Announcements
Pres. Andy: PDG Marty Helman, Chairman of the Rotary Foundation Committee, drove down from Boothbay Harbor this morning to present the club with a certificate recognizing the club's collective contribution to the Rotary Foundation last year in the "End Polio Now: Make History Today" campaign. She noted that every member contributed. In answer to a question, she said that Rotary International was supporting the surviving families of those inoculators who had been killed by indigenous forces in the performance of their mission ... He followed up on the detailed email he had sent outlining the background and purpose of the Community Speaks project, and asked for approval of the club to become a key sponsor of the project at a cost of $1,000. Approved.
Bill: Individual club member contributions have accumulated to over 50% of what is needed to support the Christmas Turkey project at Newmarket Food Pantry, Lee Community Church pantry and Cornucopia. The Charitable budget will match that now. Turkeys will be distributed on two dates; the big delivery will be to Cornucopia on Dec 18th. He'll provide the show time for helpers at our next meeting.
Tom T: Wreaths will be sold on Sunday from 9 AM to 3 PM. (Ed: An email went out announcing a change of location from Market Basket to the Bagelry.) ... There will be a ceremony and reception at St Anselm College on Dec 14th at 6 PM to honor NH Medal of Honor recipients. Our last honoree was UNH graduate Staff Sergeant Ryan Pitts. Details at our next meeting.
Program:
Bryan Bissette, Director of The Freedom Cafe, located across from the Mill Rd Plaza in Acacia House, spoke to us about what a cup of coffee buys there. Money raised at the Cafe is targeted at two goals: to raise the community's level of awareness about the fastest growing crime - human trafficking - and to support efforts to find ways of taking effective action to prevent its spread. Its coffee profits allowed it to recently send a $5,000 donation to the New Hampshire Human Trafficking Collaborative Task Force (https://www.facebook.com/endtraffickingnh).
Human trafficking involves force, fraud and coercion and takes a variety of forms: debt bondage, domestic servitude, sex trade, and labor exploitation (the latter type was recently uncovered at The Cottages). Currently, the state is investigating 27 cases of alleged trafficking.
The Freedom Cafe is open from 9 AM to 6 PM, Monday - Friday. Visit at http://www.thefreedomcafe.org
Breakfast and Prayer:
Dec 13 Ashley
Dec 20 Richard S
Dec 27 No Meeting
Jan 3 Brian B
Megabucks: $236.50 Editor: Ric