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Chair of the day and host of Rotary’s Student meeting, Missy Lilje, pulled everyone in from their small group conversations and called the meeting to order. The invocation was provided by Umakanthan (provided at the end of this report). The patriotic song was God Bless America. Lilje first introduced Kongmeng (special music) and Guermo Lopez from the Lansing School District, then called on Rotarians to introduce their guests. Mark Hooper introduced Travis Stoliker, Owner of Saddleback Barbecue, LLC. This is his third visit. Ben Rathbun introduced Nathan Dolton from Mason High School and Wilson Talent Center insurance program. Sue Mills reported on the health of the club. There are three Rotarians absent due to COVID. Announcements included: - Lilje thanked those that supported the mileage to go towards the Lansing School District. - Heidi McNaughton made an announcement about the Paul Harris campaign, reminding to donate Thanks to our Chair of the Day, Missy Lilje, who provided the introduction of three students from Everett: Max Smeadly, Paw Wa and Win Ou. Mayor Andy Schor also stepped in for Rep. Sarah Anthony. The three spoke on the question, "What is my why?" Highlights include: ● Max Smeadly  pointed to his future in medicine as his goal, but asked of himself, “why?” In finishing high school, he has accomplished a lot scholastically, in clubs and in sports. “If we can change the culture, we can change the impact.” His desire to help people is strong and where he sees his future. Stemming from not being able to help his grandparents, he is inspired to help others and spread his gifts to people in need. He will strive to serve and push himself to do his best. ● Paw Wa is a new American citizen and a senior at Everett. Also going into the medical field, she asks, “Why?” Her parents fled from Burma to Thailand and as a refugee, she saw many that were exposed to poverty and horrible conditions. With bills piling up, she saw her family suffering. It has inspired her to help as many people as possible through a career in medicine. ● Win Ou will be a student at the University of Michigan this fall in the business school with a minor in art and design. Born in Burma, she has drive and determination that has gotten her through language barriers and insecurities to reach significant goals. A fan of Neville Goddard, she was inspired and motivated through his books to view herself as strong and able to change her self-image. ● Mayor (and Everett Dad) Andy Schor said that his “why?” has evolved. He went through school and developed his career being told that some things won’t/can't be changed. His goal became changing the things people think are unchangeable. As Mayor, his policy has been to grow the city, help it thrive and motivate change. He asks of himself, “How do I make change for my community and how do I actually make it happen?” Lilje led Rotarians in reciting the 4-Way Test. NEXT WEEK: Next week, we will meet at the Lansing Center, our speaker will be Brian Peters, CEO of Michigan Health & Hospital Assoc. The reflection that Umakanthan read in honor of today’s speakers: Today's reflection is about gratitude. Seemingly unrelated events happened more than half a century ago. Irv Nichols joined Lansing Rotary. In that same year, 1958, on the other side of this planet, I was born. I was born in a land where, for centuries, public education was denied. Denied to more than 90% of the people. Yes, I’m talking about the caste system. I’m talking about varna, about jaati, about the East India Company and foreign rule. Maybe you learned about India’s caste system in grade school. I lived in its shadow but was able to break through its barriers. My gratitude is to the people and organizations who made that possible. My gratitude is to Rotary and its ideals. Because of Rotary’s ideals, it was a leading force in the creation of the United Nations. My gratitude is to the United Nations because it supports the dignity of the individual. My gratitude is to the individual Rotarians who may or may not even know it but they have changed the world by following the four-way test. My gratitude is for Individual Rotarians, like Irv Nichols, like You. My gratitude is to the individual Rotarians and Rotary for laying a foundation that promotes diversity of ideas, inclusion, education, and equity. I have no doubt that the work done by the Rotarians that came before us were in great part responsible for the changes that allowed me to stand here and thank Irv Nichols, Rotary, and the United Nations. Thank you, Irv. Thank you, Rotary. Now, let us reflect on what we can do today so that future generations will be grateful to us. https://www.rotary.org/en/history-rotary-and-united-nations Meghan Martin's email is: meghan@lansingarts.org |
