Up-Coming Event – Friday April 27

Rotary Charity Dinner and Silent Auction

Friday, April 27, 2018 – 6 PM

First Baptist Church of Tellico Village
Fellowship Hall

Tickets: $20 – Must be purchased in advance

Dr. Robin Tricoli, Keynote Speaker
President of Hiwassee College

Dr. Robin Tricoli, president of Hiwassee College

It is a great honor for Tellico Lake Rotary to have the distinguished president of Hiwassee College as the keynote speaker for its Annual Rotary Charity Dinner.   Dr. Tricoli has a passion to help her students be the best they can be by instilling values of faith, excellence, tradition, and community.  Being a small, intimate Liberal Arts and Applied Science learning institution, Hiwassee prepares students for academic and vocational success.  Her talk will focus on teaching students to give back to their communities.

Hiwassee’s Mobile Dental Unit, a gift to the community to help the underserved in East Tennessee

Hiwassee’s Dental Hygiene program will be one of the highlights at our dinner.  Their Mobile Dental Unit will be on hand for touring as an example of its commitment to give back to the underserved residents of our area as well as teach our school children the importance of dental hygiene early on.

Come and be part of this exciting evening where we honor our charities and scholarship winners.  Help our Rotary Club continue to be a vibrant part of Monroe and Loudon Counties where we do a small part to support those who need a helping hand up.

Talbott Paynter, Director of Economic Development for Provision CARES

Talbott Paynter, a director at Provision CARES Proton Therapy Center, will be on hand to update us on recent technological advances in cancer treatment options. Talbott will give a short presentation about Provision CARES expansion plans and share how Proton Therapy is being used in new areas of cancer treatment.

Tellico Lake Rotary Club is very grateful that Provision CARES has been a major supporter of our charitable efforts for 3 years.

All proceeds from our Rotary Charity Dinner, Silent Auction, and Provision’s Tour de Tellico benefit our projects along with numerous local charities that truly offer a “helping hand-up” to those who really need it.   Recent projects and charities supported include:

•    Every 3rd grader in Monroe County and Greenback receives their own English dictionary
•    Boys and Girls Club of Loudon County
•    Good Samaritan of Loudon County
•    Good Shepherd Center of Monroe County
•    Imagination Library of Monroe County
•    Habitat for Humanity of Loudon County
•    Local high school students receive scholarships
•    Children in Wau, South Sudan, have a new water well
•    Haitian children have a school in Momance, Haiti
•    Haitian adults receive vocational training as they learn to construct hurricane-proof and earthquake-proof homes and structures in Momance, Haiti
•    Rotary’s effort to eradicate Polio Worldwide.

Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advance
from any Rotarian, at the First Baptist Church office –
865-408-0110, or call 423-884-3369 to reserve tickets.
Make checks payable:
“Tellico Lake Rotary Foundation”

Our Next Meeting -Thursday April 19 – Meeting at Hiwassee College

NOT MEETING AT FIRST BAPTIST

Touring Hiwassee Dental Hygiene Facilities

Join us for a special meeting at Hiwassee College to tour the beautiful facilities of the new Dental Hygiene department.   We will first have lunch in the school cafeteria and then have our meeting in the College Conference room located of the far end of the cafeteria.

The public is always invited to our meetings.   Please call John & Sue Everson @ 423-884-3369 to make a reservation by Monday, April 9, 4 pm.

Meeting – Thursday April 12

“Bluebird Population Suffers”

Chuck James gave a great talk about the Village’s Bird Club efforts to increase the Bluebird population in Tellico Village and Rarity Bay.

Chuck James, president and co-founder of the Tennessee Bluebird Society, spoke about the effects of the harsh winter of 2016-17 on East Tennessee’s Bluebird population.  Nearly 80% of Bluebirds North of I-40 died during that winter.   With the help of many volunteers across Tennessee the population has recovered nicely.

Chuck, who is also a board member of the North American Bluebird Society, said the NABS was originally founded to promote the preservation of the cavity-nesting bird species, which had been in decline in the 1960’s.

Bluebirds are a very family oriented bird. Stay all winter in East Tennessee and need our help to propagate and survive.

Chuck, along with others interested in conservation, began a bird club in 2010 in Tellico Village and began setting up bluebird nest boxes in various locations throughout the Village.  Today, club members monitor and collect data from 140 nest boxes to send to Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology.

Mike Maloney Joins our Club

Mike Maloney of Tellico Village is inducted into the Rotary Club of Tellico Lake by President Kathy Dickson and Mike’s sponsor, John Everson

Let’s give a warm welcome to Mike Maloney.   Mike has been in Rotary since 1981 and this is his sixth Rotary club.  His wife Linda joined us today for lunch to hear the Bluebird presentation and was pleasantly surprised to witness Mike’s induction.   Mike is transferring from the Rotary Club of Belvediere, IL.

Our Meeting – Thursday, March 29

“Famous Grandmothers of East Tennessee”

Mary Frierson, expert genealogist and member of the Lenior City Daughters of the American Revolution.

Mary Frierson, from the Daughters of the American Revolution, spoke about her research into the matriarchs of early East Tennessee families whose ancestors fought in the American Revolutionary War.   Her research included many family stories that helped bring these individuals to life.

Her talk left many of us with a desire to thoroughly research our own family trees to better understand who we are, why we have the name we have, and preserve both oral and written family history for future generations.

Welcome Janice Seymour

Past President Sue Everson pins Janice Seymour with her new membership pin.

It is with great joy we inducted Janice Seymour as our newest member of the Tellico Lake Rotary Club.   Janice and her husband Bob live in Seymour.  She works for Gallaher Plastic Surgery & Spa located right here in Village Square, Tellico Village.

Janice has been visiting our club and enjoys everyone as well as our great programs.  Make sure you give Janice a warm welcome.

Meeting – Thursday, March 22

“Building The Panama Canal”

John Everson gave a thorough presentation on the Panama Canal including the early history as well as the recent expansion of the canal to handle today’s mega-cruise ships and larger container ships.

One of our own members gave a presentation about the building of the Panama Canal.   Members John & Sue Everson visited the country of Panama in early February.

John was quite taken back by the magnitude of effort to engineer and build the Panama Canal.  Considered one of the 7 Wonders of the Modern World, the canal was actually started by the French in the 1880’s.   Malaria, Yellow Fever, and Dysentery took it’s toll on the work force and the French eventually gave up on building the canal.

In 1904, the United States purchased the rights from the French and signed the Panama Canal Treaty with Panama and work resumed.   On August 15, 1914, the first ship to transverse the new canal reduced the distance from the Atlantic to the Pacific by 8,000 miles and 21 days.   Over 26,000 workers died during the construction of the canal – mainly due to disease.

Meeting – Thursday, March 15

“Loudon County Moves Forward”

Loudon County Mayor Buddy Bradshaw

Our program was an update on the economic growth of Loudon County.   The Mayor of Loudon County, Buddy Bradshaw, gave an excellent presentation on the county’s growth, job growth, and economic development.

He also shared how well Loudon County works with Monroe and McMinn Counties to bring in new business.   We learned how the county works with Tellico Village POA to return foreclosed lots back the the POA so they can be sold and returned to the tax roles.

Meeting – Thursday, March 8

“Water Well Completed in South Sudan”

Gary Ubben of Lenoir City and member of London County Board of Education

Lenoir City Rotarian Gary Ubben was with us to announce the completion of our 2 year joint project to dig a water well in South Sudan, Africa.  The well was completed and placed in operation at an elementary school in Wau, South Sudan.

This project started when Loudon County middle school children read a book called “A Long Walk For Water”.  They were so moved when they read the true story about children their age walking up to two hours to fetch a bucket of water for their families that they wanted to help raise money to dig a well.

So, as a joint effort with the Rotary Clubs of Lenoir City, Loudon, and Tellico Lake, all the middle schools of Loudon County began an effort to raise $15,000 to provide a South Sudan community with a water well.   Gary spearheaded the effort.  The middle schoolers raised over $8,000 and with added funds from the 3 Rotary clubs, the $15,000 goal was reached and the well was dug in January, 2018.

Meeting – Thursday, February 22

“Tennessee’s Opioid Crisis”

Betty Kaczmarek gave us warning signs of opioid addiction to be aware of with family and friends.

Betty Kaczmarek, a retired pharmacist, gave a very sober talk about the opioid epidemic in our country and the impact it is having on people right in our own neighborhoods.  Betty started with some history of how we got where we are today – in many cases, Doctors have over prescribed addictive pain killers.  Patients have gotten hooked and will go to any means to keep their supply sources flowing.

In Tennessee’s case, roughly 300,000 residents are misusing drugs and an estimated 83,000 or so are addicted according state numbers attributed to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Tennessee has had a 26% reduction in opioid prescriptions but that has been almost mirrored by a similar increase in overdoses or near fatal drug-related incidents.  That revelation makes it clear addicts cut off from prescriptions will turn to more dangerous drugs on the street, such as heroin or fentanyl.

In the Tennessee legislature,  they realize the problem is multi-generational and that rather than pushing people off opioids, the first priority is capping prescriptions for first-time users, labeled “opioid naive,” before they can become addicted.

Meeting and Field Trip – Thursday, January 25

“Rollins Cemetery – Restoring A Forgotten Resting Place”

Gary Mulliner talks about the effort to rehabilitate the neglected Rollins Cemetery where 3 Civil War Veterans are buried.

Gary Mulliner of Kahite talked about the Rollins Cemetery Restoration Project.  Before Tellico Lake was flooded, 8 cemeteries would be affected by the rising waters so the TVA decided to rebury  about 150 graves to the existing Rollins Cemetery on TRDA property off Riden Road in Greenback.

Among the graves are several slaves as well as three Civil War Veterans and possibly a War of 1812 Veteran.  After Gary’s talk several of us went for a field trip to see first hand the work of over 20 volunteers.

Field trip to Rollins Cemetery. Many markers are simply a piece of a rock.   Many graves had settled and required filling to level the ground.

Norm Curtis (l) of Vonore has two great uncles buried here – William Curtis and Burton Curtis. Seymour resident Tommie Moser Nichols’ grandfather Peter Moser is buried here.  All three were Civil War Veterans captured at Vicksburg by Union troops but released once they promised not to fight for the Confederacy again.