President Pease opened his first meeting of our 110th Rotary Year at 12:15 pm sharp. It was a full room, and additional tables were set up for the good turnout. Michael-Jon offered a warm welcome to all, and everyone stood for the national anthem of Finland, in salute to our current exchange student.
Following the music, six young acrobats vaulted and tumbled into the meeting room, a precursor to the program to come.
Marvin Anderson next shared his experiences as a young man with such outstanding classmates at Morehouse College, and the wisdom that the university president imparted to them in the day. Linda Mulhern introduced our sixteen-year-old exchange student from Finland, who gave a presentation on her homeland and home city of Vaasa.
Ken Schaefer helped with the introduction of four guests of Rotarians, including one brand new member!
President-elect Jason Bradshaw then introduced our program, and Dan Butler with Circus Juventas. Jason is chair of the board at the organization, and Dan is the co-founder and executive director, and a coach for the students. Circus Juventas is celebrating its 25th year – having been co-founded by Dan and his spouse Betty, who met while students at a circus school in Florida in the 1970s. The school in Minnesota started with 30 students in 1994, and today there are more than 1,000 students ranging in age from three to 21, making it the largest youth performer circus school in the world.
Professional circus performers and artists from all over the world, with reputations as the best in the world, make up the faculty – including ten employees and teachers who are alumni of Circus Juventas itself.
Through the amazing skill and talents that the students practice and master, they learn that they can accomplish anything and overcome any fear. The students have been performing for many years all over the world, and at Cirque du Soleil, the Smithsonian, and have won awards in many different countries.
Graduating seniors also take a trip to Mongolia, and in addition to performing for large numbers of people there, the students educate the women about domestic abuse, and how to escape from it. Video clips from last year’s theatrical production and performance were shown, and then the students came back and demonstrated a standard of flexibility and strength that no Rotarian could hope to attain!
The meeting wrapped up with a “get to know your fellow Rotarian” presentation by David Dominick, club updates and news from President Pease, and Sergeant Sherry handed out a variety of “tickets” and fines for missing lapel pins and an expensive ringing phone, and even more dollars handed out with happy news to share with all.
