Next Meeting April 8, 2026- Scott Brink, in chain to be President, called the next weekly meeting in person and Zoom at The Marsh, 15000 Minnetonka Blvd, Minnetonka, MN.
New Pictures - Send to michaelcglover@comcast.net. [Ed.]
****** See Education, Social and Service Activities Below *****
From the Members and Archives
IMPORTANT UPDATE to Upcoming Events Below
Important - Check with meeting leaders to confirm date, time and location information for all events below.
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
Meeting presided by Scott Brink, in place of President Ron and Pres-Elect Ryan today.
Guests
Audrey Rundquist, and our speaker Jackie Johnson from North Star Youth Exchange to tell us about the Rotary Youth exchange and travel program.
Invocation
Invocation by Chris R - As this is Holy Week, it makes us consider the Bible, and lessons we can learn from the gospels. The story of the Good Samaritan comes to mind; a traveler is attacked and no one comes to his aid, except a shunned and despised man from Samaria. He cares for the man, even housing him and paying for his care. The message we take is that we all come from different stations in life, we have different ways to help. As Rotarians, we watch for opportunities to serve, to help others, no matter who they or we are.
Pledge
Everyone.
4-Way Test
Everyone.
International Theme
Unite for Good.
Paul Harris Awards
None this week.
Announcements
Bill S. - this year’s May 5 Rotary Night Out planning meeting is on Tuesday Apr 7 at 5:30 at the Bear Cave. All are invited. He’d like every member to supply emails for TWO guests to attend our get-together.
James W. - the National MS Society annual MS 150-bike ride is upcoming over 2 days June 13-14. He asks for riders/sponsors/volunteers to make it a big success. It will be in and around Mankato, with camping overnight.
Alexa R. - the Chanhassen Night out, with Guys and Dolls is on May 12; dinner at 5:30, show at 7:30. There is still room for more attendees, singles and couples welcome. The District Assembly will be on Friday, April 24 at the Scouting Base Camp. Installation of new officers, and several speakers, including our own Mark Magney on Youth Exchange. 9:00 to 1:30. Look for a link coming on how to order Rotary clothing; there will be several options on how to show your Rotary colors.
Annika - reminded the women of the club about their night out on Wednesday May 13 at Station Pizza at 5:30.
Bob H. - in Mark’s absence, he reminded us about the (undated) Hwy 7 Clean-up. Probably May 2nd or 9th.
New Member Induction
None this week.
Rotary Minute
None this week.
Raffle
Lenny’s guest, Ben, held the ticket today. Alas, he’ll need to return for some prize money.
Foundation Award Checks or Thank Yous
None this week.
Happy Bucks
Rebecca S. - had a fun night at the Bruce Springsteen concert
Glen J. - is leaving for 2 weeks, including a Cruise on the Mediterranean; Venice to Athens. Sounds fun.
Char M - she has a new hand-made walking stick, carved out of diamond wood; Very stylish. Frank; happy for April 1, start of a beautiful time of the year. He enjoys the great views at The Marsh.
Phil H. - also leaving town for 2 weeks, including time in ‘NOLA’ New Orleans, LA.
Terry J. - some time in Nisswa, including friends from a wedding a long time ago.
Jennifer S. - played a nice April Fools joke on us, by saying she was leaving our club! Quickly alleviated our shock! Also, had a good time in Colorado.
Pete G. - one of his pottery students, from Belarus, does some beautiful work. She’ll be showing her work in a Gallery.
Sara E. going to Jamaica to meet a large number of Mark’s family, including grandparents
Alexa R. Nolan took part in a Polar Plunge at his school, (a dumpster, actually), and he was the #1 fundraiser!
Cathy C. - happy to have peanut butter here today, and maybe even happier, for Chuck in AZ for 5 days.
Lenny N. - Twins opener on Friday, and the next day, a trip to Ohio to see his parents.
Annika - Audrey had a birthday last week, and she’ll be hosting a holiday party with both sides of the family.
Tony N. - mentioned that today is Chris’s birthday. Happy Birthday to you, we all sang.
And finally, our speaker Jackie gave a buck just for being here today.
Program
Speaker; Jackie Johnson, about the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Jackie is a 30-year Rotarian, and chair of North Star Youth Exchange. North Star is the premium arm of Exchange in our area, linking Districts #5950 and #5960. She segued our Invocation today to the work we do in Rotary to change lives. We come from all walks of life to serve. She says if all students would travel the world, we’d have no more wars.
There are two types of Rotary Exchange; Long-term and Short-term. First, STEP, or Short Term Exchange. STEP is further made of 1. Family to Family, and 2. Camps and Tours.
In the FtoF, our student visits a country, lives with a family, and then THAT family’s student returns to visit Minnesota. These exchange students are actually visiting our club, where we all share in his/her’s experience.
Rotary Clubs actually grow in membership, as Rotarian’s friends and families learn about Rotary, especially those who volunteer to be host families. The clubs energies are greatly enhanced with exchange students.
Camps and Tours allow our students to choose from many, many international experiences. They are 2 weeks long, but they might stay and travel longer. US students currently must go abroad, but that may change. 52 students from North Star took part in international Camp Tours last year.
One requirement of Exchange is that the outgoing student develops entry-level language skills. Most European students study English at young ages.
Youth Exchange is closely tied to the US State Dept for awareness, and some countries might be disallowed for their safety. There is a larger organization that puts all of North America linked up. North Star is well-known, and creates inbound and outbound student experience around the world. Students, host families, and all they come in contact with, are changed by the experience. Minds are changed, students mature in confidence by several years.
Jackie asks us to please help find Host Families. We are in need of 3 families as soon as possible.
ROTEC students are those who have traveled, and are still under 21. They are very helpful in the peer experience of students, both inbound and out bound.
Jackie didn’t have quite the time to go into the Long-Term portion, but our club has many years experience with that. Thank you very much, Jackie, for your YEARS of Rotary service, especially in student exchange. It may be the most important world-wide change that Rotary makes. We would like to ramp up our exchange student history.
Adjournment
Submitted by Bob H.
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!
