Posted by Kay Baker on Sep 28, 2019
Climate Advocacy pops up in the unlikeliest places: Rotary Clubs
 
I think we are all aware of Greta Thunberg, the teen activist from Sweden, who delivered a scathing speech to the United Nations. We also saw young people from around the world march to protest climate change.
 
With Polio, Rotarians will say that’s working on health care, but when discussing our environment, they will say “that’s political.” The April edition of the Rotarian magazine details Rotary’s work in this important topic and encourages clubs to bring in speakers who can speak to the issue.
 
 

September speakers focus on the importance of education from birth to college

More than 775 million people around the world are illiterate. That’s 17% of the population. The Rotary supports education through scholarships, donations and service projects. We also dedicate a month, September, to the topic. We had a wise range of speakers this past month that discussed educational opportunities from babies to those in college.
 
Dr Sylvia Sekhon, a retired Health Partners pediatrician, told us the importance of the spoken word to babies. She leads an initiative to bring books to all the clinics so children can start reading at the earliest possible age.
 
Jason Huebscher, Engineering manager of the Fab lab at Century College, launched us into the future with 3D printing and how it is expected to revolutionize the field of medicine and other industries.
 
Our last presenter was Diane Restorff, Executive Director of Lionsgate Academy, a new school in Shoreview that focuses on students on the autism spectrum.
Where else but the Rotary could you stay current on the changing world around us?