The scrapbook is finished!
Soon, I'm going to mail it to our twin club in Mongolia.
Sorry it took me so long, and I hope you all are having fun summers!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/besamijabon/sets/72157600350994376/



Cheers!
Lin

Notes for Meeting 4/24/07 (Last meeting of the year!)

- Went over projects we did throughout the year. Some of the projects: Ronald McDonald House (Soda Tabs), Habitat for Humanity, Gardening w/ Friends, Clothing Drive for Peace Week, Rotaract Conference, Fall for your Park, Fun Fair and selling pretzels, Greater Philadelphia Care Day, "Live Strong" bracelets, Friedman Cultural Arts Center, Schuylkill, and the Hunger walk. We are likely to continue many of these projects next year as well.

- Some new ideas for next year include a penpal system with prisoners, Swat Idol, and a project involving animals.

- Swat Idol: We are looking for a club to co-host Swat Idol with (an acapella group maybe?) as well as space (Lang or Upper Tarble) to host it. Some possible judges may be Liz Derickson, Martin Warner, and Paley from Chemistry. Ideas of prizes: Karaoke machine? Packages? There may also be two competitions: one for the best singers and one for the worst singers.

- Things we still need to do: Collect the final soda tabs around campus, send a photo album to Mongolia, and find more people to fill executive board positions such as Publicist.

- New meeting time for next year is still being decided. Also, Sharples may be the new meeting spot.

- We need to get a charter!

Thanks everyone for a great year and hope to see you next year as well.

Eric Kim `10 [Secretary]

More Fun Fair Pictures!

The fun fair was a huge success! We sold a lot of pretzels, and once the Rotary group matches our earnings, we'll have enough to buy two llamas for Heifer International. All in all, a great year everyone!

Click here for the picture link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/besamijabon/sets/72157600104646090/

Swarthmore Fun Fair!
Tomorrow from 12:00 noon to 6:00 PM
We'll be selling soft pretzels and sandwiches to raise money for Heifer International.
Help Rotaract buy a llama!



And while you're at it, check out our amazing adventure-themed window decoration.
For more pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/besamijabon/sets/72157600104646090/

If you have a shift selling pretzels or sandwiches tomorrow, Pierre will send you an e-mail.
See you there!

Lin

Notes for meeting 4/17/07

-Ride the Tide Activities Fair Friday 4/20! Let's get specs excited about service! Anyone who can please come at 11:00 AM to the front of Parrish for set-up. I will be there but I will have to leave when at 11:30 when the fair "officially" starts. I'll come back around 12:30 and the Fair will end at one.

-Decorating Booksource for the Fun Fair Saturday 4/21! Meet at the store Booksource in the Ville at 1 PM. Since the theme is "adventurers," we will decorate their window with a Lord of the Rings theme. Bring any Lord of the Rings pictures you can print out or draw, as well as any quotes, quenya text, etc. Decorating shouldn't take longer than an hour.

-FUN FAIR SUNDAY 4/22!!!!!!!!! I need someone to drive me to pick up pretzels from Pretzel Boys. Whoever is driving should pick me up at Parrish circle at 10 AM (the store isn't that far away). Everyone else - there are two shifts for the Fun Fair: 11:45 AM to 3 PM and 3 PM to 6 PM. Lin, Rosario, and I are already signed up for 11:45 to 3. Eric and Phillip are already signed up for 3 to 6. We need at least one more person for 3 to 6! The people arriving at 11:45 (and anyone else who wants to come) are marching in a short parade. For the parade, meet at the corner of Harvard Ave and Park Ave. If you arrive at 3 PM, we should be selling pretzels and bbq pork sandwiches at tables in the parking lot at the intersection of Park Ave and the road that leads to the Co-Op in the Ville.

-Last meeting of the year! Tuesday 4/24 at 7:30 PM in Parrish Parlors!

-Our new officers, Rosario, Phillip, Smitha, and Eric, if they can, should all go to the Rotary meeting on Friday 4/27. The meeting starts at 12:15 PM at Strathhaven Country Club, BUT since Phillip and Eric have class until 12:20, we need someone to drive them once they walk from class to Parrish circle - leave around 12:25 and get to the country club at about 12:30. The meeting should be over by 1:30, 2 at the latest, and it's fine to leave early if you have to. I just think you people should meet Rotary and let them know what we have been doing and what plans you have for next year.

Thanks everyone for a great year!

-Pierre

Hunger Walk 2007

Pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/besamijabon/sets/72157600080691294/

Notes from Meeting April 10th, 2007

HUNGER WALK!
THIS SATURDAY April 14th
We're meeting at 7:25 AM at the train station to catch the 7:31 AM train to Philly. Yes, I know it's early.
But, the walk will be over by 1:00 PM, it'll be tons of fun, and there are more reasons besides to go to the walk. ;)
Apparently, the link to the donation page isn't working--so, everybody who is walking and hasn't donated yet, BRING $15 IN CASH. We'll figure out where to drop off the donations when we get to the Art Museum.
Wear RED or a Rotaract t-shirt if you have one.

FUN FAIR!
SUNDAY APRIL 22nd
We are meeting at 11:15 AM by Park and Dartmouth (or Harvard?) to walk in the Fun Fair Parade.
Then, the rest of the day we'll be selling soft pretzels to raise money for Heiffer International. That will go until 6:00 PM.
The theme for the Fun Fair is "Adventurers" so we'll be decorating the window of "Book Source" in the ville very soon. Think about possible decoration ideas!

RIDE THE TIDE ACTIVITIES FAIR!
Friday April 20th 11-1:00 PM
We'll be setting up a table for the fair to talk to prospective students about our group. Please come!


In other news:
The officers have been decided for next year. YAY!
Co-presidents: Rosario Paz and Phillip Rhinehart
Secretary: Eric Kim
Treasurer: Smitha Neerukonda

The clothing drive was a huge success. Right now my garage at home is filled with random bags of clothing. Unfortunately, our Sierra Leone contact has malaria....so, Pierre is currently figuring out a way to get half the clothes to Africa. The rest of the clothes (mostly winter items) are going to a thrift store by Northwestern Human Services in Chester.

Thank you to everyone that helped out! We really appreciate it!

CHEERS!
Lin
lgyi1@swarthmore.edu

Minutes for Meeting 4/3/07

-Peace Week Clothing Drive 12:30 PM - 2 PM in Shane Lounge by the post office in Parrish Mon-Fri April 2-6. The remaining days people have signed up for are:

Wednesday: Smitha
Thursday: Phillip and Eric
Friday: Rosario and Lin

Even if you can't help man the clothing drive table, please donate any clothes that you aren't using! They will be given to a church in Sierra Leone (so please don't donate any heavy coats). Drop off any donations this week between 12:30 PM and 2 PM in Shane Lounge in Parrish

-Hunger Walk Saturday 4/14
We will meet at 7:25 AM at the Swarthmore Train Station and take the 7:31 AM train to Philadelphia. We need to meet the other Rotaract Clubs we are walking with at the Rodin Museum at about 8 AM. If you are walking, please help us fundraise! United with other local Rotaract Clubs, we are raising funds for the Philadelphia Coalition for the Aging's Emergency Fund, which provides grants for food to low-income older Philadelphians. Tell your friends and family (or donate yourselves!) to visit the website: http://www.active.com/donate/hungerwalk2007/ajoyce4
At the scroll down menu of team members, select Ashley Joyce, then in the screen that pops up choose how much to donate by credit/debit card. When filling out the donation form, it will ask you if you want to specify a certain charity. Select yes and type "Philadelphia Corporation for the Aging Emergency Fund" in the space provided. Anyone who donates $25 or more will be eligible to enter a raffle to win great prizes on the day of the race!

-Coming up soon: Decorating a Window in the Ville for the Fun Fair --- think of how we can decorate a window with an "Adventurers" theme. Also, ask those you know in other clubs if they also want to decorate a window (and if they want to have a booth in the fair - a great fundraising opportunity!)

-The Fun Fair itself is in the Ville Sunday, 4/22, from 11:15 to 6 PM. We need to meet at the intersection of Park and Dartmouth at 11:15 AM to march in a short parade, then we will sell pretzels and help Rotary with their BBQ pork sandwiches booth (vegetarians can just sell pretzels for Rotaract). Part of the money from the pretzels will go to Heifer International! (the rest will go into the Rotaract Bank account for us to use next year)

-We've been asking people interested in leadership positions next year to come forward on the blog, in e-mails, at meetings, and at events for some time now. Since we don't think there are more people interested in officer positions than there are officer positions available, the positions are pretty much first-come, first served! Phillip Rhinehart and Rosario Paz have expressed interest in being next years co-presidents, so what we really need now is a treasurer. This is a very important job that is just about as important as co-president. The treasurer should be able to come to just about every meeting and most service projects. (Since it's such an important position, you and the co-presidents would decide when meetings and service projects are to fit with your schedule). More importantly, you would do official dealings with SBC for budgeting, and would be the one who signs checks for our bank account. We need to have a treasurer before the end of this school year so we can transfer the bank account rights from Jayne (our current treasurer) to the new one. So interested, dedicated, and responsible people should contact pfont1 or lgyi1 asap!
The positions of secretary (which, if the secretary comes to every meeting, can be the person who updates the blog, making the co-president's job less crazy), director of international service, director of club service, and possibly more positions are still available! Just ask!

-If we don't have a picture of you or a little biographical blurb about where you are from and what you are doing here at Swat. (To send to our twin club in Mongolia) yet, please send lgyi1 one asap!

-See you next week! Tuesday 7:30 PM in Parrish Parlors!

-Pierre

Notes from Meeting 3/27/07

Saturday March 31st: We're meeting at the Swarthmore train station at 10:25 am for the Rotaract Conference at Manor College in Glenside, PA. The train gets off at Meadowbrook train station at 12:06 and the conference will begin at 1:00 pm. Anyone who wants to come is welcome. The conference should last until 5:15 pm.
For more information contact Pierre, pfont1@swarthmore.edu

PEACE WEEK!!!!
Monday April 1st to Friday April 6th
We're holding a clothing drive throughout peace week from 12:30 to 2 PM everyday in Shane Lounge (by the mailboxes). We need people to fill time slots--basically, sit in the lounge, and encourage people to donate clothes for peace week.
Let us know if you can help out.

April 14th, 2006
HUNGER WALK!
http://www.hungerwalk.org/
We've decided to walk as a group at the Hunger Walk. The event kicks off at 9:00 am -- but registration begins at 8:00 am on Saturday April 14th. The whole walk is 8 miles total, beginning and ending at the Philadelphia Art Museum. We're going to make a club donation--so $15 per walker. It's a great experience, tons of local bands will be in the area as well as radio stations covering the event.


Note** The fun fair is sunday April 2nd.

We're *STILL* looking for co-presidents and a treasurer for next year. Please let us know if you are interested in one of these positions.

Cheers!
Lin
lgyi1@swarthmore.edu

Minutes for meeting 3/20/07

-We need more people to come to meetings! Most midterms should be over by next Tuesday, so please come!

-Spring Philadelphia Area Rotaract Conference Saturday, March 31. We'll leave from the train station at 10:30 or 11:30 AM and can be back as soon as 6:30 PM, or if people stay for a fundraiser for Rotary Polio Plus International with a coffeehouse and music by Acoustic Philly, we might be home around 11 PM. (Different people can leave at different times.)

-Peace Week Clothing Drive, Monday to Friday, April 2-6, 12:30PM-2PM, Shane Lounge by the post office in Parrish. We need people to accept donations of clothes at our table in shane lounge from 12:30 PM to 2 PM each day that week. We need people for every day (and currently don't have anyone helping Monday yet), so please e-mail pfont1 saying when you can help! All Rotaract members should do at least one shift.

-Hunger Walk, Saturday, April 14. To make transportation easier, we might all just walk instead of having some walk and some volunteer. That means, although everyone is encouraged to donate at least $15 per person to the Coalition for the Aging, if people are unable to make a donation they can still walk with us (and other Philly Area Rotaractors) on that day.

-Decorating a Window in the Ville for the Fun Fair: Date TBA

-Swarthmore Community Fun Fair, April 22, 12 PM - 6 PM in the Ville. We need to meet at the intersection of Park and Harvard at 12 PM sharp to march in a short parade. Afterwards we will sell pretzels, and non-vegetarians can help Rotary sell barbecue pork sandwiches, too. For the parade, those of us who have Rotaract T-shirts should wear them, and everyone should wear something that has to do with the fun fair theme of "adventurers." They seem to be emphasizing pirates, so I am thinking we all could wear bandanas on our heads (and eyepatches if anyone has them or makes one with construction paper and string).

-Finally, Lin and I will not continue to be co-presidents next year, and we need aynone interested in being an officer next year to start telling us soon. Anyone who wants to be co-president or treasurer next year should be able to come to almost every meeting (and should set the meeting time for next year accordingly). For people who can come to most, but not all, meetings and are still active in projects, there also are the positions of secretary, director of community service, director of international service, director of club service, and (if anyone wants), director of professional development.

-See you at next week's meeting!

-Pierre

-Fun Fair

Minutes for meeting 3/6/07

Hi! Spring break is almost here! Hang in there!

Please e-mail pfont1 asap to say if you can attend the Spring Conference of Philadelphia Area Rotaract Clubs ar Manor College. We will leave at about 12:30 PM. The people who just go for the conference can leave as early as 6 PM, but anyone who wants to can stay to go with other local Rotaractors to a coffeehouse where we will raise money for PolioPlus. The coffe house will have musicians from Acoustic Philly - recently featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer. I need to tell them how many people are going (and whether they are staying to go to the coffeehouse) before Friday, March 16 (during spring break), so please reply asap!

Also, please e-mail pfont1 soon saying whether, on the day of the Philadelphia Hunger Walk, Saturday, April 14, whether you want to walk (and donate $15 per person to the Philadelphia Coalition for the Aging) or volunteer (pass out water, etc., which is free).

Finally, we will collect clothes for our Peace Week clothing drive from Monday, April 2 to Friday, April 6, from 12:30 PM to 2 PM in Shane Lounge (by the post office in Parrish).

Have a great break! We'll meet the first Tuesday after break at 7:30 in Parrish Parlors.

-Pierre

Notes: Meeting 2/27/07

Next Event:
March 24th
Rotaract conference for groups in Greater Philadelphia--to be held at Manor College.
Please let us know if you're interested in attending.

PEACE WEEK
March 30th- April 7th
We will be organizing a clothing drive for a church in Sierra Leone. We are thinking about tabling in the Parrish Lounge (where the mailboxes are). We will have sign-ups for shifts the first meeting after Spring Break. In the meantime, brainstorm ways in which this can be a more efficient venture.

HUNGER WALK
April 14th
Let us know if you would rather walk or volunteer at this event. The walk is approximately 8 miles around Kelly Drive and back to the Art Museum. We would suggest donating $15 if you are a walker. If you would like to volunteer (passing out water, etc), however, you do not have to donate money. We will most likely split into two groups -- walkers and volunteers.

FUN FAIR
April 22nd
The theme for the fun fair is "Adventurers." Every year, we decorate a window in the ville. If you are a member of another group that may be interested in participating in window decorating/the fun fair--please e-mail me (lgyi1) or Pierre (pfont1).
The decorating usually happens a week or so in advance--the actual fun fair will take place on the 22nd.

Finally--the end of the semester is slowly drawing near. If you would like to be a president let us know as soon as possible. We may hold an election.

Take care, everyone! Hang in there...only 10 more days until spring break!

Lin
lgyi1@swarthmore.edu

PS -- Do NOT forget to e-mail blurbs about yourself to pfont1@swarthmore.edu to send to our twin club in Mongolia. If we don't have a picture of you already, feel free to e-mail a photo to one of us.

Notes for Rotaract meeting 2/20/07

Hey!

-We're doing maintenance of the Bluebird Trail at the Schuylkill Environmental Center this Saturday, Feb. 24. We are meeting Saturday morning at 10:30 AM at the train station and will be back by about 4 PM. The people who I have signed for this are Lin, me, Smitha (maybe), Phillip, Rosario, Bettina, and Dan (Lin's friend from GWU)...if anyone else wants to go to this please e-mail pfont1 now! Also, if you are signed up and can't go please e-mail pfont1 now.

-Please write short autobiographical blurbs and e-mail them to lgyi1 asap to be included in our photo album that we are sending to our Twin Club in Mongolia.

-Lin, Phillip, and I are meeting with Karen Lorang of SBC this Friday (2/23) at Kohlberg Coffee Bar at 4 PM. Anyone who wants can come, especially freshman who want to be officers in the future and upperclassmen who have dealt with SBC charters or budgeting in the past!

-For the Philly Hunger Walk Saturday, April 14, some of us can walk with the Philadelphia Rotaract Club team (which would mean donating at least $15 per person) and some of us can volunteer passing out water or at other tasks during the walk (which is free). E-mail pfont1 soon saying if you want to walk (and donate) or just volunteer.

-For those of you involved in other Student Groups, tell them that they can (and should) have a booth at the Swarthmore Fun Fair, Sunday, April 22, from 1 to 6 PM. Tell them to to register at http://swarthmore.web.aplus.net/students.htm and e-mail jkoellh1 (Jayne Koellhoffer '07) with questions. We're also trying to get as many student groups as possible to decorate windows in the ville (the theme is "adventurers" - Pirates of the Carribbean, etc).

-Finally, check your e-mail inboxes for a power point presentation attachment from our twin club in Mongolia. We looked at it at the meeting tonight and it is unbelievably cute.

See you Saturday! (or next Tuesday)

-Pierre

Meeting 2/13/07

Happy Valentine's Day.

Sorry this took a while for me to post...

Quick Reminders:

THIS SATURDAY Feb 17th:
Anyone who wants to bake brownies and then bring them (along with the
soda tabs we've collected) to the Ronald McDonald House in Philly should
meet in front of Roberts (of PPR) at 10:30 AM this Saturday (2/17). Those
who stay to go to the Ronald McDonald house will take the 12:31 PM train
into Philly and should be back by 2:30 PM.
Contact Pierre if you're interested.

NEXT SATURDAY Feb 24th
Bluebird Trail Maintenance
10:30-4 PM



Twin Club Photo Album
Please e-mail a paragraph about yourself (major, interests, why you're in Rotaract, etc)
We are slowly filling up the album with postcards and pictures. Please e-mail me your pictures of Swarthmore, etc: besamijabon@gmail.com


Also--there is a Peace Week Meeting TODAY from 5:30-6:00.

Cheers,
Lin

Summary of meeting 2/6/07

- Please empty any "Pop it Like it's Hot" envelopes that you see (and especially the ones in your dorms) of the soda tabs in them and bring them to next week's meeting (2/13/07)

-Please bring photos of yourselves and of Swarthmore, along with any trinkets of Swarthmore and American college life you can think of, to next week's meeting. We have a twin Rotaract club in Mongolia and are preparing a photo album/memento book to send to them. Also, please join our Twin Club's e-mail group! To join, go to the page http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NuM_Rotaracts

- We are going to the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House on Saturday, 2/17, to drop off the soda tabs we have collected recently. We would leave in the early afternoon (the exact time will be decided next meeting). If anyone wants to meet earlier in the PPR kitchen to bake goods to bring with us (since Ronald McDonald house relies on donated food), please e-mail pfont1 or lgyi1 soon!

- We are going to do maintenance of the Bluebird Trail (remove last year's nests, right tipped-over posts, and build and install new nest boxes) at the Schuylkill Environmental Center on Sat., Feb. 24 (the day of Screw). We will take the 10:30 AM train from Swarthmore and should be back by 4 PM at the latest, allowing you enough time to dress up to meet your screw dates at dinner in Sharples. ***please e-mail pfont1 soon if you plan to go!

-Tri-Co Peace Week is March 30 - April 7. We will do a clothing drive that week, and we will collect clothes at a central location (Tarble? outdoors?) We are taking suggestions about what organization to donate the clothes to. Lin has suggested an organization that will send the clothes to those who need them in Africa, but please tell us if you have any more suggestions.

- The Philadelphia Hunger Walk is Sat., April 14. We might decide to split into two groups, one that will walk in the Hunger Walk (which requires a $15 donation per person), and another that will volunteer in the staging of the walk (handing out water, etc.) If anyone has any other suggestions (that we all do the same thing, etc.) please e-mail pfont1 or lgyi1.

That's it for now! See you next week!

-Pierre

ROTARACT SPRING '07
Jan 30th, 2007

Welcome back!

First and foremost, we would like to spread awareness about the club, so everyone who came to the meeting today--please remember to post flyers! Post them throughout your dorms, and other visible places. We meet every Tuesday at 7:30 Parrish East Parlor.

We are currently in the planning stages of this semester's activites--but there are a lot of good ideas floating around.
Let us know if you are interested in participating in any of these events, and please contact us if you have suggestions.

Saturday February 17th -- Schuykill Clean-up (Philadelphia)
Two shifts: 10-12 noon and 12:30 to 2:30 PM

Saturday February 24th -- Bluebell Trail Maintenance

The Walk Against Hunger is coming up on April 14th. To participate in the walk, you will have to form or join a team and gather sponsors to raise money. However, we will contact the coordinators for everyone who is interested in volunteering at the event (ie: passing out water). Kick-off begins at the Art Museum in Philadelphia at 9:30 am.

Official Website: http://hungerwalk.org/index.htm

The coordinators of SAVE R US (Students Against Violence Everywhere Are Us) contacted Rotaract about hosting an activity for Peace Week (also April). Basically, they need campus groups to organize discussions, lectures, collections, etc in order to advocate peace and non-violence.

We're thinking about either organizing a clothing drive on Parrish Beach or bringing in a speaker with the help of Swarthmore's Rotary International Branch. We have to confirm these ideas with SAVE R US first, but if we can organize the clothing drive--we could donate the clothes to Africa.

We would also like a member/a couple of members to go to the Peace Week meetings. Contact Brandon Wolff for more information:

bwolff1@swarthmore.edu
www.peaceweek.org
www.saverusinternational.org

Finally, one of Rotaract's annual events is participation in the Spring Fun Fair (in the Ville). We run a pretzel booth and raise money for the club. Swarthmore's Rotary International matches whatever we raise. In the past, we have donated this money to Doctors without Borders and Katrina Relief.

This semester, we may want to think about another cause. Please brainstorm ideas. So far--we're thinking of collaborating with Swat Sudan or Heifer International (www.heifer.org) . We'll go with the majority decision--either donating to a Darfur Project or raising money to buy a llama....

The fun fair falls on April 22nd.


Finally--Bettina has established contact with a Rotaract group in Mongolia. Help us think of ways to build our *twin-club* relationship. We'll be sending pictures of the group/Swarthmore campus and other memorabilia to their address.

Thank you very much for coming to the meeting! Remember to brainstorm and put up flyers.
See you next week.

Lin
lgyi1@swarthmore.edu