Meeting Minutes
Opening bell rung and meeting called to order at 7:30am by President Ron Usem.
Guests
Kristina, today’s featured presentation from Fraser.
Invocation
Invocation by Phil Handy reminding us what’s best about Rotary in that open minds rise above political persuasions to do good in the world.
Pledge
Everyone.
4-Way Test
Everyone.
International Theme
Unite for Good. [The banner arrived from Alexa R.! Ed.]
Paul Harris Awards
None this week.
Announcements
Glen J. - thank you to those who contributed to a great community service event at Free Bikes 4 Kidz this past Saturday 10/18.
Bob H.- upcoming community service events- cart pushing at Lund’s & Byerly’s and the Blood Drive at the Marsh, see flyers and emails for more information.
Mike G.- through Bob’s contact Michael Pineda, community outreach coordinator with the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher athletic department, we have upcoming opportunities for events including a Big Ten hockey game.
Terry J. - took a quick poll to gauge interest in a Feed My Starving Children food packing event, and with resounding response, we have this to look forward to!
Pete G. - Empty Bowls upcoming on Nov. 2nd, Tony Newman emailed the flyer today 10/23.
Ron- happy birthday to Alexa Rundquist! Forest Hills School is now scheduling volunteers for mentoring students as the programs kicks off soon.
New Member Induction
None this week.
Rotary Minute
None this week.
Raffle
Ticket ending -108 pulled by Nate Rundquist, who encouraged Cathy Carlson to enter the big bucks sweepstakes for her first time, but the winning ticket belonged to her life-long friend Char Murphy who just could not find the joker.
Better luck next week, folks!
Foundation Award Checks or Thank You's
Our foundation chair Alyssa Silva presented a $2,000 check to Deb from Uplift North, a 230 headcount, all volunteer nonprofit started in Richfield serving children and families, food services, literature and reading, education services, clothing and essential needs, and assemble kits for SA survivors in conjunction with local police departments. A wonderful organization that our club’s foundation is proud to support!
Happy Bucks
Happy Bucks, once again corralled by Scott “on the” Brink
Mikey S. - survived double digit hours of concerts in Las Vegas- woof.
Annika M. - a fun time at the FB4K bike cleaning/repair service event and for a recent massage at the soothing hands of our very own Terry Johnson.
Scott Nagel- amazing anniversary trip including paragliding in Switzerland.
Mike G.- for upcoming volunteer service at Forest Hills School as a 2nd grade math tutor- yikes! And for standing in for Chris Rosenlund at the City of Minnetonka council meeting for our alcohol service permit for the upcoming Marsh holiday party.
Mark Marlin- for his and Shannon’s recent Wisconsin trip, and for his golfing later today.
Ann W. - for her recent trip to Savannah, GA.
Glen J. - for continuing ed via Rotary and foundation involvement, he recently used Zoom’s AI capabilities to capture foundation meeting minutes.
Terry J.- happy because she chooses to be!
James W. - recently Florida/Disney trip with nieces.
Scott B.- recent visit to Iowa to see his 97-year-old dad, who has apparently established that the key to longevity is drinking bad cheap Australian wine!
Chris R.- $10 in HBs, Venmo style since joining us remotely, for his knee replacement surgery and recovery which was aided by the card sent by Minnetonka Rotary.
Program
Featured Presentation
Introduced by Tony Newman, we welcomed Kristina from Fraser- est. in 1935, motto “You Belong Here” and building inclusion for 90 years. Founded in 1935 by Louise Whitbeck Fraser, partly through serving the needs of her own daughter, started a school and taught children with disabilities who would have otherwise been institutionalized. 1940-1960, moved out of Louise’s house and relocated twice to commercial sites. 1965-1971, renamed the Louise Whitbeck Fraser School, and moved to Richfield. 1980s-1990s, 1984 renamed Louise Whitbeck Fraser Community Services, Inc., 1988 opened a residential home for children, 1994 open a secondary location in Minneapolis. 2001-2024, renamed Fraser, now working with 3 school districts- Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Edina; opened 5 more locations including Bloomington, Coon Rapids, and Woodbury; opened St. Cloud location as first outside the Twin Cities metro; looking toward other outstate MN locations including possibly Duluth; 2023 certified a behavioral health clinic; services the entire state of MN via telehealth, and continues to be the oldest and largest organization serving autism. Please visit their website for more information: https://www.fraser.org/.
Adjournment
Today’s Meeting Impact
Educational and uplifting program provided by our featured presentation.
Unknown amount raised for Polio Plus.
Unknown amount raised for the club coffers by Happy Bucks and half of the Raffle.
Please consult Club Treasurer Mac Hardin for accurate figures to the cent. Bonus points will be awarded to anyone who does reach out to Mac and reports the totals next week.
No swing-and-a-miss here- the closing bell was smashed to the cheap seats by President Ron at 8:20am.
Respectfully Submitted by Nate R.
Member Submissions
None this week.
