Transcription Summary from Audio Recording (Full notes available upon request.)
Meeting Attendees: Wayne Neiman, Tim Smith, Kevin Krantz, John Hanna, Justin Hien, Brian Moran, Steve Pettijohn, Jim Strunk, Amy Kubacki, Andrew Mangels, Terri Speck, Joe Hudak, Scott Goggins, Gary Lydrickson, Jeff Apple, Lisa Hebert, Patty Zinn, Rachel Maver, Bob Maver
OPENING & CLUB BUSINESS
The meeting opened with Rotary protocol, including the invocation, Pledge of Allegiance, and the Four-Way Test.
- New Business:
Jim Strunk presented the budget, and the club discussed, and ultimately approved, outlining approximately $50,000 in expenditures for local charities, Rotary International, and student activities, supported by fundraising and foundation draws.
Member recruitment was a key success, with the club approving its fifth new member of 2026, Michael Lamb.
Significant discussion was dedicated to service projects, including ongoing support for Providence House via diaper drives and a potential table sponsorship at their anniversary luncheon. A new service
opportunity involving visiting isolated residents at Concord Reserve was proposed by Patti Zinn, and the club decided to explore restarting a popular past project of providing meals at the Hospice of the Western Reserve.
Planning for the 6th annual Art Fest is underway, with an urgent call for a volunteer to fill the critical Sponsorship Chair role.
The club also heard from guest speaker Penny, a high-performance coach, who shared her “red marker moment” philosophy to inspire members to turn intention into action.
2. Key Action Items/Commitments for Andrew:
Art Fest 2024 Planning: Will meet with anyone interested in getting involved who cannot make the March 2nd planning meeting. (Owner: Andrew, Deadline: Ongoing)
Sponsor Coordination: Members with new sponsor ideas for Art Fest should email Andrew or Patty first to coordinate efforts. (Owner: All Members, reporting to Andrew, Deadline: Ongoing)
3. Detailed Breakdown by Topic:
Topic 1: 2026 Foundation Budget and Financials
Jim (Speaker 6) presented the 2026 Foundation budget, which is separate from the club’s operational budget.
Income: Budgeted receipts are approx. $35,000, primarily from three main fundraisers.
Expenses: Total projected expenses are around 8,300 in addition to fundraising and foundation income.
Allocations: Funds are designated for local charities (approx. 3,000 for scholarships, RILA, speech contests).
Member Request Fund: A $3,000 line item allows any member to propose a donation (typically $500) to a charity they are involved with, subject to a club vote.
A provisional $500 was added for a potential Hospice project.
Terri asked about the absence of a budgeted district matching grant. It was clarified that the budget can be amended later if a suitable project arises.
Decisions Made:
The 2026 budget was approved by a majority vote on March 1.
Action Items/Commitments:
Club Leadership: Amend the budget in the future if a project requiring a district matching grant is identified. (Owner: Club Leadership, Deadline: TBD)
Topic 2: Service Projects and Community Partnerships
Providence House: The next diaper/wipe collection is scheduled for April. The club discussed sponsoring a table for $1,000 at the Providence House 45th Anniversary Luncheon on Tuesday, April 28th. The speaker is Allison Howard, President of Cleveland’s WNBA team.
New Project: Concord Reserve: Patti proposed a new service project involving visiting two dozen isolated long-term care residents at Concord Reserve. Visits could be weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly for about 30 minutes, ideally on early Friday evenings or weekends.
Returning Project: Hospice of the Western Reserve: Jeff A. reported that the hospice is again accepting meal donations. The project involves club members providing and serving dinner to patients and families, which could be done quarterly. The cost needs to be finalized, with estimates ranging from 600 per event.
Four-Way Test Speech Contest: Lisa is working to confirm school participation and noted that her emails from the club runner system may be going to spam.
Decisions Made:
The club will explore the Concord Reserve visits as a new service project.
The club agreed to explore restarting the meal service at the Hospice of the Western Reserve.
Action Items/Commitments:
Rachel: To discuss adding the Concord Reserve visits as an official service project with Speaker 1. (Owner: Rachel, Deadline: Not specified)
Lisa: Continue follow-up with schools for the speech contest, secure one more judge, and check with CR support about email issues. (Owner: Lisa, Deadline: ASAP) John Hanna: Implied he can assist with contacting Bay Village schools if needed. (Owner: John Hanna, Deadline: Not specified)
Club: Determine the actual cost per event for the Hospice meals to finalize the budget. (Owner: TBD, Deadline: Not specified)
Topic 3: Art Fest 2024 Planning
The 6th annual Art Fest is scheduled for Saturday, July 25th.
Planning meetings are on the first Monday of each month, with the next on Monday, March 2nd.
Leadership: Joe Kraft has stepped down as co-chair.
Sponsorships: This is an urgent need. Patti Zinn is stepping down as Sponsorship Chair, and a new volunteer is needed immediately to take over. The Baird Group will be the key sponsor again at the **2,500).
Featured Artist: The Beck Center for the Arts will be the featured artist for 2024.
Food Trucks: There was a suggestion to include a “higher-end” food truck option like Tartine.
Action Items/Commitments:
New Volunteer Needed: A club member must step up to be the Sponsorship Chair. (Owner: TBD, Deadline: ASAP)
Patty Zinn: Will help transition the Sponsorship Chair role to the new volunteer. (Owner: Patty Zinn, Deadline: Upon finding a replacement)
Club Members: Contact prior sponsors and email Andrew or Patty with any new sponsor ideas for coordination. (Owner: All Members, Deadline: Ongoing)
Topic 4: Club Business and Membership
New Member: Michael Lamb, a local resident with a background in private security and civic involvement, was proposed as a new member. The club unanimously voted to approve Michael Lamb as a new
member, the fifth for 2026.
District Events: The Community Peace Summit is this Saturday at LCCC. A “Build the Perfect Rotary Club” workshop is in Twinsburg on February 21st.
Guest Speaker: Penny Castleman, a high-performance coach, presented her “red marker moment” philosophy, focusing on using clarity, confidence, and action to overcome overthinking.
Meeting adjourned at 8:25am after a round of Happy Bucks.