Rotary club met Wednesday, January 22, 2020 at noon for lunch with meeting to follow.

Rotary members and guests enjoyed a meal consisting of tater tot casserole, garlic bread, snicker apple fruit salad, and dessert.

The business meeting was “rung” to order by President Bill Frei.

Pastor Laurie K. led everyone in prayer.

In addition to our program guest, we enjoyed the presence of 3 Seniors from high school: Mackenzie Havranek, Chance Blaha, and Callie Frei. Also present was Laura Nelson (mother of the program speaker).

Rotary minute was shared by Dave I.

Dave shared an article about Turbocharging Enthusiasm. When we turbocharge enthusiasm, it transforms into passion. This passion provides the drive and commitment to succeed. Passion = zeal, fiery enthusiasm, or fervor. It drives us forward. It’s a burning desire that creates commitment to a person, project, or to life itself. Every great endeavor has been fueled by passion. The opposite of passion is indifference. A society in which no one cares about their job or country is on the very of collapse. Not all passion is good (Adolf Hitler, Jim Jones, Charles Manson). Very misguided! Instead of reaching the stars, they dove into the depths of hell. We must always make sure the object of our passion is ennobling, not destructive. Passion is not to be confused with obsession. Consider what the alternatives are to a life of passion. Would you rather go to work with a frown, instead of a smile? Would you rather lead an empty life or one filled with purpose? Would you rather delight in or dread the beginning of a new day? Would you rather be a survivor or a success? Passion is always the victor in the battle for success. Think about it!

Song leader, Laurie K. led the group in singing “I’m Looking Over a 4-Leaf Clover” and taught a new Rotary song simply called: “Rotary”

Queen of Hearts ticket drawing winner was Craig K. with ticket #17 but drew the 9 of diamonds!

Sect. /Treas. Report

Had 2 make-ups: Linda S. and Dave I. Pastor Bill’s team had 2 absent today – total absent to date: 6 Pastor Laurie’s team had 1 absent today – total absent to date: 5 Collected $17.00 for Queen of Hearts. Total is up to: $261.00

Scholarship checks went out to last year’s Seniors. Remember we do three scholarships at $500 each.

Program Chair, Amanda B. introduced her guest, Sierra Nelson (and mom Laura).

Sierra is the Charles Mix Cooperative YLC (Youth Leadership Council) representative for South Dakota for 2019-2020.

She shared background information on what Youth Tour and YLC is. Youth Tour is an electrical cooperative sponsored event run by NRECA. Each State sends students from different cooperatives to Washington, DC to learn about the history and basis of our nation’s capital. While on this trip, the SD leaders observed and over viewed applications from each individual to choose who would be the YLC. They are also interviewed and asked some questions about cooperatives and their own life experiences. She was chosen out of 38 youth to represent SD.

Her responsibilities: she was granted a return trip to DC and another trip to New Orleans to attend the NRECA annual meeting. She was given an assignment to write about how Youth Tour had changed her life. On her trip to DC, she learned there are people in the world who are inspiring and who care about her and her goals. She learned it is okay to be herself and have fun. The trip also provided her with many new friendships and support systems. She then presented her speech to a panel of judges and other YLC’s.

She was also tasked with coming up with ideas to help promote the NRECA and our local cooperatives. She was tasked with meeting with her local cooperative CEO and talking about improvements that would help the cooperative appeal to younger members of society. They also talked about what things could be used to help promote Youth Tour in the local schools for youth.

She shared the differences between YLC and Youth Tour. Youth Tour teaches you about the history and foundation of our federal government. The YLC trip taught her about the history of cooperatives specifically and about how they work and function. The purpose of Youth Tour and YLC is not to find leaders to work for cooperatives, but to grow leaders across the whole nation.

She is the second YLC to be chosen from Charles Mix Electric, but the first to be chosen from Wagner. Last year, the YLC from SD was from Mitchell.

Her most memorable moment to DC was when she toured the Holocaust Museum. Another special moment was when the group toured Mt. Vernon. Overall, her experience as a tourist in DC taught her about the origins of our country and how important it is to remember our history and where we come from.

She was able to visit the Capitol having photos taken with Senators and our Congressmen. They spoke with the Senators and were allowed to ask questions. They learned of internship opportunities. They were given a tour by Dusty Johnson, and Mike Rounds gave them passes into Congress so they were able to see the floor and the members as they voted for new bills.

Her second visit to DC was totally different. She learned about the potential jobs she could have in a cooperative and the benefits those jobs entail. She has always wanted to travel the world and experience different cultures.

Her individual goal as South Dakota’s 2019-2020 YLC Representative is to spread awareness and to inspire others to pursue their dreams. Her dream is to become an electrical engineer. She thanked the group for inviting her to Rotary and she answered a few questions.

Next week’s program chair is Craig K. (Jan. 29), and Jerry H. for Feb. 5.

An update on Roger W.’s 1st surgery was shared. All went well and his 2nd surgery will be January 30.

Pastor Laurie K. challenged Rotary members to pray about giving to the local Helping Hands Back Pack program. The program is in its 3rd year and is struggle with private donations. Many children are served through this program and are able to go home with food they may not be able to have without this program. She will bring giving forms next week for those who would like to give. The Rotary Board will meet briefly after the meeting to discuss how the Club can help.

With no other announcements, the meeting was adjourned and we closed in our usual fashion by singing: “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”