Alexandria Rotary Club

Water Rescue and Recovery

Greg Windhurst and Jeff Beck from the Douglas County Sheriff Dive and Rescue Team spent time with the Alexandria Rotary Club at the weekly meeting at the Broadway Ballroom.

The Douglas County Water Rescue and Recovery Team provides an emergency response to water related emergencies at any time and in all weather conditions. Boating accidents, drowning victims and vehicles through the ice account for most callouts, but the team is also trained for thin ice, black water, surface rescue, and evidence recovery.

Members of the team are employees of the Douglas County Sheriff s Office who train monthly to maintain their skills. In addition to being certified divers, team members are also trained in the use of county watercraft, search techniques, and underwater communications.

Diversity

Brad Barth, Rotarian and Alexandria Technical College's Organizational and Business Development Specialist, presented the results from a survey conducted in Alexandria by the Diversity Resource Action Alliance(DRAA). Formed in 2003, DRAA is committed to strengthening community understanding and appreciation of diversity and cultural differences in the greater Alexandria Area. DRAA members meet at 7:30 a.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at the Alexandria Technical College. On March 27th from 4-6 pm at ATC Auditorium 743, Dr. Mike Rich, Executive Director of the Southwest Marketing Advisory Center, will be presenting about diversity. The meeting also will feature a community panel and a roundtable discussion. Everyone is welcome.

Scholarship Recipient Thanks Rotary

Kelly Seeger will soon be a graduate from the Alexandria Technical College. As the Alexandria Rotary Club's guest speaker today, Kelly thanked the Rotarians in attendance for the scholarship that was provided by the Alexandria Rotary Club. Without the scholarship, Kelly said she likely wouldn't have been able to complete her education in graphic design. She talked about her experience at ATC and had high praise for the school.

Earlier in the meeting, everyone was treated to a visit from Elvis re-incarnated, Pete Presley.

$3.5 million from Google to Help End Polio

Rotary International has received a $3.5 million challenge grant from the Google Foundation, a non-profit managed by Google.org, in support of Rotary’s top goal to eradicate polio worldwide. Rotary will raise funds to match the Google Foundation grant dollar-for-dollar over one year.

Link: Rotary.org

District Governor Nomination

The Nominating Committee for  District  Governor has recommended Larry Zilliox of the Rotary Club of Alexandria to serve as Governor in the year 2010-2011.

District 5950 of Rotary International is a group of 60 Rotary Clubs located in Central and Southwestern Minnesota. These clubs represent 41 Minnesota communities ranging in size from Minneapolis to Springfield. Our District is one of 529 Districts in 166 countries throughout the world and totaling 1,200,000 Rotarians in more than 31,000 local Rotary Clubs.