Entertaining, Informative, Inspiring Speakers
Posted by Michael Blackwell
on Nov 01, 2014
Once again our Speakers Committee has done a good job lining up speakers, giving us yet more reason to be out of bed for Friday meetings.
We heard from Dublin City School's Kim Claven on an exciting new initiative, K to Career. Funded by a $ million grant and created in partnership with a who's who of Dublin's IT and business community (including our own Mohan Viddam's Halcyon), this program will introduce young minds to the concepts and skills needed for a successful 21st Century Career and even equip them with programming skills that will help them with college expenses and in launching themselves in the job market. Kim is still seeking business and individual volunteer mentor help; check out the http://www.ktocareer.com/ website for more details on the program and to find out how to get involved. Click here to view Kim's lively presentation to Rotary. 
We also heard from Rachel Koon, daughter of our own "Smiley" Hook, on her work with her husband in an orphanage and school in Moldova. Moldova is one of the poorest, if not the poorest, country in Europe; perhaps its only wealth is the sheer number of social problems it faces. Supported in part by Dublin A.M. Rotary, the school helps students learn for a better future, improve their hygiene, and treats the medial ills. To find out more about their work, click here to watch Rachel's inspiring presentation.
We also heard from our illustrious president, Julie, pinch hitting when a speaker has trouble making it. She covered Syntero, the joint venture between Dublin Counseling Center and Northwest Counseling, continuing to do great work helping those in our area work though psychological and substance abuse issues. Thanks, too, to Dwight Seeley (who asked not to be video'd) on his exciting new product launch of plum pudding. Dwight faced a "Shark Tank" of Rotarians interested in helping him develop his product idea. True to Rotary's traditions, our tankful of sharks may have had the least appetite and fewest teeth in the history of entrepreneurship; still, Dwight got some good help and certainly some good encouragement.