Originally hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, Sylvia Oman moved to Missoula in 2007 to work in administrative and leadership positions with local non-profit organizations. Prior to this, our speaker this week earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of Massachusetts-Boston and a Masters of Music in Pedagogy from Boise State University. She is a certified teacher with the Suzuki Association of the Americas and has a full studio of violin students, ages 6 to 60+. Sylvia has played in the Missoula Symphony Orchestra and the Helena Symphony Orchestra, as well as other ensembles in the area.

 

 

 

Accomplishments to date ‐ halfway through the 2021-2022 year 

 

As of January 1, our club boasts 61 members, 51 of whom are active members and ten of whom are honorary members. Eleven of our fellow Rotarians chose to resign membership this year, most of whom relocated to other states or other clubs in the area. Four new community members joined our club thus far this year as fellow Rotarians. We welcomed Leslie Laird, Mark Lawhead, Emy Royce and Patricia Jackson. Dean said that one of the club's goals was to induct four new members, thus we have achieved that goal. That's no reason to rest on our laurels, he admits, and encouraged all of us to share Rotary with our friends and neighbors. Someone once asked us to join a Rotary club. Now it's time for each of us to return the favor. Dean said that a second membership goal is to achieve 61 active members. 

 

"We can assume that sometimes life happens and we may have a few members who follow a new direction," Dean said.

 

He said an orientation for new members is being scheduled at the Comfort Inn and more information about that will soon be forthcoming. Member Chair Royce Engstrom has a long list of prospective member candidates, thus expects to increase our numbers going forward. Dean asks that members work with Royce on any prospects.

 

On the club's administrative side, four of our members participated in the District Assembly training in September, thereby qualifying our club to receive district grants for which we might apply this year. 

 

Victoria Emmons Bouzina is compiling a new club directory. For the first time, advertisements were sold to help cover the cost of the directory. Dean thanked all who sold or purchased ads. 

 

Per our club's bylaws, Dean said that he has appointed three members to serve on the Nominating Committee, including Bill Schwanke, Fran Albrecht and Jim Hutcheson. Immediate Past President Victoria serves as chair of the committee, also per our club's bylaws. The committee met on January 5 to discuss candidates for future leadership positions as directors and president-elect nominee. The club membership will vote on a board-approved slate for FY 2022-2023 at the club's Annual Meeting scheduled for April 13. 

 

The membership approved a bylaws change earlier this year that reorganized the board with five directors instead of nine. Each of the five directors will represent one of the Avenues of Service. In addition, the bylaws change added an ex officio director position with a one-year term, being the president of Rotaract Club. Austin Parson, Rotaract president, joined the board several months ago and has been an excellent addition.

 

At left: Mike Schauf passes the hat for Happy Bucks donations. See below how generous we Rotarians are when we're Happy!

 

Dean reported on seven philanthropic projects our club has supported in the first half of the year, including:

 

Shelter Box: $1,000 to match club donations of $1,000, allowing the club to order two shelter boxes to send to Haiti in October. 

 

Wreaths Across America: Missoula Rotary Foundation (MRF) approved our grant request of $1,000 to match our club's donation of $1,000 from our MRF club designated giving account. That account represents your generous annual gifts to MRF.

 

Veterans Center: Your Happy Bucks donations totaled over $1,000 for quarter I with proceeds benefiting the Veterans Center to support its suicide prevention program. 

 

Pies for Playgrounds: Thanks to the handiwork of chefs Lauretta and Curt Belts, we were able to raise $1,400 from apple pie sales this fall added to a matching grant of $650 from MRF and $750 from our club's designated fund to support a local playground renovation. 

 

Scholarships: Graduating seniors from Missoula High Schools were eligible to receive Rotary scholarships, a result of your donations to the club's Avenues of Service (AOS) account at MRF. Thanks to your annual gifts, local students are getting support for their education. The club will award $1,250 in scholarships.  

 

The Salvation Army: Rotarians rang the bell in December to benefit The Salvation Army. Our club raised $1,006.87 for Salvation Army projects.  We also received approval for a $1,500 grant for winter supplies for The Salvation Army, whose important work in our community supports many people in need.

 

Soft Landing Missoula: $658 – Dean reported that members are very generous with their Happy Bucks and raised $658 for Soft Landing Missoula during the last quarter. The club president selects a worthy Happy Bucks beneficiary each quarter. Thank you for your contributions to the various causes, including this one. 

 

Service Projects: Dean noted that our club has had an active community service project calendar since the year began. Four members helped place wreaths on the graves of veterans last month as part of the Wreaths Across America project, which our club also supported by donating funds for wreaths. Kathy Schulte, Mike Schauf, Jim Hutcheson and Victoria Emmons Bouzina all helped out with the wreath laying. 

 

The Salvation Army Bell Ringing: A long list of volunteers, including those from Rotary Club of Missoula Sunrise and Missoula Rotaract, helped our members with bell ringing in December. The annual competition saw our Missoula club once again top the fundraising charts.

 

Rotary and Red Cross Co-Sponsored Blood Drive: Rotarians Kathy Schulte, Victoria Emmons Bouzina, Rick Oncken, Levi Thane, Donna Upson, Fran Albrecht, Jim Hutcheson, and Scott Johnson all volunteered to register blood donors at the December 21 blood drive hosted at the Doubletree Inn. 

 

Middle School Awards: Dean reported that Leadership Awards to middle school students at CS Porter and Meadow Hill Middle Schools renewed this year. Last year's pandemic caused a lull in the awards. He said we still need willing and able volunteers to attend each month, help make the awards and share something about Rotary to the students and parents who attend. Two hands immediately shot up with volunteers eager to help. Martha Ripley is coordinating the volunteer scheduling.  

 

Youth Exchange: Our club has an opportunity to host Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) students from Polson who wish to study abroad. Dean said the committee needs to revive itself after the dormancy during the pandemic when exchanges were not possible. The club will need to determine if we can sponsor an exchange student in the fall. Martha is the current chair of the committee.

 

Rotaract: The Missoula Rotaract Club is breathing new life into itself with six new members this year following a recruitment party. The club meets every other Sunday at Jeannette Rankin Peace Center. Members have already been active in some of our Rotary projects and are bringing their ideas to our club, as well.

 

Humphrey Fellows: In July, Otto Koester and Rick Oncken coordinated a barbecue dinner with the Humphrey Fellows visiting Missoula from around the world in conjunction with a partnership of UM and the US State Department.

 

La Vega – Guatemala Water Project: Thanks to Jim Hutcheson for frequent updates on this project. Dean said that great progress is being made in La Vega. Based on the pumping results, a 15 hp pump was selected for the well. The pump and pump house along with the controls will be installed next. The project received four quotes from companies to furnish and install the 90-cubic meter water storage tank. The team in Guatemala is reviewing each quote to determine the best fit for the project. Once a company is selected, the tank will take about three to five months to install. We will now request a CADRE visit or equivalent review of the project so the team can secure the second payment of funds from The Rotary Foundation. Our clubs' members give $30 per member annual contribution toward support of this project that is bringing clean water to underdeveloped areas of Guatemala.  

 

"We have a momentum going with getting a Rotary Presidential Citation each year," said Dean. "I want to three-peat from Martha and Victoria's year and earn another citation. I need everyone to bring in new members so we can reach our membership goal. And keep adding those generous Happy Bucks!"  

 

Happy Bucks:  Dean announced that this quarter, Happy Bucks will support Essential Eats and a bike building project. 

 

Service Projects: "Send me your ideas for service projects," said Dean. "We did three in December. Talk to Levi (Thane) or talk to me. Think outside the usual box. We will be helping to build bikes for Essential Eats in spring," using the Comfort Inn parking as our staging area. 

 

Fellowships: Our goal this year is to host monthly fellowships, Dean explained.  He asked that your ideas of where to host such fellowships are always welcome. Contact him or Andrew George with your ideas.  Dean said the Christmas Party was great and he thanked the committee and Bill Schwanke, the entertainment that night. "It's the best Rotary Christmas party I’ve ever attended," he said.  

 

Speakers: "We will continue to have great speakers arranged by our Program Chair Mike Schauf," said Dean. "But also note that anyone in our membership can pick or be a speaker if you have something interesting to talk about." Mike has confirmed at our board meeting that he has speakers scheduled into May.   

Sara Wecker, member of the Rotary Club of Missoula Sunrise and executive director of Essential Eats, offered an overview of her all-volunteer nonprofit organization, designated as recipient of this quarter's Happy Bucks proceeds.  Essential Eats, she explained, is an all-virtual, all-volunteer non profit. Farm Link serves indigenous populations as of 2017. Rocky nation serves about 1,000 people who live in rural areas with no grocery store, no buses, trains or other public transportation, and very isolated tribal lands. Walmart is providing food each week. 

 

The Sunrise club began working with Essential Eats on a bike project a couple of years ago and invited the Missoula club to join them. Tribal members are in need of new bicycles, new food and new gifts for residents living in these rural areas. Willing to partner on their bike program, a partnership with Walmart allows Rotarians to gift bicycles to those in need. Rotarians assemble the new bikes, which cost $65 per bike, a reduced price from Walmart.   Sara said they hope to assemble and donate about 500 bikes this summer. The Essential Eats board members come from all over the state. She said her bookkeeper is in Portland, but they are able to use Facebook as a medium to reach out and meet people and understand what they need on tribal lands. There is a massive suicide problem with indigenous people, she revealed. Covid deaths are also higher among the tribal nations. The life expectancy of males in that population is only 56 years old.

 

"It is hard to realize what they are dealing with and we try to help them have food to eat and bikes to get around," said Sara.   
 
Happy Bucks will support the project. Learn more at Essential Eats Distributors, found on Facebook. Sara said she started this organization because the Blackfoot food bank shut down and it was going to be hard for them. She began the nonprofit with $1,200 raised through volunteers. She works with the Orphan Green chain that saves high-risk people, and Farm Link, a student-run organization that shipped 40,000 pounds of potatoes. Tribal citizens are accustomed to eating eight pounds of buffalo a day and most are unable to digest sugar. There is a history that hasn’t been told about interactions. Sara said that the bike program was started to build a way for folks to get around.   Groups get together to build the bikes and get them delivered to the tribes. 

 

"We are hoping to do a service project this summer to build bikes at the Comfort Inn," said Dean.