Notes from Nov. 24 meeting

We had a sparsely attended, but lively pre-Thanksgiving meeting.

 

Everyone seemed to be in a talkative and thankful mood as Sargent-at-Arms Jeff Allen collected a handsome cache of happy bucks!!

 

Of note was Liz Pasqualini's Happy $20 in appreciation for our efforts with the Annual Pasta Dinner and the resulting support to Jonnycake's Heating Assistance Program. 

We did not have a speaker last night but had two wonderful guests, Craig and Jeff Noble, a father and son who were visiting our club for the first time.  Craig is an attorney from Lima, Ohio and a fellow Rotarian.  Jeff is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and a member of the RI Air National Guard.  He also flies international commercial aircraft for his civilian job.  He and his family recently relocated to the Richmond area.

Both provided some interesting discussion.  Craig shared some of the activities their club was involved with.  Lima is a small town of about 6000.  Their club has over 60 members.  Certainly challenges us to bring in new recruits.  Jeff flies the big C130 aircraft for the guard.  He had some very interesting tales from Afghanistan and other locations. 

Italian Night co-chair Jeff Ducha reported that we saw approximately 200 patrons and looks like we will clear about $1900 for our efforts.  Kudos to all members who assisted in making this such a special night. 

It was noted that Dr. Larry's Linguini and Clam Specialty was in high demand.  It may have been a surprise to some, but as our Top Chef Dr. Larry confided, he had no doubts it would be a hit!! 

The other good news was that the addition of our Signature Strawberry Shortcake to the Italian Dinner Menu was met with great success.  Many positive comments.  We may have to work on our portion control as we all have been conditioned to provide very generous portions during the Washington County Fair.  Not quite as much required following a robust plate of pasta!!

The hunters in our group (Dick Grey and Jeff Allen) shared they have had some interesting experiences, however, neither reported any trophy antlers yet!!

 

Dave Henley shared with us some opportunities to direct our Holiday Dollars to Community Services through donations during the Wood River Health Services' "Giving Tuesday" event that is being held on December 1.  Perhaps we can look at doing a special collection next week to assist our friends at Wood River. For more or to make a contribution, go to www.wrhsri.org or to the Wood River Health Services Facebook Page.

 

We received Thank You notes from South County Hospital and Richmond Country Club.

With the closure of RCC at the end of December, we will be making the rounds.

January - Breachway Grill & Restaurant http://www.breachwaygrill.com/

February - The Cove Restaurant http://www.thecoveri.com/about.php

March - Wood River Inn http://thewoodriverinn.com/