Learn about upcoming speakers, events, last meeting's presentation, and other club updates.
UPCOMING SPEAKERS
December
15 - Annual Club Christmas Program
January
5 - Natasha Palmegren, Rotary Exchange Student
12 - Lisa Sayles-Adams, ECCS Superintendent
19 - Amy Gallagher, The Firefly Sisterhood
26 - Cory Hepola, CSS Media Plus
UPCOMING EVENTS
NO MEETINGS
12/22
12/29
Happy Holidays to you and yours!!
CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS
Invocation: Joe Roebke
Sheryl Hough reminded us of the holiday auction and smile-a-thon at next week’s Rotary meeting, starting at 7:15 AM on Dec. 15.
Bob Roepke invited participation at a Remembrance service honoring the shooting victims at the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012. It will be held at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 4th and Oak St. in Chaska, on Wednesday Dec. 14 at 9:00 AM. Contact Bob at 612-414-1284 if you have questions.
Neil Wingert asked for donations of spare coats, hats and gloves, for all ages and sizes. Please bring them to our meeting so they can be collected by Carol Benetti and Sarah Carlson and appropriately distributed to those in need.
FINEMASTER + HAPPY DOLLARS
Michelle Kraus led us through a simple and effective fining process known as Heads and Tails. A series of coin flips and individual choices gently led each of us (except for the winner Dan Keyport) to contribute a dollar to the process. Happy Dollars were provided by Lisa Anderson, Erin Kerber and Erika Kennedy.
ROTARY EXCHANGE STUDENT
Natasha recently participated in a Rotary Exchange Student Country Fair. At this event, the Region’s current visiting students provide insights for prospective outgoing students and their parents as requests are made for their desired foreign destinations. Naturally, Natasha was informative and enthusiastic in extolling the benefits of an Exchange assignment to Denmark.
In our meeting today, Natasha filled our imaginations as she recalled the decision, she made earlier in her life to perform a ski jump while blindfolded. The resulting injury left her wiser and with vivid memories.
In case you want to say something in Danish, here are some translations from Natasha:
Hey, my name is ____ = Hej, mit nave er ____.
Red porridge with cream = Rødgrød med fløde (some Danish food).
I live in Brande = Jeg bor i Brande (her city in Denmark).
I’m 18 years old = Jer er 18 år.
Chaska Rotary Club Notes 8 Dec 2022 3
Birthday = fødselsdag.
What time is it? = Hvad er klokken?
Apple = Æble.
PRESENTATION:
Tiffany Kovaleski – Minnesota Medal of Honor Memorial
Following an introduction by her friend and cousin Amanda Bloomgren, Tiffany Kovaleski presented the story of her odyssey to build the Minnesota Medal of Honor Memorial. This ten-year journey was committed to educating and inspiring our youth and future generations with the character virtues and values that our Medal of Honor recipients and veterans leave with us as their legacy. Carved granite stones provide the reminders to future generations: Courage, Integrity, Commitment, Sacrifice, Citizenship and Patriotism.
Located in St. Paul on the mall descending from the Capital Building, the Memorial was combined with a pre-existing sculpture in front of the Veteran Services building off of 12 th St. Tiffany described the challenges she met throughout the long process of site selection, permitting, designing and building the Memorial. But she also professed her personal growth and inspiration resulting from the support and collaboration she received from political and community leaders, military organizations and Medal of Honor recipients.
The existing ‘Promise of Youth’ sculpture represents the youth of our state and is encircled by the new Minnesota Medal of Honor Chaska Rotary Club Notes 8 Dec 2022 4 Memorial. An important educational resource is available to illustrate the relationship between the two sculptures.
“The Medal of Honor Character Development Program (CDP) is a resource designed by teachers to provide students with opportunities to explore the important concepts of courage, commitment, sacrifice, patriotism, integrity and citizenship and how these values can be exemplified in daily life.” “The Medal of Honor Character Development Program is a free resource that teaches students courage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism through extraordinary military and civilian stories, including those of Medal of Honor Recipients themselves. All lessons and teaching resources are flexible enough to be implemented in public, private, charter, homeschool, and extra-curricular settings, and are useful as Social Emotional Learning tools to create a positive and healthy school culture.” (Quoted from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website).
To connect with Tiffany: Email: tiffanykovaleski@gmail.com Phone: 612-227-238
For more background and information about the Memorial:
To learn about the curriculum that has been developed to provide children (K through 12) with the concepts and character traits embodied in the Medal of Honor: https://minnesotamedalofhonormemorial.org/#post-34
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