The Shanthi Project is a nonprofit organization providing evidence-based mindfulness education services to more than 5,000 children and adults annually across the Lehigh Valley. For 15 years, they have worked within schools and the community to share mindfulness practices proven to support mental health and well-being. Mindfulness is the opposite of autopilot—it is the act of paying attention to the present moment and accepting it as it is. This practice trains the brain to r

Our program featured the annual Thanksgiving Day Football Kickoff. The Rovers and Stateliners will play for the 118th time at Fisher Field on the Lafayette College campus. The winner will receive the Terry Pundiak-crafted Rotary Trophy. The series began in 1905 and is the country’s oldest interstate Thanksgiving Day rivalry. The 1988 contest was the first game to be featured on a national broadcast. Easton Head Coach Matt Seneca is feeling more comfortable in his third year.

Easton Rotarian Mark Haldaman presented a program on historical fencing. Mark and his son have been studying and practicing this for some time. The dueling is done with swords, daggers, or rapiers, depending on the style. Mark explained that it is physically demanding and requires lots of practice. The footwork is much like a dance is some respects. He brought along a variety of equipment for the Club to inspect.

New Easton Rotarian Melissa Flores presented her classification talk. She serves as the Director of Building Tenant Relations and Community Impact at the Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation. Her path to her current role was neither easy nor traditional. She was raised by a strong single mom in the projects of Brooklyn and the Bronx. She dropped out of high school and became a teen mom. At age 25, she found herself living in a shelter with two children. That situation be