Norwich Rotary Club
March 2nd, 2022
Location-Bella Fiore
THE RONE
Presiding: President Andrew Nollman
Invocation: Terry Congdon
Fellowship: Nancy Gentes
Birthdays: Mary Richardson – March 1st
Anniversaries: Erin Gizio – 6 Years
Visiting Rotarians: None
Guests: Andrew Nollman introduced Mandy Crispin from Chelsea Groton Bank and Dr. Ben Hong our guest speaker.
After a less than impressive rendition of Happy Birthday and a somewhat improved singing of “Welcome to Rotary”, Nancy gave the following fellowship. She told a very moving story about shared happiness. It’s titled “Hospital Window” and the author is Unknown.
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. Every afternoon when the man in bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm and arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described the parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band- he could see it, in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths, only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not see the wall. She said “Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.” Epilogue: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can’t buy. “Today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the Present.”
Announcements:
*Andy Nollman had the following announcements:
*Andy announced that masks are now “optional” and that the Covid numbers will be checked weekly. It the infection rate goes up again in the future, masks may need to be mandatory again. For now, enjoy the freedom!
*Rotarians are encouraged to please invite prospective members for lunch and introduce them to the world of Rotary.
*The club will be looking for speakers. Should you know of an appropriate guest speaker contact Bob Farwell or Kevin Wickless.
*Saturday April 9th will be the “District Day of Service” and a project for Habitat for Humanity is scheduled along with the RCC and the Norwich Sunrise Club. Work will by 8am to 11am. Members must sign up and register with Habitat for Humanity. Contact Suzy Hurlbert for further details.
*Terry Congdon will be conducting a “Rotary Trivia Game” beginning in March. Be sure to read the Rotarian magazine as that’s where the answers to all the questions will be! Weekly questions will be asked!
*The 7980 District Assembly and Conference will take place on April 23rd at the Mystic Marriott in Groton. The club will cover the cost for up to 4 members to attend. Contact Andy Nollman before the March 15th deadline if you care to attend.
*Wednesday May 4th the club will host a “Whisky Event” at Bella Fiore at 6pm. Tickets are $75.00 and can be purchased via Eventbrite. The sponsor will be Franklin Wine and Spirits. Dinner, Whisky and Cigars as well as an auction will take place. Stay tuned for further details. Put the date on your calendars now!
*The 4-Way Test Speech Event will be held on March 26th at 9am at the Otis Library.
*September 7th will be the date for the 2022 Annual Golf Tournament.
*Please pay your dues!! If you did not receive an Invoice contact President Andrew.
Happy Dollars: Jen Granger
*Jen gave to say that her husband’s father was from Ukraine and they are very concerned for events happening there and any extended family that may be in harm’s way.
*Jim Daly welcomed Ben and Mandy to our meeting and wished Mary Richardson a Happy Birthday. He said he knew her age, However he used his better judgement and decided not to divulge it!
*Jeff Bruning was happy to be back in town after a ski vacation to Utah.
*Mary Richardson welcomed Mandy. Mary also had a nice check in honor of her birthday! She said a check was better as the stack of cash would have been too large! She also thanked Jim Daly for not telling her age!
*Gary Young welcomed Mandy and Ben. Gary said he’s chairman of the Invocation Committee and went to see Joel Etra when Roz contacted him to say Joel is unable to serve on that committee anymore. She asked Gary why he never answered any of her calls and the messages she left on his cell phone. Gary said his cell phone was older than dirt and finally got a new one. Upon activation he found 25 messages waiting for him! He had a nice visit with Joel and Roz and urged everyone to find time to visit.
*Suzy Hurlbert welcomed Ben and Mandy to the meeting. She also said that her puppy Sasha ate her notes from last week’s meeting, so don’t expect a Rone for the 2/23 meeting! She added that Sasha’s training is going well. Also, lots of time has been spent on the Rotary PETS training for her to prepare for her year as President next year!
*Barry Shead welcomed Ben and Mandy. He said he worked with Mandy back when he was in banking and alluded that she was the one that really ran things!
*Bill Champagne gave happy dollars for the fellowship Nancy gave. Bill also explained a condition called Aphantasia, a phenomenon in which people are unable to visualize imagery. While most people are able to conjure an image of a scene or face in their minds, people with Aphantasia cannot.
*Mike Cooney gave for Gary’s new cell phone and alluded to the fact that his old one was older than he is! He also said that his daughter Katie has vision trouble and they took her to Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence to check her out. Thankfully after 5 hours everything turned out ok. Mike also welcomed Ben Hong
*Andy Nollman welcomed Ben and Mandy. He also is happy that his wife Lona, who is a Cath Lab nurse at L&M, is now working a per diem schedule that will allow more time at home and be in control of her own schedule. Life is good!
Auction: Mary Richardson made a $20.00 donation.
Weekly Rotary Trivia: Terry Congdon asked the question “Who will be the first female President of Rotary International next year?” The answer was Jennifer Jones and Bill Champagne was first to shout it out. Surprisingly a number of members knew the answer and have been reading the Rotary monthly magazine like they should!
Lottery: Barry Shead: The first ticket drawn was Jim Daly’s! No luck! Number two was Suzy Hurlbert. The Queen of Hearts, nice but not the winner! Final ticket was our guest Mandy Chrispin (Gary Young graciously gave Mandy his ticket! Didn’t think we saw that Gary did you!) No luck there either! Barry brought 2 packages of cookies from ARC. Jim Daly and Mary Richardson were the lucky winners!
Program: Andrew Nollman introduced Dr. Ben Hong. Ben and his late wife Bonnie Hong started “Benji’s Fund” in honor of their son a number of years ago that is part of the Norwich Rotary Foundation. Ben told a heartbreaking story of a family he knows of in Ukraine that have been affected greatly by the recent events there. The father has stayed back to fight in the war but his wife and children have left the country after walking 2 days straight and made it to the Polish border. They were able to get lodging and food, but are in great need of more funds to survive. Ben has requested that funds be distributed from Benji’s Fund to help this family out. That request is in the works and Ben will wire the money to this family that has had their lives ripped apart by the ravages of war.
At 1:15pm Nancy Gentes led the club with the 4-Way Test and the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Reed – RONE Reporter