The Rotary Club of Northfield

Today’s Program | Matt Williams, “Lacrosse in Northfield” (Gett)

Birthdays: Rotarians around the globe

Next Week: Camilo Zuluaga Caicedo, Columbia (O’Neill)

Last Week:

Whatever you do, don’t ask Don Robertson to show you his step-over-toe hold. It’s a guaranteed two-point takedown.

Don grew up in Winnebago, near Blue Earth. He wrestled in high school, twice claiming state titles, and went on to Augustana College in Sioux Falls, where he once finished fifth in the NCAA National Wrestling Tournament.

Don’s had a rich and varied professional life. He was a teacher and wrestling coach in St. James, a farmer, a banker, an agriculture consultant, executive director of the Minnesota Soybean Association, and, now, some 40 years later, he finds himself an owner-operator of Amerprise here in Northfield.

He opened that office with Kerry Running in 1998. He moved here in 2004.

Don is married with two daughters, both Iowa State Cyclones. Both reside in California, and one of them has Don’s twin grandsons. Don and his wife are piling up the frequent flyer miles with their visits.

Don had a Northfield connection before moving here. His grandfather built a house at 914 West Second St. and sent nine girls to St. Olaf, including his mother.

Mini Classification:

Nobody’s perfect, and Rick Esse is living proof. And let me be the first to say, let’s let bygones be bygones. I don’t care what the man has or hasn’t done; he deserves a second chance.

In hindsight, it all makes sense. He got a rough start growing up on the mean street of Hayward, Minn. and then attending the school of hard knocks at St. Olaf College. But he persevered. After doing time as a life insurance agent and an MLT Tours representative, he landed back in Northfield and became Advertising Director at the Northfield News, a position he held for 11 years. He left to launch Esse Advertising, which merged with Neuger Communications three years ago.

Rick has been married to Pam, a psychiatric nurse, for 30 years. They have one son, Alex, who is an artist and illustrator in the Twin Cities and will graduate from the University of Minnesota this spring. Rick’s brother, sister and mother, Lila, all call Northfield home.

Rick is a diehard sports fan. He loves the Twins, the Vikings and the Dundas Dukes, and he pretends to play golf.

He is a past club president and currently serves as Assistant District Governor for Area 4.

This just in….

Peter Davidson, our outbound student in Sweden, has lost two grandparents during his time away. He recently wrote his correspondent David Koenig, thanking Rotary for the support he received during a difficult time.

Guests: Jon Snodgrass (Rich) and Jill Fisher (Dilley)

Scholarship Enhancement: David Wolf

Announcements:

• Richard Collman announced that the Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra will be performing Beethoven on March 3^rd & 4^th
• Chris Weber is looking for volunteers to help at a literacy event at Sibley School Thursday, April 12 4:45 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Jan Stevens said exchange students would enjoy job shadowing our members for a day. If you are interested, talk to her.
• Mark Abbott asked members to generate ideas for another international project for our club.  We can participate in many projects with other clubs, he said, but it is fulfilling to do our own.

Coming Up:

March 15 –Greater Good Initiative (Grabau)

March 22 -  Devon Barnes, classification ( Halverson)

March 24 – Saturday – GSE team from Brazil Social

Today’s Program | Don Robertson Classification (Esse)

Birthdays: Peg Prowe (2/19), Brad Frago (2/22), James Schlichting and Felicia (2/25).

Next Week: Matt Williams, “Lacrosse in Northfield” (Gett)

Last Week:

Her year as an exchange student in Northfield is a dream-come-true for Mathilde Mortensen. She’s always wanted to live in another country.

The experience has already taught her much about different cultures, different ways of doing things and helped her become open to meeting new people.

And she loves Northfield. It is the largest city she has lived in. Her hometown of Aalestrup, Denmark is a tight community of 3,000 people. That’s where she lives with her mother, step-dad and youngest brother, Jacob. There, she rides her bike to school, hangs out with friends and plays handball.

She is proud of her heritage. Denmark has given us Hans Christian Anderson, LEGOS and a ubiquitous smile. It is the second happiest country in the world; Norway ranks first.

Mathilde has taken full advantage of her time here. Her host families have taken her to the Mall of America, the Minnesota State Fair, the Minneapolis Holidazzle Parade, and Christmas in Michigan. At the high school, she has participated in tennis, ski club and watched herself grow more confident in her English.

When she returns to Denmark, Mathilde will attend the International Baccalaureate School for a couple of more years and then pursue more education in business.

She said she is very grateful for the opportunity to have this exchange year and thanked her host families, counselors and the exchange program’s guiding light, Vicki Dilley, for all they have done for her.

Mini Classification

Barry Carlson comes from Madison, Minn., the self-declared “Lutefisk Capital of the World.” But growing up, he swung more tennis racquets than cod.

Yes, he is one of the legendary Carlson tennis family. He and his three brothers, Greg, Gary and Jeff, played for their Dad and, for years, dominated the Minnesota high school tennis scene. Then it was on to St. Olaf College for Barry and his brothers, where they again made their mark on the courts.

Barry graduated from St. Olaf with a degree in Social Work. He earned a Masters in Leadership from Augsburg. That led him to a 21-year career at Lutheran Brotherhood until 2004 when he returned to Manitou Heights to work in development.

He and his wife of 27 years, Cindy, have three boys. Barry enjoys coaching and spending time at the family cabin.

Guests: Patty Geary, Pat Van Wylen, Jodi and Jim Lundell, Cindy Carlson and Mathilde’s posse (Mathilde); Jack Blackburn (Koenig); and Lee Skaar (Esse)

Scholarship Enhancement: Sue Boxerud

Announcements:

— BUY, BUY, BUY. That’s the key to the success of “To India and Back,” our largest fundraiser for the Youth Exchange Program. It is here Saturday at the Northfield Middle School. Journey to India for an evening and explore its people, arts, culture, and food, while supporting Youth Exchange in Northfield. Stroll through a street fair from 5-7, enjoy Indian cuisine, palm reading, sanskrit and art, and experience traditional dance and Bollywood music from 7-9.  Tickets are $20 and T-shirts are also available.

— There may still be a need for a few adventurous souls to pull the night shift for the Youth Exchange overnight. Insomniacs or early, early risers should see Candy Taylor.

— Chris Richarson will be honored as Minnesota Superintendent of the Year today at a reception at the Golf Club from 5 to 8 p.m. All are invited.

— We will be hosting a Global Study Exchange group from Brazil on Sat. March 24.

Coming Up:

Feb. 25 – “To India and Back” at the Middle School

Mar. 8 – Camilo Zuluaga Caicedo, Columbia (O’Neill)

March 15 –Greater Good Initiative (Grabau)

March 22 -  Devon Barnes, classification ( Halverson)

March 24 – Saturday – GSE team from Brazil Social

Today’s Program | Mathilde Mortensen, Denmark (Barry Carlson)

Birthdays: Jim Braucher (2/16), Nichopat Jane Fenton and J ohn Stull (2/18) and Peggy Prowe (2/19)

Next Week: Don Robertson Classification (Esse)

Last Week:
   After more than 25 years working on affordable housing for homeless people,

Herb Frey still likes his clients. There is a candor and an honesty about them that he finds refreshing.

A Northfield resident, Herb is the director of Alliance Housing in Minneapolis. He was on the ground floor when St. Steven’s Catholic Church decided to tackle the housing issue. Over time, he has helped develop more than 400 units for people who are trying to get on their feet. They started by purchasing duplexes. They’ve converted nursing homes into housing units and tapped into government programs designed to encourage workforce housing.

Herb says they have learned by doing and over time have developed a high-touch, supportive philosophy that rests on two key principles: clients must pay their rent and they must behave.

“We just deal with human nature as it comes,” Herb says. “We pay close attention without a lot of rules, and it seems to work.”

Alliance Housing is now working more intentionally to help clients and their children escape the culture of poverty. Clients in units now being developed in North Minneapolis will be required to have jobs and participate in parent education training.

Alliance has some “sober housing” that meets the needs of those with chemical dependency issues. It’s salvation for many, Herb said, and works for part of the population he serves.

Mini Classification

Mark Gleason knows first hand what a transformative experience youth exchange can be. His son spent 2005-2006 in Paraguay, and it changed his life.

Mark’s life changed when he met his wife, Kristi Wermager, curator of Special Collections at Carleton College. She pried him away from his New England roots and showed him there is life outside of Boston. They have three children.

Mark worked for 17 years for the National Endowment for Humanities in St. Paul and now is with Carleton College’s development office in Corporation and Foundation Relations. His goal is to attract $4 million each year to support Carleton’s program.

Mark joined Rotary in 2005.

Guests: Daniel Ajpop (Reggie) and our exchange students Aishwarya, Camilo, Felicia, Mathilde and Nichopat.

Scholarship Enhancement: Linda Willgohs

Announcements:

— “To India and Back,” this year’s largest fundraiser for the Youth Exchange Program, is coming up a week from Saturday at the Northfield Middle School. Journey to India for an evening and explore its people, arts, culture, and food, while supporting Youth Exchange in Northfield. Stroll through a street fair from 5-7, enjoy Indian cuisine, palm reading, sanskrit and art, and experience traditional dance and Bollywood music from 7-9.  Tickets are $20 and T-shirts are also available.

— President Bierman offered congratulations to Jane Fenton for Laura Baker Services Association, her employer, being named Business of the Year by the Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce.

— We will be hosting a Global Study Exchange group from Brazil on Sat. March 24.

— Betsy Spethmann invited members to take part in a grant review process for the United Way March 7-19. If you are intersted and have some financial expertise, talk to her

Coming Up:

Feb. 25 – “To India and Back” at the Middle School

Mar. 1 – TBA (Gett)

Mar. 8 – Camilo Zuluaga Caicedo, Columbia (O’Neill)

Rotary Cogwheel | 2.9.2012

Today: Building Low-Income Housing in Minneapolis with Herb Frey (Gleason)

Birthdays: Ross Thompson (2/7)

Next Week: Mathilde Mortensen from Denmark (Barry Carlson)

Last Week:

Our very own Northfield born and raised John Fossum treated fellow club members to a brief course on the history of international criminal law, a subject he knows well from recent training and personal work experience. John’s legal expertise expanded after his wife Tracy accepted a job in Switzerland in 2006, and they with their daughter, Liv, relocated from Northfield to live there. While in Europe John pursued further training in international criminal law and, ultimately, commuted for a time to and from Afghanistan, where he trained police and criminal prosecutors.

Formal rules as to how to conduct war actually date from the 1400s.  Geneva Conventions (formal treaties and international agreements) began in 1864 and provided the first modern standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of victims of war. Additional Geneva Conventions were added in 1906, 1929 and 1949. The Conventions deal with the condition of wounded and sick combatants in the field and at sea, the treatment of prisoners of war, and the protection of civilians on time of war. The Geneva Conventions have been ratified by 194 nations.

After World War II the Nuremburg and Tokyo Trials received much publicity and provided some measure of justice for war crimes, but as is so often the case after warfare, the victorious nations effectively controlled the process. The subsequent International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia initiated in 1993 is still underway. Other tribunals have attempted to deal with wartime crimes in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Cambodia and Lebanon.

 Thursday, February 2, 2012

Today:  “A Very Brief History of International Criminal Law” (Fossum)

Birthdays: Jean Wakely (2/3)

Next Week: Building Low-Income Housing in Minneapolis with Herb Frey (Gleason)

Last Week:

    Society has come a long way in its acceptance of those with disabilities, but Tom Tanghe, whose brother has Down’s Syndrome, offered first-hand insight into how the disabled and their loved ones straddle the two worlds — theirs and ours.

He describes his brother Andy, one of six brothers, as a “sweet, honest and loving” individual, who deals in positives, unburdened by the things that consume our lives: careers, status, material benchmarks. On the other hand, Andy constantly confronts his limitations when he watches older brothers play sports, drive cars and attend college.

“The difference is painfully clear to him,” Tom said.

Down’s Syndrome is caused by creation of extra genetic material in the early stages of fetal development. Down’s babies arrive with an extra chromosome that expresses itself in both physical and cognitive limitations. But the range is wide. Some function at a very high level.

Attitudes in both education and medicine have created a much more hospitable world for people with Andy’s disability. But Tom said the loving environment his parents created for Andy made all the difference in the world.

Andy is now 35 years old. He lives in his own apartment and works at Target and the National Guard Armory in Eden Prairie. And he is engaged to a woman who also has Down’s Syndrome.

Tom said he feels privileged to have the relationship he has with his brother.

Guests: Jon Snodgrass (Rich), Daniel Ajpap (Reggie) and our exchange students: Aish, Mathilde, Felecia, Camillo and Nichopat.

Scholarship Enhancement: Mark Gleason lands another grant-in-aid.

Announcements:

— “To India and Back,” our “rock the house” winter social will be Saturday, Feb. 25. Tickets, posters and T-shirts are available. Anyone who is anyone is going to be there. Don’t miss it.

— We will be hosting a Global Study Exchange group from Brasil on Saturday, March 24.

— Jane Fenton announced that the Turkey Trot video is now ready for release.

— Kurt Larson encouraged members to check their information on the weekly bulletin to make sure it is correct. If any changes are necessary, e-mail them to Kurt at: kelarson@larsonprinting.com.

—Lee Dilley reported that Jessie Diggens, a world-class cross country skier, who has broken bread with us, is doing well on the U.S. Ski Team. She won four events in national competition and won a silver medal recently in the World Cups. You can follow her at jessiediggens.com.

Coming Up:
Feb. 16 – Mathilde Mortensen, Denmark (Barry Carlson)
Feb. 23  -  (Esse)
Feb. 25 – To India and Back

 Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012

Today: Tom Tanghe about Down’s Syndrome (Fritz)

Birthdays: Missi Ahrens (1/24))

Next Week: – “A Very Brief History of International Criminal Law” (Fossum)

Last Week:

President Bierman, club officers and committee chairs gave us a mid-year overview of our club, what it does and how it does it.

President-elect Fenton reported that at present we have 131 members. Eight new members have signed on thus far this year. She is planning an orientation for these folks and invites anyone who is interested to come, too.

Charlie Cogan reported that our International Service project in Thailand is going well. Several of our members will be traveling to Thailand in May for the International Rotary Conference. They plan to visit ChaingMai and get a tour of the school we are helping build.

Vicki Dilley said the Youth Exchange Program is looking for host families and counselors for next year’s inbound students. She will be leading a Global Study Exchange group to Brasil in April. We will be hosting a five-person GSE team from Brasil in March. For that, we need host families and vocational connections for a psychiatrist, nutritionist, architect and interior designer.

Our relationship with The Key remains strong, according to Nancy Amerman. The kids raised $5,000 for the car raffle and helped with the bike tour and the Turkey Trot. We won’t be selling Valentine flowers. She is looking for a way to help The Key get t-shirts for the kids, so they can be identified when they are working for the cause.

Club members are encouraged to contribute each year — Every Rotarian, Every Year — to the Paul Harris Foundation. Jim Prichard reminded us of the half-price sale available to members, a $1,000 Paul Harris Scholarship for just $500.

Carl Caskey said our clubs contributes $5,000 a year to local projects and campaigns. Our strength, he said, is our flexibility and ability to make things happen quickly. His committee will be meeting with the United Way and WINGS to get a sense of community needs.

Chris Weber said the club will be reviving its literacy work. We will be partnering with the Northfield Public Library to put books in the hands of kids through the Early Childhood Family Education program.

We will be appealing to more hard-core, “crazy” bike riders under the direction of our new Defeat of Jesse James Bike Tour chair, Roberty Zayas. He said a timed bike rid is in the plans.

Buckle up everyone.

Officers for 2012-13 elected

  Our fearless leaders for the coming year were elected at last week’s meeting. They are: President — Jane Fenton; President Elect/Membership — Jim Prichard; Secretary —Matt Rich; Treasurer —    Dave Wolf;  International Service —-Russ Halverson; Club Service —Neil Lutsky; Community Service —Judy Brown-Wescott; Vocational Service —Missy Arens; Communication/ PR —Co Chairs  – Steve Wilmot/Kurt Larson; Past President —Robert Bierman. They will assume their roles in July.

Guests: No nonmember guests, but member Judy Brown-Wescott was introduced to the club after a long absence due to surgery.

Scholarship Enhancement: Missi Ahrens

Announcements:

— “To India and Back,” our “rock the house” winter social will be Saturday, Feb. 25. Tickets, posters and T-shirts are available. Anyone who is anyone is going to be there. Don’t miss it.

Coming Up:
Feb. 9 – Building Low-Income Housing in Minneapolis with Herb Frey Gleason)
Feb. 16 – Mathilde Mortensen, Denmark (Barry Carlson)
Feb. 23  — Esse
Feb. 25 – To India and Back

Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012

Today: Open Club Meeting (President Bierman)

Birthdays: Mark Abbott (1/17)

Next Week: Tom Tanghe about Down’s Syndrome (Fritz)

Last Week:

Aishwarya Gokhale must feel like a fish out of water. She leaves her home town of Pune, India, which she shares with three million other people, to live in Dundas, Minn., population 1,367. She trades interesting vistas with rolling hills for flat prairie land and trades a tropical Indian climate for a crisp Minnesota winter. Even a mild winter can challenge the uninitiated.

But she enjoys trying new things and meeting new people, and that’s what she’s been able to do with her exchange year. She’s ridden horses, walked on a frozen lake, and eaten mini-donuts at the Minnesota State Fair.

Back home, she lived on a seventh floor, three-bedroom apartment with her mother, an aerobics instructor, her father, a trader of graphic art materials, and her younger sister. Students attend high school through grade 10, so Aish was already enrolled in a junior college last year.

She said she’s been surprised by the flat topography here, by the number of people who speak Spanish, by the number of cars that hit deer and steering wheels on the left side of the car. She is missing her native cuisine, but on the up side, she is looking forward to her parents visiting in the spring.

Her life lesson takeaways from this experience:

— Everything happens for a reason;

— Nothing is weird, just different;

— It’s never cold, just chilly.

Second Reading — Officers for 2012-13

President — Jane Fenton; President Elect/Membership — Jim Prichard; Secretary —Matt Rich; Treasurer —      Dave Wolf;  International Service —-Russ Halverson; Club Service —Neil Lutsky; Community Service —Judy Brown-Wescott; Vocational Service —Missy Arens; Communication/ PR —Co Chairs  – Steve Wilmot/Kurt Larson; Past President        —Robert Bierman.

New Member: Teresa Tilson (V. Dilley) was inducted for a second time. Teresa was previously a member of the club before moving to the Pacific Northwest for a couple of years. Welcome back Teresa.

Guests: Annika Hanson, Rebecca Spriewald, Maria Olson, Anne Archibald, Nicole Smestad, Tilly Bartelt, Kyle Snesrud, Craig and Brenda Squires, Mark and Mary Mitchell, Beth Abdella (Aishwarya); Dixie Baird, Virginia Epps and Marge Kennedy (Prowe).

Scholarship Enhancement: Dave Brown

Announcements:

— “To India and Back,” our “rock the house” winter social will be Saturday, Feb. 25. Tickets, postes and T-shirts are available. Anyone who is anyone is going to be there. Don’t miss it.

— Fred Rogers reported that the Salvation Army bell ringing was a success. $14,600 was raised in Northfield, alone, during 85 shifts. Forty-two thousand was raised countywide.

— Richard Maus shared a report that India has not diagnosed a case of polio in the last year. That leaves only Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan as the three countries yet to eliminate the disease. The campaign continues.

Coming Up:
February 2 –John Fossum host
February 9 –Mark Gleason host
February 16 – Mathilde Mortensen, Denmark (Barry Carlson)

Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012

Today: Aishwarya Gokhale, Exchange Student from India – (Abdella).

Birthdays: Lynne Pederson (1/11) and Rick Esse (1/16)

Next Week: Open Club Meeting at Northfield Senior Center (President Bierman):

Last Week:

Roberto Zayas is just your average Puerto Rican beach guy, who blends neuroscience and law to make a life for himself and his family in winter-ravaged Northfield, Minn.

He was born and raised in Puerto Rico and lived the good life outdoors and shirtless. He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a degree in Biology, earned a Ph.D in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota and then a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul. He worked for a time doing patent work on medical devices and now is following an entrepreneurial vein, developing a resource that will bring business and colleges together around innovative ideas.

Roberto gave us a taste of his neuroscience research, explaining the slow channel syndrome and how brain signals communicate with zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

When we rejoined Roberto, he told us that he is married to Melissa Eblen-Zayas, a physics professor at Carleton College. They have one daughter, Amelia.

Roberto is chair of the 2012 Defeat of Jesse James Bike Tour and for that we thank him. He is an avid cyclist and enjoys hiking as well. He sees Rotary has a spiritual practice of sorts. It is a vehicle for him to leave a better world for the next generation.

Mini  Classification — Mathew Rich

Here is all you need to know about Mathew Rich:

Boston, Gustavus, William Mitchell, Grundhoefer and Ludescher, Leah, Ella and Isaac.

First Reading — Officers for 2012-13

President —.Jane Fenton; Pres Elect/Membership — Jim Prichard; Secretary —Matt Rich; Treasurer —    Dave Wolf;  International Service —-Russ Halverson; Club Service —Neil Lutsky; Community Service —Judy Brown-Wescott; Vocational Service —Missy Arens; Communication/ PR —Co Chairs  – Steve Wilmot/Kurt Larson; Past President        —Robert Bierman.

Guests: Sarah Barthing and Lucas (Yogi); Leah Rich (Esse) and Hanne, Pallo and Niko Svendsen (Bierman).

Scholarship Enhancement: David Wolf, our treasurer-in-waiting

Announcements:

— We took time to remember club member George Soule who died December 24 at the age of 81. George was a professor of English at Carleton College from 1962-1993. He became a member of Rotary in 1993 and raised the profile of our Youth Exchange Program with his writing skills. We thank him for his service to Rotary and for sharing part of his life’s journey with us.

— President Bierman reported that Judy Brown-Wescott is still recuperating from back surgery, but hopes to be with us on next week.

— Our January 19^th meeting will be held at the Northfield Senior Center at noon. The golf club will be closed for remodeling that week.

— The Y.E.A.R. event on December 29^th was pronounced a “great evening.”

— The Mill Towns Trail project received $1,000 from the Midwest Mountaineering grant program. Thank you to all who voted online.

— Momentum is building for the “To India and Back” winter social Saturday, Feb. 25. Corporate sponsors are in the fold, T-shirts are printed and available for $15 and Patrick O’Neil has committed to emceeing. Apparently Billy Crystal has a previous commitment. Tickets are available at our meetings, online or at the door.

Coming Up:
Jan. 26 —

Thursday, Jan. 5, 2011

Today: Roberto Zayas – Classification, (Rich)

Birthdays: Ingrid Sampo (1/2), Fred Rogers (1/4), Ron Linde (1/5) and Curtis Tiano (1/6)

Next Week: Aishwarya Gokhale, Exchange Student from India – (Abdella).

Last Week:
Lynn Miland will tell you that bullying is learned behavior. She is a parent educator and trainer for PACER, an organization that serves families with children who have disabilities. In 2006, PACER launched a Bullying Prevention Center and now offers free digital resources on the topic.
Bullying is characterized as either physical or emotional abuse, often directed at kids who have trouble defending themselves. Cyber-bullying, using social media to harass or intimidate peers, has become a 21^st century version of bullying behavior.
Between 10 and 15 percent of the youth population has been the victim of bullying at one time or another, Miland said. Children with disabilities are two to three times more likely to fall into that category.

It is a behavior that is under-reported. Miland said 64 percent of bullying victims do not report these incidents. Parents should be on the look out for signs of depression or anxiety in these cases.
There is no one solution to this age-old problem, according to Miland. The task is to create a culture that doesn’t tolerate it. All children need to be taught empathy, respect and compassion. Kids need to learn how to advocate for themselves and, if they witness bullying behavior, they should be assertive in discouraging attacks and providing support for the victims.
Lynn’s daughter, Maggie, a high school student, spoke about her awakening to this issue, watching her older autistic sister navigate the outside world. “It took a toll,” she said.
Maggie was invited to a White House conference on bullying last year and two months ago attended a Peace Conference in Norway, where she learned bullying is a global issue.

Tom Durkin Classification:

Tom’s life breaks down into orderly chapters. He grew up one of six kids in an Irish, German, Italian Wisconsin family. His father was a firefighter, who became involved in union administration and later served as Fire Chief for the city of Madison, Wis.

After graduating from high school, Tom embarked on a three-year odyssey of experiential learning that took him around the world and back again. He returned to Madison to attend the University of Wisconsin, majoring in International Relations and Chinese Studies. He then earned a Masters in Chinese and International Affairs at Columbia University in New York.

Tom met his wife, Megan, at a French restaurant in Madison. They married and moved to Asia for 10 years, their expatriate chapter, while Tom worked for Midwest Imports of Cannon Falls. He eventually was transferred back to company headquarters, and that’s when they moved to Northfield.

He calls this the American Dream chapter. He and Megan raised their three children here, and they thoroughly love Northfield. He calls it a “community with a soul.”

They have a son at Carleton College, a daughter at Colorado State and a daughter in high school. Tom now works for Kaemingk Associations (USA), whose headquarters are on Division Street.

2012-13 Outbound Students

Sixteen Northfield High School students were accepted for the 2012-13 exchange year. They are: Sofie Scheuerman (Argentina), Rachel Crippen (Austria), Avery Nelson (Brasil), Cyrette Saunier (Brasil), Annika Hansen (Brasil), Karrah Nelson (Chile), Abbie Valinski (Colombia), Calina Hall (Czech Republic), Theo Hofrenning (Ecuador), Maggie Miland (France), Erik Berthelson (India), Mats Hansen (Italy), Kiana Asada (Japan), Evan Weselman (Japan), Eduardo Jaramillo (Taiwan) and Connor Rohwer (Taiwan).

This just in…..

Grace McGregor, our outbound in Finland, writes:
   “Being here in Finland, I have three lives; my life in the US, my life in Finland, and my life as an exchange student. It is really only something you can understand if you’ve done it yourself… you actually experience being in someone else’s shoes, which seems to be something not many people get to do. It really is the greatest experience you can have, it opens your mind to how the world can work, and that not everything that works is “right” and not everything that is “right” works.”

Elisha McLaughlin, another outbound in Finland, writes:
“Things have been amazing here. The exchange experience is truly beyond words. I never really believed people when they said it was something you couldn’t understand until you had experienced it for yourself, but it is 100% true. Being here in Finland has pushed me outside of my comfort zone, redefined words like home, friends, family, normal, time, important and so much more, taught me about myself, and allowed me to meet some of the most amazing people in the world (both Finns and other exchange students). I have memories that will last a lifetime and am only four months into my exchange. This has been the best time of my life so far, despite challenges, and I have no doubt I will continue to enjoy my exchange and grow as a person as the year goes on.”

Guests: Ally Thorkelson, Kari Bergeson, and Lawrence Warden (Durkin); Howard Puczko (Puczko); Pablo (Fenton); and Carolyn Pokorney (Pokorney).

Scholarship Enhancement: Richard Maus

Announcements:.

— Aishwa gave a ringing endorsement to the club’s winter social “To India and Back” Saturday, Feb. 25. She said it will be “awesome and authentic.” Tickets are available online or at our regular meetings.

— A Mill Towns Trail project is competing for a $10,000 grant from Midwest Mountaineering. You are encouraged to go online and vote for the Parks and Trails Council project. Every vote counts.

— President Bierman congratulated club member Ivan Imm on being appointed to a seat on the Northfield City Council.

Coming Up:
Jan. 19 — Open Club Meeting (President Bierman)

Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011

Today: Round Table: Anti-Bullying, Lynn and Maggie Miland (Durkin)

Birthdays: Blake Abdella and Vicki Dilley (12/21), Bill Carlson (12/23), Neal Lutsky (12/27) and Kurt Larson

Next Week: Rotary Social in the evening at Northfield High School. No noon meeting.

Last Week:

Turns out our own Steve Wilmot is a regular Don Quixote, dreaming the impossible dream. If we see windmills popping up on Bridge Square, we’ll know his dreams came true.

An architect with SMSQ, he is part of an ad hoc group called the Northfield Roundtable that is attempting to create a vision for how Northfield’s downtown core could develop far into the future. They are taking their lead from a planning group in Holland, Michigan, hometown of Dave VanWylan, another roundtable member.

They’ve developed a framework for planning and some conceptual illustrations of Northfield’s downtown commercial area designed to be a conversation starter. They are looking for synergy, connectivity and imaginative ideas.

Steve said some of the emerging principles underlying their concepts include an east-west connection across TH3, a desire to exploit the river and development of common space.

They’ve already had one brainstorming session attended by some 60 people. Another is being planned for February and you all are invited. For more information go to: www.northfieldroundtable.org.

Paul Harris Fellows: Russ Halverson and Leo Lawlor were recognized as Paul Harris Fellows.

New Members: Paul Reiland and Virginia Lorang were formally accepted into the club. Paul’s sponsor is Ryan Blumhoefer; Virginia’s is Jane Fenton. Welcome.

This just in…..

Grace McGregor, our outbound in Finland, writes:
   “Being here in Finland, I have three lives; my life in the US, my life in Finland, and my life as an exchange student. It is really only something you can understand if you’ve done it yourself… you actually experience being in someone else’s shoes, which seems to be something not many people get to do. It really is the greatest experience you can have, it opens your mind to how the world can work, and that not everything that works is “right” and not everything that is “right” works.”

Elisha McLaughlin, another outbound in Finland, writes:
“Things have been amazing here. The exchange experience is truly beyond words. I never really believed people when they said it was something you couldn’t understand until you had experienced it for yourself, but it is 100% true. Being here in Finland has pushed me outside of my comfort zone, redefined words like home, friends, family, normal, time, important and so much more, taught me about myself, and allowed me to meet some of the most amazing people in the world (both Finns and other exchange students). I have memories that will last a lifetime and am only four months into my exchange. This has been the best time of my life so far, despite challenges, and I have no doubt I will continue to enjoy my exchange and grow as a person as the year goes on.”

Guests: Lucacz (Yogi), Angela Storch (Koenig), Harold Johnson (C. Richardson), Jack Huse (Covey), Bill Johnson (Prowe), Rachel Vanden (Reiland) and Sarah Line (Puczko).

Scholarship Enhancement: Steve Wilmot (Now, we’re paying our speakers?)

Announcements:.

— Rotary is responsible for two weeks of Meals-On-Wheels in January. If you are available the weeks of January 8 and January 15, please see Lynn Pederson.

— Our Y.E.A.R. (Youth Exchange and Reflection) program Thursday, Dec. 29, will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Northfield High School. A variety of cheeses and breads will be on the menu.

— Save the date: “To India and Back,” our bi-annual winter fundraiser will be Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012. Tickets are available for purchase today.

Coming Up:
Jan. 5 – Roberto Zayas – Classification, (Rich)
Jan. 12 – Aishwarya Gokhale, Exchange Student from India – (Abdella).