The October 5 meeting opened with a welcome problem – there were so many in attendance in the Anderson Room that we ran out of chairs! All Rotarians are invited to come to meetings and make this a regular occurrence.
Tom Strode started us off with God Bless America. Barbara Neiss-May read an essay entitled Hope Is A Discipline, reminding us that hope sometimes has to be sustained with action. Downs Herold led us in two acapella rounds of Smile, Sing a Song. Even with the second round festooned with smiles, the singing would be better with a piano! President Mark greeted the many guests and thanked the people who make the meetings run smoothly, and birthdays were announced by Mark Foster and 10-year Rotary membership anniversaries were celebrated by Tom Millard.
Dave Keren told us about STRIVE, our mentoring program with students at Pathways to Success. He also introduced his two guests, Dean Shaenu Micou and Counselor Kela Robinson, who are our main contacts at Pathways. We encourage and support students through that final high school year, help them become familiar with the WCC campus and be sure they register, and stay with them as cheerleaders over the course of their studies at WCC. The program kicks off this month and they are looking for mentors, so contact Dave if you want to be part of this important project: dfkerens@umich.edu.
Rosemarie Rowney introduced Jonas the Polio Bear. Jonas will be coaching us through the October campaign to raise money to eradicate polio. He has big plans for ways we can contribute and be part of the fun while we are participating in this very important public health project, so stay tuned for more information.
President Mark invited us to join Rotarians and guests enjoying Bob Buckler’s beautiful home with champagne and Bob’s specialty pizzas on Saturday.
Notes from the Program
Collyer Smith took the podium to introduce our speaker. Collyer told us about the Don’t Bottle It Up marathon to raise money for mental health awareness that took place on October 2. He talked about how hard it is to share mental health experiences, whether you are the victim or the family. Our speaker was Bruce Ross, who has suffered with depression since high school; he is now retired from a very successful career in finance. He has written a book about his experiences, Breaking Free of Depression’s Grip.
Bruce told us about how it feels to be depressed as a chronic condition and how he has learned to succeed even with this heavy burden. He described each of the six most common types of depression. He listed the many treatments he tried over the years with some success, but nothing was lasting. The self help measures he undertook, included writing his memoirs, moving to different parts of Canada six times, running marathons and even a triathlon (he still runs marathons), as well as dietary and lifestyle changes. He accomplished much in his professional career as well.
Bruce’s recommendations to people with mental health issues is to accept them, to share them with friends and family, and to be proactive in researching treatment and helping others to manage this hurtful condition.
Quote of the Day
In celebration of National World Teachers Day, President Mark closed the meeting with this quote from Nobel Prize winner and advocate for girls’ education Malala Yousafzai: “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.”
