Caitlin O’Reilly, President of the Rotary Club of Jamestown, NY, called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the National Anthem.
The invocation was given by Sue Jones.
Vice President Max Eimiller introduced Visiting Rotarians and guests: Petra Sucic, exchange student from Croatia in 2018-2019, guest of Cheri Krull; Lovro Cizmek, partner of Petra and guest of Cheri Krull; Linnea Carlson, guest of Jen Swan-Leuze; Nick Trianna, guest of Kristen Melville; and Stanley Socha and Penny, Rotarian from Brunswick, Ohio and of course MAX BLUDAU (716.518.0919) our new exchange student from Germany.
Gail Donus won the 50/50 drawing.
Fines were levied by Mike Roberts upon Becky Robbins who returned from an extended health recovery absence; Tory Irgang due to absences, Jen Swan-Leuze, whose family started a fund at the CRCF honoring her husband’s fight with ALS. The scholarship will be awarded to students in the school district who have faced adversity and remain positive and are hopefully entering the teaching profession. Sean has continued to teach through his illness and is a wonderful example to students participating in Striders as well as the community because of his continued perseverance.
Amy Rohler and Rhonda Johnson paid fines for leaving early. Fines were levied on those who attended the Babe Ruth Baseball competition games.
Mike Roberts paid $20 for winning the 2nd place Phil Cala Cup at the Jamestown Bar Association’s annual golf outing.
Trivia questions included: who has the most Paul Harris Awards? Gail Donus has seven, Maxs’ table guessed incorrectly with Dan Overcash.
What was the occupation of former Charter Rotarian Henri Hall? – Jim Smith answered correctly - Publisher of The Journal (now the Post-Journal.)
Happy Bucks were given by several members.
Announcements included:
DEI chairman Ruth Lundin reminding all of September 11–19: Welcoming Week in Jamestown sponsored by the New Neighbors Coalition, highlighted as a community event supporting immigrants and inclusion.
A SukanyABurman.com/Jamestown Dance-Festival tied to the immigration theme and including Contemporary Burlesque, Passinho Aerial, Tap, Pop, House and Brazilian Funk will be held and some artists will also lead workshops and discussions during the week.
Membership orientation for Patricia Johnson is scheduled after today’s meeting and members were invited to attend and share why they joined Rotary.
August 31: A social event was announced to be held at the Lakewood Golf Center starting at 5PM. The guest of honor with be Max, our new exchange student from Germany.
Registration is required so the venue can be given an accurate headcount.
The event will begin with appetizers and will be a bring-your-own non-alcoholic beverage gathering. If it rains, John Felton’s conference room will be used as a backup location.
September 14: The next regular meeting will recognize members with long-term attendance and service. During this meeting we will also discuss how to make Rotary the most recognized service organization in Chautauqua County.
A youth exchange participation challenge was explained by Caitlin with specific monthly engagement targets:
- 25 members participating: club donation of $250
- 30 members participating: club donation of $750
- 35 members participating: club donation of $1,000
Members who participate beyond the first engagement can choose where an individual donation is directed, including Polio Plus, District 790 youth exchange, or a scholarship for an outbound Rotary student.
Participation examples included helping our student Max with outings, rides, coffee breaks, family activities, and other support. Members were asked to email or text the organizer after each activity so the tally could be tracked.
Our club will continue collecting and sharing:
committee updates, board agenda items, membership materials, and links to relevant Rotary webinars.
Members were asked to: contact absent Rotarians and invite them back to meetings, and help strengthen overall participation.
Committee chairs were asked to send updates so they can be included in board reports or meeting agendas.
A membership orientation package will include: a mentor/sponsor checklist, the bylaws, the constitution, and the code of conduct.
The checklist will be forwarded to the membership as a Google spreadsheet so the sponsor and club president can track progress more easily.
Caitlin framed the club’s broader goal as building a more active, visible, and service-oriented membership base through structured participation, clear communication, and practical service opportunities.
