Weekly Club Meeting Minutes

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Meeting Date: November 7, 2012

Overall Comments:
  • The meeting was held at the Nelson Cultural Center on the campus of the American Swedish Institute (ASI) on Park Avenue and 26th Street.

Meeting Details:
  • The meeting was chaired by Christine Taylor, COL president, and began with the singing of America the Beautiful and a Reflection for the Day by Pat Burns.

President’s Comments and General Meeting Announcements:
  • The annual COL Foundation dinner will be held at the Minneapolis Club on November 28.
  • The International Service Committee has recommended that part of its budget be donated to a New York/New Jersey fund for restoration of damage due to Sandy storm damage. Further details will be available with the possibility of additional donations.
  • The December 1 meeting will be held at Eastside Neighborhood Services a recipient of a Rotary Foundation grant of $5000.
  • The annual family and friends COL holiday party will be on December 15 at Hell’s Kitchen.
  • The annual Holiday Party at Mary Daniels’ home will be on December 29.

Vocational/Happy Bucks:
  • Brad Weber gave his Vocational telling about growing up as a cheese head. He fled from Wisconsin and he and his wife are raising their two children in Minnesota.

Program/Speaker:
  • Nicole Stengle served as Day Chair and introduced our speakerASI President BruceKarlstadt. He presented a video on ASI and its’ new building. The building is contemporary and built according to green standards that are very popular in Sweden. The roof is covered with grass and 100 percent of the rain water is used with no runoff.
  • The ASI was founded in the TurnbladMansion which was built in 1908. The new Nelson Cultural Center was completed this past summer. It is a museum and cultural center where people gather to share cultural and social experiences and to appreciate their role as global citizens.
  • The new building includes a gift shop, FIKA, a restaurant featuring pastries and “New Nordic cuisine” and meeting and reception rooms.
  • The campus is designed for the neighborhood and includes a pocket park and plenty of space in the parking lot for kids activities and biking.
  • Following the meeting an optional tour of the buildings, which have just been decorated for the holidays, was conducted.

Next Week’s Program:
  • Kevin Maijata, Minnesota Historical Society
“U.S.-Dakota War:150 years later”
The meeting was adjourned with a ring of the bell by President Christine at 8:30am
Reporter: Jon N Groth

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