Newsletter - Current  May 04, 2008

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BREAKFAST BYTES  – VOTED DISTRICT 6780 BEST ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER – 2007-2008
Volume 28 - No. 45	Tennessee's First Breakfast Club	May 4, 2008

LITERACY FUNDRAISER THURSDAY – GOT YOUR TICKETS?

Former Oak Ridger Jon Jefferson will join Dr. Bill Bass at Thursday evening's fundraiser for literacy, sponsored by Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club and Altrusa International of Oak Ridge.

As "Jefferson Bass," the two men write fiction focused on University of Tennessee's Anthropology Research Facility – the Body Farm – and their joint appearance was announced late last week, as was the fact that they are now working on a novel set in Oak Ridge during WWII.

Dr. Bass, a world-renowned forensic anthropologist, founded the Body Farm more than 25 years ago. He is the author or coauthor of more than 200 scientific publications and, with Jefferson, a highly acclaimed memoir about his work, Death's Acre.

A well-respected teacher, he has been honored as National Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

Jefferson, who worked for a number of years as a science writer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, is a veteran journalist, writer, and documentary filmmaker. His writings have been published in the New York Times, Newsweek, USA Today, and Popular Science, and broadcast on National Public Radio.

He also is the writer and producer of two highly-rated National Geographic documentaries about the Body Farm.

Together, as Jefferson Bass, the two have written three Body Farm novels – Carved in Bone, Flesh and Bone, and The Devil's Bones – and a follow-up to Death's Acre, Beyond the Body Farm.

Books-a-Million will offer the Jefferson Bass books for sale, and a portion of the sales will go to our literacy efforts.

Auction also will benefit literacy efforts

Clinton Rotarian Bear Stephenson will auction several items at the event Thursday to help boost the funds available for next year's literacy efforts in our communities.

ORBRC member Jessica Wade has secured the donation of a 20-person luxury suite for a Tennessee Smokies baseball game, and the club has added a $200 food voucher.  Each climate controlled luxury suite at Smokies Park in Kodak (Sevierville exit # 407 off I-40) comes complete with hostess service, cable TV and a radio broadcast of the Smokies game you are enjoying.

Know a fan with a significant birthday coming up? Looking for a way to impress the in-laws or a business client who is a baseball nut? Put your group together now and get your bidding strategy planned. The package – valued at $600 – can be used for any game scheduled for a Sunday - Thursday during the 2008 season. Click the underlined text for a link to the Smokies' schedule and for a link to the special promotions dates.

Altrusan Nicky Reynolds has secured two tickets to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series O'Reilly 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway August 22 – and more was being added to this package at press time. In addition, Karen's Jewelers has donated a signed 10-inch Waterford crystal bowl  – a collector's item valued at more than $300.

Limited number of tickets still available

The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a reception featuring heavy hors d'oeuvres and beverages, and the opening remarks by event chair Leigha Stewart, representing ORBRC, will begin at 6:30 p.m. A limited number of tickets are still available. Contact us  to reserve your tickets today.

In addition to purchasing tickets, please offer to help on the day of the event – with ushering, ticket taking, auction assistance and more. This is an ALL HANDS EFFORT as we seek to beat last year's $15,000 total raised for local literacy efforts.

If you have questions, please see Leigha Stewart, Kathy McMillan, Ray Smith, Dave McCoy, Pat Powell, Bonnie Carroll, Kathy McNeilly, Karen Bridgeman, Louise Mixon, Kathy Edwards, or any other member of the committee.

Click here  to go to our Literacy Fundraiser page for more info on this event's long history and a list of grants awarded to support literacy for children, families and adults in our area.

Mark your calendars for ORHS Graduation Celebration 2008   Thursday, May 29 Set Up: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Kids arrive 10 p.m. - 11 p.m.   PARTY for 300 SENIORS: 10 p.m. Thursday, May 29, to ~ 6 a.m. Friday, May 30   Prize Patrol and Clean Up Crew (That's us under Dan Quinn's leadership) 5 a.m. - 8 a.m. Friday, May 30 (yep, that's A.M.)

Nominations open for ORBRC's Rotarian of the Year

Remember that nominations are due by the close of our meeting May 28 for Rotarian of the Year. Forms will be on your table Wednesday and also can be downloaded from our website's history and awards page.

Complete one and return it to the Sergeant-at-Arms table or to Pat Postma or email the information requested to Pat at ppostma@comcast.net.

Remember that the old expression "you can't win if you don't enter" applies here, too. If you don't nominate the person you have in mind, we may not have the chance to honor someone who has made a real difference in our club and our community over the past year. The winner will be announced at our annual meeting Wednesday, June 25.

Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club has named 21 Rotarians of the Year  since the award was initiated in 1985. Clyde Hopkins was our first Man of the Year – and the designation was changed to its current gender-neutral format in 1990 when Wanda Craven was honored. Pat Postma was our choice for the 2007-2008 Rotary year, and she will lead the search committee this year.

PROGRESSIVE DINNER - HEADS UP!

Wednesday, May 7, is absolutely, positively the last day to sign up for the progressive dinner, which at last count has nearly 50 people signed up! Watch for the sign up sheet at the Sergeant-at-Arms desk Wednesday or contact us via email!

RESIGNATIONS RECEIVED FROM MURPHY, HALL

APRIL 2008: Two members forward (Callison and Wilson),

two members back (Murphy and Hall).

While we were happy to welcome Kelly and Justin into ORBRC ranks in April, we were sorry to lose Alice and Rusty – and these particular arrivals and departures present the perfect definition of membership "churn" that all Rotary clubs – heck, all membership-based service clubs – face.

Alice, who has been on leave of absence while caring for her father and balancing the extra effort that requires, sent an email message after the dues statements went out: "Thanks for the reminder, but I have decided to drop out of Rotary. I really enjoyed being a member of the Club, but it is just a matter of priorities right now – both for time and money resources."

Rusty, who has worked so diligently managing the Attendance Desk each week, will be traveling a great deal more in his new position as corporate recruiting manager for Pro2Serve Professional Project Services, Inc. In March, he sent an email that said, "I evaluated my upcoming work load, required travel, and human resource society attendance requirements which will make it impossible to keep up my club duties. I have enjoyed getting to know all the great members and will miss the interaction with them. Thank you for this great opportunity to be a member of Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club.  If my status changes I will be in contact about possibly joining the club again. I wish the club all the best this upcoming year and years to come."

Those are the reasons that the Membership Committee efforts continue on a regular basis – and the reasons you hear regularly that we need EVERY member to keep his/her eyes and ears open to help find those folks in our community who will strengthen our club and help us grow (and just stay equal to the task!).

Remember that when you bring a potential member to a meeting between now and the middle of June, you earn a chance in the drawing to have the dues you paid by May 1 returned to you as a reward for a pro-active effort to build our club membership. And those members who sponsor a new member into the club during this Rotary year will earn a chance in a second drawing.

You can only win one drawing or the other (not both!),  but what do you have to lose?Someone once thought enough of you to sponsor YOU for membership. Maybe it's time to "pay it forward" and share Rotary with a neighbor, friend, co-worker, or business associate.

The Membership Committee will meet after the Club meeting Wednesday -- if you've got any questions about how to propose someone, feel free to catch one of those committee members and get your questions answered. Or send an email, and we promise a prompt response. And if you'd like to stay for the meeting and be a part of building ORBRC for the future, you're more than welcome to do so.

'BREAKFAST BRIDGADE' ON BIKES?

The Tour de France has nothing on us! Oak Ridge will play host to a number of national and world class bicycle racers this fall.

The inaugural "Oak Ridge Fall Velo Classic" will be held on September 6 and 7, 2008, and will feature a road race, time trial, and criterium. These three events collectively comprise what is known in the bike racing world as an "omnium."

The USA Cycling Federation and its state affiliate, the Tennessee Bicycle Racing Association (TBRA), will sanction both events, and professional and elite amateur racers who are licensed by TBRA will be competing for points that will help determine overall men's and women's champions for the year.

Plans are also under way to have a special road race for local recreational riders during the two-day event. While the elite competitors' road race will be somewhere around 100 miles or more in length, the event for recreational riders will be no more than 25 miles (with the option of riding a shorter portion of the course, if one prefers).

We hope to get local organizations to sponsor teams of employees to compete against each other and encourage them to view preparing for the race as a wellness activity. There will also be an opportunity for junior teams (high school-aged racers) and college teams to compete.

A "Barbecue, Bicycles, and Bluegrass" event will be held on Saturday evening at the Oak Ridge Marina peninsula that will be open to both competitors and local residents.

The objectives of the inaugural event are to promote Oak Ridge as a great place to live and work and as a "human-powered sports capital," as well as to lay the groundwork for promoting a major national bicycle racing event in Oak Ridge within five years.

Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotarian Lou Rabinowitz is promoting the Classic with the help of the of area bicycle racing clubs, the City of Oak Ridge, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, the Oak Ridge Rowing Association, sponsoring organizations, and individuals who are heading up committees necessary to coordinate such a major sporting event.

Financial and/or in-kind contributions have already been pledged by UT-Battelle, Methodist Medical Center, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and the Y-12 Federal Credit Union.

Our Rotary Board has agreed to support the event with our "Breakfast Brigade," club volunteers who will help with race-day activities such as marshalling the race courses.

The Classic will provide a great opportunity to show off those "Rotarian at Work" t-shirts that Brenda Thornburgh showed us at a recent club meeting. Speaking of t-shirts, all volunteers will receive a commemorative inaugural Oak Ridge Fall Velo Classic t-shirt at a special volunteers' social event that will take place on Sunday afternoon after the last race is run.

As one of the lead organizations providing volunteers, we are hoping to find a club member who is willing to head up the volunteer committee. That committee chairperson will work with Lou and the other race event promoters to determine the number of volunteers needed, recruit volunteers, and schedule them for the Saturday and Sunday races.

If you can help, please see Lou or phone him at 805-0632.

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* DISTRICT GOVERNOR ROBIN TEXTOR HAS A WEEKLY EMAIL THAT GOES TO DISTRICT 6780 LEADERS AND ANY INTERESTED ROTARIANS. CLICK HERE  FOR THE ARCHIVE.  SEND ROBIN AN EMAIL  TO BE ADDED TO THE WEEKLY DISTRIBUTION.