North Ridgeville Rotary - Newsletter - Archive (Jun 19, 2009)

Club No. 3496 | PO Box 39014 | North Ridgeville, OH 44039 | Chartered April 10, 1981

Happy Summer everyone! It is with a mixture of great sadness and excitement that I write my final President's message to our Rotary Club. The sadness is in great part due to the fact that I can't believe how quickly this Rotary year has gone and how much I've enjoyed being your President. The excitement comes from what I see lying ahead for our club starting with our next President Shawn Mueller and his leadership team. I can't wait to see where they are going to take us in the months and years to come!

What I'd like to share with you this month is the Top 10 Things I'll Take From My Year as President of the Rotary Club of North Ridgeville. It was extremely difficult to narrow the list down to just 10, so here it goes:

10. Our future is in good hands: we have the privilege of interacting with many of the young people of North Ridgeville on a weekly basis through our Rotary Club. I know a lot of us have been impacted and impressed with the members of our Interact Club, our Students of the Month, the Four Way Test Speech Contest participants, our Fishing Derby buddies, the 3rd graders who receive our dictionaries, and our annual college scholarship winner. Through these activities we have exposed each of these young people to Rotary as well as many of their families, friends, and teachers (we had 27 visitors for the Four Way Test Speech Contest alone in April). Who knows how many of these people will become future Rotarians!

9. Everyone belongs to an organization for a reason: the ultimate job of the leadership is to help the members re-discover the reason they joined in the first place and to continue to provide avenues for the members to stay actively involved. For our club there are a variety of reasons why someone initially joins or remains a member: i) the fellowship and singing at lunch, ii) interesting speakers, iii) the ability to make a larger impact on the local and world community through service projects than one could make on their own, iv) personal and professional growth, and v) finding ways to improve and expand one's business.

8. It's good to do business with a fellow Rotarian: even though our club does not outwardly promote doing business with one another, business is one of the main reasons Paul Harris founded Rotary in 1905. After all, why wouldn't you want to do business with a fellow Rotarian? At the very least you know you'll be dealing with someone who shares similar values. Take advantage of the chance to get to know your fellow members over lunch each week. Our members also do quite a bit outside of Rotary (whether in their professions, families, or other activities) so be sure to eat with a Rotarian you may not know as well and get to know them.

7. Healthy debates are important: unfortunately there aren't too many places left where one can engage in healthy debates, but our club is one of those places. Whether it's during one of our social outings, as part of a Board meeting or through one of our weekly speakers, we often engage in debates about many important topics that truly impact our world. This aspect of our club is one that is often underutilized as a recruiting and publicity tool. I can't think of a better place to engage in these debates than with some of the best and brightest leaders in our community.

6. Don't be afraid to ask for help: whether it's from someone inside or outside the club. Asking for help shouldn't be viewed as a sign of weakness, but instead as a sign of strength and inclusion. It takes a strong person to admit that you don't know something or that you don't have all the answers. Asking for help is a great way to get others involved (many people are simply waiting to be asked). And who better to ask for help than a fellow Rotarian?

5. If we capture Minds and Hearts, everything else follows: if we effectively capture people's minds and hearts with worthy and engaging projects and activities, the people and the money will follow. I can't help but believe that what we saw with our Nicaraguan Ambulance project is just the tip of the iceberg for what we can accomplish as a club.

4. We all have something to add to our club: what's nice about a club our size is that every member can have a tremendous impact on our club. All we have to do is speak up. If you have a good idea and you're willing to get the ball rolling, people will get on board (e.g. shoe box project). Everyone who is a member should participate in the leadership of the club at some point in their first 2 years in the club. The best way to learn about any organization, whether Rotary or otherwise, is to get involved in setting the future direction of that organization.

3. We can accomplish anything we set our collective minds to: Napoleon Hill is one of my favorite authors and writers. One of the guiding principles he talks about is, "What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve." Quite often we don't think BIG enough. We have the connectivity and the firepower in our club to make anything happen that we can imagine. We need to continually challenge ourselves and our fellow Rotarians to stretch our minds and imaginations to think BIG enough about what is actually possible.

2. New people add fresh ideas and energy to any organization: the long-term health and growth of our club is dependent upon us sharing our Rotary experience with other people. We're doing a lot of wonderful things in our club and we need to share it more often with the people we know as well as those people we have yet to meet. It's OK to "toot our own horn" once in a while!

1. Don't lose sight of where we've been: I know one of my themes for this year has been Kangaroos because they can only move forward, but it is also important to keep in touch with our history and traditions. We've been a club since April 10, 1981 and we're fortunate to have 8 Charter Members who are still active in our club. If you haven't already done so, make sure you sit with each of them at lunch in the next several months. You'll be amazed at what our club has accomplished over the years. These folks all have tremendous wisdom to share, you just have to ask. If you aren't sure who they are, you can find the answer in our Directory and on our web site!

Thank you again for entrusting me with the gavel for the past year as your President. Each of you has done a great job of focusing on the positive and continuing to move forward. Any organization that has been around for 28+ years like our club is doing many more things right than we are doing wrong. The things we are doing right are the things we should focus on and celebrate as we continue to move forward my fellow Kangaroos!

1. What is your favorite Rotary memory and why? The day that Jack Young got behind the wheel of the ambulance and drove off. I felt such a sense of accomplishment for our club!

2. If you could interview anyone (living or dead), who would it be? Noah, I would like to find out what, if any, species he accidentally forgot or missed.

3. What is your goal for the 2009-2010 Rotary year? 100% attendance during one month of my Presidency. I believe we can do it!

4. If you could do it all over, what career would you choose? I would like to have started in the janitorial supply business earlier in my career, enabling me to be that much closer to retiring! I enjoyed my 24 years in automotive management, I just never realized how nice it was to have Saturdays off. It's wonderful to spend the weekend with my family!

1. What is your favorite Rotary memory and why? February 23, 2009. Turning over the keys to the ambulance to Jack Young. A vehicle that would otherwise have been "put out to pasture" was put on its way to save lives. The City of North Ridgeville played a large part in the process, but it was Rotarians working for the city that made it possible.

2. If you could interview anyone (living or dead), who would it be? Napoleon Bonaparte. I've always been fascinated at not only his military genius but his knowledge of people, wisdom gained at a very young age.

3. What is your goal for the 2009-2010 Rotary year? Organic growth within the club. It's always good to add to the membership, but internal headcount is not a measure of the success of any organization. The real measure of success is external impact. I would like to see Rotary have such an impact on the community that it not only recognizes the importance of our club but also turns to us when in need.

4. If you could do it all over, what career would you choose? Real estate sales. Although that's what I'm doing now, it's only been for a little over four years after retirement from over 30 years in business. I'd liked to have got into real estate sales in my 20s.

1. What is your favorite Rotary memory and why? I can't say that I have one specific favorite Rotary memory. It's more like a bunch of mental snap shots of smiling faces and laughter. It ranges from my first weeks in the club when everyone was so open and welcoming, to my debacle at the Easter Egg hunt (thanks for not kicking me out after that) to getting a worm down my shirt at the fishing derby - it's all good!

2. If you could interview anyone (living or dead), who would it be? It would be neat to go back in time to the great depression or the Civil War and talk to an average person and hear their life story. I love the wisdom and insight that comes from an "average" person's life.

3. What is your goal for the 2009-2010 Rotary year? To continue the meaningful work we do locally and internationally and to have FUN!!!

4. If you could do it all over, what career would you choose? It took me over 35 years to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up but it was worth the wait! I love all things Real Estate and will always do it (in one form or another).

Kim considers herself a planner and a bargain hunter. Apparently those two traits work well together, considering she once saved $172 on her grocery bill by planning ahead and using coupons.

Her youngest daughter, 12-year-old Corin (Cory), knows all too well that her mother can't resist a bargain. She mentions, with great exasperation, that shopping with mom takes forever. When asked to describe her mom, Cori comes up with protective, calm, cool and responsible.

The second-youngest of six kids, Kim's former life before Maximum Graphix was spent as an in-home daycare provider. This enabled her to be at home with her older daughter Catherine. She started the business out of necessity. She interviewed 40 people to provide daycare for Catherine and still didn't find someone she was completely happy with.

"I thought, other moms must be having the same issues – how can they go to work and keep their head in the game?" says Kim.

So for 13 years Kim helped raise other peoples' kids. Then in 2002 Kim joined her husband, Greg, at the family business. "I can't run a printing press and I have no plans to learn, but I do the billing, taxes and customer service for Maximum Graphix," explains Kim.

As many husband-and-wife teams know, working with a spouse is a challenge. Kim's advice: "If it happens at the office, leave it at the office."

Kim and Greg have worked together for seven years and will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in July, so they must be doing something right.

In terms of Rotary, Kim joined the club in 2005. Her main reason for joining – to get the centennial pin the club was giving away that year. She was an unofficial member for many years --participating in the many service activities -- until then-president Giles Norrington asked her to join.

"It never occurred to them that no one had asked me to join," says Kim, who still has her coveted centennial pin.

Although the pin was the prize, Kim has always found it important to put service above self. And she understands that one person can do great things and several people can eradicate polio, send an ambulance to Nicaragua and put shoes on children's feet and food in their bellies.

One project that Kim hopes Rotary will get more involved in is Community Care. She notes that Rotary does great work helping the local food bank – donating 200 pounds of potatoes at Christmastime and always lending a hand when asked, but she'd like to see a fundraiser that can help in a more substantial way.

Kim is a strong woman full of conviction. And she looks to other strong women in history for guidance. Indeed, she'd love to go back in time and have lunch with Margaret Mitchell, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of "Gone With The Wind." Kim explains that Mitchell wrote her award-winning tome while she was recovering from an auto accident.

New member Paul Cruz received the Crystal Blue Vase Award from Farmers Insurance Group. He earned the honor for selling 36 life insurance policies in six months. It's an admirable feat for any seasoned insurance professional, but Paul earned this honor in his first six months as a new agent.

To recognize Paul for his achievement, Farmers is going to feature him in a national TV commercial ad campaign. The campaign will air in fall 2009.*

In addition to being an award-winning agent, Paul recently moved to his new office located at 25576 Bagley Road, Olmsted Falls, Ohio, 44138. You can e-mail Paul at pcruz@farmersagent.com or call him at 440-213-9637.

* Dr. Stokes -- you can't collect from Paul until his commercial airs!

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Warren Blakely won
the $19 raffle on June 12,
but didn't pull the Queen
of Hearts.

As of June 12, she's worth
$1,080.

Fundraising Idea from the Owego, N.Y., Rotary Club:

This club will be selling a “green” alternative to plastic water bottles at the Strawberry Festival in Owego. The club, which mans a booth at the festival, will be selling 20-ounce aluminum water bottles. The reusable bottles are $10 and will be filled with chilled water.

One of Rotary International’s world-wide programs is a clean water initiative that strives to bring clean, potable water to areas where men and women currently walk miles each day for fresh water. The Owego Rotary Club contributes to Rotary International projects and all proceeds from the sale of these water bottles will go to international humanitarian projects.

The club will also be selling its traditional strawberry shortcake. Proceeds go to local Rotary projects.

The Owego Rotary Club, founded in 1920, meets each Tuesday for lunch. In addition, a breakfast meeting is held Thursdays at 7:30 a.m. Both meetings are at the Owego Treadway Inn.

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Rubber Ducks Race Down River for Charity
15,000 rubber ducks dumped into the water as part of the Rotary Club of Daniel Island's third annual Charity Duck Race.

Click Here to read the story.

“We are here on earth and we are here to stay during our respectively allotted periods. How much of happiness and how much of misery shall be our share remains with us almost entirely to determine. If we possess a modicum of reason, it will be apparent to us that it is the part of wisdom to cheerfully make the best of the situation and to harmonize our own lives with nature's inexorable laws. We are entitled to the maximum of happiness; and may we be sane enough to observe that the route to a life full of happiness does not lie in intemperate indulgence. We need and the world needs an optimistic, rational philosophy of life."

June 26: Annual Installation & Recognition Luncheon (noon at the Senior Center)

July 2, Mike West

July 4, Kevin Corcoran

July 9, Craig Phillips

July 17, Chuck Sword

July 26, Paul Kantor

July 27, Robert Bunsey

July 4, Kim Cromwell

July 4, Frank Vacha

July 7, Shawn Mueller

July 9, Giles Norrington

July 11, Chris Costin

July 12, Robert Bunsey

July 12, Hyacinth Williams

July 17, Paul Kantor

July 29, Pete Trunzo

July 30, Dennis Booze

July 17th, Tom Klear

July 24th, Ron Schwachenwald

July 31st, Wade Hammond

Aug 14th, Emil Bagi

Aug 21st, Paul Cruz

Aug 28th, Glenn Zimbelman