Thanks to Glenn Bowers for arranging our programs for September. Glenn has been very active in Rotary including service as a district governor in another state. Each September program featured a speaker telling us about the good work that Rotary and Rotarians do around the world and in our communities. If any of the projects you heard about inspired you, tell Community Service Director Paul McCreight you would like our club to be involved in that project.
Rotary Districts 5960 (our district) and 5950 (Minneapolis area) have partnered in a project that began prior to the Super Bowl to deal with the problem of sex trafficking. The project is now stalled as the team members are trying to establish a charitable organization but the problem continues. For October Miriam Zachary has invited two speakers to talk about the problem. Another speaker will make a presentation on therapeutic massage and its benefits.
October will begin with a club assembly led by President Bill Kiehnbaum. One topic will be plans for our 2019 Taste of the Hops fund raiser and how to make it more successful. Bring your ideas about making the Taste of the Hops more successful, service projects and membership to the meeting. As a wise person once said, "If an organization isn't growing, it's dying." A club assembly is a good place to circulate your ideas about how our club can grow.
One way our club can grow is for members to invite someone you know to a meeting. Introduce your guest but please don't embarass or surprise your guest by saying your guest is a prospective member. We have great programs that may be of interest to your friends and neighbors whether or not they have any interest in Rotary.
Fall is here and there are some great upcoming events to note. The Arden Hills Shoreview Rotary Club has a long history of supporting the work of the Northeast Youth and Family Services in their mission of transforming lives of youth, adults and families in our community. You will not want to miss their premier event, the Taste of Northeast, Thursday October 11 at 5:30 PM at Vadnais Heights Common. See Sandra Bahr for Tickets or go to NYFS.org to register. This don’t miss event is great with lots of food samples from area restaurants, raffles, silent auction and door prizes.
The fun continues with the District Rotary Fall Tap Room Tours to Stillwater on October 4 and Wabasha on October 10. A great opportunity to see some fall colors in Minnesota, plus network with fellow Rotarians from other clubs. Check your email for details.
The student participants in our short term exchange program had a great time traveling between Shoreview and Spain. Please circle the regular meeting on November 6 when we will get a report from Mason on his summer adventures.
Finally, our club will once again be a major sponsor for the Shoreview YMCA’s Turkey Trot on Saturday November 17. This is a 5K/10K run / walk to support the work of the YMCA in our community. Volunteers from our club are needed to help run the affair that day. Please check with Ken Hola for more information.
Many thanks to Joe Ziskovsky and Peggy Strom for arranging our programs for July and August. If any Rotarian has an idea for one of our weekly programs, please send me an e-mail and I will forward it to those who have volunteered to arrange future programs. Many good programs have resulted from members making up at neighboring clubs and requesting the presenter visit our club.
Glenn Bowers has scheduled a number of good programs for September. His programs feature subjects showing what Rotary is going around the world and in our community. District Governor Mike Becker will make his annual visit to our club on September 25. All members are encouraged to attend. Keep in mind that Rotary protocol dictates all Rotarians rise for the District Governor.
Miriam Zachary is arranging programs for October with an emphasis on one of Rotary's newest areas of interest--combating human trafficking. Rotary is working in our district and nationally to increase awareness of the problem of human trafficking, especially as it relates to the sex trade.
Any member can invite a guest to hear one of our programs that may be of interest to the guest. Just let Paul Bartyzal know you have invited a guest to the meeting so a name tag can be given to the guest. It is not necessary that a guest be a prospective member. Our guests can spread the good work of Rotary by word of mouth to others in the community.
Bob Freed is looking for a group of AHS Rotarians to go with him and Michael Anuta to another Twins’ Game on the evening of Wednesday, September 26th to celebrate Michael’s birthday again. Please talk to Bob if you have interest.
Arden Hills-Shoreview Rotary Club Receives Initial Approval for District 5960 Grant to fund Sewing School in Andhra Pradesh, India
Our Club submitted a request for a District Grant from Rotary District 5960 to fund the development of a Sewing School in Amaravathi, Andhra Pradesh, India and received tentative approval from the District. The grant request was then sent to Rotary International (RI) for a final review and approval, which was not forthcoming because Indian Law requires NGOs that receive foreign funds in India to have an account registered in accordance with the Indian Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). As such, the District has set aside funds for the grant as a contingency if we are able to find a way to comply with this regulation.
The requested funding is for a new school that would be developed by an Indian NGO called PUSHPA, which is the outgrowth of a Minnesota Non-Profit Corporation, also named PUSHA, organized by Arden Hills residents Gummadi Franklin and his wife Shirley. The Franklins spoke to our club in November, 2017, regarding the activities of PUSHPA’s charitable programs in India that are designed to help marginalized low caste or Muslim peoples help themselves out of impoverished circumstances. The kids that would benefit from such programs are kids like some of those pictured below.
Craig Leiser, a senior member of the District Grant Subcommittee and a former District Governor has made contact with and is engaged in discussions with an Indian Rotary colleague from Chennai who has indicated that he may be able to help us find a way to pass the grant funds through an Indian Rotary Club in his area that has a FCRA registration and we are awaiting further information regarding this possibility.
Bob Freed and Gummadi Franklin spoke to the Fridley-Columbia Heights Rotary Club on August 29 seeking support for the project.
Our speaker today was Michael Werner, Dean of Post Secondary Services for the Mounds View School District. His presentation focused on the district's "Pathways to Possibilities" program which offers students the opportunity to explore a variety of careers through specific coursework aligned to industry pathways. In addition to coursework, there is exposure to industry experiences that allow students to further explore their interests and prepare for post-secondary study, training, or work opportunities. Currently, the available areas of interest are automotive, business, construction and solar technology, engineering and manufacturing and the liberal arts. Some of the courses offer the opportunity to earn free college credit. These programs are offered in conjunction with Anoka Ramsey Community College, Century College and the University of Minnesota. The two high schools utilize the "Dean" program to help parents and students navigate this complicated landscape of choices. Students are assigned to a Dean who will work with them on this and other school related needs. In addition to opening up more career options for students, some of these programs also provide a significant benefit in terms of reducing the cost of obtaining a 4-year degree.
Today we welcomed Ramsey County District Court Judge DeAnne Hilgers. Judge Hilgers hails from the area, having graduated from Mounds View High School and currently living in North Oaks. After graduating from law school, she practiced law for a number of years with the Lindquist and Vennum firm, specializing in employment and immigration law, before being appointed to the bench by Governor Mark Dayton. Hilgers provided an overview of the Court's structure. There are 29 judges in our county, less than half the number in Hennepin County. The system includes three types of courtrooms - civil, family, and adult criminal. Judges rotate through these, serving 3 year terms in each area. Although judges are most often initially appointed rather than elected, there is a rigorous application and review process which precedes the governor's decision. Judge Hilgers spoke at length about the importance of our country's system of trial by a jury of peers. She stressed the importance of serving on a jury if selected, though few trials end up going to this stage - only 159 last year. She recently traveled to the country of Georgia in the former Soviet Republic, to serve as a consultant as they attempt to create a jury system there. It is a difficult task in a place like Georgia where there is rampant distrust of the law and of government. Although a judge has some limited ability to overrule a jury, it is exceedingly rare. Her feeling is that "juries usually get it right".