Last week two of our red-badge wearers gave their three-minute talks and were formally inducted into Rotary Club of Great Falls. They are Barb Mullens, on the left in the picture, and Terri Voytoski, on the right.
Terri began her talk by announcing that only one thing scared her more than public speaking: snakes. If she handles snakes as well as she handled her talk, she can walk safely through any set of foothills. Terri is the Senior Vice President at Embark Federal Credit Union. Oregon-born, her first experience in Montana was staying at a cattle ranch during calving. Nevertheless, she persisted. She's been in finance since 1982 and loves the emphasis on customer service and community engagement at Embark. Terri has two daughters and six grandchildren.
Barb's Montana roots go all the way back to our territorial days. She graduated from CMR and later married a boy she met there. She was a stay-at-home mom for the first 17 years of her marriage, happy to tend to her daughter and her severely disabled son. During this time, she took up martial arts as a way of literally fighting for her son. Sadly, her son passed at the age of 12, and her husband thought it would be good for her to go back to work. He was right. She entered the real estate business and loves being able to help people find the home of their dreams.
We are honored to welcome these two fine and funny women to Rotary Club of Great Falls.
Next Week at Rotary
This week at noon Rotary we’ll hear from Nicki Phillips of Benefis Health Systems on Medicaid expansion. Mark Finnicum missed the mark last week in the 50-50 pot, so it's fattening up nicely. Two good reasons to join us at noon at the country club!
Evening Rotary will feature City Commissioner Mary Sheehy Moe on the topic of women as leaders, drawing on history, the literature of empowerment, and her own experience. Noon members, consider joining our evening Rotarians! That meeting will be at the country club, too, in Rooms 1-2, on Thursday at 5:30.
Last Week at Noon Rotary
We were treated to a delightful look behind the scenes at Western Art Week last week by Duane Braaten, Director of Art and Philanthropy at the C.M. Russell Museum of Western Art.
When Duane first came to the museum in 1997, artists who hoped to be selected for the auction shipped their artwork to the museum. It was time-consuming and expensive for the artist and for the museum staff. This year, roughly 1,000 pieces of art were sent digitally, and of that number 220 were selected for the auction. They are all independently submitted. THE MUSEUM DOES NOT SELL ARTWORK FROM THE COLLECTION.
The auction is a huge fundraiser for the museum, as it is known throughout the country and indeed the world as a premier source for Western art. As Duane pointed out, though, the auction is not just about Charlie Russell or the museum. It's a celebration of the gift of art in our lives and a celebration of the West.
Beyond the auction, the museum has several exciting events to promote. The original cabin and art studio on the museum grounds recently underwent a restoration and is now open for public viewing. In addition, from June 7 - September 30, the museum will celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Russell's exhibit in Calgary ... with a large portion of the original artwork on loan to the museum for the exhibit. Also, in the fall, there will be an exhibit of the artwork of O.C. Seltzer and his grandson, contemporary Great Falls artist, Steve Seltzer.
The C.M.Russell Museum of Western Art is one of this city's finest gems. It was nice to get this thorough and enthusiastic update from such a dedicated employee.
Updates
Come on down to Enbar for a Polio Plus Fundraiser/Social this Wednesday at 5:30. Celebrate spring, March madness, and fellow Rotarians!
All Rotarians are invited to the District Conference in Helena on May 3-4. Our club will be giving a presentation on Camp Rotary on May 4 at 1 p.m. President-elect Nominee Lacey Gallagher will be the presenter, so come on down and give her some support!
All Rotarians are invited to the Zone Conference in Denver September 5-8. It's quite a rewarding experience, so give it some consideration.
Milestones
Just one birthday this week, but what we lack in quantity, we compensate for in quality. Happy birthday on Thursday to Diane Wright!
We were treated to a delightful look behind the scenes at Western Art Week last week by Duane Braaten, Director of Art and Philanthropy at the C.M. Russell Museum of Western Art.
