Club President Ron Auxier
District 6040 Governor Jodi Sundaram
Zones 30/31 Director Brian Hall
Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo
Saint Joseph Rotarians listen intently about childhood trauma and mental health.
The Rotary Club of Saint Joseph assembled with a good crowd of around 29 today, Wednesday, May 20 at the stellar Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art.
Spanky and Buckwheat's catered a fiesta of a taco bar complete with flour tortillas, tortilla chips, rice, refried beans (thank goodness without nacho cheese), taco meat, barbecued pork, guacamole, and other fixins like olives, sour cream, cheese, jalapenos, and perhaps something else.
Prospective members Greg Smith and David Bolander were both in attendance. Membership Director Shelly Hulet shared that they will both be inducted at the 5/27 meeting next week.
Black Bowls donations for this quarter (4/1 to 6/30) go to Camp Geiger Scout camperships. These support Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA Scouts to attend summer camp, with campership awards reviewed by a committee based on financial need. Members can contribute on our Square site online or bring the cash to meetings.
President-elect Bill McCammon updated the club about the status of our 2025-2026 District Grant with Life Unlimited. We are just about finished after the installation of a bench, a Rotary sign, and the purchase of some gardening tools.
Oakley Coleman is chairing our club's 2026-2027 District Grant project, and let the club know that he is working with the Pony Express Museum on getting a project worked out.
Meals on Wheels delivery assignments:
May 21 will be Don Gladhart with Mary Beth Revels and LeeAnn Smiley with Tim Curry.
May 28 will be Shelly Hulet with Dana Matt and Erik McGuire with Matt Porter.
Shoes for Orphan Souls Update (for 2026-2027 Campaign):
Erik has been slacking and has collected 1 pair of shoes. However, Amy Spaeth found some great deals at the Sedalia Walmart and already has collected at least 54 pairs of shoes. She only went into the Walmart to grab a case of water for the golfers, but left with these shoes:
Our club's website is stjosephrotary.org ... https://stjosephrotary.org/... saintjosephrotary.org also takes you to the same page.
We have made and are working on continued content updates.
Wednesday, 5/27: Rotary club meeting at the AKMA... speakers are Lanny Ellis and Bob Long with the Coleman Hawkins Jazz Society
Wednesday, 5/27: After the club meeting... Quick 2026-2027 Club Board meeting with President-elect Bill McCammon to review goals and plans for the next Rotary year
Monday, 6/1: Anniversary Party award nominations due to Heather Shearin
Wednesday, 6/3: Rotary Club meeting OFFSITE at Life Unlimited (4420 S. 40th Street) at Noon
Wednesday, 6/10: Rotary Club meeting at Noon at the AKMA
Thursday, June 18: Rotary Club of Saint Joseph's 114th Anniversary Party at Parkway Distillery... With a Cheers Theme ... RSVP invites going out soon from Susan Campbell
Save the date... Friday, November 6: District 6040 Rotary Foundation Dinner at the Carriage Club in Kansas City... event chair is Saint Joseph Rotarian Shelly Hulet
The Annual Fund-SHARE exists to empower Rotary clubs and districts with implementing impactful district grants, global grants, and scholarships.
Participating in the Rotary Foundation board is an easy way to contribute as we close out the 2025-2026 Rotary year. Our club will match up to $144 per Rotary year for all members who contribute.
Or if you prefer to send a check, we can assist with the details of this. Please talk to Don or Erik if you have any questions.
The Rotary Club of Saint Joseph's 2025-2026 District Grant project has been to install an accessible outdoor area for the new Day Program at Life Unlimited's St. Joseph location.
The following Rotarians shared Happy Bucks at last week's meeting:
Ryan Jones for his son's last day of Kindergarten
Erik McGuire for the new District 6040 District Governor selected to serve in 2029-2030... Jeff Deatherage of the Kansas City-Plaza Club
Janice Keith for the Memorial Day observance next Monday
Dana Matt for her kitty cat being OK
Josh Middendorf for being so well-connected and for earning the Interserv Collaboration Award
Don Gladhart for Jeff Deatherage and for ShelterBox as a cause for the club to keep on the radar
Patricia Williams- not a happy buck per se- but a call to action- for the Salvation Army warehouse being in need of clothing, especially men's clothing
This Week's Program
Melissa Gasper, who is a substance abuse counselor for Family Guidance, presented the program this week for Mental Health Awareness Month.
Family Guidance Center helps individuals and families lead healthier, more productive lives by providing an array of behavioral health and social and health services.
Melissa shared that childhood trauma can have a significant impact on adult mental health.
One takeaway- be aware of the impact of trauma on people around us.
Family Guidance operates a Behavioral Health Care Urgent Care facility on Frederick that is open 5 days a week- and is open to anyone.
Family Guidance and the St. Joseph Human Rights Commission are hosting a community listening session on Thursday, 5/21 from 5 to 6 p.m. that is free and open to the public at the 22nd Street location of Family Guidance:
