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Our invocation was offered by Jamie Larson and after we recited the Pledge of Allegiance and The Four Way Test Jamie was the first to make an announcement, encouraging peach sales and telling us in the next week or two he will be wanting preliminary sales figures from members. President Ryan told us he would be sending out an e-mail looking for Rotarians to volunteer to sell peaches at the Fergus Falls Farmers Market at least the next couple of Saturdays. Deb Maertens reported our exchange student from Denmark, Laly, has received her visa and is expected to arrive around August 25th; if you are interested in hosting, contact Deb. Ryan also said he is looking for a tech-minded person or persons to take on the responsibility of handling some tech responsibilities for the Club; if you have those type of skills, please let Ryan know you are willing to be involved. We were also told all of us who pledged to support The Rotary Foundation in the 2024-25 year should have received a letter (in only giving to the Annual Fund) or two letters (the second for a donation to PolioPlus) from The Rotary Foundation reflecting the money that was sent in for members. For those who signed up for Rotary Minute Plus Insurance, you should have received a receipt for $120 to the Annual Fund and $80 to PolioPlus. If you did not receive the acknowledgments, let Bob Russell know. Cody Odland indicated that Salvation Army is looking for volunteers to help in the kitchen on Mondays and Tuesdays and also said we are planning a workday at the Lake Region Community Garden on September 11th. Finally, there was some discussion of getting some new Rotary t-shirts ordered. Former Rotarian Josh Heggem received his Paul Harris Fellow recognition. Also recognized were Katie Johnson and Wally Cole receiving their first sapphire Paul Harris pin, Keith Olson receiving his four sapphire pin and Buzz Lundeen receiving his one ruby pin. Congratulations to all and a thank you for supporting The Rotary Foundation!  Katie Johnson led off the brags and contributed two five-dollar bills in honor of her 55th birthday that day, leading to those assembled singing Happy Birthday to her. Keith O. contributed for missing the Lucky Duck Derby and to tell us he enjoyed the opportunity to work with other Rotarians at the Habitat for Humanity build. Kathy Austvold also contributed for missing the Derby; she was, however, in Duck, North Caroling, and enjoyed a duck donut. Dave and Dolly Johnson ended up taking a cruise on the Ohio River instead of the Mississippi, as the river level on the latter was too high to allow passage under some bridges (the last two years it has been too low, creating the possibility of grounding the vessel). Their trip was from St. Louis to Louisville, Kentucky and he said the food on board was unbelievable. One of the stops was in Paducah, Kentucky, home of the National Quilting Museum, which had one quilt made of wood. It sounded like it was worth embarking on the substitute trip! Deb Maertens missed last week as she was in southern Minnesota with her mother and attended a gardening-quilt show at which one of her mother's quilts was featured. Finally, Wally Cole told us his granddaugher Lilly was in The Center for the Arts presentation of Beetlejuice. Buzz Lundeen introduced our speaker for the day, Danna Gronwold, who spoke to us about the non-profit she established in 2024 after several suicides in the Fergus Falls area. It is called Never Alone Incorporated. Jana's husband, Brock, is one of the top drivers out at the Fergus Falls speedway and they are involving the kids in working on cars and racing them on the dirt track. Every Tuesday they host whoever shows up at their house for dinner, feeding all of them. The average turn-out is 30 but the number has been as high as 90. Last Thanksgiving they also had a full holiday feast for 100 people. Some of those that show up are very troubled while others are not; they range in age from 3½ to adult. Danna told us that one student, who was cutting himself, has now stopped and even been asked to be baptized at his church. The kids started praying at the gatherings on their own. The gatherings have reminded Danna as to how innocent teenagers can be and that they are not ready for a fast-changing world. The kids don't take their phones out for two hours on Tuesdays and during the racing on Friday. The organization's big fundraiser is at the annual WISSOTA 100 held at the racetrack, this year from September 10-14. They will be selling raffle tickets and need people to help in that regard; food donations and shop help would also be greatly appreciated. Part of the funding for Never Alone has also come from grants. To learn more, volunteer, or make a gift you can visit the organization's website at www.NeverAloneMN.com or find it on Facebook at Never Alone. |
