Naugatuck Rotary - Naugatuck Rotary Newsletter

SaA, Duncan Stephens fined Rebecca Zandvliet for doing good things. He welcomed back Joe DaSilva and Brian Barrett. Don Zehnder was fined for being on the last statewide winning basketball team from Naugatuck. (50 years ago) Geoff Drawbridge was fined for insulting Don Zehnder and Duncan also fined Rupi.

Mike Wagner paid us a last visit before leaving for
a double-wide in Florida...a happy man.

General Fine: Anyone that hadn't paid a dollar.

Announcements & Information

Rebecca Zanvliet will be in charge of fund raising next year and said that she is planning a comedy night. The initial plans are for it to be on a Friday evening and the tickets at $35 per couple including dinner.

Jeff Chipokas revisited the Golf Outing and again confirmed that it will take place at Wyantenuck Country Club on September 16th. We may have a sit-down dinner instead of a buffet style, but this will be determined by the price.

REMINDER that next week we will meet at the Elks Lodge on Rubber Ave. instead of Jesse Camilles.

John Ford is postponing the board of directors meeting this week to possibly next Thursday.

There will be a phone-a-thon for the YMCA on March 31st from 5:30 - 6:30PM. The challenge is on between Rotary and Exchange clubs.

A short Board of Directors meeting was held..

Guests

Pete Zandvliet

Tim Walsh

Speaker

Dick Young from the Denan Project

Students

Alexis Moody - studying Pathology next year

Tyler Wellington - studying Chemistry in College

Upcoming Speakers

March 18 - Michael Steir - Speaker Albin Weber on the Revolutionary War

Birthdays and Anniversaries

none

Membership Anniversaries

Jennifer Merrill - 3/31/05

Debbie Wheelhan - 3/3/04

Cathie Mauritz - 3/3/04

Jeanine LeVasseur - 3/12/07

Marcelo Martins - 3/30/00

David Mulhall - 3/19/08

Our Speaker Today

Dick Young and Denan had the full attention of the members at Wednesday's meeting

Duncan Stephens our speaker chair today, introduced Dick Young, founder of The Denan Project.

The Denan Project was founded in Woodbury, Connecticut in 2003 by Dick Young after he traveled to a refugee camp near the village of Denan to film a documentary about the terrible conditions there.

Arriving in the camp adjoining the village, he found 7,000 people who had been displaced from their homes by civil war, disease, and drought. New people were arriving daily—sometimes as many as 200 in a day—having traveled hundreds of miles and in desperate need of food, water, a doctor, and medicine. Unfortunately, they found almost nothing in the way of medical care and very little food and water. The refugee camp was in a precarious situation, with people dying daily. Denan has been called a “mini-Dafur”.

When Young returned home to Woodbury, Connecticut—a town whose population is not much bigger than that of Denan—he could not forget what he saw and experienced in the Ogaden. He gathered a group of friends and neighbors and talked to them of the desperate plight of the refugees. The group formed The Denan Project with the shared dream of saving lives and giving hope to the people of Denan. They set themselves a goal that they thought was modest and achievable—to raise $30,000 to set up a small, free clinic, buy medicine for one year and hire an Ethiopian doctor.

The volunteers began to raise money by having gatherings in their homes and by speaking to local organizations. By April 2004, the group had raised enough money to open their tiny clinic in an abandoned, rundown two-room building.

Today, after watching a video on The Denan Project (this can be viewed on the website www.thedenanproject.com) Dick gave us an update on the situation in Denan.

The five issues that are at the forefront are;

HEALTH: The clinic is now a 29 Room Hospital with a doctor and pharmacy on site. An ambulance has also been donated to transport patients.

WATER: A water pipeline and reservoirs are in the process of providing clean water.

AGRICULTURE: There is an agricultural program being set forth with drought resistant seeds.

COTTAGE INDUSTRIES: There is now a solar oven for baking bread (300 loaves a day).This not only feeds the patients in the hospital, but also provides revenue by being sold to the people in the community There is also a feasibility study for purchasing dairy goats which will provide milk and cheese which also can be sold.

EDUCATION: There is a program underway to provide qualifies teachers and teachers’ aides to instruct the children of the camp. Books are also being provided.

Rotary is a partner with The Denan Project along with Ogaden Welfare and Development Assoc., UNICEF, High Schools, Government Agencies and the Elders of Denan.

For more information and how to help, please visit the website www.thedenanproject.com

Absent Members Today

Barbara Csanka, Jonathan Farmer, John Ford, Tracey Kelly, Jane Lobdell, Tony Purcaro, John Roman, Michael Steir

Happening Around the District and RI

March 12 - 14 2009 PETS - Nashua NH

March 7, 2009 New Generations, Choate Rosemary Hall

March 27, 28, 2009 RI President's Membership Conference, Baltimore, MD

April 1, 2009 Deadline for Submission of Award Applications

April 19, 2009 GSE Inbound Teams Welcome Brunch

April 23,2009 District Assembly, Sheraton Four Points, Meriden

May 1-3 2009 District Conference, Newport, Rhode Island

May 15, 2009 GSE Farewell Brunch/Memo of Club visit due to DG

June 21 - 24 2009 International Convention, Birmingham, England

AREA CLUBS FOR MAKEUP AND INFORMATION LINKS

Silvermine Tavern - Norwalk - Monday 12:15 pm

The Inn at Newtown - Newtown - Monday 6:15pm

John J Sullivan's Restaurant - Ansonia - Tuesday 12:15 pm

The Waterbury Club - Waterbury - Every other Tuesday 12:15 pm

Sandwich Man - Seymour - 1st and 3rd Thursday 7:15 am

Brownson Country Club - Derby - Thursday 12:15 pm

Crowne Plaza - Southbury - Thursday 8:00 am

www.rotaryeclubone.org online makeup

Rotary District 7980

Rotary International

Rotary Cruise Deals

Naugatuck Rotary

P.O. Box 484

Naugatuck, CT 06770