banner

January 8, 2024 Breakfast Meeting Notes

 

Trivia was present but was not yet ready to do trivia today. In lieu of this, Lisa Mure did a Ukraine trivia session. 

 

Beth won the 50/50 and donated the proceeds to the Common Man for Ukraine.

Steve won the chance to draw at the card game but pulled the 8 of hearts.

 

Bill has returned the post office key as Braden has left us (due to job changes and a new baby due in June.) He will now be a marketing rep for MMG insurance outside of Concord.

 

Next Tuesday night the 14th, and the following Tuesday the 21st, there will be a district membership webinar. See information at the top of this page.

 

Speech contest dates will be February 12 for round 1 and February 19th or March 5 for round 2.

 

Our program today was sponsored by the Common Man for Ukraine. Steve led off the presentation by showing gifts he has received from Ukraine, including district 2232’s banner, as well as a certificate of acknowledgment of the Ukraine efforts. He also was given a copy of their district magazine, which includes an article on the Common Man for Ukraine.

 

Lisa Mure then continued the program. The Common Man for Ukraine has been operating for almost 3 years now. When they first started, they were just going there and listening, finding out what the needs on the ground were. The most recent trip was in December, their 3rd Christmas convoy. They went further into the country than they had on previous trips. The area is still very bleak, with massive destruction of basic infrastructure. In community after community they see boarded-up buildings with holes in roofs and walls, with windows blown out, and missile fragments litter the area.

 

During the first year, Granite United Way acted as the fiscal agent for the program. After that year, our own Plymouth Rotary Foundation took over as fiscal agent. People continue to be very generous; Americans are well aware of the situation in Ukraine. 

 

Susan showed a montage of TV clips publicizing the efforts of the Common Man for Ukraine. There are about 2.5 million children in Ukraine who are displaced, hiding in schools, old monasteries, churches, and other safe locations. The Common Man rents a warehouse in Poland, stockpiling food, sleeping bags, and generators. Every month volunteer drivers load up goods and deliver them to safe houses in Ukraine. 

 

As they spent more time in the country, they could not help but notice that the psychological damage to the children. They started trauma counseling for children in Zakopane, Poland. It is open to children who have lost fathers or another family member. Groups of 35 children meet in each 3 week session and connect with peers who have the same type of experience. They are taught coping skills and go home with a set of “coping cards” with hints on how to help when they are feeling bad. We hope that at some time in the future, these children will remember the food, warmth, and love that came from the USA.  

 

The Common Man for Ukraine has delivered over 700 truckloads of aid, driving over 1 million miles and back. They have 4500 donors. They have managed to keep drivers safe and delivered over 1500 tens of food, thousands of sleeping bags, and hand-knit peace dolls to children. The trauma centers have helped 930 children. They regularly review the needs of the people on the ground, so that they can adjust what they bring as needed. The places that they are visiting now tend to be very remote villages, inhabited by old people and children (the adults are away at war). They have been in contact with the US Agency for International Development and have actually been asked to provide information on what’s going on in the remote reaches of Ukraine for that agency. (USAID doesn’t leave Kyiv, as they are afraid for the safety of their people; but the Common Man volunteers go everywhere!)

 

Beth shared a happy dollar and asked all present to do the same in honor of the work being done by The Common Man for Ukraine.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Lora Miller, secretary

 

Speakers
Mar 05, 2025 7:00 AM
Mar 12, 2025 7:00 AM
Mar 19, 2025 7:00 AM
Mar 26, 2025 7:00 AM
Apr 02, 2025 7:00 AM
View entire list
Upcoming Events
Board Meeting
Zoom
Mar. 21, 2025
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
 
Club Forum
Common Man Inn & Spa
Mar. 26, 2025
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
 
Board Meeting
Zoom
Apr. 18, 2025
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
 
Club Forum
Common Man Inn & Spa
Apr. 23, 2025
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
 
Board Meeting
Zoom
May 16, 2025
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
 
Club Forum
Common Man Inn & Spa
May 28, 2025
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
 
Board Meeting
Zoom
Jun. 20, 2025
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
 
Club Forum
Common Man Inn & Spa
Jun. 25, 2025
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
 
Board Meeting
Zoom
Jul. 18, 2025
7:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
 
Club Forum
Common Man Inn & Spa
Jul. 23, 2025
7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m.
 
View entire list
Advertisement for Russell Hampton
Advertisement for ClubRunner
Advertisement for ClubRunner Mobile
Plymouth Rotary Club. PO Box 393 Plymouth, NH 03264.
www.plymouthrotarynh.org
Weekly meeting, every Wednesday morning at 7AM
The Common Man Inn in Plymouth, NH