Investment Strategies Principal Craig Fehr is responsible for analyzing and interpreting economic trends and market conditions, as well as constructing appropriate investment strategies and recommendations to help investors build and maintain portfolios designed to help reach their long-term financial goals.  
Craig joined Edward Jones in 2002 and held the positions of senior equity trader and senior equity research analyst covering the financial services sector prior to his role as investment strategist.  
He was named an Edward Jones principal in 2015 and serves on the firm’s Investment Policy Committee, the group of investment professionals responsible for Edward Jones’ investment guidance, asset allocation guidelines and expectations for long-term capital market returns.  
Craig is frequently featured in a variety of media and financial news outlets and is a regular co-host on Bloomberg TV. He has been featured in Barron’s, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, SmartMoney magazine, the Globe & Mail, the Financial Post, Yahoo! Finance, Bloomberg News, Reuters, CNBC and Investment Executive TV.  
Craig holds a degree in finance from Truman State University, an MBA with an emphasis in economics from Saint Louis University and a graduate certificate in economics from Harvard. He also attended the Securities Industry Institute at Wharton. In addition, he is a CFA® charterholder and a member of the St. Louis        Society of Financial Analysts.  
Craig, a St. Louis native, still resides in the area with his wife, Keri, and their children, Caden and Mila. 

Craig will provide an update on the economy.

Tom Croft was our speaker for the September 5^th meeting. Tom is a Financial Advisor at Edward Jones and a Past President of the Santa Rosa Rotary East club. He is also a founder, along with Peter Treleaven and others, of the Rotary/Kiwanis annual Veteran’s Day salute. Most importantly for purposes of his talk, Tom is a veteran of the Vietnam War, having served nearly one year as a medic in some of the toughest locations of the war. Tom lived and worked every day with the risk of bombardment and the knowledge that each day could be his last. He was told early on not to make friends with Marines, since those friendships didn’t last. Tom learned this lesson the hard way. Fifty years later, Tom returned to Vietnam on a visit with other Vietnam war survivors. He was impressed with the friendliness of the people and the progress they’d made. It seemed to him as if the Vietnam war was less memorable to the Vietnamese people than it was to him and his countrymen, but believes that can be explained, in part, by the fact that the Vietnamese have been in a constant state of warfare for centuries.

The seminal moment of Tom’s trip may have been his visit to one of his old bases. He entered the base without permission and met active duty soldiers. The soldiers took photos of him with other soldiers, one of whom asked Tom to send him the photo with Tom. The fact that these guys wanted to take photos with him, and even wanted Tom to send them the photos, impressed Tom greatly. He believes this was one of the moments that finally helped him heal the scars of the war. Tom, thank you so much for sharing this amazing experience and its effect on you. And, thank you for your service!!

Rami provided us with his personal, professional, and family history!

And received his Blue Badge!!

Volunteers vaccinate children in Maiduguri, Nigeria, against polio, marking the houses they’ve visited.

Photo by Andrew Esiebo

It’s been three years since health officials last reported a case of polio caused by the wild poliovirus in Nigeria. The milestone, reached on 21 August, means that it’s possible for the entire World Health Organization (WHO) African region to be certified wild poliovirus-free next year.

Nigeria’s success is the result of several sustained efforts, including domestic and international financing, the commitment of thousands of health workers, and strategies to immunize children who previously couldn’t be reached because of a lack of security in the country’s northern states.

“Rotary, its Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, and the Nigerian government have strengthened immunization and disease detection systems,” says Michael K. McGovern, chair of Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee. He adds: “We are now reaching more children than ever in some of the hardest-to-reach places in Nigeria.”

McGovern says Rotary members in Nigeria play an important role in ridding the country of the disease. “Rotarians have been hard at work raising awareness for polio eradication, advocating with the government, and addressing other basic health needs to complement polio eradication efforts, like providing clean water to vulnerable communities.”

Nigeria is the last country in Africa where polio is endemic. Once Africa is certified as free of the wild poliovirus, five of the WHO’s six regions will be free of wild polio. Polio remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which means transmission of the virus has never been stopped.

Dr. Tunji Funsho, chair of Rotary’s Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee, acknowledges the milestone but cautions Rotary members about celebrating too soon. He cites the challenge of making certain that routine immunizations reach every child in Nigeria.

“It’s paramount that we ensure all doors are locked to the re-entry of the wild poliovirus into our country,” says Funsho.

Funsho says to achieve this, Rotary needs to maintain strong advocacy efforts, continue to increase awareness of immunization campaigns, and ensure members raise necessary funds. Rotary has contributed $268 million to fight polio in Nigeria.

“As the first organization to dream of a polio-free world, Rotary is committed to fulfilling our promise,” says McGovern. “Our progress in Nigeria is a big step toward that goal, but we need to maintain momentum so that Pakistan and Afghanistan see the same level of progress.”

Join Rotary on World Polio Day, 24 October, to celebrate our progress. Help us reach our goal of a polio-free world by donating today.

Mark Daniel Maloney

President 2019-20

Here in the United States, another summer is winding down. And for the Maloney family, every summer ends with a return to my hometown of Ridgway, Illinois, for the annual Popcorn Day festival, where I am honored to serve as the “Popcorn King,” the master of ceremonies for the day’s events. 

Regardless of the season, every family has its own traditions. I would like to suggest a new one for yours: Find an opportunity to introduce your family to Rotary. One of my family’s traditions is to take our daughters and grandsons to the Rotary International Convention. The 2020 convention in Honolulu will be a wonderful way to introduce your children and grandchildren to the internationality of Rotary. We are planning many family-oriented events for everyone to enjoy.

Any time is a fabulous time to bring family members on a Rotary service project or to a fundraising event. But perhaps you have not seen many family-friendly events at your club. That is precisely why one of my top priorities this year is to make most Rotary events welcoming to family members.

We must foster a culture where Rotary does not compete with family, but complements it. We should never expect our members to choose between the two. That means being realistic in our expectations, considerate in our scheduling, and welcoming of children at Rotary events on every level.

Often, the young professionals that Rotary needs to attract in order to remain a dynamic 21st-century service organization are the very people who have the greatest family responsibilities. We must not keep these prospective young members away from their families by holding events on evenings and weekends at which their children are not welcome.

For too long, we have closed the doors of many Rotary events to children and sometimes even spouses. What wasted opportunities these are! Every chance we have to pass on the gift of Rotary to young people is one we must take if we are going to grow Rotary and ensure that the next generation is fully engaged in our mission.

So let us open our doors and do it in a fun way, with opportunities that make our children and grandchildren want to learn more about Interact, Rotaract, and Rotary membership. Start small if you must — perhaps by holding some of your meetings at more family-friendly times — but think about how you can continue these kinds of events for years to come.

Bringing children to Rotary events is not just fun; it also exposes them to the world! Make this a memorable year for your family — and an unforgettable year for the ever-expanding family of Rotary as Rotary Connects the World.