sandi83

Hello fellow Rotarians,

November is a month of Celebrations and Thanks.  We start the month off with the celebration of Diwali.  It is a celebration of light over darkness, good over evil, hope over despair, and knowledge over ignorance.  It’s a time for families and friends to get together to decorate, gaze into the radiance of light, and enjoy culinary delights prepared from lifelong family recipes.  As I embrace this rich cultural experience, I will remind myself to be an inspiration to others and to be that shining light for others.

As we move through the month, I will also remind myself of the many blessing bestowed upon me.  I will give Thanks to those who have entrusted me with their personal thoughts and feelings.  I will give Thanks to the ones who love me – especially to my wife, daughters, parents, and friends.  I will give thanks to Rotary for opening my eyes to new possibilities, a world without polio, and millions of people making a difference and inspiring change in this world.  I have received much more that I have yet to realize, but each day I give Thanks for all of the riches of life I have received.

I have a special “Thank You” to YOU, Niles Rotarians, for being an extraordinary club.   You always try to give where and when you can in efforts to make this world a little brighter.  You care for one another as one of your own. You do the best you can and give it your all. You help those who need assistance, yet never ask for anything in return.  Your light is shining the brightest when helping others.  Thank you for opening my eyes, my ears, and my heart for this great gift.

Happy Diwali and Thanksgiving to all,

President Brian

Hello Niles Rotarians,

A new season is now upon us.  It leads into one of my four favorite seasons.  That is right, I have four favorite seasons.  What can I say, I like them all.

Please check pages 1 and 2 of the October Pinion for autumnal quotes; I hope you enjoy some of these quotes about Autumn as much as I do.

President Brian

Hello Niles Rotarians,

WOW!!  What a fantastic end to August.  Our District Governor’s (DG) visit is one for the ages.  It’s a day that will truly be a memorable day for me.  In case you missed it, on August 30, 2018 Niles Rotarians have donated over $1,000,000 to the Rotary International Foundation. YEY!!!  That is huge! Thank you to all Niles Rotarians, current and past, in achieving this milestone.  I would like to thank our own John de Sousa in helping us break through the $1,000,000 mark. It was an exciting day.

Not only did we break the $1MM mark, we all made the following recognitions:

Paul Harris Fellow (PHF):  Larry Day

PHF+4: President Brian Hughes, Merna Morse

Grand 2018/19 Donors ($1,000 in a year): William Arvoy, President Brian Hughes, Martin Spellman, Dolores Viano

PHS (Paul Harris Society – pledge of $1,000/year): Larry Day, Manuel Franco, Aggie Freeman, Brian Hughes, Tammi Sousa – we now have 19 PHS members, the highest in the district!!

Major Donor (cumulative giving of $10,000+): Harry Avila, John de Sousa

Benefactor: Harry Avila

Tim Lundell was very impressed with the support our club gives to Rotary International. Heck, he was impressed with our club in general.  There is one person who truly helped put this all together: Paul Iannaccone.  His efforts as our chair for RI Foundation have been outstanding.  He has brought a new understanding to the board and to our members.  Thank you Paul.

BUT…. that is not everything we did! Past President Rose and President Elect Bruce ran two meetings while I was away on vacation.  After the first month with y’all I needed a break.  Haha – I did miss everyone.  I heard both did a great job.  Speaking of great jobs….did you hear about our Social Change event?  About 40 people attended at the old Niles firehouse for pizza, drinks, and cars.  Thank you to Gary and Windy Mills for displaying your car collection for all to see. It was a great evening.  Not only did everyone have a great time, we gained two new eClub members because of it!!  YEY!! Great job Social Change committee!! Keep it up.

September is now upon us.  I hope you enjoyed your summer.  I know I did!  It was great times and a lot of fun.  I’m looking forward to fall and its new adventures.  Let’s embrace the new season and Let the Good Times Roll!

President Brian

Learn from yesterday, live for today, look to tomorrow, rest this afternoon – Charles M. Schultz