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Katie Johnson offered our invocation. Keith Olson presented this writer with a commemorative Rotary International plate that decorated his parents' home for years, which gift is very much appreciated. The foregoing led Wally Cole to show us a box he had found sent by Russell Hampton (the largest supplier of Rotary related goods) addressed to G. Robert Allison which had various Rotary badges and stickers in it. Since it felt like we were into brags and fines, Tim Hunt self-imposed the latter for missing a couple meetings to address some medical issues facing both Desta and him. Kathy Austvold told us that the child partnership program with a non-governmental organization in India that she is associated with has ended because its license to receive foreign currency was denied. This is a sad time, and Kathy is currently informing sponsors of the change and directing them to children in other countries. President Ryan reminded us to sell peaches and reported that Hal Leland, this writer and Ryan himself sold six lugs of peaches at the Fergus Falls Farmers Market the prior Saturday. Cody Odland told us that the Salvation Army was looking for kitchen help on both Mondays and Tuesdays, thanked everyone who showed up for the Habitat build since he had not had a chance to do so before, and said we are scheduled to help out at Lake Region's Community Garden on September 11th, starting at 9:00 a.m. Brian then introduced our own Deb Maertens who talked to us about attending the Rotary International Convention in Calgary this past June 21-25. White cowboy hats are a Calgary tradition and Deb had hers from the city she said she really loved. The theme was "Magic all Around" and there were 16,000 attendees from 140 countries. The House of Friendship had everything Rotary related imaginable, including set-ups by Rotary action groups and fellowships, Rotary merchandise, etc. She described the entire experience as FUN! FUN! FUN!, although it was a long 16-hour drive back to Fergus. Speakers included Bill Gates, actress Geena Davis (talking about a foundation she started for women in the media) and a WHO representative. Bill Gates committed the Gates Foundation to another $450 million dollars to eradicate polio over the next four-years, continuing the $2 match for every $1 received from a Rotarian to the effort during that time span. Deb attended some sessions on peace building, including one on the eight pillars of "positive peace," which included 1) high levels of human capital, 2) good relations with neighbors; 3) acceptance of the rights of others, 4) the free flow of information; 5) low levels of corruption; 6) a sound business environment; 7) the equitable distribution of resources; and 8) a well-functioning government. The connection between peace building and health was also referenced. Deb and her husband Daniel were among 2,200 attendees who participated in a host hospitality day, where local Rotarians hosted them; Deb saw a 33-acre park set up to be totally handicap-friendly. The center of the Ferris wheel at the location of the Calgary Stampede (which originated in 1912) was decorated with the Rotary emblem, and a "Pancakes for Polio" event was held at Stampede Park raised $25,000. There was an announcement that the endowment fund of The Rotary Foundation had reached one billion dollars. The Maertens also took in Banff, the glacier ice field and Jasper (with one-third of the town destroyed by fire in 2024). Deb also attended a two-day youth exchange pre-convention meeting. She finished her comments by pointing out the 2028 International Convention will be in Minneapolis and our own District Conference is coming up in Duluth on October 24 and 25, encouraging all of us to experience these opportunities. |
There was a Rotary Minute Plus Quiz based on our meetings in July, and three of three questions were answered correctly! President Ryan thanked Lisa McFarland, Holly Wilson, this writer and Teresa Leno from the Sunrise Club for volunteering at the Farmers Market the prior Saturday to sell peaches and Keith Olson encouraged all of us to e-mail Jamie Larson with a count of peach lugs sold, as delivery is less than two weeks away. The four teams that were formed to identify programs for the 2025-26 Rotary year were encouraged to identify their leaders, with Katie Johnson stepping forward to say she was willing to do so for her group, noting that they had August and the only date remaining open for a program was this coming Wednesday, August 6th. Ryan also told us that a tech team is in place to help with our needs in that area. 
