At our Club meeting this week we heard from Dr. Ernest Chivero with the Nebraska Center of Substance Abuse Research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Chivero had a fascinating presentation about the research they are doing into the actual mechanisms of substance abuse, and the interrelationships between substance abuse and HIV. Dr. Chivero and the UNMC researchers have learned that drug abuse can significantly exacerbate the neurocognitive problems created by HIV, and vice versa.
Substance abuse is a tough and expensive problem which costs our society an estimated $740 Billion per year in crime, lost productivity and health care expenses. The hope is that through better understanding of the actual mechanisms of substance abuse, and potentially finding compounds which can help to alleviate or protect against damage from substance abuse, we can have more effective tools for cutting into this problem.
Thanks to everyone who volunteered to provide club service at our meeting, and to the folks who fill these positions week after week. After some struggles in recent years scheduling and filling these positions ahead of time, we are trying a new system in which we simply call on folks who are at the meeting to fill these roles. This includes invocation, song leader, and greeters. If you are called on and have not prayed in front of people or led singing before, proceed with gusto! Remember that you are among friends and Rotarians and we will support you – as long as we see you are giving it your best shot.
As part of the new system, we are asking the first two Rotarians at the meeting each week to serve as greeters. I think this is a great idea and a great opportunity for more of us to get involved in club service. If you happen to arrive early next week and have the opportunity to greet, please do so. Greeting is a great way to see folks you know and meet new club members. Please enjoy this fun opportunity to serve and interact with other Rotarians.
Thanks to Todd Murphy who served again as club secretary while Camille is away. Todd, what can I say? This may be one of the only times in her life that Camille has a tough act to follow! But I know she is up to the task.
In Good News:
Judge Laurie Smith Camp let us know that she’d recently had the pleasure of performing her son’s marriage to his new bride. Congratulations Laurie, and best of luck to the newlyweds.
Joe Mancuso told us that Nebraska once again has a lineman in the hunt for this year’s Outland Trophy: offensive tackle Nick Gates. Go Big Red!
John Sage introduced us to his wife Ruthie, who finally had the opportunity to join him at a Rotary meeting. Bring Ruthie back every week John!
There’s still time to sign up for our tremendous District Conference, August 11-12 in Omaha. We’ve cancelled our club meeting that week (Wednesday, August 9) to encourage you to attend all or part of the conference. More information below. I hope to see you there!
Our speaker next week (July 26) is Katie Broman, Executive Director of the Omaha Community Playhouse. Don’t miss it!
My heartfelt thanks to all of you who attended and/or participated in Wednesday's 90th Honor Roll luncheon at the CenturyLink Center. We ended up having 1,536 in attendance, which is amazing! We were honored to have Gary Bren as our keynote speaker. I appreciate him sharing his personal story and how it has shaped his life.
We got some great press from WOWT. In case you didn't get a chance to see it, here is the link to the story:
Again, thanks to all of those who participated. My deepest thanks, however, go to Gretchen Bren for sticking by me another year. She really is the reason this event is as great as it is.
Please join us for Business Networking Day. This event takes the place of our normal weekly meeting. You have a choice of three locations to sign up for. Each location is a $10 fee which we would like paid in advance or for you to use your Fast Pass. (It is $10.60 for PayPal) There is no "no lunch" reduced rate for this meeting.
Locations include:
Company: Omaha World Herald Freedom Center Description: The Omaha World-Herald has been an integral part of this community since 1885 when Gilbert Hitchcock founded the Omaha Daily World. He purchased the Omaha Herald in 1889, and the Omaha World-Herald was created. The Freedom Center opened and began printing on Sept 1, 2001. There are three presses housed in the Freedom Center on the west side of the building easily seen through the glass. The presses are five stories tall and almost a football field in length. We can print up to 75,000 papers per hour. We not only print the World-Herald, we print the Council Bluffs Nonpareil and 6 local weekly newspapers.
Address: 1398 Capitol Ave, Omaha Rotarian Host: Phil Taylor (402) 960-1171 Max number of guests: 25 **Parking instructions – guests will need to park on the street and pay the meter** The entrance is on the NE corner of 14th & Capitol Ave.
Company: Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha Description: The Ronald McDonald House in Omaha (RMHC) fights for the warriors. The families with sick kiddos willing to travel anywhere and do anything to get the medical attention their child needs. With this in mind, RMHC is designed to execute two outcomes: hope and healing. Situated near Nebraska Medicine’s main campus, RMHC provides warm beds, hot showers, meals, and playrooms to give a sense of a home while families heal. By visiting the House, you will receive a tour of the facility and gain insider access to our one-of-a-kind programming that is enhancing clinical experiences and positively changing outcomes related to healthcare. Address: 620 S 38th Ave Rotarian Host: Lindsey Rai Reasner (714) 878-4908 Max number of guests: 20
Company: Autism Center of Nebraska Description: The Autism Action Partnership and the Autism Center of Nebraska invite you to learn about the very serious and prevalent diagnosis of autism. After lunch we will tour the Center and perhaps get to meet some of our fabulous clients. Address: 9012 Q Street, Omaha Rotarian Host: Rosemary Opbroek (402) 660-6193 Max number of guests: 20
Come back to the link below to pre-pay after you have registered.
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