Club Business
President Mary Thomas Gilbert opened the meeting. Jim Cartner led us in prayer and the pledge of
allegiance to the US flag. It was sadly announced that charter member, past president and secretary, and true gentleman, Lloyd Carter, has resigned from our club. He said that it’s time. He will be sorely missed. On a happier note, after a long rehab, Bonnie Whitaker returned to a loud ovation. We also welcomed new member, Ryan Risko. We look forward to getting to know Ryan and watching how he will impact our club going forward. He came to serve the community and doesn’t seem to be the kind of person who will be satisfied to simply spectate. Ed Woodall welcomed his guest and former member, Angela
Parham, and her lovely daughter, Caroline, who will be attending Rotary’s Youth Leadership Training in Greensboro in a couple of weeks. It will be held at Guilford College in collaboration with the Center for Creative Leadership. Caroline thanked our club for sponsoring her. She attends Burlington Christian Academy, where she is a rising junior and class treasurer.
Click here to see all scheduled program dates and responsibilities.
July Birthdays and Anniversaries
3 | Dan Seiler | 31 | Don and Beth Jennings |
Happy Dollar Announcements
- Brooke Carpenter let us know that Grand Master Sang Ho Lee will be honored on September 21 with his own day by the Martial Arts Magazine right here in Burlington. Congratulations, Sang!
- Jim Cartner joyfully celebrated his first official meeting as our past president. Thanks for your service, Jim.
- Micah Fox’s oldest is turning 10 tomorrow. He’s feeling old.
- Carolyn Rhode thanked our club for buying all those Girl Scout cookies, which helped send her and her troop to Belize, where they experienced snorkeling, cave tubing, and visiting a jaguar rescue center and a Mayan temple.
Program: Ann Elmore – Fraud Protection and the Office of the NC Secretary of State
Phil Brown was responsible for our program today. He introduced himself as the ancient sage of our club. He said this year he decided to let someone else speak, instead of doing the job himself. He shared that he has a daughter working in food service for a continuous care community in Greensboro and a son who is a self-supporting portrait artist living in England. Phil remarked that the way our members all sit toward the back of the room reminded him of church, where he served as a clergyman with the United Methodists.
He introduced our speaker, Ann Elmore, a former prosecuting attorney, who now works in fraud prevention with the Office of the Secretary of State for North Carolina. Ann lives in Cary, graduated from the University of Georgia, and attended law school at Mercer in Macon, GA.
Ann began her presentation by asking if any of us would normally turn to the Secretary of State (SOS) for help with fraud prevention or remediation? Few if any indicated that they would. The rest of the presentation was spent laying out all the ways the Secretary of State’s office can help.
Our exposure to fraud is enormous, thanks in large part to the ubiquitous internet. She encouraged us to be doubly careful before giving money, saying that the SOS can provide vetting for supposed non-profit organizations. She also warned against purchasing prescriptions via the internet without checking the credentials of the pharmacies. Two such services can be found at the following sites: the FDA’s BeSafeRx and VerifyRx.
Ann also said the the Office of the SOS can help citizens complete important healthcare directives. Forms are available for download. Medicare also pays doctors to help patients complete these forms.
People who wish to give to charitable causes can vet organizations through the SOS, too. Ann encouraged us to ask lots of questions and take notes. A form containing sample questions was included in her handout. She next spent some time warning against the dangers associated with investment and securities fraud, telling us that the SOS can help there, too. She especially warned about cryptocurrencies. Basically, if it seems too good to be true, it is. Ann concluded by encouraging us to contact law enforcement and the SOS if we do get conned, if for no other reason than to help protect others.
Conclusion
We did not have our lottery today, which left the Queen of Diamonds secure in her hideaway. Only 40 cards are left! Mary Thomas adjourned the meeting by leading us in a recitation of Rotary’s four-way test.