1Ek for a 12 minute video of Anne's performance prefaced by history of the Kate Smith Scholarship Award and remembrances from a club member who got his first job working for Kate Smith at her Camp Sunshine.
Despite overcast skies and a small threat of rain, our Club's designated portion of New York Route 73 saw a group of Rotarians out in force on the road as it was time for the Spring Highway Cleanup. All were masked and we observed social distancing as we went about cleaning up bottles, cans and other trash that accumulated over the winter months. Click the button below for our group pictures.
When you respond to the census, you help your community get its fair share of the more than $675 billion per year in federal funds spent on schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other vital programs. Businesses use census data to decide where to build factories, offices and stores, and this creates jobs. Right now our response rates are low. Look for yourself: https://bit.ly/3dNp07P If you've completed your response, great. Talk to your friends and neighbors - participation is VERY important. Go to https://my2020census.gov
At our May 7th virtual meeting, Dean Dietrich, Chair of the Lake Placid/North Elba Community Development Commission interacted with our members on how the Commission provides assistance in several areas impacting how our community will evolve in the years to come. For more information, please visit FutureLakePlacid.com
We're still conducting our weekly meetings, discussing ways we can help our community in these interesting times in addition to catching up on what our members are doing. Today we were pleased to induct our newest Rotarian, Laurie Dudley. In place of our usual picture of the induction ceremony, here's a screen grab with Laurie in the upper left Zoom box.
Think of how good it feels to share a meal with someone. Now imagine that you get to provide good food for a week for a neighbor who has been impacted by the COVID 19 crisis and now urgently needs this food assistance. Please click "read more" for this story about Adirondackers helping Adirondackers. A link to AdkAction in included in our list of COVID-19 resources at right.
At our February 27th meeting, Co-President Mary Liz Alexander (L) shared stories about her family and her path to be a distance runner, participating in several marathons. New club member Kate Thompson let us know that she's been coming to the Lake Placid area for years and how it became an obvious choice on where to retire to after a successful career in computer sciences.
Once again our Club hosted its annual Valentine's Day pizza party for residents of The Greenwood Apartments. Please click below for pictures of this event, enjoyed by residents and Rotarians alike. Special thanks to all who participated and to Bridgit McKillip for organizing the event.
The following is from Hannah Hanford of the Saranac Lake Rotary Club. Members of the Rotary Clubs of Saranac Lake and Lake Placid as well as generous community donors raised over $5,000 in relief funding for the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian. These contributions qualified for a $5,000 challenge match from the Cloudsplitter Foundation resulting in more than $10,000 going to Bahamians impacted by the storm. Pictured receiving the match gift are Hannah Hanford and Franny Preston of the Saranac Lake Rotary Club, Chenelle Palyswiat of the Cloudsplitter Foundation and Chandler Ralph of the Lake Placid Rotary Club.
The Rotary Club of Lake Placid NY welcomed Kate Thompson as our newest member, shown here with John Huttlinger during the installation ceremony. We look forward to Kate's involvement and contributions to our Club's community goals.
The Lake Placid Rotary Club held a social event at the Crown Plaza Hotel as part of our membership drive in our community. Potential members were informed about our Club's history and what we do in our town as well as hearing some personal stories from members about what being in Rotary means to them
At our January 9th meeting, the Literacy Volunteers of Franklin & Essex Counties, represented here by Linda Carela (2nd from right), received a check for $500. The Literacy Volunteers benefit from proceeds of our Club's successful Spring and Fall trivia nights.
Club member Betsy Brown recently returned from a USAID short-term assignment in Haiti. Betsy provided historical context for the situation on the ground today. Many questions were posed by members present who were very interested in learning about ways to support humanitarian assistance to Haiti.
The Irish Mafia returned to the winner's circle once again to claim top prize in our Fall Trivia Contest. A well-attended evening with 17 teams tackling some very challenging questions. Team Scatterbrains took second place via a tie-breaker question given to them and third place finishers Team Ausable Aces. Thanks to all who came out enabling the Rotary Club of Lake Placid to continue contributing to the Literacy Volunteers of Essex and Franklin Counties as well as the Lake Placid School System.
Dr. Nina Schoch presented scientific research data on the current and future state of the loon population in our area in light of environmental threats to this iconic bird. For more information, visit www.adkloon.or or their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/adkloon. Dr. Schoch is shown with Sergeant-At-Arms Joe McAvoy who presented her with a gift of appreciation from our Club for today's informative talk.
Rotary members (L to R) Sue Friedmann, Harris Semegram, Rene Jacoby, Krista Frei, Alec Friedmann, Ben Kernan and Steve Detwiler (not pictured) attacked a section of Route 73 on a crisp morning with pickup tools and bare hands as part of our
Club's contributions to our community and to our "service above self" mantra.
Club member René Jacoby poses with a basket of fruit, vegetable, meat, and dairy products donated by Essex Farm, a full year, full diet CSA in Essex, NY.
Just about every meeting of our Club presents details about community activities that we support and services that make Lake Placid a special place to be.
The Literary Committee has donated funds raised at Trivia Night to purchase a subscription to National Geographic For Kids for every LPES 3rd grader. Shown accepting our donation is LPES 3rd Grade teacher, Patricia Damp.
Sibyl Quayle is shown receiving the Club's $1,000 donation to the Educational Opportunity Fund, made at our June 13th meeting. Also pictured (L>R) are Club members Sean Donovan, Mary Liz Alexander and Randy Quayle.
On May 30th, the Rotary Club of Lake Placid welcomed its newest member, Rene' Jacoby. Ms. Jacoby is shown below holding her Rotary membership packet and is joined by Sue Friedmann, Mary Liz Alexander and Bob Hanna.
The Rotary Club of Lake Placid recently presented two awards to outstanding members of our community. The Kate Smith Award for excellence in music was presented to Lake Placid High School Senior Cooper Holmes. Our Club's Literacy Committee awarded $1,500 to Ms. Laura Coffin, the Reading Specialist at the Lake Placid Elementary School for her summer book program. Ms. Coffin (left), assisted by her son Will, is presented with the check by Mary Liz Alexander and Randy Quayle.
Lake Placid High School senior Cooper Holmes is the recipient of our Club's Kate Smith Award for achievement in music. In this video, Cooper sings "Enjoy The Trip" from the Broadway musical "Bring It On" after being presented the award at our Club's May 16, 2019 meeting
A $1,000 donation has been made to the ADK Backpack Program which provides backpacks filled with non-perishable, child friendly food to families who are food insecure - an issue that impacts almost 22% of children in our area. Pictured below (L to R) are Susan Friedmann, LP Middle School Principal Theresa Lindsay, LP Attendance Officer & Admin. Assistant Patty Mayberry and Susan O'Brien, EAT ADK Committee Member.
Several Rotarians recently helped with clean-up activities at the Shipman Youth Center. as part of the United Way Day of Caring. The Shipman Center benefits from Rotary's support, providing activities for children and youth ages 10 to 18. Click "read more" for some pictures.
At our April 4th meeting, Sue O'Brien spoke to us about the Backpack Program Food Drive to help alleviate food insecurity. The Backpack Program provides backpacks filled with non-perishable, child friendly food to families who are food insecure - an issue that impacts almost 22% of children in our area.
The Rotary Club of Lake Placid had a very busy breakfast meeting today, hearing about a new idea to improve doctor - young patient communications, listening to a Rotary Exchange student make some observations about time spent in an area school, concluding with several members receiving Paul Harris awards.
Several Rotarians recently participated in Dr. Suess Day at the Lake Placid Elementary School. Dr. Seuss Day is a celebration of the joy of reading organized by Reading Specialist Laura Coffin in order to kick off a month long program to encourage reading at LPES. Sean Donovan, Debbie Erenstone, and Sibyl Quayle read to individual students, while Roger Catania and Randy Quayle had the opportunity to read to an entire class. Debbie reported that she read to several students in Mr. Martin's class and had a great time! Pictured below is Roger reading to a 1st grade class and Sean reading with a 3rd grade student.
Literacy Committee Co-Chairs Mary Liz Alexander and Randy Quayle and Host for the Trivia Night, Sean Donovan are seen at a recent club breakfast meeting presenting a check for $500 to St. Agnes School Principal, Catherine Bemis. The money was raised by the LP Rotary Club at their most recent Trivia Night event. Catherine Bemis reported to the Rotary Club that the money will be used to support various reading programs at St. Agnes School.
The Rotary Club of Lake Placid was pleased to host the 2018 Teddy Bear Picnic on September 23rd. We had a great turnout on a very sunny first day of Autumn.
On July 1, 2018 at the High Peaks Resort in Lake Placid, club leadership changed hands with Martha Spear turning over the presidential gavel to Sue Friedmann. Click the Changeover Dinner link in our photo albums area for more pictures.
A BIG THANK YOU to all the incredible volunteers who helped make this 15th year's Dam Duck Race our most successful ever!
Glorious weather, crowds of people from near and far, great food, a beer garden, a bucking bronco, a money cube, great prizes, and of course, our special favorite lemonade stand, this takes our annual biggest fundraiser to a whole new level of success. It couldn't happen without you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
At a recent Rotary Club breakfast meeting two students from the Lake Placid High School received financial support for their upcoming trip to Quebec, Canada. The two students, Elise Pierson and Camille Craig, both received checks for $315.00 to help pay for their 1 week language (French) emersion experience. Club members, Roger Catania and Randy Quayle, are seen presenting the check to the two students.
Norah Galvin, age 10, came to speak at a recent Rotary breakfast meeting about her inspiring volunteer project: "Star Boxes". Nora is pictured being congratulated by Rotarian Amy Quinn. You can read Nora's complete text from her presentation on the next page of this article.
My Rotary journey started in 1987 when I joined the Schenectady-East Rotary club.
Over the past 30 years, I've visited over 100 different clubs on four continents. Some visits were organized to engage other clubs in a project my club was spearheading while other visits were associated with my various roles as Membership Chair and Area Governor. Or, they were just a simple visit when my wife, Suzanne, and I were on vacation. Read more...
ROTARY CLUB NEWS: Bob Hanna’s 30-year Rotary journey
Our November 2017 Trivia night was the biggest ever. Grossed over $, 4000 with 21 teams. It takes a lot of Participation by Rotary members (and some spouses) to put it on. A big Thank YOU TO ALL, with extra Congrats to MaryLiz & Sean.
"The Irish Mafia” winning team:
From Left to Right
Carol Brown, Mary Kelley (captain), Trisha Preston, Andrew Smith, Steve Reed, John Niederbuhl, Carol Niederbuhl and Don Morris.
The motley crew who volunteered their time to help keep our 2-mile stretch on Rt. 73 clean. It's unbelievable to see the junk people toss out of their car windows, car parts, beer cans, and umpteen cigarette butts! Thanks to all who helped!
Thanks to Steve Detwiler, Debbie Erenstone and DJ O'Neal the IRON lung was successfully transformed to the Rotary District's stewardship.
The Club has had the IRON Lung since Bill Stowe's second term as President. The Club used it in local parades and several polio fundraisers. It will be on display at the 2017 District Conference - Sept 29-30th at the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino, Hogansburg, NY
Randy Quayle (left) and Bob Hanna (right) presented feedback from the afternoon group exercise.
Rotary Strategy Planning Meeting held on Saturday, September 23rd.
Sixteen members attended the day-long meeting.
In the morning, Andy Robinson, professional facilitator from Plainfield, Vermont, led the group through several exercises to help generate areas of primary importance for future strategic planning.
After a delicious potluck luncheon, the group spend split up into three groups exploring each of the key areas in greater depth.
WELCOME AND CONGRATULATIONS to our 2 newest members of the Lake Placid Rotary: Harris and Susan Semegram. Picture below from left to right: President Martha Spear, Harris, Susan, Susan Friedmann, and John Huttlinger.
Club President, Martha Spear, announced that next Thursday, August 10, our weekly breakfast meeting will be held at the Shipman Youth Center (61 Cummings Road, Lake Placid, NY). It will be a Pot Luck breakfast meeting (7:20 - 8:30 am). The club will return to the Courtyard at Marriott for the following breakfast meeting.
Rotary President, Martha Spear (center) together with Gene Gengal (right) recognizing and honoring Bob Hanna (left) with a distinguished award for his relentless, on-going volunteering work for the Club.
Many congratulations to Bob! Thank you for all that you do for the good of Rotary and for our Club.
The 14th annual Rotary Club of Lake Placid Dam Duck Race was a quacking success as usual thanks to a great team of volunteer and generous donors. As always our greatest thanks goes to the magnificent Lisa Grigoriadis of Lisa G’s, who donated her fine establishment for the 14th year in a row to help raise money for the Lake Placid community. Coordinators of the event, Debbie McLean and Tina Leonard, reported a net profit of over $12,500!!
Sponsored by Dick Brewer, we offer a hearty welcome to our latest recruit, Don McMullen, as he joins our steadily growing club. We look forward to having him get involved with many of our worthy projects.
Picture: Dick Brewer - left, Don McMullen - center, John Huttlinger - right
As a result of a hugely successful recent Trivia Night, our Club is thrilled to donate $2,000 to The Educational Opportunity Fund for their backpack food program.
Pictured here left to right:
Sean Donovan (Trivia Night MC), Sibyl Quayle and Kari Lansing (representing EOF), Mary Liz Alexander (Trivia Night Organizer)
The 4 Lake Placid Elementary School students who won the recent Lake Placid Rotary "Dam Duck Race" poster contest were given their rubber duck prizes by Rotarians Mary Liz Alexander and Randy Quayle. The student pictures are being used to decorate the LP Rotary posters which will announce the upcoming event scheduled for Saturday, June 17 at Lisa G's Restaurant. Seen in the picture from let to right include: Mary Liz Alexander, Tommy Sheehan, Norah Galvin, Aiden Briggs, Lily Powers, and Randy Quayle.
Don McMullen recently received the Rotary "Service Above Self Award" in order to recognize his volunteer work for the past 25 years coordinating the Lake Placid Outing Club, as well as many other activities benefitting the youth of our community. Presenting the award to Don included Bob Hanna, Randy Quayle, and Bill Barnes.
At a recent LP Rotary breakfast meeting Co-Chairs of the Literacy Committee, Mary Liz Alexander and Randy Quayle, presented a check for $1500.00 to Lake Placid Elementary School Reading Specialist, Laura Coffin to help support her summer reading program. The money was raised by the Rotary at our Trivia Night events. Laura also told our club about her plans to add reading "Little Free Library" stations at 3 different locations in Lake Placid. This will be in addition to the summer reading program where students can take home 4-7 books for their summer vacation enjoyment.
Literacy Committee Donates $$ to LPES Summer Reading Program
Tina Clark and other Rotarians organized a fun filled LUAU Party to celebrate the Christmas Holidays. More pictures from the party may be viewed in the website Photo Album site.
Rotarians Gene (and Betsy) Gengel, Mary Liz Alexander, Krista Frey, Randy Quayle, Rick Brown, Sean Donovan all participated in helping to serve Hot Chocolate to the many participants in the Lake Placid Holiday Stroll Skating Party. Much fun was had by everyone.
The co-chair of our Rotary Literacy Committee, Mary Liz Alexander recently made a presentation of $1500 to Marie Despres, Director of the Literacy Volunteers of Essex and Franklin Counties. The money was raised during our recent Trivia Event.
Literacy Committee Donates $$ to Literacy Volunteers of America
One of our speakers this year was local transgender activist Kelly Metzgar (seen here with LP Club President Elect Martha Spear), who discussed the health care needs of transgender people.
Each week the Lake Placid Rotary Club hosts a speaker from our extended community. In the past year, speakers have included a diverse range including Dr. Nina Schoch from Biodiversity Research Institute’s Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, Susan Mack from BT3 (Birth to Three Alliance), Thomas “Brody” Broderick of Northwood School regarding “Northwood on Main”, Dmitry Feld, Board President, and Jason Hooker, Executive Director, Shipman Youth Center, and Corey Hurwitch, manager of the Adirondack Regional Airport.
Under the guidance of Rotarian Bob Hanna at our July assembly we reviewed Rotary's evolving Attendance Requirement which is now called Participation. Our Club has been a key contributor to this change. So Congratulations to ALL. The following is a summary of the July Discussion
Participation vs Attendance
RI has attendance rules which are aimed at keeping members involved and participating. These rules have been softened in the 100 plus years since RI started and the emphasis is now more on Participation, recognizing that Attendance keeps us involved and knowledgeable of Rotary programs.
The 2016 Dam Duck Poster contest was conducted at the Lake Placid Elementary School under the direction of Art Teacher, Rebecca Philion. Many students from several different grade levels in Ms. Philion’s art club participated in the contest. Included in the picture from left to right in the front row are the winners of the contest:
Xander Bickford (5th grade), Henry Mayberry (4th grade), Rebecca Philion (Art Teacher holding Lily Powers’ poster), and Mikey Mezzetti (2nd grade). Back row: Randy Quayle and Mary Liz Alexander (Rotary members and Coordinators of the Dam Duck Poster Contest). Absent from the picture was Lily Powers (2nd grade) who was the 4th winner of the Poster Contest.
Our newest member of the Rotary Club of Lake Placid, Kris Hardman, was inducted into our club at our Thursday, May 19 breakfast meeting. Included in the picture below from left to right: John Huttlinger (Co-Coordinator of the Membership Committee), Bill Barnes (President Elect and Membership Co-Coordinator), Kris Hardman, and Rick Brown (Sponsor for Kris):
Several Lake Placid Rotary Club members teamed up with visiting Rotarians from District 7190 and performed various volunteer work projects in Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. Work projects included building new split-rail fences at St. Eustace Church and at Jewtraw Park, building a new kitchen at the Saranac Lake Youth Center, painting and cleaning slides at the LP Train Station Historic Society Museum, and working on building a new kitchen at the Lake Placid Volunteer Ambulance building. Seen in the picture below is Bob Hanna as he receives an appreciation award at the pizza party following the day of work, for his work organizing the District 7190 and LP/SL work day on May 13, 2016.
At our Thursday, May 5th breakfast meeting the Kate Smith Music Award was presented to LPHS Junior, Ashley Chris. Ashley entertained everyone by singing 2 songs under the direction of Vocal Music Teacher, Kim Weems. Ashley was presented with an engraved plaque which is kept at LPHS in their trophy case and a check for $1,000.00 to be used for college applications and visits. Included in the picture from left to right: Randy Quayle (Rotarian coordinator of the Kate Smith Award), Aurel Chris (Ashley's father), Ashely Chris, Kim Weems, Katherine Hudson-Sabens (Instrumental Music Teacher), and Mary Dietrich (Lake Placid School Board Chairperson).
Thanks to hard work from Trivia Night Coordinator, Mary Liz Alexander, and many other Rotarians, the recently held Trivia Night was a great success with more than $3,000 raised for various Literacy related Rotary projects.
Bob Miller was recently inducted as a new member of our Rotary Club. Included in the presentation ceremony from left to right: Bill Barnes, John Huttlinger, Bob Miller, Steve Detwiler, Mary Liz Alexander, and Rick Brown.
Rotary welcomed guests from the Wilmington and Lake Placid youth leadership group CYC: Connecting Youth and Communities, on 3/10/16. From left to right are highs school students Paul Jarell, Joey Jamison and Sara Rose-McCandlish. The vision of CYC is connecting youth and communities through advocacy, education and engagement to foster youth to be educationally and vocationally productive, civically, and socially connected as well as physically and mentally healthy.
Our club would like to recognize the youngest honorary member of our club, Holly Erenstone. She is a regular attendee at our breakfast meetings, coming with her mother and club member, Debbie Erenstone. Sargent-of-Arms, Joe McAvoy is seen in this picture visiting with Holly. Joe has provided a detailed profile of our youngest member:
Club members, Mary Liz Alexander and Joe McAvoy present a check to St. Agnes School Principal, Katherine Bemis to support literacy programs at St. Agnes.
Visiting District Governor, Claude LaLiberte presented a special pin to Gene Gengel to honor his many years of service, particularly in his present role as club Secretary. Claude also presented a special recognition award to our Club President, Peter Beatty. In addition, Co-chairs of the Literacy Committee, Mary Liz Alexander and Randy Quayle, presented a check for $1500 to LPES Reading Teacher, Laura Coffin, to support her Summer Reading Program.
Rotarian Bill Barnes has provided some important information related to our upcoming RYLA Weekend scheduled for June 25-27, 2016. For more detailed information see the notice in our website "DOWNLOADS" found on our "Homepage":
What is RYLA?
The Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) is a unique opportunity for high school students to gain insight and knowledge in life and leadership skills. District 7040 Rotary Clubs sponsor students (ages 15-17) to attend this Youth Leadership Conference that gives them memorable and life changing experience. The conference takes place at Paul Smith’s College on the shores of St Regis Lake where the students stay in the college’s newest dorm suites for two days. The program culminates with a graduation and awards ceremony at the award-winning Wild Center in Tupper Lake, NY.
For more informaition visit the District website at http://portal.clubrunner.ca/50214. Then go to The Youth Services Tab, and select RYLA. The application process has been simplified and will be done online once formal registration opens.
If you have any questions or would like to chat with someone about this opportunity please call Bill Barnes at (617) 620-0727, or WilliamWBarnesIII@gmail.com.
Our donations committee has finalized the distribution of our yearly donations, which amounts to $7,000. Below are three pictures that are from presentations of three of those awards. The first is a presentation to the Lake Placid Science Olympiad Team of a check for $400. This is a team that practices all year and then competes in a large regional science competition. This year, both the High School and the Middle School teams traveled to compete in the State Championships. The check was presented to the team's coach, Frank Brunner, on April 16, 2015. The second picture is of a presentation of a check for $150 to Tim Chick of the Lake Placid North Elba Tree Board for all of the good work they do for our community. From left to right in this picture is Tim Chick, Hannah Hanford, and Bob Hanna. The third picture finds Rotarian Randy Quayle presenting a check for $500 from Rotary to Jon Fremante, Director of the Shipman Youth Center.
Donations Committee Provides Support to Many Great Projects!
The LP Rotary welcomed 2 new members on April 2nd at our weekly breakfast meeting now held at the Hampton Inn in Lake Placid: Carolyn Carbonaro and Amy Quinn. Carolyn is the Sales Manager at the Mariott Courtyard Inn in Lake Placid and Amy is the Principal Attorney for Essex County. Participating in the ceremony included our President Elect, Peter Beatty and Co-Chairs of the Nominating Committee, Mary Liz Alexander and Bill Barnes.
The Lake Placid Water Shed Association has completed an INFORMATIVE KIOSK at Jewtraw Park. Our Lake Placid Rotary Club was instrumental in helping fund this project. Pictured are Ray Agnew, Gene Gengel and Bob Hanna from our club. In Addition Lisa G from the Mill Pond Business Association and the contractors who built the kiosk are included in the picture.
Under the guidance and direction of Ray Agnew, Bill Rusak, Bob Hanna, Ernie Stretton, Sean Donovan, and many others, the 2014 RYLA weekend was recently held at beautiful Paul Smith's College. The weather was great, the food and accommodations were "top shelf", the views were spectacular, and the experience will be long remembered and valued by everyone who participated.
Steve Detwiler lead 13 canoe/kayak enthusiasts on a leisurely paddle from St. Regis Landing to Paul Smith's College on Saturday, July 12. Lunch followed the paddle. Sunny weather, warm water, good food, and great companionship made for a great outing.
Despite rainy conditions, the Dam Duck Race raised over $13,000! Many thanks to Dam Duck Race coordinators, Tina Leonard and Debbie McLean and everyone else who helped to make this such a successful event. The water was high and the ducks were fast --- making it very challenging to catch the ducks at the end of the race, but no one got too wet! See some pictures:
Mary Liz Alexander and Randy Quayle awarded prizes to the four 5th grade students from the Lake Placid Elementary School who won the "Dam Duck" Race Poster contest. LPES Art Teacher, Mary Johnson, coordinated the poster contest in all her 5th grade classes and the 4 winners were chosen by the Rotary Club. Their pictures will be used on our Rotary Club "Dam Duck" Race Poster to help promote and advertise the upcoming event on Saturday, June 14th at Lisa G's restaurant.
Literacy Committee Co-Chair, Mary Liz Alexander presented a check for $500 to St. Agnes School Principal, Catherine Bemis. The money will be used to purchase books for the students at St. Agnes School. The money was raised at a recent "Trivia Night" event.
Literacy Committee Donates $500 to St. Agnes School
We are deeply saddened by the loss of Chris Brown. For those who wish to contribute a Memorial Gift in his memory, please make a check payable to: Rotary Club of Lake Placid P.O. Box 1425 Lake Placid, NY 12946 . Note in the memo line: Memorial-Chris Brown. Thank you very much.
LP Rotary Literacy Committee Co-Chairs Mary Liz Alexander and Randy Quayle delivered a check for $1500.00 to Laura Coffin, Reading Specialist, at LPES to buy books for the summer reading program.
Rotary Club President, Hanna Hanford, delivers a check of $300.00 to Father David Ousley from St. Eustace Church. The money will be used to support the pure water project in the Dominican Republic under the direction of Paul Gutmann. Paul has developed an inexpensive home water purification system which he will be distributing in the DR.
Instead of our regular breakfast meeting, President Hannah Hanford announced that our annual Christmas Dinner is planned for Thursday, Dec. 12 at the Whiteface Lodge. Come and enjoy the Christmas Cheer!
On Thursday, Nov. 14 the LP Rotary hosted a Trivia Night at the Conference Center at the Visitor's Center at the LP Arena. More teams enjoyed the event than ever before!
The Rotary Club of Lake Placid announces that we will be hosting the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) conference at Paul Smith's College this coming June 27-29, 2014.
Several Rotarians volunteered at the "maple-sugar-on-snow" station during the Maple Weekend at Whiteface Mt. (March 23-24) to support the Shipman Youth Center. A very Sweet Event.
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The Rotary Club of Lake Placid is proud to name John Armstrong, a junior at Lake Placid High School as the winner of the Kate Smith Music Scholarship Award for 2021. In addition to being listed on a plaque of past winners prominently displayed at the school, John will receive a scholarship award of $1,000 towards his college plans. John is seeking appointment to one of our nation's military academies as he continues to explore his passions for music and several team sports. Via Zoom, John sang "Some Enchanted Evening" at our club's May 6th meeting. 
"This development is being undertaken by the Homestead Development Corporation, an organization led by Sama, North Elba town Councilwoman Emily Politi, local real estate agent Whit Bissell, former Lake Placid mayor and current mayoral candidate Jamie Rogers, and accountant John Huttlinger Jr. It’s one of three housing developments currently in the works in housing-crunched Lake Placid, and the second planned for Wesvalley Road. The HDC’s goal, according to its application to the Lake Placid-North Elba Joint Review Board, is to “help develop more affordable housing stock in Lake Placid” — specifically housing for “skilled trades, professional workers and their families who are challenged to find housing near their workplace.”
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Krista, Martha and Susan are ready to meet, greet and inform attendees about our Club..jpg)
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Thanks to Steve Detwiler, Debbie Erenstone and DJ O'Neal the IRON lung was successfully transformed to the Rotary District's stewardship..jpg)
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One of our speakers this year was local transgender activist Kelly Metzgar (seen here with LP Club President Elect Martha Spear), who discussed the health care needs of transgender people.
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Welcome to our new companion member, Bert Yost!!!!!