Meet our 2023-24 Club President: Jenny Baker
You can reach her at jennybrockwellbaker@gmail.com
Executive Board Members:
President-Elect: John Lamanna (lamannaj@outlook.com)
Secretary: Paul Frank (pfrank@ptfassociates.com)
Treasurer: Bob Hall (rdhdds@comcast.net)
Past President: John Elrick (john.elrick@gmail.com)
Board Members:
2021-2024 2022-2025 2023-2026
Heather Hovermale Wilson Gilbert Darcus Breneman
Dave Miles Darla McCrary Gary Chrisman
Jay Smith Chuck Peterson Rick Mabe
Dave Sweeney Ridge White John Elrick
District Conference!
This year’s District Conference in Blacksburg at The Inn at Virginia Tech was exceptional! Activities started on Thursday with Pints For Polio gathering at Eastern Divide Brewing Co. Things started ramping up on Friday with pre-conference break-out sessions from 10-11:30 followed by a First Timers Leadership Luncheon. The General Session #1 & #2 ran all afternoon with speakers telling us inspiring stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things here at home and around the world. The day was brought to a climactic close with a Casino Night and Buffet Dinner. With good food, great fellowship, and a rousing fun time, everyone was a winner. Saturday began early with General Sessions which ran until noon. Motivating speakers emphasized the value of contribution, of living a more purposeful life, and how to regain motivation. The afternoon was open to many options, from break-out sessions on subjects like yoga, dance, how to run a meeting, Scotch tasting, club size dynamics, and others, to the more personal like working out, taking a nap, going shopping, or reading a book. Saturday was concluded with a hilarious Scotch & Plaid Rotary Foundation Celebration dinner. Our own Paul Frank showed off his moves while wearing a kilt to everyone’s vast enjoyment. On Sunday, a Memorial Service for those Rotarians we have lost over the past year and our final General Session concluded this amazing experience called District Conference.
What’s Going On
NEW MEMBER TALK
Jenny Grooms gave a thoroughly enjoyable “new member talk” to the club. Jenny noted that this was her third (one in Front Royal, two in Winchester) “new member talk” as she rejoined our club after a hiatus during COVID. Jenny (not Jennifer) grew up in Southwest Virginia as a self-described “nerdy jock”. Jenny was her class valedictorian and also played collegiate volleyball. Jenny’s husband is Forrest and she said they started dating soon after the movie Forrest Gump premiered so they are quite used to comparisons with Forrest and Jenny from the big screen. Jenny said that she learned to be resilient early on as an Army wife and moved into health care fundraising roles while stationed in Texas and Arizona. Jenny joined Valley Health in 2005 and now serves as the Executive Director for the Foundations of Valley Health, facilitating health philanthropy throughout the region at all six Valley Health hospitals. Jenny said that she has a passion for non-profit leadership and she feels that fundraising comes from a place of service by connecting resources with mission.
Upcoming Meetings
4-April: Chief Behan of Winchester; Kayla Foreman
4-April: Pre-Queen’s Dinner Civic Club Appreciation Event @5pm at The Village at Orchard Ridge Chapel
11-Apr: No Noon Meeting MEMBERSHIP SOCIAL Winchester Country Club from 6-8pm
18-Apr: Cabell Angle from New Eve Maternity Home
LAST WEEK’S PROGRAM
LAST WEEK’S PROGRAM
Updates from recent Rotary fundraiser beneficiaries:
Tracy Toth, Executive Director for Wheels for Wellness said that her organization used
the $18,000 raised during the 2023 International Affair for various operations including new office space on the Our Health campus and gas cards for their volunteer drivers.
Sharon Gromling, Executive Director for
Our Health said that Kaleidoscope proceeds helped Our Health replace a very expensive piece of HVAC equipment for the campus. Sharon noted that our club as given Our Health nearly $72,000 since the non
-profit campus was created. Elise Stine-Dolinar, Program Coordinator for Bright Futures told us that
her organization was able to replace their forklift with help from our club. Elise said that this tool is invaluable for them as they try to move 12,000 food items each week.
Newest Members
KIT REDMER – Kit is the new Communications Director for the City of Winchester. Kit and his wife Pau moved here last summer from Westminster, CO where he was also a member of their Rotary club. He is the one responsible for the “Snowbuster” volunteer program which the city’s citizens turned to during one of our few snows this past winter. Kit even got out there and shoveled sidewalks himself. That’s putting your hands where your mouth is! In addition to shoveling snow, Kit also likes music, sports, spending time with his wife & 2 young sons, current affairs, history, volunteering at food banks and serving the community. Besides event organizing and fundraising, Kit is also interested in A/V. Dave Miles, your prayers are answered! Kit was sponsored by Dick Kent and Jean & Cyril Barch.
KAYCEE CHILDRESS – Kaycee is currently the
President/CEO of United Way here in Winchester. She started her journey in Rotary in the Ashburn Rotary Club (2017-18) before coming to us. Kaycee is the proud mother of 5 ranging in ages from 9–27. She enjoys supporting them in their sports and music activities – a full-time job in itself. Kaycee
wants to help the ALICE (asset limited, income constrained, employed) population. We have Darcus Breneman and Andrea Cosans to thank for bringing Kaycee into our club.
Bagpipes For The Band –
Concert Rescheduled…..Watch for a NEW DATE coming.
100 YEARS AGO in October 1924 our club sponsored a series of concerts by the Royal Scottish Highlander Band as a fundraiser to purchase musical instruments and uniforms for the band at the newly opened John Handley High School. To commemorate the upcoming anniversary of this event, the Handley 100th Anniversary Celebration Committee is proud to present, with support from Winchester Rotary, a joint concert performance by the Winchester Pipe and Drums and the Handley High School Concert Band. The concert will be held in Handley’s Patsy Cline Theater. ADMISSION IS FREE. This event is part of the Alumni Music Series of the Handley100th Celebration. Hopefully a large contingent from our club will be on hand as our club again comes out in force to support our community
Frothy Fridays!
JOIN US on the last Friday of each month!
We meet at Vibrissa (10 N. Kent St.) from 5:30-7:00 PM to celebrate having survived our latest blast of Old Man Winter. Hope to see you there!
Health Tip of the Week
Stepping in for Libba Pendleton, Les Veach told us of the benefits of intermittent fasting, which include weight loss, reduction in blood sugar, and lower blood pressure. Most people fast for 12 hours, from 7pm until 7am. This eliminates that evening snacking which we all know isn’t good for us!
Rotary Road Trip!
President Jenny is looking for someone to organize the next
ROTARY ROAD TRIP!
This time we’ll take Andy Gyurisin up on his offer of a grand tour
of Laurel Ridge Community College and perhaps enjoy dinner
at either Vault & Cellar or Wayside Inn in Middletown?
If you would like to organize this outing (April/May/June time frame),
please email Jenny at
Our Meetings
We are currently meeting in Hybrid mode. Our meetings are held at Winchester Country Club on Thursdays. Doors open at Noon, and the program runs from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. If you choose to view our meetings remotely, there is also a Zoom option. The link for Zoom can be found on the Home Page.
Who we are
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
- FIRST: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
- SECOND: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
- THIRD: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
- FOURTH: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world.
The Rotary Club of Winchester, founded in 1921, is comprised of some of Winchester’s most prominent community leaders – men and women with a variety of backgrounds in business, professions, religions, civic and non-profit organizations. Our members take action to make the Winchester community stronger through their service, fellowship, and by setting a good example. Every week, we come together to fulfill our commitment to Rotarian values, such as friendship, fellowship, and service to others.
If this sounds like you, Rotary is the right place for you.
A key tenet of Rotary is service.
Our members roll up their sleeves’ to make a difference. Whether it’s collecting for the Salvation Army, handing out dictionaries in our own community, packing food to send to Haiti, the Winchester Rotary Club’s impact can be felt near and far.
If this sounds like you, Rotary is the right place for you.
