WELCOME BACK AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

 

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE- Dave

Cashier: Brianna

Invocateur: Alan

Scribe: Angie

Publisher: Phil

Visiting Rotarian: Phil Nadeau CCS

   

Starting the new year: We now have microphones on each table.

 

We also had a big welcome to our member Glenn Currie who we haven’t seen for several years. Glenn has been a member since 1994.

 

Birthdays:

 

Ginny: Her birthday was Jan 3^rd. She is enjoying going to the gym 3x’s a week and she donates monthly to Rotary. She joined Rotary in 1991 and enjoys it. Otherwise, everything is cool.

 

Mary: Her birthday is on the 15^th- This is her first birthday with us and thanks everyone for the welcoming. She loves Concord and this year she has her first grandbaby!

 

Happy Dollars:

 

Dave C: He had a great time in Florida with his family. He went to Disney with the kids and Wow-Disney world is a money machine- expensive but worth it.

 

Jenna: Her daughter’s other grandmother was hit while ridding her bike. She is okay but askes that you keep her in your thoughts. Her daughter, Lily, is going to be 11 and this is the first time she wants to celebrate with others. Many events are planned and a sleepover.

 

Glenn: A pleasure to be back and see so many others he knew, Congrats to Ginny for such long service. He thanked many Rotarians for serving as President at least twice.

 

Becca: She had a great vacation with her kids over the holiday. Very festive. She is grateful to have the time with them.

 

Warren: The Concord Chorale winter concert was almost sold out for both shows. He thanked the Rotary for being a sponsor. He shared a snippet of a song with us. There will be another concert in May that Rotary sponsored. He will share the details at a later time.

 

Rena: We had a great turnout for the Salvation Amy kettle drive. She will be in Denver visiting family for the next 10 days. It is twice as warm there….

 

Shannon: He will be going to Poland in a couple weeks to visit his family. The twins are now standing (ignore the bruises). He is looking forward to next year as president but is working on building his team. We are still in need of a Vice President and 1 or 2 Board Members. See him and he will give you a briefing of responsibilities.

 

Sue: This Thursday is her and Curtis’ 43^rd wedding anniversary. Congrats!

 

Announcements:

 

We received a Thank you note from Christ the King Food Pantry for our $50,000 donation. With it was a framed photo. Unfortunately, we do not have anywhere to display it, so Dave generously gave it to Liz as she assisted it the donation approval process.

 

Thanks for all the cold weather donations collected last month. They will be picked up next week for distribution.

 

Next month: Vocation: We may be able to donate to the Nursing and Dental Students with items they could use in their field.

 

We were unable to fill some slots on the kettle drive so we may rethink if we continue to do that next year. We only had one door as opposed to two- and still couldn’t cover it the full time requested.

 

We will vote on our Club Officer’s at the January 20^th meeting- Club Assembly. If we have any open positions, we will try and fill them later.

About 50% of members completed the survey. See Dave for link.

 

Karyn: We need a captain for the Friendly Kitchen for Feb 16 and March 16

 

Dave: In 3 weeks, he will be having his knee surgery; He will be out for 3 weeks. Shannon will cover the 1st week. More to follow.

 

Dave C introduced our guest speaker: Detective Lieutenant Tom Yerkes from the Concord Police Dept. Scams and Fraud Division: Tom began at CPD 22 years ago growing up in Massachusetts, he began his career in Colorado. He was a recipient of the Rotary scholarship program in High School.

 

With 14 detectives working Major crimes, there is one that is dedicated to fraud. Statistics show scams increased when Covid 19 regulations were reduced. They can come through: texts, e-mail, phones or on your computer as a “virus.” Be cautious as your information is out there no matter how you try to maintain privacy. They no longer work behind the scenes- they do it wide open.

 

In 2025, there were 30 cases at the CPD however there were probably more, just not reported. Many are ashamed and do not report them.

They saw anywhere from $10,000 up to $100,000. Unfortunately, much is the senior’s generation who are targeted as they are more on their own. If you know of someone who is older and lives alone, check on them. Sometimes they just need a neighbor to be able to talk to should they get such a request. Scams can be “Romance scams” where they disguise as a friendship- “Law Enforcement Scam” where they say someone needs to be bailed out or had an accident (Crisis).

 

They will tell you , your computer has a virus, and they get access to clean it up through release of your bank records. Never give anyone access – tell them you will call them back- unplug your computer and call the PD for assistance or check with a friend/family member for verification.

 

Most of this is from overseas so it is very rare that they are able to locate the perpetrator or retrieve your monies lost. The Concord PD does work in conjunction with Homeland Security, which has much more access, but it is still difficult to locate your monies.

 

If you get a call from an unknown caller- let it go to voicemail. Stop and question!

 

You may also be told to purchase gift cards or go to a Bitcoin ATM. There are 19 Bitcoin ATM’s in Concord. Once you enter your info and money- it’s gone! There is Rental property scams where they take you deposit for down payment on property they don’t own.

Awareness is important. Talk to someone first. Nothing is that urgent if you don’t know the caller.

 

The Concord PD recommends: Never give anyone access to your computer, personal information or accounts.

 

Highly informative questions were asked after the presentation. If you suspect you were targeted by a scam: contact Concord Regional Crime line 603-226-3100.

 

The raffle donated by Ginny of a gift card to Concord Beef and Seafood was won by Peter Grant.