The Rotary Club of Edina will welcome Dirk DeYoung, editor of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, as the program speaker at the Thursday, Sept. 15, meeting. DeYoung will speak about "The Business Journal: Marrying Print & Digital." He will also discuss what the Business Journal reporters are watching in Twin Cities business activity.

 

DeYoung joined the Business Journal in 1995 and has been editor since 1999. He’s also been a managing editor, reporter and research director at the newspaper. Prior to that, he was a reporter for daily newspapers in Mason City, Iowa, and Fergus Falls. He has a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Minnesota. 

 

 

Gala planning is in full swing and we expect a great turnout. Our Silent Auction inventory is low and we need your help. Please contact Susan Johnson at susan@fidelitybankmn.com if you have a Silent Auction item to donate.

 

Also, remember to get your raffle tickets in! Checks and ticket stubs should be returned to Marty Kupper or Mike Opitz.

 

Thank you! See you Oct. 1 in a New York State of Mind!

 

 

Join the Rotary Club of Edina and the Edina Chamber of Commerce for the Walk to End Alzheimer's! The walk is Saturday, Sept. 17, at Target Field in Minneapolis.

 

Walk either a three-mile route to Loring Park, or a one-mile shortcut route through the city. Both routes begin and end at Target Field directly outside of Gate 29. Streets will be closed off for walkers between 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.  After arriving at Target Field, enter at Gates 14, 29 or 34, and visit one of two Check-In Tents to pick up your event wristband and t-shirt coupon (for walkers who have raised $100+ by Walk day). Check out the Target Field Walk Day Map here! Routes are stroller and handicap accessible. Keep in mind, the walk starts immediately following the program, and walkers will not be permitted to begin walking before 9:30 a.m.
 
If you have any questions, contact Rick Carlson at 952-835-5425. You do not need to be a Rotarian or Chamber member to walk with the team!
 
Click here to Register, Volunteer, or Donate. 

 

 

Periodically we feature a newer member of the Rotary Club of Edina in The Barker. The Rotary Club of Edina welcomed John Mazzara as a member in November 2015. John's sponsor to the club was Jim Roberts. Read on to get to know more about John...

 

Name: John Mazzara

 

Classification: Residential Real Estate

 

We also learned at the meeting that John Flynn has been a passionate photographer since the age 8. This explains why he is so good! Ann Platt shared that since retiring from Lifetouch, John has continued to pursue another of his lifelong passions, which is golf. In fact, he has played on major courses worldwide. John introduced our speaker at the meeting, Bill Sullivan.

 

Bill has run Dr. John Najarian’s medical research foundation for the past 32 years. He shared some interesting information with us about organ transplantation. Recipients of donations are determined by medical need as well as proximity to the donor. Money, prestige or race are not qualifying or disqualifying factors in determining who shall receive an organ. A doctor will determine the viability of an organ given for donation, so age of the donor is not a restriction either. The immunological system of the body has to be regulated to accept the organ and not reject it. Today, better training, 3D printing and xenotransplantation are all contributing to a higher success rate.

Scott Neal, the city manager for Edina, talked in his invocation about the topic of waiting for an organ transplant. Later in our speaker’s presentation we learned that Scott’s son, Turner Neal, actually had a heart condition that made him a candidate for a heart transplant when he was 12 years old. After a successful transplant and recovery he has lead a normal life. Turner is the athletic director of the International School in Eden Prairie. As a recipient of an organ transplant, the Neal family can speak first hand to the impactful gift of organ donation.  

Susan Gunderson, CEO of LifeSource (www.life-source.org), spoke throughout the presentation as to the importance of becoming a donor and shared some interesting facts. If you haven’t become a donor yet, you may want to consider it. It is an easy process. We learned that the largest continuous organ donation chain was 67 donations. A chain is where a spouse or relative of a donated organ decides to give an organ of their own—such as a kidney. Another website to visit is http://www.DonateLifeMN.org. The organ donation need is great. Please help expand the awareness and organ availability. In fact 21 people die every day due to a lack of available organs. There is a 96 percent success rate with kidney transplants and an 87 percent success rate with heart transplants. All states are “opt in."  You have to make the effort to indicate you wish to be a donor. Consider doing so while you are healthy and can then share your wishes with your family.

Our speaker leases office space in Edina from fellow Rotarian Ed Bather. During the presentation, Bill promised to explain to Ed through the presentation the actual duties of his job. But, I sat next to Ed at lunch, wherein he told me still doesn’t know! So, it looks like Bill and Ed need to get together for a follow-up discussion.

 

Deirdre Kvale thanked the speaker. President Ann Platt adjourned the meeting.