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Our 100th Anniversary Year!
Stories
Opening of Meeting
President Ken Farabaugh opened the meeting on the Zoom video conference at 12 noon.
Jennifer Railing gave the invocation and then everyone joined in on the Pledge of Allegiance and the Four-Way Test.
President Ken noted 16 were in attendance at the start of the meeting, but we had 23 on the Zoom conference by the end of the meeting
Happy Bucks
  • Sandy Leathery was happy that we had Julia Phelps joining us to speak today.
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Announcements
Mike Hanson announced upcoming programs;
 
August 24our own Daryl Black will give us an update on our District Grant to the Seminary Museum and how they are adapting their programs during this pandemic.
He also thanked Tom Dombrowsky for arranging for a colonel from the Carlisle War College to speak to us on the meeting close to Veterans Day.
 
President Ken announced that our Board of Directors will be meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, August 19 at 7:30 am https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81790083390
 
He also mentioned the passing of former Rotarian Terry Hamrick and Bobbie Phillips, mother of Rotarian, John Phillips.
 
Fellow Rotary Club of Gettysburg member and Past District Governor John Kramb is taking his annual cross-country motorcycle trip to raise money for Polio Plus. To support John in this noble cause, visit at https://raise.rotary.org/John-Kramb/challenge
 
Rotary - Dealing with COVID-19
Julia Phelps, pictured above, came to us with quite an impressive resumé in regards to Rotary service.

Julia D. Phelps, Ed.D.

Trustee, The Rotary Foundation, 2017 – 2020

Director, Rotary International, 2014 – 2016

Julia joined the Rotary Club of Amesbury, MA in 1997 and served as president of the club in 2001-02 and the club’s Foundation Chair (2016 – 2020). She was active in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program and hosted several Ambassadorial Scholars. After serving as president, she was asked to train incoming presidents at NE Presidents-elect Training Seminar (PETS). Julia served as a host counselor for a Youth Exchange.

She has served in several positions at the district level. She worked on RYLA, served as Inbound Chair for Ambassadorial Scholars and was District Governor of District 7930 in 2007-2008. She was the District’s Annual Giving Chair and the Chair for NE PETS. Julia became District 7930’s Foundation Chair in July 2009 and led the district through the Future Vision Pilot. She shared Future Vision insights at the New Orleans, Louisiana and Lisbon, Portugal International Conventions.

Julia has served as a Presidents Representative and the Rotary Foundation Alumni Chair (RFAC) for Zone 32. Julia prepared governors-elect on the Foundation’s new grant model at the International Assembly in 2012 and 2013. She served as International Director from 2014 – 2016 and in 2016 - 2017 was a member of the Operations Review Committee. Julia served as a member of RI’s Membership Committee from 2017 – 2019.

In 2017, Julia was appointed as a Trustee of our Rotary Foundation where she served on the Foundation’s Stewardship Committee (Chair in 2019 – 2020) and the Executive Committee (2018 – 2020). For two years, she’s served as the Trustee Liaison to the Leadership Development and Training Committee. Always a supporter of Polio eradication efforts, Julia participated in an NID in January 2017 in Delhi, India.

Julia is an active member of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Rotary Action Group. She serves on the Operation Team of WASH and chaired the World Water Summit 2017, 2018, 2019 and the Virtual Summit in 2020. In January 2019, Julia participated in handing over toilet blocks and handwashing stations to a school of 1200 students in Nashik, India. The Rotary Club of Amesbury, MA financially supported this project along with other clubs in the USA, Australia, and India.

Julia is the recipient of the Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Award. She and her husband, Steve McKenzie, who’s also a Rotarian are Majors Donors and charter members of the Bequest Society. She is a Paul Harris Society member. Julia is currently leading the Million Dollar Journey for the Rotary Foundation in District 7930.

She’s retired from the Massachusetts Department of Education where she served as the Associate Commissioner for Curriculum and Instruction. She and Steve, live in Greenland, New Hampshire, USA. Steve is the proud father of two children, Melissa and Stephen. Steve and Julia are also the grandparents to Peyton, Zeth, River, Finn and Nate. All their family members are Paul Harris Fellows.

Julia told us how she joined Rotary in 1997 because her boss, a school superintendent, asked someone in the school administration to join and since no one else moved, she volunteered to do it. As demonstrated by her resumé, it didn't take her long to jump head-first into serving in leadership. She believes that The Rotary Foundation (TRF)is the heart of Rotary. She also believes that Rotarians are people of action. She has been impressed with how Rotary has adapted and taken action as soon as the Corona Virus pandemic came upon us. She reflected on how she was leaving the North Eastern PETS on March, 8, 2020 and she started receiving cancellations of Rotary events. By the time she got home, everything had been cancelled and her calendar was empty.

This current pandemic has forced us all to adapt. In 2019 TRF started a disaster relief fund. A few weeks later hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas and Rotary clubs started applying for grants from this new fund. Since then, TRF has made it easier to apply for money from this fund. There is only a need for an international club to participate, but no matching money is needed. It has been simplified as clubs are using it for relief from circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In April TRF seeded the fund with one million dollars. That was gone in two days, with clubs applying for money needed to buy PPE, food, etc. Shortly after that another two million dollars was transferred to the disaster relief fund to help with the various needs. That allowed for another 800 grants of $2,500 each. The Director of Zone 32 suggested that all of the money that was not being used by the directors of Rotary International for travel be transferred into the disaster relief fund. Right now some of that money is being collected for shelter, food and clothing for the people in Beirut, following the deadly explosion there.

She mentioned how Rotarians are able to adapt and learn new things. The actions that are being taken by Rotarians during this pandemic are making some great public relations stories. Many of them are even getting some air time on the evening news around the country, which demonstrates to the general public that Rotary is interested in getting involved and helping people.

Although polio vaccinations are on pause right now, Rotary is using some of the same methods and infrastructure that was in place to fight polio, to help with the battle against COVID-19. This is something for which all Rotarians should be proud. The mission of fighting polio will continue, but right now the directors are moving money to help with disaster relief, District Grants and other grants. TRF met its goals for this past Rotary year regardless of the pandemic. 

In response to a comment from President Ken about the Shelter Boxes, Julia described them and how they are used. More information on them can be found here: https://www.shelterboxusa.org/press/shelterbox-rotary-partnership/

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Speakers
Aug 17, 2020
Rotary - Dealing with COVID-19
Aug 24, 2020
Seminary Museum District Grant update - adaptng education program to COVID
Aug 31, 2020
NATO 101
Sep 07, 2020
Labor Day
Sep 28, 2020
General Eisenhower Presentationi
Oct 12, 2020
Labor Day
View entire list
Russell Hampton
ClubRunner
ClubRunner Mobile
The Rotary Club of Gettysburg meets Mondays at 12 noon via Zoom