In light of COVID-19 mandates, MT Sunrise Rotary will be hosting virtual meetings until further notice. Our next meeting will be 7:00 AM Friday (9/4).
Our program this week will feature Brett R. Bennett from Skygen International Foundation. The topic of Brett's talk is "Creating Brighter Futures".(Scroll down for bio)
The virtual greeter will provide either the thought, a Rotary minute, share a family moment or a cultural tradition ... anything they would like to start off the day positive.
Upcoming "It's your Rotary moment" assignees:
Diana Raasch (9/4)
Dave Schlageter (9/11)
Alice Sedgwick (9/18)
Rene Settle-Robinson (9/25)
Note: If you are unable to act as "It's your Rotary moment" assignee when scheduled please arrange for your replacement.
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While some are familiar with Zoom, there are others for which this will be an opportunity to experience something new
It's as easy as one-two-three. Honest! (You may want to check off the first two steps in advance of the meeting start time)
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Click "Join Meeting" button below - Check
The “waiting room” will open at 6:50 AM with our meeting starting at 7:00 AM. Attendees should mute themselves when not speaking, or if they have background noise. Attendees can communicate with one another through the “Chat” icon. Click button below to join our Zoom meeting!
By Tory Paxson, vice president, Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club, District 7780, Maine, USA
What’s life like for people between the ages of 18 and 35 in the Boothbay Region of Maine? Through Rotary, young people take on leadership positions that expand their skills while they serve. Rotary does more than help during a crisis like COVID-19; it provides experiences that translate into a better future in any career.
The Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor created a new membership level to make joining more accessible for those under the age of 35. In addition, generous club members have chosen to pay the first year membership costs for the first five new members in this category.
We call it the Rule of 35 and it reduces dues by more than 50% for those under the age of 35. It’s a commitment by our club to keep growing and learning, and to keep inviting young people to see what skills they can develop and add to their own resumes. It’s an invitation to make a difference.
Through Rotary, I have discovered what is possible when a group of like-minded individuals get together to make a difference. It matters not at all that we come in many shapes and sizes, backgrounds, or age-ranges. After a short few years, it’s apparent to me that what we have in common is more important than our differences. We believe in Service Above Self.
It’s more than a motto, it is what compels our club. While we’re known for our annual benefit auction (on hiatus, due to the pandemic), our club works year-round to help our local community and communities around the world. We have given out bikes to seasonal and international workers, organized the Soup Bowl Supper and Derby Party fundraisers, run mock job interviews for high school seniors to practice for future careers, and created care packages for veterans, among many other things.
Rotary has also enabled me to become capable, confident and powerful as I worked alongside change-makers. I have gained project management skills that you can only get through organizing and managing a 200 plus person event with three different organizational crews and over 40 donors and vendors. I’ve became a better, more confident public speaker and learned to use my voice to create change both in Rotary and in my career. I used that voice to convince my fellow members to support our new club membership level for other young professionals like me, the first of its kind in our Rotary district.
At age 25, joining Rotary changed the trajectory of my life. Now 30, I am vice president of our club and have discovered the many ways that I can make a difference.
More than that, I joined a family of people who have rich histories, have a lot of love to give, and are committed to their community. Many of them are business leaders with fascinating careers. I learn and laugh with them at our meetings, taking a break from my busy life to connect with people that I would have never had the chance to get to know otherwise. It’s the reset button I need after a challenging day. Some of my best friends are twice my age, and my life is twice as rich for having them in it.
Victoria Vergara Wocasek Respiratory therapist Rotary Club of Des Moines and Normandy Park, Washington
I was in the Philippines visiting one of my Rotary club’s water projects when the coronavirus first hit. I was traveling in remote areas and not really watching the news. I started to notice people wearing masks, and by the time we got to Manila, I realized the severity of it.
When I got back to the United States on 10 February, most people were saying, “It’s not here yet.” I went back to work, and we were going to get trained in several weeks on how to properly don and doff PPE [personal protective equipment]. But the day before the training, we had a patient who met the criteria to be tested for COVID-19, even though he hadn’t traveled outside the United States. I took care of him that morning on my first rounds. By the second rounds, the critical care physician told me to put a mask on because the patient was being tested for the coronavirus. That’s when it started to get real.
For the month of March, I was just in survival mode. I was working 50 to 60 hours a week. We all just buckled up and did our best. But it was very scary. I would come home crying. March was overwhelming, with the number of people dying. The intensive care unit felt like a war zone. We were seeing DNR [do not resuscitate] and DNI [do not intubate] orders written on windows for the person inside the room.
I remember one patient who was critically ill. She was on maximum support and maximum drugs. She was on the highest setting on the ventilator. Her story was so sad. She had lost several family members to the coronavirus. I took care of her one day, and when I came back the next day, she was gone. She was young — under 60 — and she had a DNR posted on her door.
One of the worst parts was the toll it took on my co-workers. People started not to look like themselves. Everyone’s tired and exhausted. We dealt with death and the critically ill before the coronavirus, but with this, it’s just so much. Now I think we are getting used to it. It’s just what we do.
MILWAUKEE — Summerfest will have a different feel in summer 2021 when it is held over three consecutive weekends: June 24-26, July 1-3, and July 8-10.
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. said Thursday the new format will extend the booking window for the Summerfest talent team and “open more opportunities to add national talent to daytime programming, as well as throughout the festival.”
“The pandemic, which resulted in the cancellation of the 2020 event season, profoundly impacted our nonprofit organization. In response, our leadership team analyzed available data, patron surveys and the event landscape and ultimately determined the best possible path forward for Summerfest was to transition to a new format,” said Don Smiley, president & CEO of Milwaukee World Festival, Inc.
“Our fans have been asking for a bigger experience, and we are excited to be able to bring more weekends and more national talent to the already blockbuster Summerfest lineup, while continuing to provide significant economic impact to our state and region.”
The completely renovated $51.3 million American Family Insurance Amphitheater will make its debut in 2021, featuring expanded concourses, all new seats, additional restrooms, new food and beverage options, accessibility enhancements and much more.
The following concerts are already scheduled and on sale for Summerfest 2021: Khalid June 24, 2021 Luke Bryan June 25, 2021 Justin Bieber June 26, 2021 Dave Matthews Band July 1, 2021 Blink-182 July 2, 2021 Halsey July 3, 2021 Chris Stapleton July 8, 2021 Guns N’ Roses July 10, 2021
A Wealth of Nature: Parks and natural areas in Southeast Wisconsin
“A Wealth of Nature” is a project spearheaded by Eddee Daniel and Preserve Our Parks, a non-profit dedicated to preservation and promotion of parks and open space. Eddee has traveled throughout the Milwaukee region documenting the area’s abundance of nature and recreational opportunities. Eddee will describe the project and share his beautiful photographs—with an emphasis on Ozaukee County.
Bio:
Eddee is a Milwaukee-based photographer, writer and curator of The Natural Realm, a blog about nearby nature. He has over 30 years of experience as a teacher and public speaker and is the author of "Urban Wilderness: Exploring a Metropolitan Watershed.” Eddee is on the board of Preserve Our Parks.
