December 21, 2004

                                                  Calendar of Events

 

Last Week:  Christmas Party

This Week:  Susan Akins  “CHS” @ Old Homestead

Next Week:  Discussion Meeting/Cookies @ Old Homestead       

Coming Up:                                                    

February 1 : Club Officer and BOD Elections

February 15: Club Centennial Celebration Dinner & Program

  Give suggestions for future programs to Rey Whetten or Linda LeTendre

 

Other Events Coming Up:

December 28:  BOD & Chairs Meeting 5PM

Invocation:  Garry Morrow, Dan Stec or Bob Youmans   

Minute for Rotary:  Schedule begins January 4

 

WEBSITES:                                         

                        BHBL Rotary:  www.bhblrotary.org

                        District 7190:   www.capitalregionrotary.org

 

Thornhills Recount Experiences in Ghana:

            At the November 23 meeting, Joan and Harry Thornhill narrated slides taken during their recent volunteer teaching experience as part ot the Help a School project organized in Ghana by an Australian global volunteer agency.  Now retired as teachers in the Shenendehowa schools, Joan and Harry are world travelers, and not infrequently their travels focus on helping the less fortunate.  For example, Harry was a Peace Corps volunteer in

Liberia before his marriage, and later  he spent time in Sierra Leone with Joan and their son on another volunteer mission.

            In Ghana the Thornhills taught grades 7-9 at the Akuffo Tom private school; Joan taught English and Harry Ghanaian history.  Their slides recorded the primitive conditions with which they coped both in their living quarters and in the classroom.  Each day they were transported by van to the base of the steep hill where the school was located, and because the van could not make it up the hill, the Thornhills took a 35-40 minute hike up the

hill to the school, and down again at day’s end, in temperatures often in excess of 100 degrees.  There was no electricity or running water at the school.  A translucent panel placed over the blackboard in the otherwise metal roof was the primary source of light for instruction.  Heavy rains, which fortunately were infrequent, cancelled teaching, much as snow days do in  the Northeast, because the rain noise on the metal roof was deafening. 

            Students have to pay tuition in this private school and also for the limited supplies and materials available to them. The Thornhills themselves provided free paperback textbooks for the use of their students.  Students went to class from 8-4:30 daily, but not every class met every day.  Despite what Americans would regard as an unsuitable learning environment, the children were happy and hard working.  They had great imagination and an ability to make something from nothing. 

Responding to questions after their presentation, the Thornhills opined that public school facilities in Ghana were better than at Akuffo Tom, but academics were stronger at the private school.  The private students did better on the national exams that determine who gets into college.  The children at Akuffo Tom work hard because their parents’ strongly desire that they get the advanced education that  will enable them to qualify for a profession (eg. teaching, medicine, etc.). Such occupations are highly valued by Ghanaians.


The Thornhill’s informative and passionate account of their volunteer service in Ghana modeled for all present  the validity of the Rotary motto “Service Above Self”.

 

 

 

 

News Briefs:

   •  Jim Schultz was inducted into Club membership at the November 30 meeting.  In introducing Jim,  Bill Sewell referred to Jim as a “home grown product”, a reference that related only in part to the Schultz family garden

center on Hetcheltown Road.  Jim was a graduate of BH-BL High School in the class of 1967, a class that also included his future wife and fellow Rotarian, Susan Diesem Schultz.  After his graduation from SUNY-Albany, the aforementioned Bill Sewell hired Jim as a BH-BL Latin/English teacher in 1971.  An outstanding teacher, Jim later became the high school English Dept. Head, K-12 Language Arts Dept. Head, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, and in July, 2004, he succeeded Bill Hostetter as Superintendent of Schools.  President Steve welcomed Jim to Rotary membership, and his wife, Susan, skillfully Rotary-pinned him without injury to any of the parties.

  •  Rey Whetton was introduced at the Christmas Party as the club’s first Paul Harris Fellow of the year.  President Steve, ADG Dan, and Club Founding Member Stan presented Rey with his Paul Harris lapel pin, medallion, and certificate. The party was a great success with 59 members and guests present.

  •   The BH-BL Rotary Schedule for the next three months, distributed by

1st Vice President Rey, gave the following information about the Club’s charitable activity from August to November, 2004:

 

            Fund Raising Income                                       Contributions

Apple Run                     $2,075                            Rotary Foundation                       $1,459

Apple Pie Festival       $2,388                            

                                                                           Gift of Life                                $1,400

Entertainment ’05         $678                               Donation to accident family     $   300

Happy Dollars               $507                               40 hours labor to Town in Bloom

Taste of BH raffle         $120                                12 hours labor to road cleanup

                                                                           20 hours labor to CHS Counts

 

 •  Lynn Rafalik reports that the High School Interact Club recently expanded its community service activity to include helping senior citizens at the Immaculate Conception church and decorating Christmas trees for families housed at the Ronald McDonald House while their children are hospitalized