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This Week at Rotary We Meet at Noon By ZOOM Thursday, December 3, 2020 (Link Sent Thursday Morning)  What’s New at Lake Superior College You may have noticed: Lake Superior College is frequently in the news. There are exciting initiatives and projects happening despite COVID-19. Dr. Rogers will provide an update on activities, new partnerships, student housing, and plans for the future. Highlights from Last Week’s Meeting By Rob Hofmann Tradition! Rotarians LOVE their traditions – especially this time of year – COVID be damned! As is our Thanksgiving tradition, and for the 68 th year, Rotarians of Club #25 were ZOOM guests of our great friends and partners in civic service The Kiwanis Club of Friendly Duluth. Kiwanis Past President Susan (Sue) McClernon welcomed Rotary Club President Dean Casperson and members of Club #25. After being treated to the Kiwanis “Welcome Song”, Rotarians were invited to sing along to the fourth verse of My Country, ‘Tis of Thee. This was followed by a stirring Invocation by Kiwanian and former Channel 10 News Anchor Dennis Anderson. Fellowship Report was a team effort led by Kiwanis Past President Susan (Sue) McClernon and President Dean Casperson with a focus on our joint annual food drive. This is our 28th year of collaboration with our Kiwanian friends! President Dean Casperson reported that the Club has raised $4,850 toward our “triple match” thanks to Miner’s/SuperOne Foods. Kiwanians have secured nearly 30,000 pounds of potatoes that will help the Salvation Army feed many families in need this holiday season. Both clubs gave a shout-out to Rotary Club #25 Past President John Baumgarten for his years of leadership! Kiwanis Past President Susan (Sue) McClernon introduce our program speaker Will Steger who joined us via ZOOM from his home in Ely, MN. Mr. Steger is known all over the world for his 1986 dogsled journey to the North Pole, the 1,600-mile south-north traverse of Greenland (the longest unsupported dogsled expedition in history) in 1988, and the first dogsled traverse of Antarctica (the historic seven month, 3,741-mile International Trans-Antarctica Expedition) in 1989–90. Yet, this day we learn more about the environmentalist, teacher, and entrepreneur who continues to make an impact by his work.  Will Steger and companions A Minnesotan by birth, Will grew up with an extraordinarily large family in Richfield, MN and was inspired and encouraged by a father who had his own entrepreneurial spirit. Inspired by National Geographic Magazine Will sought to climb. Seeing no limits to what he could achieve, and self-taught as a 17-year-old, he climbed mountains and vertical walls of rock that would terrify most of us. Will spoke of “meeting your edge” which he explained was the moment that requires your absolute best in spirit, physical, and mental stamina to accomplish a goal. In his twenties, Will kayaked 10,000 miles of whitewater, the Arctic Ocean, and his favorite place on earth – the Boundary Waters of MN. Ely, MN was where he found his true home. Purchasing an “off-road” property on a lake that only can be reached by portage, he and a number of friends built a log cabin in the 1970s that remains his home today. Will’s self-sustaining home includes a sauna, a workshop and a garden created with rich soil dredged from the lake’s bottom.  Will Steger Will Steger remains a committed activist and educator on behalf of the environment as an eyewitness to the impact of global warming. Believing that climate change is the defining issue for our generation, Will helped to found the nonprofit Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy with a mission to engage in solutions to climate change through education, community engagement, and advocacy. The Will Steger Wilderness Center in Ely, MN is the rustic hub for activities to “create a transformative wilderness experience that will inspire and motivate new discoveries and bold action to improve the world." |
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