Newsletter - Archive  Feb 15, 2010

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Snowy Friday, plenty of "shows"

Despite snow and cold and all that stuff, Rotarians like Winston Rutledge always seem to make it to their Friday luncheon meeting with the Jefferson City West Rotary Club. Whether it's good programs lined up by George Welling or hugs and smiles from President-elect Linda Nichols, or the warm friendly and hand-shaking persona of President Steve Houser, or the chance to win $1,000 from the club's raffle ticket czar Walt Rottman, there have been good crowds at our weekly meetings in February. Of course, it would be nice to be over the winter chill. Come on spring!!

JC West Rotary member No. 81

Charles Nicastro (left), retired school administrator, pictured here with Rotarian Brian Johnson, became the 81st member of the Jefferson City West Rotary Club on February 5. He is sponsored by Gary Sharpe. Welcome Charlie! And kudos to Rotarians like Gary for bringing in prospective members. The JC West Rotary Club's growth this fiscal year ranks third best in District 6080, according to the latest report.

Feb. 12 Program: Fighting Crimes Against Children on the Internet

There are 750,000 sexual predators prowling around the Internet around the world, says Rotarian and criminal investigator Mike Gray, and 55 per cent of teenagers give out personal information without realizing the tragic results of their "digital socializing" with friends and classmates.

    Gray is an investigator with the Missouri State Technical Assist Team which works with law enforcement authorities throughout Missouri to track down cyberspace culprits who take advantage of gullible kids. "Sending pictures via cell phones to friends is just as likely to end up being published time and time again on the Internet all over the world," said the former Sedalia detective.

     "Nearly one-sixth of teens who own cell phones have received nude or nearly nude images via text messages from someone they know," Mike noted. "Too often, the original sender unknowingly had played a part in the crime and could go to jail themselves."

    Mike encouraged Rotarians to set guidelines with their children over the use of the Internet or Internet-based games, be open with them about your concern, and become Internet savvy themselves.

Member Spotlight: Peter Goldschmidt

Peter Goldschmidt was a kid in East Berlin when he fled to West Berlin with his parents with just the clothes on his back. Trained in milling engineering, he managed to make it to America when he landed a job in Chattanooga at a flour mill, with just $10 in his pocket. He spent $1.50 for a haircut.

    After nine months in the U.S., he was drafted into the U.S. Army. He could have received a deferment, but he was ready to serve. The Army sent him back to Berlin to serve as an interpreter. After being discharged, he found a job as a car salesman in Springfield, Mo. Then he became the youngest franchise dealer for Volkswagen in Missouri here in Jefferson City. Next thing you know, he owned three dealerships - the last being the Chrysler-Plymouth-Jeep dealer in Jeff City. He also became active in the Missouri Army National Guard, and is currently a lieutenant colonel. Since retiring as a car czar, he opened up his Capital City Properties and Capital City Life Insurance businesses, and helped build the Goldschmidt Cancer Center that today bears his name. We are proud to have Peter Goldschmidt as one of our newest members in Rotary!

Coming Up Soon: Trivia Night on April 23

Trivia Night will be upon us sooner than you think. Now is the time to sell tickets to your friends and associates, buy tickets yourselves, or volunteer to be involved in the second annual Rotary Trivia Night sponsored by the Jefferson City West Rotary Club. It will be held on Friday night, April 23, again at Capital Ritz. Chairing this community-wide fund-raising effort is Rotarian Tim Haas. Once again, net proceeds from the event will go to the Samaritan Center of Jefferson City. You'll be hearing a lot about Trivia Night at upcoming meetings. For more information, contact Tim.

Future Programs

Feb. 19 - Kathy Cavender, Runge Nature Center

Feb. 26 - Chip Gentry, Angel Flight Central

March 5 - New member bios

March 12 - Karen Enloe, JCPS Foundation

Rotary Conferences coming up!

Here are three key Rotary conferences and special events coming up in the next few months. Put them on your calendar.

March 26-27: PETS/SETS Training for club presidents-elect and secretaries-elect, at Capital Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City.

April 15-17: All-Missouri Rotary Conference, involving all four state Rotary districts, at Springfield, Mo. This will be a fun event for all family members!

April 23: Rotary Trivia Night, sponsored by the JC West Rotary Club, 5:30 p.m. at Capital Ritz, a fun fund-raiser for the Samaritan Center. Open to the community.