Busy time for the Garrettsville-Hiram Rotary Club at their meeting on July 28, 2014 at Cal’s II. The monthly list of program responsibility was reviewed. President Delores McCumbers spoke of the benefits of the PETS (President Elect Training Sessions) program and of a Rotary Honors Vets event coming up in central Ohio. Facilities-use papers have been filed for Family Week 2015 activities February 22-28, at Garfield High School and Elementary School—Caitlin Lawless will be the Trail Boss. August 18 is the date for Chris Schuerer to appear to be the” face”…and the “ears”… of the YMCA which will be opening its new facility and operations at the Park Avenue building, formerly the Garfield Intermediate School (which has now moved to the St. Rte 88 campus). He will be seeking input on desired programs for the community and giving a brief outline of what has been planned so far. Rotary pins for the soon-departing (August 6) exchange student, Rachel Schwan, have been received, with banners to follow. On the horizon for the club are the October trash pick-up between Garrettsville and Hiram and the Reverse Raffle in November…never too soon to begin planning. And in that same vein, some possibilities for new/re-thought activities for Family Week were proposed and existing features reviewed. Thoughts about local projects circulated, including community walks, ideas for promoting use of the Headwaters Trail, pitching in with the Kent club to assist incoming international students at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, a Portage Cluster joint project of some sort—plenty of opportunities.
Jim Irwin came with pieces from his collection of historical documents—photo, newspaper, club program folder, handwritten thank you note—for all to peruse and enjoy. He also had memories of some of the individuals making up the club in the past.
The annual Steak Fry will be on August 11 at 6:00. The noon meeting will not be held but there will be a tour of the new Intermediate School addition and Elementary School renovation which WILL be opened on August 20. Lunch-on-the-fly…dinner in the green.
Lisa Muldowney was the program for the meeting, giving a brief personal picture of herself as a Garrettsville native, a Rootstown resident, the mother to six, a member of significant local boards (Ravenna Chamber, Coleman Services) and the head of the Garrettsville Branch of the Middlefield Banking Company. The bank was founded in 1901 and prides itself on being community-oriented and capable of creative thinking and operation in financial matters. Not every bank can take loans for Amish buggies in stride. She has a community-involved staff which can be seen, not just behind the counter but also out interacting with the people the bank serves. It offers basic banking services for home, commercial and personal financing, as well as having a “green” outlook on emerging business possibilities. Coming soon—home mortgage with a 30-day turnaround. How’s that for horse-and-buggy dealings?
Next meeting August 4. You’re invited.
