President Ron Caruso presented Paul Harris Fellows to four members on March 1

All of us within Rotary strive to live by the motto. “Service above self. Each of us applies our unique skills and experience to helping others, with this as a guiding principle. The efforts and successes of our Club in this regard I am convinced will stand the test of time. We can be very proud of such major contributions to our community as Rotary Rink, the FLW Boathouse, “Old Glory” on the waterfront, and our mentoring program at Lorraine Academy among many, many volunteer efforts.

The opportunity, the challenge, yes, sometimes even the risk of stepping outside the normal bounds of helping others, to do what is right when it occurs should be recognized. Recently several members of our Club were asked to do just this. They responded as true Rotarians. When they learned that the home of a community activist who was trying to rid her neighborhood of drug activity was firebombed, they acted. With Paul Marzello leading the way, George Adema, Paul Lamparelli and Tim Lang came forward with the necessary resources to help restore this woman’s home. Working with a volunteer group of Santa’s (which proves that old adage that yes, there is a Santa Claus), they were successful in restoring her home so that she was able to move back into it before the Holidays.

Ladies and Gentlemen of Rotary, Honored Guests, it is a great honor for me with the assistance of Past District Governor, Joe DePaolo to award the Paul Harris Fellowship Medal to these four outstanding individuals., who have reached out and applied our Motto of Service Above Self in a very extraordinary fashion.

At our meeting on Thursday, February 9, there will be a special presentation honoring our Mentoring program by Past District Governor Karen Oakes. To learn more, please read Marian Hetherly's report of the Jan 26 meeting at Lorraine Elementary that was on two TV station websites:
http://downtown.wgrz.com/news/business/62777-buffalo-rotary-celebrates-20-years-mentoring-lorraine-elementary and
http://www.wkbw.com/younews/138225974.html

See a video to learn more about Rotary

Watch a short video about Rotary. Learn about "Service Above Self" among the the 1.2 Rotary members, in 34,000 Rotary clubs, around the world.

Rotary.org: About Us - Home www.rotary.org
About Us

Feb 2-Buffalo Building Reuse Project

Buffalo Rotary Club meeting of February 2, 12:15 at Templeton Landing.Laura St. Pierre Smith serves as Vice President of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, the region’s business advocacy
organization and chamber of commerce. She will make an interesting presentaion about the Buffalo Building Reuse Project (BBRP), a yearlong study of the downtown real estate market conducted by the Partnership at the request of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. Recognizing the oversupply of commercial real estate in downtown Buffalo, Smith and a team of several
dozen volunteers researched current development patterns, national trends, and the best practices of peer cities before outlining recommendations and key steps to advance downtown Buffalo.
BBRP’s core recommendations include:
• Designating the Buffalo Urban Development Corporation as the lead entity for downtown development
Utilizing a dedicated funding stream and enhanced tools to encourage downtown investment
• Implementing a housing in-fill strategy to transition class “B” and “C” commercial properties into residential use.
Laura Smith will be joined by two key BBRP volunteers: David Stebbins of the Buffalo Urban Development Corporation and Brendan Mehaffey of the City of Buffalo to brief us on the public/private commitment to downtown’s future and critical
future. to learn more, go to: http://www.thepartnership.org/Expertise/BuffaloBuildingReuseProject/BuffaloBuildingReuseProjectRecommendations

Buffalo News article about Read To Succeed

The Buffalo News published an article entitled "Giving books to young readers" in the Jan 23 on page B3. Read it Online at:http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/east-side/article715277.ece

An important quote states: "Armed with a $60, 000 donation from the Rotary Club, the Buffalo Agency was able to bring the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to families with children 5 and younger." A copy of the full article is available from jmcclive@buffalorotary.org.

Our upcoming Buffalo Rotary Fondation's fundraiser, "Wines Of the World" on March 2 at the Statler is a major source of income that enable us to make this contributions to the community. Thank you for your support

Ellsworth Statler's Buffalo

Ellsworth Milton Statler arrived in Buffalo in 1896 from Wheeling, West Virginia, brimming with confidence and ideas. He saw a booming city with the same attitudes as he and decided to grow with the Queen City. Like most Buffalonians of the time, he was an outsider but by 1923 he was acclaimed "Buffalo's First Citizen." Before he died, he was nationally recognized as the "father of the American hotel industry." Everyone knows the Statler Hotel in Niagara Square where we are holding our 7th Annual Wines of the World fundraiser on March 2. Few know that he built two other hotels in Buffalo, a ground-breaking restaurant, and a grand estate on Soldier's Place. Between 1896 and 1925, both E. M. Statler and his adopted city achieved breathtaking expansion and prosperity.

Our speaker, Susan Eck, is a native Western New Yorker. After a career in teaching, she was an administrator at UB. It was there she became technologically literate and, since retiring, she has applied those skills to illuminating local history on the web. Now in her third career, she was guest curator of the Niagara Square Exhibit at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society and creates virtual exhibits for BECHS. For the last ten years, she has researched and published biweekly historical pictorials on the Western New York Heritage Press web. And she is a Pan-American scholar, with her own web on Buffalo's 1901 Exposition (panam1901.org).

Dr. Satish Tripathi's talk before Buffalo Rotary on TV

A story on WBFO-FM reports UB President Satish K. Tripathi spoke at a Buffalo Rotary Club meeting Thursday about plans for UB 2020 and moving the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences downtown. The story also reports that Tripathi plans to visit 20 cities in 20 months, meeting with UB alumni to share the vision of UB 2020 and how they can participate. A story also appeared on YNN.
http://news.wbfo.org/post/university-buffalo-president-takes-ub-2020-road

http://buffalo.ynn.com/content/570040/ub-president-on-billions-for-buffalo/

Meeting Jan 12 at Templeton Landing University at Buffalo

Dr. Satish Tripathis, President, will discuss the Vision and Mission of the University at Buffalo.

Internationally recognized as an accomplished researcher and transformative higher education leader, Dr. Satish K. Tripathi was appointed the 15th president of the University at Buffalo on April 18, 2011.
Dr. Tripathi, who served as UB’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs from 2004-2011, was one of the principal creators of the UB 2020 strategic plan to achieve academic research excellence, and has led the university to achieve significant growth in research and scholarly activity, enhanced student quality and diversity, and an expanded international presence. Building on this strong foundation, Dr. Tripathi’s vision for UB’s future focuses on moving the university into the highest ranks of the nation’s leading research universities through expanding its reach and impact locally as well as globally.

Meeting Jan 5 at Templeton Landing Internatioanl students at Buffalo Seminary

In recent years, more and more students from around the world are studying in the United States during their secondary school years. Colleges and universities continue to host international students... in large numbers, and Buffalo has ranked in the top ten cities for the number of international students studying at the university level. Now, high school students are joining them! Buffalo Seminary began its residential program three years ago, and this fall twenty five young women moved into four homes in Buffalo to live and study here. The trend to encourage students to study abroad is something the Rotary has supported for years, but the opportunity to add residential programs at the secondary level in Buffalo offers new opportunities for our city and our students. The economic impact cannot be underestimated in this difficult economic time, but the knowledge and insight into the larger world constitute the real benefit for students. High school students today will make a difference tomorrow. The greater their understanding of what it means to live as global citizens, the more all of us stand to benefit. Jody Douglass is in her fifth year as Head of School at Buffalo Seminary. Previously she served as Head of School at George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill, Maine, where she helped start an international boarding program. She was Assistant Head of School and Dean of Faculty at Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts, and served as Assistant Dean of Admission at Middlebury College and at Bates College. In 2001, Ms. Douglass and her husband spent a year in Beijing, China, teaching for School Year Abroad. She has a BA in Sociology from Bates and an MA in English from Middlebury.

Read to Succeed, with the support of the Rotary Foundation of Buffalo, is bringing Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to children under age five living in zip code 14215!Your child is eligible:
From birth until he or she is 60 months (five years) old If he or she resides in the 14215 zip code on Buffalo's East side
Country music star and literacy advocate Dolly Parton created the Imagination Library to provide free books to disadvantaged children to foster a love of reading and to improve literacy skills among young children!
Each month all registered children from birth to age five will receive a new, age-appropriate book through the mail that will be theirs to keep! The child will continue to receive a free book every month until their fifth birthday - that's 60 books if a child is registered in the program from birth! This is a great way for children to start creating their own library at home.
Books in the Home Make A Difference!Research shows that children who grow up with books in their home typically reach higher education levels. A love of reading begins at home with an adult sharing story time with a child or group of children or by an older brother or sister reading to younger siblings. For children in the 14215 zip code in Buffalo, this is an opportunity to make reading fun and to make story-telling come alive with a new story each month!
Without early literacy skills, many children will struggle as they begin school. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library will provide new books to children in one of Buffalo's largest neighborhoods allowing children and families to start creating a culture of literacy at home.

Magical Memories on Main Street has begun. We are very grateful to NOCO for sponsoring this wonderful event again this year. James Newman, President of NOCO joined us at the dedication ceremony Saturday, December 3, when Rotary President Ron Caruso presented a check for $12,500 to Brian Dusenberry, President of the Theater District of WNY. Congressman Brian
Higgins and County Executive-Elect Mark Poloncarz extended their congratulations to all who worked so hard to restore these beautiful displays.
Be sure to see the dazzling display of decorated windows from the old A M & A's days. They are located on Main street, north of Chippewa. The displays will be lit and operating from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunchtime browsers and again for the evening crowd from 5 to 10 p.m.
The displays will be available until January 8, 2012
The Buffalo Rotary window is located in the building north of Market Arcade, home of the Rotary Club of Buffalo, located at 617 Main. Thanks to Anne Martin, and Therese Vita for their hard work decorating our window and to Mike Ryan and Richard Ridenour for helping them

On Saturday, December 3, 2011, First Niagara Bank presented the 2011 Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration! This annual holiday event is held at Rotary Rink at Fountain Plaza (Main at Chippewa Street) and marks the official opening of the free ice-skating season at Rotary Rink. Festivities began at 5:00 p.m. with free ice-skating. At 6:00 p.m., First Niagara Bank and Buffalo Place officials conducted lighting of the tree and Santa Claus lit a fireworks display over Fountain Plaza.
Immediately following the Tree Lighting, the fun continued with visits with Santa, holiday gifts, horse and wagon rides, clowns and balloon art, face painting and free ice-skating. Buffalo & WNY children enjoyed free ice-skating.

The Buffalo Rotary Youth Exchange "Winter Weekend" is being held Dec. 2-4. All the exchange students within the district come to Buffalo for a weekend of fun that includes tours of downtown and ice skating at Rotary rink.

On Saturday, December 3, 2011, First Niagara Bank will present the 2011 Downtown Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration! This annual holiday event is held at Rotary Rink at Fountain Plaza (Main at Chippewa Street) and marks the official opening of the free ice-skating season at Rotary Rink. Festivities begin at 5:00 p.m. with free ice-skating. At 6:00 p.m., First Niagara Bank and Buffalo Place officials will countdown the lighting of the tree and Santa Claus will light a fireworks display over Fountain Plaza.
Shortly after, Magical Memories on Main Street will begin. The Buffalo Rotary window, designed by Anne Martin and Therese Vita, is located in the building north of Market Arcade, home of the Rotary Club of Buffalo, located at 617 Main. THANKS TO ANNE MARTIN and THERESE VITA FOR THEIR HARD WORK SETING UP OUR DISPLAY and to MIKE RYAN AND RICHARD RIDENOUR for helping them

Meeting Dec 1 at Templeton Landing Community Grants

The Fall Cycle has two grant requests:

1 The Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center, Inc.’s mission is to improve the quality of life for adults, children and infants with communication disorders by delivering cutting edge diagnosis and treatment of hearing and speech impairments and related special education services.
Description of Buffalo Rotary's project: BHSC is raising funds to install an “Inclusive Play” or “Universally Accessible” playground at its main facility in the City of Buffalo that will be incorporated into therapeutic and educational programming for developmentally disabled children.

2. The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, (BOPC), is a 501c3 not-for-profit, independent, community organization that promotes, preserves, restores, enhances and ensures maintenance of Olmsted Parks and Parkways in the greater Buffalo
area to guarantee Olmsted Park experiences for current and future generations.
Description of Buffalo Rotary's project:When the citizens of Western New York and Buffalo exercise, visit, and play in the 1200-acres of pristine, landscaped parkland maintained by the BOPC, people interact with each other, smile and benefit socially and physically. This grant request involves a Buffalo Rotary “Welcome Location” at Delaware Park, which includes:

A three tiered drinking water fountain (child, adult and animal level)

Two plaqued park benchesplanting

Ten strong, healthy trees.

Nov 23 meeting at Templeton Landing

The Made in America Store opened on April 3, 2010. Located just 20 minutes from Buffalo and less than an hour from Niagara
Falls, NY, it is the only general merchandise store in the country that sells 100% American Made Products, down to the packaging. Their mission is to restore U.S. manufacturing jobs by providing American consumers a brick & mortar store and e-commerce site that guarantees that each product sold is entirely American in materials and labor.
Since Opening Day, the Made in America Store has been featured on ABC’s World News Tonight, FOX & Friends, and nationally
syndicated and satellite radio. AP articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and newspapers across the
country. Reporters from Japan and Russia have come to the store, making it an international story. To date, more than 50 tour buses have added the Made in America Store as a destination. And, buses are added every week, some from as far as Missouri!
In addition to requiring that all products sold are 100% American Made, down to the packaging, the Made in America Store insists on top quality at comparable pricing. Their customers know they are helping to feed an American family when they shop at our store. And, each manufacturing job has a positive economic impact of providing four additional jobs for the benefit of the U.S. economy.

You will enjoy this video of Diane Sawyer on ABC News. It is a good endorsement of Mark and his store. Share it with friends http://abcnews.go.com/Business/made-america-store-30k-items-buy-growing/story?id=13943386

There will NOT be a regular meeting and lunch at Templeton Landing this Thursday!
Instead, Vocational Service Committee's Laurie Albertsson has arranged for us to visit, participate and enjoy lunch at one of the dynamic agencies of the Rotary Club of Buffalo. The choices are:
Goodwill Industries Tom Lynch 1119 William Street Buffalo 14206 854-5283
Gateway Longview Jim Sampson 605 Niagara Street Buffalo 14201 883-4531
Food Bank Mike Billoni 91 Holt Street Buffalo 14206 852-1305
Salvation Army Major Tom Applin 960 Main Street Buffalo 14202 888-6201
Boy Scouts of America. Pat Coviello 2860 Genesee Street Buffalo 14225 512-6206

Monument will honor Hispanic American Veterans

Buffalo Rotarian Cas Rodriguez invites all Buffalo Rotarians to join him at the Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park today, Nov 11, 2011 at 4 p.m. for the Hispanic American Veterans Memorial Ground-breaking ceremony. A reception will follow.
Read more from the Buffalo News at:
Buffalo News article

The November 10 meeting will be held at Templeton Landing beginning at 12:15 p.m. It promises to be a big meeting. Mayor Brown is our speaker and that is a big appeal for guests. In addition, the Foundation will present two checks: Our final check of $23,000 to complete our $500,000 contribution to Frank Lloyd Wright's Fontana Boathouse and a check to the Buffalo Zoo of $19,902 for the Bungee Trampoline Project. Also, Cas Rodriguez will tell us more about the Hispanic-American Veterans Memorial at the Naval & Military Park that will be dedicated on November 11, as reported in the Buffalo News, Saturday Nov 8.

Mayor Byron W. Brown took the Oath of Office as the 58th Mayor of Buffalo, New York on December 31, 2005.
Elected Mayor with over 60 percent of the vote in the November 2005 General Election, Mayor Brown came into office emphasizing greater accountability and efficiency in City Hall, improving the quality of life for all city residents and a commitment to strengthening and expanding the city's economic development activities.
Since taking office, Mayor Brown has followed those three guiding principles by launching a Zero Tolerance Law Enforcement initiative targeting quality of life crimes, along with other criminal activity in the city; implemented the management accountability CitiStat Buffalo program, which monitors city departments' service delivery activities on a weekly basis; and reconfigured the city's economic development activities by creating the Department of Economic Development, Permit and Inspection Services, a change that has provided greater coordination and cooperation in all development activities taking place in the City of Buffalo.

A surge of economic development activity has followed Mayor Brown's election, including over $4.5 billion in planned, ongoing or completed development projects occurring throughout the City since 2006. Mayor Brown will update us on this activity.

Rotary meeting Nov 3

We welcome back, Bob McCarthy, Political columnist for the Buffalo News.
He will give us his analysis of the coming election, particularly the race for Count Executive.
Over the years we have looked forward to hearing Bob each year for his insights into the local political scene
The public is invited, cost is $20

Rotary meeting Oct 27

This meeting will be held at Templeton landing beginning at 12:15 p.m.

Judge Barbara Howe is completing her twenty-fourth year as a New York State
judge:first in Buffalo City Court; then,from 1992 through 2003,in State Supreme
Court; and since 2004 as New York State Surrogate Judge for Erie County.

Judge Howe has a bachelor's degree, with highest honors and Phi Beta Kappa,
from the University of Connecticut at Storrs.She earned her master's and Ph.D.
degrees in sociology from Cornell University, and the J.D. degree from the State
University of New York at Buffalo.She joined the faculty at SUNY/Buffalo in 1974
and became a tenured sociology faculty member there in 1981.Judge Howe
maintains appointments at SUNY/Buffalo as adjunct associate professor of sociology
and adjunct clinical professor of law.

Judge Howe is the author of numerous published articles and decisions,is a
frequent speaker at legal education programs,and has received numerous citations
and awards for professional leadership and community service.