Jhoole was founded by Hannah Warren, a former Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar who studied in India. It is based in Maheshwar and provides impoverished women with training, materials, and an international market for hand-woven goods so they can earn a living wage.

Paul Dzubnar and Mick White served as greeters (although Mick was trying to go incognito by not wearing the official Greeter button). Michael-jon Pease was the scribe of record, but had to dash early to get to the closing on his new home, so Mick White served as understudy. Jim Field led Rotarians in America while Leon Goodrich tickled the ivories. Steve Nyhus led a prayerful invocation that encouraged us to embrace the soggy days and think of those suffering drought.

Trixie Golberg introduced visiting Rotarians and guests.

Doug Bruce Roast: Michael-jon Pease encouraged the club to give Doug as full a crowd at the Lexington as he enjoyed from the rostrum at his official roast and send off on August 2nd. Be sure to sing up on Clubrunner or call the office.

Blood Drive: Geoff Kaufmann encouraged Rotarians to participate in the upcoming Red Cross Blood Drive on August 14 from 10-3 at the Crown Plaza (Kellogg Suite 1. You can schedule an appointment with Sherry at 651-222-2028 or via redcrossblood.org (enter zip code 55101). The need for blood is consistent year long, but supply dips 20% in summer when college students aren’t on campus to participate. Service (and plasma) above self!

ImagePHF Presentation: Jerry Faletti presented Darrell Butterwick with a four diamond Paul Harris Fellow pin in recognition of his $5,000 in gifts to the Rotary International Foundation. Darrell is also a multiple Elmer Andersen fellow for his generosity to our club’s Foundation. Most importantly, he is our CHAMPION ROSE SELLER!

ImageNew Member Introduction: Valdi Stefanson introduced Ann Frisch of Nonviolent Peacemakers as a new member. No stranger to Rotary, Ann spoke at the RI Conference in Bangkok, as well as to a Club in southern Thailand, and has upcoming engagements with clubs across the U.S. and Australia. Her work supporting unarmed peace makers in the midst of conflict is a perfect fit with this year’s theme of “Peace through Service.” Welcome Ann!

Sarah Kolar collected Happy Dollar donations to give to the Jhoole organization.

Guest Speaker: Hannah Warren

Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotarian Jim Eaton introduced Hannah Warren, founder of Jhoole. Hannah was introduced to Rotary through the Youth Exchange Program and the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, which sent her to India for the first time. These experiences, led her to found Jhoole, which has also been supported by a grant from district 6420’s District Designated Fund during the early stages of its development.

Jhoole is an eco fashion “social enterprise,” a non-profit business designed to benefit (rather than exploit) people living in poverty. Those stuck at the bottom of the textile supply chain often live in conditions akin to modern day slavery. Jhoole believes in the power of social enterprise to battle these injustices in direct, tangible ways. Hannah’s goal is to alleviate poverty as much as possible by giving good living wages and profit shares to the artisans and field laborers who create our products as well as investing in social initiatives that benefit their entire community.

Jhoole also supports female field workers (mazdur) who come from scheduled caste and tribal communities by providing them with alternative work opportunities. Fair trade cotton initiatives tend to focus on fair deals for farmers; however, the most vulnerable individuals involved in cotton harvesting are not the land-owning farmers, but the field workers who regularly deal with dangerous pesticides and the toll of hard, physical labor in return for minimal seasonal wages. Women reliant on these meager earnings to support their families throughout the year are forced to live hand-to mouth; they are so vulnerable that they often continue to work even while in the last months of pregnancy. By providing these women with alternative work in textile production (sewing, embroidery, weaving, block-printing, etc.) it is possible to more than double their income. Jhoole also invests in their children’s’ education and their families’ health care. Ultimately, this type of permanent and stable work contributes to the eradication of child labor. Field laborers find it almost impossible to stick to the no child labor laws, because they simply cannot afford to lose the extra income their children’s work generates.

There are currently over 1 million child laborers in the State of Madhya Pradesh where Jhoole is based. Their aim is to break the cycle of chronic poverty by employing mothers so that they can send their children to school generating a chain reaction that can ultimately transform entire communities.

Hannah presented the organization’s strategic vision to be recognized at the 2015 RI Convention as having “overdelivered” on all of its three-year initiatives. Quantitative measurements of their work include the number of individuals affected, detailed records of changes in living standards (pre-and post-grant); the number of employee expansions and renovations. All employees children will attend school and photos will capture the change and development in their lives.

Goals include:

employing 250 women and triple their salaries in the coming years, bringing them above the poverty line;

building a 30,000 sq ft facility to house their operations and donate enough to their charitable partner Chetanya Sewa that they can adopt an additional 25 elderly women who have been abandoned by their families and support them in their final years;

increasing education and literacy among their employees and families, as well as all children in the public schools Jhoole supports.

As someone who likes to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable," Hannah’s ultimate aim also reflect Bill Drayton’s quote: “Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry."
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Michael-jon Pease & Mick White, Scribes