Recently, I had the good fortune to visit St. Maarten in the Caribbean. As I was heading to my hotel from the airport, I saw something that looked familiar, but I couldn’t immediately place how I knew it. Then, we went around a bend and I saw another message that clicked . Wow! I was impressed! The 4-Way Test is front and center for everyone coming into St. Maarten! It turns out there are FIVE Rotary Clubs on St. Maarten, one Interact Club, and one Rotaract Club!
Not only did I see the 4-Way Test on the roundabout, but there is another set on the hill on the way to Philipsburg, the capital! Very impressive, indeed! It reminded me that I could search up one of their meetings, which I did! I attended the St. Maarten Sunrise Meeting and enjoyed breakfast with their group and learned about their programs and projects. It was so fun to meet others with the same ideals and goals! Although I have to say, I did not know the St. Maarten song. I did know the 4-Way Test!
We have a wonderful lot of projects coming up. We are so lucky that our club has so many opportunities to benefit so many folks in need.
1.Connie Dejarlais at Mounds View High School has asked us to help her fill up the emergency closet that she keeps for kids who are homeless or unable to purchase hygiene items.Please bring any/all of the following items to the club meeting on January 14:
Male and female deodorant Skin lotion
Hair gel
Chapstick or Vaseline
Gloves
Hat
Mittens
2. On January 28, Jessica Bartholomew from ACT United will be presenting a program on Social Media Safety to middle school students at Quincy House.She will repeat the program for high school students on January 30.Stephanie Cosgrove will fill us in on how we can help at the meeting on Tuesday, Jan 14.
3. On February 1, we are looking for 2 shifts of volunteers (3-4/shift) to host a breakfast and a lunch at Highview Middle School (New Brighton) for the volunteers who are working with the group Play for Patrick Foundation.This group screens youth for heart defects/disease, providing EKG, echo cardiograms, and other screenings for kids at no charge.You will hear more about this program on January 28 as Mike Schoonover, the Founder, will be our speaker.There is a sign up sheet for this event.
4. On February 2, we will function as judges for the Youth in Government competition.It is great to be able to work closely with more of the high school groups.
5. On February 13, from 4:00-6:00 PM, we will head over to Bridging and build dressers, with the help of the Mounds View High School Volunteer Club.It should be a hoot to work with these kids—I believe we will see some energy—and perhaps some high jinx!!!!
We enjoyed an interesting presentation today from Ward and Jacky Budweg, who Zoomed-In from their home in Iowa. Glenn Bowers arranged this after meeting Ward at a recent training session for incoming Rotary District Governors. Before getting married, Ward and Jacky signed an unusual "pre-nup" agreement on a bar napkin, agreeing that at some point they would take an extended bike trip around the world! This trip came to fruition when they embarked on a 3-year journey beginning in 2009. The plan was years in the making as it required selling their business, their home and nearly all of their possessions! They created a Mission Statement for their trip which read: “From our bicycles we want to explore the many cultural differences and hospitalities of the world as we respond with open arms of friendship and service.” Amazingly they suffered no serious illnesses or injuries and have many tales to tell - the kind you don't get on a tour bus. They describe locations discovered by ditching the GPS, playing charades to bridge 32 different language barriers, and depending on locals who invited them into their homes and friendships. This unbelievable journey spanned 1106 days and 6 continents. For more information, their book is now available through Amazon, entitled: The World at 10 MPH: A Masterful Prenup Leads to a 3-Year 33,523-Mile Bicycle Adventure.
Today we had the pleasure of hearing from another intrepid biker. Amanda Harvey shared the story of her 300+ mile bike trip in Alaska along a portion of the famous Iditarod dog sled trail last February. Amanda grew up in Arden Hills, graduated from the University of MN, and moved for a time to Tennessee with her husband to escape MN winters. They eventually returned to MN but made a pact that they would learn to enjoy winter by participating in winter activities. She obviously took this idea to an extreme! In order to qualify for the grueling Iditarod Trail Adventure, one must complete in a qualifying race. Carrying herself and all her equipment on a fat tire bike, Amanda faced temperatures as low as 35 below zero and trails knee deep in snow. The latter situation caused knee pain which had her to the point of almost giving up near the end, as almost half of the original 100 starters had already done. But new friends she made along the way helped bolster her confidence and she not only finished but is planning to do it again next year!
Our speaker today was John Kirkwood who currently serves as head of security for Land O Lakes, headquartered in Arden Hills. John has had a long career in law enforcement. He grew up in Nebraska and his first job out of college was as a police officer in Lincoln Nebraska. Although he enjoyed that role a lot, an interest in "seeing the world" led him to seek out other opportunities which resulted in him joining the Secret Service. He served in multiple roles and locations during his years with the Secret Service and we learned some interesting facts about the origins of this organization,. It was initially formed in 1865 as part of the U.S. Treasury Department with a charter to go after counterfeiting operations. It wasn't until 1901, during Teddy Roosevelt's presidency that it took on the charter to provide protection for the sitting U.S. president and family. After retiring from the SS in 2011, John joined the Ramsey County Sherriff's Department. In 2015, he switched gears from the public sector to the world of corporate security by joining Land O Lakes. John was an interesting and enthusiastic presenter and we thank Kevin Keenan for arranging it. As a side note, we learned that John's father was a long time Rotarian in Nebraska so we hope he will carry on the tradition and join our ranks!