I am happy to be back home after spending the month of March in Sarasota, Florida! I visited a different Rotary Club in the Sarasota area each week of my stay, which was truly fun. Two of the locations overlooked the beautiful bay area and one was in a swanky country club so it was a definite change of scenery! But all were most notable for the similarities to our own meetings with the backdrop of our shared Rotary purpose and values. As we now turn the calendar to April, it's time to gear up for our Rotary district conference coming up at the end of the month in St. Paul. Several of us are already signed up but hopefully others will join. District Governor Jim Hunt will join our meeting on April 11th, to help spread the word about this important get-together. We also have a great speaker lined up for that meeting -- please plan to attend!
This month we are really starting to focus on our fundraising event, "The Taste of the Hops". Local brewers are coming on board and we have the Green Mill agreeing to participate. Things are starting to come together, but we need the help of everyone in our club to make this event a success.
Our club is getting a bit of publicity in the community. The preschool literacy items in the library will be getting some Rotary labeling, with our club name listed among the major donors on a plaque to be installed in the entryway . Also, there are signs at the various entry points of the trail in the large open space in the northwest corner of Shoreview which note that we have adopted this trail - - which is a reminder that we’ll soon schedule another “Walk in the Park” to pick up what is usually very little litter.
Our student Jiui Youn has moved to the last of three host families. She is with us for only about 2 ½ more months. It will be a busy time. This April she will participate in the Rotary District conference. As well as doing a short trip to Chicago.
Thanks to club members John Suzukida and Colleen Lavin for organizing a day trip for her in June. If other members have some time on a weekend, I’m sure Jiui would appreciate seeing other parts of our area.
Circle the June 13 club meeting. That will be our Exchange Student Day as we welcome back Michaela Allen and say farewell to Jiui.
Jiui leaves on a tour of the East Coast in mid- June, returns to the Twin Cities on July 3. And is expected to return to South Korea on July 8.
The Club welcomed former club member Vern Moore, as well as frequent guest Irene Meinen. The guest speaker was Yazdan Bakhsh. He discussed his book "You'll Be My Son Joe" which chronicles his journey from Afghanistan to the United States.
Mr. Bakhsh was born in the mountains of Afghanistan and was part of the Hazara culture. It was a culture that was persecuted by the Taliban. The book tells his journey from leaving Afghanistan to working in Lebanon as an informant for the United States embassy that supplied information about the local drug trade. However, when war erupted in Lebanon, he received help from the UN special projects manager Mr. Simpkins who ended up bringing him to Minnesota. In Minnesota, Yazdan attended high school and eventually earned his United State Citizenship. He greatly appreciates the freedom that is afforded to him in the United States and gives back through his work with the organization Green Card Voices.
The Club met at the new Ramsey County Library in Shoreview. Guests included Giu, the Rotary exchange student, and John Hakes from the Library Board. Also in attendance were proposed members Joe and Betty Ziskovsky and Library Director Carol Jackson and new Friends of the Library staff Cindy Cook.
Carol Jackson provided a brief overview of the new library and indicated that it was significantly larger than the previous library with expanded children's and teen areas, study rooms, and the large community room. She then led a tour of the new facility.
The Club welcomed visiting Rotarian Ron Hughes from the Excelsior Club, Sam a former Rotarian from Nigeria and new club members Betty and Joe Ziskovsky. The guest speaker was John Housladen, Executive Director for the Minnesota Trucking Association.
John indicated that he has served as the Executive Director for the past 21 years and the MTA serves as a powerful voice for the trucking industry in Minnesota. He noted that 85% of all manufactured tonnage in Minnesota travel by truck. He also talked about the safety of the trucking industry and that nearly 80% of all car/truck collisions are the fault of the car driver. He also noted that there has been a 98% drop in pollution from truck emissions. He answered many questions from the Rotary Club members. He also discussed the explosion in technology in the trucking industry including video cameras in trucks, satellite tracking of trucks, and lane assist and braking technologies.
The club welcomed Rotary Exchange student Jiui (G). The guest speaker was Jerry Hromatka, the Executive Director from Northeast Youth and Family Services.
Jerry indicated that Northeast Youth and Family Services, a mental health and social service agency serving most of northern Ramsey County, is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2017. He discussed the importance of the agencies partnerships with 15 cities, four school districts and their collaboration with several other agencies. NYFS now has an annual budget of $3.2 million and works with about 4000 youth, adult and families each year. They have three areas of focus - mental health, day treatment, and community services such as their senior chore and youth employment programs. He noted a few community trends including growing diversity, workforce changes with baby boomers retiring, and the dramatic increase in social media.Jerry responded to a few questions from Rotary Club members.