Boys & Girls Club Cycling Challenge - Rotary Peddles Ahead!

Again, members of the Rotary Club of Charlottesville jumped in to assist with the 6th annual Boys & Girls Club Cycling Challenge, which was a huge success and got coverage on NBC29.  Thanks to Team Rotary for your support on this worthwhile community event!

District Governor Receives Club Welcome

Tonight, we welcomed District Governor Jon Allan, and he used his time before the membership and guests to address to the sobering realities of Rotary International and challenged our Club to rise to the occasion in membership, image building and foundation giving. It's always great to have our District Governors come to our Club, especially with prospective members who hear from our elected leadership.

Thank you, Governor Allan, for visiting us tonight!

(To read about Governor Allan, click here)



Club President Gary Selmeczi and Governor Allan are all smiles, and why shouldn't they be?  Everything met the 4-Way Test!

Rotarians' "Inside Huddle" with David Wyant

David Wyant enthralled our Charlottesville Rotary Club with tales of his experience officiating over a span of 45 years. David started out officiating at the high school level, then moved to college and finally to the National Football League where he currently has spent 20 years. He has become a premier official in great demand.

His stories gave us an insight rarely seen outside his officiating circles. We learned of the work as part of an officiating crew. How the crew works together, learns together and is judged by the NFL for their performance. He told us of the mistakes that are seen by the crew and seldom witnessed by the regular spectator, but seen and corrected by the officiating crew almost immediately if possible. Of their work as a team encouraging each member to be alert and focused on every little aspect of a game, especially as the game nears completion when everyone is getting tired. How they review hours and hours of films and how changes are made to rules as soon as officials see that something needs to be corrected to improve safety or the efficiency of officiating. And how they “tolerate” the various comments of the players and coaches.

All in all it was a very pleasant and informative presentation by one of the experts in the field of professional football officiating. Thanks David for a wonderful evening!

Tales from the Gridiron!

Tomorrow night you can finally hear stories about near death, total madness and uncontrolled mayhem from one of the best creations ever - the NFL Gridiron!  And, who best to tell these stories?  Charlottesville's own, David Wyant.  He will keep you spellbound with what only an NFL Referee can tell and walk off the field to tell.

Seating is limited - as usual - the price is right, and for a small commitment of your time, fun will be had by all ... guaranteed!

See you Tuesday night @ the Omni!

To get you in the mood, here's one of the best Hail Mary plays - click here

Larry Zippen's Presentation Captured on YouTube

Now that we've incorporated YouTube video into this Blog, you'll be able to relive those Rotary moments that brought a smile, a contemplative thought, and some added insight into what our community neighbors and partners in service are doing.

Here you will find Larry Zippen's remarks about the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank and how this organization positively impacts so many in the greater Charlottesville region.

To view, click Part 1, then Part 2 for his presentation.

Club Scores Media Coverage for Food Grant

Last night was one of those truly special moments for the Rotary Club of Charlottesville as it proudly presented a check for $10,000 to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to support the Mobile Food Panty.  NBC29 provided coverage at the 11:00 o'clock newscast last night, with stories in the Daily Progress and from the Charlottesville Newsplex.  (Click on each link to see stories)

President, Dr. Joe Cantu, presents Larry Zippen of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, with the Club's check.

Got Hunger?

This coming Tuesday night, April 26, our Club will make a very special presentation to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank.  Here's where the Club's support will reach some of the most deserving folks in our area.  It should be a great meeting.  Please attend and consider bringing a prospective member who can witness the meaning of, service above self.

Take me out to the ballgame ... today!

This afternoon the Club will have its make-up meeting at Davenport Field at 4:00 p.m., when the University of Virginia Cavaliers baseball team takes on Duke.  Be sure to come early to get a good seat!

To get in the spirit of today's game, join the refrain in this time-tested favorite, Take Me Out to The Ballgame!

Happy Birthday President Jefferson!

The weather was spectacular after heavy rains and gusty wind the night before. As the blue sky broke through the clouds this morning, more than 100 guests and dignitaries were in attendance to celebrate Thomas Jefferson's 268th birthday at Monticello. Taking center stage as the day's keynote speaker was Peter G. Peterson, Chairman of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and recipient of the 2011 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medalist in Citizen Leadership. His speech was profound, calling on America's elected leaders to address the serious issues facing our financial future. He received a rousing round of applause at the conclusion of his remarks.

A number of wreaths were presented, with Duane Snow representing the Albemarle County Board of Supervisor and, myself, the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Guests were entertained by the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps; always a treat to enjoy the music that entertained Jefferson when he walked the Earth and enjoyed the Albemarle sunshine!

Here is the keynote address presented by Peter G. Peterson; click to watch!

Don't Spill the Coffee!

Members were treated to an exciting program by Attorney Kevin W. Ryan, who presented an overview of the case, Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurant, the now-famous, 'McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit.'  Mr. Ryan tested both our collective and individual knowledge of the case with nearly 20 multiple choice questions on his PowerPoint presentation.  For the most part, Club members were seemingly more knowledgable about the case that was filed in 1993.

If you missed the meeting and/or would like to know more about this very interesting case, read from the Journal of Consumer & Commercial Law, "And Now, The Rest of the Story ... The McDonald's Coffee Lawsuit," by Kevin G. Cain.

Mr. Ryan is a trial attorney for the local firm,Michie Hamlett Lowry Rasmussen & Tweel, PLLC.

Excellent Coverage at the District Convention

Thumbs up to John for his excellent coverage of this past weekend's District 7610 Convention! He passed Blogging 101 and has now earned his credentials to do more of the same on a more frequent basis.

Thanks, John!

District Conference

The District Conference was highlighted tonight by the Governor's Gala -- reception, dinner, silent and live auctions, and a grand 50/50 raffle. The pinacle of the event was the speech by the RI president's representative Ed Futa. Ed was inspiring and challenging. As the RI General Secretary for almost eleven years, Ed has witnessed and heard almost everything about Rotary. He asked his audience what would happened if polio were conquered today and the PolioPlus program came to a sudden end. He went on to explain why Rotary would not be prepared and what should be done about it. The new vision of Rotary puts the responsibility on the individual Rotarian. It is individuals who make up Rotary. Each member must lend a hand to build Rotary and to do great work in the world. Yes, the new core emphasis of Rotary is the individual -- discovering the essence of wisdom from everyday life. At the end of the gala tonight, District Governor Ron distributed several major awards -- including Service Above Self, District Rotarian of the Year, Club Builder Award, Rotary Scout Award, and the Community Service Award. A final award was a special recognition award given to Ed Futa. All in all the night was a reminder of why I like Rotary and see the organization as offering great hope for mankind in a troubled world. John McCauley

District Conference

District Conference Photos

District Conference

This morning we were treated to great performances by junior and high school students from within the district. Jennifer King introduced the speech contest winner. The essay contest winner was an eight grade student. His essay was about the 4-Way Test and was a humorous approch to a difficult topic. Much of it was about his sister. The music winners included a vilonist, a flutist, and a soloist. All were judged by three professors from the music department of Gettysburg College. They all were outstanding. I will never know how a first place winner could be determined. However, the violinist came in first. More about them will appear in the District newsletter. I will post a few photos separately. John McCauley

District Conference Photos

Some photos from yesterday.

District Conference

Yesterday was a great time for the District. The tour of the battlefield was sobering and educational; although it was soggy. We had a great guide and spent two hours on the bus learning from his 27 years of experience. After a fine country dinner, we enjoyed the costume ball and period dance lessons. Yours truly was dressed as a Southern gentleman. The misses was a Southern belle -- the kind Rhett Butler would have invited. Julie Franklin of Louisa received a District Governor citation for all her work in setting up the conference. Jim Peterson has film of everything. Today we tour the Hershey plant. It sounds like a great place for a vacation. More to come. John McCauley

District Conference

The conference opened today with a bang. We toured to silent auction (bid on two items) and purchased a tee shirt and sweatshirt from the RI vendor. Then, on to the plenary session. There we heard RI General Secretary Ed Futa (see photo) make a humorous and informative talk about the latest "projects" of RI and comments about the vision of Rotary, its message, and the need to attract younger members to the world's greatest service organization. This session was folllowed by club snapshots. This included the Piedmont Rotary Council Limpopo water project. We now look forward to lunch and to a tour of the hallowed grounds of the battlefield. The costume ball follows at dinner. The fellowship has been warm. This demonstrates the essence of Rotary. John McCauley

District Conference

The District Conference is under way. Pam and I arrived about 3:00 Thursday afternoon. I saw Jim Peterson going into a meeting and several members of the group study exchange. The hotel is great - practically new. We are on our own tonight for dinner and a tour of the town. The show kicks off early tomorrow. Stay tuned. John McCauley

Rotarians Helping Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami Victims

For those who are socially networked, check out the Facebook Page that's been set up to help keep Rotarians updated on the latest relief efforts in Japan following last month's tragedy.

Simply cut and paste into the search box, Rotarians Helping Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Victims.

Good work being done by a great organization!

Who's Going to Gettysburg?

Okay, with an agenda that's jam-packed with neat and interesting things to do while in Gettysburg, who in the world (or, at least in our Club) will be reporting back on the latest, along with a picture or two?

Inquiring Rotarian minds want to know!

Tom McQueeney Tells All

Tom McQueeney is a real storyteller!  This video clip is worth watching. 

Thanks, Tom, for helping to make our meeting so interesting!