We had another really great turnout for this week's meeting - 21 people!  Thank you to each of you who were able to make it out!
 
Also, THANK YOU to Colleen and Bill (visiting Rotarians), as well as Jane (friend of Becky M's), for joining us!
 
There were a number of announcements shared including:
  • We will be doing a canned/non-perishable food drive between now and our Tue 11/8 meeting!  All food donations will be donated to Shawnee Community Services, a local non-profit who provides food, clothing, etc. to those in need.  Folks who bring donations to the Tue 11/8 meeting will be entered in a drawing to win some Rotary swag!  ALL non-perishable food items are appreciated but their supplies of canned fruits, peanut butter, and ready-to-eat beans are extremely low!  If you can't make it to our next meeting, please email Matt and we can find a way to get your donation!
  • We're also collecting unwanted flower vases for Unexpected Blooms (see guest speaker recap below).  Vases must be between 5" - 8" tall and in good condition (no chips).  Bring those to our Tue 11/8 meeting to be entered into a separate drawing for more Rotary swag! 
  • Our District Governor Stephanie Meyer recently emailed clubs asking if anyone is interested in joining the Johnson County Theatre in the Park Advisory Council.  If you are interested in learning more, please check out their webpage here: THEATRE
  • Our club has signed up to volunteer at the Johnson County Christmas Bureau on Tue 12/6 evening.  We will need at least 12 volunteers!  If you are available to help, please sign-up here: JCCB
  • Lastly, we will be having our club holiday party in December.  Location and date TBD.  If you have any suggestions, please email those to Matt.  Signup sheet will be posted in early-November.
Our guest speaker for the night was Nancy Williams from Unexpected Blooms.  Nancy shared that their organization collects leftover flowers from weddings and other events, and then they re-arrange them into bouquets that are handed out in hospitals, senior homes, and more!  Why flowers?  Nancy shared that flowers have been shown to reduce stress, agitation, anxiety, and depression, while increasing happiness, peace, and life satisfaction!  They estimate that at least 7 people are impacted for every bouquet handed out (recipient, family, hospital staff, etc.)  
 
Interested in getting involved?  There are a LOT of ways you can help!  Are you planning an event that will have leftover flowers?  Contact them here to arrange pickup: CONTACT US
 
Are you able to help pickup flowers after an event is done, re-arrange flowers, or help with delivery?  You can volunteer here: VOLUNTEER   They have a couple of large events coming up on Sat 11/12 and Fri 12/2 where they will need help picking up leftover flowers.  
 
Lastly, if you want to donate money to help with purchasing vases, etc., you can do that through the Venmo QR code below (click on the code to enlarge it).