Rotary File - March 12, 2013
President Pam Ehly opened the meeting and we sang “Reveille” from the Rotary song book.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests: Jacob Yarrow and Erin Donohue, speakers; Shelby Colwell, BSA, guest of Bryan Clemons; Kermit Sheker, Iowa City Noon; David Johnsen, Iowa City Noon; Janis Perkins, guest of Jim Peterson; and Annette, our Rotary exchange student. Janice Perkins plans to open a 10,000 Villages fair trade store in Iowa City and needs a diverse set of volunteers to help initiate the project. Jim Peterson will bring materials to a future meeting.
Vote to Amend Bylaws: To revise the club’s bylaws, an oral vote was taken. The “ayes” had it and the bylaw revision was ratified. The revision will be sent to the Iowa Secretary of State.
New Members: We celebrated two new members: Vernette Knapp, who was described as having been a “Rotarian in spirit and now in actuality;” and Dick Heber, who described this as “the best club in the state!” Vernette’s sponsor is Roger Christian and her Rotarian spouse is Chris Knapp. Dick’s sponsor is Sue Cronin.
Announcements:
Two Rotarians are needed to volunteer on March 30 to work with the Interact Clubs for Many Hands Make Light Work project.
The Can Do sign up sheet is available for members to volunteer for the month of April.
Pat Schnack invited Rotarians and their families to provide housing for the Dance Folkloric group that will be here from Mexico from April 7 – 10. Pat is the contact person.
The Dance Folkloric will stage a performance at 7:30 on Sunday, April 7, at the Coralville Center for the Performing Arts.
Jim Swaim requested donations of nice clothing for the UAY Clothing Drive that will be set up at the parking ramp on March 13.
Many Happy Bucks: Dave Parsons shared his wife’s recent quote: “God, I love this town!” in response to the wealth of live performances available in our area, especially through Hancher. Tom Novak reported that the Iowa Most fundraiser held at West High raised $3000. Nancy Pacha expressed her deep appreciation for Elaine Shalla’s outstanding efforts in arranging for Nancy to be with her mother who had suddenly become seriously ill in Charlotte, NC. Jim Peterson praised Pat Schnack for her 11 years of participation in the Xicotepec, MX project and trip.
Program:
Deb Dunkhase introduced two speakers from Hancher: Jacob Yarrow, the program director and Erin Donahue, the education program director.
In the current interim between the destruction of Hancher Auditorium in the flood of 2008 and until a new auditorium is built, the entity’s programming and performances are now called simply “Hancher” rather than “Hancher Auditorium” or “Hancher Performances.”
The new building will be completed in 2016, and the plan is for good art to continue even now before the building is complete. Yarrow is on the lookout for artists with the human approach who explore the human condition, to help the self to really explore “What do I think about that?” He wants artists who are not so much one shot wonders but who are doing something special next, who are open to new expression. The desire is to engage the community, to raise awareness, to create empathy through artistic experience, and to explore cultures beyond the dominant Iowa City culture. Yarrow wants to position the performing arts at the center of the academic life of the university, to bring things with deep content. This is already happening, faculty in social work, engineering, nursing, rhetoric, and law have performers visit class to launch discussion.
Because Hancher is now using up to fourteen different (and smaller) venues for performances, artists are able to do much more intimate work than in a large auditorium.
Donahue spoke about educational projects including family outreach that Hancher is doing, for example, the SPOT Program which provides one week of activities for four communities, working with kids and their schools. They presented “Word Became Flesh,” a work about a single dad in an African American community, and much to the surprise and delight of the performers, the children begged the group to stay!
Another project is “Any Given Child,” analyzing K-8 arts education in cooperation with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and with our Pam Ehly of the ICCSD.
Respectfully submitted by Joan Garrity