This week at noon Zach Swarz will tell us about what he learned in a leadership seminar offered by the University of Montana. President Yturri will send out a meeting notice with link-up information before the meeting.
Rotary Memory
It is always inspiring when you get a presentation from someone passionate about his or her work and we had two occasions to experience that feeling last week. At noon on Tuesday, fellow Rotarian David Thomas gave a power-point presentation on his recent trip to South Africa to teach in a program called Mathematical Modeling for Girls.
The strategy behind the program is to raise the college-going aspirations of adolescent girls by teaching them college-preparatory content with college-aged girls as mentors. At the University of Pretoria, David engaged the girls in Geogebra, Netlogic, and Tinker Plots, using hands-on tools and real-life situations to teach complex mathematical concepts. It's not so much what they learn that is important, David reminded us. "The most important discovery a child can make is that they just made a discovery."
In his spare time, David enjoyed the beauty and the wildlife of South Africa. He showed us pictures of lions, giraffes, and hippopotami he encountered and told us a little about his observations.
On Tuesday evening, attendees heard about Eagle Mount from the ever-engaging Deb Sivumaki. Eagle Mount is continuing to communicate with and encourage their 600 participants, people with disabilities who seek outdoor recreation, but in this era of self-isolation, it's a challenge. Eagle Mount operates entirely through private donations and while they have a few full-time employees, they have had to cut hours of the full-time staff and furlough all the seasonal staff.
What has been the most difficult for Deb is to hear about feelings of loneliness and boredom from those with disabilities who are now not able to recreate and receive stimulating experiences. However, she stressed that Eagle Mount's motto is "adapt, empower and achieve," all of which they are still accomplishing, just under a different context and very different circumstances.
Spotlight on ... Sheila Rice
Sheila Rice was among the first women to become members of Rotary Club of Great Falls. In 1978, a California Rotary Club lost its charter because it allowed women members. The club sued Rotary International, and ultimately the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the local club on May 4, 1987. In 1988, Sheila's boss at Energy West, then president of the Great Falls Club, asked her to join.
"For many years I thought of Rotary as part of my job, something I did every week because my boss asked me to," Sheila remembers. A Rotary service trip to Mexico reshaped her thinking. "I realized what a huge impact Rotary International was having on the world and from then on, Rotary became a mission for me." As all of us have learned since, when Sheila Rice is on a mission, get out of the way! For 32 years and counting, Sheila has contributed her ideas, enthusiasm and hard work to any and all Rotary projects.
Her favorite memory is the first Harvest Howl. The Benefis Foundation had decided they no longer wanted to have the event, and Rotary asked to take it on. "Naively, we got all the food donated, offered free dinners, and hired a band with no further research than the recommendation of the Civic Center," Sheila recalled. "In spite of all that, we made money. It was the start of something BIG."
Sheila grew up with 11 brothers and sisters and has 79 nieces and nephews spanning three generations. She went to college as a single mom when she was 24 and lived on Aid for Dependent Children and food stamps (now Temporary Aid for Needy Families and Supplemental Nutrition Program or SNAP). Taxpayers certainly got a return on their investment in Sheila Rice. She has served with distinction at Energy West, in the legislature, as the Executive Director of NeighborWorks, and as President and Member Par Excellence of Rotary Club of Great Falls.
Sheila not only reflects well on the club but encourages her wide circle of contacts to become members. "You will benefit from Rotary membership on every level of your life: professionally, personally, community, and spiritually," Sheila notes. "You'll make friends, network extensively, and do good work." There's no better example of that than Sheila herself. We're proud to call her a fellow Rotarian.
Updates
Sherri Arey announced at our noon meeting last week that NeighborWorks' traditional MApril Clean-up will be conducted virtually next week. Choose a lawn, a stretch of road, or a neighborhood you'd like to tidy up and send NeighborWorks photos of your efforts. You may win a gift certificate to a local restaurant or business!
It's time to end the pilot period for the evening membership option and revise the bylaws to address that issue as well as give them a dusting-off and sprucing-up after five years. The Bylaws Committee, consisting of Mary Moe, Bill Bronson and Mike Rausch, will be meeting with President Yturri next week to begin that process. If you have questions or suggestions, contact Mary Moe at 868-9427.
Milestones
As we say goodbye to April, we salute our members who became Rotarians this month over the years:
Ian Davidson - 59 years
Paul Gorsuch - 26 years
Glenn Lambert - 19 years
Paul Cory, Todd Neighbor, and Carol Lindseth - 10 years
Kimberley Stull - 6 years
Kelley Aline - 3 years
Chuck Jennings - 1 year
Nearly a century and a half of collective service above self! And that's just quantity. The quality of these Rotarians' contributions to the Club are equally amazing. Hats off to our April members!
Weekly Wit from Happy Tails
In a pleasant spring morning, all men's sins are forgiven.
