Royce Engstrom has many talents and loves to sing and play guitar at our club meetings. Thanks Royce for all you contribute each week in being part of our board, programs chair, ZAVIT committee and a Paul Harris Fellow.
Join us this Wednesday for a no-host luncheon at Missoula Country Club. Fun and fellowship are what brings us together each month. Please RSVP so we can get a head count as we have been having a record crowd as we all get vaccinated and the weather gets nice. Well, it was nice until this week’s rain.
Twelve Rotarians and one Rotarian spouse were honored at our May 19 meeting for their contributions to The Rotary Foundation. Kathy Schulte, Lon Dale and Donna Upson presented Paul Harris Fellows (PHF) to 12 individuals, with 15 more PHF awards still remaining to present to members/guests in our club this year.
In a touching ceremony via Zoom, Kurt Ingold awarded a PHF to his wife Jeannette for her support and contributions to The Rotary Foundation and to Kurt throughout the years.
The following were honored: Jeannette Ingold, PHF; Dean Fiedler, PHF; Ray J. Round, PHF & PHF+1; Ryan Boyd, PHF+1; Scott Johnson, PHF+1; Royce Engstrom, PHF+1; Kathy Schulte, PHF+2; Kurt Ingold, PHF+3; Lauretta Belts, PHF+3; Lewis Matelich, PHF+3; Bob Minto, PHF+4; Donna Upson, PHF+4; Martha Ripley, PHF+5.
The Rotary Foundation, proposed by Arch Klump in 1917 and formally named in 1928, provides a mechanism for Rotary members to make charitable gifts and double their money with matching dollars to help many causes around the world, as well as local projects.
“It seems eminently proper that we should accept endowments for the purpose of doing good in the world,” Klumpf proposed at the Rotary Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, in June 1917, planting the seed for today’s foundation.
The Rotary Club of Kansas City made the first contribution to the Foundation, a gift of $26.50. Now over a century old, The Rotary Foundation is one of the most well respected charitable organizations in the world, with Rotarians donating billions to worldwide projects in seven areas of focus, including maternal and child health and the eradication of polio. Our club’s Guatemala project together with the Global Coalition falls within The Rotary Foundation’s area of clean water and sanitation.
Many thanks to Kathy, chair of the Foundation Committee, Donna, Lon, and Patti Schulte for organizing our PHF data and presentations this year.
Our club has had a record number of contributors this year. Lon (far left) gave a little history about first-time PHFs Dean (left) and Ray (right). Dean, president-elect of our club, works as general manager of the Comfort Inn - University. Ray is a financial advisor at D.A. Davidson & Co. and a past club board member. Both not only contribute their funds, but also their service and skills. Ray, not to be outdone, also received his second PHF award the same day and is pictured with Ryan (left), Scott and Royce.
Note the color and number of gems changes in PHF pins for each level of giving.
Remember that Rotarians may award a PHF to anyone deserving of recognition for their outstanding service to others in our community. Our next group of recipients received their third PHF. Pictured below are Kathy, Lauretta, Kurt and his wife Jeannette, Lewis, Ryan, Ray, Scott, Royce, Donna, Bob, and Martha, our PHF+5 awardee.
Past RI Director brings first-hand experience to PHF giving
Members attending last week’s Paul Harris Fellow presentation met Ken Grabeau via Zoom. A Rotary colleague of Donna Upson, who invited Ken to speak, Ken served as director of Rotary International 2010-2012, during which time he was chair of the programs committee, chair of the Rotarian Action Group (RAG) committee and special adviser to the executive committee. Ken has served on multiple RI and The Rotary Foundation committees, including as chair of the international election review committee, senior adviser to the Council on Legislation review committee, and technical coordinator of The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers.
Ken said that he and his wife have traveled to Idaho and Montana on one of their many trips around the country and truly loved the beauty of the west. He shared that The Rotary Foundation has gone through many changes in funding and supporting both global and district grants. Just one example — in 2019, there were 868 global grants that funded $47 million worth of events. In 2020, Ken said that there were 1,359 global grant recipients who spent $95 million to accomplish their projects. The Rotary Foundation needs more staff just to process these enhanced grants, he said. It shows us that grants and needs are greater than ever. Some changes will affect matching funds distribution and Rotary will be trying to maximize its funding.
"Rotary must invest in building relationships," said Ken. He said that programs need to be stronger than ever. Ken held up a copy of last month’s Rotarian magazine which talked about the grant process and he encouraged members to read through it so they can discuss these accomplishments with potential new members. Rotary has a great deal to be proud of in our successes and the qualified partners around the world. We focus on seven different areas with projects such as: clean water, sanitation and hygiene; environment; maternal and child health; basic education and literacy; peace-building and conflict prevention; community economic development; and disease prevention and treatment, including, of course, eradicating polio. Our greatest advocates are the Rotary Peace Fellows around the world, Ken said. A newly-built $15.5 million Far East Peace Center, for example, was the results of donations to The Rotary Foundation.
Polio eradication has been the biggest and most challenging project we have accomplished, Ken said. Because of our efforts in promoting polio vaccinations, Rotary was able to assist in helping the Covid-19 vaccine efforts around the world. He said that we have learned a lot since 1985 when polio cases numbered 350,000 cases a year. He shared his experience in 2003 administering polio vaccine drops to children. When a child smiled at him after receiving the two drops of vaccine, he said it made him emotional. Ken showed us a small polio vial he always carries in his pocket even to this day and plans carry it until polio is gone from the world. Thanks to Rotarians around the globe working with other outside health organizations, only two countries still battle active cases of the Wild Polio Virus — Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 2021, only one case was reported in each of these areas.
“We must remain vigilant and we still need to support this area of focus,” said Ken.
Ken told all Rotarians in the room and on Zoom how much he appreciated being part of our celebration and that we need to continue to contribute our funds and efforts to making a difference by building Peace through Service (his favorite theme).
Frank DiNenna lives a Golfer’s Dream: Life on a Golf Course
Frank DiNenna, one of our newest members to present his five-minute talk, entertained Rotarians May 19 with a great slide show of his life, including the many international golf courses he has designed that were a great challenge to build. One course in Egypt, he explained, was built on sand and another built on a rock quarry. His work in the golf industry took Frank to India and China, as well.
He is also a published mystery writer and showed us the cover of his book entitled "Killer on the Lake.
Frank and his wife Julie, who was at the meeting for his presentation, have lead an adventurous life. A man of many talents, today Frank is a real estate agent in Missoula with Engel & Völkers Western Frontier.
Ready for a day of fun, fellowship and doing good?
We need more people to sign up for Friday afternoon and Saturday! Please ask your friends to join us as we build a house for Habitat for Humanity June 4 and 5.
Greetings Rotarians! We have a great service project opportunity coming up with Habitat for Humanity on June 4 and 5. We'll be volunteering time/effort to assist them on a couple of build days! Group sizes are limited to ten. We have four volunteers signed up for each day thus far, but we need more. Even Missoula Sunrise member Dick King, our district assistant governor, has volunteered to help in this project. Please invite your spouses, significant others, teenagers (no young children, please, due to safety concerns on a build site), Rotaract members, friends and neighbors to help. It’s a great way to introduce them to Rotary and all the fun we have together.
The homes we'll help build are located in East Missoula (more details to come) and our participation commitment begins at 8:30 am and ends at 4 pm for a full day. Half-day volunteering is available as well. No special tools or skills are required.
Our club will provide lunch and Jim Hutcheson says he’s volunteering to coordinate that effort. If you would like to be involved, but do not want to participate in the build effort, helping to bring lunch to the build crew would be a great way to participate.
If interested, please email me your preferred day and include whether you are able to join for a full day or half day, or are volunteering for lunch duty. I will fill the ten available slots for each day in the order I receive them. HOPEFULLY by June 4-5 the Covid situation will have improved enough so that we can extend the volunteer opportunity to more people.
If you have questions or need additional information, please don't hesitate to reach out to me directly. See below for my contact information.
Bottled water ready for pick up after Memorial Day
Thank you to all the many Rotarians who purchased cases of bottled water in support of the Western Montana Global Coalition. Those who purchased cases may pick them up at Victoria’s home on or after Memorial Day. Please contact Victoria directly to schedule a pick-up time to be sure she is home when you stop by. She may be able to bring some cases to the Wednesday club meeting for those who want to retrieve them there, but she cannot manage all at once in her small car! Culligan will deliver the cases to Victoria’s home and Rotarians may retrieve them from there.
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President's Message
Victoria Emmons
Remembering our Veterans
When my high school reunion committee asked me to write a poem to honor veterans at the 50th reunion of our Class of 1968, I wrote the poem called “Playgrounds” featured below. Many in our class served in Vietnam, and some of them returned from the conflict in a flag-draped coffin. Having never been in the military myself, I have no idea what fighting a war must be like. I can only listen and learn. My father fought in World War II and he was loathe to tell his stories, as were so many of The Greatest Generation. I find that others today who served in the military are also reluctant to share the horrors of war, yet they will happily talk about the brotherhood they experienced, the camaraderie of their fellow soldiers, the close knit teams they developed.
I know for my father, as for so many young men and women who chose to serve in the military, his service to his country was a lifelong dream. As a kid in the 1920s, he used to watch airplanes fly over the family farm in Missouri and vowed that one day he would be flying, too. And he did, thanks to the US Navy. The Navy gave him the opportunity not only to fly, but to serve his country in so doing, to search for Amelia Earhart when her historic flight disappeared, to see the world from the cockpit of a huge reconnaissance airplane, and to teach others to fly. When he had to crash land his aircraft in the ocean off the coast of Japan in 1943, losing some of his crew, my dad held his co-pilot afloat for 14 hours as they awaited rescue, battling sharks and fearing enemy fire.
On this Memorial Day 2021, we honor all the veterans and active duty military who have served our country in the US Navy, US Army, US Coast Guard, US Air Force, and US Space Force. We remember those who gave their lives for freedom. We thank them for their dedication to keeping peace, for their staunch protection and defense of the US Constitution, and for their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for those Americans at home and abroad. We thank them for everything.
Get a roomful of Montana Rotarians together and it’s bound to be fun. That’s the motto of District Governor Sandy Carlson who was honored at the annual district conference for her year as our District 5390 leader. DG Sandy has done a great job leading the district through a most challenging year of change. The pandemic brought with it a host of problems that Rotarians simply turned into opportunities. As this year’s theme relates, Rotary Opens Opportunities.
The conference May 14-15 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kalispell was held both live and online so that members from throughout the state could easily attend. Speakers included Zone Director-Elect Vicki Puliz, Terri Smiley and the international team, Ernie Ross of the Billings Rotary who lead a team to the Congo, and Mary Hubbard of Bozeman Sunrise who has lead a project to enhance education in Nepal for several years. Darryl Hansen reported on Youth Exchange, encouraging clubs to become involved. Keynote speaker was Bryan Douglass, a former speaker at our club, who told the story of the Miss Montana flight to France. Bryan said a documentary on the flight will air this summer, likely on PBS. Two documentaries have been produced, one on all the airplanes that flew on D-Day’s anniversary and a second on the story of Miss Montana. Additionally, Lucy Smith memorialized all the Rotarians we lost this past year.
On Friday afternoon, Rotarians met at Gateway Community Center to assist the Community Book Exchange with stocking books on shelves so that kids can access them when they visit.
If one attended online, it was a little tricky to join the off-site fellowship functions, of course. Those were especially exciting — a tour of local distilleries and breweries in Kalispell or a school bus ride to Glacier National Park with stunning views and a gorgeous afternoon, complete with a stop at a local distillery, thanks to Allan Ruby. Those on the Glacier adventure learned that the Blackfeet Tribe calls Glacier the “backbone of America” and gave Glacier National Park Superintendent Jeff Mow, a 33-year veteran of the National Park Service, the nickname of “Holy Backbone.”
DG Sandy presented a variety of thank-you awards Saturday night to various district leaders, including Missoula Club President Victoria Emmons who was honored for serving as district newsletter editor this year. Sandy was honored herself as outgoing district governor superb. Sandy also announced the winner of the Montana Rotary quilt raffle — our very own Bob Minto. The international Rotary flag quilt was auctioned for $1,000 and winning bidder Mark Wheeler of Kalispell Daybreak promptly awarded the quilt to DG Sandy, who by that time was in tears at the generous applause and admiration of the crowd. Sandy admitted that she’d do it all again — meaning, serve as DG another year. Now that’s Service Above Self.
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SAVE THE DATE
A Bit of History - Demotion Dinner Ceremony!
Tuesday, June 22, 2021 - Demotion Dinner for Victoria
Missoula Country Club
5-8 PM
It is a Rotary tradition that on the last week of June our club conducts a Demotion Ceremony to transition the President to the new rank of Past President. The gavel is officially handed over, always extending the holding end, to the successor and new President, who by now should be looking for their Bell! This evening provides special time to acknowledge the accomplishments of Leadership greatness and notably honor the individual accomplishment of members. Friendships and spirits are combined to complete this fabulous evening of stories and laughter that fill the room. By now, the bell is already gallivanting about! Registration will be online. Please register online here.
RYLA: OPPORTUNITY FOR LEADERSHIP
District 5390 is offering its annual Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) in person this summer from July 10-14 at Luccock Park Camp. Tall pine trees, early morning fresh air and scores of teenagers climbing out of sleeping bags eagerly facing a new day. This is just a small part of the reality of RYLA in District 5390. Camp RYLA will be an incredible experience for young people in our community.
RYLA will be held at Luccock Park Camp, approximately 15 miles south of Livingston. Our Rotary club selects two students each year for RYLA scholarships at $375 per student, funded through your Avenues of Service contributions. We are in the process of accepting applications for students who are entering 10th or 11th grade next year. We also need volunteers to work on the selection committee as we can only sponsor two students. If interested in being involved, please contact Martha Ripley at marthar@orimt.org.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Q.Who wound up as owners of the Rotary quilts so lovingly made by members of the Rotary Club of Kalispell Daybreak?
♦
A. Answer to last week's question ... Can you name the Governor-Elect for District 5390? How about the Governor-Elect Nominee? Our DGE for District 5390 is Mike Mayott, experienced financial fraud investigator and consultant, past president of the Rotary Club of Billings, and former district 5390 treasurer. Our DGE Nominee is Barrie Matthews, a dentist with offices in Miles City and Sydney, and a member of the Rotary Club of Miles City.
For those who have never attended a Rotary International Convention, this affords an opportunity to be included in an amazing event for a price easy on the wallet. While it's not the same as being there live with all the grandeur of thousands of Rotarians from around the world gathered together in one huge hall, seeing all those faces from around the world on your Zoom screen helps remind us all of Rotary's magnitude. And it helps us feel pride at being a part of this wonderful organization.
The registration fee is $65.
You can also join fellow Rotarians early at a pre-convention, June 10-11, for Inter-country Committees, Rotaract, and Rotary Youth Exchange officers. Each pre-convention will cost an additional $20.
The 2021 Virtual Rotary Convention and pre-conventions are open to all Rotary members and participants and include access to the virtual House of Friendship. Don’t forget to visit the convention event page on Facebook to connect with others and stay up-to-date on event news and program highlights. Register today and save!
MASK, PLEASE.
Facial masks are still required -- at least for now -- by the City of Missoula, although things are looking up as more and more people are receiving vaccinations. Pick up your Rotary People of Action mask at our next meeting at the Florence.
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HELLO.
Facial masks. No handshakes. No buffet lunches. Still a welcoming atmosphere as we meet at the Second Set Bistro on the first floor of the Florence Building, or via Zoom if you can’t attend in person. Meal Cards are on sale at check-in for $180 for 12 meals. $20 per lunch for individual lunches, both members and guests. Invite a guest! Remember we meet the last Wednesday of each month at Missoula Country Club for fellowship, no program. Meal cards are not applicable at the country club fellowship lunches. Just a good time with fellow Rotarians. Guests are always welcome, just please RSVP in advance for you and your guests.
Visit our club's new FaceBook page "Rotary Club of Missoula" to read all the latest news and updates. And be sure to like us so Rotary news reaches your friends, too. That's how we can spread the word about Rotary.
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Join us this Wednesday for a no-host luncheon at Missoula Country Club. Fun and fellowship are what brings us together each month. Please RSVP so we can get a head count as we have been having a record crowd as we all get vaccinated and the weather gets nice. Well, it was nice until this week’s rain. 
Our club has had a record number of contributors this year. Lon (far left) gave a little history about first-time PHFs Dean (left) and Ray (right). Dean, president-elect of our club, works as general manager of the Comfort Inn - University. Ray is a financial advisor at D.A. Davidson & Co. and a past club board member. Both not only contribute their funds, but also their service and skills. Ray, not to be outdone, also received his second PHF award the same day and is pictured with Ryan (left), Scott and Royce. 
Thank you to all the many Rotarians who purchased cases of bottled water in support of the Western Montana Global Coalition. Those who purchased cases may pick them up at Victoria’s home on or after Memorial Day. Please contact Victoria directly to schedule a pick-up time to be sure she is home when you stop by. She may be able to bring some cases to the Wednesday club meeting for those who want to retrieve them there, but she cannot manage all at once in her small car! Culligan will deliver the cases to Victoria’s home and Rotarians may retrieve them from there. 
SAVE THE DATE
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