Club of Syracuse

PRESIDENT JAMES YONAI

PRESIDENT-ELECT VACANT

SECRETARY JOHN BERTRAM

TREASURER GEORGE DE ANGELO

A weekly compilation of news, announcements, and program details of The Rotary Club of Syracuse, Inc.

SYRACUSE ROTARY PRESS

THE ROTARY CLUB OF SYRACUSE, INC. | CLUB #42 | ROTARY INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT 7150 | CHARTERED 1912 | FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020

This Week: A Webster Pond UpdateFellow Syracuse Rotarians (and ZOOMers) Bill & Chad Norton

Program Committee

Friends of WildLife, a non-profit orga-nization, was formed to improve Webster Pond in the city's Valley section to include maintenance, events and fund-raising. Re-cently minted Syracuse Rotarians, Chad and Bill Norton (a father-son combo), will present an update on the activities at Webster Pond and how the pandemic has impacted their day-to-day operation.

Chad is the president of Friends of WildLife as well as vice-president of the Anglers Association of Onondaga who call Webster Pond their fishing home. The Anglers' priority is the protection of fish in the waters, game in the fields, and song and insectivorous birds in the fields and forests of Onondaga County for the benefit of all people.

The land on which Webster Pond is lo-cated originally belonged to Revolution-ary War veteran Ephraim Webster. When the Anglers Association moved in, the site was strewn with trash and was being con-sidered for use as a landfill. The pond was reclaimed after much hard work and ded-ication. In fact, Webster Pond has been declared a Forever Wild Nature Con-servation Area. Wild life common to the area include: ducks, Canada geese, heron, purple marten, deer, fox, mink, raccoon, squirrel, woodchuck, opossum, turtles and a mute swan “Lilly”.

The Anglers Association of Onondaga is the oldest continuously active sports-

men’s’ club in New York State having passed its 130th birthday in 2020.

The Anglers Association is also the only active conservation organization located within the confines of the City of Syra-cuse. Several prominent individuals have been members of the organization, in-cluding Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.

The organization also holds the copy-rights to the Oneida Lake Fishing Maps, stemming from the group’s earlier asso-ciation with Oneida Lake. The Anglers have provided college scholarships in the biological-related fields, magazine sub-scriptions, book donations, audio/visual resources, and equipment to the Ononda-ga Public Library, as well as hosting vari-ous groups of people at the pond. Before COVID-19, there were often band con-certs, arts & crafts shows, and frequent educational children's events held at the Pond, all organized by Chad.

Friends of WildLife were recipients of a $2000 P&C grant from our Club in 2020 for the purchase of a "Johnny Bucket" at-tachment for their tractor. z

JULY 1011:00 am

Rotary Club of Syracuse Board of Directors July Meeting

12:10 pm RCS Club Regular Meeting

Program Bill & Chad Norton

"Update on Webster Pond"

JULY 1711:00 am

Syracuse Rotary Foundation Trustees July Meeting

12:10 pm RCS Club Regular Meeting

Program Andrew Lunetta, Exec. Director

"A Tiny Home for Good"

JULY 2412:10 pm

RCS Club Regular Meeting

Program TBA

A Look Ahead

ON THIS DAY ~ JULY 101938 - Howard Hughes completed a 91 hour flight around the world.

1962 - The Telstar Communications satellite was launched. The satellite relayed TV and telephone signals between Europe and the U.S.

1985 - Coca-Cola resumed selling the old formula of Coke, it was renamed "Coca-Cola Classic." It was also announced that they would continue to sell "New" Coke.

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Club of Syracuse

Finding common ground during the pandemicThe pandemic has opened doors to new forms of collaboration and mutual support

Rotary Voices | Kiran Singh Sirah, a 2011-13 Rotary Peace Fellow and president of the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough, TN, USA

I've been having lots of inspiring conversations with my fellow Rotari-ans recently. As a Rotary Peace Fellow, I’ve found it so helpful to connect and brainstorm with my colleagues from the program. I think many of us individually and institutionally have had our thoughts crowded out by our focus on survival ear-ly in this crisis.

The question marks we all face remain overwhelming. But as we have talked with one another, it has shifted our atten-tion on collaboration and supporting one another. We’ve been focusing on how we can help not just ourselves and each oth-er in our own personal and professional circles, but also make a difference in the wider world.

I’ve been at the International Story-telling Center since 2013, but stories and storytelling have touched my work in peacebuilding and conflict resolution long before that. I often worked with in-dividuals and communities in deep dis-tress in the UK. Years ago in Northern Ireland, I used my firsthand experience with racism and violence to support a community dealing with sectarian con-flict between Catholics and Protestants.

I met with many courageous people who made themselves vulnerable, sharing sto-ries to find common ground.

Common ground can mean different things. It doesn’t have to be physical or geographical. It can be the common ground of a shared experience, as well as the universality in the human journey we share: joy, suffering, pain, and sorrow. Common ground is perhaps one of our most compelling and useful tools we have to support each other through this pan-demic and build more resilient commu-nities.

With common ground in mind, I reached out to my Rotary colleagues (some of whom I knew already, some of whom I’d never met) to ask a question: What can we all do to help each other?

The response was electric. A few days later, one of my colleagues set up a series of Zoom video conference calls. At one point, we had three different one-hour sessions in a single week, spaced across different time zones so people from around the world had options to participate. The format was open, designed to let us talk about whatever was on our minds.

In each session, I led a brief storytell-ing-related overview to talk about how we can best share our experiences. We talked about our personal challenges, how we could support one another, and ultimately how we will help others. But underneath those big questions was a good opportunity to share personal sto-ries and find common ground. We lis-tened and learned from one another, and it was a great way to be exposed to other people’s experiences—more raw and per-sonal and interesting than what we see on TV or other forms of media.

A story told directly from its source has a certain power to create a sacred space, in person or virtually. And it let us think about the crisis without getting over-whelmed by its scale and scope.

see COMMON page 3 >>

SYRACUSE ROTARY PRESSFRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020

Kiran Sirah Singh at the International Storytelling Center.

FRIDAY | JUL 10THE ROTARY CLUB OF SYRACUSE B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R SJULY MEETING | 11:00AM | VIA ZOOM

FRIDAY | JUL 17THE ROTARY CLUB OF SYRACUSE F O U N D AT I O N T R U S T E EJULY MEETING | 11:00AM | VIA ZOOM

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Club of Syracuse

SYRACUSE ROTARY PRESSFRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020

A colleague from Colombia told me about working in a community where she’s using art (especially illustration and graphic design) to support families. She talked about mental health and how it’s impacted when our lives are flooded with conflict and tension.

Another colleague who works with First Nations peoples in Canada told a folk story about a bear in hibernation: when a bear has done its work, it goes to sleep, hibernating for winter. Communities have been using this folk tale to help children understand and cope with the quarantine, and she wondered if the idea could be used in a broader context.

An Italian Rotary Peace fellow talked about what it’s like in Italy right now, where people from certain ethnicities have faced stigma and prejudice. We learned a lot from what he had to say, but he also said it helped him to share. Listening without judgment is a powerful act.

The pandemic has been difficult in so many ways, but it has also opened doors to new forms of collaboration and mutual support. We can all use our own stories to heal and help oth-ers by open-ended group strategizing. What can you share with, and learn from, others in your personal and professional networks? Share your thoughts below. z

Building a Better World!The International Storytelling Center is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization and the premiere educational, arts and cultural in-stitution dedicated to enriching lives and building a better world through the power of storytelling. Their work falls broadly into three categories: performance, preservation, and practice.

Our vision is a better life, a better world, through the power of storytelling. www.storytellingcenter.net

Common ground to help each other<< from page 2

Club Member SpotlightNew member, Chad Norton, joined in 2020

Membership Committee

Fellow Rotarians, ~ My name is Chad Norton. I am fairly new to Rotary, becoming a member in January, officially. Some of you may know me from The Anglers at Webster Pond, where I preside as VP of the board, and/or Friends of Wildlife, a non-profit associated with The Anglers, of which I am President of the board. I am writing to you not only to intro-duce myself, but to announce that I will chairing two com-mittees. One is brand new to Rotary, the Technology Com-mittee. It's main focus will be to create a way for members to join the meetings virtually, if they so choose or need to. Also, the Committee will be functional in creating a method by which all records can be accessed safely and remotely by a secure password from what will become a database exclusive-ly for the governing board of Rotary. It's other current main focus is to set up meetings online through our Zoom account; If any help is needed I will always try to make sure that I am available to assist. I have experience at this kind of thing, so I feel comfortable doing it; I hope you will feel comfortable with my abilities and efforts on these committees.

The second committee I am chairing is the Membership Committee. My first objective with this committee is to make sure that all members have updated contact informa-tion , in order to avoid confusion about past members and other errors. Also, I would like to improve our social media presence via Facebook, to engage possible new members or groups, post photos and videos of who we are, and what we support, and any other Rotarian-related information perti-nent to the public.

In closing, I am excited and eager to get started on these committees, and I would appreciate any feedback, comments, suggestions, and/or questions, and I respectfully request that members will join these committees so that we can work to-gether. I can be reached at cnortonvp@aol.com, or 315-727-2922. My thanks to all for giving me the opportunity to be-come a useful member and fellow Rotarian. z

Chad joined Syracuse Rotary in 2020 along with his dad, William "Bill" Norton. Welcome to the Club, gentlemen.

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Club of Syracuse

SYRACUSE ROTARY PRESSFRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020

The Rotary Club of Syracuse raises $6000 to open city poolsCity of Syracuse hits $100K fundraising goal to open pools at Thornden and Onondaga Parks

July 2, 2020 | Chris Baker | syracuse.comSyracuse ~ The fundraising cam-

paign to open two city pools reached its $100,000 goal this morning, fueled by big donations from National Grid, Key Bank and the Central New York Community Foundation. The Rotary Club of Syracuse contributed a total of $6000 which in-cluded a $3000 matching donation from an anonymous Syracuse Rotarian.

The money will be used to open the public pools at Thornden Park and On-ondaga Park.

Last Friday, Mayor Ben Walsh an-nounced a fundraising campaign by the Syracuse Parks Conservancy to pay for the lifeguards and other staff needed to open two city pools. The pools were set to remain closed as part of budget cuts caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Walsh furloughed 104 employees earlier this year, including those who staff the pools.

In less than a week, the fundraiser reached its goal. More than 450 people and organizations chipped in to raise the money needed to open the pools. Thurs-day morning, National Grid donated $10,000 and Key Bank and the Commu-nity Foundation donated $5,000 each.

As of 11 a.m. the fund had reached $104,000.

A message on the fund-raising page thanked donors large and small for help-ing reach the goal: “We made it! Thank you to our donors — large and small — for helping put 100+ youth to work this summer and for helping provide valuable leisure time and outside time in two more of the City’s pools.”

The Thornden Park and Onondaga Park pools will open on July 23.

Once the pools open, the city will enforce social dis-tancing rules. People will be required to make reservations to swim in 40-minute blocks. No more than 50 people will be allowed at the pool at any time, in accordance with state rules for gatherings.

Masks will be required on the pool decks and in the re-strooms.

The city previously an-nounced plans to open two other city pools.The pools at Kirk Park and

Schiller Park will open July 16, with open swimming permitted seven days a week from noon to 6 p.m. The pools also will offer lap swimming from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. The city will charge $3 per visit for lap swimmingSwimmers can make res-ervations by calling direct lines for each pool location. Masks will be required for people over the age of 2 while on the pool deck and in restrooms. Staff will take temperatures for each swimmer before they are allowed to enter. z

File photo: Swimmers cool off at Onondaga Park pool in Syracuse, Tuesday July 28, 2015. Michael Greenlar | mgreenlar@syracuse.com

JOHN R. LEWIENBirthday: July 2 Joined: 1986

SYRACUSE ROTARIAN BIRTHDAYS

WILLIAM 'BILL' NORTONBirthday: July 2 Joined: 2020

MARY 'KIKI' WHITEBirthday: July 9 Joined: 2018

JAMES 'JIM' NASHBirthday: July 12 Joined: 1979

#SyracuseSwimsOnOur Club's $6000 contribution to the city's GoFundMe effort is admirable. Coupled with the anonymous match, the six grand makes a statement about our Club and places us as the #2 donor, in between National Grid and CNY Community Foundation. Best of all - WE DID IT IN TWO WEEKS! Well done President Jim and company.

editor, Rotary Press

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Club of Syracuse

Syracuse Rotary's Board, Foundation, and Club meetings are held via the ZOOM virtual meeting platform.

ZOOM MEETINGS hosted by Chad Norton

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85390023391 or call in by phone: 646.558.8656 - meeting ID 853 9002 3391

The Rotary Club of Syracuse, Inc. is comprised of two entities; the Club which was chartered on June 1, 1912 as Club Number 42, and the Syracuse Rotary Foundation, Inc., the not-for-profit philanthropic arm of the Club founded in 1957.

Together, the Club and the Foundation have served the Greater Syracuse community with uncommon distinction and vigor, leaving a long trail of accomplishment in the best of Rotary’s traditions, all of which has contributed to giving The Rotary Club of Syracuse an honored position in our community.

THE SYRACUSE ROTARY PRESSFRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020

The Syracuse Rotary Press: James Morrow, Editor 901 James Street Syracuse, NY 13203 315.425.0051 (b) 315.751.7830 (m)

PRESIDENT JAMES YONAI

PRESIDENT-ELECT VACANT

SECRETARY JOHN BERTRAM

TREASURER GEORGE DE ANGELO

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS JAMES MORROW

June 13, 2020 Christopher Wiles, President Syracuse Parks Conservancy PO Box 11384 Syracuse, NY 13218 RE: Donation for Opening the Swimming Pools at Thorndon Park and Onondaga Park Dear Mr. Wiles: It gives us great pleasure to lend our backing to the City of Syracuse’s efforts to open swimming pools at Thorndon Park and Onondaga Park. Having two additional pools open will greatly assist the youth of Syracuse to have a fun and safe summer. In this COVID-19 pandemic era, it is vitally import to provide as much support as we can muster to help all facets of our community. We especially want our youth to enjoy this recreational opportunity. To that end, the Rotary Club of Syracuse has raised a total of $6,000 to support the reopening of the pools. Enclosed is a check from our Club for $3,000 which will be matched with an additional contribution of $3,000 by one of our club members, John Marsellus. As per his wishes, Mr. Marsellus will be sending his contribution to you under separate cover. There may be a delay in getting this letter and our check to you. Our new Rotary year starts in July and we are in the midst of getting our new Treasurer authorized for signing checks. When that has been accomplished at the bank he will be sending this letter and our check to you. In addition to our club’s donation, we are forwarding a request to the Syracuse-Rotary Foundation, Inc. to consider making a contribution to the swimming pool initiative. We have been impressed with the spirit of giving that this effort has produced from such a wide variety of partners. We are hopeful that it can be sustained for as long as there is a need in our community. It truly lives up to the motto of Rotary - “Service Above Self”! Sincerely, James A. Yonai, Ph.D., CRC/Retired President, Rotary Club of Syracuse cc John Marcellus James Gladziszewski, President, Syracuse-Rotary Foundation, Inc. Julie LaFave, City of Syracuse Dept. of Parks, Recreation & Youth Programs (email) Corrine Driscoll Dunham, City of Syracuse, Office of the Mayor (email) Cheryl Matt, District Governor, Rotary District 7150 (email) Enclosure

The letter sent to Syracuse Parks Conservancy by Syracuse Rotary President, James Yonai.

SYRACUSE ROTARY PRESSFRIDAY, JULY 10, 2020