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Excelsior Mayor Todd Carlson and Padee Yang
Rotary Club of Excelsior – Tuesday, April 16, 2021
The Rotary Club of Excelsior met by Zoom for its regular meeting on Tuesday, February 16th.  There were 22 people in attendance with guests Padee Yang (Global Scholar), Don Stiles (Global Scholar Coordinator for District 5950), Adrian Faiers (AG for London Rotary and Global Grant Coordinator for Rotary District 1130), and John Bash (Sponsor from the St. Marylebone Rotary Club in London, England).  President Kate called the meeting to order and Lou Graber acted as Opening Marshal.   President Kate announced that our District has founded a new Autistic Club.  She called on Lou Graber to let members know that our top STRIVE Scholar from two years ago has notified the club that he has applied to the U of M and to take advantage of our $2,500 scholarship.
 
President Kate then called on Karen Frazier to report on members we have not heard from lately.  Karen reported that Bob Boyer is doing well and very busy.  Attempts to contact Joe Froehling were unsuccessful as his cell phone has been discontinued.  Paul Huber is recovering well from Covid and is back to work, has lost 30 lbs., using oxygen as needed and to tell everyone to “Live some life!”.  Jerry Brecke is doing well and taking a break and still wants to be active in Peru and had a little reaction from his Covid vaccine shots.  Dr. Tyronne Carter thanked the Club for the donation to his program that will allow there to be a four week half day STEM Program for 1-3rd graders in Shakopee starting on June 21, 2021.
 
In the next part of our program President Kate awarded five Paul Harris Awards to James Cada, Jenny Jansen, Kate Wilinski, Linda Gustafson, Marianne Laurent, Ron Hughes and Tyronne Carter.  Paul Harris Awarded Winners will be presented with their pins and certificates at our first live meeting at MCEC in the Deephaven Room on Tuesday, April 6th.  The only birthday was Tim Litfin’s on February 25th!  President Kate finished her announcements by listing upcoming programs:  March 5th – David Schultz – Political Analysist, March 16th TBD, and April 6th – Club Assembly and Paul Harris Awards.
 
Today’s Program:  Excelsior Mayor Todd Carlson
Our Speaker on Tuesday, February 16th was Todd Carlson, Mayor of Excelsior.  Todd is married to Alicia for 23 years and they have two sons – one is a Junior at MHS and the other is in 4th grade at Excelsior Elementary School. He is a native of St. Paul and went to college in Wisconsin.  Out of college he went to work for 3M for 10 years and then to California to working in the Dot Com Business for 7 years and then back to Minnesota with 3M since 2006.  They moved to Excelsior in 2012 and love the community and his hobby (besides politics) is wine making.  His connection with Rotary is his Dad who was a Rotarian for 35 years who served as a Club President and District Governor.
 
Mayor Todd talked a bit about his philosophy and how important it is to learn how to really listen and learn from what people are telling you.  One of favorite quotes is “The less you know the more certain you are.”  So he prides himself on listening to his constituents even though it has been difficult  working from home this year.  His other favorite saying is “Don’t be afraid to fail, but if so, fail fast!”  What he likes about Excelsior is  the goal of residents owning their own neighborhood and to help their neighbors (like snow-blowing the sidewalks for your neighbors!)  “In Excelsior,” he says, “Everybody is a neighbor.”
 
Mayor Carlson noted that Excelsior is in excellent financial condition and their funding is strong with the City having a top AAA Credit Rating.  Covid has been difficult on the City but has not held them back from various capital improvement projects and many coming up this spring.  Excelsior plans to work on its infrastructure this year although they do not receive a lot of state funding but the parking permits and fees have helped a lot.  They plan to make improvements to city streets, the Commons Area, break ground this week on a new Band Shell, improve the Business District and improve the walkability for pedestrians visiting the city.   Also Excelsior has established a Residential Review Committee working with the City Planner to advise residents and builders on exterior remodeling and new starts for residential designs and neighborhood continuity.  Mayor Todd then opened the floor for Q&A and he covered a myriad of inquiries from dealing with Covid, an Excelsior Hotel, redevelopment of the corner at Water and 3rd Street and other sites in the business district, and the new Commons Band Shell to be completed by July.  Mayor Todd Carlson did the City of Excelsior proud today and will consider joining Excelsior Rotary in the future!
 
The final minutes of the meeting were spent on Happy Bucks for our Education Scholarship Fund and visiting with our Rotarian guests Adrian Faiers and John Bash from London, Don Stiles from District 5950 and Padee Yang our Club sponsored Global Scholar.
 
Global Scholar Candidate Padee Yang on Academic Goals
The following essay is the 2nd in our series written by Padee Yang our Club’s Sponsored Global Scholar.   We want to express our congratulations for being accepted for her Master’s Degree Program at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London.
“As a first-generation college student, I am humbled by both my parents’ struggle immigrating to the U.S., fleeing conflict, as well as their inspirational pursuit of a better life for themselves and their family. Their commitment and fortitude pushes me to strive for better opportunities and a better life, for myself and others with backgrounds similar to my own. I aspire to address issues in post-conflict settings to support refugees and asylum seekers, particularly women and girls. I am also motivated to promote and provide the access to care, basic human rights, and other necessities that these individuals and their families deserve. 
 
            To fulfill this aspiration, I am considering a few academic institutions in the United Kingdom due to its international network and excellence in higher education with flexible programs that combine international development, humanitarian aid, and gender studies. The first institution that I am considering is the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London because they specialize in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, all regions that I intend to work in the future and over 200 clubs including SOAS Detainee Support. SOAS has two Masters of Science programs that are of interest to me. The first is a Master’s of Science degree in Violence, Conflict, and Development which addresses the relationship between these three subject areas with a strong emphasis on empirical research and a compulsory module on development with focus on theory, policy, and practice. This program would provide me with background knowledge on trends and patterns of violence in conflict to conduct future research on development and policy. The second-degree program - in Humanitarian, Aid, and Conflict - is focused much more on practical application and situations of armed-conflict and emergency; addressing security and engagement with key stakeholders to support my future engagement in fieldwork. The second institution that I am considering is the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) which addresses more regions around the world and would enable me to have a wider network to engage with. There are two programs that I am interested in at LSE: (1) the Masters in Science in Conflict Studies and (2) the Masters in Science in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies. The former program emphasizes politics, human rights, and peace reconstruction through comparative research to give direction to the focus of my future research. The latter program includes a consultancy project where one works in a team to tackle a current policy issue for a client organization such as UNHCR, giving me an enriching and unique experience. These programs will all equip me with analytical perspectives and tools to bridge the gap between policy and practice. Furthermore, both institutions have hundreds of alumni who have engaged with refugee and humanitarian aid organizations such as the International Rescue Committee which I plan to work with to lessen the inequality in conflict-affected areas and advocate for the rights and humane treatment of refugees.” 
Rotary Bulletin 2-2-2021 with Jean Gray's Bio and Padee Yang
The Rotary Club of Excelsior Board of Directors and Club Meetings were held on Tuesday, February 2nd at Noon by Zoom and featuring Jean Gray’s Bio and introduction to Padee Yang our Club’s sponsored Global Scholar.
 
The Board met at 11:00 and listed below are updates and actions by the Board:
  1. We will continue on Zoom for February and March.
  2. We will have an in person masked meeting on April 6th at MCEC on Vinehill Road.  The Board will meet at 11:00 and the Club Meeting at 12:00 but no meal will be served.
  3. The Speaker schedule is filling up so let President Kate if you have a potential speaker in mind.
  4. Golf Fundraiser in Limbo!  The AM Club does not want to do the golf fundraiser this year and want to re-start their regular fundraisers.  However they have booked Burl Oaks for June 9th for just a fun golf event with members bringing friends and our club is invited.  President Kate will keep the gate open with the AM Club in the interim and Lou Graber has volunteered to pull a group together to discuss our club’s options. 
  5. Several names of possible President-Elect-Elect were suggested and contacts will be made.
  6. Our Club’s funds and Foundation funds are excellent.
  7. Paul Harris Awards will be awarded at our February 16th meeting.
  8. Joe Froehling is having a difficult recovery after surgery and if you have contact information let Karen Frazier know so that we can contact him on behalf of the Club.
  9. Our Global Scholar Padee Yang has passed her interview with District 5950 and has been voted by the District Board to be our Global Candidate.
The Rotary Club of Excelsior was called to order at noon by President Kate and reviewed the above actions of the Board of Directors Meeting.  Steve Frazier introduced our club’s sponsored Global Scholar Padee Yang and she gave a short introduction to herself to the Club. 
 
Our Speaker was member Jean Gray giving his Bio and it was amazing!  Jean’s family moved to the Excelsior arear in 1930 (now Greenwood) and attended Excelsior Public Schools k-12 grades.  He attended St. Thomas College in St. Paul and also enlisted in the ROTC and served in the Airforce in the Office of Special Investigations at the rank of a 2nd Lieutenant.   He returned to Excelsior 1953 and ran and was elected as Constable of the Excelsior Township and held that position for two years.  During that period of time he also worked in the family business GrayCo for a year but said “That was not my thing.”
His life’s work started in 1955 when he joined the FBI and worked in many locations and capacities for the next 25 years when he retired in 1980.  What was fascinating about Jean’s presentation was the stories that went along with each of his assignments and even more impressive was his proclivity for details of names, dates and events surrounding each story.  One can see why he was valuable to the FBI with his recall of details, mastery of the Spanish language, being single and able to move on a moment’s notice and his calm and personal manner.  We hear about his first assignment to North Carolina and when he got there they didn’t even know he was coming so they immediately sent him to Hot Springs, South Carolina to work on a bank robbery.  Then in San Diego, California to the Defense Institute for Spanish.  In the Martin Luther King assignation we heard about his trip to Porta Viarta to follow leads of the whereabouts of James Earl Ray and Jeans contact there to find him.  He was Assistant Legal Attaché in Mexico 1965-71 and also Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines from 1972-74.  He really liked working in Chicago on lots of interesting cases from 1975-77.  He was then assigned back to FBI HQ Section of Intelligence Division and headed that from 1977-79.  Then it was off to South Africa as Acting Legal Attaché in Buenos Aries in 1979.  The next 5 years were spent in SAC Divisions in Richmond, VA in automation1979-80 and the New York office in Foreign Counter Intelligence on the Soviets from 1980 until 1984 when he retired from the FBI.  As you can guess he has remained active in Rotary, Little Brothers and Sisters Orphanage, President of Father Wasson Legacy Endowment which is now at 16 million dollars, NPHI – USA Vice President and President from 2014-2019 and host of other leadership positions.  And guess what – he still shoots at the target range at 90%!  Jean went on in Q&A and members had both praise for his service and lots of interesting questions.  Great job Jean!
 
 
To acquaint our members better about Padee Yang we will highlight several of her qualifying application essays over the next several bulletins so that we get to know her and why our Club has chosen to be her sponsor in the United States.  This week we will start with her Autobiography.
 
“Since I was a child, I have been interested in people, the fundamental aspects that make them human, and how their behavior affects society as a whole. Violence and the effect it has on society and daily living are extensions of that interest, impacting millions of people on a global scale. Conflict, an instigator of violence, is of particular interest to me because my extended family and parents were refugees who fled from conflict. They have all played an important role in shaping my identity and the values I hold. In addition, as a child of refugees, my experience has allowed me to better empathize with individuals who have faced extreme adversity, and it has encouraged my passion and commitment to support underserved people. 
            I received my Bachelors of Science in Psychology and minor in Anthropology at the University of Minnesota to build upon my aspirations to create better opportunities for underrepresented communities and people affected by conflict. I actively addressed this outside of the classroom through the Underserved Mental Health Association (UMHA), a student group promoting awareness on mental health disparities in the Twin Cities. As the President of UMHA, I advocated for mental health awareness initiatives by using my skills to organize and collaborate with board members and multicultural student groups to engage students and stakeholders. The role also came with its own challenges which helped to further develop my capabilities in public speaking and facilitation through leading board meetings and larger general meetings with students from diverse backgrounds. 
            This leadership experience prompted me to further seek out opportunities where I could continue advocating and serving others in a sustainable way. After graduating from the University of Minnesota, I became a Community Health Specialist for the United States Peace Corps and Ministry of Health in Malawi. During my service, I engaged with influential chiefs, community leaders, and community members to improve the overall health of my community through education, home visits, and health interventions. In addition, as a Gender and Development Committee Member for Peace Corps Malawi, I promoted gender equality through gender programming and training in alignment with policy put forth by Peace Corps Headquarters for Peace Corps Volunteers and host country nationals. My time in Malawi, though cut short due to the pandemic, confirmed my commitment to improving conditions for underserved and vulnerable populations. Furthermore, it showed me the importance of policy research and implementation as avenues to dramatically improve peoples’ quality of life. 
            These experiences have taught me the value of advocacy and policy to create sustainable change. Therefore, after the completion of my master’s degree, I intend to use the tools gained through the program to reduce the gap between policy and practice through advocacy and research with a focus on refugee and other vulnerable populations. To do this, I plan to gain more field experience with international nongovernmental organizations such as the International Rescue Committee or UNHCR to ultimately lessen the inequalities that exist among the most vulnerable populations.”
 
Minnetonka Mayor Brad Wiersum 
The Rotary Club of Excelsior met today – Tuesday, January 19, 2021 via Zoom with our featured speaker Brad Wiersum, Minnetonka Mayor and the introduction of Padee Yang our Club’s Global Peace Scholar Candidate.
 
The Opening Marshal was Randy Schumacher and let us in the Pledge and the 4-Way Test.  Randy then commented on good leadership qualities such as strong leader, clear vision, integrity, transparency, empathy for others and supports and gives credit to others.  Padee Yany our Club sponsored candidate was introduced by Steve Frazier.  Padee is a resident of Chanhassen she went to Excelsior Elementary School, MHS and B.S. Degree from the U of M.   She will be interviewed by the District 5950 on Wednesday, January 27 at 4PM.  We will be her sponsor ant the St. Marylebone Rotary Club of London will be her host club as she goes for her Master’s degree.  She has a very impressive resume having served in the Peace Corp in Mzimba, Malawi and also worked in Greece and Uganda.  We wish her the best and she will be formally introduced at our next meeting on February 2nd.  President Kate noted that Nick Ruehl, Paul Huber and Kate all had Birthdays in this two week period between meetings.  Jill Holter announced that she will be sending members a form to complete that asks for information to highlight our members on social media and to also include a photo.  President Kate completed the announcements by listing the up-coming speakers: February 2nd will be Jean Gray’s Bio, February 16th will be Todd Carlson-Excelsior Mayor, and March 2nd will be David Schultz – Political Analysist.
 
Mayor Brad Wiersum complimented our club and Rotary for the great work that we do globally and in our community and noted that his Dad was a Rotarian and he attended a meeting with him in 1970.  Brad moved from Wisconsin to Minnesota in 1978 and has been a 30 year resident of Minnetonka.  He was elected to the City Council in 2003 and is now in his 4th year as Minnetonka’s Mayor.   The Mayor covered a litany of topics.  He started with the Pandemic and that it literally is a full-time job to manage all the elements of handling Covid and to protect the staff and the public during the crisis.  Minnetonka mandated the wearing of facemasks one day before the state mandate.  The financial impact has been huge.  Yes Federal Aid covered some of the basic costs but not all the lost revenue to the city revenues and fees and to all the businesses.
 
Next Brad discussed the City Council and City Services.  Minnetonka’s City Council is a very experienced group and they have three new members this year that bring their own point of view and new ideas.  City Services are doing well in the areas of Public Safety, Streets, Water/Sewer, and Parks and Trails.  Development and growth are doing well especially in the areas of Ridgedale and Opus II especially in apartment complexes and Senior Housing.  Mayor Wiersum is proud of the efforts in Minnetonka to work on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion especially after the death of George Floyd.  He said that we all have biases and he is working on his and the City has created a position to help in that area.  Environmentally the City is working on many fronts.  The City of Minnetonka Offices and Buildings became 100% Solar in 2020.  They are interviewing for a Sustainability Commission for 2021. The City has been awarded a Monarch Champion community for promoting pollinators.  The Public Safety Department has a new building for the Fire and Police.  Both departments are gender appropriate with a wide range of services and their fleet is now all indoors saving on upkeep and maintenance.
 
The Mayor is very proud of the City’s Parks and Trails.  He noted that many people enjoy the trails but also a large number of people now use them to get to work and major funding comes from franchises.  He discussed the new Crane Lake Reserve with trails, picnic area and water access.  Even Ridgedale Parkway is being upgraded, beautified and will have a round-a –bout.  And finally noted that the city has just completed a Strategic Plan prioritizing its priorities of financial stability, safe environment for people, sustainability, livability, infrastructure and community inclusiveness.
 
As always the Q&A was great.  Many members that reside in Minnetonka complemented the Mayor on its services and interaction with the community.  Light Rail gives access to jobs (48,000), businesses and housing.   Water & Sewer will have modest increases (3.5%) to upgrade and maintain over the next few years.  Federal Aid doesn’t come directly to the City but through grants through agencies and also the State.  Institutional Bias towards people of color - especially the police allowed the Mayor to give more detail.  Minnetonka has 13% people of color and the Community Involvement Officer is there to build relationships with communities of color and the Chief of Police is totally behind it and the Mayor shows up for meetings to hear what is going right and wrong in the city and to listen and act on concerns.  Mayor Wiersum said, “We are an Inclusive and Welcoming City!”  Polling of residents give the City of Minnetonka an 85-90% Satisfaction Rating but the Mayor pointed out that you have to listen to the 10% dissatisfaction concerns if you want to be equitable and change for the better.  Opus Complex and Affordable Housing – All developments requesting municipal assistance are required to provide 10% affordable housing in their residential complexes.  Mayor Brad Wiersum represented the City of Minnetonka well and we are lucky to have people like Brad providing such great leadership in our community.
The First Board and Club Meeting with speaker Russ Michaletz via Zoom on Tuesday,
January 2021.
The Rotary Club of Excelsior held its first Board and Club Meeting with speaker Russ Michaletz via Zoom on Tuesday, January 2021. It was an outstanding meeting to start out the New Year.   First we’ll cover some important notes from the Board Meeting.
 
1. Darel Leipold informed the Board that Excelsior is discussing installing smart parking meters on 2 nd and 3 rd Streets
and possibly the business areas two parking lots. Several suggested that we oppose this as it will have a
deleterious effect on the business community.
 
2. Meetings will continue via Zoom until April (at least) and until all attending members can get vaccinated. We
could also start by having meeting outside once we get nice spring weather.
 
3. President Kate needs our help to get speakers at least until July. So get your ideas to her or Jenny. Jenny Janson
has left the club but is willing to facilitate speakers for the rest of Kate’s term.
 
4. The Board voted to be the Sponsoring Club for Patee Yang for a Global Peace Scholar with District funding.
Steve Frazier will coordinate the details and application and Louis Graber will facilitate the financial
requirements necessary. There is no cost to the Club’s sponsorship.
 
5. Louis Graber reported that we are doing well financially and has updated our non-profit status with the
Minnesota Secretary of State will do the IRS filing in January.
 
6. Karen Frazier reported that Paul Huber has Covid and will send a card from the club and also make personal
contact to see how he is doing and report back to the Club. She also reported that the $2,000 for coats and
winter wear and the Teen gifts for Resource West have been delivered over the past three months and the
remaining $42 will buy face masks for them.
 
7. Steve Frazier and Scott Zerby reported that the website excelsiorrotary.org has been updated and also the
printable meeting calendar has been updated through June.
 

President Kate called our Rotary Club meeting to order and Gary Thompson was the Opening Marshal and led the
Pledge of Allegiance and the Four Way Test. He then eloquently commented that he hoped in 2021 that we a
Americans show the World who we really are and that Rotarians are a model for people doing good even though we are
of differing politics, nationalities, genders and religions but doing incredible things in spite of our differences! President
Kate coved the update from the Board Meeting and covered the birthdays, anniversaries and club anniversaries and
upcoming Speakers: Jan. 19 – Minnetonka Mayor Brad Wiersum, Feb. 2 – Jean Gray’s Bio, Feb.16 – Excelsior Mayor Todd
Carlson, and March 16 – David Schultz – Political Analyst.

Our speaker was former District Governor Russ Michaletz speaking on the 
Rotary Foundation and specifically on the Every Member Every Year Giving
Campaign. His presentation was the best we have ever heard and the most
complete description of the Rotary Grants Programs. Russ joined Rotary in
1986 and is a 34 year member of the Minneapolis City of Lakes Club and also a
member of that clubs singing group called the Rotary Rooters. He noted that
small clubs within a club really helps in member retention and keeping
members involved in Rotary. Russ also acts as the Fundraising Chair for
District 5950 and said that had just funded two Global Peace Scholars for
$60,000 and the District received $200,000 from an anonymous donor for
Global Grants – 10 global grants for $20,000 each.

Russ then got down to explaining how the Rotary Foundation works and why
the Every Member Every Year (EMEY) donation is so important. Russ
explained that there is some confusion at times for new members between the local club foundation and the Rotary
International Foundations. Local club foundations gives grants for club projects and to local charities and grants with
other club projects and the Rotary Foundation Grants go to Global Grants by RI and to Districts for Small Global and
Local Grants. In our district 50-60% participate in EMEV giving and the Excelsior Rotary Club has 78% participation which
is great. Also there is the Paul Harris Society with members that pledge $1,000/year and there are 338 in the District
and we have 2 from our club and possibly 3 if the paper work is completed. And finally there are the Major Donors who
give $10,000 or more and our District is always in the top 10 in the nation. However, donations in the past two years
have been running slow and members need to be reminded that their yearly contribution enables the RI and our District
to give grants for Global and Local Projects and Programs.

There is no simple way to explain the Rotary Grant Programs but here is a very brief explanation. Over a three year cycle
of giving to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) 95% goes to Grants. Of that 50% goes to the World Fund and 50% goes to the
District Grants that are divided again for 50% to Small Global Grants and 50% to Local District Grants. Our District also
funds the Peace Scholars, Polio Plus and Covid and Disaster Relief. The great thing about grants is the matching from the
District and RI that multiplies the effect of each grant and even more for multi-club grants. Russ urged our Club to
become involved in a Small Global Grant or District Grant as our last one was two years ago with Don Draayer’s Reach
Out and Read Grant and that the District holds training programs in March and Louis Graber volunteered to attend this
year and we can send up to three members for free. So let’s get going!

Russ’ final push was to let us know that donations have been down the past two years largely due to Covid but also
Rotarians procrastinate and need to be reminded. Our District has 455 new Paul Harris Fellows, 26 new Major Donors of
over $10K, 3 Bequest Society Members and 338 Paul Harris Society Members pledging $1,000/year and our Club has 2
and possibly 3. The donation period runs during the Rotary Year from July 1 st to June 30 th and so far in 20-21 our Club
members have contributed $980 (from 4 members) so we have 30 to go. In 2019-20 year we gave $5,425 and in 2018-
19 we gave $5,875. Again Russ noted that our club has a 78% participation rate and urges every member to give at least
$25 but recommends a dollar a day -$365/year donation but to give what we can. The District also encourages each
club to donate $1,500 to Polio Plus and our club has given $2,400 through our golf event. Members can go on-line to RI
and make their donation or through our club and the Past President is usually in-charge of the drive from our Club.
Since our past two Presidents are no longer members President Kate will appoint someone to fill-in this year. Let’s
get 100% from our Club this year and do so by the end of March! (See separate attachment of the TRF form for this
year)

We ended our meeting with Happy Bucks (Proceeds going to our Education/Scholarship Fund) and we had 14 members
make donations (to be added to their next quarterly dues) for a total of $125.21! It was a great meeting!
Fun Christmas Triva with Tim Litfin
The Rotary Club of Excelsior met on Tuesday, December 15th by Zoom for a Christmas Trivia Fun meeting with Tim Litfin doing the presiding.  Tim led the trivia competition that included Christmas music, TV and Movies and names of actors and performers all around the Christmas theme.  There were 27 questions in all but some of the questions had multiple parts and points.  It was great fun with hilarious competition.  The hands-down winner was Jill Holter in 1st place then Linda Gustafson, Gary Thompson, Marianne Laurent, Molly Swenson, and then Steve and Karen Frazier.  Tim did a great job and we all thanked him for all the work it took to put all the questions and music together.  Following the Christmas Trivia we had Happy Bucks and members were in a generous mood as we raised $57 for our Education scholarship Fund.  The meeting ended with everyone wishing each other a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
 
Our next meeting will be on January 5, 2021 with the Board of Directors Meeting at 11:00 followed by our Club Meeting featuring former District 5950 Governor Russ Michaletz presenting on The Rotary Foundation and a District Update.  Also you will want to register (received in your e-mail) for the Zoom Mid-Year Assembly on January 16th for a great program.   Then on January 19th our Club Meeting will feature Mayor Brad Wiersum giving an update on the City of Minnetonka.
 
Excelsior Rotary Club’s Donation to the Toy Chest at Resource West
 
“Hi Mom and Dad, (Note from Tiffany Frazier to Karen and Steve Frazier)
Thank you for letting me go shopping for the kids gifts and gift cards for the teens on behalf of the Excelsior Rotary! I was able to get 20 assorted fisher price baby toys: 10 girl toys-6 Disney Princess Barbies, and 4 Baby Dolls; 10 Boy toys-4 Tonka trucks, 4 fire trucks, and 2 Police Cars; and 25 $25 gift cards for the teenagers!
It warmed my heart to know that so many families will be blessed with these toys during the holiday season that might not have had gifts for their little ones! The Excelsior Rotary is so awesome for supporting those in need and helping those not only in our community but in the surrounding areas! Here are a few pictures of the toys – Cart of toys and cards at Minnetonka Target, Tracie & me at Resource West and Tracie with the gifts from the Excelsior Rotary.  Hugs! Night! Tiff”
       
Tiffany Frazier is the Fitness Director at the Lafayette Club and truly the best example of ‘Service Above Self’ and also an awesome Santa’s Helper!
Excelsior Rotary Club Assembly 12-1-2020
The Rotary Club of Excelsior’s December 1, 2020 Meeting
The Excelsior Rotary met by Zoom on December 1st for both a Board Meeting and Club Assembly Meeting as stated in our bylaws. Scott Zerby served as Opening Marshal and led the group in the Pledge and the 4 Way Test.  President Kate recapped the actions of the Board of Directors that met prior to the Club Meeting which included the following actions:
  1. We will continue meeting by Zoom and she hoped that we could have a live in-person meeting during her Presidency once everyone gets vaccinated.
  2. Jill Holter was nominated by President Kate to be our new Social Director and also to use her PR and Marketing skills to promote our club in social media and the press and her appointment was confirmed unanimously.
  3. Scott Zerby brought a grant request from the Waconia Rotary Club for solar panels for a hospital in Madagascar.  The Board approved a grant of $1,000.  Waconia Rotary hopes to raise $70,000 and they have raised $35,000 so far and looking for local clubs to get the rest.
  4. Lou Graber noted that our Foundation and Club finances are in excellent shape and monies have been set aside for new Rotary shirts, upcoming scholarships and grants approved up to today’s meeting.
  5. President Kate will send out a Rotary Shirt Survey to get each members desired shirt size and color.  The shirts will display the club’s logos.
  6. Karen requested a grant of $500 for the Salvation Army Northern District to make-up for our Club not being able to ring this year because of Covid and it was approved.
  7. STRIVE will not meet this year and instead the scholarship money will be combined with Make A Difference scholarships for 6 scholarships of $1,500 for a total pf $9,000 and it was approved.
  8. We need speakers for 2021 so get ideas to Jenny Janson or Pres. Kate
Our Program was a Club Assembly and President Kate assigned members to four discussion that included PR/Marketing, Membership, Speakers/Meetings and Service/Social areas.  Each group met and formulated plans for the next 6 months and then reported back their ideas and plans.
                                                        
  1. PR/Marketing/Social led by Jill Holter
    1. Club social New Year’s virtual party where members order dinners from local restaurants and all meet on Zoom to eat and socialize.  More details to come!
    2. Hold an optional Happy Hour and meet at Excelsior Brew or other location.
    3. Kick-off a social media presence and let Jill know your ideas.
    4. “Get to know your Excelsior Rotarians” where members will be asked to list their unique skills and talents for referrals.  The team will contact members by email.
    5. Once everyone has their new Excelsior Rotary shirts we will take a Zoom photo of our entire membership.
    6. Get ideas for press releases for local written media of Rotary events and actions to Jill for write-ups.
  2. Membership led by Tim Litfin & Scott Zerby
    1. Go after local retirement homes for members.
    2. Promote Rotary membership with GenXers (40-50 age group) through retiring PTA/PTO members.
    3. Find a source to identify new residents and invite them to Rotary.
    4. Create a Marketing fund to publicize the club in various media and locations.
  3. Speakers/Meetings led by Jenny Janson
    1. Bring in speakers that have attained or seeking International and State grants in 5950.
    2. Bring in Environmental speakers both international and local relating to conservation and water projects throughout the world.
    3. Keep meeting format and be respectful of giving speakers adequate time for their presentations.
    4. Keep meeting start and ending times respecting member’s other obligations.
    5. Get speaker ideas to Jenny Janson and she will make contact.
    6. Keep Happy Bucks and promote the current plan to add Happy Buck donations to quarterly billing fee.
  4. Service/Social led by Karen & Steve Frazier
    1. Karen introduced a new model of “Service Above Self” during Covid 19 for the Excelsior Rotary Club that replaces group projects with individual actions for others.  The group came up with some 25 actions and acts of kindness that members will be asked to do one or more per week that exemplifies our Service in Motion motto.  Members will receive a fill-in chart with the list of services they can do for others and to do at least one per week from now until the end of the 1st Quarter of 2021.  Members undoubtedly will do more than one per week.  Also take “selfies” in doing these good  acts and send to Steve at sfrazier@usjet.net for use in the bulleting and website. Serve others until it feels good!
    2. Continue to do in-person and virtual Happy Hours.
    3. Set-up small group get togethers for coffee using safe distancing and masking inside at Shorewood Community or Dunn Bros.  or outside weather permitting.
    4. Since the Many Hands Many Meals is not possible for January a club grant will be requested at the January Board Meeting to donate the same level of funding as meals packaged last year.
    5. Continue to do the Highway Clean-up in May either as a group or individually as was done in the fall.
The next meeting on December 15th will be a fun Holiday Meeting and we know Tim will make it great.  Let’s get every member there and celebrate this holiday season!

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