X

Wagner Rotarians met on Wednesday, May 24th and enjoyed a shrimp meal provided by Valley Pump. There were no guests and Rotarian/Pastor Bill Heerman gave thanks for our beautiful spring day and the opportunity to come together.

Song leader Gerrit Juffer was in attendance and led the Rotary in singing “VivaLa Rotary” with his Bluetooth accompaniment.

Membership Minute Chairman Ken Cotton gave information on the Rotary Wheel Emblem that is portrayed on all Rotary Club Banners, District Banners, and all Rotary memorabilia.

Sergeant at Arms Jordan Weber was busy writing as soon as he got to his table. Fines were: $5 to Jeff Doom for the price of a piece of plywood; $2 to Jamie Soukup for missing Rotary for the Kindergarten graduation of his daughter; $3 to Bill Frei for the saying on his T Shirt and another $2 for harassment of the Sergeant’s hair; $5 to Jeff Doom for using Rotary meetings for his Book Club interests; $2 to Joe Stedronsky for being involved in the book club; $2 to Becky Brunsing for being tardy; $2 to Amanda for trying to sell Joes’ book; $2 to Rachel Woods for acknowledging the song leader. A Happy Fine of $2 came from Amanda Bechen who was happy that she was included in a birthday party and another $2 from Rachel Woods who has a new family puppy.

Rotarian Jeff Doom had the lucky ticket number but drew an Ace of Spades and received a lottery ticket which are almost always losers.

Secretary Craig Krsnak reported the Queen of Hearts drawing to be at $54.00 and that the attendance teams of Weber and Soukup are at a draw. The teams both have eight losses.

The program was given by Rotarian Bill Heerman who had brought Tanya Urquieta of Armour, South Dakota back for an update on her work in Douglas and Charles Mix counties. Tanya had visited the club last fall when she first began working in the area. She is an Armour South Dakota native who spent her career in government foreign service and came back to South Dakota to retire. She had all the credentials that the Lutheran Social Services were looking for and she became their resource network coordinator for older adults.

The purpose of the program is to help people ages 65 and older improve their quality of life wherever they live. Aging in rural communities presents unique challenges for maintaining independence, accessing healthcare with transportation, and obtaining food security. Many older adults do not have a computer, or even have access to a computer. So much of our technical world today involves using a computer to access services and information.

The program focuses on five areas: transportation, food security, social isolation, healthcare navigation/ referrals, and safe housing.

LSS makes needed referrals to services and assists people in identifying potential solutions to the lack of food, health care, and transportation. Qualifying Individuals HAVE FREE ACCESS TO Lutheran Social Services Behavioral Health Services and financial resources.

They can coordinate unique educational sessions by simply having coffee and cookie sessions and giving materials to interested individuals in the community. Then they can assist those who identify their needs and find access to the services they can benefit from.

Tanya can make home visits to help identify an older persons’ needs, set up a meeting for the individual to find out more about Lutheran Social Services, do an assessment to determine needs, and help the older adult/family enroll. There are no charges for a home visit or any obligation to participate in services.

There are a great number of resources available to older adults who simply just need someone to help them navigate their decisions and obtain the necessary services. The funding source for this program comes from an anonymous private foundation. LSS operates under this grant and is the manager of the foundation.

It is an initiative of a three-year project to improve the quality of life and allow older adults to age in their homes. It is open to all individuals regardless of church affiliation. They presently have sixty-six adults enrolled. There are 197 services that have been provided since last fall. Food security is a large issue due to the inflation everyone has noticed.

Most users are simply unaware of the help that is available to them, they don’t know where to go, and they cannot determine which agency to go to for help. Their assessments have shown that there is a transportation gap in Wagner, and there was a large need for help with energy assistance due to our severe winter.

This was a very interesting program, and you are urged to contact Tanya Urquieta if you have any concerns about fuel assistance, medical appointment transportation, food assistance, technical assistance if you do not have a computer, etc. Her address is PO Box 220, Armour, SD, 57313 Phone:832-525-8699 or 605-444-7540. There is more information at OARN.Lss.SD.org. This is for Douglas and Charles Mix residents.