Meeting called to order at 7:30 with Chris C. actually ringing the bell.
Invocation by Jennifer S., a Poem on the COVID virus, written by a 12 year old from England.
Pledge by Ron U. 4-Way Test by Lenny N. , and Rotary Connects the World.
Guests today are our speakers, and some VERY young guests, Sara E.'s son, Reese and Ben M.'s daughter Kaia.
Announcements
Bob F. - ICA needs paper (not plastic) grocery bags, just drop off what you can at the site.
Lenny N. - ICA looking for a new Exec Director. Our past member, Dan Narr is interested. Let's offer him our support.
Mary T. - Sex Trafficking committee (Zoom) on Monday 4/20 at 6:00-7:30 PM. Let her know, she'll send a link.
Nancy D. - she delivered some TP to Hopkins Dow Tower, and tells us that the Hopkins Women's Club has sent enough to keep them supplied for another 2 weeks.
Florianne N. - Thank you. 50 families are being fed from seeds and greenhouse. We supported that effort.
Stacey Q. - Board of Directors' meeting on Friday 4/17 at 7:30 AM. Notify her if you need the Zoom invite.
Rotary Minute, with Cathy C.
Despite not seeing each other for a while, we have our Rotary Image to consider
It's always with us in our personal and business life. Our words and actions
are always on display, showing and underlying the values of Rotary
Even in these COVID days, we can tell our story, and the good we do here, and everywhere.
We'll continue to draw new members, and demonstrate our newest Rotary motto, "People of Action"
Happy Bucks
Mac H. - for a small club, it's a big deal that we have, and are, feeding 50 families in Africa, through Florianne.
Glenn J. - for the technology that allows us to continue to meet.
Mary T. and Ron U. - Zoom works!
Bill S. - for having their daughter, Annika, home for 3 weeks.
Chris C. - he has 100 hand-sewn face masks. Let him know if anyone, or places, need them.
Stacey Q - happy that Bob the Luddite is getting the hang of modern technology. She also says that our club will purchase better, longer, Zoom technology, including privacy.
Nancy D - she has been in touch with some of her old, (Oops, former) roommates.
Christine L. - grateful to be recovering from a badly broken femur. She gets to go home.
Gerald S. - for Nate's HUGE beard, and for solidarity with Tom Hank's quarantine.
Ben M. - showing us Kaia just before heading off to Gr and Gr's house.
Sam S. - Ron L. is OK, recovering from his kidney removal surgery. More details to come.
Jacob M. - Virtual meetings going on at District level. Contact him, or Alexa, for info.
Program
Today's speakers are Sadie Holland and Micha Meline, introduced by Annika Sorteberg.
They represent MN Adult and Teen Challenge, and a sub group called Know The Truth.
Sadie is very involved with the Prevention Program, especially with schools and young adults. MN/Challenge is the largest Adult Treatment Center in MN, with 11 locations. The Mental Health and Substances program is residential, and typically 12-15 months. Know The Truth (KTT), started in 2006 is the substance abuse arm, where much of the work is in the schools around the state. It has become a big part of their Health and Safety programs. A key feature is Peer to Peer, where the speakers all have experienced the abuse. "I've Been There" KTT covers a wide range; substances, mental health, self-harm, depression, anxiety.They give all students a resource guide, a confidential text Hot Line. Anonymity is important.
A key person is assigned to a school, students can attend meetings if troubled,
MN/ Challenge works closely with social workers, law enforcement, and especially kids in recovery. They want to know the big picture; friendships, trouble at home, etc.
KTT is now virtual, 200 live presentations/year, in 29 schools, over 800 recorded messages. Risk is very high right now, with COVID. Isolation, boredom opens new doors of abuse. KTT is 3 times more effective than standard health/abuse plans.
Generation Z (born 1996-2010) is that middle, high school and college age group.
They are 32% of the global population, more than the Millenials.
They are the 'loneliest' generation, they crave genuine connections, but are not getting them. They typically grab information in 8 seconds, mostly from screens. They want transparency and honesty. They value a WiFi connection more than a college degree.
Micha told us his personal story. In summary, he was an abandoned orphan in Korea, adopted by a MN family. At a young age, he felt he didn't belong, rejected, at age 9. He sought older kids, and acceptance, which led to tobacco, weed, by 10, and the worst was Meth and heroin Lots of trouble with arrests, truancy. He was a father at age 17. It just got worse. He finally ended up in prison for 5 years, which he says, was a major turning point. Micha says the KTT program saved his life. He is 3 years into sobriety, and speaks often in the Peer to Peer program. Many students now reach out to him.
Sadie finished up with talk about Vaping. It is very difficult to know if kids are using it, easy to hide. It has MUCH more nicotine usage than tobacco, with 42 chemicals in the product. Surveys show vaping starts in middle school, and a big usage progression from there. Kids are now getting marijuana in vaping.
What are the warning signs of substance abuse, and other mental health issues? Family history, biological, lifestyle changes, decreased interest in sports, attitude, secretive possessions. Kids can get very private with modern apps, no one can monitor the behavior. Currently, MN/Challenge and KTT are not part of Mtka schools.
It is possible for a sponsor, like Rotary, to adopt a school district, become a VIP school. It sounds like a great need, and something Mtka Rotary should consider doing.
Thank you, Sadie and Micha, for an extremely honest and important talk.
Closing
Next week, another virtual Rotary meeting, with vocationals from members.
Meeting adjourned at 8:35
Submitted by Bob Hersman.
