Our Vice President Fred Rohdieck attended the 2018 Spelling be on Wednesday, January 17th sponsored by the Paramus Rotary Club and held in the auditorium of Paramus High School.
Participating were 4th grand students from all 5 Paramus Grammar Schools [Memorial-Midland-Parkway-Ridge Ranch-Stony Lane]. These students participated in their local school Spelling Bee in order to qualify for the finals.
Open remarks we made by Paramus Superintendent of Schools (and Paramus Rotarian}Michele Robinson. Paramus Rotary Club President Sam Stone shared information about Rotary activities. PDG Emil Gerring added to President Sam's remarks and also shared the Rotary Four Way Test.
Rotarians Sheila Ciscione and Lisa Vartanian were among the judges. Rotarian Len LoPinto was the Spelling Bee Committee Chair aided by Club VP Fred Rohdieck and one of our newest Rotary members Franchesta Dacres. There were also a number of our Club members in the audience supporting the event.
Thank you also to the grammar school principals, teachers, and support staff. Also thank you to members of the Paramus Public Library.
As third graders these students received dictionaries from the Paramus Rotary club in support of the Rotary literacy program. This Spelling Bee goes one step further in supporting literacy.
The winning students will go on to participate in the Bergen County Spelling Bee to be help at Bergen Community College. Our very best to our winning students as we are sure they will continue to do well.
The following are a few pictures from the fun night!
Our guest speaker this week was Melinda Iannarone from Children's Aid and Family Services.
Their work includes adoption and adoption support services, therapeutic foster care for vulnerable children, child care and early education, drug and alcohol abuse education and prevention, eldercare, and strengthening the community through educational programs and workshops. Each of these services makes a profound and lasting difference in people’s lives.
While placing children for adoption is still one of their core commitments, they have evolved to keep pace with a changing world. The needs of the children they treat have changed dramatically during the last several years. Today, they come having suffered from more severe physical and emotional abuse and neglect, and having had less basic care from their families. Many of the children have serious behavioral and mental health issues, as well as social and learning challenges. As a result, they need more specialized treatment while living in the agency’s therapeutic or family foster homes to help them start to heal. The agency’s goal is to help them move on to a loving adoptive family, or live independently with a job and a home to call their own.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
~ Len LePinto wanted to Thank the Paramus Rotary for their sponsorship and support for the 2018 Spelling Bee!
~ Dawn Feorenzo reminds is all that the Valentine's Day Brunch is schedule for February 11th and is completely sold out!!! There is waiting list in place in case more space opens up. Please if you have any donations or any baskets forward them to Diane, Dawn or Jay!
~ Diane Vasile-Falcone also reminds us that Greeters are needed for our weekly meetings so make sure you sign up!
~ Jay Leone announced to the club that Past President Nick Laganella has secured a storage area in his warehouse and is available for storing Rotary stuff. On Sunday things started to be loaded into the storage area.
~ Jay Leone also reminded us that there is a Night Meeting scheduled for March 22nd. There will be no Lunch Meeting that day. There will be more details to follow!
~ Jay also wants to remind everyone that after next week's meeting (1/25/18), the Golf committee will meet to discuss further planning of the event.
~ Ray Hough reminds us that the Gift of Life Dinner is February 8th at the Venetian. Ads are still available in the Gift of Life Journal but time is running out so make sure you get them in!
