President Kathy Myers welcomed those attending in-person as well as the Zoom attendees.
David Dix led us in the singing of God Bless America which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Today’s Invocation was presented by Roger Sidoti.
David Dix played piano while the group sang along to the song Piano Man.
There were no visiting Rotarians.
Guests
- President Kathy Myers introduced Bill Russel from Coleman Health Services.
- Asad Khan was joined by his wife, Beth Khan.
- Tom Hatch welcomed Bengt George from Kent Historical Society.
- Jeff Roeger introduced Kevin Medina, a student from NEOMED and future pharmacist.
- Amanda Senn introduced David Patterson, who will be joining the club soon
Announcements
- President Kathy Myers shared that lunch discussions are continuing. Stay tuned. Also, watch for an email to come out shortly for any dues that are overdue.
- There is a volunteer opportunity for club members coming up on October 20th at 3 PM. Contact Anita Herington if you would like to help plant milkweed to support the environment.
- Today is the cut off day for 100th anniversary reservations. See Carol Crimi today if you still need to make a reservation to attend the event.
- The club is participating in Main Street Kent’s Family friendly Halloween on October 29th from 5-7 PM. Volunteers are needed to help pass out treats at this event. Donations of treats are also needed, or you can donate money to help buy treats.
- Amanda Senn shared that there is no happy hour scheduled for November due to the holiday. She is considering doing a holiday social in December. Bell Tower Brewing will be opening on October 21st and the club may hold an event there in the near future. Kathy Myers asked for a show of hands for those interested in attending a holiday party.
- Randy Smith announced that even though reservations to the 100th Anniversary event end today, donations are still being accepted toward the Rotary Foundation endowment. The club would like to see 100% participation from members. The committee will meet immediately after today’s meeting.
Birthdays
Jeff Roeger announced the October birthdays. Those celebrating a birthday were asked to share their most meaningful service to others. Laing Kennedy won the drawing for a free lunch. David Dix played Happy Birthday to You.
100th Anniversary Moment
Jim Myers shared that he received a note recently from Past President Charlie Zumkehr. In it, he suggested that he’d like to hear more history moments from the 1960s – 1980s and included a generous donation in recognition of the 100th Anniversary of the club. Jim Myers noted that a third Rotary history book needs to written to cover the years after 1984. His moment today highlighted the club’s first auction in 1970 which raised $825.
Speaker
This week’s program continued the theme of Immigrants in Leadership. Asad Khan introduced today’s speaker, Atoosa Alavi. Atoosa is an intellectual property attorney and entrepreneur. She is currently the Chief Cousel for AlphaMicron in Kent and owns the start-up company Immobileyes, Inc. Her presentation was titled Iran: Then and Now.
Atoosa was born and raised in Mashad, Iran. Mashad is a holy city and a pilgrimage destination. Her parents still reside in Iran, but she says she is unable to visit them at this time as she feels it would be unsafe. After high school, she moved to England to attend school and spent 15 years there where she studied to be a dentist and oral surgeon. She eventually moved to the United States where she earned her JD from Case Western Reserve University.
Atoosa shared a slide show featuring the geography, history, tourism, and religion of Iran, noting that a common misconception is that the entire country is a desert filled with camels. While they do have some deserts they also have green, mountainous areas too. The country has a rich history dating back to the Persian Empire, which has influenced the architecture and gardens of Iran today. The capital city, Tehran, saw 6 million tourists in 2017.
She shared images of her family and growing up in Iran prior to the Revolution in 1978-1979, which she says was similar to the US at that time. She also shared facts about the nation’s capital and the country’s wealth obtained through the oil and petroleum industry. She acknowledged that women in Iran are in a different position than some of their neighboring countries with 60% enrolled in university. They are required to wear a hijab now which came about after the revolution.
A Q&A session followed her presentation during which she indicated that she misses the warmth of the people of Iran most when she thinks of her home country. When asked what she likes best about living in America she says that it is the unique feeling (considered arrogance by other countries) Americans have knowing that they can do anything or become anything and that they have a path to do so. She is thankful that she sees this in her own children.
Today’s responder was Chris Martin.
Next Week’s Program will be Alfonso Hinojosa, a Controller at MetalTek International.
Kathy Myers led a reciting of the 4 Way Test before the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Stacey Richardson
