Avon Rotary Newsletter

Tonight's guests included Trisha and Becky Koomen. Remember December 1st at the Avon Inn is our Rotary/Lions Christmas Party. Celebrations tonight included one from Margo Harper celebrating a winning season for Michigan State. Kelly Cole celebrated that his Dad Marty Cole would have been 80 years old today. Kelly was wearing Bill Bruckel's badge tonight, which brought up a discussion on some missing pins after the Eastern Cities Dinner. Buttons, buttons, who has the buttons? Some say Jerry D was responsible for them. Prez Bill and Barb Herman went to the elementary school to give dictionaries to the third graders but Prez Bill said when he showed up to pick up Barb she was still in her pajamas. Kelly showed up tonight with a hairless lip -- the first time without a mustache in 25 years. He looks at least 10 years younger. Jerry celebrated a trip to Florida for business and he took Ernie with him. They did work on his property there. They were in Home Depot so much they thought Ernie worked there. Kirk wasn't at our meeting where we celebrated B-Days and Anniversaries so he celebrated tonight. Sign up sheets are now going around for the Red Kettle Drive. Welcome back, Sue O'Hearn, since I wasn't at last week's meeting. You look good. Glad to see you back with us.

Our speaker tonight for our program was Becky Koomen, daughter of Hans and Trisha Koomen. Becky was our Exchange Student in 2002 to the Netherlands. She was here to talk to us about the Roots & Shoots program, which she will be participating in next year. Becky wants a career as a Great Ape Conservationist. Roots & Shoots is a volunteer organization that is part of the Jane Goodall Institute. It was started on the porch of Jane Goodall's house in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania by a bunch of youth who had gathered there. They believe that youth have the power and the passion to make the world a better place. The group started in 1991 and has grown into a global youth network in close to 100 countries. There are 1,800 clubs in the United States and many thousands more around the world. Becky will be going to Tanzania in April for about 4 months where she will be participating in ongoing community building and environmental education projects with local children, and contributing to the development of the organization with an independent project on Wild Life conservation. We thank Becky very much for sharing with us this important work she will be doing and for talking to us about her passion. Good luck to you, Becky. 50/50 was won by Ted Coyne. See you all next week.

Submitted by Marcia Cameron.