History Moment: Celebrating Dr. InBae Yoon

Saturday, June 3, 2023 By: Monica M Smith
In recognition of May being Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, for today’s Rotary history moment I will share a short story about an inspiring Korean American surgeon and inventor, Dr. InBae Yoon (1936-2014), who spent most of his career in Maryland.

Today’s talk is based primarily on articles about Dr. Yoon written by my Smithsonian colleagues Tricia Edwards, Sarah Wheeler, and Joyce Bedi.


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Meeting in Review - May 17, 2023

Saturday, May 20, 2023 By: W Todd Miller
On May 17, 2023, the Rotary Club of Washington, DC, held its regular weekly meeting in person at the University Club of Washington, D.C. and via Zoom, and welcomed guest speakers, Joan and Michael Kim, pharmacists and entrepreneurs. 
 

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Meeting in Review - May 10, 2023

Sunday, May 14, 2023 By: W Todd Miller
On May 10, 2023, the Rotary Club of Washington, DC, held its regular weekly meeting in person at the University Club of Washington, D.C. and via Zoom, and welcomed guest speaker, Kymone Freeman, award-winning playwright, activist, and commentator. 

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2022-2023 DC Rotary Foundation Community Service Grant Awardees!

Friday, May 5, 2023 By: Elise Egan
We are very pleased to announce that the Club’s and Foundation’s Boards at their April meetings have adopted the recommendations of the Community Service Grants Committee and awarded grants to the following organizations for projects in the DC area:  
 

·      An Open Book Foundation
·      Anacostia Watershed Society
·      Christ House 
·      City Blossoms
·      DC Youth Orchestra Program (DCYOP)
·      District Alliance for Safe Housing                 (DASH)
·      The Family Place, Inc.
·      Free Minds Book Club & Writing                 Workshop
·      Hope and a Home
·      Light The Way Foundation
·      Prevention of Blindness Society of                 Metro Washington 

·      Resources to Inspire Students and                  Educators
·      Right Beginnings, Inc.
·      Salvation Army National Capital Area           Command
·      Street Sense Media
·      Suited for Change 
·      Teens Run DC
·      WANADA ADEI
·      We Are Family Senior Outreach                      Network
·      Young Men's Christian Association                (YMCA) of Metropolitan Washington



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DC Rotary Club Receives ShelterBox HERO Recognition

Friday, May 5, 2023 By: Marilyn Nevy Cruz
Greetings President Marilyn and members of Washington DC Rotary,
 
Congratulations on achieving ShelterBox HERO GOLD level recognition for Rotary Year 2022-2023.
                                                         
2022 was our biggest year yet and your support helped us to reach over 400,000 people across 22 projects in 12 countries. This year is shaping up to be just as busy and your continued support is truly appreciated.
 
Attached is your digital award to use on your club website and please share this recognition on your club and district social media outlets.  At the end of the Rotary Year your club will be listed on our HERO page www.shelterboxusa.org/hero.

 

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Rotary Foundation of Washington DC Annual Campaign

Friday, May 5, 2023 By: Robert Jeffrey Schott

My Dear Friends and Fellow Rotarians:

Please think about these things:

Community Service Grants, International Service Grants
Trees for the Capital, Rotaract Clubs, Interact Clubs
Career Fair, Walter Reed Bingo
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA)
Disaster Relief, Grate Patrol
Rotary Youth Exchange Program



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History Moment: The Origins of Earth Day

Friday, May 5, 2023 By: Monica M Smith
In honor of Earth Day, which is celebrated annually on April 22 in the US and in many other countries, today I would like to share a Rotary history moment about the origins of the event. I will quote primarily from a blog post written by my National Museum of American History colleague Joan Boudreau.

What would you have done if you saw your river burning? The Cuyahoga River that runs through the northeastern corner of Ohio was so polluted in the 1950s and 1960s that fish populations were decimated because of the river’s oily, industry-produced pollution. In 1969, with a spark from a train traveling nearby, the river began to burn.

 

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Member Moment - Dylan White

Friday, May 5, 2023 By: Dylan J. White
I am excited to have the opportunity to speak at the Rotary Club of Washington, DC, and share some information about myself and my reasons for joining Rotary. Being a Washington, DC native, I am lucky to have much of my family in the city and surrounding suburbs. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, College Park- Go Terps!

As a real estate advisor with nearly a decade of experience, I have had the privilege of working with clients in The District, Maryland, and Virginia. Regardless of their price point, I take great pride in providing exceptional service to all my clients.
 

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Our own Alexander Tu introduces his friends Dr. Michael and Joan Kim. Husband and wife team, Michael and Joan Kim, are both pharmacists and entrepreneurs. They currently have ownership in multiple pharmacies in the District of Columbia and have owned eight different pharmacies since 2005.
Michael Kim graduated from Howard University College of Pharmacy in 1998 and was part of the first ever entry-level PharmD class to graduate from the College of Pharmacy. Joan Kim graduated from St. John’s College of Pharmacy in New York in 1995 and worked in both hospital and retail settings before moving to Maryland to start a new life with Michael.

Joan has helped countless patients' lives over the years with her vast knowledge of alternative medicine and nutrition. She has been featured in local newspapers and has been a featured speaker representing women in pharmacy. She has been able to juggle being a business owner, pharmacist, wife, and a fantastic mother to six children.

Michael has been the recipient of several awards since graduation, including the Bowl of Hygeia award, the Howard University College of Pharmacy Alumnus of the Year award and the Washington DC Pharmacy Association Pharmacist of the Year award. He has been featured in multiple pharmacy publications and has been interviewed by many news media outlets.Michael is the current Chairman of the Care Pharmacies Board of Directors, was a Vice President of the National Community Pharmacist Association (NCPA) for six years and is a board member of the Howard University College of Pharmacy Board of Visitors.

Our own Alexander Tu introduces his friends Dr. Michael and Joan Kim. Husband and wife team, Michael and Joan Kim, are both pharmacists and entrepreneurs. They currently have ownership in multiple pharmacies in the District of Columbia and have owned eight different pharmacies since 2005.
Michael Kim graduated from Howard University College of Pharmacy in 1998 and was part of the first ever entry-level PharmD class to graduate from the College of Pharmacy. Joan Kim graduated from St. John’s College of Pharmacy in New York in 1995 and worked in both hospital and retail settings before moving to Maryland to start a new life with Michael.

Joan has helped countless patients' lives over the years with her vast knowledge of alternative medicine and nutrition. She has been featured in local newspapers and has been a featured speaker representing women in pharmacy. She has been able to juggle being a business owner, pharmacist, wife, and a fantastic mother to six children.

Michael has been the recipient of several awards since graduation, including the Bowl of Hygeia award, the Howard University College of Pharmacy Alumnus of the Year award and the Washington DC Pharmacy Association Pharmacist of the Year award. He has been featured in multiple pharmacy publications and has been interviewed by many news media outlets.Michael is the current Chairman of the Care Pharmacies Board of Directors, was a Vice President of the National Community Pharmacist Association (NCPA) for six years and is a board member of the Howard University College of Pharmacy Board of Visitors.

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Dr. Michael & Joan Kim | Pharmacists, Entrepreneurs, Grubb's Pharmacy | May 17, 2023

Rotary Club Washington DC 2 views May 21, 2023 6:48 pm

Our own Kenny Barnes introduces his long-time friend Kymone Freeman.  Freeman is an award-winning playwright, activist and commentator.  He is the subject of one chapter of the book Beat of a Different Drum: The Untold Stories of African Americans Forging Their Own Paths in Work and Life (Hyperion).  He is a 2010 Green for All Fellow & co-founder of We Act Radio DC’s Best Social Justice Radio Station 2017 by Washington City Paper and 1st Place 2017 Public Media Journalists Association Award winner for his Lion and the Map Commentary from the Anacostia Unmapped radio series on WAMU/ NPR’s most successful local production in 2016.  He founded the Black L.U.V. Festival in 1997 & was honored at the Kennedy Center as a Mayor's Art Award Finalist for Excellence in Service to the Arts 2005.

The 25th Anniversary of the Black Luvfest was the largest event of the 50th Anniversary of the Ft. Dupont Amphitheatre Summer Series sponsored by the National Park Service in 2022.  He was featured as a contributing writer in the most controversial Ebony Magazine in recent history as the last publication in print and PBS Online Film Festival for his short film Fresh Prince of Anacostia.  His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Washington Informer and NY Times: Can Anacostia Build a Bridge w/o Displacing Its People?  He has appeared nationally and internationally on BBC, French 24 TV, German ZDF, RT, CGTN America, Cuban National TV and TV One. 

Freeman serves on the board of the Douglass Community Landtrust and is publishing a novel, Nineveh: a conflict over water with Strong Arm Press.  He was honored by the Catalogue of Philanthropy at the Word Museum with the 2022 Change Maker Award.

Our own Kenny Barnes introduces his long-time friend Kymone Freeman. Freeman is an award-winning playwright, activist and commentator. He is the subject of one chapter of the book Beat of a Different Drum: The Untold Stories of African Americans Forging Their Own Paths in Work and Life (Hyperion). He is a 2010 Green for All Fellow & co-founder of We Act Radio DC’s Best Social Justice Radio Station 2017 by Washington City Paper and 1st Place 2017 Public Media Journalists Association Award winner for his Lion and the Map Commentary from the Anacostia Unmapped radio series on WAMU/ NPR’s most successful local production in 2016. He founded the Black L.U.V. Festival in 1997 & was honored at the Kennedy Center as a Mayor's Art Award Finalist for Excellence in Service to the Arts 2005.

The 25th Anniversary of the Black Luvfest was the largest event of the 50th Anniversary of the Ft. Dupont Amphitheatre Summer Series sponsored by the National Park Service in 2022. He was featured as a contributing writer in the most controversial Ebony Magazine in recent history as the last publication in print and PBS Online Film Festival for his short film Fresh Prince of Anacostia. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Washington Informer and NY Times: Can Anacostia Build a Bridge w/o Displacing Its People? He has appeared nationally and internationally on BBC, French 24 TV, German ZDF, RT, CGTN America, Cuban National TV and TV One.

Freeman serves on the board of the Douglass Community Landtrust and is publishing a novel, Nineveh: a conflict over water with Strong Arm Press. He was honored by the Catalogue of Philanthropy at the Word Museum with the 2022 Change Maker Award.

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YouTube Video VVUzZ3NNSUxRdzR0S1hwZTI4bGZTd1ZBLnAzYUZqQlFtTlNr

Kymone Freeman | Nineveh: a conflict over water | A Novel | May 10, 2023

Rotary Club Washington DC 9 views May 21, 2023 4:36 pm

Gib Leonard | Intl. Development | Zimbabwe | The Buy a Brick Foundation | Founding Dir.

Rotary Club Washington DC 6 views May 18, 2023 7:15 pm

PP Jennifer Hara introduces Director de Guzman to help us begin the celebration of AAPI Heritage Month.

Ben de Guzman is the Director of the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA).  He has been a leading voice at the local and national level on issues of racial equity, immigrants' rights, veterans affairs, and LGBT justice for more than two decades. He comes to MOAPIA from the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, where he served as the Community Outreach Specialist.  During his tenure there, he helped execute two major first time events for the Office- the “District of Pride” LGBTQ cultural performance event and the 32nd Annual 17th Street High Heel Race, presented by the Mayor’s Office as lead organizer.

He has authored articles and op-eds that have appeared in mainstream and special interest media, anthologies, and academic publications, including the Encyclopedia of Asian American Issues Today.  In 2015, he received a Community Service Award from Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, and is pleased to come to MOAPIA and help recognize exciting new leaders moving forward.  In June 2019, he was recognized by the Capital Pride Alliance in Washington, DC as a Capital Pride Hero. In October 2019, he received one of the Twenty Outstanding Filipino Americans Award for LGBT Advocacy.

As an advocate for equity and recognition for Filipino veterans of World War II, he played a key role in two of the most significant legislative victories on behalf of these soldiers. He led communications, outreach, and political strategies for the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project that led to the passage of the Filipino Veterans of WWII Congressional Gold Medal Act in 2016.  He also served as the National Coordinator for the National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity, where he organized a national legislative campaign that created the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund in 2009.

For almost ten years, he was principal staff at the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), where he managed the policy and programmatic work for NQAPIA and its federation of 40 Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander LGBT groups around the country.  He spearheaded efforts to promote national LGBT campaigns around comprehensive immigration reform and a national LGBT Pride Month campaign from Asian American/ Pacific Islander advocacy organizations.

Ben is the son of Filipino immigrants and was born and raised in New Jersey. He first moved to the District in 1997 and is a proud resident of Ward 1.

PP Jennifer Hara introduces Director de Guzman to help us begin the celebration of AAPI Heritage Month.

Ben de Guzman is the Director of the Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (MOAPIA). He has been a leading voice at the local and national level on issues of racial equity, immigrants' rights, veterans affairs, and LGBT justice for more than two decades. He comes to MOAPIA from the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, where he served as the Community Outreach Specialist. During his tenure there, he helped execute two major first time events for the Office- the “District of Pride” LGBTQ cultural performance event and the 32nd Annual 17th Street High Heel Race, presented by the Mayor’s Office as lead organizer.

He has authored articles and op-eds that have appeared in mainstream and special interest media, anthologies, and academic publications, including the Encyclopedia of Asian American Issues Today. In 2015, he received a Community Service Award from Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, and is pleased to come to MOAPIA and help recognize exciting new leaders moving forward. In June 2019, he was recognized by the Capital Pride Alliance in Washington, DC as a Capital Pride Hero. In October 2019, he received one of the Twenty Outstanding Filipino Americans Award for LGBT Advocacy.

As an advocate for equity and recognition for Filipino veterans of World War II, he played a key role in two of the most significant legislative victories on behalf of these soldiers. He led communications, outreach, and political strategies for the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project that led to the passage of the Filipino Veterans of WWII Congressional Gold Medal Act in 2016. He also served as the National Coordinator for the National Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity, where he organized a national legislative campaign that created the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund in 2009.

For almost ten years, he was principal staff at the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), where he managed the policy and programmatic work for NQAPIA and its federation of 40 Asian American, South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Pacific Islander LGBT groups around the country. He spearheaded efforts to promote national LGBT campaigns around comprehensive immigration reform and a national LGBT Pride Month campaign from Asian American/ Pacific Islander advocacy organizations.

Ben is the son of Filipino immigrants and was born and raised in New Jersey. He first moved to the District in 1997 and is a proud resident of Ward 1.

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YouTube Video VVUzZ3NNSUxRdzR0S1hwZTI4bGZTd1ZBLl93VkxKQ1BYVWIw

Ben de Guzman | Director, Mayor's Officeon Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs | May 3, 2023

Rotary Club Washington DC 10 views May 3, 2023 7:02 pm

Our own May O'Brien introduces Judge Griswold who shares with our club her leadership perspectives.  After serving for 30 years as an Administrative Law Judge in state and federal programs, Judge Nancy J. Griswold was appointed to serve as Deputy Director for the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs at the United States Department of Labor.  Prior to her appointment as Deputy Director, she served as Chief Administrative Law Judge and Agency Head for the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals, which is responsible for deciding the third level of appeals for denials of payment for Medicare goods and services. 

She began her career as an attorney practicing personal injury law in Shreveport, Louisiana, before accepting a position as a Workers Compensation Judge for the Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Administration in 1990.  She then served as the Chief Judge there for 3 years, during which she established Louisiana’s Workers’ Compensation Mediation Program. 

In 1995, she accepted a position as a U. S. Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration and, over  the next 15 years, served in various management positions, first as Hearing Office Chief Judge in Shreveport, Louisiana, then as Regional Chief Judge in Boston, Massachusetts and finally as Deputy Chief Judge in Washington, DC.  During her years as Deputy Chief, she served as alter ego to the Chief Judge and assisted in formulating and implementing the Commissioner’s backlog reduction initiatives. 

Judge Griswold graduated from Louisiana State University in Shreveport with a BA in English and then earned her JD from Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas.  In her spare time, she enjoys watercolor, cooking, singing, playing piano and travel.

Our own May O'Brien introduces Judge Griswold who shares with our club her leadership perspectives. After serving for 30 years as an Administrative Law Judge in state and federal programs, Judge Nancy J. Griswold was appointed to serve as Deputy Director for the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs at the United States Department of Labor. Prior to her appointment as Deputy Director, she served as Chief Administrative Law Judge and Agency Head for the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals, which is responsible for deciding the third level of appeals for denials of payment for Medicare goods and services.

She began her career as an attorney practicing personal injury law in Shreveport, Louisiana, before accepting a position as a Workers Compensation Judge for the Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Administration in 1990. She then served as the Chief Judge there for 3 years, during which she established Louisiana’s Workers’ Compensation Mediation Program.

In 1995, she accepted a position as a U. S. Administrative Law Judge for the Social Security Administration and, over the next 15 years, served in various management positions, first as Hearing Office Chief Judge in Shreveport, Louisiana, then as Regional Chief Judge in Boston, Massachusetts and finally as Deputy Chief Judge in Washington, DC. During her years as Deputy Chief, she served as alter ego to the Chief Judge and assisted in formulating and implementing the Commissioner’s backlog reduction initiatives.

Judge Griswold graduated from Louisiana State University in Shreveport with a BA in English and then earned her JD from Baylor Law School in Waco, Texas. In her spare time, she enjoys watercolor, cooking, singing, playing piano and travel.

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Judge Nancy Griswold | Deputy Director OWCP, | U.S. Department of Labor | April 26, 2023

Rotary Club Washington DC 21 views April 29, 2023 12:38 pm

Alphonso Westley | Healthcare: Senior Living | Administrator/Executive Director

Rotary Club Washington DC 30 views April 29, 2023 12:08 pm

Our own Jeanne Shen introduces her friend and neighbor, Bill Causey to discuss his  new book on John Houbolt, the unsung hero of the Apollo Moon Landings.
In May 1961, President Kennedy announced that the United States would attempt to land a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth before the end of that decade.  Yet NASA did not have a specific plan for how to accomplish that goal.  Over the next fourteen months, NASA vigorously debated several options.  At first, the consensus was to send one big rocket with several astronauts to the moon, land and explore, and then take off and return the astronauts to earth in the same vehicle.  Another idea involved launching several smaller Saturn V rockets into earth orbit, where a lander would be assembled and fueled before sending the crew to the moon.
 
But it was a small group of engineers led by John C. Houbolt who came up with the plan that propelled human beings to the moon and back-not only safely, but faster, cheaper, and more reliably.  Houbolt and his colleagues called it 'lunar orbit rendezvous,' or 'LOR.'  At first the LOR idea was ignored, then it was criticized, then finally dismissed by many senior NASA officials.
 
Nevertheless, the group, under Houbolt's leadership, continued to press the LOR idea, arguing that it was the only way to get men to the moon and back by President Kennedy's deadline. Houbolt persisted, risking his career in the face of overwhelming opposition. This is the story of how John Houbolt convinced NASA to adopt the plan that made history.

Our own Jeanne Shen introduces her friend and neighbor, Bill Causey to discuss his new book on John Houbolt, the unsung hero of the Apollo Moon Landings.
In May 1961, President Kennedy announced that the United States would attempt to land a man on the moon and return him safely to the earth before the end of that decade. Yet NASA did not have a specific plan for how to accomplish that goal. Over the next fourteen months, NASA vigorously debated several options. At first, the consensus was to send one big rocket with several astronauts to the moon, land and explore, and then take off and return the astronauts to earth in the same vehicle. Another idea involved launching several smaller Saturn V rockets into earth orbit, where a lander would be assembled and fueled before sending the crew to the moon.

But it was a small group of engineers led by John C. Houbolt who came up with the plan that propelled human beings to the moon and back-not only safely, but faster, cheaper, and more reliably. Houbolt and his colleagues called it 'lunar orbit rendezvous,' or 'LOR.' At first the LOR idea was ignored, then it was criticized, then finally dismissed by many senior NASA officials.

Nevertheless, the group, under Houbolt's leadership, continued to press the LOR idea, arguing that it was the only way to get men to the moon and back by President Kennedy's deadline. Houbolt persisted, risking his career in the face of overwhelming opposition. This is the story of how John Houbolt convinced NASA to adopt the plan that made history.

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YouTube Video VVUzZ3NNSUxRdzR0S1hwZTI4bGZTd1ZBLmJLMk1GYWt1WDdJ

Bill Causey, Author | John Houbolt: The Unsung Hero of the Apollo Moon Landings | April 19, 2023

Rotary Club Washington DC 26 views April 19, 2023 8:11 pm