On that stormy Wednesday morning last month, the dark ominous clouds broke apart long enough at O’Hare for our Club Secretary Neil Dahlmann, to take off on his secret mission east.
Ann Arbor, Michigan to be precise.
His mission? To infiltrate the Ann Arbor Rotary Club as a surprise guest for his nephew Andy. You see, Andy was being awarded something really special. Andy received their Distinguished Service Award, the highest award their club grants.
That recognition for Andy was for the Ann Arbor Rotary STRIVE program. STRIVE stands for: Students Taking Renewed Interest in the Value of Education.
The students in this program are ones who could easily be left behind in our highly educated society. They would have been unlikely to progress to an education beyond high school. Several students who have received STRIVE scholarships have gone on to Associate Degrees, a few even pursuing their Master’s Degree.
A key part of STRIVE is the one-on-one work that the mentors do. This part of our program is coordinated by Andy Dahlmann. Mentoring is a unique opportunity for our Rotary members to encourage students to continue their education. It’s a challenging and rewarding experience. The work as a mentor helps to move youth in the direction of achieving more productive and fulfilling lives through education.
