Invocation prayer for Destination Imagination delivered by Steve Aiken:
"Dear God, giver of imagination and light, we pause in gratitude for those who help young minds discover the courage to create. Bless tonight our guests who devote themselves to opening doors, doors through which children step into the wonder of their own ideas, their own voices, their own unfolding stories. May the work they carry into the world remind us that great creativity is not a luxury but a birthright, that when a child is invited to shape something new, they also shape themselves. Inspire us as Rotarians to be cultivators of that same life, champions of curiosity, protectors of possibility, and builders of communities where every young person can blossom into the fullness of who they are becoming. Guide our fellowship today, strengthen our service, and let imagination continue to be the gift we nurture, honor, and share. In your name we pray. Amen."
Guests
Tim Hayman, team manager for the Interlakes Middle High School Destination Imagination team and middle high school librarian
Cooper, Owen, Thomas, and Emma, members of the Interlakes Destination Imagination team
Announcements
Celebration of Life
Mark Goddard, stopped by to invite the club to Vernon's celebration of life
An informal celebration of life will be held on July 18
The plan is to attend after the Loon Festival, since both fall on the same day
No formal program; members are welcome to stop by and pay their respects
Bonnie will send an email to the club with details, or members can reach out to her directly
Thank You Notes
The club is starting to collect and post thank you notes, and we will be posting them to the document section of ClubRunner:
Thanks were extended to Kathy and Joe Foster, the wife and son of Jack Foster, for taking photos at the last meeting for the website
Sergeant at Arms Backup
A backup Sergeant at Arms is needed for meetings when the regular Sergeant at Arms cannot attend
Tim Bergquist volunteered to serve as backup when available
July 4th Parade
Thanks are extended to everyone who participated in Saturday's parade in any capacity
Program Schedule
Bruce Reichlen is handling the program schedule
Members wanting to host a meeting or bring in a speaker should contact Bruce directly
Happy Dollars and 50/50 Donations
Proceeds will continue to go to the Meredith Food Pantry
Old Home Day Parade Invitation
The town of Meredith reached out about Old Home Day on September 19 and asked if Rotary wants to be in the parade
The initial reaction from leadership was to decline, feeling it was too soon after the July 4th parade
Open to another member planning and organizing participation if there is interest, contact Bonnie
Loon Festival
Annual Loon Festival takes place on July 18 at the Loon Center in Moultonborough
Rotary will run a food booth at the event and needs 8 to 10 volunteers
Soda will be picked up separately ahead of time
Hot dogs are already arranged
Approximately three tons of ice cream will be served, donated by Ben and Jerry's, and it melts quickly, so volunteers with ice cream scoops are needed
Ron volunteered to handle the ice cream pickup
Ellen volunteered to scoop
The club will use its own barbecue setup this year rather than the half of a 55-gallon drum used previously
Questions can be directed by email to Tim Bergquist
Presentations
Destination Imagination, presented by Tim Hayman
Tim Hayman is the team manager for the Interlakes Middle High School Destination Imagination (DI) team and also serves as the school's middle high school librarian
Team members present: Cooper, Owen, Thomas, and Emma
DI teams can have up to seven participants and are supported by a group of parent volunteers who help with logistics and travel
Destination Imagination is an international organization with teams competing in countries around the world
The Interlakes team qualified for and competed in the Global Finals in Kansas City this year, largely thanks to funding support from the greater Meredith community and Rotary
This was the team's third invitation to Global Finals and the first time they were able to attend, made possible through a community fundraising push completed in about four weeks
Teams are grouped by age band and choose from challenge types including engineering, stagecraft, and improvisation, along with a required service learning project
The Interlakes team chose the improvisational challenge this year
Challenge documents outlining goals, rules, and limits run about 20 pages long
The top two teams at each age level, in each challenge category, from each state advance to the Global Finals
This year's team advanced out of a field of 17 teams at the state level
Countries represented at Global Finals included Turkey, China, Australia, Mexico, Canada, and South Korea, among others, with total attendance estimated at nearly 10,000
Program structure for the coming year includes seven total DI teams:
Five elementary-level teams, including the Rising Stars group for kindergarten through second grade, which does not compete at the global level and focuses on teamwork and collaboration
Two teams at the middle and high school level
Teams compete at the age level of their oldest participant
Global Finals has been held at the Kansas City Convention Center for roughly the last 10 years, previously held at the University of Tennessee
The team's name, the Humble, Hairy Howler Monkeys, was created by drawing random nouns, adjectives, and animal names from a bucket
Team activity continues through the summer, with members already reviewing next year's released challenges within about two weeks of returning from Kansas City
The team runs fundraisers on an ongoing basis, including volunteering for food service at a barbershop jamboree in Meredith in August
Make-A-Wish Update, presented by Bruce Reichlen
Cooper, a member of the Destination Imagination team, was revealed to be a Make-A-Wish recipient
Cooper was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma in his left sinus a little over a year ago and began cancer treatment immediately
The family was connected to Make-A-Wish through another family whose son had previously gone through cancer treatment
Cooper and his family recently returned from a week at Disney World through the Make-A-Wish program
Rafting for a Cause event details:
Runs from Friday at 3:30 PM through Saturday, with activities all day
Team members stay overnight on the raft from 10 PM to 6 AM
The team name is Meredith Rotary, competing alongside another Rotary team believed to be from Laconia
The fundraising goal is $12,000, with $8,800 raised so far, including $3,000 donated directly by Rotary
Meredith Rotary currently sits in the middle of the pack, with the top fundraising team over $20,000
Rotarian donations should be made under Rotary rather than under individual names
The team roster includes Rotarians along with several of Bruce's family members, including his grandchildren and daughters
Tents used on the water are donated by the Navy and serve as lifesaving tents if a raft breaks down
Members must officially join the team in order to be scheduled on the raft. The sign-up deadline was extended to the day after the meeting
Members who ordered event shirts and attend are asked not to eat team-designated food unless they officially joined the team
