We welcome all of our Visitors:

Jennifer Dewsnap, Daniel Berger  (Ellen)

Neal Hirsch (Ed)

Denise Spelling, Mgr. of the Shops of Sunset (Diana)

* * * A N N O U N C E M E N T S  * * *

HARRY WHITE SCHOLARS

Diana Phillips – Rotarian Extraordinaire - will take over the mentoring of the remaining Harry White Scholars. 

As the club’s foundation pairs with Take Stock in Children and the Florida Prepaid Scholarship program, the last of the ones solely sponsored through our club will be linked to us through Diana’s loving care.

AMBASSADORIAL SCHOLAR

Ed  Fischer took Daniel Nguano, our UM Law student

shopping this week and Daniel requested to have someone take him to the beach.  He’s never been to the ocean.

ATTENDANCE

Pansy
Diana
Felipe
Donna

will divide responsibility of watching over 11-12 members.  This is an opportunity to find out why member missed a meeting. 

The roster will be divided alphabetically. If you’ve missed 2-3 meetings you’ll get a call.  There will be a friendly competition among the four callers to light the fire under their members.  
Attendance is a requirement of the club.  Concern about each is requisite.

PROJECT MEDISHARE

The Rotaract Club of UM is thrilled to announce it has reached its campaign goal of $56,000 towards its nutrition project in Haiti . We are even happier that this is a result of the combined contributions of the vast majority of clubs in the District. We cannot thank you enough for your confidence in us, and for your steadfast support during the past year. 

We are presently working on the final stages of the project's logistics and on submitting the Matching Grant application to The Rotary Foundation (for review in August 2007). This is being done with tremendous help from Rotarians in 6990, Rotarians in  Haiti , Project Medishare (our partnering NGO), and DGN Marcy Ullom. If the matching grant is indeed approved (and we are confident of this), a total of $112,000 will have been raised to alleviate malnutrition in Haiti 's Central Plateau!

Construction for the Akamil factory is currently underway and is expected to conclude in December 2007. By this time, we should be ready to purchase and ship the required equipment, and expect to begin production of the first batch of Akamil soon thereafter. Of course, we would love for Rotarians to be present at the groundbreaking of the factory, and to see first-hand the need for Akamil in the region.

Haiti has been a troubled country for a long time now, and many have shied away from assisting its people. We are proud to belong to a District that is leading the way to provide a means by which Haitians can escape the endless cycle of poverty, thereby securing themselves access to the economic ladder of development.

Rotaract of UM thanks you for your contributions. More importantly, we thank you for your confidence in the Akamil project, for your confidence in Project Medishare, and--above all else--for your confidence in the people of Haiti .

Yours in Rotary Service, 
Dipesh Patel & Samira Sami
Campaign Co-Chairs

INSTALLATION BANQUET

FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT PROGRAM

Interested in hosting an exchange student for 2007-08?  Either take on one school year or split the year with a second Rotarian.  See Mike Mills for details.

Matching Grants – Donna Gaines, Chair

 Matching funds = $300 left matching up to $100 per person.  Credit cards accepted

Time is rapidly running out to make your gift count this Rotary year. Yes, the new year does not begin until July 1, 2007 but delaying much more in the ensuing days could mean that your gift might not be counted until after July 1^st and you risk not being recognized this year for your valuable financial support.

Many of you make your gift by means of a check that is given by you to the Foundation chair in your Rotary club or through your club treasurer, and that is great. Know, however, that you can easily make a gift online - right now - via the Rotary International website, www.rotary.org, with full confidence that the donation will be credited to your personal account and that your club will receive full credit. All that you need to know is your Rotary International member number. If you are unsure of your member number you can obtain that from your club president or secretary or you can email me and I will personally provide you with the information. Once you have that number simply click on member access on the right side of the upper navigation bar on www.rotary.org.

From humble beginnings to now what is considered by philanthropic experts to be one of the very best foundations that benefits humankind it is . . . your Foundation. Our Foundation; The Rotary Foundation! Be proud of it . . . and support it, please, as best you can.

Jack Martin

Governor, 2006-2007

Rotary International District 6990

We were visited by Derrick Santana, a Marlin’s representative, who distributed signed baseballs, a nifty bahama hat, and other memorabilia to those knowing Marlin’s trivia.  

Here’s a club fact, if you want to know about baseball,  sit next to Doreen. 

98th Rotary International Annual Convention

Salt Lake City, Utah

$$$ PRINTER CARTRIDGES FUNDRAISER $$$

We are accepting empty inkjet cartridges.    Bring them to the meetings or take a postage-paid plastic envelop home –             ask Mike Mills

DID YOU MISS A MEETING ‘CAUSE YOU WERE AWAY?

For online make-ups:

http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/downloadcenter/pdfs/eclub_list.pdf

Visit www.rotary6990.org to find a club to make up an absence.

Take the opportunity to visit another club and meet new and interesting members who are business owners and community leaders.  They might be interested in the services that you provide.

Attendance credit for a 30-minute interactive club Web site activity offers an alternative to making up a meeting at another club. To earn this credit, Rotarians log on to the site, read up on a range of subjects, post comments, & submit a form to the club secretary.

For make-ups anywhere around the world when traveling internationally:

http://rotary.org/support/clubs/index.html

NOTIFY DOREEN REITNAUER, SECRETARY, OF ALL MAKE-UPS:

dhiker217@aol.com

Officers 2006/07                              Officers 2007/08

President:     Linda Kaplan                     Mike Mills         
Vice President:    Ellen Book                  Linda Kaplan
President-Elect:    Mike Mills –               Bill Enright
Secretary:     Doreen Reitnauer               Doreen Reitnauer          
Treasurer:     David Jacobs –                 David Jacobs
Sergeant-at-Arms: Greg Kendall                         Hampton Booker

Board of Directors

Darrel Downs                                        Ellen Book

Ed Fischer                                            Fabio Fernandez

Raquel Hickey                                       Ed Fischer

Azam Malik                                           Maxene Graham

Asaad Masoud                                                  Pansy Graham
 Dan McCrea                                         Dan McCrea

Diana Phillips                                        Jody Perlmutter

Donna Gaines                                       Diana Phillips

John Sorgie                                          John Sorgie

Don Streaker                                         Don Streaker

Doug Weinman

Lydia White – to be absent

Committee Chairs:

Club Administration – Mike Mills                         Donna Gaines

Service – Peter Wendshuh                                 Linda Kaplan

Fundraising – Raquel Hickey                  Wendy Lapidus

Foundation – Donna Gaines                   Cathy Miller

MWOLASKY@WOLSASKY.COM

(305) 670-7005

ELDER LAW

The years will fly by and you find yourself a senior, and Elder Law will be a concern.

Practicing since 1980, Ms Wolasky is an elder law attorney and also a former Rotarian from the Kendall Club.

She started out in private practice real estate and business law.  When as a primary care giver to a senior, the responsibilities gave her the intimate difficult decisions to use her legal skills to help others in these situations.

Issues that impact the lives of the elderly
Social Security
Long term care insurance
Guardianships

”Community spouse” know how to keep your home and a savings of $98,000 and still qualify for medicare for your wife or husband

Seniors are vulnerable to many risks by preditors. 

Victimized by

·        telemarketer charging them

·        transferring properties schemes

·        expensive estate planning packages

·        believing in “official” looking mail.

When trying to protect your children from estate probate, the law is counterintuitive.  Not every measure is appropriate.  There is a stepped up basis negative tax effects.

Medicaid allows you to keep primary home.  It is mind boogling to get information together to apply.  You do not have to lose your life savings due to a major illness.  Medicare helps the acutely ill but the critically ill person has coverage for only 100 days.

Today’s reality we need to educate seniors for a healthy future

Ask Questions – don’t be afraid
Take care with strangers – selling something
Share suspicious bills

Keep accurate records
Learn the law – elderly execute advance directives
Attorney properly qualified in elder law – public benefits, veteran’s benefits

Prepare a proper power of attorney for an impaired elder to avoid an emotionally draining guardianship

Long term care insurance was easier to access in the past when policies were more liberal and affordable.  In your 50’s and 60’s it is harder to get.  Buy it now.

Revocable trusts: there is not one solution for everyone.  It is not necessary if the person has only one home and  just a couple of accounts. 

Partnership coverage – passed 1/1/07 can be either for specific periods of time or unlimited.  If you have run-out on a long term policy, you don’t have to spend down your assets. Now Medicaid won’t punish you for trying to be financially responsible and having too much money.