Every Thursday at Rotary is more than a meeting and more than a lunch. If that were all Thursday delivered, it would not be worth it. Well before 11:30 there is a whirlwind of activity as staff and others get ready. Folks stream in well before the buffet line opens. The place is hopping as old and new friends come together.
There are Rotarians, Junior Rotarians, visiting Rotarians, and guests who are either deep in conversation catching up for the week or going about their volunteer duties. As always, there was a gathering at the 50/50 table. This week also saw a push to sign folks up for Friday and Saturday’s Rose Distribution.
And the adage, “Feed them and they will come,” does work. This week there was a new old face in the buffet line. After an absence of many months due to health and travel, Past President Ken Schoen was back. He was seen working through the crowd of old friends before, during and after the meeting.
Transition from the busy world outside to the Rotary world inside was accomplished when we stood to sing and remained standing for the invocation. Both were gifts of service provided by Past President John Baumgarten at the piano, and Past President Dick Carlson at the podium.
And then there was the sheer entertainment value provided by Dave Holappa as he launched into the Fellowship Report. If we had been in an airplane, we would have tightened our seatbelts because we all knew it was going to be a bumpy ride! Dave, in advance of the meeting, took an I.O.U. from Jon Ohman, who (though not present) paid anyway for being from Detroit Lakes, the same as Adam Theilen of the Minnesota Vikings. When Dave is working the crowd, there is no hiding from the Golden Can -- as was the case for Skeeter Moore who, a few years back skated for the UMD Bulldogs, was fined for the raising of a second championship banner at Amsoil Arena. With the passing of Jim Swenson, UMD lost a great friend and benefactor. A group of folks from UMD came forward including Rob Hofmann, Neal Roth, Allen Anway, and Jim Schwartz. The newspaper ran an article about the hotel industry and the increased tourism dollars. Betty George Sola and Barb Perrella came forward to share some of those dollars. Also in the paper was an article about the nearly one billion dollar upgrade to the Soo Locks. Adele Yorde, Public Relations Director of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority, was quoted extensively. And, as always, and seemingly often, President Steve Yorde paid. Not often, but it happened, that Betty George Sola was fined for a second item -- this time for her husband Dale Sola being interviewed on television about the flooding in Canal Park and how his fishing boat got away. And just to make sure the Golden Can was stuffed to capacity, Barb Perrella was fined for a second item as the Holiday Center is hosting an indoor farmers market on Tuesdays. Tom McCabe came forward with $20 to honor the birth of his 20th great grandchild, Adelyn Chiodo. And although by some accounts the golf season is over, Jim Olson paid for being on the Ridgeview Country Club’s 2018 Thursday League Championship Team.
A special part of our Rotary gathering included welcoming new member Katherine LaFleur, under the classification Sister Cities, Administration. Katherine provided a self-introduction stating she was Duluth born and raised, attended Duluth East and earned her BA degree from St. Scholastica. She is not exactly new to Rotary, having already been a Junior Rotarian. Her stated purpose for joining was to give back to a community which has given all of us every opportunity.
For many Rotarians, the weekly program is the highlight of the meeting. Chair of the Day Doug Erickson did not disappoint. He introduced Dr. Kathy Halverson, a colleague of Linnea Smith and past charter board member of First Witness, who currently provides health training for indigenous peoples in Peru, Brazil and Mozambique. In an area of the world where one in four children do not live to their fifth birthday, disease prevention has become the main focus with the greatest risk coming from water borne disease. The challenge for medical providers comes in communicating with a preliterate indigenous population skeptical of all outsiders -- especially those from a distant western culture. An example of just how difficult that process can be is that it took Dr. Halverson three years to gain the trust and understanding of the isolated communities to recognize microbes in the water as the source of disease. The next step was to develop capacity and skills in the local leaders to apply local resources for local solutions. The key to her success was empowerment of the people to “own their health, take initiatives to improve, and to advocate for themselves.”
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Scott Bradt, Brett Kinney, Gary Melander and Skeeter Moore exchanging cash and news.
Sponsor Robin Pestalozzi with new member Katherine LaFleur
Chair of the Day Doug Erickson with speaker Dr. Katherine Halverson
Rose Distribution: Back Row Jon Ohman and Brett Kinney. Front Row: Mike Murray and Dick Pelinka. Standing: Dick Swenson
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