We Meet at Noon on Thursday

February 10, 2022

For Those Attending in Person

Plated Meal

(Zoom Meeting Opens at 11:45)

(Link Sent Thursday Morning)

At

 

 

 

There are two main ingredients of Happiness: Gratitude, and to manifest what you want. By manifesting what you want in life, your life becomes fulfilled. In this talk, Vinod will share the science of manifestation. There are four pillars of manifestation. Vinod will discuss how he applies those pillars to his own 2021 resolutions.
 

 

By Darlene Anderson

 

T’was a cold and blustery Duluth day as Rotarians gathered in person and online for their weekly meeting. In fact, the conversations were so engrossing that President Chana Stocke had to be reminded by her “handler” Brian Fulda that she found herself behind schedule. President Chana Stocke quickly rose, rang the Rotary bell, welcomed everyone and asked them to join her in the Pledge of Allegiance and Rotary Four-Way Test. A season-appropriate poem “Winter Morning” by Ogden Nash was read for the Reflection by Sheryl Homan.

 

President Chana Stocke and Sheryl Homan

 

Self-Reports: Assistant Governor Tricia Bunten's son Ben has secured a great job upon his graduation from college this spring. She also noted that she has made his last tuition payment (big smile). Zach Walters will be celebrating his 41st birthday this week, but it has been a hard week as his beloved mother passed away. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with Zach Walters and his family. While Patra Sevastiades and Past-President Dean Casperson were in Florida, they attended the Cocoa Beach Rotary Club where he was able to share some of our club history: chartered in 1911 as the 25th club, and where Rotary became international.

 

 

Service to our community is a huge part of Rotary and Jerry Pelofske reported that the Rotarian's Salvation Army bell-ringing resulted in $3,121.74 in the little red kettles. The Salvation Army fundraising goal was $220,000 and they reached $255,374 which included a kettle match from Miner's Inc. Jerry Pelofske announced another service opportunity which is scheduled for February 26. The Northeastern Minnesota Regional Science Fair needs judges. The fair will be via Zoom so you can participate from home. Judges meet from 8:15-9:00 am. There are two rounds of presentations from 9:00-1:00. Please contact Jerry Pelofske if you are able to serve as a judge.

 

A grant check for $5,000 was presented by Jim Schwartz to Seth Currier of the Damiano Center. The monies will be used for the Kid's Kitchen where kids are served a snack when they arrive after school, enjoy supervised activities, and then dinner which can include all their family members. Mr. Currier extended a heartfelt “Thank you” from Damiano staff and the kids for Rotary Club #25’s many years of support.

 

Damiano Executive Director Seth Currier

 

 

Introduction of Junior Rotarians: Noah Holland introduced the month of February students. They are from Proctor, Lakeview Christian Academy, East and Hermantown high schools. Please take time to welcome and acquaint yourself with these outstanding young people.

 

Tom Young and Noah Holland with February Junior Rotarians

 

Chair of the Day Renee Mattson introduced our speaker Cathy Jordan whom she has come to know through her service on the Parks and Trails Legacy Advisory Committee. Cathy directs the leadership development and sustainability education activities at the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota. She is also a professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School and consulting director of Research for the Children and Nature Network, a national nonprofit leading a global movement to increase equitable access to nature so that children – and natural places – can thrive.

 

Speaker Cathy Jordan

 

Cathy joined us remotely and noted that this was the first Rotary meeting that she has attended and was pleased to be able to join us. She was one of the 29 badged delegates from the University of Minnesota at the COP26 held November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. What is COP26? COP stands for - Conference of the Parties. It is the United Nations’ climate change conference where they seek to bring together parties from every country to work together to tackle climate change. This was the 26th year for the 12 day conference—hence the name COP26. More than 40,000 delegates participate, as world leaders are joined by negotiators, government representatives, businesses and non-profits to discuss key climate issues. Included are topics such as taking stock of the progress made in the six years since the Paris Agreement and finalizing the Paris Rule Book. Another topic was how to increase finances from developed countries to aid non-developed countries in their programs to reduce climate change and protect biodiversity.

 

Delegates at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland

 

Cathy's area of interest at the conference was the human-to-nature connections with the environment. She found there was very little discussion on this topic. Yet, she feels that this issue is tremendously important and deserves strong consideration. Many children, because of ongoing shifts in populations, do not have the opportunity to fully experience nature or have access to quality nature-based programing. What world will these children and their children inherit?  Will these environmental activities and world leaders implement actionable plans that will preserve our environment for generations to come?

 

To learn more about the conference go to www.ukcop26.org. The next conference is scheduled for November 2022 in Egypt.

 

(L to R) Patra Sevastiades, Past President Dean Casperson, Vinod Gupta and President Chana Stocke