Our special guest today was Maria Klakegg.  Most of you will remember that Maria was our Rotary Exchange student from Norway three years ago.  Maria is on a gap year from college but will return next year to  study psychology and hopes to become a youth therapist. What a delight to have her among us once again.  She will be here for a month and will be staying with John and Dana Johnson, so we are likely to be blessed with her company again before she returns home.

 

Our presenter for today was Shoreview Arden Hills Rotarian Dave Newman.  His topic was The Fast For Hope water project in El Corozo, Nicaragua.  Rotary is embracing a new model for philanthropic projects and our District's El Corozo water project is one of the first to employ the new model.  In the traditional philanthropic model, an organization would identify a need and move immediately to satisfy the need without full consideration of the cause of the need or the community's ability to satisfy the need for themselves.  The traditional model also often failed to determine if the project would be sustainable long-term.  A new model was needed to address the CAUSE of the need, and that requires a more in depth approach that engages the entire community in the identification of the causes as well as the solutions for the need.  The process requires community organization and broad-based support for a solution.  By tapping the abilities and enthusiasm of the people who have the most at stake, communities come together under their own power to develop the skills and resources to deal with problems in their communities.  This is called "community capacity", and it is the secret sauce of effective philanthropy.  This community capacity provides the inertia to overcome governmental, environmental, legal, financial and many other obstacles inherent in this long-term philanthropic approach.  In El Corozo, the 2.2 mile walk to the nearest dry season water source was the motivation that overcame these obstacles and led to the completion of a new well this past April.  A Community Water Governance Committee will oversee maintenance and ensure long-term sustainability of the project.

 

Dana Rebelein read a thank you from our Irondale scholarship recipient, Isaac Paetznik.

 

Nils Friberg presented Dave Hoel with his Paul Harris Fellowship +5, indicating contributions to the Rotary Foundation of over $6,000.  Nice work, Dave!

 

Cindy Carlson is celebrating her daughter Natalie's 34th birthday and the birth (yesterday) of  her granddaughter, Tatum.

 

John Johnson's daughter graduated form Irondale and is heading to Boston University.

 

Geoff Hollimon is back from his month in North Carolina.