Gordon F. Goodwin is the GARE Midwest Regional Project Manager at Center for Social Inclusion(CSI). Gordon brings significant experience to CSI working with senior leadership teams to help nonprofit organizations achieve mission and program alignment. His specialties include organizational strategy development, program delivery and impact, and governance and leadership. Gordon has worked for 30 years with and for foundations, community development organizations and public : private sector consortia in metropolitan and rural settings. He has worked extensively with organizations that have formed collaborative efforts to advance their advocacy and public policy objectives—specifically, designing and facilitating working group meetings, trainings, governance discussions and organizational strategic alliances. Gordon’s has contributed to poverty reduction and racial equity public policy efforts with PolicyLink, Northwest Area Foundation, WK Kellogg Foundation, Foundation for the Mid South, CFED and The Aspen Institute. He is based in Saint Paul, MN. He is married, a proud parent of two adult children, a caretaker for two small dogs, and repairs and rides motorcycles in his spare time.

July Birthdays were recognized with a song and cupcakes made by member/baker David Dominick, YMCA. 

Member announcements and promos for the week:

CHUCK  ROAST and Toast August 16 at White Bear Yacht Club - From Carla Hauge, volunteers are welcome to join in planning our traditional president's roast for our immediate past president.  All members are encouraged to attend and joining this slightly quirky always fun tradition of appreciation and friendly ribbing. Please register on line or at the check in table. 

LYNX Game and Happy Hour - From Ed Coleman, 7 Corners Printing, August 22 against Phoenix with happy hour at 5 at Wild Tymes .

NEXT MEETING - from Jay Pfaender, Drake Bank, We will welcome Gordon Goodwin, Government Alliance on Race and Equity.  This is part of a continuing series form the working group on equity and race that member Jim Hunt and others have been facilitating over the past year.  

HAPPY DOLLARS, Jacob LaCroix, United Hospital Foundations - It was a good day for happy dollars with a variety of good news items, event announcements and commemorations and stories of the power of Rotarian connects at home and abroad.

Jay Pfaender's, Drake Bank, introduced Jason Bradshaw and Jason DeKeuster to share 2017 & 2018 Winter Carnival Updates.  St. Paul Rotary and the St.Paul Winter Carnival have a long history together including many Rotary members serving in the Royal Family.  Jason Bradshaw, 2017 King Boreas, shared great behind the scenes look back on the preparation, activities and planning that support the annual event and the year long ambassadorship of the Royal Family.   Beyond the 10 days at the end of January that most people associate with Winter Carnival, the Royal Family makes an additional 250 or more appearances thought the rest of the year to parades, coronations, schools, nursing homes, and may other venues throughout the Twin Cities metro and across the country as ambassadors for the city.

The 2018 Winter Carnival will be especially exciting with 17 days of activities and the tallest ever Ice Palace to be constructed on the State Capital grounds. 

This year with the national spot light on the Twin Cities, St. Paul has a unique opportunity to showcase our city and in keeping with the origins of Winter Carnival tradition, to celebrate all that is fun about Winter in Minnesota.  Among the many unique aspects of the planning required for next January is the transporting of 70 trucks full of Detroit Lakes ice to construct the towering ice palace.  The purpose of the Carnival remains much the same as it was in the late 1800 - to bring the city together, to celebrate all that is unique to St.Paul and show case our community as a great place to live, work and play.

President Faletti thanked Jason, Jason and Jay with a "Hail St.Paul" and appreciation for their personal role in past and future Carnival successes.  The meeting concluded with the Four Way Test.

Trixie Golberg

Scribe