Events

At our May 15 meeting, we will celebrate club members who have demonstrated the ideals of vocational service -- “where our Rotary lives and professional lives intersect,” in the words of
2018-19 RI President Barry Rassin.

Would you like to get more involved in our club's Literacy efforts? Do you have ideas about local literacy projects we should consider supporting?  Want to know more about what's happening with literacy at City of Lakes?
Join us this coming Wednesday immediately after the AM meeting for a brief meeting to explore opoprtunities for projects this coming year. Bring your ideas & enthusiasm!

Our world’s most challenging problems and promising opportunities cannot be solved by government and nonprofits alone. Certified B Corporations are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. Two of Minnesota’s 17 B-Corps – businesses that meet strict standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability – will be with us to discuss their journeys. Hear from Sunrise Banks and Russell Herder about what B-Corps are, why they made the conversion and what’s involved for others to do the same.

Julie Bluhm is the Executive Director of Guild Incorporated. Guild Incorporated is a nonprofit organization that works at the intersection of mental health, housing and employment. Guild is committed to the goal of helping all people live lives full of purpose and meaning. If you our your family member has experience with mental illness, you know that accessing the right services at the right time can be a frustrating and tedious task. Julie will talk about efforts to enforce mental health parity, and the state of our mental health system in the context of rapid changes and the need to drive innovation.

Emerald Ash Borer is making its way across Minnesota and the highly-visible loss of ash trees is impacting our communities beyond our city streets. Major changes to the Mississippi River's landscape are on the horizon. The 72-mile Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, the national park in the heart of the Twin Cities, will lose more than 20% of its canopy within the next ten years, forever changing the landscape, river quality, natural areas and wildlife we love.  Plant for the Future, a program of Mississippi Park Connection, is a proactive plan to improve this outlook through a $1M campaign including educational programming, plantings, special events, volunteer and fundraising opportunities, and more.  Former RI President Ian S. Riseley challenged Rotary clubs across the globe to plant trees in their communities for every member of their club. #9 and Minneapolis City of Lakes Rotary have committed to providing 300 trees that will be planted as part of the Plant for the Future campaign.  To facilitate more robust trees and also support trees well beyond the initial commitment, Rotary will first be installing a community tree nursery (otherwise referred to as a gravel bed) that will support the growth of healthy trees for years into the future. The tree nursery will be installed at Coldwater Spring (park area near Minnehaha Falls owned and managed by the Park Service).

Rene Sanchez leads Minnesota’s largest news organization, overseeing all aspects of the Star Tribune’s print and digital editions. He joined the Star Tribune in 2004 as a regional reporter and was later named its Sunday editor. He has subsequently overseen the Metro, Business and Sports departments as well as special reporting projects and investigative work. He helped lead the Star Tribune’s investigation of child deaths at daycare facilities in Minnesota that earned the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting. Sanchez’s journalism career began in New Orleans at The Times-Picayune, where he reported on sports and local news. He then spent 17 years as a local and national reporter forThe Washington Post. In his last six years at the Post, he was based in Los Angeles, covering California and the American West. A New Orleans native, Sanchez earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Loyola University.

Plan to attend the next Community Service Committee meeting on Wednesday, June 12th at 8:30, immediately following the regular Wednesday morning meeting.  Please allow extra time for this meeting as we will be discussing in detail the budget for the 2019/2020 Rotary year.  We will meet in the Sunroom on the 2nd floor.  Let Marlene Dieterich, Ellen Archibald or Jon Hobbs know if you plan to attend or have any specific items to add to the agenda.  See you there!  

Join us as we take a walk down memory lane of Brock's 2018-19 year as COLRC President and gently tease and thank him for his service.

The June 26 meeting will be replaced by the District Installation on June 27 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the American Swedish Institute. Members need to register here by June 20 and are free to attend. Enter "Vikings" at check out. Guests are welcome to attend at a cost of $40.00 per person. Log out of Club Runner and then register your guest. 

Join us for a celebratory start to the new Rotary year as we install our very own incoming District Governor Russ Michaletz, District 5950 leadership, Assistant Governors and President-Elects. This evening event will take the place of our regularly scheduled weekly meeting. As the host club of the incoming District Governor, we want a great showing from City of Lakes Members! 

The event is free for City of Lakes members and guests are welcome to join for $40.00 per person. Registration is required. The evening includes a plated dinner, short program and admittance to ASI prior to the event to experience “The Vikings Begin” – the extraordinary premier collection featuring dozens of early Viking artifacts never before seen outside of Scandinavia.

Thursday, June 27
5:30-7:30 p.m.  (5:30-6:00 p.m. Registration and reception; 6:00 p.m. Dinner; 6:30 p.m. Program; optional arrival beginning at 4:30 p.m. to view "The Vikings Begin")
American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis

REGISTER ONLINE BY JUNE 20 HERE

• COL members enter the code "Vikings" at checkout.
• If you want to register a guest, log out of club runner and then register your guest. 

Our very own Russ Michaeltz will be the 5950 District Governor for the 2019-20 Rotary year. Please join us to kickoff the year with Russ and leadership throughout the district. As the host club, the event is free for all City of Lakes members. Registration will begin on May 14 and will be available through the District 5950 website.

Public art is visible evidence of our shared humanity. It’s more than murals, monuments and memorials (and the occasional mime). Artists of all disciplines are engaging in cross-sector collaborations and social practices that address all kinds of issues and opportunities facing cities today, including the health of our communities. Jack Becker, founder and lead principal consultant at Forecast Public Art a 40-year-old nonprofit based in St. Paul—is recognized internationally for his pioneering efforts to make public art more public. He will share an overview of trends and issues in the field, and discuss recent efforts he’s led to help cities address health issues through public art.

Marnie Wells, CEO of Camp Fire Minnesota, will share with us the history between Tanadoona, the 103 acre property on Lake Minnewashta in Excelsior (owned by Camp Fire Minnesota) and Rotary.   Because of the visionary leadership of the Rotary members in 1924, Tanadoona has been serving young people and connecting them to nature ever since!  Kids spend on average 7 ½ hours per day in front of a screen and 90% of their time indoors.  Connecting young people to nature is more important than ever!