The Rotary Club of Edina held the annual Transition Meeting, the last meeting of the Rotary year, on June 28. The presidency of the club transitioned from San Asato to John Flynn. John will be president from July 2018 through June 2019. Club board directors gave brief recaps of their committees' work over the past year. Outgoing Club and Edina Rotary Foundation board members were honored, including Past President Ann Platt, who goes off the Club Board after serving five years.
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President San Asato called the final meeting for 2017–2018 to order exactly at 12:30 p.m. He welcomed all in attendance to celebrate the accomplishments of club directors and the committees that they chair. He encouraged club members to volunteer for the City of Edina 4th of July parade that will feature former club president Frank Cardarelle as Parade Marshall. Asato thanked the people who performed the essential off-podium duties today, and, after recognizing the birthdays and anniversaries of club members, he invited Brad Pearson to give the invocation and to lead the group in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Four-Way Test.
Guest introductions were done by Charlie Barer. Guests included two prospective members, as well as David and Sabrina Waithaba from Nairobi. Marty Kupper, Director of Club Service, reviewed the major activities of the Club over the past year, including the 60th Club Anniversary celebration.
On behalf of the Community Service—Local Funding Committee, Brandon Azbill reported on the 19 local grants given out in the past Rotary year, including the tree planting initiative. Giving back locally was complemented by the many international initiatives led by the International Service Committee, chaired by Shelly Loberg. These projects reflect the priorities of Rotary International in such areas as maternal health, clean water, education and sanitation. Greg Yoch, chair of the Membership Committee, indicted that the continued growth of the Edina club to 177 members, 21 percent of whom are female, and 11 percent below the age of 40, reflects the vibrancy of the club.
Renee Harberts, described the many social activities her committee organized and expressed appreciation for the many members who participated in activities that foster friendships and team work Director of Public Image Dan Hennen reviewed the steps his committee has taken to further the positive public image of our club and to build good will in the community. This includes the 4th of July Parade and a number of press releases generated by Jennifer Bennerotte about the good work of our club.
David Clynes of The Rotary Foundation reviewed the very successful fundraising year that included $100,000 contributed to the Annual Fund that supports local projects and $60,300 raised for Polio Plus, the signature project of Rotary International. The Paul Harris Society now has 49 members.
Sam Thompson thanked members for their commitment to youth service and community service, while President Asato extended a special thank you to Mary Hustad, Bob Stehlik, Joe Hayes and Jennifer Garske for their many contributions all year long to the club and thanked the Edina Country Club staff (to a standing ovation) for helping to make our weekly meetings so successful and enjoyable.
Scott MacDonald expressed his appreciation on behalf of the Edina Rotary Foundation as he goes off the board. In turn, President Asato thanked the directors at-large and the directors leaving the Board after multiple years of service. Each of the out-going directors received small tokens of appreciation. Ann Platt was honored for five consecutive years of service as a club leader, including Club President, and she, in turn, thanked all of the club members for their support and their dedication to the club.
In closing, President Asato reflected on his service as Club President, the mentoring and support he received, and his commitment to process. The goals he had set for himself include the following:
- Ensuring guest speakers got their promised time.
- Have as many Rotarians as possible at the podium.
- Provide committee chairs the freedom and support to do their job.
- Keep the meetings moving and end them on time.
- Strive to be authentic by sharing personal values and perspectives.
In recognizing past club presidents, San stated that with the club’s membership and leadership is now the largest and most successful club in the District. He ended his remarks by thanking all for a successful and meaningful year. The transition meeting culminated with the passing of the presidential pin to incoming President John Flynn.
President Flynn stated that his focus would be to make the club fun, engaging, meaningful and inspirational (FEMI) for all of the members and said the theme for the coming year is “Be the Inspiration.” He asked all member to mark their calendars for Saturday, Sept. 29, for a very special event. He ended his comments with a quote from Peter Marshall and adjourned the meeting at exactly 1:30 p.m.
