Meeting of December 6, 2007
Next Meeting Time & Place: 5:30 START! Rotary Scout and Community Center. It’s family night with SANTA! We will plan to be at Parson’s home around 7:00. Get Tim Sargent your list of children and adult guest names (so Santa won’t forget!)
Song: “White Christmas” (very appropriate) by lead singer Gordon Gladden and backup Paul Johnston.
Pledge: President Marion Keenan
Prayer: Paul Johnston
Head Table: President Marion, Vice President Henry Vinyard, Senator Norm Conway and Gary Mackes
Guests: Rita Lamb and Gains Hawkins (guests of Lee Whaley)
Announcements: Happy Birthday to Tom Weiland (the cake winner!), Tim Sargent, Dave Morgan, John Aukward and John Hall.
Thanks to Chuck Whitmore who made it possible for us to have water flowing in the RSCC! Thanks also to the membership for $300 donated for the Christmas gifts to be used next week!
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has
awarded The Rotary Foundation a challenge
grant of $100 million, which Rotary will match, dollar for dollar, over
three years. This is the largest single grant ever given to a volunteer
service organization and represents a tremendous validation
of the approach and success of our Polio Plus program. The Rotary
Foundation will distribute the initial $100 million through grants to
the World Health Organization and UNICEF in direct support of polio
immunization activities in 2008. In 1985, we promised every child a
world free from the threat of polio, and we are almost there. This
funding agreement between Rotary and the Gates Foundation is a huge step
forward, bringing us even closer to our goal. Success is our only
option. Your participation in this effort is crucial to making it a
success.
Stan Morris reminded everyone of the Rotary bell ringing effort for the Salvation Army. The week of December 17th still has openings.
Chris Layton is looking for interested parties to help provide some tasty game bird meat for an upcoming dinner next year. He is organizing a shootout at Owens Station in Delaware. All interested parties contact Chris.
Art Goetz reminded everyone that our club’s goal to the Rotary Foundation general fund is $8750.
Also Steve Capelli reminded the membership of the expenses of the RSCC (including the recent unexpected water pump expenses). Rotarians, as you plan your end-of-year charitable donations, please keep the Rotary Club of Salisbury Foundation, Inc. in mind. The Foundation supports the operation and upkeep of the RSCC. The RSCC houses our Boy Scout Troop 176 and has been used several times for local Girl Scout activities this past year. In addition, our club has made excellent use of the facility for club meetings and activities. We need your financial support to be sure the RSCC is on a sound financial footing, so please give what you can. Unless Congress passes an extension, the ability of IRA owners age 70 ½ or older to make “qualified charitable distributions” to charitable organization will expire December 31, 2007. Arranging such a distribution, to The Rotary Club of Salisbury Foundation, Inc., should be commenced as soon as possible to ensure that gifts beat the deadline. To make an IRA contribution to The Rotary Club of Salisbury Foundation, Inc., the members simply need to contact their IRA trustee or custodian and state that they wish to have a distribution check made out to The Rotary Club of Salisbury Foundation, Inc. They should also notify Steve Capelli of their plans by calling (443) 614-1310 so we may coordinate with their IRA administrator to ensure proper transfer and receipting of the gift. The rules are fairly simple: Donors must be 70 ½ or older when the gift occurs and own a traditional IRA. Only the IRA custodian can transfer gift amounts to The Rotary Club of Salisbury Foundation, Inc. If IRA owners withdraw funds and then contribute them to the foundation separately, amounts withdrawn will be included in the donor’s gross income. No charitable deductions are allowed, but transfers to The Rotary Club of Salisbury Foundation, Inc. count toward the IRA owner’s required annual distribution and therefore can reduce taxable income. IRA gifts will not impair deductibility of regular charitable contributions.
Past President Allen Brown announced that he is organizing a search committee for the President of our club for 2009. Any and all past Presidents need to be at the Board of Ed next Wednesday evening (December 12) at 5:30 for this important activity.
Main Program: Gary Mackes introduced Maryland State Senator Norm Conway. Norm is from East Salisbury and has been everything from a paperboy to a teacher, principle, President of the City Council and, overall a great public servant! Currently he is Chair of the extremely important and powerful State Appropriations Committee. Norm thoroughly discussed the recent Special Session of the State General Assembly. Currently Maryland is facing a $1.7 Billion dollar deficit. Norm described the main reasons of how we got into this situation were the 10% income tax cut (which reduced revenues by $1.0 Billion) and the introduction of the Thornton Program for Public Education which was the single largest infusion of State funds into public education, which was funded without a clearly defined funding mechanism. For the period of 4-5 years, the program was funded through reductions and transfers and the State still managed to get final balanced budget each year. Transfers cannot continue. The Appropriations committee has come up with $550 million in reductions. Everyone is working on this problem but we are still not out of the woods. As much as 67% of the entire budget is mandated. Norm is concerned long-term about the increasing population in Maryland and the decreasing work force and, therefore, services in State government. Maryland still has a AAA bond rating and is ranked as having a strong economy that is both diverse and well educated. Norm and many others are working hard to keep this track record well into the future. Thank you for your service Norm!
50/50 Winners: Otto Peters and Tim Sargent.
Enjoy Rotary!