President Katie Dukeshire opened the meeting. Julian Griffin gave the invocation and led the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Carolyn Rhode served as secretary.
Guests and Visitors
- Mac Williams introduced Penny Rudd, Human Resources Director for Technical Precision Plastics in Mebane. She was on hand to support our speaker.
- Ed Woodall’s guest was Greg Ellington with Edward Jones Investments.
General Announcements
- Happy birthday, Francois Masuka!
- Don Jennings said his bank’s ribbon cutting ceremony went very well last week.
Marine Corporal Garrett J. Carnes lost both legs after stepping on a pressure plate improvised explosive device (IED) while on dismounted patrol with the 3rd Battalion Third Marines in Khan-Neshin, Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Feb. 19, 2012. Cpl Carnes underwent more than 30 surgeries from the time he was evacuated to Camp Dwyer to his time at Walter Reed. During his recovery, he made a goal to be walking on prosthetics by the time his fellow Marines returned home from their deployment. After only six weeks of physical therapy, Cpl Carnes greeted his returning comrades standing on the tarmac. He credits his wife Courtney with pushing him through his recovery.
Despite his determination and ability to overcome obstacles, Garrett still experiences everyday limitations. He and Courtney recently became parents to a baby boy named Chase. But fatherhood places new challenges on Garrett. He says ordinary tasks like feeding and changing his son become “like science projects.” Their current home has all carpeted floors, making it difficult for Garrett to get to his son in the middle of the night in his wheelchair. The doors aren’t wide enough for him to get through while in his chair without his hands getting caught, and he can’t reach everything in the kitchen without his wife’s assistance. “It’s belittling not being able to do what you want to do,” he says.
Garrett says a home adapted to his needs will allow him to be the man of the house again and increase his confidence. Courtney says she’ll be able to live her life more peacefully, being able to leave the house without worrying if he’ll need her help. The family plans to build their home close to their family in Burlington, North Carolina.
Currently in school to become a high school teacher, Garrett says a specially adapted home will give him comfort and stability at home and allow him to focus on his career.
Carnes says “Thank You” isn’t enough to Homes for Our Troops. “Your house is your kingdom… To go home to a HFOT Home and relax with my family at the end of the day – you can’t put a price on that,” he says.
Community Kick Off: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015 at 10 a.m.
Location: Elks Lodge #1633, 2488 Moran St., Burlington, NC
Our club has been asked to help set up and break down the event, park cars, and generally be supportive. The Graham Rotary Club and the ACC Rotaract Club are also going to participate. Registration begins at 9:30. A sign up sheet was placed on each table. Hopefully we will have a nice turnout. Try to attend if at all possible.
Upcoming Programs
- September 15 – District Governor Larry Lassiter’s Visit
- September 22 – Betty Andrews
- September 29 – Club Assembly
Happy Clams
- Katie Dukeshire, a rabid sports fan, dropped $1 for each allegedly deflated Bradyball and an additional $12 for the infamous quarterback. Anyone and anything from Boston is okay by her.
Mac Williams: Husband, Father, President of the Alamance County Chamber of Commerce, and Past-President of Our Club
Mac Williams, a native and lifelong resident of North Carolina, graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1976. He started at the Statesville Chamber of Commerce before taking a position as executive vice president in the Thomasville Chamber of Commerce. In 1984, he was hired as the first professional economic developer for the newly created Rockingham County Economic Development Commission. He later moved to Greensboro, where he worked on the economic development staff of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and later, as a business developer with construction firm Samet Corp. He was recruited to Asheville in 1995 as vice president of economic development for the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, including management of the Buncombe County Economic Development Corp. In 2004 he was hired as President of our local Chamber to replace the soon to retire Sonny Wilburn. Mac is married to Stephanie and has two daughters, one a freshman at Furman and the other a junior at Williams High School. Mac has been a member of our club since 2005 and is a Paul Harris Fellow.
Program: Barbara Gorman – Career Accelerator Program
Seven employers have joined forces with Alamance County chamber and school officials to establish a four-year apprenticeship program designed to create a pipeline of qualified manufacturing workers. The companies that will benefit from the new Career Accelerator Program — or CAP — are GKN Driveline, Glen Raven, plastics maker Nypro, Sandvik, Engineered Controls International, Technical Precision Plastics and Fairystone Fabrics. The companies teamed up with Alamance-Burlington schools and the Alamance County Chamber of Commerce to establish CAP, which is the first program of its kind in the county and provides rising high school seniors with on-the-job training and classroom education. Officials from the seven manufacturers took part in a signing ceremony to be part of the Career Accelerator Program.
Eligible students must have a minimum grade point average of 2.8 and a good attendance record. Enrollment in classes such as physics, drafting, engineering and computers can help get students get into the program, which allows apprentices to be paid to work at one of seven companies and attend classes at Alamance Community College. Participating companies would cover tuition costs at ACC for their own apprentices.
“Apprenticeship programs are vital to the current and future health of manufacturing companies across the U.S.,” said Barbara Gorman, learning and development manager at GKN Driveline, who has been instrumental in organizing the Career Accelerator Program consortium. “As a consortium of local businesses, we are striving to provide hands‐on learning opportunities within our manufacturing facilities and a college education to high school students which will ensure successful futures for many students.” CAP will coincide with Alamance Community College’s new associate degree “mechatronics” program that combines several disciplines, including mechanical engineering and electronics engineering. By the end of the four- year program, students will earn an associate degree in mechatronics, a journeyman certificate from the N.C. Department of Commerce, and a guaranteed job upon graduation. They will received a total 6,400 hours of on-the-job training as well as 1,600 hours of classroom education.
Students who complete the program will have their education paid for, will have been paid over the course of the apprenticeship for the hours they work, will have a guaranteed job waiting for them for at least $34,000 per year plus benefits, and will have the skills andtraining they need for a successful career. Barbara said that the door is open for other companies to join the consortium. The program kicks off next summer.
After Barbara finished her presentation, she was given a nice round of applause. Katie presented her with a book, which she was asked to donate to a school of her choice. The photo above includes, from left to right, President Dukeshire, Barbara Gorman, Penny Rudd, and Mac Williams.
Card Drawing
There was no card drawing this week. Only 50 cards remain. Hope springs eternal!
Closing
At the conclusion of the meeting, Katie reminded us that our new District Governor will visit next week. Afterward, we all stood to recite the Rotary Four Way Test, and the meeting was adjourned. Until next week…
District Cookbook Fundraiser
Larry and Deloris (mostly Deloris) are going to create the first Cookbook in District 7690 comprised of members’ special recipes!
Between now and October 1 members can submit recipes directly to Deloris at dlassiter@connectnc.net.
The cookbook will be ready by NOVEMBER 16 but you can order NOW!
Along with the cookbook you can get an apron and chef’s hat emblazoned with the “Be a Gift to the World” logo.
COOKBOOK …………………$25
APRON ………………………….$25
CHEF’S HAT …………………..$25
(Purchase all three items for $70)
ALL ORDERS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY OCTOBER 16, 2015.
Payments should be made out to your local Rotary Club and submitted to your club president
Club Related Dates
District and Club Business
2nd Tuesday of Each Month: Board Meeting for officers and committee chairs, 11 am until Noon.
September 15, 2015: District Governor’s Visit
September 29, 2015: Club Assembly
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Sep | Birthdays | Sep | Wedding Anniversaries |
8 | Francois Masuka | 2 | Lane and Charles Jones |
21 | Sang Ho Lee | 5 | Deva and Nancy Reece |
21 | Brad Moser | ||
29 | Penn Corbett |