Pres. Tony Andresen began the meeting with a welcome to everyone in attendance, including those via ZOOM. We stood and repeated the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, and Steve Dicus came forward to deliver an invocation of thanks for our Club, its history, and its ongoing impact on our city.
Mandy introduced our guests, and Club Anniversaries were noted for Jonathan Kemper with 39 years; and Kermit Bright with 41 years.
We were reminded that there will be a Celebration of Life ceremony for Dennis O’Dell (a Rotary member from 1977 to his death on June 17, 2020) on June 17 from 4:00 to 7:30 pm at O’Neill’s Restaurant.
Sally Bibb, with her usual beautiful oratory skill, reviewed the history of the Rotary Youth Camp and the role of the Rotary Club Foundation in supporting the expenses of the camp. Then she recognized the newest Foundation Fellow, Eric Bubb, who has been very active in our club and who is our President Elect.
Pres. A. recognized and thanked everyone who participated in the Greater Kansas City fundraising activities on last Friday in the rain. And thunder. And lightening. At last report most participants survived and are expected to enjoy a full recovery.
Linn Mills provided her final update on the Shoes for Orphan Souls project. Donations are close to the goal of a thousand pairs of shoes. Last minute donations are welcome.
The ribbon cutting ceremony at the camp for the new building will be on Sunday. Volunteers who worked on the landscaping for the new building were thanked.
May is AAPI Heritage Month (Asian American and Pacific Islander). There will be (was) a free citywide celebration on May 21 in Columbus Park.
Volunteers are needed on June 4 at Aristocrat Park for Geeks for Kids Care Delivery Day from noon to 5 pm.
The next Rotary After Hours event will be on June 18 with the Kansas City Current women’s soccer team at Legends Field.
P.P. Mark Horner introduced our speaker for the day, David Young, US Ambassador to the Republic of Malawi, who was speaking to us via the magic of ZOOM on the screens in the room. (A huge thanks to David McCaughey, who handled the aforementioned magic very well, enabling us to clearly hear and understand Mr. Young’s presentation.)
Mr. Young’s history contains strong connections with our Club, and he thanked us for our support. He was born in Kansas City, MO, and graduated from the U. of MO with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Later he received a Master of Divinity in social ethics and a Master of Arts in international relations from Boston U. He has served in the U.S. Foreign Service for over 32 years, many of which have been in Zambia and Malawi.
He was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Malawi this year.
It was most interesting to learn about the various ways than an ambassador works to improve the quality of life, economic and political stability of a country. For example, he described one project in Malawi that over the course of a few ears, improved the expected lifetime in Malawi from 45 to 65 years. It’s hard to imagine, but many children do not receive enough nutrition in their first two years of life to allow full development in their brains, leading to mental and physical deficiencies as adults.
Mr. Young mentioned the great help the projects that we (many by Ms. Armstrong) have led to improve sanitation, nutritional, and educational facilities for children in Zambia and Malawi.
A most informative presentation, and a most remarkable man. In these days when the news is full of the terrible things that people do to each other, it’s such a breath of fresh air to be reminded that such people as Mr. Young live among us.
The meeting concluded with the quote for the day, “Compete with yourself and root for everyone” Candice Millard and the recitation of the 4 way test.
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