October 1 we will have a club assembly to discuss the results of the Club Visioning Project and how to implement the vision for the club developed during the project. I will e-mail again the summary of the project to every member and bring copies of the summary to the meeting. This will be every member's opportunity to actively take part in charting the course of the club for the next two years. Our purpose is to take a vision and turn it into a reality.
The final results of the 2019 Taste of the Hops have been calculated. Thanks to the efforts of the team lead by Ken Hola and all those members who sold tickets and helped at the event the net profit was $7,735.50. This was the most successful fund raiser in our club's history to my recollection. Thanks are also due to the brewers and sponsors who also contributed to the event's success. Please patronize them.
On October 15 District Governor Paul Perez will visit our club to talk with and to all of our members about the plans for Rotary International and District 5960 for the 2019-20 Rotary year. Afterwards DG Paul will meet with all the members of our board.
As we come to the end of the calendar year please consider making a contribution to the Rotary Foundation if you haven't already done so. The money for the grant our club received from the district for the Pushpa Sewing School came from the Rotary Foundation. Likewise if our club receives a global grant for the Nigerian WASH Program, the funds for the grant will come from the Rotary Foundation.
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?
Here’s a “What if” for all of us, or really each of us, to consider.
What if Joel Brown, the STRIPES Program mentor at both Chippewa Middle School and Mounds View High School were to ask you to speak at one of the bi-weekly group meetings he has with kids in the program after school.
Knowing that the purpose of the STRIPES Program is to instill in kids an understanding of the importance and purpose of an education, what would you want to share with these kids for 30 minutes?
Would you be willing to share your story or your understanding of an aspect of the world they may not have been exposed to yet?
When Al Ramos, Andy Thomas, Anoop Mathur and I met with Joel Brown and Mindy Handberg (Director of Community Partnerships for MV Public Schools) after the August 27 Rotary meeting, we wanted to find out how we as a Rotary club could support the STRIPES Program beyond just dangling our Strive scholarship out there as a motivator for kids to take their education seriously.
While it is true that the STRIPES Program mentors do have a general plan for what they want to cover in their group meetings with students, they also seem to appreciate the wealth of experience our membership can contribute.Although no time slots have been set aside for Rotary speakers, this is clearly an opportunity for us as individuals to meet with these kids to share something about our world to help broaden these kids’ understanding of the world beyond their classrooms.
So, think about it.WHAT IF you were asked to share?Let’s brainstorm, so we can get back to Joel Brown with specific ideas.
After a rousing round of "Happy Dollars", we were pleased to hear from guest speaker Dr. Sylvia Sekhorn, MD. Dr. Sekhorn is on the Board of Directors of an organization called "Reach Out and Read Minnesota". Their mission is to give young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a landmark policy statement referencing their program as effective in preparing children to achieve their potential in school and beyond. Their process is to work with healthcare providers to incorporate "Reach Out and Read" into well-child visits from six-months through five years. Providers speak with parents about the importance of reading, talking, singing, and playing with their child, starting in infancy. Each child receives a new age-appropriate book at their check-up. Many program sites create literacy-rich environments through gently used books in waiting and exam rooms, volunteer readers to model reading aloud to young children, and posters to prompt parent-child conversation. Research has shown this program to be effective. 262 clinics in MN have participated and they are currently making a concentrated effort within Native American communities in northern MN.
Today's speaker was Jason Huebscher from Century College in Maplewood. Huebscher leads Century's "Fab Lab", one of the premier 3D printing centers in the country. Century was one of the first colleges in the country to have such a center and it continues to lead in this area. The lab was designed by a consultant from MIT. Students can obtain either a 1-year certificate or 2-year degree in this area. Those with 2-year degrees are guaranteed placement in the college of Engineering at boyh the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin Stout in order to complete a bachelors degree. Not all choose to continue on, however, as their job skills are in high demand upon completion of their training at Century. I think we were all a bit dazed to learn of the progress being made with this technology. Food, houses, guns, and circuit boards are just a few of the items currently able to be creating on a 3-D printer. Can body parts be far behind? Century College is truly a gem in our midst. Their long list of exciting degrees, diplomas, certificates and courses are clearly leading the way in helping to meet the workforce demands of our evolving world.
Today's speaker was Diane Restorff, from Lionsgate Academy which is a grade 7-12 charter school focused on children on the autism spectrum. Lionsgate started in Minnetonka in 2008. Just last year they expanded by opening a second school in Shoreview, aimed at serving the NE quadrant of the Twin Cities. There are currently about 250 students between the two locations, with another 250 students on a waiting list. Given the wait list, entrance to Lionsgate is gained through a lottery system. As a charter school, it is equivalent to public education in terms of being tuition-free. They are a transition-focused, safety net school, meaning the goal is to help students get to the point of being able to return to a "mainstreamed" setting. Because this disease does occur across a spectrum, students range greatly in terms of developmental issues. Some are still in diapers while others have been able to graduate and go on to college. Debate rages on as to why autism has become so prevalent in our children. Currently 1 in 49 children are found to be somewhere on the spectrum. The ratio of boys to girls with autism continues to be 4 to 1.
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After a rousing round of "Happy Dollars", we were pleased to hear from guest speaker Dr. Sylvia Sekhorn, MD. Dr. Sekhorn is on the Board of Directors of an organization called "Reach Out and Read Minnesota". Their mission is to give young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a landmark policy statement referencing their program as effective in preparing children to achieve their potential in school and beyond. Their process is to work with healthcare providers to incorporate "Reach Out and Read" into well-child visits from six-months through five years. Providers speak with parents about the importance of reading, talking, singing, and playing with their child, starting in infancy. Each child receives a new age-appropriate book at their check-up. Many program sites create literacy-rich environments through gently used books in waiting and exam rooms, volunteer readers to model reading aloud to young children, and posters to prompt parent-child conversation. Research has shown this program to be effective. 262 clinics in MN have participated and they are currently making a concentrated effort within Native American communities in northern MN..jpg)
Today's speaker was Jason Huebscher from Century College in Maplewood. Huebscher leads Century's "Fab Lab", one of the premier 3D printing centers in the country. Century was one of the first colleges in the country to have such a center and it continues to lead in this area. The lab was designed by a consultant from MIT. Students can obtain either a 1-year certificate or 2-year degree in this area. Those with 2-year degrees are guaranteed placement in the college of Engineering at boyh the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin Stout in order to complete a bachelors degree. Not all choose to continue on, however, as their job skills are in high demand upon completion of their training at Century. I think we were all a bit dazed to learn of the progress being made with this technology. Food, houses, guns, and circuit boards are just a few of the items currently able to be creating on a 3-D printer. Can body parts be far behind? Century College is truly a gem in our midst. Their long list of exciting degrees, diplomas, certificates and courses are clearly leading the way in helping to meet the workforce demands of our evolving world..jpg)
Today's speaker was Diane Restorff, from Lionsgate Academy which is a grade 7-12 charter school focused on children on the autism spectrum. Lionsgate started in Minnetonka in 2008. Just last year they expanded by opening a second school in Shoreview, aimed at serving the NE quadrant of the Twin Cities. There are currently about 250 students between the two locations, with another 250 students on a waiting list. Given the wait list, entrance to Lionsgate is gained through a lottery system. As a charter school, it is equivalent to public education in terms of being tuition-free. They are a transition-focused, safety net school, meaning the goal is to help students get to the point of being able to return to a "mainstreamed" setting. Because this disease does occur across a spectrum, students range greatly in terms of developmental issues. Some are still in diapers while others have been able to graduate and go on to college. Debate rages on as to why autism has become so prevalent in our children. Currently 1 in 49 children are found to be somewhere on the spectrum. The ratio of boys to girls with autism continues to be 4 to 1.