Meeting Summary - July 28, 2105

Posted by Glenna Dibrell 
on Jul 28, 2015
 
Meeting Announcements:
  • Dana read a note from the New Brighton Historical Society thanking the club for its support of the caboose restoration. 
  • ECHO publication was passed around to help the club get better informed of all the work this organization does. Anyone interested in a subscription should see Geoff Hollimon.
  • Board Meeting Notes:
    • The Board voted to contribute $500 in support of the Chisago Lakes club's $40,000 Jamaica project to assist two impoverished communities with medical equipment and training (this will buy $100,000 worth of equipment due to some excellent negotiations).
    • Cindy Carlson noted that she and Char Samuelson met with the other local clubs that make up the Healthy Youth Foundation and discussed the possibility of doing a fundraiser for the Peacemaker organization. Still in formative stages.
    • There is a Friendship Exchange to India January 9-20, 2016; see Dana or the District Site for more info.
    • There is a Rogers Rotary Club motorcycle rally on August 22; see Dana for more info.
    • Board meeting schedule is slightly adjusted in the coming months: next meeting is August 18 and there will be two meetings in September--one on the 22nd and another on the 29th for the District Governor, who will be visiting our club that day.
  • Stockyard Days is coming right up August 2-10. See Val to volunteer for Bingo; see George to let him know if you will be helping for the parade hot dog feed on August 6th.
  • Mark your calendars that our August 11 meeting will be offsite at the Bilfinger Water Tech / Johnson Screen plant. Paul asked for people to sign up to confirm their attendance and will be asking for box lunch orders at next week's meeting.
  • Val, Paul and George are the August Committee members; Jason, Todd Kruse and John Ordway are the September Committee members.
  • MaryAnn Bawden celebrated her birthday (see photo below).
  • The club is making a contribution to the Peacemaker organization in honor of Amy Wakem's wedding; if you want to bring a card to Amy's August 8th wedding celebration party consider writing a check to Peacemakers as your gift to her.
 
Program: Susan Park Rani, PE, on the Destination Medical Center (DMC) Initiative.
  • John Risdall introduced Susan as a member of the DMC board, appointed by Governor Dayton.
  • Susan provided an overview of the initiative, which is a statewide effort to help Mayo Clinic and Rochester become a global medical destination for patients and their families from around the world.
  • There is increasing competition for international patients (Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, MD Anderson) and Mayo has seen significant reductions in their international patient volume. To become a viable destination it isn't enough to just be an outstanding research and medical resource; it also requires world class hotels, restaurants, transportation and cultural options for these visitors. 
  • A statue was passed by the MN Legislature to fund $585 million to leverage a $5 billion investment from other sources. There is a comprehensive strategic plan to harness the energy and creativity of the entire community.
  • This initiative is pulling together resources from Mayo and their nonprofit the Economic Development Association, the city of Rochester, the county and the state of MN. All are working together to make this happen over the next 20 years. It is the largest and most complex project undertaken by the state.
  • Susan will be serving a four-year term on the board. We were honored to meet her and have an inside look at this amazing initiative. Thanks for John Risdall's introduction.  John, Susan and Dana are shown below.