Missoula Medical Aid
Posted by Jim Clark
Minutes of the Missoula Sunrise Rotary meeting May 6, 2009.
Susan Cramer, filling in for the traveling Chris Warden, called the meeting to order promptly at 7:40 a.m. for a bit smaller crowd than usual. Past District Governor (PDG) Carl Prinzing led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Susan offered the invocation which she borrowed from the last P.E.T.S. (President Elect Training Seminar). The invocation was tied directly to the Rotary Four Way Test and culminated by asking that 'we be truly grateful for the freedom and the opportunity to apply the Four Way Test of Rotary in our daily living.'
Susan welcomed back Grandma Kris Paffhausen - the best looking new grandma in the club - who did have pictures of Blake. Sergeant at Arms David Bardwick welcomed visiting Rotarian Jim Hutcheson (Missoula Noon club) and guests Katy Clay (Bob's her Dad), John Wells (Ellie Hill), Lou Bahin (Bob Clay), Cara Morgan and exchange student Agustina.
David then shared a personal story from his last motorcycle exhibition - er, expedition. He said he had always wondered what he might say if he got into a bad situation with his cycle. As he was accelerating to about 158 mph, the corner, which had been a LONG way off, seemed to get quite close very quickly. He heard himself say "s..." (expletive deleted). Now he knows. So do we. Fortunately, he was able to gear down and made the turn safely.
Glenn Marangelo announced the upcoming Five Valleys Land Trust Celebration to be held on Saturday, May 16 at the Northstar Air Express Hangar at the Missoula International Airport. Additional information available at www.fvlt.org. If you mention you are from our club, the discounted price will be yours.
The signup sheet for the highway cleanup on May 30 was passed around again. Although there has been good response, there's always room for more. The more the merrier!
Our club's monthly board meeting will be held next Wednesday (May 13) at 6:15 a.m. Next year's officers are encouraged to attend, all club members are welcome.
Katy Clay made an announcement on behalf of the Coyote Choir and their fundraiser. Last year, they made a children's CD called "Ask the Planet". This year, their mission project is to sell stainless steel water bottles. The funds raised by the choir will go to "Water for People" - certainly a project that fits Rotary ideals and goals. The Choir teamed with Mountain Water on this project. The bottles sell for twelve dollars with three of those dollars going to the choir AND Mountain Water will match the total dollars going to the choir. Oh yes. Did you know it takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to make the plastic water bottles we use annually in the United States?
Paul Williamson offered the Rotary Minute sharing information related to Rotary's involvement with the eight UN Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000. The target date for reaching these goals is 2015. Rotary has worked toward meeting several of the goals long before the UN formally adopted them. For example, working to alleviate hunger throughout the world has been a Rotary goal for nearly half a century. The issue is access to food rather than food shortages. This point was also stressed during our program for the day.
Al Jensen, classification 'Financial Services', offered his classification talk this morning. Al joined Rotary in Livermore, CA in 1994. He was talked into it by friends but soon became a committed Rotarian. Our club reminds him a lot of the Livermore club. Al enjoys working with people on financial planning issues. He moved here with his wife (Michele) and son (Kyle) in 2001 but had been here a number of times throughout the years since his older sister was a graduate student at UM. Family animals include a dog and a horse. His strongest character traits? Kyle thinks Al is a good communicator. Michele thinks Al talks too much. Kyle thought his Dad got things done. Michele thought he could do more. 'Nuff said. The family likes to do outdoor things, travel and read. Most of us did not know Al had a difficult time with a miniature cream puff and some wine at a local lingerie shop. Thank goodness everything came out O.K.This story may need to revisited!
Our main speaker this week was David Cates with Missoula Medical Aid (MMA). In addition to his work as a successful author, David has a passion for working with needy people in Honduras. MMA was formed after Hurricane Mitch (1998) took some 10,000 lives. David, and others from Missoula, wanted to help - and did. The mission of MMA is to improve health and to provide access to health care. Under the 'access' portion of the mission, MMA provides dental care (Dr. Terry Zahn has been there, done that), medical brigades (including hill community clinics in school houses and orthopedic surgery in city hospitals), and community medical boxes. Glasses are also provided for adults.
Improving the overall health of the communities served includes a wide variety of activities and projects. Indoor cooking over open fires means homes choked with smoke. Fifteen dollars provides materials to build a chimney. Neighbor shows neighbor how to build the chimney. Economic development and farming is encouraged providing about one hundred dollars to set up a chicken raising business. Another project provided pigs, a pig pen, and information about the use/disposal of the manure. The pig farmer featured - who happens to be a woman - then shared her expertise with a neighbor. A heifer costs about one thousand dollars. With help from outside sources, someone invests in a heifer. A decision is made about who will receive the first heifer born and that person also invests. This process is repeated and, eventually, there will be a milk cow for every family. Farming developments included providing plastic trays for starting vegetables, erecting simple greenhouses, providing irrigation resources, planting St. Michael's Sword (which controls soil erosion), and processing coffee husks into soil rather than polluting the streams with the husks.
Rotary International has helped with nutrition problems. Forty percent of the children suffer chronic malnutrition. Again, access to the food, NOT shortage of food, is the problem. Eighteen thousand dollars from a Rotary grant, and help with cooking by a cadre of women, provides one hot meal a day for 150 young kids for an entire year. Once more, Rotary in action!
Our meeting concluded, as usual, with the recitation of the Four Way Test.
Susan welcomed back Grandma Kris Paffhausen - the best looking new grandma in the club - who did have pictures of Blake. Sergeant at Arms David Bardwick welcomed visiting Rotarian Jim Hutcheson (Missoula Noon club) and guests Katy Clay (Bob's her Dad), John Wells (Ellie Hill), Lou Bahin (Bob Clay), Cara Morgan and exchange student Agustina.
David then shared a personal story from his last motorcycle exhibition - er, expedition. He said he had always wondered what he might say if he got into a bad situation with his cycle. As he was accelerating to about 158 mph, the corner, which had been a LONG way off, seemed to get quite close very quickly. He heard himself say "s..." (expletive deleted). Now he knows. So do we. Fortunately, he was able to gear down and made the turn safely.
Glenn Marangelo announced the upcoming Five Valleys Land Trust Celebration to be held on Saturday, May 16 at the Northstar Air Express Hangar at the Missoula International Airport. Additional information available at www.fvlt.org. If you mention you are from our club, the discounted price will be yours.
The signup sheet for the highway cleanup on May 30 was passed around again. Although there has been good response, there's always room for more. The more the merrier!
Our club's monthly board meeting will be held next Wednesday (May 13) at 6:15 a.m. Next year's officers are encouraged to attend, all club members are welcome.
Katy Clay made an announcement on behalf of the Coyote Choir and their fundraiser. Last year, they made a children's CD called "Ask the Planet". This year, their mission project is to sell stainless steel water bottles. The funds raised by the choir will go to "Water for People" - certainly a project that fits Rotary ideals and goals. The Choir teamed with Mountain Water on this project. The bottles sell for twelve dollars with three of those dollars going to the choir AND Mountain Water will match the total dollars going to the choir. Oh yes. Did you know it takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to make the plastic water bottles we use annually in the United States?
Paul Williamson offered the Rotary Minute sharing information related to Rotary's involvement with the eight UN Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000. The target date for reaching these goals is 2015. Rotary has worked toward meeting several of the goals long before the UN formally adopted them. For example, working to alleviate hunger throughout the world has been a Rotary goal for nearly half a century. The issue is access to food rather than food shortages. This point was also stressed during our program for the day.
Al Jensen, classification 'Financial Services', offered his classification talk this morning. Al joined Rotary in Livermore, CA in 1994. He was talked into it by friends but soon became a committed Rotarian. Our club reminds him a lot of the Livermore club. Al enjoys working with people on financial planning issues. He moved here with his wife (Michele) and son (Kyle) in 2001 but had been here a number of times throughout the years since his older sister was a graduate student at UM. Family animals include a dog and a horse. His strongest character traits? Kyle thinks Al is a good communicator. Michele thinks Al talks too much. Kyle thought his Dad got things done. Michele thought he could do more. 'Nuff said. The family likes to do outdoor things, travel and read. Most of us did not know Al had a difficult time with a miniature cream puff and some wine at a local lingerie shop. Thank goodness everything came out O.K.This story may need to revisited!
Our main speaker this week was David Cates with Missoula Medical Aid (MMA). In addition to his work as a successful author, David has a passion for working with needy people in Honduras. MMA was formed after Hurricane Mitch (1998) took some 10,000 lives. David, and others from Missoula, wanted to help - and did. The mission of MMA is to improve health and to provide access to health care. Under the 'access' portion of the mission, MMA provides dental care (Dr. Terry Zahn has been there, done that), medical brigades (including hill community clinics in school houses and orthopedic surgery in city hospitals), and community medical boxes. Glasses are also provided for adults.
Improving the overall health of the communities served includes a wide variety of activities and projects. Indoor cooking over open fires means homes choked with smoke. Fifteen dollars provides materials to build a chimney. Neighbor shows neighbor how to build the chimney. Economic development and farming is encouraged providing about one hundred dollars to set up a chicken raising business. Another project provided pigs, a pig pen, and information about the use/disposal of the manure. The pig farmer featured - who happens to be a woman - then shared her expertise with a neighbor. A heifer costs about one thousand dollars. With help from outside sources, someone invests in a heifer. A decision is made about who will receive the first heifer born and that person also invests. This process is repeated and, eventually, there will be a milk cow for every family. Farming developments included providing plastic trays for starting vegetables, erecting simple greenhouses, providing irrigation resources, planting St. Michael's Sword (which controls soil erosion), and processing coffee husks into soil rather than polluting the streams with the husks.
Rotary International has helped with nutrition problems. Forty percent of the children suffer chronic malnutrition. Again, access to the food, NOT shortage of food, is the problem. Eighteen thousand dollars from a Rotary grant, and help with cooking by a cadre of women, provides one hot meal a day for 150 young kids for an entire year. Once more, Rotary in action!
Our meeting concluded, as usual, with the recitation of the Four Way Test.