It was a dark and snowy January Thursday that saw many Club 25 Rotarians and Junior Rotarians unable to join the faithful few. It seemed that treacherous roads, cold and the flu bug made for a smaller gathering than normal. However, those Rotarians able to attend found this day’s meeting one they will never forget. Once again, we assembled in the Great Lakes Ballroom Room at the Holiday Inn for fellowship, food and to hear a program that calls every Rotarian to action. President Tricia Bunten rang the Rotary Bell calling us to order. With no musical accompaniment, we recited the Pledge of Allegiance and reaffirmed our core values by reciting the Rotary Four-Way Test. Treasurer Greg Hansen delivered the invocation reflecting upon the theme of today’s program. We are reminded that as hard as we work to provide loving homes for our own daughters and granddaughters, the horrors of sex trafficking are not too far from our door steps. He asked for guidance to take actions to protect our young people of our community from this peril and for remembrance that we, as members of a global community, need to protect all who are vulnerable.
A brief Fellowship Report was delivered by President Tricia Bunten who welcomed Gail Schoenfelder from the League of Women Voters, a guest of President- Elect Steve Yorde who was at home this day recovering from the flu. Also introduced was our newest Club 25 Rotarian Dan Maki. President Tricia Bunten then hosted an “open mic” for all who wished to self-report. Treasurer Greg Hansen and Michelle Buria kicked the Golden Can in recognition of their January birthdays. Self-reporting because he visited the Caribbean island of St. Vincent – where the temp was always in the 80s - was Jim Monge.
Karol Sowers asked all Rotarians to start bringing their wild game and fish to G.B. Schneider’s in preparation for the February 6th Fish & Wild Game Dinner. We are encouraged to send in photos of our fishing and hunting glory to be included in a slide show that evening. President Tricia Bunten recommended bringing guests to share in this traditional evening of food and fellowship. Past District Governor Earl Rogers announced that he is selling raffle tickets for the Superior Rotary Club for a chance to win any number of cash prizes. He informed us that a Club 25 Rotarian won $500 just this past year! See Earl for tickets at a cost of $25 each. Jena Evans awarded “perfect attendance” tabs for 11 Rotarians who have a combined 218 years of perfect attendance!
President Tricia Bunten then presented the slate of officers for nomination for the coming year. President-Elect Michelle Buria, Secretary Jeff Bradt, and Directors Jena Evans, Robin Pestalozzi and Dan Dock who will join the 2018-2019 board. No other nominations came from the floor, so the entire slate was unanimously approved.
Chair of the Day President Tricia Bunten introduced Adele Yorde, a volunteer with the Duluth Trafficking Task Force and Mel Alvar, a Youth Protection Officer with the Duluth-based Program for Aid to Victims of Sexual Assault (PAVSA). Their message was disturbing. Sex trafficking is more than a problem in large urban centers,. Unfortunately, it thrives in the Twin Ports. State of Minnesota reports on human sex trafficking have demonstrated the need to work against trafficking and prostitution. Some of these reports identified specific groups as particularly affected by trafficking, reporting that Native American girls and women are some of the most vulnerable to being trafficked while having the least access to resources. Duluth, being a small metropolis, an international port city and having a relatively large Native population, has become identified by these reports as one of the major hubs for trafficking and prostitution in Minnesota. We were provided with ample literature at our tables that explains what Duluth is doing about this and what we can do to help stop it. By coincidence, this day was proclaimed “National Trafficking Day” and to impress upon us the human face of this insidious problem, we watched a short video entitled “Don’t Buy It”. With limited resources, PAVSA provides shelter for vulnerable women while offering programs and education to high schools, community groups and service clubs such as ours, to inform us that we can make a difference. One root cause for sex trafficking is the easy access to pornography that objectifies women as sex objects – stripping them of their humanity. Sex Trafficking, as well as sexual assault, is never a victimless crime. The image of “street-walkers” plying their trade has been replaced with the sophistication of the internet where “customers” can custom order their victims by selecting gender, age, height, weight, hair color, and nationality. Children as young as 12 years of age – some even younger – are sold into a life of shame, regret and sorrow. Statistics show that “customers” are traditionally white married men from all professions and classes. Mel Alvar, herself a victim of a sexual assault, has been with PAVSA only for 3 ½ years and her work with victims is never ending. Mel meets one-on-one with clients advising them to speak out, instructing them that they are more than the sum total of their horrible experiences. She also speaks to small gatherings of young people in area schools and detention centers, educating them on the true meaning of consent and encouraging them to reach out for help instead of using drugs and alcohol to cope with their pain. Although sex trafficking may never be eradicated, by being a better-informed population we can rise to defend our most vulnerable youth.
Speakers Mel Alvar and Adele Yorde with President Tricia Bunten
The Club 25 Grants Committee is accepting applications to provide funding to qualifying organizations in the Spring, 2017. For more information on the criteria for receiving funding from Club 25, review the Grant Guidelines. To apply for funding, the organization should complete the Grant Application Form. All applications are due to Bri, bri@duluthrotary.org, by February 15th. If the organization received a grant from Club 25 last year, a Final Report must be completed prior to being considered for further funding.
With the annual Fish & Wild Game Dinner just around the corner, Tuesday, February 6th, we need donations of fish and wild game. If you are willing to provide a donation for this meal, please deliver items to GB Schneider’s. For more information please contact Karol Sowers, KSowers@banknorthshore.com.
Please send photos of your hunting or fishing adventures to Scott Frankovich at scott_frankovich@yahoo.com. A presentation of these photos will be running during the Fish & Wild Game Dinner.
My favorite past times are watching hockey, playing golf and motorcycle riding.
My wife, Rochon, is with Allete. Our favorite hobby together would be walking our Labrador “Kevin” on the Hartley trails. The activities we do together include running our son from one event to the next, going to the cabin and cooking.
My son, Griffin, plays hockey, golf and enjoys riding dirt bikes.
An interesting fact about my family is that my Great Grandfather was a Wisconsin State Senator.
I like the mission of Rotary on an international level as well as our local club level. The members I have gotten to know are quality people with the very best of intentions. The outreach our club makes to local organizations in need makes me proud to be a Rotarian.
I was involved in the building of our Club’s Amazon medical clinic in Peru. I had never traveled outside North America, so the entire experience was incredible. I still receive a newsletter from the clinic which outlines all the help they have provided to local people each year. The facility and overall experience were truly amazing.
Bri Braaten and President– Elect Steve Yorde are attending the Large Club Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas Saturday, January 13th– Wednesday, January 17th. The Rotary Office will be closed Friday, January 12th, Monday, January 15th and Wednesday, January 17th. McKenzie MacFarlane will be in the office Tuesday, January 16th.
Excerpt From “A Deadly Foe. The International News, 2017 December. Written by Beena Sarwar.
“As 2017 draws to a close, it is worth highlighting a quiet success story underlying the headlines about Pakistan. This is a country on the verge of eliminating a foe that poses a critical threat not just within national borders but also the region. The dramatic drop in polio cases over the past three years – down by a whopping 99 percent, from 306 cases in 2014 to just 8 in 2017 so far – shows what political will, commitment, coordination and consistency can achieve.
The progress against polio in Pakistan “is a hard fought, hard earned gain, substantiated by solid evidence,” says Dr Hamid Jafari, principal deputy director for the Center for Global Health at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). “This is not the time to be skeptical.” He should know. Heading the polio eradication team in India on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO) from 2007-2012, he helped India become polio-free, one step closer to the region becoming polio-free.”
“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has added momentum – and dollars – to the polio campaign spearheaded by Rotary International, along with the WHO, the CDC, and Unicef. Their Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the world’s largest public-private partnership, works with national governments and millions of volunteers. The GPEI has raised $14 billion international investment towards a polio-free world. But this is about more than money. “It’s the passion, commitment and energy” of those driven by the vision of a polio-free future, as Dr Tedros, the new Director General of WHO noted. “Health for all and all for health”. Highlighting the work of Pakistan’s polio workers, Gates said the campaign is a “testament to the kindness, compassion and spirit of helping others.””
