Shamayne Braman, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Health Partners led us through an insightful discussion on discoverying our biases.
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Congratulations to Jonathan Lindstrom for becoming a Paul Harris Fellow.
The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individual who contribute $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.
Donations to The Rotary Foundation enable Rotarians to implement projects with sustainable, high-impact outcomes in Rotary’s six areas of focus: water and sanitation, maternal and child health, disease prevention and treatment, basic education and literacy, and peace and conflict prevention / resolution throughout the world. 
STRIVE is a program where Rotary Clubs work with a high school for the purpose of motivating students to improve their school performance during their senior year. The major aspect of the program is that it is Student Driven and only facilitated by Rotarians. This program is FUN, INTERACTIVE, and can involve every Rotarian in your club.
STRIVE stands for, "Students Taking Renewed Interest in the Value of Education."
STRIVE was created right here in District 5960 by Rotarian Don Mooney for the White Bear Rotary Club.
Heather Logevin is the new President of the St. Croix Valley Foundation. She discussed the foundation and the Together We Are Stronger Campaign.
We gathered a bit earlier last week for a presentation from Andrew Steele, ELCA for an update on the Reconciliation Center and Clinic project in Juba, South Sedan.
At our last Rotary board meeting, our very own Sally Anderson presented on the challenges of transportation and maintaining mobility and access to services for all people in the community. Community Thread has been on the forefront of trying to address the transportation gap since 1967 and has had success in connecting volunteers to people who need transportation to medical appointments but other transportation needs have gone unmet. We are pleased to grant $1,500 to the Bus Loop Project.
DARTS, a nonprofit organization serving seniors and their families in Dakota County, is currently providing circulator bus routes in 4 communities (South St. Paul; West St. Paul; Lakeville; Hastings). DARTS approached Community Thread about partnering to bring a circulator “loop” to the greater Stillwater community (to be defined as municipalities that choose to support the project). Loop routes are designed around survey results and provide an affordable option for senior and disabled citizens from their residences to a variety of community amenities. Fares range from $2 - $5 for an all-day pass.
DARTS received funding from the Department of Human Services to expand into Washington County as a pilot project. This loop, if funded, would be a one year pilot project, being directed by Community Thread in partnership with DARTS. A loop route costs $25,000 per year to operate and DARTS will direct $10,000 in funding the first year. Community Thread is approaching potential funders to raise $15,000 for a year of service starting Sept. 2018. Our community would need to secure $25,000 in funding for year two for the loop to be continued. Sponsors will be displayed on the outside of the bus and in promotional materials.
DARTS provides the service (the bus and driver). The bus seats 16 people and is handicapped accessible. It makes the loop for 5 hours a day, one day a week. A local community advisory group will recommend changes to the route and the all-day fare that will be charged to the rider. This transportation service offers planned stops on an hourly loop schedule, as well as the flexibility to request a stop nearby. It would be a cost effective way to connect downtown Stillwater to Highway 36 retail options, as well as offer stops at the library, health care facilities, the government center and senior housing complexes. Contact Sally Anderson at Sally@CommunityThreadMN.org for more information.
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Thank you to Rotary District 5960 for awarding this grant of $6,500 that will go toward a project to install toilets at a school in Ghana, Africa. This is an important work that will keep kids healthier and in school. Thank you to Rotarians Bev Driscoll, Shannon Enright, and Scott Mercer for doing the work to make this happen. And thank you to Margie Horning from Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club for presenting the check on behalf of the district.
Contact us or visit us for a meeting!
Stillwater Noon Rotary
P.O. Box 81
Stillwater, MN 55082
OR -- Pick an individual to e-mail from the Club Executives and Directors listed.
Our club's website has a new look! We made some slight changes to the website so that we are in line with Rotary's visual identity guidelines. The changes allow for our website to be truly mobile compatible for visitors to navigate on their phones and tablets. Please have patience as we continue working with and editing the new format.
