Newton, New Jersey                 April 1, 2020         Carolyn Ottenbreit, Editor

• Bill Kehoe is happy that his family is safe and healthy so far and hoping everyone else is also.
• Bill is also happy for Frank’s return from North Carolina.
• Happy April Fools Day! Alice gave a happy dollar today for Manna House.  She is grateful for the work they do and her opportunity to help them yesterday.
• Jim Taylor I gave a Happy Dollar for all those heeding the directive to stay home!
• Buz gave a happy dollar for everyone who is making MASKS and distributing them to the hospital, area nursing homes and rehab facilities, the Sparta Cancer Center and Group Homes
• Carolyn is happy for all the people who have stepped up to deliver food to their older friends and family.

• Thank you to all Newton Rotarians who have volunteered to work at Manna House recently!  Dawn, Kurt and his wife, Alice and Buz have worked shifts already, and more Newton Rotarians have added their names to the on call list.  Please contact Pam if you wish to volunteer.
• Our Rotary District 7475 is holding weekly Zoom meetings.  The next meeting is Tuesday, April 7^th, at 4 PM and the guest speaker will be Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, an MD and Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  Registration is required.  You can register using the link Zoom Invite
• Ad solicitations have gone out for the Pancake Breakfast.  While the breakfast is likely to be rescheduled from May 2^nd, your placemat ad will help to keep the event on track and provide needed revenue.  If you did not receive a letter, please contact Todd Lattig, our Pancake Breakfast Chair, at pastor.toddlattig@gmail.com .  Please renew your support! 
• The Global Grant to provide pediatric heart surgeries in Sri Lanka continues to progress.  Yesterday, we received the last expected contribution, and are now requesting that the matching grants from the District and The Rotary Foundation be released.
• The Rotary Foundation Trustees recently approved placing $1 million in our Disaster Response Fund to make grants immediately available for applications related to COVID-19. To make sure these grants can remain available, they are asking for personal contributions to the Disaster Response Fund. These contributions will support the work Rotarians do as they help care for and protect people in their local communities and around the world. Make a gift to the Disaster Response Fund here.
• DG Ray Freaney has asked that Clubs consider the following projects during the Coronavirus pandemic: (1) Donate excess Personal Protective Equipment (masks, gloves, etc) that you may have stored at your business to local healthcare facilities., (2) Donate to local food pantries or the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, and (3) make an appointment with the Red Cross to give blood. 
• The District is running a district-wide 50/50, with 50% of sales distributed to the clubs.  If you are interested in selling, or buying, tickets, please contact President Carolyn at carolyn_ottenbreit@gmail.com.