Club President Adam Rees chaired the meeting.
Our incoming Rotary Youth Exchange student is Ricco Janqueira Lemes from Santos SP Brazil. We believe he will be arriving in August.
The Club inducted new member Terri Foster, executive director of the Brainerd Lakes Area Community Foundation, sponsored by Kevin Thesing. For more information on the Brainerd Lakes Community Foundation please click this
link.
Rotary Announcements:
Jeff Birks announced more members are needed to join the Sergeant at Arms committee.
Eric Charpentier announced Ryla is happening in 2 weeks on July 14-20. We are responsible for transportation and may need some help. If you're interested in helping, please contact Eric.
Jesse Hopkins announced Samanta has returned to her home in Peru. She left pins to be shared with our club.
John Forrest: announced that as of Sunday, the fence was up at Rotary Park for the goats. We're not sure how long the goats will be there. The water is high in the park right now which is restricting where the goats can clear.
Richard Allen, Chair, Rotary Club of Gainesville, FL Sustainable Cambodia & International Service Committee sent Adam Rees a reminder that we have two upcoming Rotarian-led trips to Cambodia.
- Nov 16th to 25th, 2024: This will be a small-group trip, and very special as you can arrive a couple of days earlier and be immersed in the colorful and exciting Cambodia Water Festival.
- Jan 11th to 20th, 2025: This trip has been filling up rather rapidly, and will be somewhat larger than November, but equally wonderful (albeit without the Water Festival).
Adam and Buford, who have gone on these trips, will attest that they are different from anything you may have experienced before. They are led by volunteer Rotarians, both international and Cambodian. You go FAR off the beaten path, out into the rural villages where you get to meet the families. You will be welcomed with celebration. You will get to meet the young SC school students from those distant villages, and the students who grew up in those distant villages and are now attending Cambodian university on SC scholarship. You can engage in hands-on projects and co-teaching if you wish. You will visit a program training African rats to safely sniff out land-mines. And you will visit Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage site that was once the largest pre-industrial city in the world.
The trips are 10 days long. They are open to everyone and are suitable for young people from middle school onward. To sign up, visit here: https://sustainablecambodia.org/trip-registration/. And if you have gone with us before, we are customizing each trip to accommodate those who have been before, with new experiences. We’d love to have you join us on a trip to Cambodia!
Speaker: Jesse Jones - The Lighthouse Beginnings
About Lighthouse Beginnings: Recognizing the gaps in support statewide, LHB was formed in Brainerd, Minnesota in 2018 and implemented in 2021 for the purpose of assisting and empowering individuals to remove the roadblocks experienced while in the recovery process.
Jesse is a graduate of Teen Challenge. He went on to become a licensed pastor. LHB is a non-profit organization supporting people in recovery and with homelessness challenges. They have 2 recovery houses in Brainerd and 2 in Little Falls. They offer Preventative Meetings, Peer Support, Open Arms Community Resource Center, Employee Retention Programs, and Housing Support.
LHB Needs: volunteers to serve meals; gas cards; a vehicle.
LHB Contact Information:
8055 Industrial Park Rd S #100, Baxter, MN 56425
(218) 673-7891
info@lighthb.org
For more information, please visit their web page by clicking here.
Thank you to all who attended the Change of Gavel at Cragun's Resort. Adam Rees was sworn in as President for the 2024-2025 year. John Fitzpatrick was made an Honorary Rotarian. Below are some pictures from the event:
Greeters:
7/9/2024: Rick Adams, Julie Anderholm
7/16/2024: Sam Anderson, Brain Andrews, Aaron Antony
7/23/2024: Nick Barth, Loren Beilke, Jennifer Bergman
7/30/2024: Jeff Birks, Mike Bjerkness, Dan Brown
Upcoming Speakers:
Jul 09, 2024: Michelle Francis - STRIVE
Jul 16, 2024: Isaiah Moengen - Lakes Area Heroes
Jul 23, 2024: Kay Parries - District Governor visit
Jul 30, 2024: Adam Rees & Julie Anderholm - Club meeting with Club Foundation Report
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