Local Service Club Follows Towns, Villages & Masons in Using Zoom to Conduct Virtual Meetings
The Honeoye Falls- Mendon Rotary Club met for the first time in almost a month. Like many other organizations, businesses, and families, this meeting occurred online via Zoom. The local Rotarians even maintained a bit of their regular meeting template – including the open networking start of the meeting at 6pm Wednesday.
“If they didn’t have a beverage, I asked them to please get one,” said Shawn Bartnett, President of the Honeoye Falls/Mendon Rotary Club. “I had very good feedback from a number of members about the meeting and how much they enjoyed getting back together again.”
Channel 13’s Don Alhart was a surprise attendee. “He’s been involved in the induction of our Interact Club students,” says Bartnett. The Interact Club which involves high school students has had to adjust their schedule. For example, the group’s popular “Mr. HFL” event has had to be postponed, perhaps having it over this summer. “The group had mostly been meeting online anyway,” says Bartnett, “so they’re continuing to do some of their meetings just as they would normally during the year. They are worried that they won’t have their induction ceremony. Normally they would have it this time of year.”
Rotarians aren’t the only local service club to meet online. Honeoye Falls Masonic Lodge Union Star #320 hasn’t skipped a beat during this mandatory quarantine. They’ve maintained their regular bi-monthly meeting schedule. Similarly, local governments have turned to the internet to conduct virtual meetings.
Despite not meeting for a month, the Rotarians have been active in their community service. “Rotary has been supporting charities that have been trying to help during this shutdown of our society,” says Bartnett. “We are supporting the Grassroots group. A number of our members are joining in on that effort. See the article devoted to the Grassroots group on the adjacent column.
Bartnett adds, “We are also supporting ‘Created for a Cause.’ They are getting the artists together who are donating whatever they’ve made. They are having an auction and most nights at 5pm they auction off a piece of art. The money raised is mostly going to the Grassroots people to buy food and supplies for the needy in the Mendon, Honeoye Falls, and Lima area. We also hope to bring online shortly ‘Rochester Inspired Masks.’ They have already made over 3,500 masks with 104 volunteers sewing these masks.”
Those interested in donating to either of these efforts can go to the Honeoye Falls-Mendon Rotary website hfmrotary.org and go to the appropriate link.
