Invocation: Clinton Trimmer
Flag Salute: Diana Duquette
Song: Bee Barmann
Greeter: Dave Wheldon (Two weeks in a row! He’s a hero!)
Roving Mic: Mark Barnes
Visiting Rotarians: Sister Judy Morasci from Twilight Rotary
Guest Spoke Editor
Toni Harper
"We should be shining lamps, giving light to all around us." Catherine McAuley, the Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy and the sponsoring congregation of Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield.
Good News Announcements
Jay Rosenlieb announced that the Boy Scout to reorganization plan was approved by the courts ensuring that their great work will continue. This was exciting news.
Sheryl Barbich gave President Jim a beautiful picture from Oaxaca, Mexico. It was a great building with a demon/lizard running up the side of it. Jim was very appreciative!
Andrae Gonzales reported that this morning he attended the police officer graduation where 28 cadets were recognized and will be starting their duties on the streets of Bakersfield. Thank you so much Andrae for advocating and leading our city!
Roaming with Rowdy highlighted Garro Ellis. Essentially, no one should try to beat Garro on this. Pictures included in morocco, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. He even took a pic in front of the Great Migration. He is seriously, seriously committed to Rotary. What an amazing adventure!
President Jim played Name that Rotarian with contestant Kathy Abernathy. Today’s game was sponsored by Sun Belt’s Pat Collins. (If you’re in the market to buy or sell a business, there’s only one name to call! Pat Collins!) The Rotarian was none other than Mike Willis. I think everyone in the room felt nostalgic when Mike’s car had a TransLex sticker on the back. There were several choruses of “where Niles and Monterey intersect.”
Program:
Today’s program was Andrea Hanson, President of the Kern Dance Alliance. Andrea is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and instructor. This is the third time she’s been at our Rotary club.
Kern Dance Alliance is a nonprofit advocacy group that represents 94 dance organizations in Kern County. The purpose of KDA is to advocate for the importance of dance and movement in our lives. 60,000 people have been through the programs offered by KDA since their inception in 2015! They saw particular success during the pandemic, when they pivoted to on-line services.
The programs offered by KDA are multiple and varied, including Memory Moves where a dance therapist interacts with ADAKC clients, the Mighty Movers at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital pediatrics, Healing Time which focuses on cancer survivors, and Adapti Dance which partners with League of Dreams. Every person regardless of their age or circumstance can benefit from a program offered by KDA.
With great excitement, Andrea announced that KDA has recently established the KDA Creative Corps. They were awarded a $4.2 million grant from the California Arts Council and which they will pass through to Central Valley social service agencies, art programs, schools, and cities. These grants will be available in mid October and are open to all genres of art. To stay in the loop on this initiative, join the mailing list at www.KDACreativeCorps.org.
Finally, President Jim and Ken Keller both challenged the club to become a member of KDA for only $25 a year. To do so visit their website at www.kerndance.org.
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