This month's Rotarian features some amazing stories about what young Rotaract members are doing. I urge you to read the issue so you can see how these future Rotarians are operating in the world. They favor function, flexibility, and fun over formality. They are a lot less structured than we are but they are still looking to us for mentorship. Speaking of which there are two events this week when we can interact with our Rotaract club, which we chartered during PP Clay Fell's year in 2004.
We set a goal at the beginning of our board year to re-energize our connection with our Rotaract members, and PP Craig Essex has done a wonderful job fulfilling that request. He has brought Rotaract members to our Ronald McDonald dinners, our holiday social, our meetings, our Special Things for Special Kids crafts event at Children's Hospital, and has two more events scheduled this week that he will be telling you about. Let's give Craig a big round of applause for doing such a great job for bringing us together with these young people. They are our future Smoky Hill Rotarians. --President Nancy Jones
If you are attending either Rotaract event this week, President Nancy recommends bringing along your copy of The Rotarian for this month so our Rotaract members and read about what other Rotaract clubs are doing around the world.
Monday's Grinner or Groaner
I bet you didn't know today is listed as National Bacon Lover's Day. As my favorite comedian, Jim Gaffigan says:
Bacon's the best, even the frying of bacon sounds like applause. (sizzling sounds) YEAAAA BACON!!!!
You wanna hear how good bacon is? To improve other food they wrap it in bacon. If it wasn't for bacon we wouldn't even know what a water chestnut is. And those bits of bacon, bits of bacon are like the fairy dust of the food community. And once you put bacon into a salad it's no longer a salad, it just becomes a game of find the bacon in the lettuce.
And of course what makes breakfast in bed so special is you're lying down and eating bacon, the most beautiful thing on Earth.
Editarian's Note: So Shauna overheard that it was National Bacon Day and immediately upgraded our Cheeseburgers to BACON Cheeseburgers! There was only one problem with our lunch plates today...I could not find the ketchup on the table, I looked all over for it. Good thing I finally found it...on my plate! I guess I was just so excited to be at Rotary today...
Susan Michalakes ably handled today's Invocation. She ran us through all of the "Days" today is besides National Bacon Day. I was too busy laughing to write them all down, but I do remember it is also "Pete's Sake" Day, which comes from "For the Love of Pete" which came from "For the Love of Mike" which probably came from the mildly blasphemous "For the Love of God" which is texted as FTLOG! OMG! LOL!
Our Greeters today were PPs Al Horton and Denny Passantino! Thanks to all 3 Rotarians who got our meeting off to a good start!
Bylaws Update from PP Paul Urtz: Paul knows that at least one person read the bylaw revisions emailed out last week--thanks, Denny!. If you have any comments please get them to Paul by Thursday's Board Meeting so we can get all of the easy ones included prior to the Club Assembly. The Club Assembly will be on Monday, March 19.
District 5450 Awards nominees are due by March 1st. Let President Nancy know if you would like to nominate a SH Rotarian for a District Award. Awards are listed on the District website.
Let's Party and Work with Denver Metro Rotaract!:
Saturday, March 3, 2018 1:00-4:00PM Help Sort Clothes for Underprivileged Kids in Denver
Location:
2890 S Colorado Blvd
Denver, CO 80222
Clothes to Kids of Denver is an amazing nonprofit in southern Denver that allows kids to come and "shop" for 5 outfits for free to feel like they look put together going to school. The shop is set up like a regular clothing store and makes the kids feel empowered!
Volunteers are needed to help sort through bags of donated clothes, place them into the appropriate size and gender buckets, and hang them on racks for the kids on any given Saturday.
And All Work and No Play makes Randy a dull Rotarian! Join Metro Denver Rotoract Tuesday (Today if you are reading this on Tuesday the 27th!) for a Happy Hour at Illegal Pete's in the DU area!
Check your email for your evite!
Board Meeting: this Thursday, March 1 at 5:30 at Susan Aubin's office 7400 E Crestline 80111. The minutes and agenda will be going out tonight. Please let President Nancy know if you would like me to put any specific items on the agenda.
Ronald McDonald House: PEv/PE Talee Crowe reminds us that the next Ronald McDonald dinner is scheduled for Tuesday, March 13 at 4:15. We passed a sign-up sheet around the meeting but I bet if you want to sign up you could send Talee a quick email!
District Conference: Will be held in the DTC this year on May 19-20. It is one of our goals this year to have more Smoky Hill members attend. You will be inspired and entertained and we will show everyone what a mighty club we are. A new feature at the conference this year will be the professional networking opportunities they are providing where you can reserve a table to advertise your business to your fellow Rotarians from all over the District. Information was sent out through the District newsletters, but if you need to know how to register, contact President Nancy.
We welcomed guest K.C. Jones to our club today. K.C. has a couple of connections to our club. First, and foremost, he is President Nancy's son. He has also been a speaker for our club, highlighting his time as a Bronco Center from 1997-2002 (#60) and SuperBowl XXXIII champion from the University of Miami. A busy guy, K.C. has a financial consulting business, is working for the Broncos, and broadcasts college football. It was great to see you today, K.C.!
Susan Michalakes did double duty during the meeting as she introduced our speaker, Patrick Gaines, Executive Director of The Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine on the Anschutz Medical Campus. Patrick has held senior leadership positions at several non-profits and also has enjoyed a 15-year tenure as a professional classical musician (French Horn) which included the Colorado Symphony and Opera Colorado. He is also an avid ultra-marathoner.
The even better news for SH Rotarians is that Patrick is a gifted presenter who made a very serious and scientific subject interesting and understanding to all.
Patrick described the evolution of Stem Cell Science from a time during the Bush Administration (W) when stem cell research meant harvesting embryonic stem cells which have moral and ethical issues to the present time when stem cells can be created from our own skin cells via a simple punch biopsy. Researchers have learned how to take those skin cells and turn off the one set of instructions which make them skin and turn on any of the other 220 sets of instructions (pluripotency) to make other human body tissues. And since those cells came from the patient to be treated, there is no graft versus host disease, hence no rejection or the need to take a lifetime of anti-rejection medications.
Patrick also was careful to differentiate the work being done by his group from the highly advertised "Stem Cell" procedures which do not use pluripotent stem cells but rather fat stem cells (mesenchymal cells). These mesenchymal treatments can significantly reduce inflammation and pain, but may not improve the actual health of the painful joint.
Patrick thinks we are about 10 years away from the routine use of new tissues, created from our own cells, to treat or replace our own diseased or damaged tissue! Many of us hope he is correct on the success and conservative on the timeline! Thanks, Patrick, for the great program. We would love to have you back to take us on a deeper journey!
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And of course what makes breakfast in bed so special is you're lying down and eating bacon, the most beautiful thing on Earth.
Susan Michalakes ably handled today's Invocation. She ran us through all of the "Days" today is besides National Bacon Day. I was too busy laughing to write them all down, but I do remember it is also "Pete's Sake" Day, which comes from "For the Love of Pete" which came from "For the Love of Mike" which probably came from the mildly blasphemous "For the Love of God" which is texted as FTLOG! OMG! LOL!
We welcomed guest K.C. Jones to our club today. K.C. has a couple of connections to our club. First, and foremost, he is President Nancy's son. He has also been a speaker for our club, highlighting his time as a Bronco Center from 1997-2002 (#60) and SuperBowl XXXIII champion from the University of Miami. A busy guy, K.C. has a financial consulting business, is working for the Broncos, and broadcasts college football. It was great to see you today, K.C.!
Susan Michalakes did double duty during the meeting as she introduced our speaker, Patrick Gaines, Executive Director of The Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine on the Anschutz Medical Campus. Patrick has held senior leadership positions at several non-profits and also has enjoyed a 15-year tenure as a professional classical musician (French Horn) which included the Colorado Symphony and Opera Colorado. He is also an avid ultra-marathoner.
