Alison Rogers cheerfully greeted fellow Rotarians at the door as everyone tried to shake off the post-Thanksgiving turkey hangover.
President-elect Keith Bullock kicked the meeting off as President Jerry was sailing the seven seas and was absent. Nancy Maloy lead all in the pray and pledge. The club will be celebrating with a Holiday Party on 18 December so be sure to sign up if you will be bringing a guest.
An unknown amount of raffle money went to Red Level Alabama’s most famous resident – Charlie Blackwell. Now he has a little Christmas money to spend.
Margaret Stopp was so excited to fill in as Sunshine that she forgot to bring the humorous jokes … she did however recognize a record nine birthdays with a combined 155 years in the club (which is almost as long as the chicken for lunch had been cooking).
Jack Nobles introduced the program: The NW Florida Zoo. Jack introduced Chuck Emling, chairman of the board for the Zoo, who brought the club up to speed on the Zoo’s history and other details. The Zoo sits on 50 acres of land and was sold to the Zoological society in 2004 and is the third most visited attraction in the area. It is a 501(c)3 entity and one of the few zoos in the country not subsidized by government or large corporate sponsors. In fact, there are only 2000 zoos across the county and at least 40% of them are receiving significant financial support. The Zoo really hasn’t recovered financially or from an infrastructure standpoint since Ivan and the other storms plus is building its fund raising efforts for zero as well. They have also suffered some bad publicity from the recent deaths of two animals. Danyelle Lantz has been brought on as Ex. Director and went on to describe the various initiatives underway to meet the financial goals the board has set in place. They have raised $700K of the $1M needed to keep the operations solvent and desire to improve the overall customer experience of the patrons by improving the exhibits, increasing staff professionalism and overall customer service. The Zoo attracts 150,000 visitors last year including 30,000 students and wishes to expand upon its educational programs as well. They hope to share in a portion of the local bed tax, seek out government grants, have four major fund raisers a year, gain efficiency through streamlining operations, and bring back the botanical gardens. And just by selling the land to the government the Zoo would be at a breakeven cost standpoint – so that is an option in discussion. Danyelle’s contact info: 324.0480 and email: danyellelantz@hotmail.com. We adjourned at 1:04PM.
Credit Sandra Smith with making a meaningful presentation at the fall meeting of the International Network of Independent Staffing Services.
Art Hufford made his return to TV last week when media folks relived the UFO sighting stories of 20 years ago.
Don’t miss Pat Madden’s giant Christmas Tree, on the corner of 9th Avenue and Bayou Boulevard. It’s magnificent.
Didjaknow that Rodger Doyle, John Cavanaugh and Milton Usry are all board members for the Pensacola Symphony?
When the Rooters perform December 11th they’ll be bringing a light side to the holidays...with some songs you may never have heard.
John Cavanaugh and John Appleyard had a turkey time treat when ESPN aired the University of Delaware’s triumph in Phase One of the NCAA Division IA playoffs.
Sam Goldenberg’s appeal for aid to those in need for Manna and turkeys paid big dividends. He’s still receiving checks.
Glenn McDonald, December 7, Pensacola FL, in Rotary for 33 years
Costa Rica Wheelchair Project - Our club has submitted grant applications to RI requesting funds to implement our wheelchair project in Costa Rica and we’re encouraged that funding will be gained. The project will provide approximately 32 specialty wheelchairs to youth and young adults in San Jose and the surrounding area. As with our other wheelchair initiatives we’re working jointly with the Five Flags and Cantonment Rotary Clubs and are pleased as well to have the Dothan Rotary Club with us on this effort. Though travel plans are just beginning to solidify the hope is to travel to San Jose on/or about 26 Jan 08 and return on 3 Feb 08. This is an excellent opportunity to serve and if you have an interest in traveling with us, please contact Clif Payne 850-433-8732.