Wally Cole gave our invocation, and we welcomed as guests Steve ? [missed the last name], Joshua Boyer from the Salvation Army and Cody Odland. The first referenced saw one of our "We Want You" posters and decided to find out about Rotary, while the latter two are now being proposed for membership, with the Salvation Army becoming our first organizational membership. President Zach reported we will likely continue volunteering at the Salvation Army from 11:30 to 12:30 on Thursdays and any other weekday that works better for a member and is arranged with Salvation Army. President Zack told us that at our meeting this week (tomorrow) we will learn more about our movie fundraiser; we were also reminded that we will be singing this week, with pianist Keith Melberg providing necessary accompaniment.
There was a Rotary Minute based upon the all-member survey Rotary International conducted last year for which the results appeared in the August Rotary magazine. All three questions were answered correctly! When we launched into brags and fines, Tim fined himself for forgetting his badge at home again, while this writer talked about an opportunity to work on an amicus curiae brief to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Wally talked about enjoying the steak fry that the Fish & Game Club put on, with two daughters joining him but Marci staying at home as she was recovering from her second cataract surgery.
Our program was Chris Hyslop, introduced by John. John told us our speaker graduated in the mid-80's from Fergus Falls (1987 to be precise) and is the son of Pat and Charlie. He taught for a while in Rothsay and then joined the Peace Corps. That led him to a life full of humanitarian service all around the world. John described Chris as a person he much admires. Chris worked for Mercy Corps for many years, obtained a graduate degree from Harvard, went to work for and retired from the United Nations and now lives in Missoula Montana. He and his two siblings and families invade Swan Lake Club for a month every summer. Before doing so this year, Chris spent four weeks in Ukraine helping a friend set up a humanitarian program. He first pointed out the historical context, that being Russia has always made an effort to maintain a geographic buffer, and describing its perception that Ukraine joining NATO would be an encroachment.
Right now, the "front line" is about 600 miles long and it appears to Chris that Russia has, as a practical matter, recognized ruling over Kiev is not in the cards. Kiev was described as a very European, ultra-modern metropolis, lacking the feel of a Soviet Union city. Where the fighting is on-going, most schools have been heavily damaged, and the front-line villages have been completely flattened and devastated. Shrapnel litters the ground. Over seven million people have been forced to leave their homes. As is the case with most refugees, they typically do not go too far unless to join relatives in more distant locales.
Out of a population of 41 million, it is estimated that 17 million need humanitarian assistance. The cost of such assistance is estimated by the United Nations at three billion dollars, which works out to about $176 per person. The United States is the largest humanitarian donor in terms of actual dollars given, but if you measure aid by the percentage of gross domestic product, the Baltic states would be the largest contributors. The organization that Chris assisted received a two million dollar grant from Taiwan and it is working to help those with damaged residences identify and secure what is needed so their homes will be inhabitable for winter. Chris said he finds it unbelievable that the entire Ukrainian society is entirely mobilized for the conflict, fixing things when they are broken down, and with no visible factions.
Taking out a bridge to Crimea was described as a "big deal," Chris noting that the peninsula was a favorite vacation spot for Sovie leadership. In talking about moving crops out of Ukraine by rail, it was noted the difficulty with the width of Soviet rail tracks in what are now independent Baltic countries, compared to the normal European rail width. Chris is of the opinion that Ukraine's counteroffensive will not succeed, that things are moving toward a stalemate and that ultimately a resolution will have to be negotiated. Chris feels the likely outcome will be some type of armistice, similar to what ended the Korean War, but believes reaching that point will be over the "long-haul." "If you want to get people out of hell, you have to talk to the devil" were his closing words.
A great program and a thank you to Chris for his efforts and insight!