Category: News

Kaitlyn Peine is the Community Health and Wellness Agent for K-State Research and Extension (KSRE) in Douglas County. She works with a number of community programs, including SNAP-ED. This is a United States Department of Agriculture Program funded grant directed to State government and KSRE. SNAP-ED is intended to prevent nutrition and activity related chronic disease by assisting low resource Kansans. The program promotes good nutrition, food economy, physical activity and improving food handling and preparation. Kaitlyn was recently involved in a focus group that addressed food insecurity in Douglas County, that is, an experience of uncertainty and anxiety over the availability of food. Some 20 per cent of county residents experience food insecurity. Information gathered from the focus group participants will be used to address the problem in a Community Health Improvement Plan.

Ron Renz has been flying for 46 years, getting started in college when his boss paid for his first flight. Ron is an aerospace engineer and an experimental test pilot and operates an aircraft management business at Lawrence Municipal Airport. He provides all aspects of operating and maintaining aircraft, including consulting services. Ron related in detail a flight over the North Atlantic made in March 2020 to deliver a Mitsubishi MU-2B turbo prop to Germany. The aircraft buyer and two other passengers were also aboard. Fueling stops were made in Maine, Iceland, Greenland and Scotland. The threat of bad weather, terrible visibility and great distances made such a flight particularly challenging. Careful preparation and an understanding of the plane’s requirements and limitations are essential. The trip was made just as countries were closing their borders due to Covid. However, the flight was a success. Ron Renz is clearly a man who loves his job.

Amanda Sellet appreciates a good story, be it in print or on film. She studied cinema at NYU and aspired to be a journalist. Unfortunately, it was at the moment newspapers began to fail or sharply cut staff. She and her husband moved to Kansas, had a daughter and Amanda began to freelance her work. It seemed natural to give fiction writing a try and her first books were Young Adult novels. “Belittled Women” was a retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women”, a playful remix of the original. Her Young Adult novels have been popular and well reviewed. “Hate to Fake it to You” is her most recent adult novel and a retelling of the classic holiday film, “Christmas in Connecticut.” It involves a popular online influencer who fakes her credentials. Amanda shared her frustration and humor regarding her experience with the publishing industry. Her books are available from many sources, including the Raven Book Store.

Steven Davis, President of Harvesters International, runs a food bank that does major work in Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas. Harvesters International is located in Lawrence and provides food and related household items to more than 900 nonprofit agencies. The organization works with food pantries, community kitchens, homeless shelters, and children’s homes in a 27 county service area. Harvesters International also has a mission to address hunger education, advocacy and public policy. A coalition of business, faith community and social services leaders in the Kansas City area came together in 1979 to work on food waste and hunger. A non profit was formed that has grown steadily and now serves 340,000 people and distributed 61 million pounds of food last year. Steven indicated that twelve per cent of the population are food insecure and only about half the need is being met. He noted that Harvesters International works closely with organizations serving the food insecure in Douglas County.

In the spirit of getting new club members and long time members up to speed on Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio, a Lawrence Central trio updated members on this critical commitment. Janice Bunker provided background on the impact of the disease and the international efforts to fight it. Polio is a highly contagious and crippling disease that caused world wide misery. Jonas Salk discovered a vaccine in 1955 that successfully provided protection from the disease. The United States experienced the last case in 1979, but the disease still raged in other parts of the world. In 1985 Rotary joined with the Gates Foundation and the Center for Disease Control to form a Global Initiative to eradicate polio. By 1988 world wide cases were reduced by 99.9 per cent. Melissa Sieben described how climate change, geography and war can set back efforts to vaccinate. Presently, there are only seventy some active cases in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, the disease can be quickly reintroduced to a population not fully vaccinated. Bob Rademacher shared personal stories of family members who were afflicted and disabled by the disease. The Global Initiative is on the verge of eliminating polio, providing every last case is accounted for. Rotary support is more important than ever and donations are matched by the Gates Foundation.