OUR PROGRAM THIS WEEK

Colleen Shendow- Direct Primary Care Provider

WHAT’S COMING UP. . . .

April 3rd – The next meal service at The Winchester Rescue Mission. Be there at 5 pm if you can help.

Apr 3-6th – District Conference

Apr 10th – Membership Social

Apr 26th – RUMMAGE SALE

May 8th – Theatre Night at Winchester Little

Theatre. The evening includes dinner and the

show, all for $25!!!

OUR PROGRAM LAST WEEK

New Member Talk – Larry Cain encouraged everyone to find one person on your contact list and pledge to contact them. He grew up in Winchester in the 60’s and 70’s, back when kids had more freedom.

His dad owned the newspaper store near the Timbrook Building traffic circle. He worked at FOX-FM as a DJ, a job he almost got fired from for having too much fun. He worked at several other stations and even traveled the country as a radio consultant. Now he does business consulting for small businesses, focusing on keeping expenses down, not just increasing revenue. He works for Insperity, a temp agency in Winchester. Now that he’s back in the area to stay, he was able to join Rotary. As a 30-year member of the Winchester Country Club, he also enjoys the fact that he can get

9 holes of golf in after our meetings!.

Healing Field of Honor Flag

Inspection/Repair Day March 29th was FIR Day – our flag inspection and repair day for the Healing Fields of Honor. Thanks to everyone who helped inspect and repair our flags at the Wilkins Fieldhouse last Saturday with help from the Shenandoah University basketball team.

New Member Drive

President John told us one of our club’s goals is 164 members (a net gain of 5 members). We’re 8 short of that goal for the year (which ends on June 30th). A simple ask is all it takes: “Would you like to join me for lunch at my Rotary meeting this week? I think you’ll find it interesting. Lunch is on me!”

Better yet, bring them to the social on April 10th!

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIR OF FOOD AND WINE

Our club hosted its 10th International Affair of Food and Wine on Thursday, March 27th. Over 180 guests enjoyed a curated selection of international and U.S. wines, expertly poured by winery representatives, as well as globally inspired hors d’oeuvres crafted by talented local chefs.

The event, held at Fox Meadow Barn, also featured a wine pull and a silent auction. The compliments are still pouring in!

We’ll have more details in the coming weeks as the committee reviews the event and final proceeds. We’re all excited to present a generous donation to NWorks.

A special thank you to the amazing committee and the wonderful support from our club members for making this another successful fundraising event in support of our community organizations, who are making a difference every day.

AND, FROM PRESIDENT JOHN: Well, it was months in the making! Following the leadership of Co-Chairs Tootie Rinker and Linda Coffman and many other dedicated Rotarians, The International Affair event was indeed a success. Attendance was better than expected, the food was excellent as expected and the wine brought its expected smiles and good cheer.

It was a good night for Winchester Rotary and the NW WORKS organization. As President-Elect Paul said at the end of the night…”It makes you proud to be a Rotarian”.

Proud to be a Rotarian. John

OUR ROTARY WEBSITE UPDATE

Angie Hausman gave a short update on the improvements she’s made to our club’s website. She described it as a “major overhaul to make it more front-facing to the community.” Her role – and goal – is to support every event and every member in their efforts. The more information (especially images) we can provide her, the better she can promote them. She has established a Dropbox account for people to upload images and other files. Upcoming events rotate through that section of the website. Each of the slides is linked to a dedicated page for each event, and that page has hyperlinks to buy tickets and get more information.

Angie (and Dave Miles) suggested that each event/group establish a point person whose task it is to provide information to Angie that she should post. Don’t just tell her to create a social media post. She can edit and wordsmith things, including adjusting images, but she needs succinct information to work with. Angie manages the club’s Facebook page and created an Instagram account that others can post content on. Likes and shares of Angie’s posts from your social media accounts will spread the word much more effectively than her posts alone. Lastly, Angie asked for club members to provide her with information as far in advance as possible!

RUMMAGE SALE – APRIL 26TH !

SPRING CLEANING WITH A PURPOSE!

The treasure hunt of the year is happening at the Ruritan Club in Stephenson—right next to the fairgrounds! This is a ONE-DAY-ONLY sale! SET-UP DAYS: April 23-25th, noon – 8pm. DONATIONS: Start gathering your “must-go” items now! Drop them off at the Ruritan Club when you come to help set up on April 2, 3rd – 2 5T H.

CONTACT: Got questions? Want to coordinate a drop- off? Call Wilson Gilbert (540-247-2770) or Jean Barch (540-247-8402).

Mark your calendars now to volunteer at this fun event. Stay tuned for more details coming soon!

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS GRANT PROJECT

We heard an update from Dave Sweeny on our latest district grant, which is supporting the Knights of Columbus kitchen that many of our club members volunteer for. The grant will also help build a storage shed behind the KOC to house supplies.

Watch for a 2026 project announcement coming soon.

We are providing volunteers every Tuesday morning from 9:30-2pm to help Chef Maggie Peterson prepare the frozen meals that are delivered later in the week to over 100 families in our community who need food assistance. To volunteer, click on the following link:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B45A8AF22A4FBCE9-54305202-knights#/

OR contact Tootie Rinker (tootie1222@gmail.com).

BOARD MEETING NOTES from John

The Board approved three Standard Operating Procedures which is a Goal of Strategic Direction # 2 of the Board’s strategic plan.

The goal is: Establish standard operating procedures which define responsibilities and maintain efficiency. The 3 SOPs were sent to all members by email. The committee will be looking at the several procedures that occur throughout the year from fund raising to the functions of officers.

To refresh your memory:

The goal of Strategic Direction # 1 is: The Rotary Club of Winchester will have a dynamic, fully engaged membership which reflects the demographics of the community.

The committee is working to ensure fidelity in our mentor program and initiating a red ribbon program to assist in engaging new members.

Goal Strategic Direction #3: Rotary Club of Winchester will operate in a fiscally sound manner demonstrating good stewardship of funds.

Much work by the committee is being done to ensure accurate reporting and accurate prediction of financial activity as we begin planning for next year’s budget.

MENTORS MEETING

Our Mentor’s Meeting has been rescheduled for April 3rd at 11am before our regular lunch meeting. All mentors are strongly encouraged to attend to review new guidelines for mentoring. Please let Libba know if you will be there.

HEALTH REPORT

Welcome back to Donna Parish….Gary Chrisman continues to get better. Jean Barch is getting around carefully on her new knee.

HEALTH TIP

Prioritize your sleep! Aim for 7-9 hours of quality rest each night to support your physical and mental well-being. Adequate sleep is crucial for maintaining a healthy immune system, regulating hormones, and supporting overall bodily functions. Plus, good sleep helps improve mood, focus, and cognitive function, reducing the risk of stress and anxiety.

SPECIAL THANKS!

>>Thanks to the four Rotarians who helped build a storage shed at the Knights of Columbus hall under the guidance of Dave Sweeney. It will assist with their food pantry.