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It was a great day to be a Rotarian this past Friday! President Chris Swope called our meeting to order. Mark Hooper led us in the singing of a patriotic song and the special music folks were not taking this lightly. They cranked it out and for the first time in forever, we had stereo at Rotary! Bilky Joda-Miller provided a reflection on her thoughts on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Basically, if you avoid the hyperbole of the acronym, diversity equity and inclusion boils down to compassion, empathy and kindness towards each other. She pointed out wheelchair access, hearing aids, curb cuts in side walks and differently abled children being in regular classrooms as examples of diversity, equity and inclusion.  The microphone was passed around the room and we were treated to a visit from past president and club member Dave Marvin (before yours truly, Dave Marvin performed as Carnac, of Johnny Carson fame, to roast outgoing Club Presidents: Answer: A man with a mistress and a Russian Olympics judge. Question: Describe two people who like to cheat.) We were then introduced to other visiting guests and something was said about “curvaceous lingerie”. Aw shoot, I’ve completely lost my train of thought. Where was I? We had incredible special music from Riverwalk Theater’s current production of Legally Blond. Hilarious and poignant at the same time. We had the August Birthdays too and I think they garnered 80% participation and answered the question of if you came back after death, what kind of animal would you be? I lost my notes on this part so close your eyes and imagine each club member as an animal. Our speaker of the day was Nora Zei who hails from Rotary International in Evanston. Nora leads the Member and Participant Experience team at RI. She didn’t  really show us how sausage is made (ick), but she did explain her role as chief experience officer. She has a field staff that visits and works with Clubs to increase outcomes. Each club is different because it serves a different community so essentially each club gets to shape how it functions within the confines of the 4 way test and other Rotary policies. Nora shared a few stories, including questions from club members around the world about how changing political dynamics shape Rotary and how it is not just a US organization. Kind of an expression of concern from the German contingent that the tail was wagging the dog. She walked through a bit of the history of the 4 way test, the diversity of membership of Rotary. She had a great slide show with helpful information that I will provide a link to when I get it. There was time for only one question and of course, it came from Dave Marvin. Dave’s question was about getting mail in the Villages in Florida. Dave’s question was highly reminiscent of the SNL Skit, Ask President Carter which of course Dave Marvin would remember since he was such a fan of Jimmy Carter. President Chris thanked the speaker and sent us on our way. Email for Kevin V.B. Schumacher: schumacher@glassenrhead.com |
We received a special invitation from the Charlotte Rotary Club to attend next Wednesday, September 24th, 2025 at Maple Brook Golf Club, 681 Lansing Street in Charlotte there will be a Golf Scramble. It is $75 per person or $300 a team. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. with a 9:00 a.m. start. Proceeds support local Rotary projects, contact President Keisha if interested: keishaHowe87@gmail.com or 517-719-0938.