Yesterday we welcomed Shumaila Abbasi - she also goes by "Shim" - to full membership in the club ... which means we got to hear all about her in a 3-minute talk.
Shumalla was born and raised in Aslamiba, Pakistan, and earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees there. Pursuing those degrees, she met the man who is now her husband and a hospitalist at Benefis, Dr. Raheel Khalid. They married and moved to London so he could take the required prerequisite courses to be accepted to an American medical school. In London, Shumaila got a second masters degree in Human Resources. The couple then moved to New York, where Raheel attended medical school. (Do you feel like a lazy rube yet?)
Dr. Khalid is now a hospitalist at Benefis. Raheel and Shim have three children, two daughters ages 11 and 6 and a son who is 4. Now that her son is in pre-school, Shim hopes to continue her HR career. She loves Great Falls because everyone is very friendly and welcoming and her children love their school. They are Muslim and even though Great Falls has no mosque and very few people of Muslim faith, she and her family feel comfortable and accepted here.
An impressive woman who will add a lot to our club! Welcome, Shumalla!
Next Week at Rotary
Next week at noon Jon Konen, the innovative and dynamic principal of Lincoln Elementary School, will give us his perspectives on the Great Falls Public Schools. At this week's evening meeting, Chelle Fried will give an encore performance of her presentation on the 100th anniversary of Easterseals - and Rotary's part in the birth and continued impact of that organization. If you missed it at noon, drop in at the country club on Thursday at 5:30. It's a great story.
Last Week at Rotary
Last week's meeting was devoted to a recognition of this year's Paul Harris Fellows. Presiding over the event was Chayleen Person, who gave us an overview of the Paul Harris Foundation with a great video and power point presentation.
At the 1917 convention, outgoing Rotary president Arch Klumph proposed setting up an endowment “for the purpose of doing good in the world.” That one idea, and an initial contribution of $26.50, set in motion The Rotary Foundation, a powerful force that has transformed millions of lives around the globe.
The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. In the 102 years since that first $26.50 donation, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects. Examples:
Vocational training for teachers establishing an early childhood education center in South Africa;
Water filters, toilets, and hygiene training to prevent fluorosis, diarrhea, and other diseases in India;
A scholarship for a medical professional in Italy to research treatments that minimize mortality rates among premature babies;
Peace-building seminars for 200 teachers and 1,300 students in Uganda; and
Treated mosquito nets and medical services that prevent malaria in Mali.
After the presentation, Chayleen recognized this year's Paul Harris fellows. In photographic order, from left, they are: Gary Bjelland, shown as an honoree with Chayleen and Todd; and in the larger group photo, Gregg Holt, Shannon Hoiland, Mark Finnicum (+7!), Channing Hartelius, Fred Anderson, Todd Neighbor and Virginia Stacey. Not photographed, but also donating in the amount needed to achieve fellowship status this year, were Bob Holter, Glenn Lambert, Ian Davidson, Sheila Rice, Steve Schnider, Tom Nelson, and Tim Peterson.
That's a lot of very generous Rotarians! One out of every 7.6 members of Rotary Club of Great Falls gave to the Paul Harris fellowship level this year ($1,000). Thank you, Paul Harris Fellows!
New Load Limits for the Bridge to Camp Rotary
Lacey Gallagher, Camp Rotary Reservation Coordinator, recently notified guest organizations that the load limit for the bridge over Belt Creek accessing Camp Rotary has recently been de-rated from the 23 tons previously posted for heavy multiple-axel trucks to 3 tons for all vehicles, regardless of axel configuration. Rotarians as well have been notified; as an extra precaution we duplicate that notice here.
This reduction in load limit will preclude the operation of vehicles heavier than typical pickup trucks and SUVs over the bridge.
Light vehicles (3 tons maximum weight) must now be used for passenger transport (or shuttle) over the existing Belt Creek Bridge, which will preclude the use of standard buses, motor homes, camper trailers, etc. Heavier, Suburban-type SUVs and large passenger vans may also exceed the 3-ton limit.
The Rotary Club and local propane supplier personnel are planning to keep the camp supplied with propane using line transport of propane over the bridge to relatively light, trailer-mounted tanks for final delivery to the camp.
Looking to the future, the United States Forest Service (USFS) is collaborating with our club, Northwestern Energy, cabin lease holders, private property owners, and others impacted by the reduced bridge load limit to pursue increased bridge capacity. Since there are not sufficient funds in the USFS's current transportation system budget to replace the bridge, less expensive near-term alternatives to a new bridge are being considered. The alternatives include installation of a temporary bridge and limited renovation/improvement of the existing 1912 vintage bridge, along with alternative routing of Northwestern Energy truck traffic.
In the meantime, effectively immediately, it is critical that drivers be aware of their vehicle weights and comply with the 3-ton load limit.
If you have questions, please call:
Ken Munski, Rotary Club Camp Committee Chairman at 406-899-4118;
Carol Hatfield, USFS District Ranger at 406-547-3361; or
John Metrione, Natural Resource Specialist/Recreation at 406-236-5102.
Thank you for your cooperation with the bridge load limitation.
Milestones
Rotarians Gary Bjelland and Tim McGonigal share a birthday today. Shandy Petersen will celebrate hers on Wednesday. Our fond hope for all three is that their wisdom grows and their worries wither in a fabulous new year!
Last week's meeting was devoted to a recognition of this year's Paul Harris Fellows. Presiding over the event was Chayleen Person, who gave us an overview of the Paul Harris Foundation with a great video and power point presentation.
