Club Program Reviews
ICAN Visits Rotary in Avon
With the stated goal of “Unleashing Abilities and Changing Lives”, the Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN) trains assistance dogs for Hoosier children and adults with physical disabilities. In the process, ICAN also provides education and rehabilitation to inmates in Indiana correctional facilities. The dogs in training live and learn in the prison for two years before being ready to be placed with their human partner.
ICAN Director Dr. Sally Irwin started the program in Indiana when it was apparent that no other existing program was providing this type of resource to enhance the quality of life for physically challenged citizens. In the program, an 8 week old Labrador or Golden Retriever pup goes to live at one of three Indiana correctional facilities: Plainfield Correctional, Indiana Women’s Prison, or Rockville Women’s Prison. The pup becomes the total responsibility of an inmate who trains the pup for 2 years. Some of the types of assistance provided by an ICAN dog include retrieving dropped objects, tugging off socks, opening doors, and providing balance for unsteady people. Instead of having to always rely on another person, the owner can count on his ICAN buddy to help him live more independently with dignity. Once the 2 year training period is completed, the child or adult with disabilities goes to the correctional facility to learn how to work with his canine partner. Working alongside the inmate trainer and ICAN staff, the new owner learns how to handle his dog and a bond begins to grow. In turn, the inmate trainers gain dignity and positive skills that can help them make better choices and turn their own lives around.
This important nonprofit organization relies on the help of volunteers and donations to do its work. Each dog costs approximately $17,000 over 2 years to care for and train. However, those who can benefit from having an ICAN partner are charged only $950. Irwin explained, “The $950 ownership fee helps prove that the owner is financially capable of providing care for the dog.” Irwin also said that ICAN partners with the Tony Stewart Foundation for financial support, but they need additional support in the form of donations and volunteer help.
For more information visit: www.icandog.org
Submitted by the Avon Rotary Club
WWII - A Nation at War, through the eyes of women and children
World War II brought about the largest civilian mobilization in our nation's history. Winning the war was the job of every American man, women and child. Pam Wielinski has assembled a collection to honor that contribution and highlight the work and sacrifice of the American people in the war effort.
As presented to the Lebanon Rotary Club, Pam had a plethora of stories and facts to share. A particular favorite was about the charge children were given to collect milk weed pods. They were told it was a job of great importance. At one of her showings, a man had remembered collecting the pods but never knew why he had collected them. Evidently our government did a great job expressing the importance, but not in providing an explanation. The straw like material in the pods was used to stuff life vest! When the man heard that, he called his grandchildren over to hear it too. He wanted them to know that he had contributed to the war effort.
Everybody contributed. The Boy Scouts of America were the #1 collector of scrap metal and newspaper. Housewives were asked to collect 2 Tablespoons of fat every day. Then once a month, the pound of fat in a can would be collected and used to make glycerin, as in nitroglycerin for explosives. And in North Platte, Nebraska housewives made the most of their rationed sugar and flour to host a canteen for the more than 6 million service men and women that passed through on their way to war. It was interesting to hear how the women used their china coffee cups. The men would take the coffee on to the train, where the porter would collecting them in fruit baskets before the next stop and send them back at the next town via another train heading to North Platte.
Pam's collection includes paper toys from the "paper Christmas" of 1942. When all the toy manufacturer's where using every bit of metal for the war effort, the only toys available were made out of paper. She also had wonderful posters encouraging people to have victory gardens. When Dad was off to war and Mom was off to the factory, the garden was cared for by the children. She spoke of rationing and enlightened many with the understanding that gas rationings were really about saving the tires. We had fuel, we didn't have rubber. Pam's collection has been on display at The George S. Patton Museum, The Indiana State Museum, The Victory Museum, The Indiana Transportation Museum and the Grissom Air Museum.
Pam is available to do presentation for school and local community groups at No Charge. You can reach her by email here - Pam Wielinski
Submitted By LeeAnne Nash, Lebanon Rotary
Medco comes to Boone County
Medco - one of Boone County’s newest employers - will be impacting lives far beyond the walls of its Whitestown facility thanks to its innovative ways of managing and studying prescription medication services and practices. Barry Boudreaux, director of pharmacy practice for the company’s Whitestown operations, addressed the Lebanon Rotary Club at its meeting on May 28, 2010, at the Ulen Country Club.
Medco is the nation’s largest prescription mail-order company, but the job is more than dispensing pills. The numbers on what Medco does are staggering and impressive: · 22,000 employees company-wide providing prescription services for 64 million Americans · In Whitestown, 300 employees (with plans to expand to 1,100) work at the 450,000 square foot building in the Anson project, which features more than 3.2 miles of conveyor belts. · It shipped its first prescription on May 18, with capacity now to do about 700,000 per week and plans for an expanded capacity of 1,500,000/wk.
While the number of prescriptions is impressive, the real point of Medco is in providing PBM – Pharmacy Benefits Management. Medco works with everyone involved in the prescription chain, from patients and pharmacists to physicians and health plan providers. In working with all parties, Medco helps improve the quality of care by communicating and tracking patient needs which contributes to reducing overall medical costs. The company’s clinical focus look at prescription safety, appropriate use and treatment guidelines to help ensure patients are getting the right medications at the right doses. Here’s an example of how Medco assists in the process. If a patient fills prescriptions at multiple pharmacies, Medco can notify the pharmacists if a dangerous situation is possible, such as the patient taking a potential harmful mix of pills. If the Medco representative finds that two medicines conflict, that information is distributed immediately so the pharmacy and the patient can be notified and prescription changes can be made.
Nationally, Medco has nine resource centers and five call centers that work with more than 60,000 pharmacies. Each prescription that goes through Medco is put in its system, undergoes a review and nothing leaves the facility until all issues have been resolved. One area Medco is looking at is specialized pharmacy care where it will have its in-house pharmacists that specialize in certain medical areas to have the best possible information available for patients and pharmacies. The Whitestown facility also will feature a laboratory in the building where researchers can “personalize” prescription services to see what medications and what doses are working best for certain types of medical issues. It’s that type of dedication that has earned the company an award from Fortune Magazine as of one of the country’s Most Admired Companies.
Submitted by the Lebanon Rotary Club
Marion Club Welcomes CASA
Rotarian Rev. Justin Schlesinger-Devlin introduced speaker Leslie Hendricks, Executive Director of CASA. She is a graduate of Marion High School and Ball State University. She holds an elementary teacher's license and taught tap dance at CSA for five years. This is her second year with CASA . In the first 12 months she has reduced the waiting list for children to receive help from 117 to 30.
Thank you Jim Botkin for this submission.
Park County Tourism - Unveils New Maps and Website
The Rockville Rotary Club enjoyed a presentation by Cathy Harkrider, from Parke County Incorporated who
Visit www.coverbridges.com
Wild Birds Unlimited Enjoys Community Connection
Indiana's Underground Railroad
There’s a pre-Civil War railroad that ran through the Hoosier State that carried freight worth more than gold. But you won’t find one foot of iron rail that marked its existence. That’s because it’s the Underground Railroad, a collection of roads and dirt paths, plain homes and caves, that brought slaves and that important freight – Freedom – from southern states to Indiana and other points north.
Jeannie Regan-Dinius, special projects coordinator with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, provided an overview of the Underground Railroad’s Hoosier ties, and the efforts to research and preserve this piece of history.
Slaves who chose to escape for their freedom had a variety of options. Some went to Florida and lived among Indian tribes. Others headed south of the border to Mexico, while the Wild West with its many open spaces provided land and opportunity. There’s even stories of slaves who made their way to Alaska, having boarded whaling ships that stopped in southern ports to sell their goods.
Closer to Indiana, a slave living in Kentucky might have a several feet of the Ohio River standing between them and freedom. Crossing the river in pre-Civil War days was no easy task given the lack of bridges. Some made their way thanks to anti-slavery ferry boat owners. Others may have stolen a boat on the Kentucky shore and rode across. Swimming would be an option, and even walking across sand bars or during an especially cold snap when the river would actually freeze.
Getting to Indiana, though, didn’t guarantee freedom. Bounty hunters could find and return runaway slaves for as much as $1,200. Reward ads to entice people to turn in runaways were placed in newspapers as far north as Auburn in northeastern Indiana.
The state’s first known legal case of a runaway slave turned in occurred in Richmond. A slave named Peter had been living in the city for four years. In a case of bad luck, he was in a Richmond store the same time as someone from Kentucky who recognized him as a slave. Because federal laws allowed for the capture and return of slaves, Peter was jailed in Richmond awaiting his return to Kentucky. A “violent Quaker mob” of two people beat up the jailer and released Peter, who was not seen again. The slave’s owner pressed charges of loss of property against the two Quakers, who were each fined $1,500.
The state continues to have volunteers doing research on the Underground Railroad not only to preserve the state’s history, but also to aid educators. Teachers can contact Regan-Dinius for more information. You can also visit http://www.in.gov/history/2336.htm.
Program submitted by George Piper, Lebanon Rotary Club
Canine Unit Provides Demonstration for Avon Club
Recently Avon Rotarians were riveted to learn about one of the most important tools used by the Hendrick's County Sheriff's Office - canine partners. Sheriff Deputies Nick Korpal and Kyle Schaefer brought their canine partners Boley and Axle to a Rotary meeting. Korpal explained that the department has four German Shepherds all obtained from Germany, each dog costing 8 to 9 thousand dollars plus the cost of training, equipment, feeding and veterinary treatment. The dogs are trained in finding narcotics, criminal tracking and apprehension as well as building searches and tracking missing children and adults. Schaefer went on to explain that the training simply plays into the dogs natural instincts to hunt and work. He talked about the close relationship that develops between partners and the invaluable asset these canines provide to the safety and success of the deputies.
In the demonstration the deputies commanded the dogs to search for hidden narcotics planted earlier in the room and then to attack by grabbing and holding on to the attach sleve worn by Schaefer. This was an impressive program that left Rotarians feeling confident about the efforts of these amazing canine units.
Thank you Pam Lyons from Avon
New Rotarian Website for Rotarian Vacation Properties
Rotarian Owners Direct.com
A new Rotary Fellowship website has just been launched to help Rotarians rent their Holiday Apartments, Villas, Chalets, Condos etc to other Rotarians. It’s very early days but there is a lot of interest already. It will take time to build up but there will soon be properties listed from all over the world putting Rotarian travellers in touch with Rotarian owners. The website has been set up by Rotarian George Horsfield, a member of Weston-super-Mare Rotary Club in District 1200
WFYI
Program: Rotary Club of Indianapolis Northeast, Jan 6, 2010
Rena Barraclough, VP of Communications at WFYI gave an interesting program. Viewers habits have changed over the years with the many channels offered by cable, DVDs, being able to download and record. But WFYI has stayed the course and viewers are now finding out that they can watch a program and be engaged for the whole show without being interrupted with commercials - just one benefit of Public Broadcasting.
WFYI is unique in that they operate both radio and television under the same roof and that both radio and TV have the same call letters. WFYI began broadcasting TV in 1970 in order to bring
Their annual budget is $5million and most of that is spent on programming. The money is raised through membership drives at the station. They found this to be most effective because those who would become members were the people who are already watching. WFYI is a member of PBS rather than an affiliate as the network carriers. They are members and are supported by members. Lloyd Wright their President, has just been elected to the PBS National Board of Directors.
There are many volunteers who support WFYI and one program that is heavily supported is Indiana Reading and Information Services (IRIS). This is a program where volunteers read everything from grocery ads to newspapers for people who cannot read for whatever reason. The people can then access by calling a number and getting the information.
There are three WFYI channels that offer regular programming, Spanish speaking programming and "How to do it" programming.
Submitted by Melissa Warriner
Boone County's Farm Heritage Trails
Program: Lebanon Rotary Club 11/13/09
Friday, we enjoyed a visit from David Cook, the Board President of the Friends of Boone Co. Trails, Inc.
Birmingham Convention Opens Eyes to Rotary's Impact
Submitted by: Debbie Wood, President Anderson Rotary Club
I had the good fortune to attend the 100th Rotary International Convention in
The land of Shakespeare, the medieval castles, Henry
The journey and excitement to attend the RI convention took flight when my plane pulled away from
This was my first transatlantic flight and I was too keyed up to sleep. As we neared our destination, the flight attendant announced that we had a VIP on board and asked us to remain in our seats until The United Nations Secretary, General Ban Ki-Moon had departed. Although he was not on the published agenda, we still were all speculating could he be making a special appearance at the Rotary Convention?
The opening plenary session contained rich & colorful pageantry, moving music and began with the flag presentations of 154 countries and geographic areas represented at the convention. I really had no idea what to expect. But it was unbelievable. I remember the chills I felt when I attended my first district conference and witnessed the first flag ceremony. It was no comparison to the one in
The UN Secretary General was in
The opening plenary session featuring an East Meets West celebration, had us at times, standing on her feet, clapping, laughing, sometimes brought to tears, it was brilliant! The feelings as we left the arena were wow… Feet not quite touching the ground knowing that you had been part of an extraordinary event.
Each day the plenary sessions were inspiring, informative and entertaining. Each session featured world renowned speakers, information on Rotary programs around the world and entertainment from either
The final session featured the closing remarks of RI president DK Lee and the passing of the baton to new RI President John Kenny. John Kenny, the first Scottish president of Rotary International in the 104?year?history charged us to partner with local governments and non-governmental organizations to initiate projects that improve literacy rates, eliminate hunger and malnutrition, and provide clean water and sanitation to communities in developing countries.
Kenny said, “We in Rotary have potential that is unmatched by any other humanitarian organization in the world. We can help those closest to us and those in the farthest corners of the earth. All this we can do, if only we choose to.”
As I sat in the darkened arena listening to John Kenny’s words I was eager to share what I had learned at the convention and to convey the great opportunity we have to make a difference in our communities and join the final push to end Polio Now. But then it was time to celebrate the week, the memories, the new friends and opportunities for service back home. The historic 100th Rotary Convention wrapped up its grand week with a Tribute to the British Musical starring not one but two of the
Attending the Rotary Convention was a wonderful experience that has deepened my commitment and passion for Rotary. I hope that anyone that has the opportunity to attend a Rotary convention will take advantage. It is a life-changing experience! It is inspired me to the great opportunity that lies before us. There are many avenues for service open to each of us. I wish each new club president and its members a year of goodwill and friendship and beneficial experiences that enhance your membership and retention. Working together we can build upon the successes of those who have come before us and to make a difference in our home communities and in villages and towns many miles from our home that are less fortunate than ours. I encourage District 6560 Rotarians to follow, John Kenny’s lead, and ask not what Rotary can do for you, but what can you do for Rotary, because the Future of Rotary is in our Hands!
