This week we're in for a special treat. The folks who worked on our history project for the 100 Year Gala will be sharing the stories behind the photos in our "First 100 Years" video! Last week Shannon Hoiland joined the ranks of Rotarians foiled by the current 50-50 deck, so your odds of winning this week are even better. Join us at noon at the country club!
Also this week, we're starting our new member drive. Do you know someone who would make a good Rotarian? Bring her or him to lunch this week or to the end-of-the-month social at The Front, Tuesday, May 31. We will waive the application fee for the first four individuals to submit a membership application.
Last Week at Rotary
Last week’s presentation was by our charismatic fellow Rotarian Diane Wright, Executive Director of the Montana Red Cross. After introducing and thanking several Rotarians who serve on the Red Cross board and/or who donate blood, she devoted the rest of her remarks to the importance of home fire preparedness.
Although most of us think of community and regional catastrophes as the focus of Red Cross’s work, the organization is also active in helping families respond to home fires. Every year in the United States, 2500 lives are lost and $7 million in damages accrue from home fires. In 2014, the American Red Cross set the goal of reducing these numbers by 25%.
Diane asked her fellow Rotarians to assist in this effort by helping install smoke alarms in the Black Eagle area on June 25. Her goal is “to beat Missoula,” which recently engaged in a similar effort. We need at least 20 Rotarians to volunteer for the four-hour session. We can do this!
Last week we also learned that we have been awarded a District 5390 grant for our Ethiopia project! Yippee!
Rotarians Don't Talk Trash ... They Pick It Up!
One of the prettiest stretches of road on a pleasant spring day is the Havre highway north of town. Thanks to Great Falls Rotary, that stretch is a little prettier now.
Yesterday John Koppelman headed up a crew to conduct our periodic highway clean-up. Pictured here, in diagonals going up from the left corner, are Carey Gray, Todd Neighbor, and Mark Nash; Kay Nash, Ryan Miller, and Tyler Hentzen; Mark Finnicum, Scott Patera, and John Koppelman; and Michael Porter and Jeremy Reedy. (Jim Humphrey must have taken the picture, because we know he participated in the clean-up.)
John said it went really well, although Mark Nash and his wife Kay found a number of rattlesnakes. No one was hurt, and this landscape is now trash-free!
Introducing Rotarians Porter and Reedy
We heard the 3-minute talks of two red badge-wearers last week. Here's the scoop:
Jeremy Reedy (left) never planned to be involved with the Salvation Army. Bored, he dropped out of high school and, after several different jobs, found a niche in the construction industry, taping drywall. But then he got “the call.” God had something different planned for him: the Salvation Army. Being a pastor in the Salvation Army requires that your spouse, if you have one, become a pastor too, and at first that was a tough sell with Jeremy’s wife. But now they love their new calling. They are the proud parents of two boys and two girls.
Michael Porter is from Tennessee and has the wry humor characteristic of that area. He spent 18 years in the air force and first became acquainted with Great Falls when he was stationed at Malmstrom. When he retired from the military, he moved back to Great Falls, where he is now employed by Edward Jones. Michael is enjoying the opportunities for community service in Rotary and is already showing himself to be an active member. He and his wife Maria have two daughters, who attend CMR.
Be sure to seek these two out and get to know them better!
Milestones
This Tuesday, May 24, Kimberley Hawn celebrates another birthday. Best wishes, Kimberley!
Weekly Wisdom from Commencement Addresses: Part II
Don't be afraid of fear. Because it sharpens you, it challenges you, it makes you stronger; and when you run away from fear, you also run away from the opportunity to be your best possible self.
Ed Helms
Be compassionate to everyone. Don't just search for whatever it is that annoys and frightens you — see beyond those things to the basic human being. Especially see the child in the man or woman. Even if they are destroying you, allow a moment to see how lost in their own delusion and suffering they are.
Alice Walker
Life is not about warming yourself by the fire. Life is about building the fire. And generosity is the match...If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap, but if you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.
Larry Lucchino
The corollary to carpe diem is gratitude ... gratitude for simply being alive, for having a day to seize ... the taking of breath, the beating of the heart ... gratitude for the natural world around us — the massing clouds, the white ibis by the shore. In Barcelona a poetry competition is held every year. There are three prizes: The third prize is a rose made of silver, the second prize is a golden rose, and the first prize is a rose. A real rose. The flower itself. Think of that the next time the term “priorities” comes up.
