Club Meeting Recap--March 23, 2015
Honorary Members Art Decio and Curtis Hill were in attendance.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards were presented to four students from Elkhart Central and four Students from Elkhart Memorial. The three day conference which is held at Camp Tecumseh is a program that originated with Rotary International. RYLA encourages servant leadership in youth by recognizing and rewarding deserving 11th grade students who are chosen to attend RYLA as an "award" for their past and present leadership and service activities. These select young people attend an all-expenses-paid camp where they are inspired by a diverse group of exceptional speakers, make life-long friends through fellowship activities, and discuss the ethical and social issues of today. These activities are conducted in an atmosphere of trust and respect. The result is that these students return to their schools and communities motivated to take on additional leadership roles and to find additional ways to serve.
RYLA's intent is to encourage students to be more effective servant leaders. RYLA is not a camp intended to teach leadership skills (it is assumed that the students in attendance already possess those skills), however the following topics naturally arise in the course of RYLA activities and discussions:
- Fundamentals of leadership
- Ethics of positive leadership
- Qualities of a "servant leader"
- Importance of communication skills in effective leadership
- Conflict management and problem solving
- Building self-esteem and self confidence
- Elements of community and global citizenship
- Rotary's purpose of service to the community and world
The students from Central High are: Olivia Haworth, Curtis Hill Jr., Anna Hilliker, Nicholas Carr. The students from Memorial are: Daniel Brummet, Cory Edwards, Ali Bailey, Puja Patel.
Five members were given Paul Harris recognitions. The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name or the name of family members, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. It was established in 1957 to show appreciation for and encourage substantial contributions to what was then the Foundation’s only program, Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships. The members are: Scott Pucket +1, Dick Koerting +1, Shan White +2, Stu Barb +3 and Dean Bergman + 6.
The Speaker was Rob Brown of The Lebermuth Company. Founded in 1908, Morris Brown a Russian immigrant, would take his horse-drawn cart 20 miles from the small farming town of Bremen, Indiana to the city of South Bend to trade eggs and other farm produce. On the road from Bremen to South Bend one day, Morris was asked if he would like to trade produce for peppermint oil. He was unaware of its value, but decided to take a chance and try it. Soon Morris & his sons realized they could earn more trading peppermint oil then they could with farm produce, clearing the way for M. Brown & Sons. The Brown family worked tirelessly in this new venture to support their families while providing a growing service to their customers.
In 1974, Irvin Brown, Morris’ grandson expanded the business by selling herbs, spices, and decorative botanicals. M. Brown & Sons soon after merged with The Lebermuth Company. Our original ethics and commitment to quality customer satisfaction remained.
Our family & company culture echo our founders ideals, in Americas heartland. Our legacy, passion, & rich history contribute to who we are. Today Lebermuth is still owned and operated by Irvin Brown, his sons and daughter. In the past few decades Lebermuth has been committed to employing internationally renowned chemists and formulators. The facilities have also grown to house some of the most advanced processing equipment in the industry. We go to the ends of the earth to bring you the finest mother nature has to offer. Being “green” has always been and will always be, the true essence of The Lebermuth Company.