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The Akrotarian
eBulletin
Our Mission:
An inclusive, action oriented service organization, Akron Rotary improves our community
and the world while having fun and building friendships.
Our Vision:
Together, we aspire to make a lasting, positive impact in the lives of those
in our Akron community and beyond.
NO MEETING JULY 19th.
There will be a service project and a social taking place July 20th
instead of a weekly meeting.
(see below for details)
OUR NEXT REGULAR TUESDAY MEETING IS JULY 26th
GREGG MERVIS
President & CEO
Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau
Beginning his professional career in 1981, Akron native, Gregg Mervis is an active member and advocate of the travel and tourism industry. After 14 years of employment with the Quaker Hilton, Gregg left his position as Director of Sales in 1995 to become Director of Sales for the Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau and the John S. Knight Center. Fast forward and in 2012, Gregg was named President & Chief Executive Officer, where he is responsible for the management and oversight of the organization’s three (3) business units: Akron/Summit Convention and Visitors Bureau, John S. Knight Center, and Greystone Hall.
The Date is Wednesday, July 20 from 4:30pm to 6:30pm at the Akron location which is located at 350 Opportunity Parkway, Akron, OH 44307.
ALL volunteers need to apply/register in order to volunteer.
I am the volunteer coordinator for the Akron Rotary Club and you will need the Akron Rotary Club’s address for signing up.
Akron Rotary Club
4460 Rex Lake Drive
Akron, OH 44319
I need a head count by this Friday, July 15th, so please let me know if you plan on attending by sending me an email or text: dhall@preferredlegacy.com or 330-714-1044 Thank you!
If you have any questions please call or text David Hall at 330-714-1044.
The service project will be followed by a social event open to all at Lock 15. Please come for dinner or drinks or both. This event is open to anyone that wants to join us; you do not need to attend the service project to join us at Lock 15. If you are coming to the social event please let David Hall or David Miller know so we can have sufficient table space and chairs for all. Please join us for an evening of conversation, laughs and fellowship. Lock 15 is located at 21 W. North St., Akron, OH 44304. Hope to see you there!
Congratulations to Lynda Farkas, our new 2022-2023 Club President. Lynda was sworn in by District Governor David Jones who then had the board of directors also take their oath of office.
Past District Governor and Club Past Akron President John Reyes, was the recipient of the prestigious District 6630 Michael J. Johns Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award.
This award is given to a long-time member in good standing with Rotary District 6630 who has freely given of himself/herself through mentoring, sharing, and serving Rotary. Potential awardees include a past District, Zone or International officer or committee chair (not necessarily a PDG); a supporter of The Rotary Foundation to the best of their ability (not necessarily financial); and someone who has touched our District in many ways throughout the years.
John has led the charge on many critical matters within the District and continually provides support, guidance and mentoring for other members. He and his wife Linda are always ready to help take action to create lasting change for the District, our Clubs and our communities. They truly exemplify Rotary's motto 'Service Above Self'.
In addition, the following the following awards were presented to our Club and our other members for the 2021-2022 Rotary Year:
Outstanding Leadership & Service Award: Cheryl Warren, PDG
The award was presented by PDG Lohman to Cheryl as well as Bob Oborn (Stow-Munroe Falls), Mike Davanzo, PDG (Medina SR) and Kathy Berkshire (Lakewood Rocky River SR) for their unwavering leadership and service during his year as Governor.
TheA.Z. Baker Award - The Akron Rotary Club
Akron was one of 29 clubs (out of 50) to receive this award. The A. Z. Baker Service Awards were established in 1978 at the recommendation of then District Governor James P. Banks, and by action of the District Board of Trustees. This award honors our own "Mr. Rotary," A.Z. Baker, from the Rotary Club of Cleveland who served as Rotary International President in 1955-1956. His dedication and commitment to Rotary truly exemplified SERVICE ABOVE SELF and this award was designed to honor his memory by encouraging all clubs in the district to participate in each of the Avenues of Service which are the foundation of club activity.
Clubs qualify for this coveted award through the accumulation of achievement points.
Club Training & Educational Awards - The Akron Rotary Club
Akron was one of 7 clubs (out of 50) to receive this award. This award is given to any Club that has shown a commitment to the ideals and spirit of Rotary during the 2021-2022 Rotary Year.
Individual Training & Educational Awards
This award is given to any Rotarian who has shown a commitment to the ideals and spirit of being a Rotarian during the 2021-2022 Rotary Year.
13 individuals in the District received this award, 5 from the Akron Club:
Cheryl Warren, PDG
John Reyes, PDG
Julie Brandle, DGE
Lynda Farkas
Stew Buchanan, PDG
Congratulations to all of the 2021-2022 District Award Recipients!!
Join us on Friday, July 29th as we honor our outgoing President Steve Buie. A celebration party will take place at Akron Rotary Camp in the Pavillion (lakeside), 4460 Rex Lake Drive, Akron, Ohio 44319 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.
6:00pm - 6:45pm Cocktails and Relish Tray Appetizer
6:45pm - 7:45pm Dinner Buffet
7:45pm Celebration Program hosted by Past President Dr. Robert McGregor
Dinner Buffet Menu:
Tossed Salad
Artisan Rolls
Lemon Roasted Chicken on the bone
Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions
Rigatoni with Marinara Sauce
Oven Roasted Irish Potatoes
Green Beans
Dessert
Vegetarian Option Available Upon Request
Any questions, please contact Mella Castner at Akron Rotary Camp - mellac@akronymca.org or (330) 644-4512
Apolline Snyers from Belgium, Serena Guo and Manuel Nuñez from Akron. Apolline and Serena are doing the STEP or Short Term Exchange Program this summer: 4 weeks together in Akron, 4 weeks together in Belgium. Manny is doing the long-Term program and will leave for S. Korea at the end of August. He will spend 11 months attending classes and hosted by Rotarian families.
For 2022-2023 we have an exciting level of RYE activity. We have two Long-term Outbound students Manny Nunez (S. Korea) and Samantha Kramer (Brazil) and one Short-term student Serena Guo to Belgium on direct exchange.
Our Outbound Exchange student Samantha (Sammy) Kramer attended our Rotary lunch June 28 with her father, Keith Kramer. She will leave for Brazil in late July to be there on time to start school. She wore her RYE jacket with a collection of pins already evident, so I’m certain she will have a fabulous time. She has communicated with her host family and is excited about going. Sammy’s grandfather is a Rotarian from Cincinnati and a former District Governor. He was the pin donor to her collection’s early start.
The Kramers, who live in Stow, are going to host Yara Martin Salas while Sammy is in Brazil. Yara has managed to get her J1VISA so she can now purchase her airline ticket. It was an arduous process, but she and her father finally succeeded and are elated. We received a very nice message from Jesús Martin, her father, thanking all who facilitated the visa process. Yara has already made out her schedule with help from Sam’s mom Tonya Kramer, and hopes to play volleyball for SMFHS. Yara will arrive July 27. Yara is the 4th member of her family to do the Rotary Exchange. One older brother went to Syracuse several years ago.
OLivia Pilon will serve as Counselor to our Inbound student Yara Martin Salas.
On July 12 Manuel Nunez, Outbound student to S. Korea, attended the lunch installation of President Lynda Farkas. His father, Jacinto Nunez, an active member of our club, was present as well. In addition to Manny, Serena Guo our STEP student (Short Term Exchange Program) was a guest with her Exchange sister from Belgium, Apolline Snyers. Apoline brought a Rotary flag from her sponsor club in Enghien, Belgium, to give to President Lynda Farkas. Apolline’s father is currently president of the club in Belgium. Serena’s mother, Grace Zhang, and sister, Anabelle Guo, were also guests for lunch. Serena will go to Belgium in August to complete the final leg of the exchange. It’s exciting to have young people involved in Rotary again.
The RYE Committee is planning a welcome potluck for Yara. Lynda Farkas will host the committee and our Inbound student Yara on July 31st at her home on Turkeyfoot Lake (6 pm). It has also listed strategies to engage our Inbound student and club members in activities throughout the year and looks forward to playing an active role helping young people bridge the cultural gap.
Want to have some fun while rowing for a great cause?
Please consider being on the Dragon Boat team!
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We need to verify if we can support a full team very shortly so let me know if you are fully interested in participating and if you have anyone else who may like to participate.
It costs $1200 for the team to participate in the event so expect about $50 per person out of pocket.
I will check with our Rotary Club to see if they will sponsor us again ... but we cannot count on this right now.
PRACTICE:
There will be 1 practice before the day in an evening decided by the event organizers.
On the day of, the event starts at 7:30am but as we have learned, only the captain or 1 person needs to be there to sign us up. The rest of the people need to be there around 8:30 to get ready. The races start at 9am so all the team would need to be there and ready in case we are in one of the first races.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
SHIRTS:
We will have to check with fellow Rotarian Tom Knauer to see if he can help with shirt logo again if anything needs changed.
Otherwise, I think I can get new shirts at about $25 each if we get 12 or more, $22 if we get 18 or more. These are performance t-shirts with the logo on them.
OUR TEAM:
Our current team is below with the indented people being invited by the Rotarian above them:
Brian Kosarko
Angela Kosarko
Hannah Lingel
Connor Jarvis
David Hall
AnnMarie Hall
Olivia Pilon
1 or 2 work associates?
Maybe
Julie Brandle
Karen Hrdlicka
Susan Colville-Hall
Brian Shanower (Brian K)
Natalie Shanower (Brian K)
Garrett Morgner (Brian K)
Bri Hastings (Brian K)
If you know anyone who would be interested or wants to participate, let me know and we can add them to the list.