The August 6th meeting was brought to order by President Sam Thompson. There were 31 members in attendance at the ECC and 32 following along on Zoom. Sam talked about how our club is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion inside Rotary and in our community. Here are some of the steps ERC is taking:
- A consultant will come to speak to the board about diversity and inclusion in the coming days.
- The next leadership series discussion (August 18th) will focus on race relations and racism.
- Through the George Floyd Memorial Scholarship we will help a Black student from Minneapolis to study at the University of Minnesota.
- Fred Sylvester will chair a new committee focused on diversity and inclusion in our club. The new committee will work alongside our grants committees, speaker committee, among others.
Member Updates:
- Ann Platt was recognized for winning the Edina Magazine’s Best of 2020 award in the category for Best Doggy Daycare / Kennel business. Skip Thomas was recognized for winning the 2020 Outstanding Senior Award from Edina Mayor Hovland. Congrats to you both!!
- Sam Thompson asked all club members attending meetings in person to wear a mask while inside ECC. You can take the mask off to eat or drink but please put the mask back on when you are finished.
- We still need members to sign up for in-person meeting duties. To sign up all you need to do is click the big blue button located on the main page of the ERC website. It is located on the right hand side just below the 2020 Gala information.
- Speaking of the 2020 Gala, we watched a short video highlighting three of gala hosts and their country themes – Mexico, Catherine and Tom Gump; French Polynesia, Sam and Kim Thompson; England, Katy and Ralph Campbell.
- Sam highlighted the one birthday this week (Bill Carter, August 12th) and four anniversaries.
Duties were fulfilled by:
Greeters: Doug Johnson (ECC) and Katy Campbell (Zoom)
Front Desk: Thomas Bach
Photography: Sutton McGraw
Barker: Ryan Wilson
Invocation: Robb Breding
Guest Intro: Susan Johnson
Speaker Intro: Paul Mooty
Speaker Thanks: Wade Thommen
Masks: Paul Mooty
Guests included John Crudele, Dr. Wang and his wife Jane Wang, Jae Ahn, and Hyo Sook Hwang.
Bridget Hallstrom, Membership Chair, gave an overview of the various membership committees. The new member interviews are chaired by Brad Hepp, the RARE committee by Ann Platt and Scott MacDonald, the Helping Hands Committee by Jean Morrison, and the newer Leadership Development Program by Robb Breding. We started the year with 171 members and are at 170 members today. Bridget encouraged everyone to attend the Virtual Leadership event coming up on August 18th and the Prospective Member Day on August 27th.
Robb Breding, Chair of the Virtual Leadership Series, explained that the program is focused on leadership development skills, career planning, problem solving, and networking. Robb encouraged members to invite guests to this program. It is a fun way to introduce prospective members to Rotary. The series runs every Third Tuesday at 6pm. The next meeting is August 18th and the topic is “A real conversation about race and racism.”
Sam Thompson filled in for Josh to announce the 2nd annual car show. The event is scheduled for September 12th from noon to 4pm at the Southdale Mall parking lot. It will feature classic, exotic and vintage cars. Information is available on the website.
Paul Mooty introduced today’s speaker – our very own Wooj Byun, Past President 2011-2012. Wooj received a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship in 1990, which allowed him to achieve his dream of becoming an international lawyer and a global citizen. He later joined Rotary as a way to pay back the scholarship he received. In doing so, Wooj embraced a lifestyle focused on Service above Self. Following a belief that “service is the rent we pay for living in this world,” Wooj strives to use his time and resources to support others. He shared the story of how he helped Michael, a young boy with physical disabilities, by flying over a pianist with similar disabilities all the way from Korea so they could meet. He also mentioned Moses and how Rotary rallied together to improve his quality of life. Wooj encouraged all Rotarians to practice Service above Self. In doing so you will make this “the best year of your life.”
Wade Thommen presented Wooj with a thank you gift of a donation to The Sheridan Story. Wooj expressed his appreciation for the donation in his honor and encouraged members to pick up a copy of his book, “My Rotary Journey”, as they left the meeting.
President Thompson adjourned the meeting with a quote from Sydney J. Harris, “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into widows.”
Catherine and Tom Gump, Around the World Gala Host -- Mexico
Sam and Kim Thompson, Around the World Host - French Polynesia
Katy and Ralph Campbell, Around the World Host, England