Medical Equipment and Supplies Abroad (MESA) is a project of Rotary District 6600 which encompasses 64 clubs in northwest Ohio, including the Lima Rotary Club. Our own Bob Ruehl has been very active in MESA for years and he told us that MESA gathers used medical equipment, computers, emergency equipment and more and delivers it to developing countries to meet humanitarian needs throughout the world. Some of MESA's many accomplishments include:
1. Established a birthing clinic in Santa Cruz de Yojoa, Honduras
2. Provided for the establishment through RCI 144 preschools in Belize and Jamaica
3. Serviced 37 clinics throughout Belize, Suriname, Nigeria, El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama
4. Provided for the development of a birthing center and nursery in a children’s hospital in Tegucigalpa, Honduras
5. Developed a clinic in Guatemala specifically to handle the burn victims from Fuergo Volcano
6. Helped develop teams to do hands-on work in schools and orphanages such as La Casa de La Nina in San Pedro Sula, Honduras
When clubs collect donated equipment they take it to the MESA warehouse in Fostoria where it is packaged for shipment. The warehouse was recently paid off and a mortgage burning party is scheduled for June 15 to which everyone is invited.
Bob also showed this video about the recently completed sanitation project in Honduras that the Lima Rotary Club took the lead on: https://www.facebook.com/bob.ruehl/videos/10216914530767975/ He's currently writing a similar project for $200,000.
Also at Monday's meeting, red badges were presented to these new members: Heather Jordan, Rick Kortokrax, John Guagenti, Myron Meas, Dr.Tim Rehner, and Chris Hughes. Welcome to our club!
And the Lima Rotary Foundation presented its quarterly grants to Allen Lima Youth Leadership, Boy Scouts, MESA and the Shelter Box program.
Lima Rotarians voted on resolutions for the coming year at its annual meeting.
On April 22nd President Paul Swartz presided over The Lima Rotary Club Annual Meeting. From Paul’s President’s Report, Kevin Bill’s Treasurer’s Report, Elizabeth Ellis’ Foundation President’s Report, and Jared Walsh’s Foundation Treasurer’s Report the club members should have great confidence in a fiscally sound organization that is extremely generous and benevolent to club projects, Allen County charities, District 6600 projects, and college scholarships. Lima Rotary Club Board President-Elect Ken Dysert introduced the 2019-2020 Board of Directors, and Lima Rotary Foundation President-Elect Andy Wannemacher introduced the 2019-2020 Board of Trustees.
Five resolutions specific to the 2019-2020 program year were presented and approved. Resolution #1 – Six fundraising projects were defined with a collective goal of generating $81,000 in net proceeds. Resolution #2 – Four club projects were identified to share in the funds raised through resolution #1 totaling $86,000 in funds distributed. Resolution #3 – The club designated six partnership projects with funding amounts to be determined by the Lima Rotary Foundation as a result of a traditional grant application procedure. Resolution #4 - Nine community service activities benefiting other organizations were chosen. Resolution #5 - $5,000 was allocated to a District 6600 contribution request for the MESA warehouse operating costs and mortgage payoff.
Lima Rotary Club's Spring Blood Clinic is May 4 from 6:30-9:30am at Senior Citizen Services.
Our Spring Blood Clinic is a great opportunity for the public to receive low cost blood screenings which are vital to monitoring their health. The registration form can be downloaded here. If you'd like to volunteer, please contact President Paul.
The Lima Rotary Club is accepting nominations for its Avenues of Service awards.
This year the club will celebrate our Changing of the Guard Party on Monday June 24th. Since 2009 - 2010, the Club has acknowledged individual club members each year at the Changing of the Guard for outstanding Club, Community, International, and Vocational Service. In 2015 – 2016, Youth Services was added. These awards were named for past presidents who represented those avenues of service in their daily lives. Those include:
the Rex Perry Club Service Award,
the Rudolph Community Service Award,
the Goodnight International Service Award,
the Wemmer Vocational Service Award and,
the Hulsken Youth Service Award.
These past few years, club members have nominated fellow club members for the awards and the Board of Directors has selected the winner in each category. Please send your nominations to Club Secretary Rita Brown at limarotary@gmail.com by Wednesday April 3, 2019. The Board will vote on your nominations and select a winner in each category at the Board Meeting on Tuesday April 9, 2019.
See the criterion for each category of award and the list of past winners by clicking here.
Join us for the Rex Perry Memorial Golf Outing on June 12 and help support the Lima Rotary Club's scholarship fund.
This year’s Rex Perry Memorial Golf Outing will be held on Wednesday, June 12th at Hidden Creek Golf Course in Bluffton, Ohio. The outing begins with a shotgun start at 9:00am and finishes with a delicious luncheon where the team winners will be announced along with the winners of our many fabulous door prizes and the big winner of 50/50 drawing! This year’s scramble will also include a number of exciting games that will be incorporated into the outing to make the day even more exciting and competitive. Last year we had 22 teams competing and are hoping to add a few more as well as crushing last year’s total of $40,000, all of which went to benefit the Rotary Foundation Scholarship Fund. The Rotary Memorial Scholarship Fund selects persons who live or work in Allen County who are in pursuit of a degree or certification and will attend a school or college in Allen County. The intent of the scholarship is to encourage Allen County employees and residents to work and plan for their futures within our county. As of March 2019, over 1,002 adults wishing to continue their education have received scholarships from the Lima Rotary Club. These scholarships total over $733,250. Degrees or certifications can be achieved at the Apollo Career Center (Adult Education), Bluffton University, Rhodes State College, The Ohio State University at Lima and the University of Northwestern Ohio. All residents who live in and employees who work in Allen County are eligible. If you'd like to volunteer for the golf outing or donate a door prize, see Andy Wannemacher.
The Rotary District 6600 Conference is next weekend. There is still time to register.
Dear Rotarians of District 6600-
We are little over one week away from the 2019 District Conference kick off and it is not too late to join us and get Wild About Rotary!
This year's conference is being held at Kalahari Resort and Convention Center in Sandusky, Ohio on May 10th through 12th and has something for every Rotarian. Here are some of this year's highlights:
Friday Afternoon- Golf Outing at Thunderbird Hills Golf Club in Huron, Ohio. Learn more and register HERE
Friday Evening- The conference kicks off with an island themed reception where you are encouraged to wear all of your favorite tropical or nautical attire. The evening features a keynote address from Rob Raylman, the CEO of Gift of Life, the organization that provides hope to children who have heart disease around the world.
Saturday Morning- It will be an action packed morning featuring our own MESA leadership, Rotary Youth Exchange Students, a Shelterbox update and breakout sessions designed to enhance your Rotary experience.
Saturday Afternoon- You won't want to miss the very powerful message from
Rachel O'Neill and her organization, Little Dresses for Africa. They are not just sending dresses, they are sending hope. After Rachel's presentation you can enjoy even more breakout sessions!
Saturday Evening- Put on your Rotary best and celebrate the many accomplishments of clubs and Rotarians in District 6600 while hearing from Rotary International Barry Rassin's representative, Past District Governor Gayle Knepper from District 5010.
Sunday Morning-
Remember Rotarians we have lost and celebrate the many mothers in our lives with a special program, "Mothers in the Wild...Saving Children Around the World."
There are full conference options and many ala carte choices that you can choose from. For more detailed information and schedule, please download the conference information.
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Yours in Rotary,
