This week at our noon meeting, Jesse Mahugh will tell us what's new and interesting with Big Brothers Big Sisters. Join us at noon or on Zoom!
Drum Roll: And Now the Vote!
On Sunday, July 26, at around noon, you will receive the electronic ballot for your vote on the proposed amendments to the bylaws. Voting electronically is easy. Simply reply to the email with the word YES if you approve of the proposed amendments or NO if you do not approve of them. For your electronic vote to be counted, you must vote before the noon meeting on Tuesday, July 28.
If you prefer to vote in person and did not vote electronically, a ballot will be available for you at the noon meeting. You will be asked to vote and ballots will be collected before the speaker is presented. If you are attending the meeting on Zoom, you can vote YES or NO, the same as electronic voting, through the chat function.
In order for the vote to be valid, at least 1/3 of the total membership (33 of the 98 active members) must cast a vote. PLEASE VOTE!
Last Week at Rotary
In a highly engaging session last week, Big Sandy Rotarian Bob Quinn described his conversion from traditional to organic farming.
Bob grew up on the family farm, where as a child he found his two great loves: plants and science. After attending MSU, he returned to Big Sandy and, with his scientific bent, began to experiment with the challenge of adding value to the farm. He even tried selling prairie dog puppies to pet stores in Japan!
Bob and a few others saw the need for a "Montana middle man" for the sale and distribution of agricultural products and started Montana Flour and Grain in Fort Benton. In 1988, he became interested in organic farming and dedicated a small portion of his acreage to that experiment. He did so well the first year that they decided to expand the acreage in his second year. That year was memorable for a terrible drought and the grasshoppers that came with it. Astonishingly, he found an organic substance to spread on the perimeter of the acreage, something the grasshoppers fed on and either died instantly or ate each other. His organic crop that year far outshone the traditional crop. They decided to go totally organic.
Since then, he's been a big promoter of organic agricultural and has continued to refine his own products. He is particularly proud of the organic kamut he grows and left samples of kamut treats on each table for Rotarians to enjoy. A friendly man and a folksy speaker, Rotarians got to learn something new and laugh along the way!
Such Luck!
As reported in the last eBulletin, two weeks ago Tony DiLello drew the winning card and claimed a hefty 50-50 pot. This week with a brand new deck, Dirk Smith also drew the winning card! Unfortunately, with so little time for the pot to "sweeten," Dirk raked in a mere $9. Is there no justice? You beat much bigger odds but walk away with a much smaller reward? Welcome to the wacky world of 50-50 at Rotary.
Like Tony, Dirk contributed his entire winnings to a worthy cause: Rotary Club of Great Falls. Thank you, Dirk!
Milestones
July has been very good to this club. Last week we celebrated the four July members with the most Rotary longevity. This week we celebrate four equally valuable additions to our membership who celebrate their Rotary anniversaries this month: Diane Wright, 8 years; Michael Bowman, 9 years; Aaron Weissman, 18 years; and Steve Schnider, 19 years. Thanks for over a half-century combined of service above self!
Weekly Wit
If you have already discovered the meaning of life, don't despair. There are still a few burning questions to resolve:
Do twins ever realize that one of them was unplanned?
Shouldn't the letter "W" be called "double-vee"?
Which letter is silent in the word "scent" - the 's' or the 'c'?
How come lipstick doesn't do what it says?
If money doesn't grow on trees, how come banks have branches?
