My family:  I grew up on the east-side near UWM. I have also lived in Chicago and Scottsdale AZ. Currently, I live in Grafton with my wife Cecile. She is the director at C.O.P.E. and my daughter Grace. We also have a daughter and granddaughter in Phoenix.

Education: I have a degree in Human Resources from Ottawa University and I have studied philosophy and economics too.

First Job: I always thought I would be a forest ranger when I grew up. I guess I never grew up since that never happened. My first real job was a clerk and Sentry Foods on Downer Avenue.

Hobbies, interests: I love hiking up mountains, any kind of boating and going to concerts. I love urban areas, two weeks ago I drove down to Chicago and walked 14.7 miles had dinner and came right home. Frank Sinatra’s Live at the sands with Count Basie was last playing in my car. I have never had a ticket or accident and I believe I am the only person to see both Eminem and Duke Ellington in concert.

I cannot name just one favorite movie. Here are ten that come to mind;

• The Godfather 
• Fargo                            
• Talk to Her
• The Maltese Falcon
• Schindler’s List
• Some Like it Hot
• Singing in the Rain
• Casablanca
• On the Waterfront
• Dr. Strangelove

I just read Candice Millard’s Hero of the Empire The Boer War a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill.

I once won a sales contest that gave me a trip to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. My current job always keeps me busy. I just wish I could lower the stress.

If I were to do it all over again . I would hope that I would not be afraid to invest in myself. I love the quote from Immanuel Kant “Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time an end”.

Most memorable Rotary moment: The best thing I ever heard a Rotary Meeting was shortly after the 2004 Indonesian Tsunami I heard a second hand account of a man who had lost his entire family in the flood and was minutes away from doing himself in when saw an emaciated child wandering the streets. He thought to himself I have to get this kid to his parents and then I will kill myself. Well, he never did find them. He kept that child and adopted seven others too and raised them all.

Parting thought: A man or a women must have a purpose and Rotary give me purpose.

By Erik S. Hanley

MEQUON - Sommer's Subaru, 7211 W. Mequon Road, recently donated $10,000 to the Weyenberg Public Library Foundation to help support youth and family services.

According to a news release, the donation from Don and Wally Sommer "continues long-standing support from the Sommer family and Sommer's Subaru to the Weyenberg Library and its Foundation."

The donation will be used to expand library services such as the Lego clubs and STEAM programming.

"The programs encourage creativity and problem-solving skills in the leaders of tomorrow," the release said.

By Nikki Kallio

While many people would like to think that slavery was a tragedy of the past, the truth is that it still exists today, with up to 46 million people enslaved worldwide.

The Rotarian Action Group Against Slavery (RAGAS) has a strategy for fighting this horrible problem, working at the local level. 

“It’s this Rotarian attitude – you give them a problem and instead of throwing their hands up in dismay, they start chipping away at it piece by piece,” says Carol Hart Metzker, a member of the action group. “Maybe slavery won’t be solved in my lifetime, but in two more years, we’re going to have a whole hamlet free.”

In a village in northeastern India, the action group is tackling the problem of debt bondage. With the help of 13 clubs, a district grant through the Rotary Club of Binghamton, New York, USA, and other sources, the action group is providing $36,000 toward the work of Schools4Freedom, a project of the organization Voices4Freedom. Schools4Freedom works with local partner organization Manav Sansadhan Evam Mahila Vikas Sansthan (MSEMVS) to battle debt bondage. 

Hosting an exchange student can be incredibly rewarding for your family, bringing an international experience directly into your home. Host families provide room and board and share their lives with our female exchange student, involving her in family, community, and cultural activities.

Do you, or someone you know, have an interest in becoming a host family for the 2017-18 school year? The ideal candidate is someone who lives in Mequon or Thiensville, since the exchange student will be attending Homestead High School. Being on the bus line is convenient! She will need to have a room of her own, and meals need to be provided.

We are looking for 3 host families. The commitment is a period of 3 months per family (flexible).

Please direct all inquiries to our Rotary Youth Exchange Officer, Jennifer Sutherland, at 262-387-8840 or by email at jsutherland@newcastleplace.com.