Events

PRISM Service Opportunity
Thursday, May 5, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
PRISM, 1220 Zane Ave. N., Golden Valley, MN 55422
Contact Paul Mork at paulmork@aol.com
***Closed-toe shoes required when working with food.***

SIGN UP HERE

Thomas Johannsen has long been a fan of technology of all kinds. Raised in a family of engineers, he regularly passed time taking things apart or tinkering with computers as a child. He built his first computer in middle school and ended up studying Computer Science Engineering for a short while, before he realized he wanted more social engagement in his career. He got a degree in Economics from UW Madison in 2009; he had fully intended to go on to grad school and become an Economics author, but the universe had different plans for him. He took a job working for a brain imaging medical devices company before starting his PhD program and ended up excelling at the position. He worked in that field as technical sales director and head of operations until 2020, traveling the world becoming friends with many of the top brain imaging researchers in the world. Tiring of the extreme travel requirements (120,000+ miles per year!), Thomas decided to shift careers entirely to be able to stay home with his wife and children. He became a Mortgage Loan Officer, helping people with one of the most important decisions of their lives: buying homes. He is incredibly passionate about helping people however they need it: identity protection, credit hygiene/repair, personal finance, home improvement, and productivity tech tools.

Chris Stein has been a park ranger for the past four decades. During his career, he has helped protect parks across the United States, as well as in other countries across the globe. In parks, Chris has worked from the urban jungles of New York City to the tropical rainforests of Samoa. After all those years, Chris has finally come to realize that protecting "the little things that run the world" (i.e., the pollinators found in our own yards) is one of the most important things we can do to help save the planet as we know it today.

Highway 55 Clean-Up
Tuesday, May 17, 5:00 p.m.
NE Corner of Hwy 55 and Winnetka Ave.

Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0e4aafae23a3fb6-highway4 

The Golden Valley Rotary Club starts its 26th year of caring for our stretch of Highway 55; our work continues on Tuesday, May 17! Community members are welcome to join us in this fun and easy project.

Meet at the NE Corner of Hwy 55 and Winnetka Ave.

1. Masks are optional. The only portion of highway clean up where people tend to congregate is when receiving their vest and pick up instructions, and that is usually a group of 10 or less. After that, people are usually split into pairs to clean up different sections of the highway, where maintaining social distancing is pretty straightforward.
2. Please bring and wear your own gloves.

Board Meeting
Thursday, May 19, 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Brookview Golden Valley

Not a meeting to be missed! The Golden Valley Rotary Club members will have a discussion on membership, leadership opportunities, grants, and future projects, etc. You'll definitely want to attend this Rotary meeting to contribute to the important Club conversations. We'll also be discussing our upcoming Taste & Tour of Golden Valley event, scheduled for Thursday, July 28. On hiatus for the past two years due to the pandemic, this event will be resurrected in 2022. To do this, we will need all hands on deck with the planning. There are many opportunities to make a difference in this project! Look forward to seeing you there!

Rotary of Golden Valley Brookview Lawn Bowling Membership Recruitment Event
 

Social from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Lawn Bowling from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Heavy hors d'oeuvres provided; drinks at participants own expense.

Family friendly event! A prospective member event funded by a District 5950 grant! All prospective Rotarians are enthusiastically invited!

Register here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0e4aafae23a3fb6-rotary1

A hands-on lunchtime service project; all are welcome!

Golden Valley Rotary Club #2118 and Crystal-New Hope-Robbinsdale Rotary Club #2109 are joining together to donate 100 Intake Packets for The Bridge for Youth. The packets consist of a blanket, a zippered hoodie, a pair of sweat pants, a pair of socks, and a fidget toy.

On Tuesday, May 31, 2022, the Golden Valley Club will meet at 12:15 at Brookview, 316 Brookview Pkwy S, Golden Valley, MN 55426, to assemble the first 50 packets. The second date to assemble the remaining 50 packets will occur at Prism, 1220 Zane Ave N, Golden Valley, MN 55422, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. All are welcome at either or both packing events.

PRISM Service Opportunity
Thursday, June 2, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
PRISM, 1220 Zane Ave. N., Golden Valley, MN 55422
Contact Paul Mork at paulmork@aol.com
***Closed-toe shoes required when working with food.***

SIGN UP HERE

“Watergate Recalled: The Minnesota Connections”
Marking the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in and ensuing scandal that changed American politics, Twin Cities attorney and historian Marshall Tanick will give a presentation about the connections between Watergate and Minnesota and why the western suburbs here were Ground Zero for Watergate.

For over 45 years, Marshall H. Tanick has represented clients in a wide variety of legal matters, with emphasis on employment law; constitutional law, including defamation, privacy, and other communications; education law; animal law; pet law; land law; and business disputes. Tanick was named “Attorney of the Year” by Minnesota Lawyer magazine in 2019.

As much a student of law as a practitioner of it, Marshall stays abreast of legal trends and the latest case law by teaching at area law schools, conducting continuing legal education classes, and writing extensively for law and business publications. He also welcomes the opportunity to take on difficult cases.

Sara Smith is Director of the Operations Support Services Department at Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES), which operates the wastewater collection and treatment system for the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Operations Support Services provides process engineering, research and development, training, job aid development, and laboratory services, and manages the industrial controls for MCES wastewater operations. Sara has worked for MCES for 16 years and was promoted to her current position in August 2021. She previously worked in the MCES Water Supply Planning and Sustainability departments and has led and participated in several strategic and change management projects as directed by the MCES General Manager’s Office. Sara has an undergraduate degree in geology and a master’s degree in science, technology and environmental policy.

George Sprouse is a manager in MCES’s Operations Support Services Department and oversees the Process Engineering, R&D, and Air Quality group. The group has 16 employees and includes engineers, scientists, a researcher, and a technician who provide technical expertise to support MCES operations, process efficiency, and regulatory compliance. George has worked for MCES for 16 years. He served as a principal engineer working on capital improvement projects for 4 years and has been in his current position for 12 years. Prior to joining MCES, he was a consulting engineer for 18 years. He is a registered professional engineer in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and California. George has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil/environmental engineering from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and a doctorate in the same field from Northwestern University.

Board Meeting
Thursday, June 16, 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Brookview Golden Valley

The Golden Valley Rotary Club will gather with members of the community to celebrate all things Rotary during the 2021-2022 year. We will present the Citizen of the Year award and the Rotarian of the Year award. Mary Timmons, Club President, will begin her second year as president. A great celebratory event in the forty-nine year history of the Golden Valley Rotary Club!

Not a meeting to be missed! The Golden Valley Rotary Club members will have a discussion on membership, leadership opportunities, grants, and future projects, etc. You'll definitely want to attend this Rotary meeting to contribute to the important Club conversations. We'll also be discussing our upcoming Taste & Tour of Golden Valley event, scheduled for Thursday, September 15***NEW DATE***. On hiatus for the past two years due to the pandemic, this event will be resurrected in 2022. To do this, we will need all hands on deck with the planning. There are many opportunities to make a difference in this project! Look forward to seeing you there!

Can't join us in person? Log in virutally!

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87131536790?pwd=d2FHUnlhRFBkWTVuMkhBUHBRVGVTQT09 

We'll gather at 5:00 p.m. at the Large Picnic Shelter at Brookview Park. Families/Partners are welcome! Please let us know ASAP if you can attend our annual Rotary picnic. Hope to see you there!

RSVP HERE

Rotary Volunteer Opportunity: Market in the Valley

The purpose of this event is to promote Golden Valley Rotary and prospective membership, in addition to selling the Views of the Valley note cards. We will also be helping the crew from PRISM with loading up extra produce for the Marketplace.

Interested volunteers are encouraged to sign up for a time slot here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0e4aafae23a3fb6-market5

Holly Leppanen, Director of Development and Communications and Khadijah Cooper, Director of Sexuality Education will present on behalf of The Annex Teen Clinic.

Holly Leppanen has over 10 years of experience in the non-profit sector with expertise in Workforce Development and Training, Adult Basic Education, and Sexual and Reproductive Health. She has served as both a Program Director and Director of Development and Communications, giving her a unique perspective on designing, implementing, and funding innovative and impactful programming. She is passionate about finding creative ways to build and sustain community-centered models of care.

Khadijah Cooper brings over 10 years of experience providing evidence-based and inclusive sexual health education. She brings considerable expertise to effective community engagement and has designed and implemented responsive programming to foster authentic partnerships with young people. She oversees a team of Annex Educators to integrate public health best practices with opportunities for young people to make a meaningful impact on community health initiatives. She has developed considerable expertise in facilitation, Motivational Interviewing, and uniting the community. She was honored as a Local Public Health Hero by the Minneapolis Health Department in 2022. Khadijah Cooper graduated from Robbinsdale Cooper High School in 2001.

https://annexteenclinic.org/

Patricia Fenrick has worked with diverse communities for over 20 years. Most of her career has focused on refugee and immigrant populations. She was the Executive Director for the refugee resettlement agency, World Relief Minnesota, worked in community development with immigrants for the City of Eden Prairie, and oversaw the Human Rights and Diversity Commission. Patricia has been an adjunct professor for several local universities and teaches about social justice issues. She currently works for the Department of Human Services (DHS) Refugee Programs Office in education, outreach, and refugee workforce development.

Tuesday's meeting will be a mix of items, including some Club business in the form of a Club Assembly, some Taste & Tour 2022 planning, and social time with great friends. Please join us!

As electric vehicles move from 1% to 50% of the cars on the road over the next 8 years, people are asking a lot of questions. In this presentation, Alan Wernke will answer the top 20 questions he has been asked over the past 9 years and 150,000 miles while driving 100% electric. "How far does it go? How do you charge it? How much does it cost? Is it safe? Where do you charge it? How does it handle the snow and cold? What do you drive & why? When can I buy an electric pickup?" Hear all the answers to these and more in this session. 

Alan Wernke is Chief Business Officer for Data Insights. He is an electric vehicle evangelist. He is on his third EV and shopping for his next one. He has a long history in Information Technology and Clean Energy(45). Currently he is focused on helping condos and apartments add EV charging to their garages.

Can't join us in-person? Join the Zoom Meeting:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83875387810?pwd=T0FPUlZqY2JiZWdnTjBkbkpuRHR4QT09

Meeting ID: 838 7538 7810

Passcode: 451608

With a love for kids and stories, Kaycee and her husband Pete had always planned to adopt. In 2016, while Kaycee was working as a youth pastor, they began dreaming about how to change the narrative around foster care adoption, especially within faith communities. Five months later, The Reel Hope Project was born and they began telling the stories of Minnesota’s waiting kids. In 2019, they adopted their son, whom Kaycee met through a Reel Hope video shoot. As Executive Director and Founder, Kaycee leads the organization and her team in the pursuit of The Reel Hope Project’s mission: A forever family for every child.

www.thereelhopeproject.org

Rotary Volunteer Opportunity: Market in the Valley

The purpose of this event is to promote Golden Valley Rotary and prospective membership, in addition to selling the Views of the Valley note cards. We will also be helping the crew from PRISM with loading up extra produce for the Marketplace.

Interested volunteers are encouraged to sign up for a time slot here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0E4AAFAE23A3FB6-market6

Service Above Self was Lloyd’s motto long before joining the Rotary Club of Glenwood, Minnesota, on July 19, 2012.
 
Lloyd grew up on a small farm in Edmondson, Arkansas. After graduating from high school and moving away, Lloyd received his BS from Oklahoma State University and an MBA from The University of Chicago in Marketing and Finance. Lloyd worked for Janssen Pharmaceutical, a Division of Johnson & Johnson, and later a small consultant firm.
 
After joining Rotary in Glenwood, Minnesota, Lloyd took an active role in developing its website and bulletin, serving as international committee chair, and re-establishing the Youth Exchange Program in Glenwood. He eventually served as club president.
 
Lloyd received Service Above Self Award two times, Rotarian of the Year award, and the Outstanding Volunteer Award from the Glenwood Chamber of Commerce. On the District level, Lloyd served as Member of the International Grant Committee, District Grants committee, a facilitator for PETS, and served two years as district membership chair.
 
Lloyd is married to Dr. Rwanda Campbell. They have two sons. Dr. Campbell is a member of the Rotary Club of Minnesota Veterans.

Parke Kunkle ushered more than 6,000 students to the former Minneapolis planetarium in a teaching career that spanned 48 years. He earned several teacher of the year awards at Minneapolis College teaching astronomy, physics, computer programming, engineering, and mathematics. He earned his Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Minnesota. He has been a guest on both local and national media discussing astronomical events such as constellations, planetary alignments, and the zodiac. He is a member of the Minnesota Astronomical Society, a founding member of the Minnesota Planetarium Society, and served on the Advisory Board of the Bell Museum of Natural History. With the help of others like Peggy and Ilo Leppik, his proudest accomplishment is bringing a new planetarium to the Twin Cities. He encourages everyone to see the wonders of the universe in the planetarium housed in the Bell Museum of Natural History located on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota.

NO MEETING - Lawn Bowling Membership Event on August 31 in lieu of our regular weekly meeting

For information about the Lawn Bowling Membership Event, visit: https://goldenvalleyrotary.com/event/copy-of-brookview-lawn-bowling-membership-event/

Rotary of Golden Valley Brookview Lawn Bowling Membership Recruitment Event
 

Social from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Lawn Bowling from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Heavy hors d'oeuvres provided; drinks at participants own expense.

Family friendly event! A prospective member event funded by a District 5950 grant! All prospective Rotarians are enthusiastically invited!

Register here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0E4AAFAE23A3FB6-rotary3

Many people wax poetic about turning tragedy into triumph; Annette Fragale actually did it.

In 1985, on Superbowl Sunday, Annette’s husband, along with 70 other passengers and crew, was killed in the Galaxy Airlines Flight 203 plane crash.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” she says. “It was such a devastating loss. I didn’t know how I was going to go on.”

But Annette, mother of five, knew she must. Friends and family bolstered her during her time of need, and wanting to acknowledge all they had done for her, she hired a magician to entertain them. Little did she know the show would reveal a new path for her life.

“I needed something to do with my time, and when I saw that magician standing up there I said to myself, ‘I can do that,’” says Fragale.

So that’s what she did.

Fragale enrolled in magic school, she took improvisation classes with the acclaimed Stevie Ray, and she went to clown college. She frequented magic shops for tricks and fashioned her own from thrift-store finds. “I love what is called ‘kitchen magic,’” she says.

Her first gig was a kid’s birthday party, so she loaded her bike (yep, her bike!) with her tricks and magic paraphernalia, and set out to make young people laugh. “I was very nervous, but I loved it,” she says.

Since then, she’s taught classes through the Plymouth parks and recreation department, and performed at Dudley Riggs, Comedy Sportz, private parties, libraries, daycares, schools and corporate events in and around Plymouth. And for the past four years, she’s been creating her own cable television show called The Magic Book Nook (which airs on Channel 19 on Saturdays from 7:30 to 8 p.m. and replays Sundays at 3:30 and 11:30 a.m.), where she infuses magic, stories, songs and frequently a few of her 11 grandchildren into one fun program.

“I’ve gotten much more confident in every area of my life,” Fragale says. “Magic has helped me do that.

After 13 years working as a teacher and administrator at middle and high schools in New York City, Susie moved to Minneapolis with her family and became more focused on community organization and activism. As a leader in the Minnesota chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Susie has helped organize volunteers to spread messages in support of common sense gun laws and gun safety, as well as coordinated statewide events in honor of National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Susie has been a Be Smart presenter for four years. 

Susie is also an active member in many local community organizations, including the Jewish Community Relations Council and the National Council of Jewish Women. She is the Chair of the Mount Sinai Community Foundation.

https://besmartforkids.org/

4:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. – Community Check-in to receive your passport. FREE to attendees and open to all. Passports distributed until 6:30 p.m. or until they're gone, whichever is first.

4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. – Community members tour participating businesses, enjoying food and drinks or activities provided by the businesses. Validate your visit on your passport.

7:00 p.m. - Closing Reception (Music, Raffle Drawing, etc.)

Thank you to our Taste & Tour Sponsors!

Gold Sponsors:

• Boger Dental
• Tonka Financial Services

Silver Sponsors:

• Doolittles Woodfire Grill
• Forward Spine Center

Bronze Sponsors:

• Back in Shape Chiropractic
• Bergstrom Jewelers
• Culver's
• Down in the Valley
• Golden Valley Tire & Auto
• Under Pressure Brewing

Passport Sponsors:

• Best Wishes Floral
• Cedar Lake Wine Company
• Frederickson & Byron, P.A.
• Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis
• Kuipers ACE Hardware & Rental
• Rue 48 Salon
• Shop for Change
• Triple D Espresso

Shira Charpentier started mentoring after sharing her recovery story at treatment centers and developed the nonprofit, Beyond Rules Recovery, with the goal of creating something she wished she could have had when she decided to recover. The nonprofit was founded in 2019, then she added support groups and other community offerings as a way to role model a life of recovery. Most importantly, Shira wanted to ensure that people knew that full recovery is possible for anyone.

In 2021 Tasha joined Shira and expanded the mission of the nonprofit; after Tasha successfully navigated her own recovery with the guidance of Beyond Rules Recovery. Together they share the same desire to change the outcome of future generations and empower individuals worldwide.

https://www.beyondrulesrecovery.org/

Can't join us in-person? Join the Zoom meeting:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85864489262?pwd=VU1yUExKLythZ2Irc3ZYbktVRm85QT09

Meeting ID: 858 6448 9262

Passcode: 293406

Mark your calendar for our next Club Social on Wednesday, September 28th at 4:00 p.m. at Under Pressure Brewing in Golden Valley! We'll be celebrating a successful Taste & Tour of Golden Valley and inviting all prospective members of Rotary to join us! 

If you haven't been to Under Pressure Brewing before; you're missing out! It is a great business in Golden Valley and a lot of fun. They will share their brewing process and how they came to be in Golden Valley. Please join us!

Register here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0E4AAFAE23A3FB6-rotary4 

Before retirement, Jelan Heidelberg had a long and varied career with IBM. In the late 70's and throughout the 80's, she worked as a systems engineer, supporting companies large and small throughout the Twin Cities. She then switched to working virtually long before it was popular and when the tools were much more primitive. She worked for IBM Rochester and then for headquarters. In her last dozen years at IBM, she managed several software products and had the opportunity to travel the world. She traveled just enough to whet her appetite for more -- more places and more time to meet the local people and learn. Since retirement, Jelan and her husband Jim have criss-crossed the globe. Their latest adventure took them to her 88th country, Rwanda. Jelan joined the Golden Valley Rotary Club in late 2020.

Can't join us in-person? Join the Zoom meeting:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81297485256?pwd=K2hwWEhJcnBCa0xubXNSOHFwbS9Cdz09 

Meeting ID: 812 9748 5256

Passcode: 265039

When you want to get your point across, the words you choose matter. You can build understanding and connection through the kinds of words you use and avoid. So says our speaker, Alison Brown Cerier, a content strategist and writer, who will share six ways to choose words that will make a difference. After a career in medical device, healthcare, and book publishing, she is now a pro-bono consultant, writer, and storyteller for climate organizations. Alison titles her talk “Words Matter: Communicating with a Shared Understanding of What Words Mean”.

Highway 55 Clean-Up
Tuesday, October 25, 5:00 p.m.
NE Corner of Hwy 55 and Winnetka Ave.

SIGN UP HERE

The Golden Valley Rotary Club is in its 26th year of caring for our stretch of Highway 55; our work continues on Tuesday, October 25! Community members are welcome to join us in this fun and easy project.

Meet at the NE Corner of Hwy 55 and Winnetka Ave.

• Please bring and wear your own gloves.

SIGN UP HERE

Highway 55 Clean-Up
Tuesday, October 25, 5:00 p.m.
NE Corner of Hwy 55 and Winnetka Ave.

SIGN UP HERE

The Golden Valley Rotary Club is in its 26th year of caring for our stretch of Highway 55; our work continues on Tuesday, October 25! Community members are welcome to join us in this fun and easy project.

Meet at the NE Corner of Hwy 55 and Winnetka Ave.

• Please bring and wear your own gloves.

SIGN UP HERE

Golden Valley Business Council
Thursday, October 27, 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Spotlight Speaker: Ethan Kehrberg and Eric Eckman "Energy Action Plan (EAP)"
Explore the ways that businesses can save money, help the city reach their goals in the Energy Action Plan, and receive recognition for their efforts.

Brookview Golden Valley or Join Zoom Meeting

This meeting features updates from our city, school districts, convention and visitors bureau, Rotary Club, and the Chamber. There is no cost to attend. Hope to see you there!

Business of the Year Presentation
Friday, October 28, 9:30 a.m.
Bergstrom Studio
669 Winnetka Ave. N. #200A Golden Valley, MN

October is Rotary International Economic and Community Development Month. The Golden Valley Rotary Club celebrates by naming a local Business of the Year to honor. The 2022 selection is Bergstrom Studio. They will receive their award at the October 28th presentationmeeting.

PAST ANNUAL BUSINESS ORGANIZATIONS OF THE YEAR

Armstrong, Torseth, Skold and Rydeen (ATS&R) 2006
Courage Center 2007
General Mills 2008
Golden Valley Golf and Country Club 2009
Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nursery 2010
Golden Valley American Legion, Post 523 2012
Winkley Orthotics and Prosthetics 2013
PRISM 2014
My Music Store 2015
Culver’s of Golden Valley 2016
Animal Humane Society 2017
Tennant Company 2018
Jewish Family and Children's Service of Minneapolis 2019
Best Wishes Floral 2020
J-HAP and Cornerstone Creek 2021

Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil L. Green Sr. was sworn in as the new police chief of Golden Valley by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in a ceremony at the start of the City Council meeting on Tuesday, September 6, 2022. Green’s 38-year law enforcement career started with the Lea County Sheriff’s Department in Lovington, New Mexico and includes time as a patrol officer with the Oklahoma City Housing Authority Enforcement Division and as police chief with the jurisdictions of Boley, Oklahoma; Spencer, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City; and Helena West Helena, Arkansas. In 2018 he became the deputy police chief/major for the Tulsa, Oklahoma school district’s campus police department. Green has a bachelor's degree in police administration from the American Military University. Read Green's full bio here. One of his goals is to implement "21st century policing" by focusing on six pillars, including officer wellness and safety as well as community outreach.