President Yesim Sonmez opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Four Way Test.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Henry Moss, Speaker

Happy Dollars were given because everyone was happy to see Joanne Gordon back and Joanne gave Happy Dollars because her son is going to college in Belgium.

Our guest speaker was Henry Moss. Henry is an active member of Citizens Climate Lobby which is an international, non-partisan, volunteer organization whose mission is to empower citizens around the world to take action with their government for a climate change solution. After a 25 year career at Abbott Laboratories launching new medical technologies, Henry is currently marketing EnviroPure Industrial Biodigesters, diverting commercial food waste from landfills to mitigate methane emissions, a potent global greenhouse gas.

 

In addition, Henry is co-directing a pilot study at the University of Wisconsin on soil remediation as a unique wet weather strategy to reduce polluted storm water runoff. Henry's PowerPoint presentation focused on the overall goal of Citizens Climate Lobby which is to generate the political will necessary for passage of their Carbon Fee and Dividend proposal. They train and support volunteers to build relationships with elected officials, the media and their local community. The process happens over 3 steps: 1. Place a steadily rising fee on fossil fuels, 2. Give 100% of the fees minus administrative costs back to households each month, 3. Use a border adjustment to stop business relocation. This will spur innovation and build aggregate demand for low-carbon products at the consumer level.  The “Carbon Fee & Dividend” solution is the policy that climate scientists and economists agree is the best first-step to reduce the likelihood of catastrophic climate change.

 

On that stormy Wednesday morning last week, 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 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 forhis outstanding work on 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 the 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.

 

Mission accomplished!