SEPTEMBER 1, 2015 ROTARY IN REVIEW:
Lisa Clarke

 

Jerry Faletti and Michael-jon Pease, along with guest (and “ringer”) Jeanne Zimmer, Executive Director of Dispute Resolution Center, led the club in (our final) rendition of Ann Reed’s The Fair. Michael-jon then offered an inspirational thought on labor from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Michael-jon also served as scribe in place of Lynne Beck.

 

Thanks to today’s greeters: Dick Nicholson, Nicholson Family Foundation and Sarah Kolar, Landmark Jewelers.

 

 

Please sign up for the Past President Roast/Toast – Sept. 29^th  at the Andy Boss Stage at Park Square Theatre.

Our 10^th year of giving dictionaries to every St. Paul 3^rd grader kicks off in a month!

 

Rotary runs on Roses! Please bring your orders to the meeting on Sept. 15 and sign up for a slot to sell in the skyway on Thursday, Sept. 24. Our goal is get them ALL sold on Thursday!!

 

World Community Service Project: Books for Africa. Rotarian Chin Idriss from the Cameroon Education Foundation shared the great need for books in this Central African nation of 22 million residents. His nonprofit gets books to libraries, schools and community  centers across the country, despite rutted dirt roads that require 4WD vehicles and poor physical infrastructure (a bad storm can literally blow down a school!). Saint Paul’s own Books for Africa nonprofit is the largest contributor of books. To foster a culture of reading in a nation where boys are more likely to be sent to tend cattle than to school, government officials read in public on the dais before an official program begins and traditional leaders (who may not know how to read) are offered books as gifts at official ceremonies. Thanks to Chin for sharing the scope and need of this important work in Cameroon!

 

HAPPY DOLLARS were collected from Lina Mulhern, who shared a letter from her daughter now in Finland on her exchange year; Roger Nielsen celebrating another successful Rotary BBQ and campout in Wisconsin; and Ed Coleman, for attending his family reunion (last time he went, he was just at the drinking age and this time his aunt said he’s closer to retirement than 21!).

 

Jim Miller introduced today’s speaker, Lisa Clarke from the Destination Medical Center in Rochester. Research at Mayo Clinic showed that 70% of patient/visitor time is spent in the community outside of Mayo appointments. Customer feedback revealed needs to better meet their needs throughout the city for hospitality, arts and culture. Interestingly, the strongest pull for weekend visitors (who are not patients), is education seminars and learning opportunities at Mayo. This will be a key strategy in driving four times as much weekend traffic to Rochester throughout the year (currently weekend hotel occupancy is even lower in Rochester than in most cities).

 

Likewise, while Rochester residents enjoy a higher than average annual household income, they spend $5,000 less per year in their own city than the norm – another indicator of the need to reshape Rochester as a destination for wellness, life, work and play. Mayo employs 4,200 doctors and scientists, many of whom are bussed in daily from around the state because they choose not to live in Rochester.

 

Many private investment opportunities abound in Rochester as part of the DMC vision and the $585 million in stage bonding investment that will start flowing once $240 million in private investment is attracted by 2017.

 

President Carla Hauge led the club in the Four Way Test to adjourn the meeting.