In Review ...

A full house of Edina Rotarians and guests gathered together in friendship and purpose to congratulate President Jennifer Bennerotte on this next-to-the-last meeting she will be leading, to be privileged to hear our guest speaker, to be brought up to date on what’s happening in our Club and to share valuable time with our friends.  

President Jennifer was again the recipient of her customary applause from our membership as she brought our meeting to order at 12:35 p.m. She thanked greeters Patti Solheim and Ron Erhardt; front desk, Deirdre Kvale and Jen Garske; invocation, Scott Neal; guest introductions, Mary Swendsen; speaker introduction, Heather Hansen; and thank-you to speaker, Tom Ries.

Jennifer focused her opening comments by stating next week she would be acknowledging the contributions to our club by our current board members and officers but that Community Service—Local Projects Director Mary Swendsen would be unable to attend next week. In her always thoughtful way, she recognized and thanked Mary for her leadership in so many ways, including the new literacy program for third-graders. Mary followed by thanking all of her committee members for their outstanding service and support.

Scott Neal delivered a most creative invocation, at the same time lamenting and extolling the extraordinary frustration and importance of road construction in our community, while offering a modified and timely version of St. Francis of Assisi’s "Serenity Prayer" that applied so well to our modern day experience with traffic and road construction.

Following Scott’s invocation our guests and Rotarians alike were amazed to see a walking/talking version of the statue of liberty and a reincarnated Yogi Berra walk through our dining room. These clever characters (Fundraiser co-chairs Leann Stessman and Sam Thompson) threw baseballs to the audience while "New York, New York" was playing loudly and raising our spirits! Leann reminded us that the annual Fundraiser will be taking place this year on Oct. 1 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bloomington—SAVE THE DATE! Sam recited a dozen or more “Yogi-isms,” including a reminder that Yogi said he never said most of the words he said. As he continued quoting Yogi, it seemed to this writer like deja vu all over again.

Jim Ryman represented the Community Service—Local Funding committee in presenting Cornerstone Advocacy Services with a grant to purchase a work station and printer for their client’s use. He proudly stated that our club this year has donated some $50,000 to 13 different organizations. 

 

Chanhassen Rotarian Tim Mulcrone, Polio Eradication Chair for District 5950, reported that globally, last year there were only reported 17 cases of polio in two countries. He was here to present an award to Tom McNellis for his generous gift to The Rotary Foundation for polio eradication in honor of Tom’s brother, Jerry, a childhood victim of polio who died this past year.  

Once again our club was honored to induct a new member—Andrea Thompson Miller. She was sponsored by Josh Sprague and inducted by Past President Steve Slyce. Andrea’s classification is Employer Consulting. Welcome, Andrea!We look forward to getting to know you in the years ahead. 

At precisely 1 p.m., Heather Hansen stepped to the podium to offer a heartfelt and informative introduction of our special guest speaker, Sister Mary Madonna Ashton. Her introduction was so good and complete that Sister Mary Madonna quipped that she probably wouldn’t have to say anything beyond what’s already been said about her!!!!!

We were the recipients of hearing about one of the nicest success stories that had more “forks in the road” for our speaker than most of us ever encountered or could ever imagine encountering. She referred several time to the fact that “God writes straight with crooked lines,” and how trusting in God has guided her path through life in such a special way, time and time again. She said it isn’t easy to “let go and let God,” but that when we trust in Him and turn the outcome over to Him, things have a way of working out. A child growing up in an Episcopalian family, “forks in the road” brought her to a Catholic high school, later to the College of St. Catherine, becoming a nun, later obtaining an MHA from the U of M and MSW from St. Louis University.   

Among Sister Mary Madonna’s many accomplishments include serving as president and CEO of St. Mary’s Hospital in Minneapolis. She was appointed by Gov. Rudy Perpich as Minnesota Commissioner of Health, from 1983–1991. After that experience she joined the Sisters of St. Joseph to establish what is now St. Mary’s Health Clinics, located throughout the Twin Cities, serving those who have nowhere else to turn for medical care.  

Sister Mary Madonna, now 92, is the oldest living recipient to be honored as a National Women’s History Month Honoree. She received this prestigious national award March 19, 2016, in Washington, D.C., joining the ranks of such previous recipients as Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Dorothy Day, Eleanor Roosevelt and a host of others.

After a remarkably inspirational talk, at 1:25 p.m. Tom Ries thanked our speaker with his usual aplomb, and Jennifer reminded us to go about our days being a "Gift to the World!" The meeting adjourned with all of us being better for having attended!