Noon Rotarian's assembled at the YMCA, Dave J checked us in and Double A Catering presented meatballs, scalloped potatoes, green beans, apple slicers and rolls for our dining pleasure. Neither president Bob R or piano player Keith M were in sight. Dr Zack brought us to order and we pledged our allegiance to Old Glory and repeated the Four Way Test. On this Ash Wednesday Wally C thanked the Almighty for the sunshine and requested blessings on the food we enjoyed, the cooks who prepared it, the military and each other. Joel Pettigien was a guest of Dr Zach’s and Brenda Thompson of Alex was introduced as a visiting Rotarian. The call for brags and fines brought Mark B to his feet to say good things about Paul Shol and his forthcoming military activation and to deposit a scooter buck. Lisa M was generous and proud in announcing the birth of her first grandchild. Pete W complemented Wally C for producing the club history book he had just reviewed and also complemented Paul Shol on his military service. Wally C put in a plug for the club history scrapbooks he has created. Anthony N’s picture was in the paper. Visitor Brenda Thompson informed us that a troop from Fergus took first place in the recent Boy Scout Klondike derby at Alexandria. Kati J provided a few nice words supporting guest Joel P and provided a scooter buck. Dr Zach conducted a trivia quiz about Dr. Seuss. Had we know that there were but 50 different words in “Green Eggs and Ham”; that his first book was “On Mulberry Street”; that his real name was Theodore; that he is credited with originating 42 words and that “Green Eggs and Ham” was his best seller, we could have answered all the questions correctly. Our program was provided by Paul Shol and Ben Ellison of the Fergus Falls Area Habitat for Humanity. Paul began by reminding us that the mission of Habitat is “To put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build affordable homes and give hope to families in our local communities.” He went on to mention that this is the 31st year in Fergus for Habitat and in that time the organization has built or restored 60 homes. The newest home is on Lenore Way and two ago weeks the approved homeowner completed the purchase. There were nearly 130 individual volunteers and 13 groups that participated in the construction. In 2022, Habitat plans to construct two homes on Lenore Way. Some site preparation took place last fall and concrete can be poured shortly after the snow melts. Ben Ellison has primary responsibility for fund raising at Habitat. His presentation focused on The Habitat 500, an annual week long 500 mile bike ride coordinated by Habitat of Minnesota and an opportunity for riders to raise funds for their local Habitat organization. The last two years it has been a virtual event. This year riders will complete the first 300 miles in self-directed routes and the final 200 miles will take place July 14-17 in scenic loops around Otter Tail County. The riders will be hosted at Hillcrest and local churches will provide meals. Habitat of the Fergus Falls Area views this as their primary fund raiser for the year with a goal of $25,000.00. Riders pay their own entry fee and are expected to secure sponsors that will pledge funds to Habitat based on the riders participation in the event. Hopefully 25-30 riders for Fergus Habitat will be secured, so far 17 are committed. Expectation is 150 riders from around the state will take part. Ben went on to mention a host of opportunities to become involved from sponsoring a rider for $250.00 to something called a Title Sponsor few $10,000.00. He also challenged us be responsible for one of the Aid Stations along the route. That would require 2 or 3 folks for up to four hours. In response to questions we learned Paul is leaving in early April for a four month deployment with the Duluth Air Guard to the “middle east”. He is a staff Sargent and functions as a Crew Chief responsible for keeping one aircraft per day ready for flight. Also we were told Habitat is looking for homeowners for this year’s projects and that the monthly payments for the owner usually ranges from $650.00 to $700.00. |
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