It feels good to give this holiday season!

Thanks to all the Millcreek Rotarians who contributed to two donation drives this holiday season for two refugee families! We donated bedding, clothes and many specific gifts - like Barbie dolls :-) Thanks, Shannon and Laurie for organizing, and Erica for wrapping the gifts. It feels good to give!

Our holiday party was so much fun!

Thanks to Erica and Roger Wolff who hosted our club's holiday party in their beautiful home. We loved having spouses, significant others, and lots of new & potential members there! Thanks also for everyone who donated to two refugee families we supported with gifts this holiday season. Thanks Shannon & Laurie for coordinating.

Have a merry season everyone!

December 8 Business Meeting Minutes

Attendees: Jayne Barnett, Rose Defa, Denise Chasse, Ronda Eiting, Marty Gelman, Margareta Hjorth-Vlasic, Julie Jones, Frank Lilly, Susan Marks, Anita Miner, Justin Powell, Colby Rider, Danny Schoenfeld, Laurie Summers-Pisani, Shannon Tilly, Judy Zone
Guests: Kajsa Vlasic, Stephanie Barrus, Linda Chamberlain, Sheila Gelman

Of the things we think, say or do: Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

1. Call to Order, Four Way Test/ Introduction of Guests – Margareta /All – Kajsa is Margareta’s daughter – she came to hear Linda’s presentation. Stephanie is a former Youthlinc student and mentor, Sheila is Marty’s wife and came to hear Linda’s presentation.
2. Business Items:
• Induction of New Members – Margareta, Ronda – Margareta introduced and gave a little background on Denise and Julie, pinned them and welcomed them to our club as official members. Dave was traveling and will be inducted in January.
• Operation Santa report - Margareta – Operation was a huge success, 13 members attended plus 1 interact member attended. Chris helped a former member of the club, Gina and her daughter, Sabina, who has special needs. Very touching!
• Call for T-shirt Design – Jayne – Justin has put Jayne in touch with a graphic designer, Mary Buehler, a volunteer through Youthlinc who is help creating a design. Brian Rollo has volunteered to get the shirts and do the printing. Hoping to have them in January.
• Nominating Committee for New Officers/ Committee Chairs – Margareta - Margareta announced the she is taking a job and will be moving to Stockholm, Sweden, she will have to leave her position in January. She discussed finding new officers and chair persons for the
2018/2019 year. Let committee know if you are interested in getting involved. Chris is heading the committee.
• Christmas Party and Sponsorship of Families – Erica, Shannon, Laurie – Passed around a sign-up sheet for the holiday social. Please RSVP to Erica. Marianne and her family and Shannon’s contact – a single mom and her family. Laurie gave an update on Marianne’s family. Laurie and Chris took them Thanksgiving dinner – they are doing well. The oldest, Godan is attending Weber State College.
• Service Update – Rose -Tentative date for taking dinner to Hope Lodge is Thursday, January 25th 2018.
• Presentation of Service Project in Uganda by Linda Chamberlain – Linda is a friend of Anita, she was a French teacher for 50 years. She is doing work with women in Uganda with fistula repair. What they are doing is amazing! The survival rate is over 80% for women who are treated. Linda and her knitting group knit blankets to take and teach the women to knit the blankets. The women love it and find it very therapeutic. Linda had baskets and other things from the area. The proceeds go back to help this cause.
3. Polio Pig/Adjourn- All – No Polio Pig

IMPORTANT FUTURE DATES:
• December 14 – Holiday Party/ Service Project – Erica, Shannon
• January 4 – Business Meeting (Youthlinc Annex)
• January 11– Business Meetings (Cottonwood Country Club)
• February 1 and 8 – Business Meetings (CCC)

Sub for Santa is a huge heart warming success!

Rotary Club of Millcreek partnered with Midvale Club for Sub for Santa this year. Thanks to all the Rotarians who showed up early on Saturday December 2 at Good Will to help with gift distribution, and all the Rotarians who donated warm winter hats.

In attendance on Saturday morning:
Christine Casper + son, Elliott Casper

Jayne Barnett

Margareta Hjorth-Vlasic

Susan Marks

Dave Ruprecht + son Christopher Panuzio 

Denise and Dave Chassey 

Marty Gelman 

Laurie Summers- Pisani 

Rose Defa 

City Academy Interactor Abigail 

Millcreek Rotary Club & our City Academy Interactors work to ensure a warm season for Sunnyvale Center refugees

Through our Friendsgiving social/service/membership event, and our City Academy Interact Club, members and Interactors contributed 25 bags of warm winter clothing: coats, hats, gloves, socks. City Academy provided about 15 of those bags! 

Millcreek Rotarians Rose Defa and Brian Rollo delivered the bags to Sunnyvale refugee Center today. 

Thanks to all who participated! 

Sweet story of the good our club does, from Past President Christine Casper

Here is a touching story from Past President Chris Casper:

I went for a mani/pedi a few weeks ago, and the man in the chair next to me provided a nice welcome to the predominantly female establishment.  I did notice his medical mask and the fact he was wearing hospital-issued slippers and shirt.  He was getting a pedicure, with his wife as a break from his second, 100 day stay at the Hope Lodge, following a bone marrow transplant.  I mentioned I was a Rotarian and we had prepared a meal at the Hope Lodge in November last year.  It turned out he was in the Lodge in November and remembered our Chile Verde.  He asked me to share with our Club how much he and his wife appreciated the awesome meal as well as the kind hearts, comradery and love shown by our Millcreek Rotary members. 

They shared a bit about their story and his diagnosis of a rare bone cancer.  He had just retired and felt very tired and out of breath – thinking it was a heart issue, he went to his general practitioner for blood work, etc. The blood tests showed stage four cancer.  He was referred to the Huntsman Center for immediate treatment and has commuted down many times for testing, including two 100 day stays for his treatments.  They live in Wyoming.

I was so humbled by his feedback and felt so proud to be a Millcreek Rotarian and to get to work with such a great group of people! 

Our club's first Friendsgiving!

What a great party! Millcreek Rotary Club held their first Friendsgiving, a combined social/service/membership event on Tuesday, November 14, 2017  at Judy Zone's home. 

We had members, significant others, and potential members attend. We collected winter clothing & coats for Sunnyvale refugee Center. The evening was a huge success! Thanks to all the folks who contributed to the pot luck dinner!

Membership Chair Ronda Eiting wants to make this kind of social a regular event.

Much thanks to Erica Wolff for all these great photos!