Congratulations to Shari West-Twitero for earning her Paul Harris Fellow +8 and Scott Van Dam for earning his Paul Harris Fellow +4.

 

Our speaker today was our own Carmen Hansen. She shared her insight on the Vucurevich Foundation speaker series process. The speaker series began in 1993 as a way to give to the rest of the community that doesn’t utilize the foundations grants. They have brought incredible speakers to Rapid City such as Carl Sagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Colin Powell to name a few. Ticket prices are $7 for adults and $3 for students. They limit the number each person can buy to make it available to more people. 
When choosing a speaker they look at current relevance, community interest, and relatability. The board makes final approval. To get more information on upcoming speakers and the John T. Vucurevich Foundation visit jtvf.org or the John T. Vucurevich Foundation facebook page.

 

Today was Rotary day and we heard from club members Roger Heacock and Scott Van Dam on their trip to the Rotary International Convention last May in Melbourne, Australia.
They shared highlights of the trip which included the House of Friendship. Here they met numerous Rotarians from around the world and learned of the many projects being done by Rotary clubs. The general sessions had fantastic music & entertainment along with informative speakers. The convention also had numerous breakout sessions to learn about Rotary projects, world issues, and human issues. They and their families also explored Melbourne and all its beauty including the Rotary Peace Park and flower garden. International conventions are a must do for Rotarians. They are high energy and a chance to meet and learn about club members from all around the world. Next year’s convention is in Singapore. For more information visit rotary.org.

 Our speaker today was Dr. Weasel, a general surgeon at Monument Health and enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and first Native American to summit Mt. Everest.   He shared his life lessons and experiences climbing Mt. Everest in 2023.  Climbing Mount Everest was challenging and complicated as he made his way to basecamp and the four camps, as well as the process of ascending and descending.   Dr. Weasel was reminded of his own mortality and desire to keep gratitude at the forefront of all he does and is. It taught him that unsurmountable things can be accomplished one step at a time.  He shared stories of the extreme temperatures, avalanches, ice storms, “death zone”, crevices, high winds, and experiencing hallucinations.  He shared the unique and emotional experience of the “field of cairns”, a memorial field to those who have lost their lives on Everest.   Dr. Weasel enjoyed time with other climbers, visited a local school and connected with an OBGYN clinic while in Nepal.  He was gifted an “eagle feather” from his Tribe to place at the Top of Everest as a symbolic gesture for the Lakota and indigenous people around the world.  To learn more about his climb and his other climbing goals, see Monument Health Magazine https://magazine.monument.health/article/on-top-of-the-world. 

 

  

At our meeting on December 19th, the following slate of officers were nominated and approved: