Rotary Club of Lexington, KY

U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots – This Thursday, December 1 – Anyone may bring an unwrapped gift this week to donate to this program.

Recruiting Volunteers for our Annual Santa Project: If you would like to volunteer for the Santa project at the Horse Park, please contact Nell or sign up at the Thursday meetings.  You can participate either as a Santa or an elf.  We will need three elves through December 16th and four elves on all Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and from December 17th through December 23rd.  This event has become over the years an annual family outing for many families; so recruit your spouse and/or children and/or grandchildren.  You won’t be sorry you did.

Coffee Orders: Place your order on the first Thursday of the month and pick up the following week.

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DECEMBER 1 -  Councilman Doug Martin, Lexington’s Pension Problems

DECEMBER 8 -  Kris Kimel, President of Kentucky Space, LLC, Kentucky’s Role in Space Travel and Science

DECEMBER 15 -  Will James, President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, 25 Years of Toyota in Kentucky

All meetings are held at Fasig-Tipton, Newtown Pike unless otherwise specified.

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August 4 – Matt Jones, sports blogger and broadcaster for CN2 TV and Kentucky Sports Radio, gave us his take on “the new media.”   Matt observed that the internet and television have changed reporting in a way that gives viewers (and listeners) much greater influence in an era when there are so many media outlets and it’s so easy to change from channel to web.

July 28—New Transylvania University President R. Owen Williams announced that he plans to expand and diversify the school’s student body and prepare them for global competition.  To prepare the faculty for that initiative, he’s distributed iPads to all and he plans to engage them in expanding the international curriculum and to support their efforts to prepare students for lifelong learning and leadership opportunities.

July 21—In words and video images Steve Grossman presented the future design for Lexington’s Triangle Park renovation.  The initiative, funded by the Triangle Park Foundation with support from Kentucky Utilities and Kentucky American Water, will provide a setting for chess, backgrammon, yoga, big-screen movies and outdoor concerts in the summer with a food pavilion in the park.  After Thanksgiving, the open space will convert to an ice skating arena.

July 14—Coach Joker Phillips noted that there’s a buzz around the UK football program this year.  Recruiting has been good, the older players are excited and ready to step up their games.  And personnel changes have produced a coaching staff of great communicators, great motivators and great teachers.

July 7—Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President/CEO David Adkisson reported that state government expense has for several years consumed $0.06 for every dollar in the state economy with expenses for prisons, Medicaid and state employee pensions getting every larger portions of the budget while education lags.  The Chamber recommends that 1) spending continue at 6%, 2) borrowing costs stay below 6%, 3) the structural deficit be eliminated, 4) that the Rainy Day Fund be re-established and 5) that we prioritize investing in the future.

June 30—For her President’s Day theme, outgoing President Martha Riddell selected “Bigger, Better, Bolder.”
Bigger—We added new members and increased our number of Paul Harris Fellows to over 50.  Better—15 charitable organizations benefitted from the funding decisions made by our Endowment Board this year.  Bolder—This year we changed our spring fundraiser to “Dancing with the Lexington Stars,” to great success.  And we supported the World Equestrian Games, raising over $140,000 with 2,000 volunteers.  Special recognition went to the following Lexington Rotarians:  Bob Ross, Rachel Lewis, Bill Straus, Bill Alley, Robert Ryan, Dean Hammond, Bill James, Dale Blythe, Harding Dawahare, Jeff Thomson, Frank Stanger, Paul Chewning, Joe Bark, Amanda Huddleston, Mary Beth Wright, Gerald Marvel, Jim Richardson,  and Nell Main.

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Last week Dr. Andrew M. Moore made his annual report to the club on “Surgery on Sunday” (SOS), one of our major charities. The program, which we have supported for the past two years, provides outpatient surgery to people whose income is 100 to 200 per cent of the federal poverty level. In its five-year existence, SOS has provided outpatient surgery for 3,095 patients at a cost of $140 per patient thanks to volunteer support, cash and in-kind donations. Currently, 1,024 patients remain on the waiting list, some of them waiting for up to a year. Our own club has provided $60,000 in funding. That translates into 450 people our Rotary funds have helped.

We will continue our support by donating proceeds from this year’s “Dancing with the Lexington Stars 2011,” which will be held on May 14, to further the work of SOS.

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The Rotary Club of Lexington was chartered October 1, 1915, as Club #182. The first club president was George T. Graves. Over the years the club has raised over $1,000,000 for a variety of community and international service projects. The 365-member club is a part of Rotary International District 6740, which covers the eastern section of the state and contains forty-four clubs with some two thousand Rotarians. The club meets weekly at noon on Thursdays at Fasig-Tipton on Newtown Pike.

Please check back often for updates.

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