This Week at Rotary
Thursday March 16, 2023
IN PERSON
At
9239 Idaho St. Duluth, MN 55808 (in Morgan Park)
Hosted by: Carrie Ayres and Duncan Gregory
A tour of the Bethany Crisis Shelter
Bethany Crisis Shelter serves as short-term, emergency housing in a safe, residential setting. They provide support for the physical and emotional needs of youth in crisis. These services are available 24/7. Bethany Crisis Shelter helps families in need during a crisis.
Chair of the Day: Past Assistant Governor Phil Strom
Sign up with President
Barb Perrella so we can order the appropriate number of lunches (
ham or turkey sub, chips, cookie, and bottle of water)
Highlights from Last Week’s Meeting
By Darlene Anderson
With the quiet ringing of the Rotary bell, President Barb Perrella invited Rotarians and guests to join her in singing the National Anthem and reciting the Rotary Four-Way Test. The Reflection for the Day was the poem “Keep Going” by Edgar Guest which was published in the Detroit Free Press on March 4, 1921, and read by Jeff Wencl... “Success is failure turned inside out,...
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit, it’s when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.”
Jeff Wencl
Past Assistant Governor Phil Strom invited Dan Dock to the podium and presented Dan with a Paul Harris Fellowship Award pin with three sapphires. Not only does Dan donate to the Rotary Foundation, but he also serves our community by leading many of our service projects such as the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for Life House and Center for Changing Lives. Thank you, Dan, for your faithful service.
Past Assistant Governor Phil Strom awards Dan Dock his 3-Saphire Pin
A thank you note was read from Judy Rogers for roses given in honor of her late husband Past District Governor Earl Rogers. Earl was a 50+ year member of Rotary and exemplified our motto Service Above Self
Our
Annual Rotary Auction date is fast approaching and the Auction Committee is seeking items for the auction. There are sign-up sheets provided at the meetings to list your donations or you may contact the Auction Committee headed by Past Assistant Governor
Al Makynen. Also, mark your calendars for the Auction and Dinner – May 4 at Marshall School.
Chair of the Day Sheryl Homan noted that today's speaker needs little introduction as he was Duluth's police chief from 2006-2016, and is now Sheriff Gordon Ramsay. Sheryl wanted him to know that in his honor she drove the speed limit all the way to the meeting. (4-Way Test note: “Is it the truth?”) Sheriff Ramsay grew up in Duluth and is a graduate of Duluth East, UMD and CSS. He has been a police officer since 1993 and has served most of his career in Duluth. In 2016 he left his hometown to serve as police chief of Wichita, Kansas where the serious crime was reduced and community relations improved during his tenure. But he and his family missed the northland and so returned in 2021. In 2022 he was elected as St Louis County sheriff and today he discusses some of the trends he observes and his priorities in this new role.
Sheriff Gordon Ramsay, a friendly face to Club #25 Rotarians
The size of St Louis County presents challenges due to the distance from north to south and it includes more than 100 townships. The sheriff's department comprises 270+ employees, 100 uniformed deputies, four offices, and three county jails. The 911 service alone has 44 employees and is the fifth busiest in the state. Today one of the issues they are dealing with is related to mental health and many of these cases are driven by drug use. Also, there are more women incarcerated than in the past. The current jail was built in 1995 but is no longer configured to be able to handle those with mental illness or the number of women. That is why within the next year or two you will hear more about the need for the jail to be rehabilitated.
Another trend he observes is the change in drug use. In the past, the drugs/opiates used were plant-based but today it is more synthetic drugs coming from Mexico. These are very potent and often laced with fentanyl. And more of the drugs are coming through the mail so harder to track. In the last two months, the Duluth Police Department and Sheriff's Department seized two large loads of methamphetamine. Drug use is hurting families and our community. This shows the need for additional monitoring and education as to the dangers of drug use.
And finally is the need for additional staffing. Today, the sheriff's department is 5-8% short-staffed which means forced overtime. The county pay scale is also lower than neighboring counties. So again changes will have to be made and funding received so that they can hire the best and brightest.
With all the issues and challenges of today thank you Sheriff Ramsay for your service.
Past Assistant Governor Phil Strom with Sheriff Gordon Ramsay
(L to R) Vinod Gupta, Justin Reid, and President-Elect Gary “How Luck Can Once Guy Get” Melander
Welcoming more of our March Junior Rotarians
(L to R) Past President John Baumgarten, Past President Bob Bennett, with Vinod Gupta