February 15, 2024

For Those Attending in Person

Lunch Buffet

(Zoom Meeting Opens at 11:45)

(Link Sent Thursday Morning)

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This week’s program is sure to include information, fun, and fellowship.  The exact nature of the program has not been identified as of publication deadline.  We are awaiting confirmation on the status of our speaker.  An email to update you all will be sent later in the week.  It may be that President Gary Melander will take the opportunity to update the membership on the details surrounding the discussion to change our Club’s meeting location. Either way the place to be on Thursday is at Rotary Club #25.  Service and Leadership since 1911. 

 

By Renee Burns

A big crowd of Rotarians and guests enjoyed fellowship and a powerful presentation.

 

The Holiday Inn Ballroom hosted a great crowd of Rotarians and guests.  The unusual spring-like weather, with a touch of rain, brought out Rotarians much like spring showers bring out May flowers.

 

President Gary Melander led us with a hearty Star Spangled Banner with John Baumgarten on the keyboard, followed by the recitation of the Rotary Four Way Test.

 

Past President Branden Robinson gave a moving Reflection about overcoming and rising from defeat.  He asked us to think about the challenges in our own lives and how we have grown stronger and endured, gaining strength and pushing on.  There are many people who face adversity head-on, but not until that adversity hits home can one’s true strength be challenged and proven, as happened to our speaker.  He closed with this: “You must never underestimate the importance of the good you are empowered to do for others”. 

Past President Branden Robinson shares a compelling Reflection

 

Geiger Yount self-reported that today is her 84^th birthday!  Happy Birthday Geiger

 

President-Elect Elizabeth Simonson made the sad announcement that former member Pete Weidman, age 69, passed away unexpectedly at his home on Tuesday, February 5, and she asked us to keep his family in our thoughts and prayers.

 

Jerry Pelofske presented three scholarships on behalf of the Rotary Club of Duluth Foundation; Eden Bonneville attending Northwood Technical College, Julia Sanches Zena and Truong Hoary both attending Lake Superior College.  The scholarships are for up to $1,250 per semester and can be reapplied for.

Jerry Pelofske awarding scholarships  

Three Rotary Foundation scholarship recipients

 

Chair of the Day Elizabeth Simonson introduced her friend, and our speaker, Laura Plys.  Laura lost her husband Patrick to brain cancer after a 17-year battle and started Project Joy in 2012.  She is also the owner of Through Laura’s Lens Photography, mother of five children, among them Olympic curler Chris Plys, and five grandchildren.

Speaker Laura Plys and President-Elect and Chair of the Day Elizabeth Simonson

 

Laura shared chilling statistics to start her presentation: 9 million children faced hunger in 2021, 34 million people are food insecure, 1 in 8 children are at risk of hunger, and Black and Latino children are more likely to face hunger.  Single-parent families are more at risk because of the need to stretch a single income further, and 24% of households headed by a single mother face hunger.  Sadly, every community has hungry kids, no matter the socioeconomic status, and unfortunately many households experiencing food insecurity do not qualify for federal nutrition assistance and must visit food banks and other programs for help.

 

When her husband had a stroke as a result of cancer treatment and couldn’t communicate verbally, he wrote “I choose joy” on a whiteboard.  That simple but powerful statement became their family mantra and gave name to Project Joy and their initiative to raise money to feed hungry children.

 

Project Joy works with schools and organizations within a 50-mile radius of Duluth to deliver food in a lowkey way so as to not draw attention to the children who need the donations.  Food pantries and backpacks are but two of their methods.  There is often a stigma attached to needing food and Project Joy and their partners work to ensure their help is kept under the radar.  Additionally, Project Joy provides gift cards from either Super One or Walmart for Duluth Police Department officers to give to families when they see a food shortage in the home during a police call.

 

Minnesota children can now receive free breakfast and lunches in school but often go hungry over the weekend or holidays when that option is not available.  Project Joy packs backpacks with nutritious and easy to make food items to fill the gap and keep kids fed.  Summer is also fraught with food insecurity as children don’t have access to school meals.  Working with Union Gospel Mission, Project Joy has a summer backpack program that packs and delivers food to sites where kids can get them.

 

To raise the funds necessary to make Project Joy continue to feed hungry kids there are two annual fundraisers, the House of Hearts Celebrity Bonspiel and a Channel Your Flannel event. If you are interested in helping Project Joy, you can learn more about opportunities on their Facebook page Project Joy.