Area Organization News
Recent Barnesville Rotary Club Programs
October 22 – Member Rich Sidwell spoke about the recent tragic damages resulting from Hurricane Hellene that impacted the mountain areas of western North Carolina. He taught and lived in the region for a few years and has many friends there.
Sidwell spoke about the immenseness of the strop that impacted six states, the deadliest storm since Hurricane Katrina of 2005.
Through a PowerPoint presentation, he outlined the monetary losses and emotional lifecycle of a disaster individually and as a community as citizen work through the grief of loss, learn to recover and rebuild.
Lessons learned: “Never Say Never”, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it is gone,” “In times of disaster people self-organize.
Finally, Rich said, compassion and cooperation – the common bond of caring for one another shoves divisions of political and religious views aside.
October 29 – Member Patty Napolitano spotlighted how she “accidently” became a social worker through early experiences and people who had lasting impacts on her life – mentors, family and friend, problem solvers in communities along the way.
She believes God made us all “To Love and To Serve”. She described the challenges and problems that she has experienced over the years…unique ideas, looking forward to and planting new ideas to help for future community projects in the Barnesville community.
Napolitano mentioned looking into working with seniors and students to utilize a community space such as the Barnesville Depot; connecting Rotary Interact and Scouts projects; connecting students to seniors with life stories and local history opportunities among others
November 12 – Fellow Rotarians Richard and Steve Riesebeck provided an outline of the history of the family business, Riesbeck’s Markets.
The company will hit the century mark in 2025. The business was started by their grandmother Margaret Schumacher Riesbeck when she opened a grocery and “notions” store in March 1925 in Woodsfield. Financially, she was supported by many family members.
Today, Riesbeck’s is a 17-store grocery chain. In 1985, the company converted to an employee-owned business.
“The cornerstone of the businesses providing service to others, Richard shared while St eve said he business’s success is due to faithful employees and consumers.
The meeting, one day after Veteran’s Day, provided the perfect opportunity for Richard to share brother Steve’s story.
Steve Riesbeck is an Air Force veteran who served as a Russian linguist for eight years and jokingly remains the “family spy.”. Both men thanks veterans for their service to the nation.
November 18 – Micah Fuchs presented a program on the origins of the American Thanksgiving at a joint meeting of the Rotary and Barnesville Kiwanis clubs.
Fuchs said Sarah Josephe Hale (17887-1879) is known as the “Mother of Thanksgiving”. She was the editor of the most widely circulated magazine in the period of the Civil War, Godey’s Lady’s Book.
Beginning in 1846, she charged the president and other leading politicians to push for the national celebration of Thanksgiving as a national holiday in the United States. It had previously been celebrated mostly in New England with each state scheduling its own holiday.
Hale wrote presidents Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Abraham Lincoln. Her initial letters failed to persuade, but the letter she wrote to Lincoln convinced him to support legislation establishing a national holiday of Thanksgiving in 1863.
Thanksgiving did not become a permanent federal holiday in 1941 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a law establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the official date.
UL Rotary Winter Clothing Collection for Students
The Union Local Rotary is having a hosing a Hoodie program to collect hoodies, Sweatshirts, toboggans, gloves, sweatpants, etc., with colors of Red, Blue and Black.
A blue can is located at the Municipal building in Bethesda, from November 1 to December 4.
Donations may also be made at the club’s Wednesday Noon meetings that take place at 12:00 at the Pike 40 Restaurant. Financial donations are also welcomed.
You can donate items or make a financial donation to our club earmarked for this great project. We meet on Wednesdays at Noon at the Pike 40.
