Events

Agenda for July 2, 2024 for the start of the 24-25 Rotary Year.

Pledge of Allegiance

4 – Way Test

Is it the TRUTH? TRUST.

Is it FAIR to all concerned? ACCOUNTABILITY.

Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? FELLOWSHIP.

Rotarians are known for being sociable and building relationships.

Will it BENEFICIAL to all concerned? EMPATHY

And as always Will it be Fun!

1. Membership dues of 200.00 for 2024-2025.
   1. Billed yearly, due September 1st
   2. Direct donation to RI and BSRF, Fundraisers to offset our costs of the club and supporting the foundations.

2. Paige Mason Public Image board director, ask for full membership to vote July 2^nd

3. Attendance, we must attend meetings, 50% is the Rotary Rule.
   1. Evening Social meeting to make up for a morning meeting
   2. Sign up for services projects to make up meetings.

4. Fundraising goals and ideas below, quarterly events
   1. Meat Raffle supporting Exchange Student costs
   2. 30^th Anniversary in September supporting  BSR Service Projects
   3. Paul Harris Awards Funding RI $100 per Active Rotarian donations requests 
   4. Changeover Funding our BSR foundation so that we can support more in the community.
   5. Any other ideas that you can suggest.

5. Goals set for the future year
   1. Speakers’ programs 2 times a month, what subjects do you want to hear about.
   2. Service Projects, Greenway, Pollinator gardens, Wheels for Workers  716
   3. Update the BSR Fact sheet with current information (attached)
   4. Supporting our fellow Rotarians with their projects and organizations.

6. Rotary Friendship Exchange August 10-14, 2024, need host families needed.

7. Strategic plans for 2025 to 2028 Updates, asking for committee members  

8. Your thoughts, we are a small but mighty club.

9. Outreach to other Rotary Clubs to do joint events.

Drew Kahn is a SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Theater at SUNY Buffalo State where he teaches acting (President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching/SUNY) and has directed over 20 productions (Kennedy Center Award). In addition to his work in higher education, he has taught K-12 populations for over three decades. He is the Founding Director of the Anne Frank Project, a multi-layered social justice program at SUNY Buffalo State that utilizes the wisdom of Anne Frank as a springboard for the examination of oppression through the lenses of story and performance. He presents and teaches internationally on the use of story as a tool for conflict resolution, community building and identity exploration—most recently in Rwanda, Kenya, Switzerland, DR Congo, Turkey, Burma and Viet Nam (Toby Ticktin Back Award for Holocaust Education and the National Federation for Just Communities-Community Leader Award,). Currently, Professor Kahn’s work focuses on training teachers in Rwanda, Kenya and the U.S., providing tools to bring the power of Story to classrooms. His book, Story Building: A Practical Guide for Bringing the Power of Stories into the Classroom is used by teachers and organizations around the world. He has extensive acting experience in regional theatre and off-Broadway, feature film and multiple television credits. Professor Kahn was the host of WKBW-TV’s (ABC) AM Buffalo for six years, hosted the WNED (PBS) documentary Saving a Landmark: The Darwin Martin House (Telly Award) and has numerous local commercial and stage credits (ArtVoice Artie Award). He received his MFA from Southern Methodist University and his BA from San Diego State University. His favorite roles are husband to his wife Maria and dad to his children Sam and Nate.

https://www.annefrankproject.com/study-in-rwanda  This is a project that would align with Buffalo Sunrise Rotary Club

Buffalo State’s Anne Frank Project

AFP’s Annual Social Justice Festival:  PROPOSE!

AFP’s Work in Rwanda

Student Blogs From Recent Trip (June)

Dr. Stephen Vermette is a professor of geography in the Department of Geosciences at SUNY Buffalo State University where he has taught meteorology, climatology, and environmental courses and mentored students over the past 30 years.  He currently serves as a Research Associate of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences and as a Board Member of the Erie County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Dr. Vermette graduated with his doctorate from McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario) and was employed by the Illinois State Water Survey’s Atmospheric Chemistry Division where he worked on the Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN) which focused on the deposition of airborne pollutants to the Great lakes and co-created the Mercury Deposition Network (MDN). While in Buffalo, Dr. Vermette won several teaching awards and has been recognized for his work with National Geographic’s New York Geographic Alliance (NYGA) to ensure the geographic literacy of the next generation. One focus was the development of, and training of teachers to use, surface water quality kits. He has published numerous articles on local weather (providing local weather expertise for media outlets) and on environmental-related issues ranging from air pollution to surface water quality.

Dr. Vermette received a commendation from the National Geographic Society for his dedicated leadership rendered to the State of New York to ensure the geographic literacy of the next generation. The Wall Street Journal referred to Dr. Vermette as a “rare climatologist”, noting that he co-curated (with Tullis Johnson) a traveling art exhibition entitled “Charles E. Burchfield: Weather Event” which received an Award of Commendation from Museumwise. Dr. Vermette has an eclectic interest in all things related to weather and climate, especially as it relates to Western New York. He is currently hosting the Golden Snowball Trophy on behalf of the City of Buffalo.

Topic

Extreme Weather in a Warming World

How is it that a warming world leads to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including cold weather extremes? How is Western New York fairing in a warming world and what is this talk of Buffalo being a climate change refuge city?

Rotary Themes

The environment and economic and community development.

Marisa Riggi – Executive Director of the Western New York Land Conservancy. 

Marisa grew up in Williamsville, New York where she gained a love of nature through exploring the parks and preserves of WNY. She obtained a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Geneseo and attended graduate school at the University of Vermont where she obtained a M.S. in Natural Resources. After graduating, Marisa spent over 5 years at the Northeast Wilderness Trust where she was responsible for protecting land in the Northern Forest region as Conservation Director. There she saw firsthand how larger, connected forests were infinitely more beneficial for plants and animals; she also saw how these connected forests create natural corridors that allowed plants and animals to migrate, increasing their chance for survival.

When she returned home in 2017 to join the Land Conservancy, she brought the same principles to our region’s forests that had proved so successful in New England. These principles have propelled the Land Conservancy’s work forward. In just seven years at the Land Conservancy, she has led major conservation projects and helped the organization conserve more than 2,000 acres of land. This includes such high-profile forests as the College Lodge Forest and Floating Fen near Fredonia, Mossy Point in Wales, the Janet Gallogly Allegany Wildlands in Cattaraugus County. At the core of these conservation projects is one overarching goal: to protect, connect, and restore our forests and wildlands.  Marisa Riggi was named the Land Conservancy’s Executive Director in August 2024, after serving as Acting Executive Director since June 2024, and Conservation Director before that.

BSRC Speakers’ We will spotlight our own members on their personal projects. Each will give and share a 2-minute elevator pitch on September 3^rd Meeting.

Together we learn and assist other Rotarians in their projects and nonprofits.

We are small but mighty 

1. Members Speaker series

Angela Hintz Senior Project Engineer/Project Manager - Wastewater and Energy

Greg Norton President @ Twisted Rope | Digital Prospecting | B2B Sales funnels

Open to the floor for others who can present a small piece on their careers.

BSRC Speakers’ We will spotlight our own members on their personal projects. Each will give and share a 2-minute elevator pitch on September 17th Meeting.

Together we learn and assist other Rotarians in their projects and nonprofits.

We are small but mighty 

1. Members Speaker series

Sarah Baird Solar Power is Changing Lives in Off-Grid Africa

Mara Huber

Open to the floor for others who can present a small piece on their careers.

**Join Us for a Special Celebration!**

Mingle and celebrate with our club and distinguished guests from our district as

we mark our 30th anniversary as a Rotary Club.

We've come a long way from our humble beginnings in 1994.

Let's commemorate this milestone together!

September 20th 2024

5:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Saturn Club

977 Delaware Avenue 

Buffalo, NY 

**$40.00 includes hors d'oeuvres**

- **Cash Bar Available**

Please RSVP by September 15, 2024.

Funds raised will help build our service projects

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/30th-anniversary-celebration-of-buffalo-sunrise-rotary-tickets-993721516807?aff=oddtdtcreator

Monday September 23, from 5-6pm at Providence Farm Collective and the social hour is after the tour.

https://providencefarmcollective.org

https://www.hamburgbrewing.com

If you haven't visited Providence Farm Collective and seen in person what has been accomplished in a few short years by newly settled refugees, this tour is for you.

After the tour all are invited to Hamburg Brewing Company  for a social hour. food and drinks are available at the breweryafter that.

To see the incredible success story of one great idea and a bunch of committed refugees is a wonderful thing and the food they grow is amazing.

Also the Monday Market is on from 3-6 that day at the Burton Rd. facility. 

https://providencefarmcollective.org/farmersmarket/  

BSR has done some things  for PFC - equipment purchase, and had a tour there a few years back, but not recently.

Hoping for a good BSR turnout. Please let Barbara O know if you and a friend, partner, neighbor etc. can attend!

We need YOU!!