About the Presentation: Glenn opened his talk by saying that he and his wife Pam are long-time Rotarians who drank the Kool-Aid long ago. Wherever they’ve lived, they join different clubs, which means more meetings, more checks, and lots more friends. The slides for Glenn’s talk can be viewed by clicking the link in the Download Files section at the bottom of this Tidings.
Glenn said that the Make Peace Visible theme will remain at least through this Rotary year. Glenn talked about the concept of “positive peace” and how Rotary impacts the world, creating positive peace wherever Rotary improves lives.
Every year Rotary International has a theme for the year, and this year it comes from staff in Evanston instead of a chosen presidential theme. The Unite for Good theme is expected to last for several years. It puts what our club and Rotary everywhere does into practice locally and around the globe. Glen showed us a reminder slide of photos to show what our club has done. READ MORE for the rest of the summary.
About the Speaker: Click READ MORE for Glenn's brief bio.
Glenn talked about the new president, who bravely stepped in with only 5 weeks to go before the beginning his term when the incoming president had to resign for a combination of personal and health reasons. The priorities the new president suggests is membership, peace, finish the job with PolioPlus, and Core Values. Polio has been big project for 40+ years, yet only 13% of Rotarians donate to PolioPlus. The polio eradication challenge increases as we get closer to the finish line. While the cost saving has been substantial, reduced federal funding creates a $200 million gap.
Core values that the new president seeks to focus on include fellowship and trust. Having people we trust and have relationships with in life allows us to get things done.
We heard from Glenn about Rotary’s membership challenges, which it shares with many organizations. Our distict has lost almost 1000 members in 14 years. Glenn showed a list of 11 clubs that have disbanded. White Bear Lake has bucked the trend, growing during the last few years. The pandemic impacted membership because many clubs stopped meeting.
Foundationgiving is a positive for our club. We have average contribution of more than $100 per active member. Some goals Glenn mentioned for this year are: Crutches, Food security, and mental health. Based on last year’s success with Crutches4Aftrica, our goals are to collect 150 devices, prepare devices for shipment, transport them on the day, ane to help fund the shipment.
The Conference of Clubs was a powerful event. There were lots of breakouts, a focus on food insecurity, dynamic speakers from World Food Program, Gates Foundation, and others. The next conf will be Apr 17-18 26 at the Doubletree Hilton St Paul East. Glenn expects that mental health will be one of the topic areas that will generate ideas and provide toolkits. As always, will have youth focus as one area. Glenn urged us to think about who in our communities might be able to contribute.
Glenn reminded us that May 27-31, 2028 will be the dates for the International Rotary Convention. A large number of volunteers will be needed to host those visiting the Twin Cities. On Monday nights there are Home Hospitality meals with visiting Rotarians.
Glenn finished with a proposal in the works for every district along the Mississippi to have pollinator projects that we can promote in our communities. There is also planning for group exchanges involving Rotarians – called Friendship Exchanges. There is a possibility for visitors to come here.
About Dr. Glenn Bowers: Glenn was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs. He holds a B.A. in Biology from Blackburn College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the University of Illinois. Glenn worked as a plant breeder and agronomist in academia (Texas A&M and Purdue), with a multinational company, and with two ag-biotech startups. He joined Rotary in 1986 after participating in a Group Study Exchange between southeast Texas (D5910) and northwest India. His career has taken him to Districts 5910, 6560, 6150, and 5960 serving as president of the Rotary Club of West Beaumont in 1997-98 (D5910), the Rotary Club of Jonesboro-University in 2002-06 (D6150), and the Rotary Club of Arden Hills/Shoreview in 2020-21.
Glenn has held several district roles, including Assistant Governor, Assistant Governor Lead, District Trainer, Club Visioning Facilitator, and the lead of several District committees (GSE, Peace Scholar, Grants, Group Cultural Exchange). His wife, Pam, joined Rotary in 2002, serving as the charter president of the Rotary Club of Jonesboro-Metro (D6150). Presently, she is a member of the White Bear Lake Rotary Club. They have attended 11 international conventions and are Major Donors and members of the Legacy Society.
Being raised in a Masonic family, Glenn was a member of Boy Builders, a Masonic group for boys. He is also an Eagle Scout. He enjoys travel, wine, cooking, birdwatching, and hiking.