Please join Bethlehem Morning Star Rotary this Thursday, October 23, 2025 for our Live/Hybrid Meeting. Our meet & greet starts at 7:15 am with the regular meeting starting at 7:30 am.
Our speaker will be Mimi Ludwig from the Autism Society Lehigh Valley.
LOCATION:
The Cathedral Church of the Nativity (Dining Room)
321 Wyandotte Street
Bethlehem, PA
We will do the best we can in regards to hybrid Zoon streaming- cameras and microphones may be from laptops only. Thanks for your understanding!
At our October 16, 2025 meeting, Morning Star Rotary welcomed Khanjan Mehta, Vice Provost for Creative Inquiry at Lehigh University who discussed the various projects and goals of Lehigh's Creative Inquiry program. He discussed the importance of preparing students to lead impactful lives by helping them find their Ikigai, the intersection between what they love, what they're good at, and what the world needs. He emphasized the need for a mindset-led education that focuses on skill sets, mindsets, and portfolios to develop students' identity, agency, and sense of purpose. Khanjan outlined various interdisciplinary, multi-year projects, including work on maternal health, and highlighted the Global Social Impact Fellowship program operating in multiple countries. He stressed the importance of big risks and rewards in achieving significant goals, celebrating failures as part of the learning process.
Professor Mehta discussed three maternal health projects in Sierra Leone. The first project uses educational films to improve health-seeking behaviors, with films shown in clinics and rural areas through a portable cinema kit that was reduced from $5,000 to $500. The second project, Care Alert, addresses the issue of women not returning for recommended clinic visits by implementing a paging system to improve trust in the healthcare system. The third project involves using Alexa-like devices without internet access to provide health information in local languages to community health workers. He also mentioned a fourth project developing a sickle cell diagnostic device, with students serving on the National Task Force for Sickle Cell.
Khanjan also discussed several global health initiatives, including a $2 diagnostic device for sickle cell detection and projects in Sierra Leone focused on nutrition and maternal health. He highlighted the development of micronutrient-enriched products like fortified water sachets and bouillon cubes, which are scalable and nearing market launch. He also shared local projects at Lehigh University, such as VR tours for education, trash mapping, and an AI-driven system to demystify healthcare costs. He emphasized the importance of partnerships and student engagement in addressing global challenges.
The venue has been secured, the Allentown Band has been hired, sponsors have been obtained, and the concert program booklet is completed and at the printers! Thank you to all those members who assisted in soliciting and/or purchasing sponsorships.
We only have a couple of additional items to address to ensure a successful event. First and utmost, we need every member to sell/purchase the six (6) tickets they were allocated for the concert. These funds, along with the sponsorships and auction items (thank you Cheryl and Marianne), will help offset the expenses and guarantee the concert is a successful fundraiser. Also, we will need a few Morning Star Rotarians to volunteer on concert day to sell tickets at the door, collect tickets at the entrance to the auditorium, hand out programs, flags, etc. Your assistance will ensure the concert runs smoothly. Please e-mail us at sttconcert@ptd.net if you are able to volunteer.
Bethlehem Emergency Shelter, in partnership with The Freezer Ministry and Garden Gatherers, will be hosting a Hut on Main Street in downtown Bethlehem in November and December to collect donations, and bring awareness about the unsheltered and food insecurity by handing out cookies. They expect to hand out over 5,000 holiday cookies and snickerdoodle bars this year. If you are interested in baking or sponsoring cookies, contact Cookie Coordinator Blake Messman at 484-894-3295.
This complimentary special event will honor ShelterBox’s 25 years of bringing shelter and dignity to families uprooted by disaster and conflict. Together, we’ll reflect on our shared impact, and prepare for the urgent work ahead.
Join ambassadors, supporters, friends, and family from around the world as ShelterBox shows you the frontlines of today’s most urgent crises. You’ll hear powerful stories of resilience and see how your support transforms lives where it matters most.
The Council on Resolutions just issued proposed Resolutions for action by COR Representatives this month. The proposals can be found at Council on Resolutions | My Rotary As your Representative, I have the opportunity to comment by October 8, and to vote by October 31, 2025. Please consider these proposals and share your ideas with me at RotarianBob@hometownu.biz. Thanks,
Join us for Rotary's Fight Against Polio: Global Progress and Updates from Pakistan 13 November 2025 | 12:00 Chicago time (UTC-6) Live on Zoom
Polio remains endemic in only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, recent outbreaks in previously polio-free areas and detections of poliovirus in sewage across several European countries demonstrate that polio remains a threat to children everywhere. Fragile health systems and competing priorities continue to challenge eradication efforts, but Rotary and the Gates Foundation have renewed our long-standing partnership to fight polio with a joint commitment of US$450 million. Rotary leaders also recently visited Pakistan and met with government officials, who reaffirmed their commitment to eradication. Join us to hear the latest updates and learn how your support is helping make progress toward a polio-free world.
HAVE YOU MADE YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE ROTARY FOUNDATION THIS ROTARY YEAR?
See Foundation Chair, Tom Hartzell for information on making your contribution. You can send your contribution on-line or give your check (payable to Rotary Foundation) to Tom. You can also mail a check to Tom Hartzell, 1341 Biafore Avenue, Bethlehem, Pa 18017.
