As we begin month two (2) of the economic shutdown, President Jim Leet (Boutin/Jones Inc.) called to order our second prudent and socially distant meeting.

 

Pulitzer prize winning Author Nancy Teichert  provided our thought for the day as she reminded us all to help others during this unprecedented time of need. Nancy thanked the many Rotarians who are doing great things behind the scenes. One small group of Rotarians included Karen Diepenbrock (Diepenbrock Elkin Dauer McCandless LLP) who gathered with others at the Royal Oaks Post Office to insure the delivery of 59 hard cover classic books to a grade school in need.

 

Nancy also noted that Past District Governor Fred Teichert’s (Teichert Foundation) Shelter-In-Place grooming may be preparation for a new Santa look for Christmas.

 

Walter Dahl (Dahl Law) introduced Past President Rob Scherer who won the award for traveling electronically the furthest to attend. Rob Scherer was able to virtually attend from his new residence in Puerto Vallarta. Rob noted that Mexico, including Puerto Vallarta, is in heavy lockdown through the end of May. Rob and his wife, Sharon, are healthy, but remain at home. We wish Rob and Sharon continued health and safety.

 

David Brandenburg (Newmark Knight Frank) won the award for the cutest guests as he had a picture of 7 Vizsla puppies that recently joined his family. Due to the new puppies, David and his family were remaining home for a few months and thanked all of us for remaining at home as well to support him.

 

President Jim’s good news of the day was that our Chaplaincy Van is now in operation. We teamed with other local Rotary Clubs to fill this very important and timely need for the community. The Chaplaincy Van provides a mobile location to help those affected by adverse circumstances to grieve and receive counseling. Our Club contributed $5,000.00 with a matching contribution of $4,700.00 from the District for the acquisition and refurbishing of a van to enable on-site counseling and assistance.

 

President Jim reminded us all of the great speakers and opportunities available from attending the Rotary International Conference. Our speaker for today was Dr. Marianne Azer who is one of the top 10 public speakers in Egypt, a member of the Egyptian Parliament and the Global Advisory Board. Marianne is devoted to politics, women’s issues, and cultural affairs. Marianne is also a past speaker from the Rotary International Convention in Hamburg.

 

Dr. Azer’s topic today was inclusion in a diverse world. She noted that the average person takes about 7 seconds to judge another in an initial meeting. This quick, seemingly automatic, process may lead to the exclusion of others perceived to be different from ourselves.

 

Diversity represents the differences that make each of us unique and should be celebrated. Marianne even cited examples from antiquity in the design of the Ancient Egyptian Tombs that evidenced gender equality and diversity. She noted that inclusion starts with “I” and is what makes the mixture in diversity work.

 

Dr. Azer is an entertaining and passionate speaker with a unique perspective that she tied to Rotary’s goals in making the world a better place. A recording of her presentation is available on the Rotary International site. Google “Dr. Azer Rotary International Hamburg Vimeo.”

 

Tune in next week as President Jim promises a different and unique program.

Rotary Zooms Into The Cloud

 

By: John Goralka (The Goralka Law Firm) – Voted most likely to be wearing a mask by his law school graduating class.

 

As we begin month two (2) of the economic shutdown, President Jim Leet (Boutin/Jones Inc.) called to order our second prudent and socially distant meeting.

 

Pulitzer prize winning Author Nancy Teichert  provided our thought for the day as she reminded us all to help others during this unprecedented time of need. Nancy thanked the many Rotarians who are doing great things behind the scenes. One small group of Rotarians included Karen Diepenbrock (Diepenbrock Elkin Dauer McCandless LLP) who gathered with others at the Royal Oaks Post Office to insure the delivery of 59 hard cover classic books to a grade school in need.

 

Nancy also noted that Fred Teichert’s (Teichert Foundation) Shelter-In-Place grooming may be preparation for a new Santa look for Christmas.

 

Walter Dahl (Dahl Law) introduced Past President Rob Scherer who won the award for traveling electronically the furthest to attend. Rob Scherer was able to virtually attend from his new residence in Puerto Vallarta. Rob noted that Mexico, including Puerto Vallarta, is in heavy lockdown through the end of May. Rob and his wife, Sharon, are healthy, but remain at home. We wish Rob and Sharon continued health and safety.

 

David Brandenburg (Newmark Knight Frank) won the award for the cutest guests as he had a picture of 7 Vizsla puppies that recently joined his family. Due to the new puppies, David and his family were remaining home for a few months and thanked all of us for remaining at home as well to support him.

 

President Jim’s good news of the day was that our Chaplaincy Van is now in operation. We teamed with other local Rotary Clubs to fill this very important and timely need for the community. The Chaplaincy Van provides a mobile location to help those affected by adverse circumstances to grieve and receive counseling. Our Club contributed $5,000.00 with a matching contribution of $4,700.00 from the District for the acquisition and refurbishing of a van to enable on-site counseling and assistance.

 

President Jim reminded us all of the great speakers and opportunities available from attending the Rotary International Conference. Our speaker for today was Dr. Marianne Azer who is one of the top 10 public speakers in Egypt, a member of the Egyptian Parliament and the Global Advisory Board. Marianne is devoted to politics, women’s issues, and cultural affairs. Marianne is also a past speaker from the Rotary International Convention in Hamburg.

 

Dr. Azer’s topic today was inclusion in a diverse world. She noted that the average person takes about 7 seconds to judge another in an initial meeting. This quick, seemingly automatic, process may lead to the exclusion of others perceived to be different from ourselves.

 

Diversity represents the differences that make each of us unique and should be celebrated. Marianne even cited examples from antiquity in the design of the Ancient Egyptian Tombs that evidenced gender equality and diversity. She noted that inclusion starts with “I” and is what makes the mixture in diversity work.

 

Dr. Azer is an entertaining and passionate speaker with a unique perspective that she tied to Rotary’s goals in making the world a better place. A recording of her presentation is available on the Rotary International site. Google “Dr. Azer Rotary International Hamburg Vimeo.”

 

Tune in next week as President Jim promises a different and unique program.v