Well, here I am again with my annual opportunity to tell you about myself. Actually, nothing has changed in the past year except that I’m a year older and 15 pounds lighter. This time last year, I was preparing a song to sing to Leap-Year-Alice for her 21st birthday. I haven’t touched my guitar since then.

I was born in Sheboygan and grew up in Cedarburg. I spent four years in the Air Force, bummed around Europe with Jan for three months after my discharge, and then became a fulltime student for five years leaving UWM with a MS in Social Work. I worked in a series of residential treatment centers and schools for nearly 30 years and had part-time private practices in Thiensville, Mequon, and Wauwatosa for 30 years. I retired from schools in 2002 and from private practice in 2011.

I used to play competitive tennis, and I was part of a traveling volleyball team headquartered in Madison. I gave up volleyball in my late 40s when my vertical abandoned me and took up cross country skiing. I completed three Birkebeiner events, a 33 mile “race” in northern Wisconsin. I put race in quotes because it was more of a survival event for me than a competitive event. I survived.

Now-a-daze? I golf when I can, I play a lot of pickleball at the Y, I read a lot, and I am the president of the MT Historical Society. I have become the cook in our house, and I look forward to playing with spices and sauces every night. Our two sons are each within an hour or two drive, and they are both doing well as are our four grandkids.

As I said in an earlier monograph, when I look back at my life, I’m not sure I’d want to change a thing. OK, maybe I should have bought Bitcoin two years ago and Gamestop two weeks ago, but Bitcoins can't buy health, happiness, and friends.

Here’s why these organizations and their Rotary club partners are supporting local women’s entrepreneurship with financial literacy, small business loans, and one-on-one advisors.

by Anne Stein

Women’s economic empowerment contributes to a nation’s growth and to the world’s economic health overall. Studies have shown that it boosts productivity, increases economic diversification and income equality, and supports economic resilience. And income loss associated with gender discrimination costs the world economy an estimated $12 trillion and well as a reduction of 16 percent of cost to the global GPD.

In Guatemala, a country that for three decades was racked by civil war and where destitution and violence are still serious problems, a nonprofit called Namaste Direct is focused on women micro-entrepreneurs, helping them to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.

For Mayan women who run small businesses in Guatemala’s western highlands, and for many others, Namaste Direct provides crucial support. The San Francisco, California, USA-based group, which counts Rotary clubs from across the United States and Canada among its sponsors, employs a three-pronged approach: financial literacy training, mentoring, and microloans.

One Rotary Center, located in Evanston, Illinois, USA, is the world headquarters of Rotary International. Rotary is a global service organization for people who share a passion for, and a commitment to, enhancing communities and improving lives both locally and around the world. Tours of the headquarters are open to Rotary members and the public. You can also book conference space for your next meeting or group event.

Plan your visit now to learn about our global activities, explore interactive exhibits, and be inspired to take action.

Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not currently offering in-person tours. Please visit rotary.org/tours for updates. In the meantime, check out our new virtual tour of One Rotary Center!