My name is Katy O’Connor. I am 35 years old and come from a small town in southwestern Minnesota. At the age of 14, I was sexually assaulted and began searching for ways to cope. I ended up in an abusive relationship that lasted nearly a decade and shaped me into who I became. I was a criminal….an addict, and lived a destructive lifestyle with no regard for others. In 2016 I finally left my children’s father and within a year, found myself in prison serving a 28 month sentence. After being released, I reoffended with new charges in MN and WI facing substantial time! In Minnesota alone, I was looking at a mandatory sentence of 115 months. I went through the Adult and Teen Challenge of Western Wisconsin (ATCWW) program and was given a downward departure in the state of MN. I was out on probation and the 10 yrs was placed over my head. After completion of the ATCWW program, I was hired on as a recovery coach. Last August, I was sentenced to a year in county jail and 15 yrs of probation. I recently competed my obligation to the state of WI on work release. I now work at the Adult and Teen Challenge in La Crosse as the Spiritual Care Coordinator. I’ve been freed from my addiction and have over 3 years sober!
Ann started her career in ministry with her first husband, planting a church in Cloquet, Minnesota and teaching in a Bible School in Lebanon the country north of Israel. Her husband Steve then died of malignant melanoma and her career took a turn. She received a master’s in communication and ended up in Human Resources which brought her here to La Crosse. She met her current husband Scott here in La Crosse and worked for many years at Gundersen Health System. While at Gundersen she took a unit of Chaplain Training and decided to go back to school. The help she received while her husband was dying spurred her desire to show up for others during their worst times. Her husband Scott had introduced her to jail and prison ministry, so once she had her degree in Christian theology, she applied to be the chaplain at the jail. Ann is so grateful they hired her in 2019 and has been there ever since.
Next Week: Location is Oktoberfest Grounds. Watch for further details.
Last Week: Karuna, Housing the Unsheltered: Julie McDermid
Julie McDermid is the Executive Director of Karuna Inc., a housing organization she co-founded with a dedicated group of colleagues who have decades of combined experience working with individuals and families experiencing homelessness, housing instability, mental health crises, and struggles with substance use. She is a member of the Human Rights Commission of the City of La Crosse and the former Project Manager for the Coulee Collaborative to End Homelessness. While working with Karuna to spearhead efforts to create innovative housing solutions that don't currently exist in our community, she also remains dedicated to contributing to the City/County collaborative development of a five year strategic plan to end homelessness in La Crosse.
Lunch this week: Tortilla soup and a Garlic Herb wrap with Sage, Chicken, and Roasted Butternut squash.
Coffee and water available at your table. Milk and iced tea will be available for you to pick up at the north bar as you find your seat.
Guests are ALWAYS welcome! RSVP in advance to Niki Pohnl if know you are bringing guests but last minute invites are also welcome!
Cycling Fellowship - September 23rd
Our first ever cycling fellowship event will be held the afternoon of Saturday September 23rd. We will meet at the MN Tourism site by Dresbach in the main parking lot.@ 1:30 pm. The primary route will take the bike trail north along the river to the lightly traveled road between Dresbach to Dakota MN and then return. This route is a little over 10 miles roundtrip and we'll go at an easy pace. If there are riders that want more challenge, they can climb the hill to the ridge from Dakota then across the newly paved County Road #1 to the descent on Apple Blossom and loop back to the Tourism site. No need to RSVP - just show up and join us! Contact Steve O'Malley with any questions.
Following the ride, we're invited to join the Beer Fellowship at 3:30 at the Sports Nut 25 Walnut St. in La Crescent.
Beer Fellowship - September 23rd
Our Rotary Beer Fellowship will meet from 3:30 to 5:30 on September 23rd at the Sports Hub (25 N. Walnut) in La Crescent. After an earlier bike ride, the Beer Fellowship will join us around 3:30, so there will be a double opportunity to get better acquainted with some of our fellow Rotarians. Contact Jack Haase with any questions.
Volunteers Needed: September 29th
4 SPOTS LEFT!
Our club is responsible for filling 12 spots at the Oktoberfest grounds selling beer tickets from 12-4pm. This is a fundraiser for our club. What a fun way to help with this community event AND raise money for our club!
Duane Abata - Retired Professor of Mechanical Engineering. Transferred from Rapid City Rotary, South Dakota. Sponsored by Sarah Arendt-Beyer.
Elizabeth Filter - President/CEO VARC. Transferred from Rotary After Hours. Sponsored by Jodi Widuch.
Beth Grade - Clinician at Garrrison Counseling. Sponsored by Roz Schnick.
Emily Onsager - Growth Manager for Ellie Diagnostics. Sponsored by Roz Schnick.
FOUNDATION MINUTE: September 18, 2023
Welcome to Week 3 of RI’s Month of Basic Education & Literacy.
Ten years ago, thinking it was carrying out one of Rotary International’s major goals; that of providing quality education, the Rotary Club of Panama Norte supplied two grade schools in the country with backpacks filled with technological gadgets. Unfortunately, the students did not benefit from this largesse because their teachers did not know what to do with the supplies.
Club member Enedelsy Escobar-King, explained that “Most of the time…. we found that all of the computers were destroyed, or they were to be discarded, or that teachers didn’t know how to use them.” Working with the Rotary Club of Westchester (Los Angeles), the Panamá Norte Club put together a global grant that received $72,000 from TRF, District 5280 (California), the club itself, and other sources.
Among other things, it provided each school with 30 laptops for students; a smart, interactive whiteboard to digitize classroom presentations and tasks; and all
the auxiliary hardware and furniture required for a high-tech, 21st-century classroom. To ensure the project’s success, the grant also provided for extensive training of school staff and community leaders. For Escobar-King, a retired UNICEF worker from Panama and Rotarian since 2015, providing all grade schools with digital education was the main goal, “…As part of the curriculum, would-be teachers have to teach in a real classroom. So, we said, OK, let’s make sure they do it in interactive classrooms.”
Working with the Rotary Club of Kansas City-Plaza in Missouri, as well as other clubs in Panama, the Panamá Norte club applied for and received a Global Grant of more than $230,000 for what they called the Paul Harris Interactive Digital Classrooms. Six of the classrooms would be installed at the Normal School, and another classroom at each of the two nearby grade schools where the apprentice teachers would do their in-class training. According to the calculations laid out in the Global Grant, each teacher, once graduated and posted in a school, will have 30 students in a classroom. Over just one year, that means that as many as 2,500 students would be beneficiaries of the project.
Congratulations to Escobar-King and the Rotary Club of Panama Norte for their enthusiastic effort to move the educational bridge of young Panamanians smoothly on the 21st Century Lane!
Rotary T-shirts For Sale!
Purchase through the Rotary office or purchase at club meetings for $20. Sizes range from S, M. L, XL, and 2XL.
FREE T-shirt when you volunteer for a club sponsored event.
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