Recap from the Jan. 30, 2023 Meeting.
Meeting Run by: President Naomi DeWinter
Invocation: Kent Nelson
Guests: Karen Cooney
Membership: 1st Reading- Ryan Streck (MPW)
Thank you to Melanie and the Art Center staff for hosting today’s meeting.
Happy News/Announcements: All Happy News funds go towards our scholarship awards.
Chuck Moody- Chuck gave $2 in honor of Feb. 2, which is Groundhog Day, also known as Woodchuck Day, and happens to be Chuck’s Birthday. Carol Webb- Carol celebrates being 51 years young today. Lindsey Phillips- Lindsey visited Washington DC, last week to advocate for bills related to the wellbeing of children and families. Frank Iliff- Frank and his wife enjoyed an evening at the Manta Rays Euchre Tournament.
Club News:
- January is Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month.
- We would like to welcome Marc Hines to the board following a board vote. We have one board position open. Please contact Naomi if you are interested.
- The Board recommends that the club nominate Sarah Lande for the Guardian of Integrity Award. Motion to nominate Sarah Lande for the Guardian of Integrity award- Mike Ruby, 2nd Carlin Lawhead- Motion carried.
- The Board is collecting ideas for a Rotary Matching grant project. Please submit project ideas to Naomi or any other member of the board for consideration.
- IBAT- Businesses Against Human Trafficking- https://ibat.iowa.gov/ibat-businesses/ Thank you to the businesses that have committed to “Learn Something and Do Something” to help combat human trafficking.
- We have two board positions available. Please see Naomi for more information.
- Follow the Rotary Club of Muscatine’s Facebook page, @MuscatineRotaryClub.
Presentation:
Melanie Alexander- Art Center Director since 2012
The Art Center is a department of the City of Muscatine and receives funding from The City of Muscatine, the Muscatine Art Center Support Foundation Fund with CFGM, The Friends of the Art Center, and other grants. The Art Center is blessed to own many collections, including the Musser Family, Mississippi River, Muscatine History, Historic Toys, and a beautiful Costume Collection. The Art Center welcomed notable visiting exhibitions last year, including the famous Sean Kenny’s Nature Connects Made with LEGO Bricks, Where Children Sleep, and the current exhibition Elephant & Piggie in We are Art! The Art Center schedules exhibitions 3-4 years in advance, offering exhibits that will delight locals and attract visitors to Muscatine. Various programs explore the world of arts for children as young as three, adults, and families. It is unique for a city of 27K to have an accredited Art Center of this size.
The Art Center looks to the future. Through feedback from stakeholders, five areas of focus have been identified. Overall Branding, Diversity and Inclusion, Physical Barriers, Storage and Curation, and Timing.
No recording is available for this meeting.
Upcoming Meetings: February 6- Teaching Self-Care Skills in 2023, February 13- Eagle View Behavioral Health, February 27- Alexander Clark: The Mississippi Valley's Most Important Civil Rights Leader
Welcome to Week 1 of February World Understanding Month and RI’s Peace & Conflict Prevention/Resolution Month.
To fulfill their mission, since 2002, the Rotary Peace Centers have trained more than 1600 fellows from different corners of the world. They are working on peace and development initiatives in more than 140 countries. With the motto “Doing Good in the World,” the Rotary Foundation has planted seeds for an era that is the basis of the world’s leading humanitarian organization, The Rotary Foundation.
The Rotary Foundation Fellowship Awards are divided into two categories to accommodate the most deserving and eligible candidates without ambiguities. The First is the Rotary Scholarships for master’s students. The Second is The Rotary Fellowships for the professional development certificate program. In both programs, the focus remains on peace and development issues. This innovative program merges a strong academic understanding of the roots of conflict with practical tactics for solving real-world problems.
A 2019 graduate of San Diego State University, Honors College, Nancy Nguyen is one of 50 young leaders from around the world who have been awarded a fellowship by the Rotary Foundation. She will be attending the University of Queensland in Australia for the Masters of Peace and Conflict Studies, an 18-month fully-funded program. According to an online Rotary report, Nguyen will be one of 12 Rotary Peace Fellows studying there. Her present role is as a Civic Engagement Community Organizer at the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA) in San Diego. She was recognized as a 2021 Women of Distinction in Youth Empowerment by the San Diego Mayor’s Office. Nancy’s longstanding commitment to peace and international development is reflected in her years of international and local policy, advocacy, civic engagement, and direct-service work.
Ms. Nguyen plans to research peacekeeping effort efforts in Asia as the focus of her Master’s Degree dissertation.