Minnetonka Rotary The Spoke - July 14, 2021 (Jul 19, 2021)

Meeting Minutes - Frank Babka

Presiding officer: Club President Nate Rundquist.

Guests

Guest: Our speaker for today, Tia Martinson of Free Bikes 4 Kidz Minnesota, www.fb4kmn.org

No visiting Rotarians. We had about 20 or our club’s members present at the meeting, with others listening on Zoom.

Invocation

Patricia Angulo gave a profound invocation that talked about the intense sadness of losing loved ones to the pandemic, but also about the joy of knowing happiness, reconnecting with old friends, and seeing the beauty of this world.

Pledge

Everyone.

4-Way Test

Everyone.

Rotary Minute

Cathy C. - lauded Nate and Alexa Rundquist, who are a great example of a husband and wife couple where both have now been President of our club! Nate’s first

meeting serving as Club President was today. Alexa also serves as the administrative secretary for District 5950.

From Cathy C. -

Minnetonka Rotary Minute

14 July 2021

Nate Rundquist’s Installation Makes History

Okay so I borrowed the punch line from our new District Governor Marianna Khauv’s 5950 newsletter article this week. But the Minnetonka Rotary Club also has a unique distinction – the Rundquist name is going to show up in our club annals twice- first with Alexa and now with Nate. We will again be managed in true Rotary fashion, with efficiency and creativity, I am sure. After all, the practice they have with managing their rambunctious family, Nate can simply apply those skills to this bunch.

Chris Carr graciously passed the gavel at our delightful Maynard’s meet-up on June 30th^, after leading us through a very successful year himself as our President.

Moving forward, Nate will help us fulfill our new Rotary Theme, Serve to Change Lives. Marianna says that “serving others to change their lives ultimately changes our lives. We become better human beings, and together, we build a better commUNITY”. Let’s agree right now to work with Nate to implement our International Theme.

Announcements

Mac H. - will soon be sending out bills for our annual dues and reduced meal fees for the summer, for those who attend in-person.

Char M. - mentioned the Hopkins Raspberry Festival this coming Saturday and Sunday: back to being held live after missing last summer.

Bob H. and Mike G. - mentioned our upcoming September 9^th annual charity golf tournament at the Glen Lake Golf Course. We are selling raffle tickets, and have already booked about half of the 72 or more slots for golfers.

Alexa R. - said we can use a few more volunteers for assembling birthday bags for young people on behalf of the Interfaith Outreach food shelf, next Monday (July 19) at the Eisenhower Bldg. at 530PM. Contact her if interested.

Raffle

Raffle winner: Char Murphy had the winning ticket for the $12 prize, but sadly not the winning card.

Happy Bucks

Happy bucks ($1 or more) were provided by Mac Hardin, Darlyne Erickson, Bill Sorteberg, Pete Giancola, Alissa Olson, Cathy Carlson, Sara Edwards, Jennifer St. Clair, Bob Hersman, Mark Marlin, Lenny Newman, Bonnie Wittenburg, Patricia Angulo, Chris Leick, Chris Carr, and Nate Rundquist. People talked about the joy of travelling more and seeing friends and family members as things open up a little bit more.

Also, each person was asked to mention what their first job was, and the responses show the “early start” that all our various clubmembers got in working hard at entry-level jobs like painter, cashier, newspaper carrier, bank teller, farmworker, dishwasher, etc.

Program

Tia Martinson has been with Free Bikes 4 Kidz Minnesota (hereafter referred to as FB4K) for 5 years now, and serves as the non-profit’s executive director. FB4K began in 2008 as a very humble but very good idea: provide young people, especially those in low-income families, with free donated bicycles and helmets that are in good shape, and encourage them to ride outdoors in a safe and healthy manner. The idea started on a very small scale in the west suburbs of the Twin Cities, and the organization Free Bikes 4 Kidz has grown to be nationwide, with chapters in some 15 urban areas and more coming onstream soon. FB4K now refurbishes and donates more bicycles than any other non-profit in the world. FB4K Minnesota alone has given away more than 76,000 bicycles since 2008, and requires about 30-40,000 hours of volunteer help per year to get them ready, often later in the year for the holiday season. The bicycles donated range from mint condition to rusty, and FB4K does a great job of taking bicycles that might sit in a garage or basement for a long time, and get them ready for donation. The more marginal bicycles can have parts removed and put on other bikes, and metal and rubber that can’t be used can be recycled in an environmentally friendly way.

In addition to thousands of hours of volunteer help (and some of our club members are regular volunteers), the FB4K chapters rely on monetary donations and support from organizations like Allina. FB4K Minnesota also now operates the annual Minnesota Ironman Bike Ride as a fundraiser for its needs. Also, they currently are using more than 70,000 square feet of warehouse space in the metro area for bicycle storage. Tia can be reached on her cell phone at 203-848-4881, and her email is tia@fb4k.org The website for the Minnesota chapter is www.fb4kmn.org

Next Meeting

Next meeting is July 21, 2021 at 7:30 a.m. at Board Room of Eisenhower Community Center.

Adjournment

Meeting adjourned at 8:30 a.m.

Member Submissions

1. From Nancy D. - Minnetonka Rotary Foundation.

I'd like to let every club member know the projects that were approved by the Foundation this year - domestic and international. Members of the Foundation - Stacey Quinn, Terry Schneider, Glen Juntti, Ben Monnens, Patti Sinykin, Dale Feste, and me - are proud of the work we did together and feel it reflects the spirit of our club.

If President-Elect Nate Rundquist asks you to serve on the Foundation next year, I hope you will be motivated to say Yes!

Minnetonka Rotary Foundation

Projects Approved – 2020-2021

DOMESTIC PROJECTS (total $40,718)

Assistance League of Minneapolis/St Paul - $2000
COVID 19 Relief for Hospitals in West Central and Southwest MN (Willmar RC)- $1000
Winter Warm Wear/Resource West - $3000
Hope Dental Clinic - $700
MacPhail Center for Music - $2000
MoveFwd (Teens Alone) - $2000
D5950 Tree Planting Project - $900
Love One Another (“Sandwich Man”) - $250
Beds for Kids (joint project with Hopkins RC) - $1235
Seniors Serve/Minnetonka HS - $500
Relate Counseling Center - $3000
Empty Bowls - $6000
Scholarship $2000– Hopkins HS senior
Scholarship $2000– Minnetonka HS senior
Scholarship $3000– Adult Options/GED graduate
Reception for Adult Options/GED graduation - $850
Van for ICA Food Shelf (part of District Grant with 3 local RCs) - $8000
Birthday Bags for Kids - $1000
Voyager Outward Bound School - $1283

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS (total $7000)

Future Roots - $1500
Healthcare Workers in Nicaragua (Rogers RC) - $500
Haiti Electrification (Apple Valley RC) - $1500
India Water Catch Dam Project (Maple Grove RC) - $1000
India Blood Bank Project (Maple Grove RC) - $1000
Guatemala Wakami Foundation (Buffalo RC) - $150

3. From Nate R. -

The Club for Building Responsible Youth