Stories

Tom Hokr, with assistance from Joe Lampe, gave a very informative presentation about Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) during our meeting on June 10th. Two film clips about PRT, including a clip about a potential application in Maple Grove, were shown during Tom's program.  Shown below are Joe on the left and Tom on the right.

Eldon Tessman, Club Rotary Foundation/Polio Plus Chair, presented Paul Harris Awards to Rich Lehman for his twin daughter and son who recently graduated from Champlin Park High School.  Shown below are Rich on the left with Eldon.

Mary Decheine-Rhatigan, a member of the Board of Can Do Canines, and her diabetes assistance dog Ebony were our guest speakers on June 3rd.  Mary gave an interesting program about how Can Do Canines enhances the quality of life for people with disabilities by creating mutually beneficial partnerships with specially trained dogs.

We  presented a check for $1000 to the Edina Morningside Rotary Club Foundation at their Club meeting on June 2nd.  The donation will be used to help rebuild a school in Nepal that was completely destroyed by the recent earthquakes.  Shown in the picture are Daryll Cameron the President of the Brooklyn Park Rotary Club, Rob Laughlin the President of Edina Morningside, Paula Schwartz the International Service Chairman of Edina Morningside and Duane Jones the Secretary-Treasurer of the Brooklyn Park Rotary Club Foundation.

Rob Larson, Executive Director of Camp Knutson, was our guest speaker on May 27th.  Rob gave a very informative presentation about Camp Knutson which provides a residential camping experience for special needs children and their families.  Also, Isatu Marigo, a student at Park Center High School, discussed her outstanding experience at Camp Enterprise-  a three day Rotary camp that teaches high school students about our free enterprise system.  Rob is shown below with Rotarian Duane Jones.  Marigo is shown with Rotarian Larry Woellflin who is Chairman of our Vocational Service Committee.

Steve and Nancy Laible gave a very informative overview of our Bangladesh School Projects with emphasis on the Days for Girls feminine hygiene program at our Rotary meeting on May 20th.  Steve was also recognized as our Club's "Rotarian of the Year."  During the meeting, Eldon Tessman presented Paul Harris awards to a few Club members.  Shown below are Nancy Laible and Steve Liable with Club President Daryll Cameron.  Steve is holding his Rotarian of the Year award.  Shown in the next picture is Eldon Tessman with Paul Harris awardees Addie Tessman, Kevin Weist, Duane Jones and Daryll Cameron.

Additional pictures from the District 5950 Conference are shown below.  Larry Woelflin is shown carrying our Club banner during the opening ceremony "March of the Clubs."  The District set a Guinness World Book Record for "...the most different flags flown simultaneously is 240."  Shown are all of the flag wavers.  Daryll and Dorothy Cameron sang in the District Choir that entertained during lunch.  Two pictures are shown since Dorothy was hidden behind the "Light Up Rotary" banner in the first picture.

Four Club members and two Club spouses attended the Rotary District 5950 Conference on Saturday, May 16th at the Radisson Blu/Mall of America in Bloomington, MN.  It was a great conference that included an opening ceremony "March of the Clubs," the setting of a "Guinness World Record" for the most flags being waved at one time, a luncheon with Mark Rosen as the keynote speaker, an Awards Showcase with T. Mychael Rambo and a Dinner and Closing Ceremony featuring Dudley Riggs and the Harmony Bridge Project.  We were honored to have Joan Finkens, the representative of Rotary International President Gary Huang, join us.  Attending were Daryll Cameron, Dorothy Cameron, Steve Laible, Nancy Laible, Gina Smith and Larry Woelflin.  Note that the Guiness World Record was set on top of the Mall of America's East Parking Ramp.

Jerry Hammer, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Minnesota State Fair, was our guest speaker on May 13th.  Jerry gave us a very interesting presentation on the 160 year history of the State Fair and how it has evolved into one of the largest and most successful events in the world.  Jerry started working at the Fair while in high school as a summer staffer  and has risen through the ranks.  He is currently serving his 19th year as the State Fair General Manager.  He and his wife, Debby, are both life-long residents of St. Paul's Como Park neighborhood which is in the "shadow" of the fairgrounds.  Shown below are Eldon Tessman, Jerry,  Addie Tessman and Tom Hokr.

Paula Schwartz, Doctor of Audiology, was our guest speaker on May 6, 2015.  Dr. Schwartz gave us a very interesting presentation about her trip as a part of a 45 person surgical team during which she provided audiological services and solar powered body hearing aids to the poor of Antigua, Guatemala.  Dr. Schwartz, a member of the Edina Morning Rotary Club,  traveled  with other Rotarians to India in 2013 and to Nepal and Bhutan in 2014.  She also talked about the needs of a school that she supported in Nepal that had been destroyed during the earthquake on April 25, 2015.  Shown below are Georgia Savat (a friend of Dr. Schwartz and Duane Jones), Dr. Schwartz and Rotarian Duane Jones.

Members of our Rotary Club attended the Avenues for Homeless Youth "Building On Dreams" breakfast on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at International Market Square.  We presented "Avenues" a check for $15,000 to support the Brooklyn Avenues shelter for homeless youth in Brooklyn Park. We all greatly appreciated the standing ovation given us by the people attending the breakfast.  Shown in the picture below is Club President Daryll Cameron presenting the check to Shawn Gensch, President of the Avenues Board of Directors.  In the second picture are Club members Eldon Tessman and Duane Jones with Daryll and Shawn.  Gary and Ann Uhde also represented our Club at the breakfast.

Rotarians Rolf Nelson and Daryll Cameron attended the April 30th meeting of the Anoka Rotary Club. Their guest speaker was Dr. Leah Hanson, Research Director for the HealthPartners Center for Memory and Aging.  Dr. Hanson gave a very interesting and very informative presentation on "Alzheimer's Research and Healthy Brain Aging."  Many thanks to the Anoka Rotary Club for their invitation and their hospitality.

Congratulations to Annette Roth, Rich Lehman and Clare Brumback!  Annette was elected to our Club Board of Directors and Rich and Clare were elected to our Club Foundation Board on April 29th.

Mike McGee, Dean of Manufacturing at Hennepin Technical College, gave us a very interesting presentation on April 29th about "Technical Education and Industry Needs."  Shown below are Mike,  Annette Roth (Rotarian and HTC Director) and Daryll Cameron, Club President.

Our Rotary Club supported a "Days for Girls Sew-a-thon" at Nativity Lutheran Church in St. Anthony on Saturday.  The "sew-a-thon" assembled and sewed reusable feminine hygiene kits for poor young women in rural Bangladesh.  The young women typically miss one to three months of school each year due to "hygiene needs."

Our Rotary Club participated in Rotary District 5950's efforts supporting the "March of Dimes March for Babies" at the Mall of America on Saturday, April 25th.  Rotarian Gary Strandemo of the St. Cloud Rotary Club and Daryll Cameron of our Club became friends with the "Waterpark of America Bear" while volunteering at the event.  Shown below are Daryll, the Bear and Gary.

The Club Youth Exchange Committee had a very good meeting at the home of Daryll and Dorothy Cameron on Thursday night, April 23rd.  Shown from the left are Carl Lottman, Gary Uhde, Ann Uhde, Carl Billings, Jennie Lodien and Daryll Cameron.

We had a great meeting at Park Center High School on April 22nd hosted by our Junior Rotarians.  Many thanks to our Junior Rotarians and the staff and teachers at Park Center for their outstanding hospitality.

We had a a great meeting on Wednesday, April 22nd, at Park Center High School hosted by our Junior Rotarians.  Many thanks to our Junior Rotarians and to the staff and teachers at Park Center for their outstanding hospitality.

The Rotary Club of Brooklyn Park will be meeting at Park Center Senior High School on April 22nd instead of Edinburgh USA.  Our Junior Rotarians will run the meeting which will start at 6:45 A.M. in the Forum Room.

Linda Tally, a Community Hospice Liaison with Allina Health, gave us a very informative presentation on April 15th about "Looking at End-of Life Choices, Advanced Care Planning and Palliative Care and Hospice."  Linda is shown below with Rotarian and Elder Care Attorney Rolf Nelson.

Brooklyn Park Rotarian Gina Smith is the new Chief Financial Officer of Rotary District 5950.  We're all very proud of her.  Shown below are  District Board Members who attended an April 8th Meeting (L-R) Lee Ashfeld, Gina Smith, Jim Nelson, Diann Kirby, Mark Hegstrom, Bob Stowell, Tim Murphy, Jewelie Grape and Wooj Byun.

Maple Grove Junior Rotarian Jakob Fjeldsted gave a very interesting presentation to our Club on April 8th about his trips to China.  He also gave us an "introduction" to the Chinese language.  Jakob is shown below with Kate Murphy- another Junior Rotarian from Maple Grove.

Mike Opat, Chairman of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners and Commissioner for District 1 which includes Brooklyn Park, gave us an interesting, "unfoolish," presentation on April 01st about Light Rail Transit and Hennepin County.  Mike is shown below with Rotarians Eldon Tessman and Gary Brown.

Bob Halagan, Chairman of District 5950 Rotary Foundation Fund Development and District Governor Nominee Nominee, gave us an interesting presentation on March 25th about the Rotary Foundation and Paul Harris Society.  We always enjoy having Bob speak to us.

Carol Grothem, a good friend of Addie and Eldon Tessman, visited our Club on March 25th.  Welcome Carol!

Eldon Tessman, Club Rotary Foundation and PolioPlus Chairman, presented Jim Dow with a "Paul Harris 6+" award at our meeting on March 25th.

District Governor Nominee Nominee, Bob Halagan, spoke to us on March 25th about the Rotary International Foundation- how it works and its benefits.

Our Junior Rotarians and Host Rotary Exchange Student ran our Rotary meeting on March 11th.  Shown below are Paige Lodien (will be spending a year in Italy), Shavani Kamat, Malcolm Lawson, Grant Engeman, Madelyn Heitzig and Edwina King.  Missing is Ivey Robinson.

Eric Zoinosky gave our Club a very interesting presentation on March 11th about "The Challenges Businesses Face in Keeping Up with Technology." Shown below are Rotarian Bill Lanctot with Eric.

On March 5th we presented a check for $255 for "Give Kids The World" to the Perkins Restaurant in Brooklyn Park.  The money was donated by individual Club members.  "Give Kids The World Village" is a 70 acre, nonprofit "storybook" resort in Kissimmee, Florida where children with life threatening illnesses and their families are treated to a week long, fantasy vacation.  Perkins Restaurants is a Platinum Corporate Partner with the "Village."  Shown below is our Club Foundation Treasurer, Rich Lehman, presenting the check to Deb Edison, Associate Manager, and our favorite waitress Susie Lunderborg.

Rotarian Duane Jones presented Craig Gass the 12 Gauge Benelli Shotgun he won at our Wild Game Dinner at our Rotary Meeting on March 4th.  Congratulations Craig who is on the right side in the picture below!

Congratulations Melanie!  Melanie Hess of the Rotary Club of Rogers won first prize in our Wild Game Dinner Raffle- A one week stay in a 2 Bedroom Suite with full kitchen at the Hawaiian Village Resort on Waikiki Beach.  Also included was $1000 for travel or other costs.  Rotarian Duane Jones presented the "trip" to her on Wednesday morning, February 25th.  Shown below are Melanie and Duane.

Carrie Carlson-Guest, American Red Cross Regional Communications Officer, gave us a very informative presentation about the Red Cross on February 25th.  Shown below are Rotarian Gary Brown, Carrie and Rotarian Gina Smith.

We had a very successful Wild Game Dinner Fundraiser on Thursday evening, February 19th.  Over 235 people attended.  Shown below are a few pictures from the dinner.

We inducted Jeremiah Rotich as a member of our Club on February 11th.  Welcome Jeremiah!

Our Junior Rotarians attend our Rotary meeting the second Wednesday of each month and participate in running the meeting.  They helped to run our meeting on February 11th.  Shown below are Junior Rotarians Grant Engeman, Shivani Kamat, Madelyn Heitzig, Edwina King, Malcolm Lawson and Ivey Robinson.

Wade Setter, currently Superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and former President of our Club, was our guest speaker on February 4th.  Wade gave an update on the Bureau and discussed some interesting cases that he was involved in.  Shown below are Rotarians Gary LaPalme and Gary Brown, Wade and Rotarians Gary Uhde and Tom Hokr.

Brooklyn Avenues, a shelter for homeless youth in Brooklyn Park, had its grand opening on Friday, January 30th.  Our Rotary Club contributed over 16,000 dollars to help build the shelter.  Shown in the pictures are the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, the outside of the shelter, a typical room, a study room, and Rotarian Duane Jones with Brooklyn Park Council Member Peter Crema and Dorothy Cameron.

Several Brooklyn Park Rotarians attended the "Open House To Honor and Thank Jamie Verbrugge" at the BP Recreation Center on Thursday night, January 29th.  Jamie, a member of our Club, is leaving his current position of Brooklyn Park City Manager to become the City Manager in Bloomington, MN.  We all thanked him for his many contributions to our city and to our club and wished him the best.  Shown below are Gina Smith, Gordy Jensen, Jamie, Shalin Johnson, Daryll Cameron and Dorothy Cameron.  The person who cut off Daryll's head remains anonymous.

Rev. Carl Billings and Rev. La Andrimihaja from the Discover Lutheran Church in Brooklyn Park gave an interesting presentation on January 28th about the Island of Madagascar and their evangelical trip to the Island last year.  Shown below are Carl and La and a map showing the location of Madagascar in relation to Africa.

The Brooklyn Park Rotary Foundation cordially invites all of our Website Friends to attend our 30th Annual Wild Game Dinner on February 19, 2015 at Edinburgh USA.  The Annual Dinner includes a buffet of Wild Game or Fish or Fowl, a Live Auction, a Silent Auction, a Raffle and many Games and Boards as is shown in the Flyer below.   We are offering a fantastic first prize in the raffle-  a one week stay in a great condominium on Waikiki Beach/Honolulu with $1000 included for travel or other costs.  Raffle tickets are on sale for $10 each.  All tickets can be purchased from Rotarian Gina Smith at 763-225-8886.  Join us for an evening of fun and fellowship.

Our guest speakers on January 21st were Sheila Nesbitt and Amber Smith of "Partnership for Change."  Sheila gave a very dynamic and interesting presentation about her projects involving alcohol abuse prevention in our area.  We all learned how important the prevention process is- especially for our youth.  Shown below are Rotarians Gary LaPalme and Gordy Jensen with Sheila and Amber.

Our guest speaker on January 14th was Lee Glanns of the Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative.  Lee gave a very interesting presentation about Beacon's support of the many homeless people in our area.  Shown with Lee is Rotarian Carl Billings.

On Tuesday night, January 13th, seven members of the Rotary Club of Brooklyn Park and one special helper inserted "stickers" into dictionaries to ready them for presentation to 3rd Graders in 10 elementary schools in the Brooklyn Park area.  This year, under the leadership of Rotarian Steve Roe, we plan to present over 900 dictionaries.  The Rotarians/helpers that were part of the team on Tuesday were Gary and Ann and Monty Uhde, Annette Roth, Steve Roe, Dave Hoffmann, Daryll Cameron and Eldon Tessman.

Brooklyn Park Rotarians Steve Laible, Rolf Nelson and Eldon Tessman attended a special "Light Up Rotary" dinner on Thursday night, January 8th at the Saint Paul Hotel featuring Rotary International President Gary Huang as guest speaker.  Shown below are Eldon with wife Addie, President Huang with wife Corinna Yao and Steve with wife Nancy.  Missing are Rolf and his wife Phoebe.

Dave Kolb, Champlin police chief, was our guest speaker on January 7, 2015.  Dave discussed his background in police work and talked about the Champlin Police Department including their interface with Brooklyn Park.  Shown below are BP Rotarian Jack Rehnberg, guest Zubah Kpanaku, Chief Kolb and BP Rotarian Tom Hokr.

Jeremiah Rotich gave a very interesting presentation to our Club this morning about how he came to the United States and what he is doing to help his village in Kenya.  Jeremiah was supported by Tim Korby.  Shown below are Tim and Jeremiah.

Junior Rotarians Edwina King and Malcolm Lawson were introduced and welcomed into our Club this morning.  They missed our meeting last week.  Shown below are Club Members Carl Billings and Gary Uhde, Malcolm and Edwina and Club Member Tom Hokr.  Our Club is very excited about our Junior Rotarian Program.

Tom Thorfinnson, former Rotary International Vice President and current member of the Rotary International Foundation Board of Trustees, was our guest speaker on December 10th.  Tom gave us a very interesting update on Rotary and shared his thoughts on the direction that Rotary needs to take.  Shown below are Tom, Club Member Tom Hokr, District Executive Secretary Diane Confer, District Governor Jim Nelson, Area 4 Assistant District Governor Suzanne Plant, Club Member Eldon Tessman and Club President Daryll Cameron.

We introduced and welcomed into our Club six Junior Rotarians from Park Center High School at our meeting on December 10th.  The Junior Rotarians are Madelyn Heitzig, Edwina King, Grant Engeman, Ivey Robinson, Shirani Kamat and Malcolm Lawson.  Edwina and Malcolm were unable to attend the meeting.  District Governor Jim Nelson and Rotary International Trustee Tom Thorfinnson joined us in welcoming them into Rotary.  Shown below are Grant, Club Member Tom Hokr, Madelyn, Governor Jim, Ivey, Tom Thorfinnson, Shirani and Club Member Carl Billings.  

Brooklyn Park Rotary Club members helped to assemble washable feminine hygiene kits for poor women in Guatemala and Bangladesh during a "sewathon" on December 4th in Maple Grove.  The activity is part of the "Days for Girls" efforts being led locally by Judy Johnson of the Maple Grove Rotary Club.  Shown below is Rotarian Steve Laible and Rotary Sisters Dorothy Cameron and Ann Uhde.

Ann Uhde, a Rotary Sister and wife of Rotarian Gary Uhde, described the "pilgrimage route" that she and Gary took to the shrine of the apostle St. James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain during our meeting on December 3rd.  They covered about half of the route- 100 miles by horseback and 100 miles by foot.  They had a great experience and told a very interesting story.  Ann is shown below explaining the route that they took and is also shown with Rotary Sisters Addie Tessman and Dorothy Cameron.

Also, last night at the Brooklyn Park City Council meeting, we witnessed the "Mayor's Good Citizenship Award" being presented to Pastor Rachel Morey.  Pastor Rachel is another person who has done so much for our community especially in supporting our youth in need.  She is a special friend and a strong supporter of our Rotary Club.

Last night, at the Brooklyn Park City Council meeting, we presented a "Paul Harris Fellow Award" to Lt. Toni Weinbeck of the Brooklyn Park Police Department.  Toni was unable to attend RotaryDay so it was great to present her the award in front of the Mayor and City Council.  Lt. Weinbeck has done so much for our community and we were honored to give her the award.  She exemplifies Service Above Self.  Shown below is Club President Daryll Cameron, Rotarian Carl Billings, Lt. Weinbeck,  Police Chief Craig Enevoldsen, Rotarian Gina Smith and Rotarian Jamie Verbrugge.

We had a great Rotary Day celebration at CEAP the evening of October 23, 2014.   The Rotary Day Committee put together an excellent program that included a video on "Rotary and our Club" and Awards to five very deserving people including Rev.Steve Larson, Lt. Toni Weinbeck of the Brooklyn Park Police Department, Tammie Epley, Delores Brand and Eldon Tessman.  Steve, Toni, Tammie and Delores were presented "Paul Harris Fellow" awards and Eldon was honored for "33 Years of Dedicated Service and Leadership" to our Club.  Brooklyn Park Police Chief Craig Enevoldsen accepted the award for Lt. Weinbeck since she was out of town. We were honored to have our District 5950 Governor Jim Nelson and District Executive Secretary Diane Confer attend. CEAP provided an excellent venue for the celebration.  Below are several pictures from the celebration.

Patrick W. Marsh, Executive Editor, and Geneva Lerwick of Calamities Press gave us a very interesting presentation about their literary magazine and the many contributors to it at our meeting on October 15, 2014.

Our Rotary Club had a great Octoberfest social at the Black Forest Inn in Minneapolis on Tuesday night, October 14th.  The food and fellowship was great and Jennifer Weist gave us a test on Octoberfest oriented toward German fifith graders.  Of course, we all aced it.  Rotarian Gary Brown had the best results- 6 of 32 correct!

Club Rotarians attended a "Seeking Peace Celebration" at the Nativity Lutheran Church in St. Anthony on Friday evening October 10th.  The Celebration was for a successful grant campaign that included efforts for homeless youth, a Raised Garden Center at the Little Kitchen Food Shelf and the Bangladesh School Project.  Our Rotary Club was involved with the food shelf and the Bangladesh School Project.  The music from various music groups at Nativity was "beautiful" with interludes of "Portraits of Peace" from John Noltner.  Steve Laible, the Celebration emcee, gave a general introduction to all of the Rotarians in the audience followed by the music "Go Light Your World" (a very appropriate piece for Rotary).  The culmination of the Celebration was the announcement of a USAID Cooperative Agreement Award in the amount of $145,000 for the Bangladesh School Project.  Congratulations and many "kudos" to Steve Laible and his wife Nancy for their hard work and dedicated service both to Rotary and to the Nativity Lutheran Church.  Shown below is the Announcement from Senator Amy Klobuchar and a picture of Steve and Nancy.

Our Club meeting on October 8th was held at North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park.  We had a tour of the amazing new Health and Biosciences Center and then got an update on NHCC from their acting President, Lisa Larson.  Shown below is the "red moon" seen from the second floor of the new Center, our tour group in the halls of the Center and Lisa Larson, the acting President.

The Rotary Club of Brooklyn Park had a great luncheon meeting in the Hennepin Room at Hennepin Technical College on October 1st.  Hennepin Tech President Cecilia Cervantes was the guest speaker and gave us a very informative update on the many activities at the College.  Show below are President Cervantes, Chef Instructor Denis Durneu and Annette Roth, Rotarian and Executive Director of Institutional Advancement and Marketing at HTC.

Rotary District 5950 Governor Jim Nelson visited our Club on September 24th and gave us a very informative presentation. Jim also presented Paul Harris Society certificates to five of our members recognizing their support of the Rotary Foundation. Shown in the picture are Tom Hokr (with certificate), District Governor Jim Nelson, Gary Uhde (with certificate), Club President Daryll Cameron and Eldon Tessman (certificate). Missing are Jim Dow and Kevin Weist who also were awarded certificates.

On September 22nd the Rotary Club of Brooklyn Park received the "Mayor's Good Citizenship Award" from Mayor Jeffrey Lunde and the City Council of the City of Brooklyn Park.  The Brooklyn Park Rotary Club was recognized for its partnership with the community for over 30 years, being the largest single contributor to the Brooklyn Avenues youth homeless shelter, for its support of many projects throughout the years that benefited the community and for being an example of a community organization that enriches Brooklyn Park.  Our Club also presented a ceremonial check for $16,000 for Brooklyn Avenues to Deb Loon, the Executive Director of Avenues for Homeless Youth.

BP Mayor Jeffrey Lunde with Club President Daryll Cameron.

Club Foundation Secretary Duane Jones and Foundation Treasurer Rich Lehman with Deb Loon, Lisa Jacobson, and Pastor Rachel Morey.

Troy Fritz of the St.Cloud Rotary Club drove down from St. Cloud early on Wednesday morning on September 17th  and briefed us about their outstanding "Summertime by George" concert project.  The St. Cloud Club initially cleaned up Eastman Park and then developed a series of free concerts for the St. Cloud community that are held every Wednesday night during June, July and August.  The average attendance for each concert is 9,000 people and the largest crowd was over 17,000.  The "Summertime by George" concerts (held by Lake George and Eastman Park) have been a big "plus" for  the Community of St. Cloud and the Rotary Club.  Shown below is a picture of a concert with the City of St.Cloud in the background and a picture of Tom Hokr, Troy Fritz and Daryll Cameron.

We had a very interesting meeting on September 10th.  Randy Gilbert, Republican candidate for State Auditor, spoke to us about the functions and concerns of the job of State Auditor.  Additionally, Chis Sehnert from Channel 12 discussed a documentary series they are developing called "Our Town's Story."  Shown below are Bob Tessman, Randy, Chris, Addie Tessman and Eldon Tessman.

Our guest speakers on September 03rd were Rebecca Gilgen and Fire Chief Ken Prillaman from the City of Brooklyn Park.  Rebecca spoke to us about the Brooklyn Bridge Alliance and Ken discussed the "Ebola Situation."  The City's new Parks and Recreation Director, Jody Yungers, was our guest at the meeting.  Shown below are:  Daryll Cameron (Club President), Ken, Rebecca, Jamie Verbrugge (BP City Manager) and Jody.

We enjoyed having 14 students from the Ukraine and their sponsors/hosts as our guests at our meeting on August 27th.  The students are visiting the United States as part of the Global Synergy Group's Youth Leadership Exchange and Development Program.

Dara Hagen, Dean of Student Success Services at Hennepin Technical College, spoke to us on August 20th about preparing current students for work, K-12 Programs and School District connections for the workforce of tomorrow. Shown below are Rotarian Annette Roth, Dean Hagen and Rotarian Daryll Cameron.

A ground breaking ceremony for Brooklyn Avenues, a safe house for homeless youth in the Brooklyn Park area, was held on August 14, 2014.  Our Rotary Club was the largest donor of any single organization to the fundraising for Brooklyn Avenues.  Shown below are Rotarians Jamie Verbrugge, Eldon Tessman, Daryll Cameron, Clare Brumback, Carl Billlings, Gina Smith and Harry Jebens.

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Dr. John Helling, former President of North Hennepin Community College and former President of our Rotary Club, spoke to our Club on August 13, 2014 about the early days of NHCC and community colleges in the State of Minnesota.  Shown below are Rolf Nelson, Dr. Helling, Addie and Eldon Tessman.

Two members of the Maple Grove Rotary Club and two Junior Rotarians discussed the Junior Rotarian Program at Maple Grove on August 6, 2014.  Shown below are Tom Yencho (Maple Grove), Jim Betzold (Maple Grove), David Jedynak (Junior Rotarian), Mimi Le (Junior Rotarian), Tom Hokr (Brooklyn Park), Troy Nellis (Brooklyn Park) and Gary Uhde (Brooklyn Park).

Marty Seifert, who is seeking the Republican nomination for the Governor of Minneosta, spoke to our Club on July 30, 2014.  Marty is a member of the Rotary Club of Marshall, Minnesota.

Our guest speakers on July 23, 2014 were from Pro USA, an organization that empowers youth through sports and education.  The three speakers were Stephen Wreh-Wilson, Duannah Siryon and Evan Remnick.  Shown below are Duannah, Daryll Cameron, Troy Nellis, Stephen and Evan.

A "Reunion and Bus Send-Off Party" was held at Park Center High School on July 19th for the school bus for the Juan Escutia Elementary School in Sasabe, Mexico.  Tammie Epley and friend Mary left on Sunday, July 20th driving the bus to Mexico.  Attached are a few pictures of the bus and many of the students and teachers/principals who have participated over the past 7 years.

Tammie Epley, Scott Taylor (principal of Park Brook Elementary School) and four fifth (soon to be sixth) graders from ISD 279 spoke to us about their recent trip taking school supplies to a poor elementary school in Sasabe, Mexico. Tammie has been supporting the school for over 11 years and our Rotary Club has been helping her for over 7 years.  Judy Johnson, president of the Maple Grove Rotary Club, had been on the trip with them  this year so joined us in the discussions. 

The Raised Garden Project by the Brooklyn Park Rotary Club at the Little Kitchen Food Shelf in Minneapolis is showing outstanding results.  The project was made possible by a Hunger Grant from Rotary District 5950.

Ten Brooklyn Park Rotarians were among the over 550 people who attended the District 5950 Conference on May 2nd.  The Club received three awards:  "Presidential Citation," "Award of Excellence in International Service" and an "Award of Merit for Youth Service."  Duane Jones was one of 16 District Rotarians honored with a "Service Above Self Award."  Brooklyn Park Rotarians also helped to fill over 250 bags with food for the ""It's Not Johnny's Turn for Breakfast Today" project.

Tom Hokr, with assistance from Eldon Tessman, gave a history of the Brooklyn Park Rotary Club during our meeting on April 30, 2014.  We all learned something.  Shown above are Tom, Club President LeAnn Groth and Eldon.

Congressman Erik Paulsen, who represents the 3rd Minnesota Congressional District, spoke to our Rotary Club on April 23, 2014 and gave us an update on what was going on in Washington, D.C.  One of his key concerns is "human trafficking."  Shown with Congressman Paulsen from the left are: Mayor Jeffrey Lunde of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota State District 36A Representative Mark Uglem and Rotary Club President LeAnn Groth.

Annette Lund, Vice President of Diversified Plastics, gave us a very interesting presentation on "Additive Manufacturing Processes/3D Printing" on April 16, 2014.  Shown with Annette are Rotarians Jamie Verbrugge and Jim Dow.

Brooklyn Park Police Chief Craig Enevoldsen spoke to our Club on April 9th about "The BP Police Department and Crime in Brooklyn Park."  Shown with Chief Enevoldsen are Club President LeAnn Groth and Rotarian Eldon Tessman.

We welcomed Luke Bogdanowicz as a member of the Brooklyn Park Rotary Club on April 02, 2014.  Shown with Luke in a picture entitled "A Rose Between Two Thorns" is his sponsor Gary Uhde and Rotarian Bill Lanctot.

Sal Di Leo gave a very interesting and informative presentation about how "The Power of Gratitude Can Change Lives" to our Club on April 02, 2014.  Shown with Sal are Club President LeAnn Groth and Rotarian Harry Jebens.

Ed Rapoport of the Jewish Community Relations Council gave us a very interesting presentation on March 26th- "Israel and the Middle East: The Challenge for Peace."  Shown above with Ed are Rotarians Jack Rehnberg and Carl Billings.

Byron Dokken and Lowell Kutches discussed the Bikes4Kids Organization and Program on March 19th.  Bikes4Kids is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that collects and refurbishes used, serviceable bicycles to redistribute to kids and to people in need.  They also repair bicycles.  Club President LeAnn Groth is shown with Byron and Lowell.

Robbinsdale Cooper High School students Brienna Max and Aleesa Kuznetsov gave the Club a presentation about the "Relay for Life" to be held at their High School on May 17th. Club President LeAnn Groth is shown with Brianna and Aleesa.

Brent Rusco, Hennepin County Senior Project Engineer and Bottineau Transitway Study Manager, discussed the plans and status of the Bottineau LRT Transitway on February 5, 2014.  Brent is shown above with Club President LeAnn Groth.

Deb Loon, Executive Director of "Avenues for Homeless Youth," spoke to us on January 29th about the homeless youth problem in our community and the plans for "Brooklyn Avenues," a proposed 10-bed shelter and transitional housing for homeless youth in our area.  Shown above are Deb, Rev. Rachel Morey, Club President LeAnn Groth, Lisa Jacobson and Brooklyn Park City Manager Jamie Verbrugge.

On January 22nd, Brooklyn Park Council Member Elizabeth Knight and Brooklyn Park Community Engagement Coordinator Elizabeth Tolzmann gave a very interesting presentation about their recent trip to Brooklyn Park's Sister City- Kakata, Liberia.  Shown above are LeAnn Groth (Rotary Club President), Elizabeth Tolzmann, Fay Holland (Excell Academy Charter School) and Shue-Qa Moua (BP Community Outreach).

Seven Brooklyn Park Rotarians attended the District 5950 Mid-Term Assembly at the Earle Brown Heritage Center on January 11, 2014.  Over 250 Rotarians from 55 clubs attended the Assembly.  Shown from the left are:  Daryll Cameron, AP Cadmus, LeAnn Groth, Eldon Tessman, Larry Woelflin, Steve Laible and Nancy Laible.

Segundo Velasquez, Co-founder and President of the Board of Directors of Mano a Mano, spoke to our club on December 4, 2013.  Shown are Marc Macke and Jim Benshoof of the Crystal-New-Robbinsdale Rotary Club, Segundo and Daryll Cameron from our club.  Brooklyn Park Rotary presented a check in the amount of $1000 to Jim to support Mano a Mano efforts.

Jim Dow, a member of the Brooklyn Park Rotary Club for over 32 years, recently received the "Steve Lampi Memorial Service to the Chamber Award" from the North Hennepin Area Chamber of Commerce.  Jim is a past president of our Rotary club and a valued member of our team.  Congratulations Jim!!

It was a cold, cold day on December 7, 2013 when our Rotarians rang the bell for the Salvation Army at Festival Foods in Brooklyn Park.  However, our neighbors truly demonstrated the "Christmas Spirit" by donating $586 over an 8 hour period.  Shown are Tom Hokr, Gary Uhde and Annette Roth (top picture) and Annette Roth, Rich Lehman and Duane Jones (bottom picture).

Susan Perkins and Jennie Lodien gave us a great presentation about "How Does a Rotary Club Partner with Host Families to Facilitate a Successful Youth Exchange Year" at our meeting on March 18th.  Our Club is sponsoring an Outbound Exchange Student and hosting an Inbound Exchange Student for the first time in over 20 years.  Susan and Jennie, who have hosted many exchange students, are helping us get going.  Shown below are Paige Lodien, Jennie's daughter and our Outbound Exchange Student, and Susan Perkins.

Six Club Rotarians and their spouses attended the Maple Grove Rotary Club's Gala/Fundraiser Saturday night at the Minneapolis Marriott NW.  It was a very enjoyable evening of fun and fellowship.

The Brooklyn Park Rotary Club honored its seven veteran members during a ceremony at our Club meeting on November 19th.  The Rotarian veterans were "thanked" for their service to our great nation and presented special Rotary "Armed Forces Veteran" pins.  Honored were Daryll Cameron, Jim Dow, Harold Johnson, Duane Jones, Steve Laible, Bill Lanctot and Rolf Nelson.

Sandy Sullivan spoke to our Club on November 5th about her experiences working in the Green Bay Packer organization during the days of their famous coach Vince Lombardi.  Her experiences had a great impact on her life.  Sandy provided a very interesting and enjoyable presentation.  Shown below is Rotarian Luke Bogdanowicz, Sandy and Rotarian Kevin Weist.

On October 29th Dan Ruiz, Brooklyn Park Director of Operations and Maintenance, and Jesse Struve, Brooklyn Park City Engineer, discussed the Brooklyn Park 5 Year Capital Improvement Plan at our Club Meeting.  Shown below are Jesse, Dan and Gary Brown, Rotarian and former City Engineer.

The annual Charter Night for our Brooklyn Park Club was held on Thursday night, June 19th at Edinburgh USA.  Several awards were given and the "President's Gavel" was passed from LeAnn Groth to Daryll Cameron.a.

On June 11th, Rotarians Don Stiles and Bob Erickson discussed their recent VTT trip to Germany.  They were supported by two instructors and one student from Hennepin Technical College who accompanied them on the trip.  

Richard Lett, former Senior Protection Officer for the British Royal Family, was our guest speaker.

While on business in Japan, Rotarian Jamie Verbrugge attended a meeting at the The Rotary Club of Tokyo Seinan.  Shown with Jamie is the Club President Fumihisa Kato.

On March 12th, Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek talked to us about "Emergency Response in Hennepin County" and showed a video entitled "Run, Hide, Fight: Surviving an Active Shooter Event."  Shown with Sherrif Stanek are Club President LeAnn Groth and Deputy Shane Myre.

On March 05th, Osseo Area Schools Superintendent Kate Maguire gave our Club an interesting update on what is happening in Independent School District 279.  Shown with Kate is Eldon Tessman and our Club President, LeAnn Groth.

Laurel Hansen, Director of Thrift Business, spoke to us about the Arc Greater Twin Cities programs, services and "Value Village" on February 26, 2014.  Laurel is shown above with Clare Brumback of the Brooklyn Park Rotary Club.

The 3rd Graders at Excell Academy Charter School were presented their dictionaries by Rotarians Daryll Cameron and AP Cadmus on January 24th.  AP is shown with a few of the 3rd Graders.

Robin Martinson, Community Liaison for the Brooklyn Park Police Department, and Sgt. Greg Burstad spoke to our club about "The Joint Community Police Partnership (JCPP)," the Police Cadet Program and the Multicultural Advisory Consultants (MAC) group.  Shown above are LeAnn Groth, Club President, Sgt. Burstad, Robin and Jamie Verbrugge, Brooklyn Park City Manager.

Bob Halagan, Rotary District 5950 Legal Advisor and Chair of the Fund Development Committee of the District Foundation, spoke to us about Rotary and the Rotary Foundation on January 8, 2014.  Shown above from the left are Eldon Tessman (Club Rotary Foundation Chair), LeAnn Groth (Club President) and Bob Halagan.

Brooklyn Park Rotarians (and Kelly's daughter Megan) Bell Ring for Salvation Army.