Please send your Happy Buck and Polio Pitcher donations to Mac H. as follows:
Mac Hardin
Minnetonka Rotary Club
12926 Rutledge Circle
Minnetonka, MN 55305
Rotary International Foundation
Please send your end of year donations to Chris Rosenlund as follows:
Chris Rosenlund
8672 Meadowvale Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55347
Meeting Minutes
Welcome by Ron U.
Guests
Scott Swenson – Eagan Kick Start – District Governor Elect Nominee (2028-2029).
Invocation
Jennifer shared a saying about the Little Fizz in your life and finding your people. Great Song called – FIND YOUR PEOPLE
Pledge
Everyone.
4-Way Test
Everyone.
International Theme
Unite for Good.
Paul Harris Awards
None this week.
Announcements
Bill S. – Duck. Duck. Rotary – time to get registered people. Dale let Alexa know he is attending in person! Chris decided to be a little louder about the event People listen up – time to participate! Register for the event, INVITE People – let’s get going! (LINK HERE TO EVENT)
Bob H. – Blood is his passion and what makes his heart beat! Consider sharing your blood with others at the upcoming Blood drive. (May 6th – St. Gaberial’s Catholic Church)
Mike G. – Postal Drive – Be part of the team, you can sign up online.
Terry J. – Our garden is coming together! We are excited to get this started. If you have any seeds or tools you want to donate, please talk to Terry J. Get involved, there are so many ways to be part of this great service opportunity.
Pete G. – We are looking for people to make bowls for Empty Bowls in Minneapolis. They are looking for about 250 bowls and Pete is working with team. Dale Feste Automotive studio hosts people Tuesday and Thursdays 5pm-9pm in the pottery studio. The empty bowls will benefit Cross Town Meals on Wheels.
Mike G. - Highway 7 Cleanup – Team Rydell was there. Terry S. was a great weatherman and predicted the rain. The best find of the day was duck egg nest. 2nd best find was a purse full of ants, which now live in Ryan’s wife’s car.
New Member Induction
None this week.
Rotary Minute
None this week.
Raffle
416 is the Area Code to [Toronto, ON] and the winning Raffle number. Cathy’s ticket was pulled and she won!!! She said it was the best thing that has happened to her today!
Foundation Award Checks or Thank Yous
None this week.
Happy Bucks
Lenny N. – He is back at his happy place ….Target Field.
Jerald S. – Celebrating 24 Years making the world a better place as a Minnetonka Rotarian which means he also has a 24 year daughter!
Phil H. – He is not a morning person and he sometimes wonders why he joined an early morning meeting but the music in his car woke him up!
Alissa O. – was hosted by James and she learned he is great at karaoke.
Ryan R. – He is daughter Rylee was a jr counselor at RYLA. She had a great experience. Reece helped with highway 7 cleanup.
Tony N. – Took off his uniform to celebrate his daughter’s college graduation. He also wanted to give a shoutout to Jewelry Works. The team took Tony’s wife’s Grandpas ring, it was a stainless steel ring that had been ground down from a nut, and was able to size it for tony. They also helped him find a cool Bracelet for Olivia’s graduation and fixed Anne’s wedding ring.
Chris R. - Axel went to Europe for a month but he thinks he may have stayed a week too long.
Frank B. – Celebrated the birth of a baby!
Ann W. – It is spring, it is here. (she probably jinxed us and when it snows next week blame her).
Program
Taking Charity to New Heights – Kevin Burkhart, Skydiving for Parkinson’s Disease
His father was diagnosed in 1999 with Parkinson’s disease. This led him to get very involved in non-profit’s supporting the fight of Parkinson’s.
June 16, 2000 he started skydiving. To date he has 3300 sky dives and is a competitive skydiver. He shared a video of his team that took 5th at nationals. They are making transitions to a new formation every two seconds.
He had an idea – COULD HE DO 100 skydives in a day? How can I fall out of a plane every 5 minutes? June 4,2008. He did it! $48,000 was raised for Parkinson’s Disease. Average jump time was 4 minutes and 56 seconds.
Next, he tried for 200 jumps in a day! He needed to get to altitude faster to make it succeed! He raised $78,000 – He completed 150 jumps; one every 3 minutes and 18 seconds.
June 19, 2012 he hoped to jump 300 times. He raised $95,000. On March 10 he had a snowmobiling accident. This left him paralyzed in his left arm and he the pain resulted in an opioid addiction. His life was falling apart, and his life had drastically changed. In August 2012 Mayo performed a 9-hour surgery that allowed him to bend his elbow. He went through a serious of surgeries to try to help him. He has been clean since 2016.
Why is he still here – PEER to PEER groups. Relevant experiences from peers helps, not advice. He has found ways to find to get back into his love of activity – triathlons, water skiing, biking, and cross-country skiing.
August 4, 2012 he completed a one arm sky drive.
June 19, 2013 he completed 151 one arm sky dives. He raised $130,000. He started Adaptive Ski Squad – Shockwaves. He got married, had 3 adorable children, and beautiful wife.
*A passive life will never become a meaningful life. *The greatest story every told. *Make a list. Every Year. *Do one thing this week that scares you.
Adjournment
[Closing by Ron. ]
Submitted by Alexa R.
Member Submissions
From Mark Marlin:
Dear Friend,
Every day, children, teens, young adults, and their caregivers are learning how to carry the weight of grief while finding their way forward.
At The Grief Club of Minnesota, we witness their courage as they share their stories, support one another, and rediscover hope. As we reach more grieving kids and families, our community continues to come together in meaningful ways to surround them with care and support.
Because of the generosity of those who believe in our mission, all services are provided by skilled licensed counselors at no cost to the families we serve, helping remove barriers to high quality mental health care.
In this edition of The Club Connection, we’re sharing what’s coming up, including our summer grief camp, school staff trainings, upcoming golf event, community gatherings, and ways to get involved.
Whether you are a grieving family, community partner, supporter, or sponsor, we invite you to be part of the healing.
All Star Day Grief Camp
This popular camp for grieving youth blends counselor-led support with engaging, camp-style fun. The morning centers on reflection and connection, while the afternoon features “All-Star” outdoor activities and inspiring athlete stories. Campers build coping skills and form meaningful peer connections in a supportive environment.
Hit the course for a great cause! Gather colleagues, friends, or neighbors for a round of golf, lunch, fun games, and prizes while supporting grieving kids and families across Minnesota. Your participation helps create connection, and hope for families navigating the death of a loved one.
Sponsorships and Foursomes are available and selling fast!
The pizza truck is coming to our parking lot! Join us for a relaxed evening of fresh, wood fired pizza, games, connection, and community. Grief Club families are invited to bring loved ones, community members are welcome to join us, and learn more about how we support grieving kids and families.
In response to growing requests from school communities, The Grief Club of Minnesota will offer two trainings designed to help school staff strengthen their ability to support grieving students. Led by founders Cara Mearns-Thompson and Sarah Kroenke, who bring more than 50 years of combined experience, the sessions will share practical strategies for responding to student grief and fostering supportive school environments.
Mark your calendar for an inspiring evening celebrating hope, connection, and the power of community, all in support of vital grief resources for children and families. We will be accepting sponsorships along with live and silent auction donations to help make this meaningful event possible.
All are invited to an evening of reflection, love, and light as we gather to remember family and friends who have gone before us and honor those who have supported us along our grief journey.
The evening will feature a dedication program, outdoor tree lighting, music, mingling, warm beverages, sweet treats, and cookie decorating.
We are grateful to be a trusted resource for providers and partners throughout the state who support families navigating grief.
There are many ways to receive support and to offer it to others. Whether you attend an event, become a sponsor, share our mission, or make a gift, you help ensure that no one has to navigate grief alone.
Thank you for being part of a community that shows up with compassion when it matters most!
With hope, Sarah Kroenke Executive Director, Co-Founder, and Grief Counselor The Grief Club of Minnesota
From Alexa R. -
From Frank B. -
Frank, I wanted to follow up and say THANK YOU for the opportunity to present this morning. Shannon and I had a great time and we really appreciated the engaging questions afterwards. We can tell you have a thoughtful and passionate group which is what is needed to drive community impact! You inspired us to check out our own communities' local Rotary chapters.
I wanted to follow up with a few resources from our presentation today since members were requesting more information and we didn't have our business cards on hand. If you are open to it, do you mind sharing the following resources with your members so that they can reach out with their follow ups? A few members that we spoke to afterwards are so well connected in relevant statewide organizations, we would love to connect and get further information!
