Charlie called the meeting to order, Johnny lead us in the Pledge and Louise lead the Reflection
John T won the 50/50, but no Joker
Our guest speaker was Tim McMahon, Director of Catholic Charities of Worcester
Membership Update
We viewed the membership video "New Types of Rotary Clubs". These include Satellite, E-Club (on-line), and Passport
We also watched the District Conference video regarding the meeting in Salem on May 1-3, 2020. Register at Rotary7910.org and sign up for events!
General Topics
The club received a letter from Rennie. He is not sure when he will return, but he is home and progressing towards wellness.
Johnny had a meeting Thursday with all the Guatemala attendees. The trip is coming up quickly, in March, and Johnny will let us know what types of items he needs to bring with him to help with the relief efforts. Items include new and gently used children's clothing and blankets, school supplies, and arts & crafts items.
April 15th is our Vocational Awards night at the Doubletree in Leominster. This event recognizes companies who offer jobs and employment, with an ethical focus. Let's rally to bring in advertisers for this important evening! Half page ads are $150, full age are $300. Our goal is 10 sponsors.
Guest Speaker
Timothy McMahon
Catholic Charities Director
Tim is the Director of Catholic Charities of Worcester. He and his office cover 4 regions, including Leominster. Their mission is to provide food, shelter, and emergency needs of the community.
They recently created a recovery program for women in the Leominster area. They also offer senior programs, and have a family shelter in Worcester. This shelter provides for 16 families currently, and is State funded.
Part of Tim's job is to ensure a balance among funds for the various and numerous programs.
The organization is always looking for volunteers, particularly in the Leominster area. There are many volunteer opportunities, and among the most needed are in areas of teaching skills to enable recipients to gain employment.
Charlie presented Tim with a check for $780 from our Club. This money is earmarked towards a truck rental that was needed for an upcoming Catholic Charities function.
Cuauhtēmallān, or "place of many trees", a derivative of the K'iche' Mayan word for "many trees" or perhaps more specifically for the Cuate/Cuatli tree Eysenhardtia. This was the name the Tlaxcaltecan soldiers who accompanied Pedro de Alvarado during the Spanish Conquest gave to this territory.
Guatemala is the largest economy in Central America, with a GDP per capita of US$5,200. However, Guatemala faces many social problems and is one of the poorest countries in Latin America. The income distribution is highly unequal with more than half of the population below the national poverty line and just over 400,000 (3.2%) unemployed. The CIA World Fact Book considers 54.0% of the population of Guatemala to be living in poverty in 2009.
Guatemala is mountainous with small patches of desert and sand dunes, all hilly valleys, except for the south coast and the vast northern lowlands of Petén department. Two mountain chains enter Guatemala from west to east, dividing Guatemala into three major regions: the highlands, where the mountains are located; the Pacific coast, south of the mountains and the Petén region, north of the mountains.
All major cities are located in the highlands and Pacific coast regions; by comparison, Petén is sparsely populated. These three regions vary in climate, elevation, and landscape, providing dramatic contrasts between hot, humid tropical lowlands and colder, drier highland peaks. Volcán Tajumulco, at 4,220 metres (13,850 feet), is the highest point in the Central American countries.
The rivers are short and shallow in the Pacific drainage basin, larger and deeper in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico drainage basins. These rivers include the Polochic and Dulce Rivers, which drain into Lake Izabal, the Motagua River, the Sarstún, which forms the boundary with Belize, and the Usumacinta River, which forms the boundary between Petén and Chiapas, Mexico.
