November 30, 2009

Trim-A Tree at Britthaven

Ruthann's program for November 30, 2009 included a trip to Britthaven in Newport, to spread some Christmas cheer and participate in some tree decorating. So, after a good meal, we all went over to Britthaven and Trimmed-A-Tree (or two). What a clever program idea! Way to go, Ruthann!

And thanks again to Joe Garner for the photo! :)

November 21, 2009

Newport Rotary Food Drive

The Team at Red & White
Inez, Cliff, Jim & Dick (missing from photo)

Great day for collections! We added 980 units of food and $163.00 to the pantry at Matthew 25 Food Bank. Good return for 4 hours work at Food Lion, IGA and Red & White.

Thank you so much, everyone who participated.

Photo by Joe Garner

November 24, 2009

Newport Rotary is having some fun!!

Pictures tell a story better than any amount of words. The faces of the children say it all!
These photos were taken on the day we delivered the Dictionaries to the kids at the elementary school on November 24, 2009. No more words need saying. Thanks to all members who participated.

All Photos taken by Rotary Member Joe Garner.
Great Job, Joe. Thanks!

November 23, 2009

Teacherage Turns Museum in Newport

Diane Johnson, member of the Newport Consolidated School Alumni Association, brought us a very interesting and history-filled program about the forming and beginnings of Newport's History Museum.

The School Alumni Association found themselves needing a place to meet and settle in. Rotary member, Larry Howard stepped in and offered them the Teacherage on Chatham Street. What started out to be an office and meeting room, has blossomed into a renovated historical site for all to enjoy learning or reliving the history of Newport.
Their goal is to preserve the history of Newport.

On June 26 & 27, 2010, they are planning Newport Heritage Days, conducting home tours, and having various displays of antique autos and other vehicles; tobacco and quilting demonstrations, all relating to Newport 1800 to 1900. Story-Tellers, foods and fun. Everyone is invited to attend.

The museum is open from 10 to 12 Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. You are also invited to become a member of the History Museum, by filling in a form and paying the membership fee. Membership funds go to a really great cause...the historical preservation of Newport, North Carolina.

November 16, 2009

The Harvest Connection

Rev. James Gurganus, Coordinator at the Faith Training Center in Kinston, came and told us about their Disaster Relief Ministry. The purpose of the Ministry is to provide needed skills of carpentry, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, cleaning, and repairs to those who have experienced disaster. They also collect and deliver Emergency Recovery Kits, such as a Bedding Kit, Infant Kit, Health/Hygene Kit and various other speciality kits.
They deliver compassion through a sharing of their Christian experience and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is an opportunity for all members to present their Church in Action.

If you are interested in joining the Disaster Relief groups, want to join the ministry, wish to enter training, or just want to help in providing Emergency Recovery Kits, please contact:
The Harvest Connection

2600 W. Vernon Ave
Kinston, NC 28504
252-526-9908
harvestconnection@embarqmail.com

VERY Important Dates!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Work on Chatham Street Flowerbeds
Meet at 10:00 a.m Across

from Elementary School

Saturday, November 21, 2009
Food Drive 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

Monday, November 30, 2009
Trim A Tree at Brithaven
Reg. Meeting Time

On Election Eve: How the Election of 1898 Changed NC History

On the eve of elections throughout the State of North Carolina, Past District Governor Bevin Wall presented a historical perspective on the Elections of 1898 that forever changed the political landscapes of the state.

Those elections effectively returned to power a governing party that would restore "Home Rule", disenfranchise African American voters for decades to come and roll back many of the progressive policies enacted since the end of the Civil Way. While problems certainly remain now, it is evident that our state has come a long way in defending the individual liberties and protections afforded by our "Nation of Laws".

Interestingly, even after 111 years, many of the personalities and family names cited were familiar to some of the "old timers" in the Rotary Club, according to several comments in the Q&A period following the program.

Governor Wall based his presentation on an article by Nicholas Graham archived in The North Carolina Collection at the UNC-Chapel Hill Library. Click here for a link to this full article.

October 26, 2009

President Amos Hits a Home Run

President Amos Parker wanted to have a Family Night that brought all our club members and their families together. He wanted to honor some important guests, the wives of some of our deceased members, and all the Past District Governors from Carteret County. He wanted a great dinner, prepared with quality, and care, and he wanted to have a great speaker. Well, Amos did it! He enlisted Larry and Sharon Howard, who in turn enlisted their family and friends to pitch in, and they prepared and served a delicious meal of Roast Pork Tenderloin, with all the fixens'. Amos couldn't have found a better team for the meal!

He honored three of our five Past District Governors, Dr. Bill Walker, who attended with his wife Jolene, Beven Wall, attending with wife Pam, and Daughter, and Derryl Garner along with his wife, Jane. Among our honored wives of past Rotarians, we welcomed our present Assistant Governor, John Scibal and his wife, Rhonda.

To motivate us, he brought in another winner, Rocky Jacobs who attended with his wife, and gave us motivation to be Rotarians and not Rhinos and to remember that the "Future of Rotary is in Our Hands".

Way to go, Amos. You scored BIG !


Thanks to Joe Garner for taking the photos!

Newport Principals Making the Grade

Newport Elementary Principal, Beth Lanning, and her husband, Newport Middle School Principal, Bud Lanning were our guests, compliments of PDG Derryl Garner, who was responsible for the program.

Beth had visited our club in 2008, and told us then of the various challenges she faced as the new principal of Newport Elementary. Now she is giving us a report on how things are going.

Firstly, as with the entire world, they are getting no funds to help them serve the children with tutoring and extra help classes. In spite of this they have raised their reading and math skills overall scores. For instance, the school's math score went from a low 66 to a terrific 87.7!

Beth told us that Newport Elementary needs tutoring volunteers, as due to the lack of funds, they are having to use their aides for tutoring. They need volunteers to help the children with reading and math skills. On October 29, the school is having a Volunteer Round-Up. If you are interested in volunteering, phone the school, attend the roundup, and connect with a teacher and become a regular volunteer.

Bud Lanning gave us a brief synopsis of how things are going at Newport Middle School, and like the Elementary school, they have raised their scores. The website has information about the school improvement plan.

Please contact either school if you want more information about their programs and ask how you can help to give a child a helping hand.

Service Project for Oct. 5 Postponed due to Rain

The project date will be reset.

September 21, 2009

Business Informational Meeting

Tonight’s meeting focused on the many items that our club members needed to address, or get information about.

President Amos asked the members to nominate and approve Marilyn Everett as our President Elect for the year 2010-2011. It was approved and passed.

Derryl reported that there are 5 second grade classes at the elementary school, with a total enrolled of 102. Dictionaries will be ordered, and he mentioned that if you can attend with the group to distribute the dictionaries to the students, that it is a very rewarding project. Plan to go if you can.

October 26 is Family Night, and so far we have about 50 people planning to attend. Larry and Sharon will be cooking (YUM) and decorating our building. There will be surprises and door prizes for the ladies. Amos reminded us to bring potential members and family to the event. 5 Past Governors from our District will also be in attendance and will be recognized for their outstanding contributions to Rotary. A guest speaker is planned. Plan on about 2 hours for this special dinner, and if you need to reserve somebody, contact President Amos Parker.

Our Christmas Party is just a short time away. This year’s party will be held at our Rotary Building on December 14. We are checking into Golden Corral again, as they did such a superb job last year, and at a very reasonable charge per person. More on this very soon.

Our work night on the flower beds on Chatham St. is October 5, 2009, and we will meet at 5:30 pm at the flower beds. We will have dinner after we are finished at our Rotary Building.

Amos gave members information about the Bike Race for Polio that the President's group is planning for next April to fund the $2,000.00 each club needs to raise to match RI funds for Polio. We are also collecting Pennies for Polio and will be putting labeled jars in our places of business for the donation of funds. More information about the bike race will come as specific items are in place.

Our building mortgage has a balance of about $11,000.00, and our monthly payment is right at $295.00. Our funds are very low, so if you can see your way clear to make a payment for the good of Newport Rotary, then step right up and write the check!

We want to participate in the Newport Pig Cooking again this year. It was suggested we get a banner to better display the Newport Rotary Club, and use this time for some positive PR work. It was also suggested that we purchase shirts with our Rotary emblem to wear while working.

The Rotary Leadership Institute in Greenville is October 10, at $95.00 per person. A carpool is possible if members want to sign up and ride together.

RYLA is planned for the first of the new year, and we need to start searching for youth to attend. It was suggested we use the schools to help select good interested kids.

September 14, 2009

Heidi Gives Us Garden Advice
Yours truly was in the kitchen during all of the discussion with Heidi about our flower beds on
Chatham Street, but I do know we are going to be using Heidi's suggestions on how to improve these beds. Our work night is planned for October 5 at 5:30 pm. We will meet at the site of the beds and return to our Rotary Building for dinner afterwards. Come prepared to dig!

August 30, 2009

Danielle Mead Visits Newport Rotary

Danielle is a licensed marriage and family therapist, who has been practicing for over 20 years. See has worked with clients ranging from adolescents to the seriously mentally ill.

She is currently in private practice and is seeing couples and families in transition. Danielle holds a Masters Degree from Webster University, and did undergraduate work at Georgia State. She is fully licensed in the state of North Carolina.

August 24, 2009

District Governor Pays

Newport Club a Visit

Governor Nancy Barbee visited our Club and sat down with us for an informal chat. Her focus was on the goals set for the year 2009-2010.

The first is the total eradication of Polio, with all district 7730 clubs aiding International Rotary match a 255 million donation by Bill Gates. Each club needs to match with a $2,000.00 donation the RI Polio fund. To further highlight this endeavor, our Rotary District is holding "Hands On for Polio Awareness" week, Feb 21 to 28, 2010.

February 1 to 10, Governor Nancy will be leading a polio National Immunization Day to Bahir, India. The cost to join into this trip is approximately $3500.00 per person, but to offset this cost, the Governor has earmarked $10,000.00 to be split among the participants.

We need to strive to make all our members Paul Harris Fellows and try to exceed $100.00 per sustaining member.

Our District Conference is set for April 30, May 1-2, 2010 and is being held at the Hilton in New Bern. Governor Nancy is hoping to have 1000 District 7730 Rotarians in attendance. A large part of her agenda will be the honoring our Military, and our Youth; A RYLA reunion, and Rotoract and Interact Rallies. Why not plan on attending yourself?

Rotary Leadership Institutes are coming up and if you are interested, check our Database Calendar for dates and information.

There is another new club forming in Leland, NC and they hope to be charterd by December, 2009.

Looks like a very busy year!

August 17, 2009

Have a Sample at Lake Road Winery

Our program, brought to us by Maher, taught us a "Bunch" about wine, the type of grapes, and special blending that creates the tastiest wines. Mitchell Smith, brother of our own Manly Smith, shared information about his new winery called Lake Road Winery. After some history on wine, he noted that the first winery in North Carolina was opened by Paul Garrett in 1850. Mitch and his wife Suzy opend Lake Road in March, 2009. They use only fruits grown in North Carolina combining them to make unique blends. They name their wine based on the town of Newport, it's people, heritage, and spots of interest.

For a visit to the Winery, see Mitch and Suzy at Lake Road Winery, located at 1120 Lake Road in Newport and have a free taste.

August 17, 2009

Youth Exchange

The Newport Club is sponsoring Lena Mueller from Hamburg, Germany. Lena is staying with PDG Bevin Wall and his family. Earlier in the summer, Bevin and Pam’s daughter, Madison, traveled to Hamburg to stay with the Muellers. Madison confessed she did not know a word of German before departing the U.S., but with her resourcefulness and outgoing personality, she and her host family had a wonderful visit and she had the opportunity to see some amazing sights. In turn, the Wall’s have traveled up and down the east coast, showing Lena some of our beautiful land. If you ask Lena what her favorite part of her visit is, she’ll tell you she loves going to the beach.
Vanessa Ervin, Youth Exchange District Chair (See complete article in the August Newsletter)

Family Night October 26, 2009

Bring your family, friends, potential new members and

pecial guests to our Family Night October 26, 2009. Mark your calendar, and Be There!!

Arrangements are made for a terrific guest speaker. Be There!!

Food and Fellowship will abound. Be There!!

See you there on the 26th.

More information to follow!

Foundation Seminar is for Everyone!

August 10, 2009

The President is Real Person!
Manly Smith brought us a young man who is of the same caliber as McKenzie Wall.
Matthew Haggard, Manly's Grandson, graduated from NC State in 2007 with a degree in marketing. Before graduation, Matthew, who worked all through college, spent time in 2004, working in the campaign headquarters of George W. Bush in Raleigh. This led Matthew on his journey to the White House, working throughout the Bush administration. His first position was as a Presidential Correspondent, followed by time as a Presidential Messager to the People. Later switching into Public Relations, he remained with President Bush until the end of his term.
Matthew gave us a personal glimpse into the daily life of the President, relating humorous stories that showed us just how human a President can be.
Matthew shared mementos from his work at the White House, such photos, letters, and a very special menu.
We wish Matthew all the best in his future. He is a very special young man.

August 3, 2009

Rainy Day in Newport

On August 3 plans for a work day meeting arranged by Jim Everett, and a picnic dinner arranged by Cliff Schweitzer turned out to be "All Wet"!

As the club was suppose to meet and have a cook-out supper, followed by a weeding and re-mulching of areas near Newport Elementary, the weather had a different idea in mind for the members.

We all gathered under the pavilion across the street from our Rotary building, ate Hot Dogs, macaroni salad and ice cream, and spent our Rotary hour sharing fellowship with each other. It was fun and enabled us to spend time with each other in a very relaxed atmosphere. The work will be rescheduled.

July 27, 2009

Family Pride

Bevin and Pam Wall are very proud of their daughter, McKenzie, and rightly so. In this age of kids messing up their lives with drugs, alcohol, early sex, and just general rebellion, Bevin and Pam have reared their children to have tremendous self-esteem. Their own knowledge of their talents and the infinite opportunities they have before them, stem from Bevin and Pam's love and faith in their children.

McKenzie had and seized one of these great opportunities that allowed her to explore her love of the theatre, and it's related programs, by spending her last year of high school at the North Carolina School of the Arts. In addition to her regular studies needed to complete credits necessary fro her high school graduation, she was able to take classes that increased her skills in the performing arts.
McKenzie related some of her experiences of her last year of high school, and showed the members of the Newport Club what loving parents dedicated to their children can achieve.
McKenzie is readying herself for Ithaca College, where she will continue her studies in her chosen field.

Good luck to McKenzie and Congratulations to Bevin and Pam!

New President has Some Questions

July 20, 2009

President Amos Parker asked the membership "What should we do to keep the our club going?"

The membership replied with ideas to increase our cash flow, and increase our membership. Among the topics brought up were, members voted to keep our meals as a donation from the membership, each taking turns preparing the meal for the others.

Increasing our membership is also a priority, as new members will increase our revenue and add new input to our projects and discussions. A membership committee was appointed.

The membership noted that our club needed to become more visible in our community, by additional sinage, and active participation in community activities.

A committee was formed to select and nominate a President Elect for our Newport Club for the year 2010-2011. Larry Howard, Steve Blizzard, and Derryl Garner will meet and make their nomination known to the members upon the conclusion of their meetings.

We plan to spend another meeting in the near future for further discussion regarding these topics and members are asked to brainstorm for new ideas.

Newport Planning Board Notes

July 13, 2009


Steve Blizzard, our Program Chair for July 13, brought us a visit from John Davis, Chairman of the Newport Planning Board.

John went over zoning ordinance regarding subdivision planning , signage, and more. He shared maps and noted flood zones and high water areas, which is a great concern of our Club members.

The Planning Board meets on the 4Th Monday each month, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Helping People Make Wise Decisions

July 6, 2009

Wink Mayne from First Citizens Bank is a Financial Advisor, who helps people make wise decisions regarding their investments and savings. He spent a bit of his time sharing information about our 401K's and IRA's. Most people do not know that you can rollover a 401K into an IRA while still working. There are many options available to us to revamp our strategy, and his job is to help us learn and choose which is best for us. First Citizens Bank is a consertive bank that chose NOT to take any TARP money and will never choose to do so.

Thanks, Winston Reese, who had the responsibility for this week, for introducing us to Wink. Call Wink if you have questions or concerns about you financial needs.

...AND A NEW YEAR BEGINS

THE FUTURE OF ROTARY IS IN YOUR HANDS

PDG Derryl Garner spoke to the members about our Rotary Club, it's past and it's future.

He praised our outgoing President, Cliff Schweitzer, and presented him with a plaque honoring his "job well done" for 2008-2009. Cliff's wife, Inez, pinned him with his Past President Pin. Thank you so much, Cliff, for your leadership, insight and devotion to the Rotary Club of Newport.

PDG Derryl concluded our evening by swearing in our Club Officers for 2009-2010.
Our new President is Amos Parker; Secretary is Joe Garner; our Treasurer is Winston Reese; and named Sergeant at Arms for 2009-2010 is Dick Newton.

We are all looking forward to a wonderful year of Rotary growth, fellowship and succesful projects that will benefit our community of Newport, North Carolina.

Welcome to "The Stroke Belt"

Did you know that North Carolina is in the "stroke belt" where stroke death is two times greater than the national average? Our program on Monday night, May 18th, was arranged by Dick Newton, who brought us Bob Thomas, who shared information about strokes and stroke prevention.

Strokes are the third leading reason for death in the US, and second in the world. Unfortunately, the coastal areas of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina has the highest rate of stroke victims in the US. 85% are transient ischemic attacks. TIAs are small strokes that can last for minutes or hours. They are treatable and should never be ignored.

To test for stroke follow the FAST Stroke Assessment.

F for Face. Ask the person to smile. Does one side droop?

A for Arms. Ask them to raise their arms. Does one drift downward?

S for Speech. Ask the person to repeat a sentence. Do they slur or possibly cannot repeat
the sentence?

T for Take Action. If a person shows any of these symptoms, TIME IS IMPORTANT!
Call 911 FAST!

Ways to prevent or lower stroke risk:

Treat and Control High Blood Pressure

Quit Smoking

Manage Heart Disease

Control and Treat Diabetes

Eat a Balanced Diet Maintain a Healthy Weight and Exercise

For more information and access to a Stroke Support Group, call 252-808-6474.

Newport Rotary "Keeps on Truck'in"

The May 11, 2009 Program at the Newport Rotary Club was provided by Sgt. Tim Askew of the North Carolina Highway Patrol. Sgt Askew is the son of our own retired State Highway Patrolman, Jack Askew. 

Sgt. Askew works two job functions with the Patrol. He teaches at the SHP Training Academy and also works the road with Motor Carrier Enforcement. Sgt. Askew described his special training that makes him one of the state's experts on Motor Carrier Enforcement, specified what trucks fell within his jurisdiction under federal law, and described some of the special perils that "Big Rigs" bring. 

The meal was Subway sandwiches. Extended Happy Dollars were given by Dick Newton on behalf of his son who leads a very impressive ministry of social programs in Indiana, and Bevin Wall who told about the Group Study Exchange (GSE) Night in Jacksonville, and thanks Jim & Marilyn Everett and his wife Pam for their attendance. PDG Derryl Garner thanked the Newport community for their great sense of civic involvement.  

The picture to the right shows proud Papa Jack & his son, Sgt. Tim.     

Newport Remembers Harold

March 30, 2009

Tonight we paid tribute to our own Harold Chartley who passed away last fall.
Harold was a member of the Newport Rotary for 50 years, and was also a honorary member of the Morehead City Noon Club.
We placed a granite marker at the foot of a cherry tree, planted in Harold's honor in the Newport Park. Following a dedication prayer given by Newport Mayor and Past District Governor, Derryl Garner, club members had a great grilled hot dog, salad and ice cream supper, compliments of President Cliff.