|
At the last meeting in December, Elections were held for the 2009-2010 Club and Foundation Officers and Directors. With a unanimous vote, the following Slate of Officers and Directors were approved: B-CC Club Officers and Directors President: Greg Wims President-Elect: Rick Tanenbaum Vice President: Jack Alexander Secretary: John Stock Treasurer: Don Balderson 6 Directors: Varda Fink, Bhavesh Naik, George Nash, Barbara Ott, Larry Tansinda, Cynthia Word Foundation Nominations 2009-2010 President: France Pruitt Secretary: Louis Paul Treasurer: Don Balderson 4 Directors: Cindy Bertaut, Jeff Campbell, John Hanson, Mark Scott |
|
|
Last Week’s speaker was Becky Wagner, of Community Ministry of Montgomery County (CMMC), which was founded 35 years ago. In 2008 their name changed to Interfaith Works. Today they are an interfaith coalition of more than 140 congregations representing over 65,000 families, working together to meet the needs of the poor in Mont. County where 50,000 people live below the Federal Poverty Level, and 1/3 are children. The Community Action Board of Montgomery County has recently reported that its self sufficiency standard indicates a family of three (parent, infant and preschoolers) require $62,146 per year to meet basic needs. Interfaith Works programs include homeless services, housing, family services, clothing centers, and emergency support programs that provide assistance to individuals and families who have a hard time making ends meet. About 95% of each donated dollar goes into supporting these programs. The failing economy is creating additional stress on poverty level families. |
|
Dr. Sean R. Roberts, Associate Professor and Director of International Development Studies Program at GW spoke about Central Asia, an area he has lived and worked in since 1989. Central Asia has historically been closely tied to its nomadic peoples and the Silk Road. As a result, it has acted as a crossroads for the movement of people and goods between Europe and parts of Asia. Central Asia consists of the five former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Islam is the religion most common in the Central Asian Republics & their governments tend to be secular, authoritarian, and autocratic. Several of the countries are resource rich and have large reserves of oil and natural gas. This leads to geo-political tension as the countries in Europe, as well as China, Russia, and India compete for access to these resources and the means to control the routes taken by pipelines under development. |
|
|
 Our Foundation presented 2 grant checks last week. Randy Schools and Tom Wolf accepted a $1,200 check for the 20th Annual Goodwill Dinner, which provides a safe atmosphere for the less fortunate, from seniors living in low cost housing to the homeless in our community, where they enjoy a traditional holiday feast.  Richard Gilmore accepted a $2,000 check for the Harold Rosenthal Fellowship in International Relations, which offers students a summer fellowship position with a Member of Congress or in the Executive Branch.  Our speaker was Judy Olsen, Deputy Director of the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps is allowed into countries that ordinarily might not welcome outsiders because of an emphasis on respect for cultures. There are currently volunteers in 74 countries. The Ukraine is the largest Peace Corps country at present with over 350 volunteers. As part of the service goal volunteers get involved in projects for local communities. These projects can involve construction of a soccer field, water purification, or anything the community might want. The community is required to raise at least 20% of the project funds. The project is posted on the Peace Corps web-site and groups such as Rotary or Kiwanis will provide funding. This frequently occurs in combination with local clubs. The typical project costs between $500 and $5000. |
|
The B-CC Foundation presented a check to A Wider Circle for their Neighbor to Neighbor Program, furnishing homes of local families in need. 
Our Speaker Blair Lee talked about the area elections, and the election of our country's President. This election created a change in the relationship between the American people and the government, driven by the worst economy in 80 years. Although he will honor the current estate tax laws, Mr. Obama plans to "soak the rich" by lifting the cap on Social Security taxes, and instituting unrepealable middle class entitlements like health care and tax cuts. These programs will create a middle class dependency on government for support. Mr. Blair doesn't think bi-partisan efforts will work, because of great pressure on the Democrats from the far left, and environmental lobby and unions. Locally, the Slots are too little too late for our battered state budget, especially as it will take two years to ramp up the program. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Page 12 of 14 |
Archive
