“Always go with the choice that scares you the most, because that’s the one that is going to help you grow.” – Caroline Myss – Author

 

“Success does not consist in never making a mistake but in never making the same one a second time.” – George Bernard Shaw – 1856-1950 – Playwright

 

“The best way out is always through.” – Robert Frost – 1874-1963 – Poet

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(notes provided by the unconventional and unorthodox Paul Conforti)

 

December 12: Our participation in this year’s Crisis Nursery annual Holiday shopping will take place.

 

December 14: A sign-up sheet was passed around for volunteers for this year’s Salvation Army bell ringing Champaign Walmart on North Prospect.

 

Darrell presented a chart showing the results of our membership drive and encouraged all to invite more possible new members.

 

PROGRAM

This week’s speaker was Professor Stephanie Ceman, Associate Professors of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Ceman received a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin in Bacteriology and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in Genetics. She was a Postdoctoral fellow at the University of Chicago in Immunology and a Postdoctoral fellow at Emory University in Atlanta, where she began her work on Fragile X syndrome. She was promoted to research assistant professor at Emory University.

She was hired in 2003 at UIUC, and is now an associate professor with affiliations with the Neuroscience Program, Beckman Institute and the Institute for Genomic Biology. She is also faculty in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine.

Dr. Ceman’s research focuses on understanding how protein regulation in the brain participates in learning and memory. Professor Ceman’s presentation focused on her current work with Fragile X Syndrome, the most common form of mental retardation in which a protein required for normal cognition is absent. Engineered gene modification is being studied as a way to repair and reverse inherited cognitive disabilities, including autism.

 

SPECIAL NOTE 1 – CU Sunrise Christmas Party – December 19

– We will have an omelet station, so a little earlier starting time is a good idea to allow people to partake of the omelet station.  The meeting will start at the regular 7:00 time.

– Bring children and grandchildren. To help make certain that Santa has an appropriate gift, please let us know names and ages and a short list of what kind of gifts they might like.

– Let us know if guests will be in attendance so we can plan food and tables.

– If you possess a “festive holiday sweater”, please feel free to wear it that day.  If enough people participate, there may even be a special prize for the sweater voted “most festive”.

– This year we will have a “Dirty Santa” game near the end of the party.  For those of you who haven’t played “Dirty Santa”, you bring a wrapped gift, and numbers are drawn to determine the order of participants.  First participant selects and unwraps a gift.  Next participant can either steal the gift, or choose another gift.  This continues until the last gift is unwrapped, at which time the first participant is given a chance to steal or keep the gift they now possess.  Usually there’s a limit of 3 “steals” for any particular gift.  If you plan to participate, please let me know.  Please limit the gift to a maximum of a $20 value.  Feel free to bring something from home you’ve been dying to get rid of!

 

SPECIAL NOTE 2 – CU Sunrise Foundation Bowl Pick ‘Em Contest

Now that Illinois IS back in the bowl picture this year’s Foundation Bowl Contest will be a bit more interesting. The first bowl game is Friday December 20th. Paul will be emailing information. We split the pot 50/50, half to the winner’s and half to the CU Foundation. Last year we raised $100, just for guessing bowl game outcomes.

 

POLIO UPDATE

“Four African countries have reported new cases of polio linked to the oral vaccine, as global health numbers show there are now more children being paralyzed by viruses originating in vaccines than in the wild.” — https://apnews.com/7d8b0e32efd0480fbd12acf27729f6a5 

 

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  Nov 28th Dec 5th Dec 12th Dec 19th
Introductions No  Keith Brandau Paul Conforti Diana Dummitt
Reflection meeting David Henry Mary Hodson Eddie Bridges
Greeters on  Keith Brandau Paul Conforti Diana Dummitt
annual Scott Paceley Robb Patton Allan Penwell
Song Leader Turkey Phyllis Mischo Scott Paceley Robb Patton
Notetaker Day Perry Penwell Hodson

 

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

December 5th – John Paul Buzard from Buzard Pipe Organ Builders will speak to our club about building organs (Bob)

December 12th – Molly Delaney, Vice President of Development, Eastern Central Illinois Foodbank (ECIFB) (Mary)

December 19th – CUSR Holiday Party

December 26th – No meeting

January 2nd – TBD (David)

January 9th – Club Assembly

January 16th – Rush Record, Executive Director, CASA (Mary)

January 23rd – TBD (Bob)

January 30th – TBD

February 6th – TBD (Cary)

February 13th – TBD

February 20th – TBD (Charlie)

February 27th – TBD (David)

March 5th – TBD (Mary)

March 12th – TBD

March 19th – TBD (Ondine)

March 26th – TBD (Tom)