December 30, 2003:  Susan and Dave Hicks hosted a fabulous New Year's Party for our club including spouses many former members.  The party doubled as a collection of used clothing to benefit the Washington City Mission.

December 23, 2003:  US Congressman and Rotarian Tim Murphy spoke about his recent trip to Iraq and his experience meeting local people and local schools.  He remarked that he saw many positive developments in contrast to the news we receive here.

December 17, 2003:  Our annual Holiday Party for the children of the Early Learning Center was a great success.  Thanks to all members who contributed gifts, helped with wrapping and helped Santa (Mike Giglotti, Jr.) hand out the goodies.  A special thanks to Barb Giglotti who graciously hosted the wrapping party at her new home.

December 16, 2003:  Jan Fleckenstein, President of the Upper St. Clair Citizens for Land Stewardship, spoke to us about her group and their work.  USC-CLS promotes education on environmental issues, prudent and ethical land use policies to protect and enhance natural resources and awareness of the value of our natural landscapes.  Programs include stream quality sampling along McLaughlin Run, river sweep cleanup operations, bird counts and monitoring of flora and fauna.  USC-CLS has many volunteer programs to educate citizens and to facilitate the monitoring projects.
Rotarian Jeff Stambach from the Oakland Club attended as our guest.

December 9, 2003:  We pinned Jeff Cavrak as our newest member today.  Congratulations, Jeff! 
Our theme this morning was Holiday giving - inspired by Kathleen Kennedy and Robin Londino who offered holiday gift packages for all 12 days of Christmas.

December 2, 2003:  Our guest was Natalie Schwoeble, Executive Director of the Early Learning Institute.  The ELI is supported by our club for their work with children who cope with personal challenges.  The institute was founded in 1958 and is one of the very few special needs child care providers that are licensed to provide in-house care for ages from birth to 3 years.  ELI provides services at multiple sites throughout Allegheny County.

November 25, 2003:  Dr. Susan Kinsey, dean of the University of Pittsburgh's College of General Studies, spoke to us about job market perspectives for high school and college graduates in the Pittsburgh area.  Changing rules of the job market require that students adapt and embrace new ways of thinking and get the right training to fulfill their job expectations. 

November 18, 2003:  We celebrated a successful chicken barbeque with club members and helpers at a dinner party at Piccolina's.  Forty members and guests attended.  The Barbeque raised over $27,000 in funds.

November 11, 2003:  Sgt. Brian Nesbitt spoke to us on this 50th anniversary of Veteran's Day about the educational benefits of military service.  Brian, a recruiter with the U.S. Air Force, outlined the programs for educational support during and after military service.  The military pays 100% of tuition for college education during active service and an additional $39,000 through the Montgomery G.I. Bill for education after service.
Jeff Cavrak, a prospective new member, was our guest again.

November 4, 2003:  Club Assembly.  Congratulations to our newest member, Deb Cecotti, who was pinned today.

October 28, 2003:  Don Arnheim, former District 7300 Governor, spoke to us about his involvement in the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (CLO). The CLO had much success with the "Gallery of Heroes", a program that features musicals about local heroes and their stories.  Next in this series is "Young Mark Twain" a Musical Journey Down the Mighty Mississippi February 2-May 14, 2004.
Our guests were Deb Cecotti (to be pinned soon) and Jeff Cavrak, a prospective new member.

October 21, 2003:  We had a quartet from the Keystone Chorus as our guests.  George Fritsch, Frank Hunter, Bob Shorr and Carol Roth sang us famous barber shop tunes such as "Goodbye, My Coney Island Baby", "Let Me Call You Sweetheart", "May the Road Rise to Meet You", "Wild Irish Rose" and "Ragtime Joe".  The Chorus will present "Hometown Harmonies" on Saturday, November 1, at Peters Twp. High School.  Tickets ($10, $8 for students and seniors) are sold at the door.
Final Barbeque tallies are not complete but we served 1800 dinners (about 150 less than in 2002) and our gross income is estimated to exceed $27,000.  A very successful event again, and our thanks to Marshall and John as the organizers, and the many helpers, Rotarians, family members and friends, scouts and all!

October 14, 2003:  Dale Elgas from the Central Blood Bank spoke to us about the importance of blood, platelet and bone marrow donations.  Central Blood Bank supplies over 40 hospitals in SW PA, and they provide about 700 units of blood to these hospitals daily to meet the needs of patients.

October 12, 2003:  About 40 Rotarians, family members and guests joined the Giglotti family for the dedication of the waterfall and the outlook deck at Cam Kon-O-Kwee in honor of the late Mike Giglotti, whose inspiration, Volunteer spirit and exemplary leadership made these great contributions to society possible.

October 11, 2003:  We had a very successful Annual Chicken Barbeque.  The final tally is not in yet but it looks like we came close to last year's record sales.  The nice weather caused more guests to take advantage of the takeout option.

October 7, 2003:  The Rev. Dr. Silas Ncozana and his wife Margaret, together with Marta Winks from Westminster Church were our guests.  Silas and Margaret are Missionaries from Malawi currently traveling the United States visiting Church communities.  Silas is a Rotarian and former member of the Limbe Club.  He has served his country as Ambassador to several European countries.  Silas spoke to us about a water supply and irrigation project.  Water from a dam currently serves a mission station yet there is enough water to sever an entire community of 22,000 people once a distribution system of trenches and pipelines can be built.  Silas seeks support for this project which could be accomplished within nine months.
Our guests were Deb Cecotti (she will be pinned as a new member at one of our upcoming meetings) and Jeff Cavrak, a Funeral Director and prospective new member.

September 30, 2003:  Club Assembly, Barbeque Preparation.  Ticket sales are significantly behind last year's numbers.  We need to sell several hundred more tickets in the final 10 days.  We will set up a booth in front of PNC Bank Friday, October 3.  All members are strongly encouraged to work their neighborhoods again.  If we raise less funds we will need an additional fundraiser in order to fulfill our charitable commitments.

September 23, 2003:  Club Assembly.  Barbeque preparations are in full swing - ticket sales still need a boost.  Deb Cecotti was our guest again, she is a prospective new member.

September 16, 2003:  Mike Lloyd gave a presentation on Mushroom Hunting in Pennsylvania.  Mike belongs to the Western PA Mushroom club and has been an avid hunter for many years.  Mike said that of the 2000 kinds of mushrooms found in our area, about 90% are edible.  Of the inedible kinds, about 20 are deadly poisonous.  Many mushrooms have medicinal qualities.  Mike showed us pictures of common, tasty species such as the "chicken", the "hen of the woods".
We all remember Mike Giglotti Sr. who passed away last week.  Keep him in your prayers.
Our guest today was Debbie Cecotti.  Debbie works with the UPMC Surgical Center and enjoys dog training.

September 9, 2003:  Today we pinned Carolyn Kozlowski as a new member - Congratulations and please welcome Carolyn to our club! 
Ticket sales for the Chicken Bar-B-Q are behind last year's numbers!  This means we all need to work a little harder to make this year's fundraiser as successful as last year's.  Organizational and logistic preparations are going well.

September 2, 2003:  Club Assembly.  Preparations for the Chicken Bar-B-Q are in full swing - there will be a planning meeting next Tuesday. Ticket sales need to pick up a bit!  Our next Board meeting is Monday, September 7, at 7:30 pm at the Grand Residence.  Carolyn Kozlowski is submitting a membership application.   Please join us in the dedication of the Giglotti Family Observation Deck at Camp Kon-O-Kwee on Saturday, September 6.  Meet at 9:30 in the new dining hall.

August 26, 2003: Pauline Bellemare spoke to us about her recent visits to the La Croix Mission in Haiti where our club sponsored the construction of a grist mill.  The Mission houses a school, dormitory, a church and a medical facility.  The cafeteria feeds over 800 people daily.  Pauline is French-Canadian and helped as an interpreter for the English-speaking foreign helpers, doctors and nurses.
Carolyn Kozlowski attended again as our guest.

August 19, 2003:  Marsha Blanco, President and CEO of Achieva, spoke to us today.  Achieva is a volunteer-based support organization for families who support children with disabilities.  It was founded in 1951 and is the largest human service organization in southwestern PA.  Achieva also provides financial and legal support for people with disabilities.  500 children and adults attend Camp Spencer in Zelienople each summer.
Carolyn Kozlowski attended again as our guest and prospective member.

August 12, 2003:  Alan Axelson spoke about his recent experience in the Pittsburgh Vintage Car Race.  Alan races a Porsche and attends vintage car rallies on a regular basis.
Carolyn Kozlowski, a manager with Mellon Bank, attended as our guest.

July 22, 2003:  DG Dick Beck and ADG Bob Dornenburg were our guests today.  Dick introduced his program for the

July 22, 2003:  DG Dick Beck and ADG Bob Dornenburg were our guests today.  Dick introduced his program for the coming Rotary Year.  Among his goals are to foster a sense of "family" among all district clubs and to encourage district clubs to see themselves as members of a "worldwide family", to develop one new Rotary club in our district in a community that has never had a Rotary club, and to re-establish one Rotary club in a community where a Rotary club once existed. Dick will encourage all clubs to implement a formal mentoring process in order to develop and encourage newer Rotarians to grow and expand their abilities to serve mankind. He pledges provide high quality resources to district clubs by way of district committees and information systems so that the clubs may exceed their goals and to provide high quality district level training and entertainment activities that will foster a sense of "family" among Rotarians of the district.  The 2004 District Conference will be held at the Southpointe Hilton Garden Inn and will focus on newer Rotarians and those unaccustomed to attending district conferences.
Jon Selko attended as our guest and prospective new member.
  

July 15, 2003:  Our speaker was Carolyn Kertell, Pageant Chairperson for the 14th Miss Deaf Pennsylvania Pageant and a former Miss Deaf Pennsylvania herself. Carolyn works with Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf (PSAD), an organization founded in 1881 to provide support, technological advances and networking for deaf people. Profoundly deaf since birth, Carolyn was diagnosed deaf at age 2 1/2 and had to learn to speak and to learn to hear sounds with the use of hearing aids. She had intensive speech training all her life with the public school's speech therapist, Kutztown University Speech Clinic, and Helen Beebe Speech Center. She was able to attend public schools and graduated with a Bachelor's degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and a Master's degree from University of Pittsburgh. She will be working for Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf this coming fall as a long term substitute librarian.
John Gisleson was pinned as our 37th member - another record high in our membership.  Frank Marsh attended as a guest from the Washington Club

July 8, 2003:  Patty Becker, Director of the Pregnancy Resource Center of the South Hills, spoke to us about her ministry and the work they do helping teenagers with crisis pregnancies, advice about birth control, sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy prevention, as well as consulting for adoptions for young couples.  The center is staffed by 40 volunteers and open tree days per week.
Nick Seitanakis and Bryan Lee were pinned as new members.  Bryan is a Rotarian who transferred to us from the Noon club.  With Bryan and Nick, our active membership has grown to 36 - the highest in club history!

July 1, 2003:  Club Assembly.  Our guests were John Gisleson and Nick Seitanakis, both prospective members waiting to be pinned.  

June 24, 2003:  Bob Hackett presided in his first meeting as our new president. Don Brown presented the Service Above Self Award along with a plaque and a $500 Scholarship to Sandra Clingan.  Sandy is a graduate of Bethel Park High School and will enter Penn State this fall, majoring in Secondary Education in Math.  She is a member of the  Honor Society and served as their Volunteer Activities Organizer.  Her parents, Kathy and John, were also in attendance. 
Dr. Alan Yeasted,  President of the Allegheny County Medical Society, and Jack Krah, Executive Secretary, were our guests.  Alan gave us an update of the Pennsylvania Malpractice Insurance situation: Due to increasingly high settlements and verdicts in malpractice cases, insurance has become outrageously expensive.  Doctors and hospitals can no longer afford the rates, and there are only very few insurers available.  This is a vicious cycle where young doctors will not come here any more, and the quality of medical service is deteriorating, because less money is available for training and education of medical.  Our other guests were prospective members Nick Seitanakis, Jeff O'Connor, John Gisleson and Brian Lee.

June 17, 2003:  Our annual "Changing of the Guard" Dinner at Valley Brook CC turned out to be well-attended.  Past President Alan Axelson passed the gavel to President Bob Hackett.  Our guests were Bob Dornenburg, Assistant District Governor, Nick Seitanakis and his wife Kristin, Bob Hackett jr. with his wife Kerry, and Dan O'Connell, who was pinned as a new member.  Rotarian Tim Murphy (who attended via phone) and Elaine Axelson were awarded Paul Harris Fellowships. Nan Murphy accepted the award for Tim. Mike Lloyd presented a slide show on the completion of the observation deck at Camp Kon-O-Kwee that was built in honor of Mike Giglotti and his family. 

June 10, 2003:  Dave Brewton spoke about the East Liberty Ministry and their work providing free healthcare for the needy.  The office is staffed with 10 board certified doctors and provides a full range of family healthcare services including obstetrics and gynecology.  About 70 babies are delivered every year.  This year, they also added pharmacy services, dispensing the most frequently prescribed medications.  This service is also free to the needy.
Our other guests were Jim Slager from the Downtown club and prospective members Dan O'Connell and John Gisleson (both have filed their membership applications).  Mike Lloyd reported that the deck constructed at Camp Kon-O-Kwee in honor of the Giglotti family was finished this week - thanks to Bob Hackett for donating his time again to help.

June 3, 2003:  Our guests were John Gisleson and Nick Seitanakis.  John is an attorney with Schnader Harrison and Nick is an attorney for FreeMarkets.  Both are prospective new members.  Angela Peterson reported on the recent USC School Board elections.  Her goal is to focus the Board on oversight rather than "hands-on" involvement in School issues: She would like to have the education experts and, if required, consultants decide what is best for education, and have the board involved in the global issues such as the annual budget and funding for the district.  Problems with school should percolate up the chain of command - and decisions must be made at the appropriate level.  Policies are in place to take care of this.

May 27, 2003:  Today we pinned Brendon Costa as a new member.  Brendon is a financial adviser with American Express and lives in Upper St. Clair. Our guests were Diane Paul, President of the Board of Directors for Westminster Counseling Center, The Rev. Dr. Gail King from Westminster Church, Dan 'Connell and Paul Steinman, both prospective members.  Diane spoke about Westminster's individual and family counseling program.  The program employs licensed psychologists and therapists and is available at a fee that is adjusted with family income.  President Dr. Axelson presented Diane King with a $500 donation towards the program.

May 13, 2003: Open house.  We had Jack Krah from the Allegheny County Medical Society, Brian Lee from Brentwood Bank and also a member of the Noon Club, Dan O'Connell, who works in commercial real estate, Jim Bolcerenni, a businessman dealing in heavy equipment, Russ DelRe, candidate for the USC School Board and Brendon Costa, a financial advisor, attending as our guests.  Frank Procaccini gave an overview of Rotary as an international, national and local organization and about the many great projects supported by our club and its members.

May 6, 2003: Vince Gastgeb, Allegheny County Councilman, was our guest - he gave us an update on current legislative issues in our county such as senior citizen property tax relief, the homestead exemption, emergency management, the Port Authority and the County Parks System. 
DG Kathy Crawford was a surprise guest and thanked everyone for their support during her tenure as District Governor. 
Jürgen Brune competed in the Pittsburgh Marathon and raised $1000 for the Rotary Foundation.
The trip to Washington, DC was a success, Tim Murphy led a special VIP tour of the Capitol. 

April 29, 2003: Club Assembly.  Fred Hoffmann attended as our guest. 

April 26, 2003: Rebuilding America.  Patrick Findle organized a successful day "Rebuilding America"
25 people, volunteers and skilled craftsmen, worked on the house of Bernice Bryant in Library.  They installed a first-floor laundry and new stair handrails for safety.  They repaired, replaced and sealed basement windows to help keep the house warm, replaced the front door, changed damaged floor boards on the patio and painted several rooms.  Labor and materials for this job came to about $10,000.  Our club donated all materials (lumber, paint, fixtures) and the labor of Rotarians Jürgen Brune, Scott Churchill, Pat Findle, Bob Hackett, Sue and Dave Hicks and US Congressman Tim Murphy.  On April 26, 31 houses were rebuilt in the Pittsburgh area, and 8,000 houses nationwide!  A great volunteer project - we'll do it again next April.

April 22, 2003: Jim Yusko spoke to us about Homeland Security and the changes we our nation faces in the light of terrorist threats. He advised to be alert of suspicious activities and to ensure that visitors, contractors etc. entering your building and/or property have identification and appropriate credentials.
Brendon Costa was our guest - soon to be pinned as a new member.

April 15, 2003: Marta Winks, the Elder Chairperson of Westminster Presbyterian Church in charge of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance program, spoke to us about the Malawi Project.  Malawi is stricken by famine, and there is a high rate of malnutrition, especially among children under five years of age.  Westminster Church supports a school feeding program that provides a daily meal (often, the only meal) to the students.  Prospective new member, Brendon Costa, and Ed Harmon from the Evening club were our other guests.

April 10, 2003: As in the past years, Barb Giglotti organized an Easter bunny surprise for about 40 children at the St. Francis Early Learning Center in Bethel Park.  The bunny (Ed Hanke) and his helpers, Bob Hackett, Roy Werner distributed Easter presents, toys and books.  A special thanks to Barb Giglotti for getting the wonderful presents.

April 8, 2003: Our speaker was Judy Lorigan from the Noon club.  Judy coordinates the RI Grants Program for our district and gave us an update on various new grant opportunities and formats.  We have participated in the District's Vietnam School Project and are currently working on a project in Malawi.  Our guests were Marta Winks, who is in charge of the Malawi Project for Westminster Presbyterian Church, and two prospective new members, Ron Tozzi and Bill Alcorn.

April 1, 2003: Today was club assembly.  We welcomed Brendon Costa as our guest.  Brandon is a Financial Adviser with American Express and is interested in joining our club.  Pat Findle needs volunteers for the Rebuilding America Project April 26 in South Park.  Check with Bob Hackett if you plan to attend the District Conference May 15-18.  Mike Lloyd is in charge of the YMCA Camp Kon-O-Kwee Deck Building project May 30 - June 1.

March 25, 2003: Today we welcomed Don Brown as the newest member in our club.  Don is a minister at Bethel Presbyterian Church and working on his doctorate in Theology.  He is engaged to be married this Spring.  Both Don and Jim Lyle were presented with their name badges today.  Bob Hackett and Joe Kiernan did the honors.
Our speaker was Marty Guinn from YMCA.  Marty gave us an update on the very successful efforts at Camp AIM - Achievement, Independence, Motivation for challenged children.  110 kids attend Camp AIM from mid-June to late July.  Major expenditures for the camp go to staff salaries and transportation for the children.

March 18, 2003: Kristen Szymkowiak, Director of Development for St. Anthony School Programs in Pittsburgh spoke to us about the work they do with special needs students in Catholic schools throughout the Pittsburgh Diocese.  The program supports 104 students from elementary through college age.  A vocational education program was set up at Duquesne University.
Don Brown was our guest again - we plan to pin him next week.

March 11, 2003: Our speaker was Don Guinn, Director of SHIM.  Don is retiring this month after five outstanding years marked with successful community support.  Annually, the SHIM food pantry distributes 180,000 lb of food that supports about 200 families.  Major fundraisers are the entertainment book sale, various food drives (the Rotary drive typically nets 11,000 lb of food), and last November's Rotary SHIM shuffle that netted almost $4,000.
Don Brown attended as our guest - he is considering to join our club.

March 4, 2003:  Jim Lyle was welcomed and pinned as a new member.  Mike Lloyd reported that the construction of a Maple Sugar Trail at Camp Kon-O-Kwee was a success.  The next project is a wheel-chair accessible deck at a lookout overlooking Connoquenessing Creek.  The weekend of May 31 was proposed to build this deck.

February 25, 2003:  Susan Yost, Development Director at Southwinds, spoke to us about their support for 15 handicapped homes in the South Hills area.  This year, Southwinds is celebrating their 20-year anniversary. Ron Tozzie attended as our guest.

February 18, 2003:  Our guests were Doug Watkins, Upper St. Clair Township Manager, and Kyle Robinson, USC Director of Public Works.  Also attending were Rotarian Frank Marsh, Chairman of the USC Township Board of Commissioners and Member of the Washington Rotary Club, and Rotarian John Hayes from the Evening Club.  Mr. Watkins brought us up to date on Township budget issues, planning topics (fire station, sewer system upgrade).   Mr. Robinson then gave a detailed status report on the new Environmental Education Center in the Boyce/Mayview area - the first phase will be constructed this year and it will be a unique asset to our township.

February 11, 2003:  We had a Valentine's Day Breakfast, welcoming Mary Lavalle and Mary-Anne Yusko as our guests. Scott Churchill introduced our speaker Bill Pitzer and his office manager, Electra Lecome.  Bill spoke about the financial aspects of long-term care and the planning that can be done for this.  Jim Lyle joined as our guest as well.

January 28, 2003:  Barbara Andrews, German teacher at Upper St. Clair High School, together with seniors Mindy Brown, Christie Fera ,Yin Yin Wang and Craig Feldmeier, gave a presentation on their partnership project with the Western Pennsylvania School for the Blind.  High School students partner with children who have multiple disabilities and help them learn and broaden their skills.  This year's project is to design and construct an outdoor playhouse.  Our club will assist with the design building of the house.  Jim Lyle attended again as our guest.

January 21, 2003:  Angelo Bontempo spoke about Appalachia - America's Mission Land, A Gift from God.  Frank LaValle introduced our speaker.  Angelo explained how the Catholic Churches in the Pittsburgh Diocese build and refurbish homes for the needy in the Appalachian Diocese in Kentucky.  Our club is donating funds to support this project.  Our other guest was Jim Lyle, who is interested in joining our club.

January 14, 2003:  Our speaker was Mike Schiller, the Executive Director of the Western PA Field Institute. The WPFI is a non-profit organization whose goal it is to encourage people to enjoy the outdoors. The institute offer paddling, canoeing, biking, hiking, rock climbing, outdoor education activities and outdoor leadership training. Jürgen Brune introduced our Speaker.

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