The club was greeted by Rtn. Joan Kjaer Kirkman.
Our Meeting was called to order by President Steve Quigley.
Announcements:
President Steve Quigley led the club in a moment of silence to honor the passing of former Rtn. Vince Maurer, who passed away on December 14th.
President Steve Quigley announced that Bill Bywater pointed out that we needed to recognize Rtn. Roger Simpson for his December birthday. Roger is a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. He is also the longest tenured Rotarian in our club.
Assistant District Governor Peggy Doerge recognized the club with a certificate of appreciation for the End Polio Now Campaign, for its significant and long-term financial support.
Rtn. Tara Minetos, co-chair of the Rotarians Supporting Women Committee, accounced that today is the last day for collection of donations for their scholarship, which will be awarded to a woman in the community, with preference given to a non-traditional student.
Rtn. Linda Farkas reported that candidates for the World Affairs scholarships have been interviewed and selected. The recepients are from Liberty, City, Regina, and West High Schools. This year, 22 students will be sent to World Affairs by our club.
Rtn. Jon Brown, co-chair of the New Members Committee, announced that the committee would meet today just after the regular club meeting ended.
President Steve Quigley reminded everyone that there will be no meeting on December 27th or January 3rd. The next meeting will be January 10th. He also announced that the Board’s subcommittee will post and announce changes to the bylaws to all members. Members may give their input to the Board on these changes.
Finally, the Iowa City AM Club will be doing last minute gift wrapping at the Coralridge Mall on Monday, December 24th. Bring your gifts to be wrapped from 8AM to 6PM.
PROGRAM:
Rtn. Anna Moyers Stone introducted the program and Hillary Ramaker, Executive Director of TRAIL of Johnson County, which stands for “Tools and Resources for Active, Independent, Living.” The organization has been around for about a year and a half and its goal is to support older adults who want to stay in their homes. It is a membership-based organization with about 185 current members in Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, and surrounding Johnson County communities. The organization runs with the assistance of about 70 volunteers and one part-time employee. There was a long-term effort to launch the non-profit and TRAIL is a member of the Village to Village Network, which provides resources to similar aging organizations. TRAIL of Johnson County is the first aging-in-place village in Iowa.
One of the benefits of membership to TRAIL is the volunteer services program. They offer transportation (about 90% of requests from members are for transportation), medical advocacy, Rise & Shine daily check-in, friendly visits, light housework and home projects, grocery shopping, technology assistance, and more. The things that volunteers cannot do are: provide emergency response services, home health care, regular ongoing tasks, and major home repairs.
Another benefit is access to pre-screened service providers who are screened for reliability, expertise, fair pricing, and customer satisfaction. The list is available to members on their website or by calling the office and includes pre-screened auto services, health and wellness, home maintenance and repair, in-home support, outdoor services, and more.
Another member benefit is access to TRAIL’s educational and social activities. There are member interest groups including knitting and book clubs, day-trips, and aging-in-place presentations and discussions.
Full TRAIL membership includes access to all support from the volunteer program, access to referrals from the pre-screened vendor list, the newsletter, and participation in social events. The cost is $45 per month for an individual or $60 per month per household. Affiliate membership includes all benefits except for volunteer services. The cost is $100 per year per individual, or $160 per year for a household. If you join by year’s end, you get a $15 gift card to a local grocery store.
You can get involved with TRAIL by becoming a member, volunteering, donating to the annual fund, joining the mailing list, or helping to spread the word. TRAIL’s office is located in Room 201 in the Senior Center, from 9AM to 1PM Monday through Friday. The website is
www.trailofjohnsoncounty.org.
The meeting ended at 1:00 pm as President Steve told the group, “if you are still looking for some gift ideas consider these: to an enemy, forgiveness; to a friend, heart; to a child, an example; to all, charity; and to yourself, respect.” He then led the assembly in reciting The Four Way Test.
MEETING:
Singing: America the Beautiful, Happy Birthday, and Stille Nacht were led by Rtn. Bob Crane with Rtn. Doris Preucil on piano.
Rtn. Anna Moyers Stone announced Peggy Doerge, from the Iowa City AM Club and Assistant District Governor as a Visiting Rotarian.
Guests of Rotarians: Joan Cook (Tom Cook); TRAIL Founders: Joy Smith, Susan Shullaw, David Rust, Charlie Anderson.
Program: Tom Cilek; Attendance: Nancy Droll
Please forward any newsworthy items and/or photos to Jon Brown or Janice Baldes to include in the weekly slide decks emailed to members prior to each meeting and shown just before Rotary meetings at the Club. You can send information to: Janice Baldes janicebaldes@gmail.com or Jon Brown at mjonBrown@taxesplusiowacity.com
It is our policy to have all members silence their cell phones before the meeting and refrain from answering their cell phones during the meeting out of respect to the speaker and fellow members.
