President Adam Manning welcomed everyone to the Centerville Rotary Club and led reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. Carol Kennard shared that due to health issues, Bob Daley will not be able to attend meetings for awhile. Please keep Bob and Berneta in your thoughts and prayers. PDG Harvey Smith provided the prayer.
Quote of the Day: "Goodness is the only investment that never fails.” Henry David Thoreau
Thanks to Mark Febus for being our greeter today.
Guests today included Gina Smith’s husband, Aaron, and guest of Adam Manning, Tom Gamble, who is with the iCode School, an after school STEAM school for kids.
Announcements:
- Thanks to all volunteers, committee members, players and sponsors of the Golf Outing. We had a record 81 golfers and a great day. Please check your email and complete the survey so we can continue to improve this important fundraiser.
- Rotary Women’s Circle will meet today, 5:30 pm at Old Scratch Pizza. All are welcome.
- Sign up for the June 6 meeting at Grant Park-Kennard Nature Nook entrance. The meeting will be a memorial for members we have lost: Sally Beals, Joyce Young, and Don Gerhardt. We will meet there 4:30-6 pm instead of the noon meeting.
- Rotarian of the Year ballots are now available. Please fill it out and return to Adam by June 6. Check our website for a list of past recipients.
Uriah Anderson made a special announcement, presenting Sofie Ameloot with her first and second Paul Harris Fellow. Thank you, Sofie, for your generosity!
Happy Bucks this month will go to Dear Dinah, who provides a safe place for survivors of human trafficking and helps raise awareness by connecting a community of people who are devoted to protecting and empowering the Dinah's of the world.
Brian Hayes was today’s Sergeant at Arms.
Happy Bucks were given generously for:
- Carol Kennard for the success of the Golf Outing with a special thanks to her photography assistant, Mark Febus.
- Uriah Anderson caught several big catfish but let them go, saw the Northern Lights, and was happy Sofie is back.
- Dave Trout was happy Sofie is back, 2 grandkids are graduating, one from CHS who will be going to OSU majoring in engineering, and another graduating from college in Iowa, and headed to Oregon State for a PhD program.
- Brad Huffman was happy Sofie is back & for the success of the Golf Outing, noting this was his 1st year as participant, which he enjoyed.
- Harvey Smith shared he talked to several golfers who were pleased with the organization of the event and many said they will be back next year, and he was happy Sofie is back.
- Elda Gotos Gay was happy Sofie is back, happy for Sofie’s daughter, Delphine’s graduation, and that Marti will be joining them for dinner tonight.
- Mark Febus was thankful for golf outing, and being Carol’s assistant. He shared that they went out looking for golfers to photograph and his company’s sponsor sign which ended up being at the very last hole they checked!
- Andi Share was happy Sofie is back, and that Andi’s son is graduating high school and going to college.
- Lisa Goris May was glad Sofie is back, noting she is the heart of our group, and is happy her step son graduated with his PhD from Purdue.
- Sofie Ameloot was super happy to be back and gave thanks for all of the kind messages and hugs. She was happy to be in Belgium, although it was a tough time. She is happy Delphine will graduate this weekend and is headed to OSU in the fall for architecture.
- Jim Harris was happy Sofie is back, for today’s visitors, and the nice day.
- Socks Bowersocks was happy to see everyone here today, was happy Sofie is back, and that his grandson is graduating from Tipp City HS.
- Ron Hollenbeck for the Golf Outing, and was happy Sofie is back.
- Chuck King for the Golf Outing where he won bourbon, and was happy Sofie is back.
- Frank Perez was happy Sofie is back, and in the spirit of all of the graduation announcements, shared his grandson graduated from the infant room to the toddler room :-)
- Boyd Preston for the Golf Outing, was happy Sofie is back, and offered the farm report up for raffle. (Alas there were no takers)
- Lee Hieronymus’ Farm Report noted there is a free seed distribution through the Victory Garden program. Visit u.osu.edu/ohiovictorygardens for details.
- Dale Berry was happy Sofie is back.
- Gina Smith had a lot of fun at the Golf Outing, and enjoyed getting to know people and golf better. She was happy Sofie is back and reminded all of the Merchant Market this Sunday. Stop by her booth and say hi!
- Adam Manning was happy for the success of the Golf Outing, sent prayers to Bob Daley, was happy Sofie is back, and shared his girlfriend’s niece graduated from high school and has a full ride to Miami University.
Arnie Biondo stepped in as speaker to share about his recent trip to Vietnam.
Arnie said even though they are a small country, Vietnam is the top 3 in exporters of rice.
People were welcoming and friendly. 70% are under age 25. Very industrial, always working. He experienced no animosity toward him as an American. There is a great discrepancy between the really rich and really poor, like here. Everyone spoke English.
Houses are long and narrow, front to back. Conduct business in front, relaxation in middle, and sleep in back. Having a little shop (business) is a big deal.
He said you wouldn’t know it was a Communist government, not very evident.
We call it the Vietnam War; they call it The American War. No one wants to talk about it, no one brings it up.
Arnie suggested a book titled, “My Enemy, My Friend”. One shot down the other. The author said, “We were not enemies, we were just soldiers.” Arnie had a chance to talk with the author.
Tunnels were not all around Vietnam, just in one city where soil supported the building of tunnels. Arnie said there was no real evidence of the war.
Transportation was a shock - so many motor bikes everywhere. It’s the main mode of transportation. Traffic lights are a suggestion, just there for decoration. Only rule - Don’t hit anything in front of you. When crossing the street you just step out and keep moving; they will go around you.
Very few cars, no delivery trucks, everything is on motorbikes. He saw a family of 4 on one bike. And no accidents. He also saw a train come through an area where people were sitting at cafe tables just a couple of feet from the passing train.
Ho Chi Minh City, mostly known as Saigon, is much more affluent, and had some cars.
Arnie expected the countryside to be something special, and although there were flowers everywhere in the city, there wasn’t much to see outside the cities. Lots of low lying water and rice patties. The farms in the north only have one crop per year, but in the south they may have 2-3 crops per year. The cities were decorated for the Chinese New Year. The one notable observation was that there was trash everywhere on the sides of the roads.
Arnie shared some curiosities:
- Egg Coffee is just that - coffee with an egg dumped in it and it was delicious.
- Electrical wiring goes everywhere. Not sure why there haven’t been more fires.
- Temples are around everywhere. The top religions in the country are: 1. Ancestral, 2. Buddhist, 3. Catholic.
- Once family owns land, they stay there forever including being buried on the site.
President Manning thanked Arnie for sharing his trip and wished all a great week.
.png)
