Annie Hanson led us in an invocation about basketball (Go Cavs) after President, Brad Jagger led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Announcer, Bob Oborn, introduced our guests, many of which are part of our cluster. They included Beverly Skeynski, Dave Jones, Dean Timmor, Jim McKee, John Reyes, Kathy Cybulski, Gloria Rogers and Patricia Myers. The cluster held their monthly meeting after our meeting this morning.
CELEBRATIONS:
Wedding Anniversaries: Jeff and Carol Wagner (50) and Elizabeth and Chip Eaken (23) are celebrating their anniversaries this week.
Birthday: Jim Callahan
Happy Buck: Annie Hanson told us about her trip to England to follow the writings of Jane Austen. Since she was there on the wedding day, she explained how she had a super view of the newlyweds from her vantage point on the carriage ride route. She said that it was thanks to the 4th of July parade that she learned how to pick the best place to watch. Ask her to share some of her pictures!
Drawing: Ray Evans' table had the winning ticket but did not pull the joker.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Scholarships: Brad read thank you notes from two of our scholarship winners.
Golf Outing: John Prusa and Ray Evans expressed appreciation to the club for making Monday's golf outing a huge success. Volunteers, sponsors, players, and donors all made gross income of over $27,000 possible. After the expenses are all in and tallied, we will have a final report of the profits.
Ronald McDonald House: Bob reported that this Friday will be the first time that we cook in the facility's new kitchen. The menu will be based around meatballs and macaroni and cheese. Volunteers should plan on being there from 3:00-5:00.
Foodbank: Dave Renninger reminded us that this is our night to volunteer at the Foodbank from 5:00-7:00. Wear blue Rotary work shirts.
Board Meeting: Brad reminded us that the board will meet at 7:15 a.m. this Friday at the library. The May minutes are attached to this newsletter.
Membership: Annie presented blue, full member badges to Kelly Toppin and Don Greenleaf who have completed their new member requirements.
PROGRAM: Annie introduced our speaker Diana Kingsbury, PhD. She is a post doctoral researcher at NEOMED. As part of her work, she has researched Bhutanese refugee women. Her doctoral work was based primarily on the in depth information from 45 women in our area.
She explained the United States' long history of resettlement with over 3 million people coming to our country since 1975. We average 70,000 to 80,000 per year. The largest group in our area are the Bhutanese. From the women that Dr. Kingsbury interviewed, she learned how they rely on their family and friends as a huge resource for healthcare, and she also learned from them about their experiences in refugee camps. Many were in camps in Nepal before they came here although others moved to our area from other locations in the states. As they resettled here, many became part of inter-generational households.
Language is one of the difficulties in adjusting to life here. Interpreters are available for healthcare settings but sometimes information is misinterpreted. Transportation is also a difficulty in getting to appointments. Differences in the flavor of the food is also interesting for them. Advice from older relatives is important and accepted.
In addition to the Bhutanese, the Burmese and Congolese have large groups in our area. One of the reasons that we have large numbers of refugees in our area is because The International Institute is a designated resettlement agency.
CALENDAR:
Wednesday, June 6, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Volunteer Time at the Foodbank
Friday, June 8, 7:15 a.m. Board Meeting at the library
Friday June 8, 3:00-5:00 p.m. cook for Ronald McDonald House
Wednesday, June 20 Installation breakfast for our regular meeting
Wednesday, June 27, Pride Breakfast at Acker-Moore.
Wednesday, July 4, No meeting because of the holiday. Attend the parade.
Saturday, July 21, Rubber Ducks game
Wednesday, October 10, Reverse Raffle/Silent Auction
Submitted by Andy Denton