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February 18, 2020 Meeting Preview

Pam Hulstrand, "A Voice for Adoption"

Bellis Adoption Education & Support

Bellis, a multi-service non-profit, is an "empowering voice for adoption that connects, inspires, and transforms." Bellis educates and provides adoption support throughout over 50 Minnesota cities.

Duty Roster 4/14/20 - 4/28/20
 April 14thApril 21stApril 28th
GREETERSRoy TerwilligerPraf VeguntaElaine Larabee
 n/an/an/a
INSPIRATIONJay SimpsonAndrea JamisonAdam Sienkowski
CHECK-INn/an/an/a
 n/an/an/a
BULLETINKelly SalweiJenifer LoonMark Weber
DOOR PRIZEn/an/an/a
VOCATIONALTom Pouln/aSharon Borine
If you cannot be there, please find a sub and notify Aaron Casper
 
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Notes from February 4, 2020

Elizabeth Anderson: Fat Pants Brewing

Our featured speaker Feb. 4 was Elizabeth Anderson, who is part of the Eden Prairie Anderson family that opened Fat Pants Brewery – EP’s first craft-beer brewery – in November.
 
Elizabeth might well be called the lager queen of Eden Prairie, one of the youngest brewery owners in the world. Officially she’s the operations manager of Fat Pants Brewery, but the job duties are many and varied. She incorporated the business in 2017 after her dad, Don Anderson, had been home-brewing for some time.
 
Setting up the family business has meant overcoming one obstacle over another. They needed their congressman’s help, for example, to secure licensing during a government shutdown. But they are up and running in the former Panino Brothers restaurant building and on their way to having 24 taps and 18 unique beers, and being able to produce about 2,500 barrels of beer per year (which equates to more than 620,000, 16- ounce pints).
 
You can learn more about Eden Prairie’s new brewery at www.fatpantsbrewing.com.
 

 

Announcements

  • Upcoming programs include Superintendent Josh Swanson of Eden Prairie Schools on Feb. 11 and Pam Hulstrand of Bellis Adoption, Education & Support on Feb. 18
  • The next Swallowship is Feb. 12 at Fat Pants Brewing.
  • Exchange student Ricky raised more than $300 for Special Olympics at his Feb. 1 Polar Plunge.
  • Bev Aho on Feb. 4 presented the results of the Winter Wellness Day fundraiser.
  • Carol Kampman was introduced as the new club administrator.
  • Club member Carol Bomben was introduced as the Community Legacy Award winner that the Foundation for Eden Prairie Schools will honor Feb. 22 at its Red & Black Gala.
  • Anyone interested in helping organize an informative fundraiser at Eden Prairie High School that focuses on Rotary Youth Exchange should contact Nathan Nyren or Jane McGinty.

Spotlight on Jeff Jiang

Club member Jeff Jiang is a pay-it-forward kind of guy. Once a foreign student from China working on his master’s degree at the University of Minnesota, he is now a U.S. citizen and an international education counselor who helps Asian students prepare for an American education. He grew up in Beijing in the 1970s and ‘80s when being a community builder of the Rotarian type was discouraged. So, he’s making up for lost time by being involved in a number of civic efforts, including A.M. Rotary. He and his wife have two sports- and music- minded sons, Michael and Daniel, and they have lived in Eden Prairie since 2006.

 

 
 
 
 

Happy Fines

We’re happy and we’ll happily pay to share our stories because doing so also helps The Rotary Foundation eradicate polio worldwide. PG Narayanan is happy to report that 82-degree water was the norm during a recent Mexico trip that he and his wife won at last year’s EP Gives event. Roger Jorgensen is happy to have received a $1,000 check for the Eden Prairie A.M. Rotary Foundation and is also happy about a weight loss.

 

Visitors

Jennifer Langhart - Prospective Member
Mary Jo Sherwood - Guest of Frank Sherwood
Tim Connors
Ricky Arteiro - Exchange Student
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Notes from February 11, 2020

Josh Swanson - Eden Prairie Schools Superintendent

EPAM Rotary’s own Dr. Josh Swanson gave us an update on the accomplishments of the district over the last year including straight A’s across the board on the statewide Niche Report. EP was the only district to have straight A’s. As a result of support of the community and taxpayers, the district has been able to lower class sizes and close gaps in academics across the board. EPHS offers 277 courses including 20 AP courses. In 2019, 733 students took AP exams and 35% left with at least one score of 3 or higher enabling them to earn 1,215 credits which equate to $822,798 in public school tuition or over $5,000,000 in private school tuition. Sixteen students are national merit scholars and three students earned perfect ACT scores. Josh thanked the community for the support of Designing Pathways 2019 and they are already working on the improvements to Central Middle School which were a large part of the program.
 
 

Announcements

  • Early reminder that we will be at Feed my Starving Children on March 3rd .
  • Pastor Rod reported the sad news of Bruce Hutchins wife succumbing to a yearlong battle with cancer.
  • John Crudele shared a thank you from Bloomington/EP Meals on Wheels
 

Spotlight on Bob Starr

Bob was born in Youngstown Ohio the third of six children. His father ran a soft drink bottling company. Bob said he had three “dream jobs” including working in father’s bottling company, IRS agent in Rochester and his stint in public accounting with Coopers and Lybrand which later merged into Price Waterhouse Coopers in 1998. Bob retired in 2011 and still prepares tax returns and serves on the board of Northeast Bank. Bob met his wife in a laundromat in Rochester and they have three children. Two of their children are in accounting profession and the other is a freelance writer for business journals. They have one grandchild and expecting another.
 
 

Happy Fines

Mark Weber reported that EP Community Foundation was assisting last weeks speaker with their non-profit status. Jenifer Loon shared sad news of passing of former EPAM Rotarian Steve Tasler and happier news that her daughter will return to the Twin Cities for her medical school Rotations
 

Visitors

Ricky Arteiro - Exchange Student
Jennifer Langhart - Prospective Member
Kurts Stelnieks - Prospective Member
Tom Poul - Prospective Member
Kevin Gao and Kayla Keddie - Student Interns
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Speakers
Apr 21, 2020
Recalculating Your Life
Apr 23, 2020
"Vocational Ethics Day" Thurs. luncheon at Edina Country Club
Apr 28, 2020
"Overall Vision for Rotary in 2020." Fundraising tips too
View entire list
Upcoming Events
Board Meeting
Apr 28, 2020
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
 
Above & Beyond
EPHS South Commons
Apr 28, 2020 6:00 PM
 
Women's Gathering at Zoom
May 05, 2020
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
 
View entire list
Bulletin Editor
Adam Sienkowski
Russell Hampton
ClubRunner
ClubRunner Mobile

Eden Prairie AM Rotary Club meets on Tues. mornings from 7:30-8:30 a.m.
at Bearpath Golf and Country Club, 18100 Bearpath Trail, Eden Prairie MN 55347

Website: www.epamrotary.org     Email: info@epamrotary.org     Mail: P.O. Box 44603, Eden Prairie, MN 55344