Professor Nam Kim spoke about his family’s refugee journey to flee danger and pursue the American Dream. Dr. Kim’s father was born in Korea and was separated from his family during the Korean War; his mother was born in Vietnam. They met and married in Vietnam, and fled to the Philippines, Guam and eventually the United States during the evacuation of Saigon. Ultimately, this is a story of hope and resilience, even through unfathomable adversity. Dr. Kim asked the group to consider the many ways of being “American,” as well as the complex identities and heritages of others.
On January 3, Madison Parks Superintendent Eric Knepp spoke to the group about the multitude of opportunities our local parks offer to improve our quality of life. Over 95% of Madisonians live within a 10 minute walk to a park, allowing us all to easily find ways to find joy, purpose and connection. The Madison Parks Department hosts a variety of events throughout the year, focused on health, exercise, education and more. We encourage everyone to commit to learn more and take advantage of them regularly, especially as we start a new year.
Our Member Recruitment Team continues to encourage all of us to think about individuals in our circle of friends, work colleagues and family members who would make good additions to our Rotary Club.
The committee created an award in 2014 to recognize a member who is excelling at sponsoring new members into our club. The award is named after Rotarian Mitch Javid (jah-VEED) Award as a way to honor him for holding the club’s record for sponsoring the highest number of new members. We annually recognize the member who has served as the primary sponsor to the most new members for the past 3 years–and who are still in our club.
Here’s a little background on Mitch Javid. He was a member our club from 1968 until his death in 2021. Mitch sponsored 56 members and co-sponsored another 10 members. This distinguished and very busy member who was chairman of the UW Department of Neurosurgery said, “I love Rotary. It is very dear to me. I believe in it and so I want to share it with other good people.”
Ron Luskin (right) pictured here with Club President Charles McLimans
This year’s recipient, for a third year in a row, is Ron Luskin, who joined our club in 2014.
Since joining, Ron has been active on the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and is a past co-chair. He has been involved in planning our Ethics Symposium, Program, Rotaract, Rotary Scholar Mentoring, Vocational Opportunities and Swarsensky Award Committees. Ron is a past Member Recruitment Officer for our club as well.
Ron has served as the primary sponsor to 12 new members since 2020. They are:
Kalvin Barrett, Jason Beloungy, Shawn Carney, Bill Connors, Baltazar De Anda Santana, Kai Gardner Mishlove, Jason Fields, Peter Gray, Alan Klugman, Kyle Nondorf, Jara Rios-Rodriguez and Jeremiah Robinson.
Let’s congratulate Ron, on receiving the Mitch Javid again this year!
Brandon Tschacher, founder of the Milwaukee Esports Alliance, engaged and educated us on the significance and growth of the Esports industry. Esports is competitive athletic play in a video game setting such as on a PC, game console, or mobile device. It can involve master play online, single play or with traditional sports games such as Madden. While the average age of Esports players is 31 there are programs (with coaching and resources allocated) in middle school, high school, college, professional level (Bucks Gaming as an example) and local venues and leagues. Like other sports, there are many careers that support and produce the playing of Esports including STEM-related fields. And it serves as an inclusive answer to an athletic competitive community that hasn’t always had a home in the past.
Kris Krasnowski, Executive Director for the Wisconsin Institute for Health Aging, discussed the many ways that social isolation and loneliness can negatively affect the health of our community, including putting people at higher risk for heart disease, dementia and more. Even before the pandemic, about 50% of U.S. adults experienced loneliness. The WI Coalition to End Social Isolation and Loneliness is adopting a plan to address this topic that includes strategies like strengthening social infrastructure, mobilizing the health care industry and reforming digital environments. You can make a difference by reaching out to those you know who may need additional social connection.
WDVA Secretary-Designee James Bond shared his journey of discovery and success from growing up in a single-parent family in a poor neighborhood on Madison’s east side to being appointed by Governor Tony Evers in January to lead the WDVA. As he grew up and became more exposed to people of diverse backgrounds, he realized that his circumstances and yearnings were different than many and a source of shame and embarrassment. He dreamed of a successful and “normal” life and set about achieving the life he wanted by joining the Marine Corps and returning to Madison to attend the University of Wisconsin.
Today, Secretary-Designee Bond has a proven track record of service to others and has remained true to himself. He is the first Black, openly LGBTQ leader of the WDVA. In addition, he has married and has adopted two boys from foster care to create the stable family he desired as a young person. He is proud that he can represent under-represented constituencies and be able to give back for the assistance his family needed when growing up. His role as leader at WDVA is well-suited in his mission to give back, serve others and inspire.
Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin 