President Tim Tholen welcomed all to the Club with the Camp for Kids at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. We stood for the Pledge of Allegiance followed by an invocation of peace by David Hanzlick. The golden-voiced Tom Woolwine led us in singing the Happy Birthday Song to the February celebrants. Christy Chester, one of those celebrants, introduced her neighbor, Chuck, who she was taking to a rental car facility with no cars to lease and he ended up at our meeting! The following Club anniversaries were recognized: Sally Bibb (29 years); Gary McEachen (29 years); Blake Fry (5 years); Francis Karanu (3 years); and Nathan Stewart (3 years). President Tim then thanked Ms. Chester, a February celebrant, for serving as the sole greeter. Past District Governor Marc Horner asked for some help from Club members to host eight members of the Zambia-based District 9210 on June 15-17 as part of our District’s Rotary Friendship Exchange. Let Marc know if you can house one or two visitors as they are on their way to the International Convention in Calgary. Sally Bibb then encouraged registration for the upcoming Rotary Round-Up event at the Camp on March 13. We are hosting this event with the Lee’s Summit club and folks from five other clubs who help with the Camp will be in attendance. BBQ, a country music band, and some line-dancing will take place during the evening. President Tim asked us to save the date for the Sleep in Heavenly Peace bed build event on the morning of April 26. The meeting on February 27 will take place at 5:30 p.m. at Aixois Restaurant in Brookside.
Kristy Bayer then introduced our guest speaker, Ryan Main, the passionate founder and artistic director of the Youth Chorus of Kansas City (“YCKC”). Ryan is a graduate of UMKC’s School of Music and Dance and the Peabody Institute at The Johns Hopkins University. As a kid, Ryan had great teachers, but a Mr. Ralston, the teacher of AP Music Theory, was a particular inspiration. He was one of those teachers who “could see potential in people before they could see it themselves.” Ralston challenged Ryan with extra assignments to the point where Ryan became obsessed with the endless possibilities of sound and music. At UMKC, Ryan was inspired by Dr. Charles Robinson who invited Ryan to sing in his choir, despite Ryan’s lack of previous singing experience. After placed next to the best singer in the choir, Ryan’s life was changed by this experience. Ryan took up teaching at Nolan Middle School in Independence and had the opportunity to build a choir. Initially, there were 20 students, but the program eventually encompassed 300 students. One of the proudest moments in his teaching career was conducting the choir at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. He saw the benefit to participation in choir, as he watched students become leaders in school and successful as young adults. In 2016, Ryan made the difficult decision to leave teaching to pursue composition full-time. Ryan has since built a successful career as a composer of choral music. However, Ryan immediately missed teaching and in 2017 founded YCKC. Like the choir at Nolan Middle School, it started with 20 students but has grown to 140 strong. The YCKC has performed across the metro at various events, including the Chiefs game on Christmas Eve, 2023. The YCKC has been invited to sing at Carnegie Hall later this spring, and Ryan’s own compositions have been sung at Carnegie Hall. Much like Ryan’s upbringing, the mission of YCKC is to see the potential in and inspire kids and make choir accessible to all regardless of background. The choir program has students from ten different counties in and about the KC area. Kids who can’t afford to pay receive scholarship assistance. The YCKC is funded by individual donations, various fundraisers, and grants.
The quote for the day was from George Eliot: “Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music.” We said the Four Way Test and the meeting was adjourned upon the clanging of the Rotary Bell.
Please join the Rotary Book Discussion Group for the discussion of the book The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabriella Zevin. The book discussion will be led by Vivien Jennings and all Rotarians and guests are welcome.
Date: Monday, March 10, 2025, 6:30 PM
Location: J. Wilbur Company
3242 Roanoke
Kansas City, MO 64111
About the book:
A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island—from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly..
And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.’s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.
Attention Rotarians! Hosts are needed for the Rotary Friendship Exchange from Zambia in June. We will need 5 or 6 hosts to host a couple, or two visiting Rotarians each for the days of June 15, 16 and 17. The hosts will house and feed the visitors for the three days of their visit. We will be taking them to some events as well. Those are yet to be determined. If you are interested in hosting these Rotarians from Zambia, please contact Marc Horner.
Well after a break off two weeks ago due to weather, we were almost cancelled last week for weather. But a few brave, intrepid bowlers made the commitment to make it happen. However, since the schools were out last week, there were a million kids running around causing havoc!!
200 games
Brady Clark-
Tim Tholen-200
Matt Ho-205
Will Patrick-213, 214
Del Karmier-202
Peter Ho-236
Splits and spares
Matt Ho-4/7/10
Have a great week!!!
Rotary Youth Camp Update
by Laurie Mozley
Wonder what is happening out at camp? Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 22nd for the unveiling!!! This was made possible through a Rotary District Grant from Club 13 and other donations.
Centennial Memory
Bob Walden announced his retirement in September of 1998. The search was on for the next Camp Superintendent. The new Superintendent was announced in December that year and began January 1, 1999. Just to correct an egregious error, I graduated from Raytown SOUTH High School.
Please join the Rotary Book Discussion Group for the discussion of the book The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabriella Zevin. The book discussion will be led by Vivien Jennings and all Rotarians and guests are welcome.
Attention Rotarians! Hosts are needed for the Rotary Friendship Exchange from Zambia in June. We will need 5 or 6 hosts to host a couple, or two visiting Rotarians each for the days of June 15, 16 and 17. The hosts will house and feed the visitors for the three days of their visit. We will be taking them to some events as well. Those are yet to be determined. If you are interested in hosting these Rotarians from Zambia, please contact 
@rotaryclub13
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