Jon is a current member of the Rotary Club of Edina.  He has served in many positions including Club President.  Jon is the founder and original owner of EdinAlarm (transitioning to new ownership).  

Some of his past community service includes the Edina Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors as well as chairing the Edina Crime Prevention Fund (now the fund supports) both the police department and fire department).  He also was a founding member of the board of the Edina Fall into the Arts festival.

At our last meeting, we welcomed Holly Callen from Bravo Zulu House. Bravo Zulu House provides sober living and recovery support for veterans with PTSD and addiction, with an existing men’s home and plans underway for a dedicated women veterans’ home.
• Their approach was modeled after Trinity Sober Homes in St. Paul, which Holly said has achieved a 71% sobriety success rate compared with a typical rate of about 25%. Bravo Zulu sought to understand Trinity’s “secret sauce” and adapt it specifically for veterans.
• Residents arrive sober following treatment and are asked to stay for at least six months, with no maximum length of stay as long as they continue progressing. Residents work or volunteer as they rebuild structure and purpose in their lives.
• The program emphasizes dignity and individualized support, including private rooms, PTSD counseling and medical care through Mayo Clinic, spiritual coaching, peer support and dog therapy.
• Bravo Zulu is now developing a women veterans’ home, designed around the specific needs and feedback of women veterans. Plans include private bedroom-and-bathroom suites, a wellness space and garden, with particular attention to the needs of women who have experienced military sexual trauma.
• Holly shared her guiding philosophy: “Help one person, help a multitude”—the idea that helping one veteran rebuild their life creates a ripple effect as they go on to help others.
 A special connection to the project: Visiting Rotarian Guy Marzano, a member of the Veterans Rotary Club, and his family made a significant donation to the new Bravo Zulu women’s home in memory of his late wife, Chris Leick, who passed away last year. The home’s library will be named in her honor.

The Rotary Club of Edina’s Membership Committee and Board of Directors welcome Carol Chen as a member of the Rotary Club of Edina. Carol is Director of Marketing Automation Technology at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Her work includes building training pathways, governance frameworks, and enterprise communication systems that reduce dependency on tribal knowledge and support sustainable adoption. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, golf, fitness, healthy living, and arts and cultural events.

Carol Chen
Classification: Marketing Technology
Sponsor: Jean Morrison 

The Rotary Club of Edina’s Membership Committee and Board of Directors welcome Meriwether Felt as a member of the Rotary Club of Edina. Meriwether has a residential design and architecture practice focused on custom home remodeling and architectural solutions in the Twin Cities. She is also beginning her second term on the Edina Planning Commission and is excited to hear from fellow Rotarians about their thoughts to keep Edina vibrant.

Meriwether Felt
Classification: Architecture
Sponsor: Catherine Gump

The Rotary Club of Edina’s Membership Committee and Board of Directors welcome Ellen Kennedy as a member of the Rotary Club of Edina. Ellen is the Founder and Executive Director of World Without Genocide. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the League of Women Voters-Edina, and co-chairs a social justice committee, and is on a social justice committee at Mount Zion Temple, a Reform Jewish congregation in St. Paul. Ellen was a member of Edina Noon Rotary Club from 2002-2011, and served as president, 2009-2010.

Ellen Kennedy
Classification: Human Rights
Sponsor: Josh Sprague

Mark your Calendars! The Rotary Club of Edina, with support from the 50th & France Business & Professional Association and Explore Edina, will host the eighth-annual Edina Car Show 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20 in downtown Edina. Watch the web and Barker for further event details and volunteer opportunities. Sponsorship proceeds go to local community non-profits via the Edina Rotary Foundation with $133,500 raised since 2019.

All Service is Fundamental Gala raffle tickets SOLD or UNSOLD must be returned by Thursday, September 17 to Madeleine Isaacson. Please return completed raffle tickets and payment to Madeleine Isaacson or send to Edina Rotary Foundation, PO Box 24481, Edina MN 55424 by Sept 17.  Per state and city permit guidelines, all tickets and stubs must be accounted for before the drawing on Sept 24. 

Each member is encouraged to sell the raffle tickets to friends and family. This helps to spread the word about Rotary and the great organizations the funds support throughout our local community such as:
Thanksgiving Baskets to Edina school students in need
Camp Enterprise
Way to Grow
Bridging
My Very Own Bed

We have exciting prizes this year!
• First Prize: $1,000
• Second Prize: $250
• Third Prizes: $100 (there are four third-place winners!)

Tickets may be purchased with cash, check, or ACH withdrawal. State law prohibits credit cards to be used to purchase raffle tickets. Deadline to turn in raffle tickets is Thursday, Sept 17.

On 10/24/26, World Polio Day, Rotary members across Region 36 – Zones 25 & 29 are coming together for something BIG — a bold, unified step toward a polio-free world. We are calling on 36,620 Rotarians and 964 Rotaractors across 11 states and 2 countries to take part in the World’s Largest Polio Walk — a powerful, visible demonstration of our commitment to ending polio forever. This is more than a walk. It’s a movement.

Every step taken helps raise awareness and support our collective goal of raising $1 million to end polio. Together, we are “This Close” to eradication—and this is our moment to push across the finish line.

REGISTER TODAY!!

Oct. 24, 2026 7:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Mall of America - Macy Court
60 East Broadway
Bloomington, MN
United States of America

We are 51 days away from Camp Enterprise, held November 5-7, 2026 at Camp Courage in Maple Lake, MN. The Rotary Clubs of Edina have administered this amazing leadership development program for high school juniors and seniors for almost 50 years. It is one of our signature programs each year. We support over 120 high school students, 16 college counselors, and numerous speakers and volunteers. Every year, we need 80 volunteers for a number of different roles to make Camp E a success. We already have volunteers signed up for some of our needs. Thank you to those of you who have already committed.

The most immediate needs include:

·  9 Mentors - If you are a fun Rotarian this is for you!  The most important volunteer role at Camp E, working with a student team throughout the 2½-day program.

·  11 Venture Capitalists - If you have limited availability the Saturday morning, November 7th role may be right for you. This will entail judging student business presentations and making a mock $5 million investment.

·  5 Essay Readers - Another commitment of Saturday morning only. You will be assisting with scoring student essays for scholarships.

·  Student Recruitment Volunteers - Cannot commit to the weekend??? How about helping connect with area schools over the next several weeks.

·  Registration, bus loading, set-up, and takedown volunteers – This will be shorter time commitments for those who may not be able to participate for the full program.

REGISTER TO VOLUNTEER FOR CAMP ENTERPRISE HERE!

Reach out to Michael Birdman (EMRC), Chairperson 2026 or Brent Lundell (ERC), Co-Chair 2026 with any questions. You can also contact us at camperotary@gmail.com or 763.442.9273. 

It's never too early to choose your 2026-2027 service committee or audit those committees you may be interested in joining.  Print and review the 2026-2027 Committee list HERE.