Rotary Veterans Luncheon November 2023

President Dan and Membership Chair Janna welcome new member Mark!

Bob receiving a Paul Harris pin for his financial contributions to The Rotary Foundation

Assembling Dressers for PROP Shop October 2023

Buckthorn Removal October 2023

Habitat for Humanity October 2023

Rotary District 5950 Governor Jewelie Grape speaks to our club. October 2023

President Dan welcomes new member Andy!

School Supply Donations to the Eden Prairie Family Resource Center August 2023

Backpacks and School Supplies Drive 2023

"Pack at the Park" for Feed My Starving Children 2023

Enjoying fellowship at Jan's Garden Party!

Harvesting produce (kale and snap peas) from Patchwork Garden for PROP--July 2023

Patchwork Garden squash and eggplant for PROP--July 2023

Monthly swallowships are fun!

Stop the Trafficking water stop --June 2023

Patchwork Garden is growing! June 2023

Planting People's Patchwork Garden

Working hard to plant the Patchwork Community Garden!

Eco Expo 2023

Packing Food at Feed My Starving Children

Ringing the bells!

PROP Pop Up at Jerry's Foods

Gardening at Sober Living House

Teamed with other clubs to bring purified water to a pediatric hospital and villages in Guatemala

End Polio Now

International Service Projects Make an Impact in the World

WE ARE PEOPLE OF ACTION

Members of the Eden Prairie Rotary Club demonstrate Rotary's motto, "Service Above Self."

We support local and worldwide causes that make a positive difference.

We meet in person at Fat Pants Brewing, 8335 Crystal View Road, Eden Prairie

and concurrently via Zoom on

the first, third and fifth Tuesdays of each month from 7:30-8:30 AM

to enjoy camaraderie and be inspired by influential speakers.

We also take part in service projects and fun social activities monthly.

(Check the calendar for schedule)

Do you want to positively impact your community and the world? Join us!

For more information about joining our club or to request a Zoom link for our meetings, click here

or email our Membership Chair, Janna Berkholtz, jberkholtz@hotmail.com.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

December 5, 2023 Meeting Preview

Brice Johnson, Regional CEO

American Red Cross

Brice Johnson is the Regional Chief Executive Officer serving 7.3 million people, 2,000 volunteers, and 600 paid staff members in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Douglas County (Superior) in Wisconsin.

Brice comes to the region from his role as Red Cross Executive Director of Central Indiana and is beginning his third decade of organizational leadership in non-profit and higher education in both Europe and the United States.

December 6, 2023 BINGO!

November 21, 2023 Meeting Preview

Naser Mohammadi

Afghan Cultural Society

Naser Mohammadi has established a reputation as someone who could bridge cultural, religious, and language divides across communities. In his work with the Afghan Cultural Society, he provides support for the newly arrived Refugees for Human Service resettlement here in Minnesota.

He.is an educated, multilingual professional with 20+ years of extensive international experience in the design, program lead, coordination and implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Reintegration minors and destitute and war effected people, best practice strategies and initiatives in influential government sector roles requiring a top-level security clearance permanent Resident in USA/MN.

Notes From November 7, 2023

Stephanie Glaros - One Small Step, StoryCorps

Stephanie Glaros, a notable figure within the One Small Step (OSS) program at StoryCorps, is a facilitator on a mission to create social harmony. During her presentation on November 7th, Stephanie opened up about her journey. Inspired by a 60 Minutes segment showcasing the power of conversations between strangers with differing political views, she embarked on a career change. Now as a crucial part of the OSS initiative, Stephanie mobilizes meaningful dialogues that involve differing political views.

In her role, Stephanie fosters an environment where participants feel supported and secure enough to share their views. With a set of conversation agreements, she guides discussions, ensuring they remain focused and respectful. Though no stranger to the discomfort that comes with conversations that challenge her own beliefs, Stephanie has gained valuable insights. Participants often gravitate towards commonalities, which tends to be the exact opposite of their task. Through these conversations, Stephanie has learned that beliefs are not always black and white; they are intricate, evolving, and defy stereotypes.

Yet, during these profound conversations, Stephanie understands the importance of self-care. She practices yoga, takes walks with her dog, and prioritizes her emotional well-being. While the toll of engaging with diverse perspectives is acknowledged, the OSS program recognizes the importance of maintaining a healthy balance. Stephanie Glaros and One Small Step remind us that empathy, understanding, and genuine connection are key in their line of work. While not just facilitating conversations; Stephanie is forging bridges that overcome barriers and celebrate differences and unity.

Bill Goodwin, Founder and CEO of Priority Living MN, and Doug Anderson

Bill Goodwin, founder and CEO of Priority Living MN with Doug Anderson, has 30 years of experience training leaders through dynamic speaking and his Live to Lead opportunity, as well as helping build a community of value based leaders. A fellow Rotarian with our neighbors in Lakeville, Bill was inspired to join Rotary by his uncle Tom Powell since he was a boy growing up in Arizona. Using the backyard-tree analogy, Bill introduced the club to the five main principles of growth: have a defined GOAL, use the right TOOLS, take ACTION, stay FOCUSED, and be CONSISTENT.

The difference between a goal-oriented mindset and a growth oriented-mindset, explained Bill, is the end result of each. While setting goals leads us to focus on a destination and motivates us by asking ourselves how long something will take, a growth mindset truly changes us and focuses on our lifelong journeys, asking instead how far we can go. Bill introduced the leadership Law of Intentionality: Growth doesn’t just happen! You grow older naturally, but in order to improve it is essential to be intentional, because “leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.”

Bill introduced the club to 8 traps that slow our personal growth, ranging from “It’s not the right time for me” to “I have to find the perfect way before I can start,” or even “I thought growth would be easier than this!” Unfortunately, personal growth is not a natural process in most peoples’ lives–you must be intentional! Bill is fond of saying, “Everything worthwhile is uphill all the way, and most people have uphill hopes but downhill habits!” He instructed the club to lead their lives, not just accept them, especially after many people have felt stuck in jobs or marriages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the only guarantee that tomorrow will be better than today is if we grow ourselves today–so, how do we start?

Jewelie Grape: 2023-2024 District Governor for Rotary District 5950

Jewelie Grape, our 2023-2024 District Governor for Rotary District 5950, is doing her best to visit each club in the district–we are her 26th! She keeps busy being an assistant to help each club thrive however she can to fulfill this year’s theme: “Create hope in the world!”

Jewelie shared that Gordon McInally, 2023 Rotary International President, chose to focus on empowering women and girls, polio eradication, promoting peace, and mental health this year, issues which are close to his heart and he hopes each club will continue to promote. Our district’s current initiatives include new member orientation, the Year of Service initiative, and professional LinkedIn profile training to better network through an online directory. Jewelie herself grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm in between 2 sets of brothers. She got her degree in HR and worked for various companies including American Express, until she decided to transition to legal and moved to Michell Hamline as an Employee Benefits Attorney. Half of her current work is with nonprofits, CFOs, and small to midsize companies, while the other half involves police procedures and handbooks. She loves her job, and also is passionate about traveling, especially her trips to Cuba, Kilimanjaro, and Antarctica, and her Rotary trips to Haiti and Pasadena.

Jewelie has been a part of Rotary for 15 years, but says she went from being just a ‘club member’ to being a true ‘Rotarian’ because Rotary’s core values clicked with her core values from her childhood. She feels Rotary has truly been a blessing in her life and wants everyone to have the opportunity she did to travel, volunteer, and meet with Rotarians all over the world. Grape frequently travels and spends time with friends from Rotary, and encourages all members to invite non-Rotarian friends to service events to get more people engaged so they see what we can do!