| Rotary Flash for Meeting on January 12, 2010 |
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Our meeting began in the usual way with Bill McGrath leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance and God Bless America. Our invocation was given by Dan Carr. Sergeant at Arms Report John Hanna reported 57 of our 103 members in attendance today. We had a visiting Rotarian – Anne Peagler joined us for lunch from the New Stanton club. It was nice to see you again Anne. Also we had a number of guests. Ray Charley brought his son Mike as well as Jenn Miller and Marlene Kozak. Dawn Roberts brought her mother Bonnie Lewis, and Cathy Baumann brought Matt Southern. Rotary Foundation Moment Bill Thorne gave our Foundation Moment. For the first time in southern African history, a group study exchange has taken place between two formerly conflicting countries. In November 2006, a GSE team from Zambia visited South Africa, signifying improved relations between the two countries. This exchange was made possible from a contribution of district designated funds from District 9210 to District 9300. With the end of Apartheid in South Africa, these young professionals are now able to talk to one another and share ideas and common interests that will help their countries look to the future in peace. Some of the greatest stories being told today started with a contribution to The Rotary Foundation. Let’s make sure our club is part of the Rotary story. Students Joe Biss brought students from Greensburg Central Catholic. Madeline Leo and Kaitlyn Davis joined us for lunch. Announcements January 26th we will begin meeting at the Courtyard Marriott. Our last meeting at the Four Points Sheraton will be next week. Ray Charley announced some results for the donation project of turkey certificates back to the store. These certificates were matched by the Shop n Save stores, and they had 341 certificates donated back. As a result, $6,820 dollars were donated to the food bank. Thank you Ray. Mark Barnhart went out to Greensburg, Kansas. All of the boys said hello. We will be sending a student out to Greensburg, Kansas for a week in the summer. The school is ready to be opened and the hospital is being built. They have a town again – there are businesses up and running and it’s amazing the progress that has been made. Dates to Keep In Mind April 24 – Spring blood screening June 14 – Annual golf outing July 1-4 – Westmoreland Arts and Heritage Festival, where we will have a booth Word of the Week Bill’s word of the week is joss. The word is a foreman, or a boss on a job. Speaker Our speaker was Dr. George Austin, who spoke to us about bariatric surgery. Trying to change the public perception that obesity is truly a disease and not just a weakness or failure of an individual has been difficult. Surgical treatment is appropriate for qualified patients. Unfortunately there are very few options for obese individuals. Lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise; pharmacotherapy, for which only two drugs are approved each with various discouraging side effects; and bariatric surgery. Obese individuals are those with a BMI of 35 or higher. Those with a BMI or 40 or higher or 35 and higher with other medical conditions are the most common candidates for the surgery. There are three types of procedures, each with different benefits and downsides, and each have a mortality rate of less than 1%. Those who wish to undergo the surgery must go through an extensive screening process that includes dietary therapy and proof of motivation. On occasion individuals will still put their weight back on, so the screening process is not foolproof but it does help. They are still looking for better ways to screen and to educate individuals, because obese individuals spend $700 more in pharmacy costs each year and have a significantly higher risk of heart conditions. We ended our meeting in the usual way with the Four Way Test. |