Dear Fellow Rotarians, we had an interesting and spontaneous Rotary Meeting this past Friday. In addition to honoring and recognizing Bob Dambrov for 40 years of Service “to” and “in” the Rotary Club of Springfield; we gave 3 of our members “the spotlight” to share a little bit more about themselves. This wasn’t planned, but our speaker cancelled at the last moment and Lucie Lewis, Rick Lee and Alisa Garanzha stepped up to help (me) and the club.

 

 

I’m not sure if the photo’s tell it all but we had a lot of laughs (cake and frosting too) throughout the meeting. Due to Dene Kimball’s generosity and woodworking skills, we presented Bob with a walking stick that Dean had started carving and will finish in the days ahead.
Our member spotlight gave us greater insight into the humor and struggles some of our members have faced. We learned that Lucie likes to (and I quote) “dig up dead people”! Seriously. A school project of her son’s 30 years ago to learn more about his family tree, has turned a hobby into a profession for her. After researching her and her husband’s families she now helps others trace their lineage.

 

While most of us know that Rick Lee is the former director of the Pioneer Valley’s Chapter of The American Red Cross AND the author of “High Ground”; many of us did not know that while living in Maine many years ago, he met fellow author Stephen King several times. Rick has had Mr. King sign many of his books and the 2 talked a lot about the Red Sox. Rick has yet to let Mr. King know that he too, is now an author. Maybe Stephen King might want Rick’s autograph one day?

 

And Alisa Garanzha told us stories from her childhood in the Ukraine. At the early age of 5, after waiting on bread lines with her family, she wanted to help out and decided to become an ENTREPRENEUR!!! Well, her 5 year old self didn’t know that’s what it was called. But she gathered some flowers from the back yard of her apartment building and went to sell them at the local farmer’s market. She sold them, which gave her a great sense of accomplishment. Now, with 2 Master’s degrees under her belt, she will soon be opening a local restaurant called Naismith’s Pub and Pretzel on Worthington St, next to Theodore’s.
 
So you see, you never know what’s going to happen at a Rotary meeting. You won’t want to miss the next one!