In response to the growing threat of the latest COVID virus outbreak, the Club leaders decided to protect the members by going back to ZOOM meetings, for at least a couple of weeks. So, today we ZOOMed.
After greeting members as we logged into the meeting, Pres. Tony Andresen began the meeting by sending us out to breakouts (as practiced by one PP David Hanzlick) to contemplate the weighty concern of the day, “New Year’s resolutions.” Our group of old guys generally agreed that at this point in life, it’s better to just focus on the challenges of each day as they come and not get too worked up about pronouncing specific expectations/hopes for the coming year. The group addressed a more relevant and worrisome question: “How is P. Andresen, a right-handed person, coping with the challenges of a non-functional right arm in a sling as he recovers from rotator cuff surgery.?” We wished him well and thanked our lucky stars for two functioning arms and hands.
After everyone found their way back to the regular ZOOM meeting, most of us turned the “Mute” off on our computer so we could join in a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Then member Henrik Andersen brought forth a most thoughtful invocation which included some thoughts from the queen of Denmark’s new year’s address, ending with “We should give time, not just to help, but to learn from each other. It should not be difficult to treat everyone with respect. We must meet our fellow human and humans with openness. Other life stories can make us wiser. It can be thought opening and inspiring. We can learn to understand ourselves by meeting others, indeed learning and growing is a path of development to last a lifetime in God's name.”
After welcoming the visitors to our ZOOM meeting, we recognized club anniversaries for the following folks: Bill Buckner, 54 years (!); Bob Lager, 33 years; John Miller, 52 years; Jim Porter 48 years; Keith Smith, 45 years; Matt Meyer, 25 years; Christy Chester, 31 years; and now the Johnny-come-latelies, John Gillis, 10 years; Joe Privitera, 10 years; Bob Gamer, 17 years; Robert Thompson, 17 years, Tom Van Dyke, 17 years; Jane Lee, 13 years.
P. Andresen reported that our long-time member and leader, Jim Porter, is at home recovering from the aftereffects of a recent fall, and is dealing with some complications. Bottom line: Jim’s wife, Molly, requests that we not try to make any form of contact with Jim to avoid any distractions as he recovers. Rather, she requests that we remember Jim in our prayers. Reports of Jim’s progress will be communicated to us as they become available.
New member, Terry Harvey, and his wife have suffered a house fire. The house was a total loss, but Terry and his wife got out with their two dogs and the clothes on their back, but, but little else. Please remember them in your prayers as they cope with this loss.
People at the Westside CAN Center expressed their appreciation for the support provided by Mary Kingsley and Mark McCarthy at their Christmas eve celebration.
Geeks for Kids is planning their next build day on Feb. 5. See the Buzzsaw for details and directions for signing up for participation.
Plans for Greater Kansas City Day are coming along. The target date is Friday, May 13, which is the opening day for the KC Monarchs. The partnership with the Monarchs last year went very well, and with a little tuning, it should be much better this year. Join the GKCD committee now to be a part of the planning process.
Pres. Andresen introduced our speaker for the day, Rotarian Dr. Ted Higgins, who will provide us with an update on conditions in Haiti and the Higgins Brothers Surgery Center. A lot has happened in Haiti and the Surgery Center since Dr. Higgins presented information last April.
For the benefit of those who missed his last report, here’s a brief background:
Dr. Higgins has been a practicing vascular surgeon throughout his career in Kansas City. During his 4th year as a surgical resident at Yale, he spent three months in Haiti, which opened his eyes to the sharp contrast between the level of medical and surgical care we enjoy in the United States and that is available in many other parts of the world.
With the help of a video and numerous photos, Dr. Higgins recounted the history of his involvement in the development of the Higgins Brothers Surgi Center in Haiti. Rather than trying to capture the depth and beauty of that history, I refer you to the Center’s website, https://higginsbrotherssurgicenter.org/. In that website, click on “About US” and you will see everything in detail that Dr. Higgins summarized today. He also reported on the recent assassination of the Haitian president in July, followed by a major earthquake in August. The political instability has made responding to the basic needs of the people very difficult, and the earthquake damaged most roads, making many of them impassable. In spite of all these challenges, the Center’s physical building is expanding, making it possible to serve more people with more advanced procedures.
As I listened to Dr. Higgins I was amazed at the combination of his attributes that make his work possible:
- He is a highly skilled physician who comes from a long family line of physicians.
- Serving the needs of impoverished people is fundamental in the DNA of those ancestors. As the TV ad says, “This is what we do!”
- He is a skilled teacher who loves to help other medical people expand their capabilities.
- As a leader, he inspires people to grow, to accomplish the impossible.
- He has the social skills to enlist the needed support and financial contributions to make possible the building and expanding of the Center’s facilities.
- While sharing a table with him at a Rotary meeting, you would never suspect by his quiet, unassuming manner that he is such a remarkable human being.
After reviewing the coming meeting programs, we closed with the 4 way test and a quote from author D.S. Mixell, “Many years ago, I made a New year’s resolution to never make new year’s resolutions. It’s been the only resolution I’ve ever kept.”
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