The Rotary Club of Duluth- Club 25 invites all area Rotarians and their guests to our Prime Rib Dinner and Auction on Thursday, April 20th which begins with a social hour at 5:30 pm. The location of the event is Marshall School 1215 Rice Lake Rd., Duluth, MN, 55811. The cost of the event is $35 per person. If you would like to attend please click here to register you and your guests. . We hope you can join us for this great Rotary event!
This year’s Raffle will be BIGGER and BETTER. The Raffle will be organized to let you put most or all of you tickets towards the item(s) that interest you most. This will increase your odds of winning items of your choice.
Tickets will be sold at the event as follows:
5 for $10
12 for $20
40 for $50
100 for $100
Better yet – buy $100 worth of tickets in advance and get 20 BONUS tickets FREE.
To order tickets in advance, email Tom Young at tmyoung@younginsure.com or call him at 348-1895 by Wednesday April, 19 and let him know how many tickets you want to buy. Your tickets will be charged to your account and can be picked up at the door when you arrive at the event.
This was our annual Easter time meeting with the Kiwanis Club of Friendly Duluth. These two great Duluth clubs have been meeting annually together for 65 years. Kiwanians host the annual Thanksgiving meeting and Club 25 hosts the Easter meeting. Naturally, a full house turned out to hear an interesting and informative program, as well. But first, President Elaine Hansen called the meeting to order and invited Past President John Baumgarten to accompany us in the singing of our National Anthem. Invocator Past President Dan Bergeland gave voice to the significance of this week for Christian and Jewish people around the world, and gave a moving message on the importance of living fully each day, and remembering to give thanks for all we have been given. Numerous guests were introduced, beginning with our three Rotary exchange students Louli Ponce, Philipp Adler and Picha Budda. Assistant District Governor Warren Bender of Superior’s noon club (#40) was on hand to encourage our purchase of Guatamalan coffee. Henry Roberts’ guests included: his spouse Terry Roberts, Bev Bennett, former Club 25er Pat Burns, Brock Larson, Tom Vecchi Sr. and Tom Vecchi Jr.. Representing the school district was Tammi Wilkins, guest of Bill Gronseth. Alex Guiliani was a guest of Sandy Hoff. Kevin Mosier of Metro Sales was Jim Landwehr’s guest. Other guests included Shannon Hursh, guest of Betty George Sola, Chuck Wollack, of the St. Louis River Experience, guest of Bob Bennett and Devin Lenzmeier of MinnBox, guest of Rob Hofmann.
In the spirit of our shared meeting, Kiwanian Darren Danielson introduced Kiwanian guests followed by their traditional “Welcome Song” which was concluded with a (silverware) clink of the water glass. Kiwanian birthdays and anniversaries were up next, along with special club announcements including their televised 49th annual Kiwanis Auction on April 22nd. Our own Tom Young extolled the benefits of next week’s Prime Rib Dinner and Auction at Marshall School beginning at 5:30 pm. This BYOB event will feature fun and fellowship, not to mention the traditional prime rib menu and a raffle featuring some amazing items. Please attend! Mark Eckman presented a Rotary donation check ($4,000) to the St. Louis River Experience’s John Bodell for dock repairs which will improve safety for those in wheelchairs and walkers as they board the pontoon for a 2-hour cruise. This is the group that invites almost 2,000 veterans, special needs children and senior citizens out on the river each year. Past Presidents John Moir and Bob Bennett, along with Charlie Grubb, Steve Hadley, Jim Schwartz and Bill Zimbinski are among the Club 25ers who donate their time each year. 79 trips are already booked for this summer.
Mark Eckman and John Bodell
Mark Eckman then presented $2,500 to the Gary New Duluth Development Alliance’s Gary Bubalo and Mark Boben for a concert series in their newly revitalized GND recreation area. These Rotarians and others have raised over $1 million for the GND Community improvement plan (park, soccer fields and performance area).
Mark Eckman, Mark Boben and Gary Bubalo
Chair of the Day Henry Roberts introduced internationally acclaimed artist and native Minnesotan Jeffrey Larson, founder of the new Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art. Jeffrey and his son Brock Larson, also introduced, are the principal instructors. Jeffrey told quite a story, not only about the academy’s recent formation in the former St. Peter’s Church (on West Third Street, just west of Mesaba Avenue), but he also explained the academy’s vision…to be among the best in the world. Atelier is historically-based in the 19th century where artists were trained by other successful artists. Like an apprenticeship, a young student will learn techniques of drawing, painting and sculpture from older artists who learned from the original “old masters” in the 1800s. Their styles and techniques have been passed down from one generation to the next…to a point where “Classical Impressionism” traditions are now taught in Atelier academies around the world. “Everyone has a talent,” Jeffrey said, “but everyone studying this form of art must have the drive and commitment to prevail during the lean years of learning, maturing and finally succeeding in the world of art.” No easy task. Jeffrey himself spent four years in Minneapolis’ Atelier Lack academy where he learned “how to see” the figures emerging in his own mind as his drawings became portraits, landscapes and still-lives. By his own admission, he spent much of his time in high school doodling and drawing during most of his classes! After art school in Minneapolis and museum study in Europe, Jeffrey had 37 exhibitions and one-man gallery shows in New York, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Scottsdale, Santa Fe and Beijing’s National Museum. His paintings are in demand around the world by collectors everywhere. We welcome Jeffrey Larson and Brock Larson as they begin their new lives training students for such creative careers.
Get ready for a first-rate District Conference as we come together and celebrate, "The Great Spirit in Rotary”, April 27-29, 2017, at Fortune Bay Resort and Casino in Tower, MN. The Rotary Clubs of Quad Cities and Virginia have planned this Conference with you in mind! There are excellent speakers, breakout sessions, activities and events you won't want to miss. Before you register, please take a look at the Schedule of Events posted on this Site Page. This Schedule is subject to change, but those changes would be minimal. Registration after April 10th, must be done on-site.
Rotarians, Rotaractors and Office Staff organized a fun-filled carnival for the youth at the Boys & Girls Club Lincoln Park. The kids enjoyed a Bean Bag Toss, Ring Toss, Fishing, Tin Can Toss, Ping Pong Toss, Mini Golf, Photos, Face Painting, Matching Game and Jelly Bean Guessing. There were smiles on all of the kids’ faces as our group left the building. The event was a great success! Thank you to Rotarians Jerry Ostroski, Dan Dock, Skeeter Moore, Corey Collier, Chana Stocke and Karol Sowers for all your help with the carnival.
In the Fall 2016 Grants Session, $5,000 was donated to the Hope for the Children project which provides bags filled with necessities to children entering the foster care system. Sometimes these children go into the system with only the clothes they are wearing. This program allows the children to have a few items of their own to carry with them. Rotarians were invited to help pack these bags.
Pat Holliday joined the Hope for the Children team as they packed 98 bags on Monday, April 10th.
