We had a busy meeting today with acknowledgement of several awards received at the District 5610 Conference held in Yankton for the 2022-2023 Rotary Year:
1st Place Total Giving, 1st Place Per Capita Total Giving, 1st Place Per Capital Annual Fund Giving, 2nd Place Total Annual Fund Giving and 100% The Rotary Foundation (TRF) & Every Rotarian Every Year.
Our Club also received a Citation from Rotary International for achieving goals that strengthen Rotary and our club. Goals include increasing club membership, developing sustainable service projects, giving to The Rotary Foundation, and building awareness of Rotary in your community. Congratulations to each and every member of Rushmore Rotary and special shout out to 2022-2023 President Jennifer Rollins for her leadership; and Roger Heacock and Shari West-Twitero for their extra efforts in getting our Club at 100% for the EREY. We are people of action.
Today's speaker was Dr. Deepak Goyal sharing information on the Hindu culture here in Rapid City. He shared a presentation entitled “A neighbor/A friend which provided a brief history of India and its rich and diverse culture. He highlighted the food, and a few of the many festivals celebrated: festival of light (Diwali), festival of colours (Holi), harvest festivals and EID (muslim community celebration). A non-profit organization formed in Rapid City, the Black Hills Hindu Temple and Community Center (BHHTCC) is helping to let the local community know about our friends in India and to invite the community to share in this rich and diverse culture. Watch for more information on BHHTCC invite to one of their gatherings. Dr. Goyal is an Internal Medicine trained Board Certified Physician who is serving in the capacity of Physician Advisor. He has been practicing medicine since 2001 and has been in the United States for nine years.
Our speaker this morning was Dr. Ashok Kumar who is the district coordinator for Polio Plus. He spoke about the status of polio in the world, the important work Rotary International is doing in polio eradication, the importance of continuing this work and how we can all be involved. Dr. Kumar has formed a district-wide committee to assist him. International Polio Awareness Day is October 24. We are encouraged to participate in some way in order to raise awareness.
Congratulations. Jennifer A. Rollins is the Ms. Veteran America 2023 second runner-up. She is a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel having served 22 years in the active-duty military as a B-1 Weapon Systems Officer, Navy EA-6B Electronic Warfare Officer, and U.S. Senior Defense Official/ Defense Attaché. She graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA), was stationed throughout the U.S. as well as Europe and Africa, and deployed 10 times. Jennifer is a dedicated community servant and devotes her time to multiple volunteer passions. In addition to Final Salute Inc, she is committed to Rotary International, USAFA Admissions Liaison, U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, Black Hills Ski Team, American Association of University Women, and Daughters of the American Revolution to name a few. We are proud of our fellow Rotarian and your commitment to "service above self."
Our speaker this week was Gina Dvorak from Treasured Lives, South Dakota’s one-of-a-kind survivor led 501c3 nonprofit anti-trafficking advocacy organization. Their mission is to provide avenues of healing, safety, and hope for those exploited by sex trafficking. Treasured Lives survivor speakers have helped countless people increase their understanding, paving the way towards both personal and community advances and healing. As a survivor leader, Gina advocates for peer counseling and support. One of the many way she accomplishes this is through leading support groups and mentoring other survivors. For the past 19 years, Gina has dedicated her time to helping survivors of various forms of trauma heal and grow. Thank you for sharing your story and keeping us informed on this issue.
After 35 Years, Polio’s Cornered-We Must Finish the Job
Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have made great strides to reduce polio cases by 99.9% worldwide over the past 35 years, and we’ve reduced the circulation of wild polio to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
That’s why as we approach this World Polio Day on 24 October, as Rotary members, we are pleased to recognize this progress. However, I ask everyone to help us finish the job and end polio for good to ensure that this paralyzing disease does not return to polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk.
From encouraging vaccine acceptance, to sharing factual vaccination information, to calling on elected officials to fund polio eradication, there are so many ways in which we can each support polio eradication efforts. We must all do our part to prevent polio outbreaks in our own communities and continue the march toward global eradication.
We have an opportunity to make history by ending polio, which will be only the second human disease ever to be eradicated, and the time for action is now--visit endpolio.org to learn more about how you can get involved.
Today is World Polio Day. In recognition our membership wore red to support the Polio Plus campaign.
We also auctioned off 3 club polo shirts for Polio Plus. $235 was raised.
Our speaker today was Connie Olson, Chief Development Officer for Youth and Family Services. She reported on the families that were helped through Rotary’s matching grant. The funds allowed YFS to help with immediate food & clothing needs of families in crisis. YFS also has many programs for families and children like a child development center, counseling, family support and advocacy services, Girls Inc., and Head Start. Visit youthandfamilyservices.org for more information.
Rushmore Rotary’s own Darla Crown is a finalist for the NASCAR Foundation Humanitarian Award. Her selection has already earned Youth and Family Services $25,000, which will go toward their inclusive playground. If she wins, YFS will get an additional $75,000! You can support Darla in all her great volunteerism and YFS by voting daily for her to win. Just scan the QR code to go directly to the site: www.NASCARfoundation.org/award Great job Darla!
At our meeting today two Rushmore Rotarians were presented with Paul Harris Fellows. Kim Nearhood +1, Willis Sutliff +5. Thank you for your Rotary Foundation support.
Our District Governor Elect and member Bruce Nearhood gave his classification talk and updated us on his conference next year, October 3-6, at the Holiday Inn Downtown Rapid City. It’s going to be a fantastic conference so make sure you attend.
And last but not least, Dave Dolan came dressed for Halloween!
Our speaker this week was Gina Dvorak from Treasured Lives, South Dakota’s one-of-a-kind survivor led 501c3 nonprofit anti-trafficking advocacy organization. Their mission is to provide avenues of healing, safety, and hope for those exploited by sex trafficking. Treasured Lives survivor speakers have helped countless people increase their understanding, paving the way towards both personal and community advances and healing. As a survivor leader, Gina advocates for peer counseling and support. One of the many way she accomplishes this is through leading support groups and mentoring other survivors. For the past 19 years, Gina has dedicated her time to helping survivors of various forms of trauma heal and grow. Thank you for sharing your story and keeping us informed on this issue.
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