This week's Speaker is Ward Schraeder, Co-Host, Bargain Mansions. His topic is "Find Something Broken, Fix It and Turn it Into a Success."
Necessity was more than the mother of invention for builder, businessman and venture capitalist Ward Schraeder. It was the catalyst that propelled him to a lifetime of achievements in seemingly unrelated ventures that, in reality, are all linked by the innate talents he possesses. Resourceful, relatable and determined, the Midwesterner literally created his hard-won success story with his own hands. A modern day Renaissance Man and Jack-of-all-Trades, this dedicated family man recently gained worldwide fame as co-star of HGTV’s Bargain Mansions, now in its third season.
The wealth of education and experience he imparted laid the foundation for his daughter Tamara Day’s DIY knowhow. Tamara’s youth was spent learning by doing because in the Schraeder home, no one called a repairman to fix things. One of her earliest memories she recalls was spending a time out sitting on the staircase filling holes in the railing with wood putty. Bargain Mansions evolved from the remodeling business Tamara began with her husband Bill. Fate intervened when Ward stopped by the couple’s house during filming, and a producer invited him to step into the scene. He obliged and was an instant hit. The father/daughter duo renovates formerly grand, neglected manor homes in the Kansas City area into a new family’s forever home.
We will be meeting in person this week at the Gallery, however a Zoom link for this meeting will be emailed to members who cannot attend in person. If you would like to visit as a guest, please email Executive Director Mandy Sheldon.
President Tony Andresen called the meeting to order and led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Steve Fennell provided a thoughtful Invocation prayer and Charlie Huffman led us in our patriotic song, God Bless America. We thank our past Club-13 presidents as our greeters today.
New Member: Jared Campbell introduced Dr. Ted Higgins, in attendance, as a new Club 13 member. Dr Ted Higgins previously shared with the Club, his family’s medical facility on Haiti. Ted shared with us from the podium, that he was recently back from Haiti which suffered an earthquake and hurricane damage. The Higgins Brothers Medical Center was up and running and providing medical care. Ted also preformed several surgeries in his short stay. Seeing the earthquake epicenter area with its devastation and destruction was very emotional and difficult to witness. It is gratifying the facility now has its own medically trained local staff providing care and treatment.
CLUB ANNIVERSARIES:
Diane Scott - 21 years – August 11th ; Eric Bubb - 11 years – September 2nd; Patrick Donnelly -11 years – September 2nd ; Kim Beatty - 3 years – September 4th
Sick Bay: Joe Privitera has pneumonia & Charlie Rogers is getting a hip replacement.
Guests: We had several and some as pending candidates for Club 13 membership!
Banner Exchange. In addition to other welcomed guests, Eric Bubb presented Erik Ackerson a past president of the Rotary Club on St. Thomas in the Caribbean. Erik Ackerson grew up locally in the Shawnee Mission school district. Mr. Ackerson’s Rotary Club of St. Thomas is the original Rotary Club of the Caribbean and the “mother club” for 81 clubs in 10 different Caribbean countries, including Haiti. The Rotary Spirit is alive and well with five clubs in St. Thomas, breakfast clubs, dinner clubs and another lunch club. The Caribbean Clubs have a focus on schools and water supply. Mr. Ackerson commented to anyone considering Rotary membership, there is probably a Rotary Club wherever you travel. Tony Andresen and Erik Ackerson, formally exchanged Club Banners for display by each.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Camp’s Centennial Campaign. Three years ago Dan Nenonen outlined to the Club how the Camp had aged since its founding in 1924 and that was when we announced the Centennial Campaign to raise funds for improvements and construction. We are breaking ground on a new health lodge & administration building. The prior buildings were 50 years old and the kids’ needs and accessibility requirements have changed. The Camp has raised through a variety of sources about $1.5 million of the projected $2 million budget. The Camp is now coming to the Club for you each to pledge your support.
9/11 Day of Service at the Rotary Youth Camp. A great opportunity to work with the Camp.
Prairie Day at Dunn Ranch Prairie, also on September 11th. A great opportunity to see nature and bison (and bison burgers).
Parking Day Event on September 18th. A great downtown event, for one day converting parking spaces into small parks. Flyers were on the tables.
TODAY’S PROGRAM:
Bill Kort introduced a very energic Robert Thummel, Managing Director of the Tortoise Ecofin firm. Robert is a managing director and senior portfolio manager, a member of the investment committee and serves as president of Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. a closed-end fund. Robert’s lively and very informative topic was “Global Energy Transformation”.
Energy Market Rhetoric: Energy Security, Energy Independence, Fossil Fuels, Renewables, Climate Crisis and Global Warming. On the surface there is a debate about more energy versus Climate Crisis. Global population growth drives energy demand higher (makes sense). We saw a graph clearly demonstrating the correlation between population growth and increased global energy demand. Likewise Global GNP is a driver of energy demand. We saw a graph of Per Person Energy Use comparing the USA with China and India. China with 1.6 billion people uses less than ½ the energy per person (vs the USA) and India 1/10th the usage. Another catalyst for continued energy demand growth is the level of electricity consumption in underdeveloped countries. They will move towards catching up with us on energy consumption. (3 ½ billion people each live on less than 1,000 kwh per year.) An average American refrigerator uses 1,172 kwh per year. To “mine” one Bitcoin annually takes 1,544 kwh per year. As a side note, Ethereum takes 1/10 the amount of energy than does Bitcoin.
Currently the global energy supply fuel mix is as follows: Oil 31%, Coal 27%, Natural Gas 25%, Nuclear 4%, Hydro 7% and Renewables 6%. As a planet our carbon emissions have steadily increased since 1970. Since 2010 carbon emissions in the U.S. and Europe have fallen while China and India’s have risen. Why? Reducing coal in China & India will improve the planets carbon emissions. Coal represents 10% of Europe’s and 12% of U.S.’s total energy supply. While Coal represents 55% of India’s and 57% of China’s total energy supply. (Why is coal so high for China? – China has cheap coal energy reserves and it provides ‘energy self-sufficiency’.
There are ways to “de-carbonize” today such as increased electricity usage, electric vehicles, industrial & residential/commercial energy efficiency, use of “clean” fuels and recycling. With increased research & development the costs of generating solar and wind electricity are coming down, i.e. becoming cost competitive. A problem or drawback for solar & wind is the need for energy storage. Battery storage, large and smaller, is a developing field. As more electric vehicles (EV’s) hit the road, manufacturers will continue the improve the technology and lower the cost.
Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) is an interesting concept with three panel depiction of carbon dioxide and methane collected from cow waste going to a purification facility then purified methane (RNG) is added to our existing natural gas system & delivered to customers. From an investment perspective think about the following quote “Almost half of the emissions reductions needed to reach net zero by 2050 will need to come from technologies that have not reached the market today”. The future technologies will include battery storage, hydrogen use (break down H2O into its component parts) and carbon capture. The Hydrogen energy technology will be used in fuel cells to power cars and trucks, home heating, commercial buildings, generate electricity and provide industrial fuel. Battery technology will continue to develop past the current state of art, Lithium-Ion batteries to “Solid State Lithium-Metal” with higher capacity, significant energy density and less fire risk.
SUMMARY: Energy is essential and the energy sector is evolving. There are opportunities in traditional energy (natural gas), in emerging energy (solar & wind) and in future energy technologies (hydrogen, carbon capture and battery storage).
A Timely Quote of the Day: “When coal come into the picture, it took about 50 to 60 years to displace timber. Then crude oil was found, and it took 60, 70 years, and then natural gas” Rex Tillerson.
President Tony Andresen wrapped up the meeting with the Four Way Test.
Rotarians are People of Action. Throughout the world in disaster recovery situations, our compassion and commitment to service are a significant part of relief efforts. Right here, right now, your help is needed here in our own zones.
Hurricane Ida has devastated communities in our Districts 6200 6840 and 6820. Governors Bob Vaughn (6820) and Mark Lee (6200) have assembled recovery teams to identify needs and coordinate response across all affected areas in Zone 31. Neighboring District 6190, through Governor Karen Johnson, has transported water for distribution in Louisiana. A group of Rotary members from Fairhope, AL, will prepare meals over 600 meals for three days.
In many areas, there are no shelters, no electricity, very limited resources for food, gasoline and supplies, and scarce medical services. Communities such as Golden Meadow, La Place and Galliano are broken and families are left with nothing. Our own Rotary leaders in the area have been affected. Now more than ever is the time for us to live our hashtag, #Rotary Responds.
Here’s how you can help.
Please make a donation if you can.
Donations can be sent to the District 6840 Foundation via the following link: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/hir/ Donations are tax-deductible and will be used to help affected regions in each district.
Your donation will help to fund supplies such as: tarps generators, gas and gas cans, roofing nails, bottled water chain saws, meals, pet food, baby formula, diapers, cleaning supplies and charging stations. Donations are desperately needed to fund these items.
REMINDER: Prairie Day at Dunn Ranch Prairie, Saturday, September 11th
While this free event is open to the general public, please sign up so we know who to watch for when we start gathering to eat our bison burgers at 11:30 a.m. Weather reports are very promising for a pleasant day on the prairie, Saturday, September 11.
Dunn Ranch Prairie is about a two hour drive north on I-35 to Eagleville, MO, the turn off to head west to Dunn Ranch Prairie located at 16970 W. 150th Street, Hatfield, MO. Many people use GPS to guide them, but for those who prefer to consult an old fashioned map, please contact Jan Armstrong for detailed directions to Dunn Ranch Prairie as well as Pawnee Prairie Conservation Unit. She will also have information for those wanting to carpool.
8:00 a.m. Bird watching hike at Pawnee Prairie Conservation Unit.
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Activities at Dunn Ranch Prairie including walking tours, educational exhibits and wagon tours onto the prairie to see the bison with their approximately 50 babies born this past spring. Many monarch butterflies should be sailing around at this time of year.
Rotarians meet for lunch together at the shelter at 11:30 a.m. Bison burgers, chips and water will be available at the concession stand operated by the local fire department. They will also have EMTs on hand. Handicapped accessible restrooms are located near the shelter. In case the shelter is crowded at lunch time, you might want to have a folding chair in your car. Don't forget to bring your hats, sunscreen, bug spray, extra water, binoculars and cameras for your wonderful day on the prairie!
Please join the Rotary Book Discussion Group for the discussion of the book Colors of the Mountain by Da Chen. The book is available by mail order through the Rainy Day Books web site or call the store for curb-side pickup. The discussion will be led by Vivien Jennings. All Rotarians and guests are welcome.
Event: Rotary Book Discussion Group
Date: Monday, September 20, 6:30 PM
Zoom Meeting
About the book:
Da Chen was born in 1962, the Year of Great Starvation. Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution was about to engulf millions of Chinese citizens, the Red Guard to enforce a brutal regime of communism. Chen’s family belongs to the despised landlord class, and as he grows up Chen’s father and grandfather are routinely beaten and sent to labor camps. Buoyed up be a devoted family, the young Da Chen is part Horatio Alger, part Holden Caulfield; he befriends a gang of hoodlums as well as an elegant, elderly Chinese Baptist woman who teaches him English and opens the door to a new life. Rich with scenes of rural life – catching frogs, working the rice fields, feasting on oysters and fried peanuts – Colors of the Mountain is a memoir of a boyhood full of spunk, mischief, and love; and an exhilarating account of success in the face of adversity.
We meet Thursdays at Noon
The Gallery
14 & Main
Kansas City, MO
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*REMINDER*
Masks are required to be worn in the Gallery when not eating or drinking.
The next Satellite meeting will be September 28th at the Tower Tavern. All are welcome to join us!
9/11 Day of Service at the Rotary Youth Camp
Join your fellow Rotarians for a day of service in honor of Sept 11 at the Rotary Youth Camp. Coffee and Donuts will be provided for volunteers. We will be doing all kinds of maintenance tasks to help get the camp ready for the winter break.
Please consider making a difference in a young person's life by becoming a Lead to Read KC reading mentor this school year. This is a one half hour a week commitment around the lunch hour. It is ok if you occasionally need to miss a week. You may also sign up to be a Flextra (on call reader). There are in person and virtual reading opportunities, starting October 13. Please email Hayley Rees at Hayley@leadtoreadkc.org to obtain details on opportunities. Please email Literacy Chairperson Sherri Hahn shahnsj@aol.com with any questions. Thank you!
Rotary Youth Camp Update
Happy Labor Day from the Rotary Youth Camp! We wanted to take a moment and recognize the amazing work our volunteers do out at camp. From our Monday Volunteer group, company work days, and numerous “Grab and Go” projects our volunteers keep this camping running and beautiful.
Sad News: We lost one of our campers last week to pneumonia. Katianne was a camper with Girls Can Camp for many years and was always enthusiastic and her smiles were contagious. As with all our campers who have passed, we will miss her. Her father made the following statement about Katianne’s camping experiences. This is why your camp is so important!
“Camp, and the friendships she made there, were such a big part of her life. She always so looked forward to going to camp.”
Temporary power is being re-routed so we can continue to serve our campers throughout the school year.
New Member: 
Bill Kort introduced a very energic Robert Thummel, Managing Director of the Tortoise Ecofin firm. Robert is a managing director and senior portfolio manager, a member of the investment committee and serves as president of Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. a closed-end fund. Robert’s lively and very informative topic was “Global Energy Transformation”.
Dear Rotary Members,
Please join the Rotary Book Discussion Group for the discussion of the book Colors of the Mountain by Da Chen. The book is available by mail order through the Rainy Day Books web site or call the store for curb-side pickup. The discussion will be led by Vivien Jennings. All Rotarians and guests are welcome.
@rotaryclub13
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