“Every Child deserves to fly!” was an inspirational story of how Michael Loccisano, as a volunteer pilot with Angel Flight, recognised the limited opportunities for children with health issues to achieve this dream. He described how he and Michel Verheem put their skills to good use to form FunFlight, recruiting volunteer pilots and aero clubs to give such children a positive and exhilarating experience. The success of the venture was obvious in the faces of the children in the pictures.
The passion and generous hearts of Michael and Michel shone throughout their presentation and proved that business success and compassionate generosity are not mutually exclusive. We already knew of Michael’s generosity in sponsorship of Eltham Rotary, however on Thursday we learnt a lot more about the man behind Hallmarc and the many values we share.
The Christmas Party on 15th December is shaping-up to be a night to remember with lots of fun and festivity. Get your bookings in and make payments this week. See the notices in this Bulletin regarding party food options and also the great news of the $1,000 Christmas raffle prize including a family weekend holiday at Lorne – a great initiative by Irene in support of Rotary Foundation.
I look forward to welcoming our new members - Christina and Andrew - to the club this week. We will also hear the story of Interplast, a Rotary project bringing life-changing plastic surgery services to the disadvantaged in developing countries.
The Rotaract Club of Diamond Valley meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month at 7:30 pm Meeting Details
The basket supper format of the Christmas Party allows people to have their widest choice of food, while keeping costs manageable. You can bring a basket of your own favourites, you can join with friends and share the catering on your table, or you can pre-order and pre-pay for gourmet platters which will be supplied from Bolton St deli and which will be available for pick-up at the Bowling Club.
The gourmet platters will include .......
- A choice of Salami and Ham OR Chicken and Turkey
All platters will include a mix of the following :
Salad base;
Cheddar cheese
Sun dried tomatoes
Olives
Eggplant or Artichoke
Roast capsicum
Dry biscuits
Cost is $25 (plate for 2) / $12.50 (single).
Plates/cutlery/cups/tea/coffee will be provided.
Drinks available at bar prices. The Bowling Club wine selection will be supplemented by selected red/white wine.
When booking, if your preference is a Bolton St Deli plate, remember to nominate your choice of meats.
Yes, In the heart of the $1,000 Christmas Hamper being raffled by Irene Cant in aid of the Rotary Foundation is a weekend at a family beach house at Lorne, just 1 street from the beach! It is a lovely property with 3 bedrooms including 2x QS beds and 2 single beds – great for a family or 2 couples.
But wait, there’s more!
The hamper also contains fine wine, bubbly and lots of other goodies to keep your spirits up! What a great way to celebrate Christmas and support the Rotary Foundation. Increase your chances by buying more tickets at clubnight ($5 each or 3 for $10) and be there at the Christmas Party on 15 December when the lucky winner will be drawn!
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This week we have a change of pace with our speaker updating the club on Interplast. Sonny Gomez is the District 9790 Rotary Interplast Chair. The International Service committee has committed to support Interplast this Rotary year.
Interplast sends teams of volunteer plastic and reconstructive surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and allied health professionals to provide life-changing surgery and medical training in 17 countries across the Asia Pacific region.
They work in partnership with local organisations, including hospitals, universities and local NGOs. The Interplast mission is to ‘repair bodies and rebuild lives’. Surgical services are provided to those who could not otherwise afford to access these, and by building the capacity of local medical systems through training and mentoring programs.
Chairman for the evening is International Service Director John Skinner and Jules Aussems will happily relieve us all of our hard earned dollars. We welcome two new members who will be inducted - Christina Proust (Nursing - Midwifery) and Andrew Sheppard (Signwriter)
St Mary's House of Welcome holds a Christmas Day Dinner for 300 homeless and disadvantaged people each year at Fitzroy Town Hall. This has been supported by the Rotary Club of Nunawading for several years, and this year Ann & John Lynch are participating on Christmas Day. St Mary's has put out the following wish list of items required for the day. Please contact Ann if you can assist.
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
$30.00 Coles/Myer Vouchers
About 280 are needed. This makes up part of the Adult Christmas present
Teenage Vouchers
Vouchers for Cotton On, Rebel Sports, Sportsgirl etc.
Movie double passes
Teenage Gifts
Beach towels, backpacks, jewellery, make-up kits, perfume, deodorant This is one of the hardest categories and the most needed.
Drinks
900 drinks (soft drink cans & water bottles) to keep both guests and volunteers hydrated.
Cake Stands
80 cake stands are needed - one for each table. If you have any old ones or see one in an Op Shop, please let us know.
Entertainment
Roaming entertainers, face painters, magicians, balloon artists are all welcome
Guests: Michael (potential new member), Chris Proust, Marion Hadingham, Michael Loccisano, Michel Verheem.
Reports from the floor:
Kevin Hadingham: Welcomed back John Skinner and congratulated him on the birth of his two grand daughters. Also promoted the Christmas party at the Eltham Bowls club. Colin will be providing platters for $12:50 per head for those that don't want to make their own.
Sally Squires: Visited Eltham North Primary School.
Brett Linsell: Thanked everyone for supporting his Movember fundraiser. In total Brett raised $2,600.
Irene Cant: Reminded everyone that Raffle tickets are still for sale and that the prizes will be drawn at our Christmas celebration on 15th December.
Raffle: Won by Sally Squires this week.
Speakers: Michael Loccisano and Michel Verheem presented FunFlight to us, of which they are co-founders. FunFlight is a charity established to provide children touched by adversity with the joy and inspiration of an exhilarating flight. They co-ordinate children in need with pilots willing to give they time and equipment to provide them with an unforgettable experience. Michel even twisted to arm of the Air Force into providing a FunFlight in a Hercules transport aircraft. Michael is already well known to the club for providing a charitable donation through his company Hallmarc of $60,000 over three years to pay the rent at the shed. For more details see funflight.org.
As mentioned at clubnight, the Rotary Club of Greensborough Central has also invited all clubs in the Southern end of our District to a get-together Christmas Party at Diamond Creek on Monday 12th December - full booking details are on the flyer below.
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