Next week at Rotary we are all about Harvest Howl. So much to do! Join us at noon or by Zoom to engage in the final planning and updates for our signature event!
There will be no Rotary bulletin next Saturday.
Last Week at Rotary
Last Tuesday's Rotary meeting was just jam-packed with good feeling. From the memorable Rotary moment (see Holter story below) to the induction of three fantastic new members (see "Welcome, New Rotarians!" below) and from the service-above-self shredding outside to the "clappy" moment at the end (see Weekly Warmth), it was one of those meetings that you left thinking, Wow, I'm glad I took the time to come to Rotary today.
In keeping with that theme of community spirit and giving back, our featured speaker was Jamie Marshall, President of Kids Education YES! (KEY) Once an organization that rallied in the spring to support school levies, KEY now operates year-round, trying to keep the needs of our public schools on the public's radar on a more consistent basis. Jamie, who describes herself as a stay-at-home mom, but is all over the community volunteering, has shown herself to be an able leader of a group that is increasingly active.
Jamie told us about the efforts KEY is currently making to educate the community about the concept of OTO (one-time-only) funding and how OTO funds are being used in the Great Falls Public Schools. With the various funds coming from the federal government to "build back better" after the pandemic, there is the danger that citizens will conclude that these programs are permanent additions. The Great Falls Public Schools, for instance, has used OTO funds to provide distance-learning opportunities for kids forced to learn from home during the pandemic. The district has also been able to add badly needed mental health professionals to help kids cope during this difficult time.
OTO funding is a good way to respond effectively to emergent needs or to fill big cracks left untended over time. However, because it is not a renewable resource, it is unwise to assume this funding -- and the programs that go with it -- will be permanent. It may well be that some of the lessons we learn from our OTO-funded programs will make us want to sustain them but that will require community support. A good reminder for us all.
Let's Get Ready to Howl!
With Harvest Howl less than two weeks away, we're in countdown mode now. Here's a to-do list:
Briefing. Plan to attend Tuesday's Rotary meeting at the country club to get briefed on all that we've done and all we need to do.
Silent Auction. Please bring your silent auction item -- or a description of it -- to next week's meeting. Bring a bottle of wine - or gin or scotch or vodka - too because we're short on liquor for the silent auction.
Dessert Auction. In past years the Dessert Auction has brought in over $2000, and we'd like to exceed it this year. Please let Shim Abbasi or Cari Yturri know if you can bring a dessert. Homemade or professionally baked cookies, cakes, pies, or candies all sell. Email Shim at shim_javed15@yahoo.com or Cari at cyturri79@gmail.com.
Welcome, New Rotarians!
Rotary Club of Great Falls scored big last week when we inducted our three newest members, Trace Richburg, Stephanie Schnider, and Blake Stenzel.
Trace Richburg hails from Pensacola and Alabama, but somewhere along the way she became "Montana-entranced." She turned 19 in basic training with the Air Force and came to Montana as a military spouse. Like a lot of military spouses, she got to know and love Great Falls through volunteering. She now she works for United Way of Cascade County. She likes the work because she loves people, which is also why she is so excited about being a Rotarian. She was sponsored by John Juras.
Stephanie Schnider grew up in Montana and went to the University of Idaho. Upon graduation she went to Denver where she worked 6 years in water treatment. Six years away was all she needed to get a hankering to come back home. She worked for her father and fellow Rotarian, Steve, at Schnider's Funeral Home, Habitat for Humanity and the University of Providence before accepting her current position as Executive Director of the Great Falls Public Schools Foundation. Sponsored by Dave Crum, Stephanie has always been impressed with our club as a "good group of people who enjoy one another."
Blake Stenzel is a 5th-generation Montanan who grew up in Great Falls and graduated from CMR. He then went on to Carroll College and, with his engineering degree, found employment in Williston ND and Austin TX before returning to Big Sky Country. He is now a financial planner at Guide Star Financial. His proud sponsors are Cooper Thomas and Carey Gray, Blake regards it as an honor to be part of such a friendly club. We are honored to have you in our midst, Blake.
The future for our club looks so bright! Welcome, Blake, Stephanie, and Trace!
Milestones
After a dry spell for the past few weeks, we've got some birthdays to celebrate! Best wishes to Mark Macek tomorrow, Shannon Hoiland and Randy Williams on Monday, and Carrie Matter on Thursday!
Weekly Warmth
As we once again struggled to synchronize our two-clap welcome when new Rotarians were announced last week, someone asked, "Why do we clap just twice, anyway?" A story within a story illustrates the answer.
One of the most persuasive delegates to Montana's Constitutional Convention in 1972 was Wade DaHood, an Anaconda lawyer whose sartorial splendor was exceeded only by his eloquent oratory, delivered with a booming voice that left no one sleeping. After one particularly impassioned DaHood oration, Delegate George Harper got up to speak. A mild-mannered but witty Helena pastor, Reverend Harper shook his head before beginning his remarks, muttering, "I feel like the piccolo at a concert following the tuba."
Among our guests and new members are well-known figures and relatively unknown newcomers. By providing the same level of applause for the radiant flower as for the bud yet to blossom, we are ensuring that nobody feels like a piccolo following the tuba. Put another way, we are being fair to all concerned.
