The Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site is celebrating 125 years since the inauguration of Harrison as the 23rd president. Rotarian Phyllis Geeslin, the site’s president and CEO, says issues that were important to Harrison were the opening of Ellis Island, a sense of history and a good diet of fish, beef and fresh vegetables. Click here to see some of Geeslin’s favorite places to eat.
Category: Members in the News
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Phyllis Geeslin – The Five Things I Love
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Rotarian Erik Johnson Nominated by Indiana Sports Corp for the Prestigious ROSE Award
The following article was written by Allison Melangton, President, Indiana Sports Corp
During our Executive Committee meeting earlier this week, we had a special visit from our partners at Visit Indy. They stopped by to surprise Erik Johnson, who has been nominated by Indiana Sports Corp for a ROSE (“Recognition Of Service Excellence”) Award. He’ll be recognized at the event next month.
The mission of the ROSE (“Recognition Of Service Excellence”) Awards is to honor hospitality employees or volunteers who provide excellent customer service. ROSE Award honorees are true goodwill ambassadors for their companies and the city. These industry champions, through one-on-one or behind-the-scenes contact, positively influence a visitor’s experience in Indianapolis. These interactions are really important touch-points with fans, and positively shape out-of-town guests’ impressions of Indy.
I’ve mentioned Erik’s selfless contributions in the past. His volunteer leadership as the chair of the local organizing committee for the 2013 NCAA Women’s Rowing Championships in the planning stages of the event was exceptional. On-site, he joined us for many early mornings to help manage the operational parts of the event, and did everything from entertaining guests from the NCAA to spreading straw throughout the Indianapolis Rowing Center to combat a week of rain.
Erik is just one example of the volunteers, facility and hospitality workers, and ambassadors who do so much to make our guests feel at home in central Indiana. Their work, their Hoosier Hospitality, and their attention to detail provide memorable and lasting experiences for our participating athletes and fans.
The four weeks ahead provide a significant opportunity for Indy to welcome more visitors and sports fans as we host the Big Ten Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournaments at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the IU Natatorium, and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Midwest Regional at Lucas Oil Stadium.
I also appreciated Mayor Ballard’s comments in the State of the City address last night – reminding us to be proud of Indy and to serve as an enthusiastic ambassador for all the things that make Indy a great place to live, work and enjoy great events–like the March line-up mentioned above!
Thank you to everyone who volunteers in our community (whether it be for Indiana Sports Corp or other great organizations) and keep sharing positive experiences with our visitors!
Written By Allison Melangton, President, Indiana Sports Corp
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Rotarian Michael Snyder, Knows Branding
Any given day at The MEK Group may involve helping an international medical manufacturing services company expand and capture U.S. market share, developing a premium brand and ad campaign for a communications enterprise, organizing industry leaders and academics to advance a technology region, or helping to advocate for and support quality health care.
As managing principal, Michael Snyder likely will find himself right in the middle of the action.
“Being able to make a lasting impact is the most rewarding aspect of the often intense days we have at MEK,” said Snyder, who returned to his native Indiana, after working in the greater Los Angeles area for 17 years.
Snyder has represented Fortune 100 companies and worked with a sitting queen, a First Lady and the chairman of General Motors, but he says his greatest satisfaction comes from seeing people and companies seize their potential and transform themselves into high performers.
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Rotarian Matt Burnett to Guest on WFYI, No Limits
Rotary Club of Indianapolis President-Elect Matt Burnett will be one of three guests on WFYI’s No Limits (LIVE) program on Thursday, February 27 from 1pm to 2pm. President-Elect Matt Burnett will join Stan Soderstrom with Kiwanis International and Pat Henninger with the Lions Club to discuss Member Service Clubs.
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Rotarian Carole Darst awarded Alumni Citation
Carole Darst was awarded Denison’s Kappa Kappa Gamma Foundation Alumni Citation, the highest award bestowed to its alumni, for her lifelong work in the arts. Carole has been a toy designer, graphic artist, interior designer and assistant director at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. She served as director of the Indianapolis Art Center and exhibits coordinator for the Indiana Arts Commission. Congratulations Indianapolis Rotarian Carole Darst! -
Ralph Taylor Wins Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award
Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award
The 159th Annual Volunteer Recognition Program – YMCA of Greater Indianapolis
Ralph Taylor has brought his passion for diversity and inclusion to every role he has served in this community. He was the first minority to be elected president of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis and during his leadership he made diversity a key component of his term by discussing this topic at every weekly meeting. When he was Program Officer for the Central Indiana Community Foundation, he launched the Sam H. Jones Creating Greater Awareness Forum to highlight the issues, challenges and concerns of the invisible populations living in the greater Indianapolis area.Ralph has a long history of supporting our community as a teacher and coach. In addition to being on the youth advisory board of the Fall Creek YMCA and teaching youth basketball, he has been a classroom teacher and coach for IPS. He has been a 4-H Agent for Purdue University Marion Co. Extension Service, Recreation Administrator for Indianapolis Youth Institute, Program Officer for the Central Indiana Community Foundation, a consultant on international relations and is presently a consultant for the Welcoming Indianapolis Project.
In addition to his work experience has has served and continues to serve on several community boards, including the Indianapolis Arts Council, Planned Parenthood of Indianapolis, Coburn Place, the Asian-American Alliance and United Way of Central Indiana’s Committee on Diversity.
When reflecting on his work as an advocate for new arrivals, immigrants and refugees, Ralph is quoted as saying, “I don’t view myself as a leader. I view myself as a concerned individual who wants to make a positive difference in his community. From my perspective, you either care about people or you don’t.”
The Y is proud to recognize him as the first recipient of the 2013 Volunteer/Community Leader Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award.
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Rotarian, Evan Bedel Named President-Elect, FPA of Greater Indiana
Evan Bedel, formerly the Communications Director with the FPA, was recently elected to serve as President-Elect.
The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) is the leadership and advocacy organization representing the financial planning community. FPA is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who are charged with helping the organization reach its Primary Aim while upholding the organization’s bylaws.
Evan Bedel has been a Rotarian since April 2011 and has been very involved, recently becoming a Paul Harris Fellow.
Evan is also a Financial Planner with Bedel Financial Consulting, Inc. Says Bedel, “One of my roles at Bedel Financial is to help young professionals establish a solid financial foundation for the future. This service is designed to progressively guide the next generation of wealth accumulators towards an affluent path. I assist in developing long- and short-term goals, debt reduction strategies, saving strategies, investment advice, life and disability insurance analysis, retirement planning, and more. Another role is to educate the adult children of our clients about the importance of fiscal responsibility. Through this education, I teach them about topics like budgeting, inflation, the power of compounding interest, goal establishment, goal funding, the difference between a Traditional vs. Roth IRA, and more.”
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IBJ 2013 CFO of the Year: Rotarian, Mark Winzenread
Mark Winzenread’s 33-year tenure at Walker defies the norm.“Statistically, you change jobs every five to seven years,” he said. “I’m always a little embarrassed to say I’ve been here 33. I’ve resigned twice. It just hasn’t worked out.”
Walker, the consumer intelligence consulting firm, wasn’t Winzenread’s first professional job. Out of college, he worked in public accounting but was drawn to the private side.
“It was frustrating to go to clients year after year, make recommendations, and then see that things don’t change. You can’t force a client to do anything,” he noted. “On the inside, I can make things happen.”
Still known locally by some as Walker Research, the company does more than research. Its consultants work with dozens of companies on customer retention and growth strategies.
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Day 6, Rotarian Debra Des Vignes – The Final Day – 24/7
“It doesn’t take long in Guatemala to know the papaya stand owner by name, to taste the chocolate water in your sleep, to have tired hands and an achy back. You move along to the beat of the city and you adjust in the poverty stricken villages. In a single day you meet a coffee farmer and a Jade miner and they both welcome you into their home as a best friend would. Together we communicate in broken words. “Okay, okay,” he says. “Si, si,” I say. You worry about asking if they have a baño (bathroom). Am I prepared to walk for miles? The return home isn’t easy. It never is. On the flight back excitement to see family is overpowered by tears of what I have just left behind. I have left behind work that still needs to be done. There is a green plastic bucket that needs to be filled with coffee beans. There are nails on walls of the home that still need to be hammered, and I forgot to hug the Jade Miner. I forgot to tell him that his hard work and his profits will help send his kids to school. I can’t make that promise because I know that he is unselfish. He shares his profits with others because he wants to benefit his entire community. He sees the bigger picture. They all do here. The return home to 24/7; those days are never easy. The mind races, faces slide in and out, conversations surface. It was in Central America where the coffee farmer in the fields taught me to be less rigid with my time. And savor coffee. I mean really let the scent of the beans linger. The Jade miner taught me to stay in the present and keep a razor-sharp focus. The construction crew taught me to hammer away. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake. Our sponsor daughter. Her dreams. My dreams. They intersect. They did along that dusty gravel road in San Rafael. Remember that road with no pavement or water for miles. Do you remember? When I give here I see the change almost immediately. Find your reason. Stop and talk about it. I worry we are all just shuffling through this life.”
Read more and Follow Debra through her journey, this week. -
Day 5 – Rotarian Debra Des Vignes and The Jade Miner
(EXCERPT) “When you walk into Francisco’s tiny front yard you are in a mini-jungle where gorgeous tropical flowers cascade from garden beds crafted from small boulders of unprocessed jade. You are not stuck by the overwhelming amount of trees, plants, and priceless Jade he owns, but his warm brown eyes and calm demeanor. He’s soft spoken, but you cling to each word like a ballad in a beautiful Christmas quartet. His words linger and bounce off plants and in the end you are left with a feeling of calm. I feel both lucky and under dressed in his presence. Francisco is first man to discover Jade in Guatemala. He stands about 6 feet tall with a slight slouch. A slouch, perhaps given, during his search for Jade in the mountains during the past 44 years. He was featured in a 1987 edition of The National Geographic.”
Read more and Follow Debra through her journey, this week.
