Posted by Anne Decker on Apr 15, 2022
Here are the highlights from the April 12th join meeting of the Lima Rotary Board and the Lima Rotary Foundation Board.
Call to Order                                                                                                   Jeff Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald called the meeting to order at 11:38 AM with the following Rotary board members present:  John Ficorilli, Andy Farley, Keith Horner, Jeff Fitzgerald, Joel Mengerink, Jennifer Mason, Carol Buettner. Also Treasurer Dan Best, Secretary Anne Decker.
The following Foundation board members were present: Demi Burden, Adah Ellerbrock, Mike Powell, Abe Ambroza, Adam Stolly, Corey Frazer, Russ Decker, Jennifer Mason. Also Secretary Scott Cockerell and Treasurer Jared Walsh were present.
 
Secretary’s Report                                                                                          Anne Decker
  1. Approval of March 8, 2022 board minutes
Farley made a motion to approve the Rotary Board Minutes of March 8, 2022.  Buettner seconded the motion.  Board approved.
  1. Attendance report  
The month of March ended with 141 total members – 136 active and 5 honorary. There were no new members and no resignations. Year-to-date shows an overall loss of 4 members. Attendance for the month of March was 44.30%, up from February’s 37.95%. 
 
President’s Report                                                                                          by Jeff Fitzgerald        
  1.  Greater Lima Region Park and Amphitheater
    Groundbreaking for the Greater Lima Region Park and Amphitheater is April 18 immediately following the club’s regular Monday meeting. WLIO will do a preview and encourage the public to attend. Decker and Sanchez found the club’s banners to be displayed at the event.
  2. Social Meeting
    The next social meeting is April 22 at Alter Ego Comics.
  3. Spring Blood Clinic
    The Spring Blood Clinic is April 30 from 6:30-9:00 at Senior Citizen Services. Sanchez has signed up all necessary volunteers.
  4. Jay Begg Reverse Raffle
    The Jay Begg Reverse Raffle is scheduled for June 2 at the Allen County Fairgrounds. Tickets are $100 each, available from Katy Page. Decker will ask Schnipke to invite the Begg family to attend.
  5. Reuters Image Copyright Claim Update
    PicRights continues to contact the Lima Rotary Club seeking $1,510 for use on the website of two photos owned by Reuters. Rotary International’s counsel is handling the issue and does not want us to respond. RI does not think PicRights has a case.
           
Lima Rotary Foundation President’s Report                                                                   Demi Burden 
  1. Foundation Board Grant Update
$17,500 worth of scholarships have been awarded so far this year with another $11,500 pending. Community grants awarded this year are: $2,000 to D.A.R.E, $2,000 to High Octane Drumline, $2,000 to Soldiers of Honor boxing program, $5,000 to Salvation Army, $1,500 to the Lima Symphony Orchestra, $1,500 to the Lima Symphony’s children’s concert, $865 to the Lima Symphony for Marimor, $2,500 to Allen Lima Youth Leadership Program, $2,000 to Our Daily Bread soup kitchen, $5,000 to M.E.S.A. Community grants to date this year total $41,865.
Russ Decker will serve as President of the Lima Rotary Foundation in the 2022-2023 year, Mason will be President-Elect,
Ellerbrock made a motion to approve the Foundation Board President’s report. Stolly seconded the motion. Board approved.
 
Joint Board Discussion
  1. Treasurer’s Report - Lima Rotary Foundation                                                   Jared Walsh
Walsh shared the Statement of Fund Balances, Receipts and Disbursements Quarterly report for the first 6 months of the fiscal year ending as of 12/31/2021. The activity for the first half of the year is covered in seven buckets. The Amphitheater bucket contains $761, 512.44. The Buenos Noches Fund contains $1,306.64. The Endowment Fund contains $501,172.39. The General Fund totals $70,337.04. The High Octane Drumline Fund totals $612.25. The Hulsken Fund contains $62,998.10. The Scholarship Fund contains $109,602.44. Mason made a motion to approve the Treasurer’s Report and Russ Decker seconded the motion.  Board approved.
  1. Treasurer’s Report - Lima Rotary Club                                                               Dan Best
Best shared information from the Balance Sheet Previous Year Comparison.  The cash position is down compared to 2021, largely because in 2021 the club didn’t meet for a while because of the pandemic and District 6600 did not charge the club dues during that time. The club’s total income through March 31, 2022 is $67,867.10. Total expenses are $73,793.05. Net income is ($5,925.95). Farley moved to approve the Treasurer’s Report. Horner seconded the motion. Board approved.
  1. Annual Meeting Preparation                                                                         Jeff Fitzgerald/Demi Burden
The Annual Meeting will be held on Monday April 18th to be followed by the groundbreaking for the Greater Lima Region Park and Amphitheater. 
 
Board Seat Election Results                                                                                         Scott Cockerell
Cockerell stated that the ballots were counted earlier today and 89 members voted.  Members selected to join the Rotary Club for the term running from July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2025 are: Jeff Unterbrink, Tim Stanford and Demi Burden. 
The following members were selected to join the Lima Rotary Foundation Board for a term running from July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2025:  Chris Hardesty, Craig Kupferberg and Berlin Carroll.
Derek Stemen and Russ Decker will contact those who were selected and those who were not.
Russ Decker made a motion to accept the new roster of members to each board.  Burden seconded the motion.  Board approved. 
           
Board Reports: (any updates to report)                                                          All Board Members
  1. Empowering Girls Committee                                                            Jeff Fitzgerald 
    The new Empowering Girls Committee has held one meeting and has had good support from the members. They will be looking for ways the club can help empower girls.
  2. PolioPlus                                                                                              Keith Horner
    The PolioPlus campaign will be gearing up again with a dunk tank on May 23rd. Tickets will be sold to dunk people, and immunity tickets will also be sold. There may also be a raffle and auction. So far, the club has raised $3,000 of its $5,000 goal for the year.
  3. Golf Outing                                                                                         Scott Cockerell
    The Rex Perry Memorial Golf Outing will be held August 17th at Hidden Creek Golf Club. Tickets are available from Andy Wannemacher and on the club website. Hole sponsors are being sought.                                                                                            
President-Elect Report                                                                                          
  1. New Ideas & Projects 
President-Elect Derek Stemen was not able to attend the meeting.
 
New Business:                                                                                                        Anne Decker
  1. Club Service Awards
Club Service Awards are given annually to members who show exemplary levels of service in the areas of Club, Community, International, Vocational and Youth Service during the year. They are awarded at the Changing of the Guard party each June. Anne Decker will be sending out a request for nominations soon and encourages board members to submit suggestions. 
 
Membership
  1. Applications
  1. Cathy Clark
  2. Matt Childers
  3. Shelby Koenig
  4. Steven Rakes
Applications for membership for Clark, Childers, Koenig and Rakes were presented. Horner made a motion to approve all four applications and Mengerink seconded the motion.  Board approved.
Nate Gast has asked to be reinstated to the club after resigning in 2021. Buettner made a motion to approve the reinstatement and Burden seconded the motion. Board approved.
  1. Resignations
  1. John Gonzales
  2. Myron Meas
Farley made a motion to approve the resignation of John Gonzales from the club, effective March 31. Mason seconded the motion. Board approved.
Best made a motion to approve the resignation of Meas with regret. Horner seconded the motion. Board approved. Mason stated that she will continue Premier Bank’s corporate membership and find a replacement for Meas.
 
Accounting Services                                                                                        Jeff Fitzgerald
Discussion was held about the Lima Rotary Foundation’s payments to the Lima Rotary Club for the services of the club’s bookkeeper. These services total $4,800 per year. The Foundation was invoiced $1,251.20 toward that salary in each year 2016 and 2017 and paid it. The Foundation was inadvertently not invoiced in 2018 and 2019. The Foundation board has since been invoiced for those two years and paid one of them. They do not feel they should have to pay both. Fitzgerald recommended that the club write off the outstanding $1,251.20 payment. Farley made the motion and Ficorilli seconded. Board approved.
Farley made a motion that the Foundation’s invoice for the 2022-2023 year be $1,750. Horner seconded the motion. Board approved.
Walsh suggested that ways be found to streamline bookkeeper’s duties so they are not so time consuming. Fitzgerald stated that duties would lessen once the amphitheater project is completed. Best suggested looking at ways to raise money for the club so it is not so dependent on member dues.
 
There being no further business, Buettner made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 12:50 PM. Mason seconded the motion.  Board approved. 
 
Respectfully submitted.
Anne Decker, Secretary