This past week's scheduled speaker cancelled due to a family emergency, so President Jennifer proposed a discussion prompt, "If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?" This sparked a rich discussion about philanthropy, stewardship, and community needs, alongside usual club business.
“What Would You Do With the Lottery Money?” It was fascinating to hear what our members would do if they had $$$$ to spend on philanthropic priorities. They ranged from from transportation accessibility and international education access to endowing the Rotary Foundation, focusing on local housing and youth food insecurity, animal-assisted empathy programs for kids, matching-gift incentives, and combating disinformation through education.
A recurring theme: several members favored setting up an endowed, diversified, interest-funded model so that the charity lasts in perpetuity vs. being spent too quickly. Also, that it's hard to give money away! Charlotte shared that she just donated her eagle statue in-kind to the Da Vinci Center to help boost attendance there.
Today's meeting showed again how Morning Star Rotarians are able to adapt on the fly to any changes or situations presented to them and have many fantastic ideas to support our efforts as Rotarians.