Rotareminder for the Rotary Club of Kent

Hybrid Meeting on May 7, 2024

 

President Asad welcomed the group by calling the meeting to order at ~12:15pm.  Our patriotic song of the day was our National Anthem  David Dix (on piano) and  Dominique Bollebacher (vocals) led the club in the singing of the KSU Fight Song followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.                 

 

The Invocation for today’s meeting was offered by Rachel Kerns, with  Marck Pennell and Roger Cramer working tech, Nithya Ventakarman handling photos, and Brian K Bialik handling Rotareminder duties.  

 

There were no visiting Rotarians.

 

 

 

 

 

May’s Student of the Month, presented by principal Kathy Scott,  is Bryson Woods from Stanton Middle School.   “Nothing but glowing praise for a young man who has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to excellence across his time at Stanton,” principal Kathy Scott remarked.  His positive attitude and profound contributions to the broader community are extraordinary.  He is also a special Olympian in the sports of track and field, as well as  football, having amassed three medals for his acheivements with hopes of qualifying for competition at the state level.

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                    

KSU’s 23^rd football coach, Kenni Burns, knows quite a bit when it comes to working from a position of disadvantage.  As a youth, he was one of two children of a young, single mother.  Growing up was tenuous at times.   He was raised by a young mother who lacked the resources to raise two children, but who refused to surrender.  So determined she was that she was able to deliver on a promise to earn her GED and accept a job at a correctional institution.  It was from here that their family unit started to stabilze.  Over time, Kenni’s mom was able to earn a PhD overcoming enormous odds, and eventually overseeing that same correctional institution.

 

This story was relevant for Kenni because it helped tell the story of how he developed  his character that would forever shape who he would become as a person, and equally important, the head football coach of a Division I football program.  His professional mentor, PJ Fleck, head football coach at the University of Minnesota, was forced to deal with and overcome adversity when he lost a child.  Similar to Kenni’s mom, PJ was able to overcome this circumstance that served as a reminder to Kenni as a young boy.

 

To Coach Burns, KSU was an obvious choice.  Having turned down other offers to be a head coach, his choice of KSU was the easy one.  KSU’s alignment with Kenni’s core values for student athletes pushed him over the edge– to excel academically; to achieve athletically; and to develop socially and spititually.   Coach Burns knew all too well from his childhood, that hard work (i.e., grit) was central to a person’s success on and off the field. The same grit that was largely responsible for the successes his mother achieved against the backdrop of the insurmountable hurdles she faced. 

 

 In today’s landscape of collegiate athletics (NIL; transfer portal, etc…); there are new challenges that all college coaches face as they endeavor to teach their student athletes how to be successful on the field and in life.  Coach Burn’s sees this clearly and remains committed to guiding his student athletes down this path by teaching them how to respond to adversity; staying positive; being yourself and all that comes with it; achieve academically; and have the integrity to own your decisions, constantly striving for  more.   Kenni was handed his first challenge at KSU which was to be handed a depleted roster of football players (reduced by 45 largely due to transfer portal activities).   Not an enviable task in year one as their record would attest.  “However, the only place to go now is upward,” says Coach Burns..  He is ever the optimist with a cadre of new recruits on their way, confident next season will bear more fruit.

 

Howard Boyle responded to today’s presenter, head KSU football coach, Kenni Burns.

Respectfully submitted,

Brian K Bialik

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