The Gainesville-Haymarket Rotary meets every Wednesday at 7:30 am at the Piedmont Country Club. Here's the address:

14675 Piedmont Vista Drive, Haymarket, Va 20169

Please sign on to the District Club Database and review/update your membership information.

Congratulations to Linda Marlow, who became the newest benefactor in the Gainesville-Haymarket Rotary Club. Linda was awarded her plaque at last week's meeting. Thank you very much Linda for your service and for your continued dedication to Rotary.

The Gainesville-Haymarket Rotary Club sponsored an end of the year party for the Battlefield Interact Club as a way of saying thank you to the students for all of the support they have given various Rotary projects throughout the past year. Both students and Rotary Club attendees enjoyed a pizza party and cake at the high school, where the students were recognized for their exemplary service and dedication to the local community and also their first involvement in an international project, where the Interact Club exceeded their goal of raising $300 for the children in Romania. The Interact Officers were presented with pins for their service this year and each officer was recognized by the Interact Club sponsor Wista Rector, for their unique contributions to the organization. Wista was also presented a bouquet of flowers from the Rotary Club as a token of appreciation for her dedication to the students and the organization. It was a wonderful celebration of a very successful year for the Battlefield Interact Club. Pictured below are all of the attendees at the party, as well as another photo of the 2008-2009 club officers.

Our next First Friday Fellowship will take place on June 5 at the Desiderio Italian-American Grill in Gainesville. We will meet for dinner and informal fellowship at 6 pm. Come out and get to know your fellow Rotary members and their spouses in a relaxed, friendly environment. The restaurant is located in the same shopping center as the Harris Teeter at the intersection of Route 29 and Route 15. Spouses are welcome.

At our meeting last week, we inducted new member Bill Campbell to Rotary and also welcomed Bill Strachan to the GH Rotary Club, who transferred from another club. This week, Bill's wife Lisa will officially join our ranks! Congratulations and welcome to our newest members.

The way we remember our fallen says much about who we are as a people. Today, I’m remembering three types of ceremonies that have touched me over the years for their poignancy. I was a Royal Canadian Sea Cadet in Canada, and there, the Cadets are not sea-going Boy Scouts, but an extension of the Canadian Militia. Our remembrance was called the Sunset Ceremony, and it honored the nine-and-a-half million men who died in two world wars. A drum-and-bugle band was assembled with a uniformed precision guard, bayonets fixed. Eight bells were struck precisely at sunset, followed by the playing of Hearts of Oak, and the firing of three volleys, the last in ripple fire, with muzzle flashes visible at dusk.

The first modern use of chemical weapons took place at Ypres, Belgium, on April 22, 1915. German forces opened 6000 cylinders of chlorine, killing 5000 French troops and opening a two-mile-wide hole in the Allied Canadian-French-Algerian line. Ever since 1927 the Belgians have honored the fallen there by playing The Last Post at the Menin Gate of that city, precisely at the 5:00 p.m. time of the attack. To hear The Last Post as it honors those men, go to www.greatwar.co.uk. When the window opens, click on . Then go to the left margin, and click on to experience the sorrow and respect of the French people. It raises the hair on my arms.

The U.S. lost fifty-two submarines in World War II. In the submarine service, we do The Tolling of the Bells. Veterans, or their survivors, of the lost boats assemble at a pool. The roll is called one boat at a time, alphabetically, beginning “USS Amberjack.” As each name is called, a veteran and his escort step forward carrying a model of the submarine and a wreath. A bell is struck once. The veteran places the model in the pool and launches it forward: as it slows, it raises its stern and sinks to the bottom. The escort then casts a wreath after it upon the water. We do this fifty-two times. When we finish, there are fifty-two subs on the bottom of the pool; fifty-two wreaths on the water; and not a dry eye in the house.

As for me, this weekend I’m flying Don’t Tread On Me. We have a great nation, and there are so many to remember for it.

TODAY'S PROGRAM

Congressman Gerald E. Connolly

Congressman Gerald E. Connolly is serving his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia’s 11th District, which includes Prince William and Fairfax Counties.

Prior to his election to Congress in November 2008, Congressman Connolly was Chairman of the Board of Supervisors in Fairfax County.

Mr. Connolly served a total of 14 years on the Fairfax County Board, the last five as Chairman. He is a hands-on, common sense Congressman who continues to devote attention to what matters to us at the local level.

In his first 100 days, Congressman Connolly has sponsored and supported important legislation to get our economy back on track, cut taxes, protect our environment, and ensure that the children of Northern Virginia have access to health care.

Congressman Connolly lives in Fairfax with his wife Cathy and daughter Caitlin.

LAST WEEK'S PROGRAM

Bonaventure Gonsalves, Bonefish Grill

Bonaventure Gonsalves goes by the nickname "Bonny" .Bonny from Bombay, India has been in the restaurant business for about 25 years.He has been here 21 years working in Miami and Chicago. Bonny has been with The Bonefish grill for 7 years and as many of us know has been proprietor of the Gainesville location. He resides in Gainesville with his family including two teenage daughters. Bonny spoke to us about the challenges of keeping good employees in the current economic environment and shared some of his personal strategies for keeping his staff motivated and enthusiastic. He spoke of the importance of leading by example, training his employees and empowering them to create a work environment where everyone strives for complete customer satisfaction.

At the end of the meeting, Bonny generously donated a certificate for dinner for two, which was auctioned off to raise money for the club.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS & EVENTS

Date	Speaker	Description	Guest Of
June 3	Austin House	Farthest Corners	Marilyn Karp
June 10	Eric Latham	Walk Across America	member
June 17	Jim Aram	Classification Talks	members
June 24	NO MEETING
July 1	TJ Hassan & Kevin Turner	Forum International	Amelia Stansell

HOLD THE DATE

Date	Event	Time
Friday, June 5	First Friday Fellowship at Desiderio's	6 pm
Sunday, June 7	Rotary 101	3-5 pm
Thursday, June 25	Rotary Transition Celebration
Saturday, September 26	Childrens Wellness Festival

Rotary Club of Gainesville-Haymarket

2008-2009 Board of Directors

Officers	Name	Directors	Name
President	Dennis Fargo	The Rotary Foundation	Russ Tuck
President Elect	Charlie Mills	Club Administration	Lori Power
Vice President	Alan Myers	Membership	Linda Marlow
Secretary	Don Rusch	Service Projects	Marilyn Karp
Treasurer	John Grzejka	Club Public Relations	Amelia Stansell
Sergeant-at-Arms	Ali Sayed	Rotary Community Corp	George Layne
Interact Club	George Layne	Past President	John Grzejka

Places to make up a meeting

If you would like to make up a meeting online, you can click here.

Excellence is the result of:

• caring more than others think wise
• risking more than others think is safe
• dreaming more than others think is practical
• and expecting more than others think is possible

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