This will be my last message as your District Governor, and I want to thank you for all your support and hard work. This was the year we had to rally back from many club changes as the result of COVID-19 and I am grateful for all the effort everyone has made. I know change is not easy and we all had to change when the virus hit us and then we had to endure the change again during recovery and deal with the cautious return, or not, from many members. There is no question that our work as Rotarians changed and will forever be evolving as we move forward.
Serving to Change Lives was a theme that I was excited about and embraced throughout the year. Being a servant leader has been something that I learned from my parents and have tried to model for my kids. As a teammate, coach, teacher, leader, mentor—I have always felt the most joy in helping others achieve success, because of my support.
This year, I established four simple goals; 1) To educate and inspire, 2) To encourage impacts in seven focus areas: locally, statewide, internationally, 3) To value motto; Service Above Self and 4) To reflect on Four Way Test. I hope you all as individual Rotarians and District 5710 Clubs have gained in knowledge, personal experience, and Rotary pride as we reach the end of our 2021-22 year.
My work as a District Governor will soon be over, but my work as a Rotarian will never end. I plan to stay active at the local, district and even international level with my service. My work at the community foundation compliments my efforts in Rotary very well. My experience at the district level compels me to help those following me as much as I can for the benefit of us all. And I have a deep connection to the Cap Haitian Haiti area in service, ministry, food, and water efforts that will keep involved there for several more years. In fact, I have agreed to return to the Emmaus University of Haiti board once my term as District Governor concludes.
I have shared with many of you that my personal mission statement is To Make a Difference in Someone Life Every Day. I hope in some small way in the 365 days of my year as District Governor that I have been able to have influence for the benefit of our District Rotarians. Thank you all for all your support this year and I look forward to Serving to Change Lives with all of you in the years ahead. Blessings to you all.
With 2 more Wild Polio Cases reported in the last few weeks in the difficult to reach parts of Pakistan, as shown in this week’s “Countdown to History”, our continued support of Polio Plus remains a critical need. With only a few weeks left this Rotary Year, our District is very close to completing another amazing record year of donations in support of Rotary’s #1 priority, working to END POLIO NOW!
A number of our clubs still have time to meet, and hopefully exceed their Polio Plus Goal for 2021-2022, by encouraging as many members as possible to become Charter Members of the District’s newly created member’s donation opportunity:
NOW IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME A CHARTER MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY BY COMPLETING THE PLEDGE LETTER (CLICK HERE FOR THE PLEDGE LETTER), SENDING IT IN, MAKING YOUR FIRST $100 DONATION BEFORE THIS ROTARY YEAR ENDS, & SET UP FUTURE YEARS BY SCHEDULING YOUR ANNUAL DONATION ON ROTARY DIRECT!
And “We are…This Close” as shown in our “Countdown to History”
HAS YOUR CLUB MET ITS DONATION GOAL?
STILL NEEDING IDEAS FOR YOUR POLIO PLUS FUNDRAISER?
Call or email me for ideas or help: Jim Arnett, Polio Plus District Chair
In May we met with the PETS 2022 Committee to discuss the survey feedback from attendees. Survey respondents found the PETS 2022 content and weekend valuable—and fun! As we plan for PETS 2023-Salina, we aim to design and implement another purposeful PETS opportunity.
District 5710 Annual Team Training will be on August 20th in Lawrence at the Cider Gallery from 8:30-1:00. All District Rotarians are welcome to attend. Jason Camis has had the lead on this successful annual event. We will now be the leads for this as Jason provides his knowledge and enthusiasm and guides us through the transition. This one-day session will offer speakers, open discussion, and a catered brunch complemented by your favorite brunch beverage! Look here next month for details.
Remember that District 5710 has been awarded 30 Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) scholarships. The KLC Leadership Path will change the way you manage yourself and others in both your professional and personal lives. You will meet participants who represent various professions and who are interested in changing how to manage self and others. (Rotarians are not the sole participants.) Check out the various dates and the virtual and/or in- person sessions on the attached flyer. Apply now so you can secure enrollment in one of the sessions.
District 5710 has been awarded 30 grants to participate in the programs of the Kansas Leadership Center. The Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) is a non-profit organization committed to fostering leadership for stronger, healthier and more prosperous Kansas communities.
The KLC offers three programs that build on each other:
•Your Leadership Edge is the introductory program that focuses on personal leadership competencies. It helps participants stretch and grow their leadership while addressing their toughest challenges.
•Lead for Changeis the advanced, deep dive into individual leadership – helping leaders understand how to mobilize others to deal with tough problems and change processes.
•Equip to Lead focuses on communications, integrating leadership principles into the organization, and facilitating real change.
These programs range from $399 to $799 in value. The grant allows Rotarians to attend for free.
Who Should Attend?
Each club should consider sending up and coming leaders from their club and community. The virtual sessions are ideal for clubs in western Kansas. Leaders who have done the first program should consider the second and third programs.
How To Register
To Sign Up for one of the three programs, we ask that you do two things:
1. Visit the KLC website at: www.kansasleadershipcenter.org. Create a personal account and register using the code Rotary2022 to waive the tuition fee.
2. Notify District 5710’s Trainers, Ellen Bogdan and DeEtte Lombard, of your interest in order that we might track Rotarians who are taking advantage of this grant. Our contact data is:
We are hiring a Resource Liaison for our Intersection to Care Global Grant. Please share this position description with anyone who might be qualified and interested. The position is located in Topeka. Contact Patti Mellard @ patti@keystaffing.com for more information.
Intersection to Care Resource Liaison
The primary function of the Resource Liaison (RL) is to provide women leaving incarceration with the resources and skills to reintegrate into the community and obtain meaningful employment. RL will be responsible for evaluating and meeting with women, pre-release, to coordinate and provide direct resources, referral to community assistance, and reintegration services for women being housed in the Shawnee County Adult Detention Center (SCADC), thereby increasing their opportunity to become productive members of the community and reducing recidivism.
Use trauma-informed and victim-centered practices to create relationships of trust with incarcerated women (clients).
Coordinate care for clients leaving incarceration. Collaborate with local organizations to set up access to services, including housing, food, clothing, mental/physical health care, substance misuse treatment, transportation, training and education or other services as needed.
Post incarceration, follow-up with clients /mentors–weekly or daily as needed. Follow-up monthly once client has reached stabilization.
Track services, supplies and volunteers for program, and report monthly to Rotary ITC Committee. Ensure complete documentation of all client services provided.
Job Requirements
Current licensed master’s level clinician required (LMSW, LSCSW, etc.).
Three (3) years employment as a victim advocate preferred.
The District End Human Trafficking Committee welcomes you to join us!
This spring the Rotary International Board passed a resolution encouraging all Rotarians to oppose the growing problem of modern-day slavery. In support of this resolution, we encourage every club to assign an End Human Trafficking Chair to coordinate education and projects combatting human trafficking. The club End Human Trafficking Chair (or his/her representative) should attend the monthly District Committee meeting to learn what projects, grants, education, and advocacy is happening across the District and bring this information back to your club. Please send your club’s EHT Chair name and contact information to Patti Mellard @ patti@keystaffing.com.
Beginning June 22, we will be meeting monthly on the 4th Wednesday of the month at 8:00 am. Lucy Bloom, Leawood Rotary Club, is the incoming End HT Chair for District 5710. Lucy may be contacted at lucy@veronicasvoice.org. Please plan to join us on June 22 at 8 am and help us plan our activities for the new Rotary year!
Topeka High Interact Club supports End Human Trafficking!
Topeka High Interact raised $2000 at their annual TK5K Charity run/walk on April 30th. This year Interact donated the funds raised to the YWCA's Day Center for sexually exploited/trafficked women. Representatives from Interact attended the Topeka South Rotary meeting and presented the check to Rotarian Kathleen Marker, CEO, YWCA.
Pictured from left to right—Interact advisor Murray Moore, Interact member Abigal Price, Kathleen Marker & Interact President Keely Rogers.
From Steven Graham - "I was recently pleasantly surprised to receive an email from Laura (Jones) Deitz, who was a past Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar who studied in Leeds in the UK in 2007-2008. I don’t know what prompted her to find a very old email of mine and to respond but she did. And, what a story of impact and change to a life her story tells of the Rotary scholarship in her life. Laura is also willing to present to club's virtually."
At the time of my scholarship, I had graduated with an MBA from Kansas State University and spent 9 months working in Washington, DC, for the US Agency for International Development. In 2007-2008, I studied the European Union and Development Studies at the University of Leeds in the UK, giving me practical insight into policy and implementation of development programs globally. As many charities were not hiring during the economic crisis of 2008, I started my career with Deloitte in Management consulting in London upon graduation.
While professionally I’ve remained employed in financial services, over the last 15 years, I have taken on significant voluntary roles, partnering on projects with the World Bank Group, IRC, and other NGOs. I’ve organized microlending programs in South-East Asia and emergency disaster response in the Balkans. For the last 6 years, I’ve been on the Board of Carry the Future , a US Public charity that runs refugee response and community infrastructure in 12 countries throughout the world. In 2017, I led a team of former staff from the White House and several presidential management fellows on a 10-day trip in South-East Europe, visiting Carry the Future program sites and partners.
In August 2021, I became involved in the evacuation and resettlement of at-risk Afghans, including women, children, and other vulnerable groups. I co-founded Task Force Nyx which to date has provided humanitarian support to over 215 at-risk Afghans, including resettling 35 individuals in Canada, the United States and Brazil. Task Force Nyx is a member of the Afghan Evac Coalition, a group of 180 NGOs who have been collaborating with the US State Department on resettling Afghans with an existing pathway to the United States. I have attached a copy of Task Force Nyx’s recent donor report which highlights the stories of many of the families we have supported and will continue to support on their journey to safety.
More recently, I helped organize the Ukraine NGO Coordination Network (UNCN) based on lessons learned from the crisis in Afghanistan. I’ve focused extensively on supporting fundraising for local Ukrainian NGOs who are providing food, water, healthcare, and other essential items of aid for communities severely impacted by the war.
On a personal note, I am married and a mother of four beautiful daughters: Lily, Keira, Maya and Alya. My eldest Lily is profoundly Autistic and I currently serve as Chair of Governors for her specialist school that supports children with complex learning and communication difficulties.
The opportunity to pursue my dreams and learn more about the field of development studies was life-changing. My perspectives and assumptions were challenged and my understanding of effective interventions to tackle poverty, economic inequality and social injustice were significantly expanded. As a result of my studies, I have focused extensively on partnering with local, grassroots organizations who have the expertise, but also the ability to quickly adapt and respond to emerging needs. I am eternally grateful to Rotary and the generosity of Rotarians for providing me this wonderful opportunity. I hope that my life continues to abide by the Rotary ideals and values of service.
Please let me know if it would be possible for me to provide a more detailed update to the Manhattan club. Please also feel free to pass along this update to other clubs in the district. I would be more than happy and willing to express my personal appreciation and gratitude directly to them as well.
When the RI Board of Directors announced on May 23rd that Rotary Youth Exchange may resume effectively immediately after a two-year pandemic hiatus, District 5710 RYE was ready to go. The district RYE committee has been working for months to be ready to immediately move forward when the long-anticipated announcement was made.
Rotary districts administer the Youth Exchange program in collaboration with local Rotary clubs. Unlike many exchange programs, Rotary Youth Exchange is managed by Rotary volunteers, resulting in relatively low administrative costs and a strong support network of engaged Rotarians. Rotary’s youth protection policies and district Youth Exchange certification program ensure that the safety of our youth is the highest priority.
District 5710 will be sending six students out and bringing eight students in for the school year starting in August this year. The outbound class includes five girls and one boy. Inbounds are split evenly with four girls and four boys.
Thanks to these clubs for sponsoring students:
Atchison – Two outbound students, to Italy and Belgium, and one inbound from Denmark.
Bonner Springs – One outbound to Korea, and one inbound from Italy.
Council Grove – One outbound to Italy and one inbound from Korea.
De Soto – One outbound student to Ecuador and one inbound from Italy.
Lenexa – One outbound to Chile and one inbound from Chile.
Overland Park – One inbound from Ecuador.
Overland Park South – One inbound from Germany.
The cycle starts over every year, and we will start recruiting outbound candidates in August 2022 for the 23-24 school year. For more information on how your club can get involved contact District Chair Stephen Wheatley at wheatleydc@sbcglobal.net.
With the return of youth exchange students to District 5710 comes the need to remind everyone of Rotary's position on the protection of these students. Host families and students will be involved in training regarding the prevention of harassment when students arrive. District 5710 has maintained a stellar record in protecting exchange students from physical and emotional abuse. Since exchange students are involved in school and community activities where we cannot fully protect them in all situations, we depend on families, club members, and the students themselves to regulate their behavior whether in person or online. If any District club would like more information regarding youth protection in our ongoing efforts to prevent this pervasive problem in our society, please contact Harold Frye, District 5710 Youth Protection Officer, at hfrye@bakeru.edu.
The Burlington Rotary Club welcomed Heath Higbie as a new member. He is working in the Burlington Farm Bureau Financial Services office as a sales associate. He has worked 30 years for Farm Bureau.
On May 12, President Brenda Klubek formally inducted Higbie and J.J. Edwards, who is also a new member. (pictured)
The Burlington Rotary Club presented two $500 scholarships to Burlington High School graduates Paige Dittrich and Makena Klubek. Both recipients attended a Rotary Club meeting and talked about their future plans. Dittrich plans to attend Kansas State University to pursue a degree in industrial engineering. Klubek plans to attend the University of Kansas to pursue a degree in any biological or health science major that will help her pursue a career as a dentist.
Jessica Rossillon presented a program about The Meadows, an independent living and assisted living facility in Burlington and how COVID-19 impacted the facility.
Burlington Rotarian Eric Smith, who serves as State Representative in the 76th District, spoke to members May 19 about highlights of the 2022 legislative session, including redistricting and a reduction in the state food tax.
Doug Feldhausen, Commander of Congdon Kepler American Legion Post 38 in Burlington, spoke at the May 26 meeting about the history of the remembrance poppy. The poem, “In Flanders Field,” written by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae during World War I, referred to red poppies growing over the graves of fallen soldiers. Since about 1920, the red poppy has been used to remember soldiers who died in war while raising funds to benefit veterans and military. Feldhausen also highlighted efforts underway to make the Burlington post active, again.
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran sent correspondence congratulating the Burlington Rotary Club on celebrating its 85th anniversary in April.
Burlington Rotarians decided to sell advance tickets as a fundraiser for a circus coming to Burlington in September. The club also committed to having a carnival booth and volunteering a minimum of eight man-hours to help with a Fall Festival and barbecue competition being held in conjunction with the circus.
On Saturday, May 7th Rotarians from Manhattan Rotary, Konza Rotary Club and CAAHT Rotary worked on a service project in Manhattan, KS at Homestead, a long-term residence for survivors of human trafficking. Around 20 Rotarians assisted in painting, gardening, fixing a new grill, landscaping, cleaning gutters, and beautifying the Homestead area. The project took two conference calls, a visit to the site to lay out the plan of work, three district grants totaling approximately $2,700 (without the club matches), and the recruiting of volunteers for sweat equity.
Homestead Ministries provides a faith-based approach and healing for adult women who are survivors of sex trafficking. Each year, approximately 300 applicants apply for a spot in a Manhattan or Salina residential facility. Individuals have to be ready and able for a life change and are provided a network including mental, physical, social, and spiritual care. Seventy-five Homesteaders have participated in the program over the last ten years.
It was wonderful to meet up with everyone and do good in the community. Our commitment to combatting human trafficking has many layers from education, awareness, and prevention to reintegration of survivors into the community. We are grateful to Deb Klutz, executive director of Homestead and her team for their dedication to providing a stable home for survivors and for developing a program for a positive future. Club Presidents Robbin Cole, Richard Sell and Usha Reddi pictured bottom right.
The GEHS Interact club has been flourishing recently! Membership has increased, and they are helping the Gardner Rotary Club with many service projects; Harvesters Food Distribution (even in the rain), Sleep in Heavenly Peace Bed Build and Joy Closet volunteers. This great group of students are even planning on meeting throughout the summer break. What a great group of leaders giving back to their community!
The past few weeks this Spring, the Kansas City, Kansas Rotary Club had been busy with a focus on education. And, for the first time in more than two years, we were able to welcome local high school students and educators in person!
As part of its annual Student Scholarship Competition, the Club hosted outstanding high school students from Wyandotte County schools. One female and one male student from each school were nominated by their respective school’s staffs to compete for $1,500 college scholarships. All the students exemplify the highest academic, service and character standards in our community. We can all be proud of these Wyandotte County students, and we are excited about their bright futures.
Pictured below are the students who competed for a scholarship from The Kansas City, Kansas Rotary Presidents’ Foundation.
Pictured from left to right: JaKayla Brown (Sumner Academy), Alexis Gerber (Piper High School), Jazmin Romo (Bonner Springs High School), Luna Marin-Rodriguez (Wyandotte High School), and Asma Haji (J.C. Harmon High School)
Pictured from left to right: Emmanuel Madrid (J.C. Harmon High School), Luis Aguilera-Fernandez (Wyandotte High School), Alexis Corral (Sumner Academy), Langston Bassett (Piper High School), and John Barger (Bonner Springs High School)
Education Day at Rotary Club of Leavenworth... Recently, five Rotary scholarships were awarded to students in our community. Pictured left to right are Rotary Club Scholarship Chair, Tamara Sevcik, Justin Johnston (Pleasant Ridge HS, $2000), Kylar Jaccard (Lansing HS, $1000), Mallory Price (Leavenworth HS, $2000), Khushi Patel (Lansing HS, $2000), Tristan Simpson (Leavenworth HS, $1000) and Rotary Club President, Shari Hansen. Big congratulations go out to these student scholars! Rotary Scholarship Committee members were Ellen Bogdan, Dawn Weston, Timothy Moran, Brian Wepking, Marcia Irvine, Patrick Proctor, Gwyneth Hawk, Steve Wiegers, Larry Turgeon and Tiffany Andrews.
Educators of the Year were also recognized with our Rotary Student Scholars. Pictured left to right are Rotary Educator of the Year Chair, Tamara Sevcik, Kathleen Edwards (Secondary Educator of the Year); Edwards is an adaptive special education teacher at Leavenworth HS, Melani Braun (Primary Educator of the Year); Braun is a 3d-grade teacher at Henry Leavenworth Elementary School, and Rotary Club President, Shari Hansen. Congrats to these fine educators who are making a difference with our students!
Success at our bi-annual OTC Med Drive!
Members of the Leavenworth Rotary Club and the Lansing Lions Club partnered to collect over-the-counter medicines at Dillon’s for Saint Vincent Clinic. Venture Crew 2165 assisted in the collection as well.
Saint Vincent Clinic is the only community health clinic in Leavenworth County that provides primary care services for low income, uninsured patients. For more information about the clinic, you can visit saintvincentclinic.org.
Since 2013, the Lansing Lions and Leavenworth Rotarians have collected over $48,000 in supplies and over $9,000 in cash during this semi-annual drive for St. Vincent's Clinic.
Thanks to all who worked this service project and many thanks to our community for your generous donations.
Rotary Club of Leavenworth Hosts Non-Perishable Food Drive
Recently, members of our Club worked at Dillon’s Grocery Store in an effort to fill the shelves at the Catholic Charities Food Pantry. Members of our community donated over 1900 pounds of non-perishable food items and approximately $900.00 in cash. Many thanks to all who worked and supported this semi-annual service project! Pictured below President Shari Hansen receives a donation from one of our junior community members. Senior Manager, Family Support Center, Catholic Charities, is excited to be working with past President Rick Hansen.
Rotary Park Clean Up started this month; trash gathered up, flowers planted and weeding accomplished; thanks to all who showed up to keep our community beautiful!
Additional Information from Rotary Club of Leavenworth -
We were happy to welcome member transfers Robert Boyd (from Manhattan Konza) and Chris Pierce (from Fallon, Nevada).
Upcoming:
Presidential Passing of the Gavel/Installation of New Board: 6 July 2022
District Governor Visit & 100 percent Attendance Day: 13 July 2022
The club continued it's tradition of excellent programs:
May 5-Gabriella Radina, Impact of Artificial Lighting and Control on Patient Outcomes in Behavioral Health Settings
May 12-Andy Hutchinson, Konza Rotary Water Matters
May 19-Deb Klutz, Homestead Ministries Peace Fellowship.
May 26-Julie Mulvihill, Humanities Kansas 50th Anniversary
A book was donated each week to a different elementary school in Manhattan in each speaker's honor.
The club donated weekly cup money to RYLA and the K-State Rotaract Club.
Club members joined district grant funds together with the Konza Rotary Club and the CAAHT e-club to do work around the Homestead house. They also donated household items for the Homestead as a part of the club meeting where they heard from the director of the Homestead.
Four Manhattan High School students were chosen to attend RYLA.
The K-State Men's Baseball coach gave the club a tour of the K-State Men's Baseball Stadium. The club gathered for a social event afterwards.
The club passed out water and cheered runners along at the Bill Snyder 5k and Half Marathon.
On a beautiful Sunday May 15th Konza Rotarians gathered along with family members to paint a US Map at one of the local elementary schools. This was truly a fun project that took about 12 of us to complete in 3 hours and 45 minutes. With one of our RI Grants, we were able to purchase the stencil outline along with the paint and tools to complete the project. A Rotary Wheel (which is on order) will be prominently painted next to the map. We are planning to do two of these each year. Even better YOUR club can do this too as we are more than happy to assist.
Ottawa Rotary this week inducted Jessica Flory, who is the daughter of John Coen, a longtime Rotarian. Ottawa Rotary hasn't ever had a father-daughter pair of members before, so we celebrated in style! Jessica is with the Frontier District Extension Office and John is the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce Director. May also is the month the Ottawa Rotary Scholarship is awarded to a deserving Ottawa High School student. This year's recipient is Alexis "Lexi" Jones and Ottawa President Wynndee Lee presented the scholarship at the Ottawa High School Honors & Scholarship Event. Lexi is receiving $1500 towards her anticipated education degree at Kansas State University. Ottawa is also inducting Betty Birzer, Real Estate Broker, in May. Betty is a well-known "do-gooder" in Ottawa so we are thrilled with her joining our club as well.
The Interact Club at Shawnee Mission South High School just wrapped up a successful school year. Under the direction of Sponsor Travis Gatewood these student leaders organize two big community service events each semester as well as ongoing smaller projects. The 40 student members have formed partnerships with local service groups such as Wayside Waifs to provide community service. One of their goals is to implement an ongoing environmental cleanup throughout the community. They recently spent an afternoon picking up litter from their school’s environmental lab. The Overland Park Rotary Club is proud to support these students as they put service above self.
The Overland Park South Rotary Club held its annual Crawfish Festival on May 14 to benefit reStart, an organization dedicated to the support of homeless individuals and families in the Kansas City region. One thousand pounds of Louisana crawfish took the dive into the boilers that day and, along with another one thousand pounds of pulled pork, red beans and rice, corn on the cob, and beignets fresh from the cooker, a check was presented to reStart for $33,000. Numerous donors and suppliers provided their part in the proceeds and all who attended enjoyed hearing and dancing to the live Zydeco band.
Overland Park South Rotary Club, through its members, provides support for multiple charities. One such charity is Band of Angels, an organization that works to provide young musicians the necessary instruments and summer music camps they would otherwise not experience. BoA annually hosts a fundraiser, "Art that Blows," in which musical instruments are used to create artistic renderings then auctioned.
OP South club members recently toured a charity located in south Johnson County that provides services to victims of PTSD both as veterans and first responders. All costs for a 5-day experience are covered for this important initiative. In addition to room and board and daily experiences with horses, War Horses for Veterans provides valuable mental health professionals support. More information can be found at www.warhorsesforveterans.org.
Overland Park South Rotary Club charters two Cub Scout packs in south Johnson County. Both packs are active and total more than 100 youth. Pack leadership includes adults trained for their positions by BSA Scouting. The Rotary ideals expressed in the 4-Way Test align very well with those of the Scouting program.
Shawnee Mission Rotary meets in person at Milburn Country Club on the second and fourth Wednesday at twelve noon. We have lunch followed by a guest speaker. Cost is $10 including lunch. Please email Roger Beason at revbeason@gmail.com if you are coming as a guest.
We are hiring a Resource Liaison for our Intersection to Care Global Grant. Please share this position description with anyone who might be qualified and interested. The position is located in Topeka. Contact Patti Mellard @ 
Topeka High Interact Club supports End Human Trafficking!
At the time of my scholarship, I had graduated with an MBA from Kansas State University and spent 9 months working in Washington, DC, for the US Agency for International Development. In 2007-2008, I studied the European Union and Development Studies at the University of Leeds in the UK, giving me practical insight into policy and implementation of development programs globally. As many charities were not hiring during the economic crisis of 2008, I started my career with Deloitte in Management consulting in London upon graduation.
Pictured from left to right: Emmanuel Madrid (J.C. Harmon High School), Luis Aguilera-Fernandez (Wyandotte High School), Alexis Corral (Sumner Academy), Langston Bassett (Piper High School), and John Barger (Bonner Springs High School)
Educators of the Year were also recognized with our Rotary Student Scholars. Pictured left to right are Rotary Educator of the Year Chair, Tamara Sevcik, Kathleen Edwards (Secondary Educator of the Year); Edwards is an adaptive special education teacher at Leavenworth HS, Melani Braun (Primary Educator of the Year); Braun is a 3d-grade teacher at Henry Leavenworth Elementary School, and Rotary Club President, Shari Hansen. Congrats to these fine educators who are making a difference with our students!
The club continued it's tradition of excellent programs:
Overland Park South Rotary Club, through its members, provides support for multiple charities. One such charity is Band of Angels, an organization that works to provide young musicians the necessary instruments and summer music camps they would otherwise not experience. BoA annually hosts a fundraiser, "Art that Blows," in which musical instruments are used to create artistic renderings then auctioned. 
Shawnee Mission Rotary meets in person at Milburn Country Club on the second and fourth Wednesday at twelve noon. We have lunch followed by a guest speaker. Cost is $10 including lunch. Please email Roger Beason at 
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