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 (5/29).
Our virtual program will feature Jeff Reed, past District Governor. Jeff's topic will be Indian Rotary Club Commitments to Service Above Self. (See bio below)
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:
Mike Kim (5/29)
Dick Kinney (6/5)
Dave Kliber (6/12)
Steve Lettau (6/19)
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)
Device connected to the internet - Check
Zoom app installed on your device - Check
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!
Hope to see you Friday!
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Here is a picture of the work crew that was hired by Ellen MacFarlane at last year's Lobster Fest.
Pictured from left: Bob Blazich, Kurt Zellman, Dick Kinney, Dave Kliber, Flint and Dan O'Conner, Doug Hansen, Dave Schlageter, Ellen MacFarlane, and Laura Schlageter. Not shown, Annie Schlageter, worker and photographer.
What determines one’s attitude toward COVID-19 and our mitigation efforts, like masks and physical distancing? Is it socio-economic class, political affiliation, “tribal” identification or one’s brand of news consumption? These variables have their effects, but one other factor may prove the most powerful, as Barry’s situation illustrates.
This middle-aged gentleman believed the pandemic was mostly hype. He bought into one of several conspiracy theories circulating across the internet and espoused by his group of friends. “I didn’t go so far as to say it was a complete hoax, but I figured it was way overblown by the media,” he said.
Then, he contracted COVID-19 and, subsequently, infected his mother. Both ended up in an ICU. Slowly recovering, they struggle with lingering symptoms and the angst of a close brush with death. Now, at every opportunity, Barry cautions COVID deniers and minimalists that the threat to their well-being and that of their loved ones is very real.
Direct Experience
No amount of advice from public health experts or exposure to disturbing media accounts could have changed this man’s mind, but direct experience did. His capacity for empathy, largely dormant prior to catching COVID, arose from its slumber. Experience is the most powerful teacher.
At its core, empathy reflects the capacity to feel with another person. So, Barry now feels emotional resonance with other victims of the disease, and this has drawn him out of his narrow self-interest and us-versus-them thinking. Empathy, then, is other-focused rather than self-focused. Anthropologists believe early humans developed this trait as an adaptive response. As hunter-gatherers, helping each other afforded a survival advantage. But humans don’t have a monopoly here. Many other species display empathic behaviors, meaning it is deeply imbedded in the genetic lineage of higher life forms.
I would like to report that ShelterBox is working hard to provide families with shelter and other vital aid in global areas that are most susceptible to, and least prepared for, the coronavirus pandemic. We have active response work going on in The Philippines, Vanuatu, Syria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania. While this health danger is impacting all of us, people living in refugee camps or makeshift settlements are particularly vulnerable. ShelterBox USA has establish a specific fund for our global response to Covid-19.
“The partnership between Rotary and ShelterBox provides a place of refuge for vulnerable people to stay as healthy as possible. Covid-19 is a Global Humanitarian Emergency in its own right, but it will also compound and exacerbate pre-existing crises. When it comes to fighting a pandemic, the most vulnerable need our protection – or everyone is at risk. As Emergency shelter experts, ShelterBox has a vitally important part to play in the global response to Covid-19.” John Hewko, RI General Secretary, 4/29/20
