Presiding: Caitlin White
Inspiration: Larry Struempf
Meeting Room setup/takedown and general problem solving: Tom Mangan and Ron Van Ekeren
Introduction of Guests: Jamie Terry
Guests: John Bard introduced the Junior Rotarians
Junior Rotarians: Aiden Bilardo and Kit Ng
Foundation Drawing: Steve Morgan won $10 with $907 in the jackpot and 29 cards in the deck.
O’Dwyers Drawing: Chad Witte won a $20 gift card from O’Dwyer’s.
Announcements:
• Caitlin White – is excited to be kicking off the Rotary Reads program again, fits well within the district focus on literacy; if you know a group or a forum we could bring this into, or are interested in volunteering, let Caitlin know.
•President Caitlin also announced that the Albany County Public Library Foundation Appreciation Night is coming up – please RSVP if you plan to attend.
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Special Presentations:
President Caitlin presented Bill Biles with his Paul Harris Fellow +2 pin
Rotarians of the Week:
• John Bard nominated Emily Parsons – she volunteered to sponsor the Interact Club at the high school.
• Caitlin White nominated Steve Morgan and Shaun Bullock for attending the Literacy Symposium.
• Esther McGann nominated Rollin Abernethy for the Literacy Symposium last week.
Rotarian of the Month:
The board chose Emily Parsons for both sponsoring the Interact Club at the high school, and for her work on the youth exchange committee.
Songs – Jan Lawrence – Hello My Baby; Home on the Range
Upcoming Programs/Events:
Rotary 4-way Test:
Of the things we think, say, or do
- Is it the Truth?
- Is it Fair?
- Will it build Good Will and Better Friendships?
- Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?
Rotary’s Avenues of Service
• Community Service
• Club Service
• Vocational Service
• International Service
• New Generations
Program: Jessica Rasmussen – Transition Consultant for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
Introduction of Program: Amelia Kelso
The Department of Vocational Rehabilitation is a division under the umbrella of Workforce Services with the State of Wyoming. This is a Federal and State funded program and is Federally mandated. The program is facilitated by 24 counselors across 16 different field offices throughout the state. This effort was initiated by the “Employment First” state policy that was signed in 2014.
The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services is committed to helping people with disabilities establish and reach vocational goals that help them become productive working citizens. During any given year, the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services - Vocational Rehabilitation Division actively works with more than 4,000 of Wyoming's citizens with disabilities, and, on average, approximately 700 of those citizens successfully complete a rehabilitation program and enter the workforce. For every dollar spent on Vocational Rehabilitation services, a consumer earns, on average, $11 in increased taxable income.
They take a dual customer approach, not only working with clients individually, but also with employers – to help them understand and sometimes implement accommodations to enable them to hire and successfully employ an individual with a disability. Plans are specialized and unique for each individual client and each situation.
The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation has also begun working closely with schools recently, focusing on getting to kids at a much younger age – to begin working with them much earlier. Several programs they have been a part of with both schools and with employers in the communities around Wyoming have been creating quite a bit of success. Examples include:
• Wind River Casino
• Plainsmen Pathways
• Project Search at IMH
• Adulting 101
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f you know of an individual, or an organization who may benefit, or for more information visit/contact:
More info: Wyomingworkforce.org
Contact Jessica Rasmussen:
307-745-3160
Responding for the Club: Annette Mello
Special Thanks – to Jamie Terry for taking notes for the Spoke!
Response: The Rotary Club of Laramie will make a donation to the public library children’s book fund in the speaker’s name.
NOTE: We Do Not Donate a Book!
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Website: laramierotaryclub.org
Spoke Editor: Tony Hoch, 307-760-9386 or tony.hoch@lrcd.net