#888, Club Bulletin, February 20, 2023

Recap from the Feb. 20, 2023 Meeting.
 
Meeting Run by: President Naomi DeWinter
 
Invocation: Erika Cox
 
Membership: 3rd Reading Karen Cooney and Cap. Steve Snider.
 
Happy News/Announcements:  All Happy News funds go towards our scholarship awards.
Naomi Introduced a February Poker hand attendance and Happy News incentive. Meeting attendees will receive a playing card for each meeting in February. Members will receive an additional card for sharing Happy News. At the end of the month, the member with the best poker hand will win a prize.
Frank Iliff- Frank is happy that his family and friends are safe following a recent car accident. Lindsey Phillips-Big Brothers Big Sisters Bowl for Kid Sake is March 25th at 2pm. The School District and Sheriff’s Office have the most teams created. Other opportunities to support BBBS and Bowl for Kid’s sake come Thursday, 2/23 have dinner at Wahlberger’s, and 3/7 for a HyVee Store takeover. Erika Cox- MPW hosted the Annual Power breakfast on a snowy Thursday last week. During the breakfast, Doug White teased up the Powering the Future Strategy. Learn more about that initiative on 3/6  from 4-6pm. RSVPs required RSVP@mpw.org. Last week MPW successfully launched a new Customer Billing system. Karen Cooney- Karen is excited to be a member of the Rotary Club. Karen was born and raised in Muscatine. After college in LA she returned to Muscatine and worked in the Housing Department until she retired. After retirement, Karen joined the School Board to share her passion for learning with the Muscatine community. Krista Regennitter- Thursday, Darwin Turner Action Theater Group will share a theatrical performance about the Black American experience through poetry at the Art Center from 5:30-6:30 pm.  Monday, at MCC, Paul Finkelman, will present about Alexander Clark. Megan Francis- Crossroads and Senior Resources are holding a Fundraiser Raffle for a 6-day trip to Branson, MO, at the end of April. Tickets are $35 each or 6 for $200. Megan will have tickets available until March 13th.
 
**A Challenge from Cindy and The Rendezvous- For every nonperishable food item the Rotary Club brings to the Feb. 27th Meeting, Cindy will remove $1 from our weekly invoice.
 
Club News:  
 
  • Follow the Rotary Club of Muscatine’s Facebook page, @MuscatineRotaryClub.
 
Presentation-
Mike Wedell- Muscatine Rotary Youth Exchange Program
 
The first exchanges began in 1927, involving only European students. Exchanges between California and Latin American countries started in 1939. Activities spread to the Eastern United States in 1958. Youth Exchange became an official program of Rotary International in 1972 and currently exchanges over 8,000 students a year. We are the only program that is 100% volunteer staffed at a local level.
We have one Host Family. Let’s build on that momentum. Volunteers and Host families receive training and support to make the exchange experience a positive experience for everyone.  
Volunteers Needed for Rotary Youth Exchange (a heavy lift for 3-4 people):
  • Local Area Coordinator (LAC):  Department of State (DoS) title for person who interfaces with inbound students and host families.  Number of LAC’s determined by district and number provided by DoS to SCRYE.
  • Certified Rotary Counselor:  A Certified Volunteer who has satisfactorily completed training for service as a Rotary Counselor.  Need a male and female volunteer
  • Certified Volunteer:  A volunteer for youth exchange service and programs thoroughly vetted before beginning service.
We need to identify three host families per exchange student. Consider if you or your family or friends could fill this need.
  • Student typically rotates to a different family every 3-4 months.
  • Family needs to be active to ensure the exchange student is connected to the school
  • Family structure is flexible
    • Family with students in the high school
    • Family with younger children
    • Empty nester
    • Single parent
  • Host families will undergo a local interview process to ensure they are a good fit.
  • Photos of the home’s interior are required.
  • Speak English at home even if the host family knows the native langue of the student.
For more information, contact Mike Wedell or Marc Hines.
 
 
Upcoming Meetings: February 27- Alexander Clark: The Mississippi Valley's Most Important Civil Rights Leader, March 6- Parks and Recreation, March 13- Special Olympics and Hall of Fame. March 20- MPW Power Supply Enhancements.
 
Missed Monday’s presentation? Use the link below to access the recording.
 
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/ETbapttXVkilHu8IwdLeLPpTcNInikVfZZU06rLwFtjx-HcBMhuuDr2D89Vf3dnP.xE-qpimT8g1PJSFe
Passcode: Rotary#1
 
 
Welcome to Week 4 of RI’s Month of Peace & Conflict Prevention/Resolution
 
Even as TRF continues its efforts at advancing world understanding, goodwill, and peace by providing relief, especially right now, to victims and survivors of the Turkey-Syria devastating earthquake, it is an excellent time to reflect on what the Foundation has achieved in the last service year. The following is a Summary of Rotary Foundation Grants for the 2021-2022 Service Year:
 
By Dollars Distributed:  
  • 478 District Grants ($27Million)
  • 207 Disaster Response Grants ($8 Million)
  • 1,199 Global Grants ($73 Million)
  • Programs of Scale Grants ($2 Million)
By Areas of Focus:
  • Basic Education and Literacy: 104
  • Community Economic Development: 148
  • Disease Prevention & Treatment: 570
  • Maternal and Child Health: 90
  • Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention: 67
  • Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) :187
  • Environment: 33
TRF still maintains the highest rating: a 4 Star rating on the Charity Navigator scale with91% of funds spent on program awards and grants.
 
Please keep funding your Foundation so that TRF can continue to improve the health, provide quality education, upgrade the environment and alleviate poverty among citizens of the world.
 
In Rotary,
Olabisi Gwamna, Club Secretary
Mount Pleasant Rotary,
Editor, Foundation Minute