Byesville Rotary celebrates Rotary Awareness Month

Pictured: Byesville Rotary members who volunteered to participate in the weekly program—front row: Phyllis Jeffries, Dennis Harding, Evelyn Spring, Rich Dair, Barb Dair; second row: Carl Keefer, Jan Wilson, Jim Bakos, Bob Long, Darlene Miser, Oziel Jeffries, Marti Patchen, Jim Vaughan, Sharon Miller, Shana Fair, Larry Miller, Chuck Fair, Tanya Hitchens, Rich Goodwin, Nellie Bichard, Dan Navicky, Randy Launder, Don Valentine, and Dalton Summers.

An average of 62% non-Rotarians recognizes the Rotary name. Only 37% of this group has some idea about what Rotary does. Byesville Rotarians hope to increase the number of people who know what Rotary does by doing what they do best—giving back to their community.

Byesville Rotary—like all Rotary clubs—is an organization of people who are service oriented and who support the goal of making the world a better place through projects focusing on water and sanitation, basic education and literacy, maternal and child health, disease prevention and treatment, economic and community development, and peace and conflict resolution. Most clubs begin with service projects in their own communities.

Byesville Rotarians supported education and literacy by donating dictionaries to Rolling Hills third graders, donating books to Bright Beginnings, and providing scholarships for Rolling Hills graduates. They worked to improve health by sponsoring an annual Health Fair in association with SEORMC. Club members contributed to economic and community development by contributing to local projects such as the Guernsey County Trail and Byesville Scenic Railway. Other local projects included their Christmas Food Basket Program and support for organizations such as the Salvation Army, the Meadowbrook Athletic Boosters, Byesville Volunteer Fire Department, and VFW Ladies Auxiliary.

Larry Miller, January Program Chair, celebrated Rotary Awareness Month by inviting club members to participate in an interactive program. Members were asked to share the reason they choose to join Rotary International, why they decided to join Byesville Rotary rather than another Rotary club in area, and what caused each member to have an “aha" moment about Rotary.

Almost all members agreed one reason each chose Byesville was because the club involved members in hands on service projects such as local service projects like the club’s Byesville Rotary Gazebo Park clean up or the club’s signature chicken BBQnfundraiser.

Some said they chose to join Rotary because they liked how the “Four Way Test” encouraged Rotarians to behave ethically in their daily business and personal lives. Others stated they chose to join Byesville because the group is open, friendly, and members like to laugh.

Byesville Rotary meets every Tuesday, 7:30 am, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Randy Launder, 740-685-8294.

Byesville Rotarians excited about Guernsey County economic opportunities

Pictured: Jim Vaughan, Sergeant at Arms; Norm Blanchard, Director, Guernsey County Port Authority; Shana Fair, Speaker Host.

Norm Blanchard, Director of Guernsey County Port Authority, shared his perspective about the positive outlook for economic development in Guernsey County. Currently the Port Authority has been very busy in working with local residents and representatives from oil and gas companies who want to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the county’s shale resources. Blanchard expects county residents to see rapid changes occurring in the next year.

Blanchard stated that, he sees no negatives with the arrival of oil and gas interest in the area. He reassured club members that the state of Ohio has learned from the experience of other states and is passing regulations enabling the state to stay ahead of any potential problems.

Growth leads to challenges to community. The Port Authority is identifying projects aimed at limiting any negative effects. For example, the junction of Rt. 209 and I70 is all ready congested and will continue to get worse. The Port Authority has asked the state for a traffic study to identify possible solutions to this bottleneck.

Another challenge is to upgrade infrastructure at the airport by improving the fuel system, adding de-icing equipment, and lengthening the runway by 700 feet. The cost of adding length to the runway is estimated to be a $3.3 million project.

Blanchard advised club members to watch for construction projects to multiply in the near future. He reported that all buildings in the county are either sold or leased. The county needs to provide space for business offices and living quarters for families and workers. He stated that $200,000 to $300,000 four bedroom, 3 bathroom homes will need to be constructed to provide housing for people moving into Guernsey County. Additionally, 3 hotel chains are discussing the possibility of building hotels in the area. The Port Authority is working to find appropriate locations for these businesses.

Tanya Hitchens, Byesville Rotary president, encouraged all members to consider attending the district conference May 18-19. Randy Launder updated club members about plans for the club’s 25th anniversary celebration. Kick-off for the celebration will be held February 21 at the weekly club meeting. The celebration will culminate with a banquet on June 28.

Byesville Rotary meets every Tuesday, 7:30 am, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Randy Launder, 740-685-8294

Byesville Rotary learns “Service Above Self” important to Martin Luther King

Pictured: Pastor Randolph White and Larry Miller, Speaker Host.

Pastor Randolph White spoke to the club about Martin Luther King’s legacy. Pastor White’s relationship to Martin Luther King is longstanding. In 1972, he was instrumental in organizing a group which helped establish a Martin Luther King Memorial.

He explained that King worked to build community between people based on camaraderie and fellowship. King was aware that it would take work to create communities that accepted and appreciated everyone, no matter what their race, creed, or gender.

Pastor White stated that King’s view of the future was influenced by his early experiences. He was close to his grandparents and had a large extended family. His experience of a large, supportive family helped shape his definition of community which he defined as a place where each person would be accepted and appreciated with no qualifications or requests to change. Pastor White pointed to the example of the Good Samaritan as an example of how a member of King’s community would behave.

King knew that life experiences can result in hurts and offenses which can cause people to resent other and desire revenge. King encouraged people to overcome this type of negative feelings because they can prevent people from being kind to or respecting his/her neighbors.

King also believed in making change through non-violent methods. He felt that every effort should be made to avoid war and other types of violence. He was aware that his passion to make changes in American society could result in violence toward him and his followers.

Randy Lauder and Dennis Harding, chairs for the chicken BBQ fund raisers, invited any member interested in helping with the BBQ’s to stay for a short meeting after next Tuesday’s morning meeting. Bill Hartley will check with the Health Department to find out if there have been any regulation changes since last summer.

Plans for marking the club’s 25th anniversary are in process. A small celebration will be held during one of the morning meetings to mark the founding date of the club. A larger and more formal celebration will take place during the Changing of Guard dinner in June.

Byesville Rotary meets every Tuesday, 7:30 am, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Randy Launder, 740-685-8294

Rotary Historian visits Byesville Rotary

Pictured: Larry Miller, Speaker Host, and Elden Hudson, Speaker.

Meeting notes:
The club has reserved two spots for local students at the 2012 RYLA Conference that will beld this summer in Athens.

Elden Hudson, a member of Rotary for 56 years and currently a member of the Zanesville Noon Rotary Club, spoke to Byesville club members about the 100 year history of Rotary International

In 2012, Rotary Clubs celebrate 107 years of service. Unlike some service clubs, Rotary has survived 2 world wars and the Great Depression. Rotary clubs were the inspiration of one man with an idea. Paul Harris established the first club on February 23, 1905 in Chicago. Only four men attended the first meeting. By October, the new club had 30 members.

Club meetings were informal and were open to business and professional men. The meeting place changed or “rotated” each week with a different member hosting the meeting at his place of business. This characteristic lead to the adoption of “Rotary” as the official club name. The rules and activities of these early meetings are reflected in the characteristics of modern Rotary meetings.

The goal of the club was to provide a place for business men to meet in fellowship with each other. At Rotary meetings, members addressed each other by their first names—a big change in etiquette during the early 1900’s when businessmen always addressed each other as “Mr.” Members were fined for “misdeeds” such as forgetting to wear the club pin or getting their picture in the paper.

In 1908, a second club was established in San Francisco. By 1910, ten clubs had been established around the United States. By 1911, the club was international with clubs in Canada, England and Ireland.

Rotary began developing from a club enabling member to network with other businessmen to a service club soon after Rotary was established. The first recorded humanitarian act was when club members donated $150 dollars to a help a young doctor replace his horse. In 1907, the Chicago Rotary financed a public restroom for Chicago. The importance of service to club members is reflected in the club motto “Service Above Self.”

Today, Rotary is an international club with a total of 4200 clubs worldwide and over 200 million members.
Byesville Rotary meets every Tuesday, 7:30 am, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Randy Launder, 740-685-8294.

Byesville Rotary honors charter member

Pictured: Carl Keefer; Mr. and Mrs. Eagleson, Cookie and Steve Connell.

Happy New Year to all.

Election results for club officers 2012-2013:

Dennis Harding: President-Elect

Shana Fair: Secretary

Chuck Fair: Treasurer

Scot Lojas: Board member term 2012-2015

Club also voted to accept two changes to bylaws:

Meeting cancelations: Meetings will be cancelled only if Guernsey county declares a Level 3. Members are encouraged to decide if it is safe for them to drive under other conditions. Lots of make ups are available--Board meetings, service projects, committee meetings, or Cambridge Rotary meeting. Oziel moved to accept; Joe seconded; motion passed.

New member proposals will be submitted to Baord; after their approval, name will be announced to club members who will have 7 days to submit any concerns, in writing, to the Secretary. If nothing is submitted, porposed member will be inducted into club. Chuck moved to accept; Nellie seconded; motion passed.

This year the Byesville Rotary lost Joe Eagleson, a charter member, to injuries sustained in a work related accident. During the business meeting, the club presented a plaque honoring his memory to Eagleson’s parents, sister and brother in law, Cookie and Steve Connell. Eagleson’s wife, Cindy, was unable to attend.

Carl Keefer, a long-time friend and Byesville Rotarian, presented the plaque. Carl remembered Joe for two things. The first was his workmanship. The second was his dependability. Keefer said that once Joe was employed to do a job, he could be depended on to finish it and to get it done right the first time. Carl pointed out the he and Joe shared several common interests and frequently spent time sharing thoughts over the phone.

Eagleson’s father stated that he “…hoped Joe would be remembered for his good works.” His mother shared that Joe really liked the Rotary club and was disappointed that he was unable to contribute more to the club activities.

Steve Connell, also a Byesville Rotary charter member, related that he and Joe worked together on getting the Byesville Rotary Club established. Joe worked hard to develop the membership and was very good at making sure all the necessary paperwork was completed and submitted. Steve said that Joe was drawn to Rotary because of the Rotary concept of service and community. He finished by hoping that Joe will be remembered for his contributions to the club.

During the business meeting, officers for 2012-2013 were elected. Dennis Harding will be President –Elect for 2012; Shana Fair, Secretary; Chuck Fair, Treasurer; and Scott Lojas, Board member for 2012—2015.

The club meets 7:30 am every Tuesday at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Randy Launder, 740-801-0017