Keith Busking announced this year's Nancy Chess Award winner!  
 
Our speaker Kyla Lewis provided plenty of food for thought about diversity and implicit bias.
 
Click on the headline above for more club meeting details and photos. 
 
To watch the recorded meeting, click on this YouTube link: July 7, 2020 Club Meeting
 
 
 
Club President Jonna Buck called our online July 7 meeting to order just after 7 a.m.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Past President Jane Purcell had two Happy Dollars--one for completing the move to her new house and one to thank her board for the 2019-2020 Rotary year. 
 
Everyone was encouraged by Jonna to sign up to lead an upcoming meeting prayer and the pledge/4-Way test on a spreadsheet in Google at this link: Club Duties Sign Up
 
Jonna also reminded us the first board meeting is this Friday at 7 a.m. 
 
Polly Christian led us in celebrating the July birthdays for Jim Costello, Taylor Wagner, Liz Barfield, Sam Ott, Jack Beller and Doris Wedge.  Sam's name was drawn to win the $25 Hal Smith restaurant gift card, and Jack receives the 100 RI Foundation points. Congrats all!
 
July 14 is the deadline to order Rotary SWAG. Taylor Wagner is spearheading this club fundraiswer.  
 
Keith Busking announced the finalists for the Nancy Chess Award: Jack Beller, Jane Purcell, Jonathan Winder and Polly Christian. More than 60 members participated in voting, and the winner this year for outstanding community service was revealed by Club Secretary Linda Holt on screen!  Polly's reaction to winning was priceless, and Keith promised to deliver the "nonCOVID" plaque to her at a future in-person meeting! Congrats Polly!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jonna introduced our speaker, Kyla Lewis, a specialist in diversity training and organizational development. Kyla received her bachelor’s degree in marketing and her master’s degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma. She has trained members of numerous companies and higher education institutions across the state in the areas of diversity and inclusion. She has been invited to speak to two different state regents’ committees/boards and is always looking for opportunities to share her expertise.
 
Kyla led us in two activities to help us understand what "diversity" means and  "implicit bias." She talked about ways to overcome implicit bias--which we all have--by making sure we reach out to people who represent different religions, or races, or experiences or gender identity than we do. She suggested our club consider partnering with community organizations such as the OU Black Alumni Association, Black LIves Matters and/or a local LGBTQ group on community service projects to get the conversations started. 
 
Kyla said one of the best ways to understand what is meant by "white privilege" is to think about how most of our world is oriented for right-handed people, and that left-handed people often have to adjust how they do things in much of the world. In the same manner, people in the minority who are not in power, such as People of Color (POC) in the US or Europe, or those who self-identify as LGBTQ or those of minority religious groups, have to constantly adjust to the rules of those with privilege. 
 
Thank you Kyla for all of the takeaways from your presentation!