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Rotarians in the News
Jim Sims has been elected president of the Bloomington City Council. In a recent Herald-Times article, Jim said, “This is a transition of leadership, not a transfer of power. My duty is to uphold all legal authority of each member of this council, and to set the operational tone of collaboration, compassion, collegiality and respect of those we serve, which is our constituents, as well as the executive branch of our city and all other elected colleagues across Monroe County.”
Rotary Service Opportunities
Michael Shermis announced that Rotarians can join many volunteer and enrichment opportunities in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Many can be found at the Bloomington Volunteer Network at https://bloomington.in.gov/volunteer. Some highlights include:
Noah's Ark: A Spiritual Journey Toward Understanding
Forum for Dialogue about Dr. Khalid El-Hakim's Speech and Building Hope: Sharing Our Life-Changing Practices and Actions
Noah's Ark will is offering two open-invitation dialogue events on Zoom. The first will offer small group dialogue about applying MLK Day speaker Dr. Khalid El-Hakim's message to our community. The second dialogue event will ask participants to share the resources they have drawn on in the past year of resurgent white supremacy and social isolation for the purpose of reinforcing and amplifying our efforts toward anti-racism, nonviolence, and social justice. Small groups in both events will be led by trained facilitators. Contact them at noahs.ark.bloomington21@gmail.com.
RISE Transitional Housing Program, Middle Way House
Raise Up the RISE
Middle Way House's project will focus on revitalizing our community room for residents in an effort to provide individuals fleeing domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking with the necessary space to heal and foster the strength to further develop their capacities for self-determination. Register to volunteer at https://www.bloomingtonvolunteernetwork.org/need/?s=1&need_init_id=1359.
Sandy Keller reported that each hour at My Sister’s Closet a volunteer or staff member will share a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in celebration of his birthday. There are many opportunities to serve at My Sister’s Closet this month. Visit https://sisterscloset.org/mlk-volunteer/ for more information.
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Past President Loren Snyder introduced Graham Honaker, his friend since 2013. Loren and Graham connected through their Butler University associations. Loren said Graham is integral in fundraising at Butler University and the Lacy School of Business. Graham said he holds Rotarians and the Service Above Self motto in high regard. He thanked recent Rotary Toast honoree Bob Hammel, and he said the new book on Butler’s basketball and university success would not have been possible without Bob’s support. Graham introduced Jerry Logan, the co-author of their book, The Cinderella Strategy: The Game Plan Behind Butler University’s Rise to Prominence.
Graham said the motivation for the book was to try to tell the Butler story and the transformation at Butler that has happened during a very difficult time in higher education and college basketball.
Jerry was working on his dissertation at Boston College and was interested in studying athletics. He wondered what happens when a university gets a lot of attention after a Cinderella run in athletics. This question inspired The Cinderella Strategy’s look at the halo effect brought on by athletic success.
The story started in 1989 when then-president Geoff Bannister determined that basketball might be an important area for the university to invest in, given its large and historic gymnasium. Butler had only 15 season ticket holders in 1989. When Barry Collier, Butler’s former basketball head coach, returned to Butler as the athletic director, he found that 50 percent of student athletes reported they would not choose to come to Butler if given the choice again. He then spent time “righting the ship” of athletics at Butler and aligning with the institution.
Graham said two Final Four runs are estimated to have generated $1.2 billion worth of media attention. Butler’s move to the Big East placed it in a new league, literally and figuratively. Butler just enrolled the third largest class in its history. The halo effect has lasted longer at Butler than at some other institutions. New corporate relationships have opened opportunities in scholarships and other support. During this decade Butler has had three of its best fundraising years ever.
Jerry said it is important to have your house in order before drawing the kind of attention a major NCAA tournament run creates. He said institutional and organizational patience is important in the process. Jerry noted that athletic fame has also elevated the academic profile of Butler’s student body as GPA, SAT, and ACT scores of applicants have increased across the board.
Watch this week’s Celebration of Service at https://youtu.be/2cwcOmtnd4A.
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JANUARY 12
Our weekly gathering
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President Ashley Wesley presided.
Michael Shermis offered the reflection. He said that the MLK (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) Weekend of Service (January 15 – 18), Day of Service (January 18), and MLK 40 Days of Peace (through February 28) exist to empower individuals, strengthen communities, bridge barriers, address social challenges, and move us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community” where love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. He invited Rotarians to the City of Bloomington’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Monday, January 18, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. held virtually. Visit https://tinyurl.com/MLKCelebration2021RSVP to register for the event. It will include the IU African American Choral Ensemble, IU Jacobs School of Music Ballet Department, and a bevy of government officials. The city will also host Dr. Khalid el-Hakim, founder and curator of the Black History 101 Mobile Museum, who will be speaking on “The Truth Hurts: Black History and Healing the Racial Divide.”
Michael closed with a quote from Dr. King: “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”
Ashley Wesley introduced guests:
- Bob Hammel, guest of Jim Bright
- Suzann Owen, guest of Jim Bright
- Trudy Rhoades, guest of Jim Bright
- Ken Beckley, guest of Jim Bright
- Bob Bridge, guest of Jim Bright
- Gordon Caplan, guest of speaker Graham Honaker
- Michelle Mrkota, guest of speaker Graham Honaker
- Nancye Claypool, guest of speaker Graham Honaker
- Mark Bradford, guest of speaker Graham Honaker
Birthdays
- Hank Walter, January 11
- Marty Donnelly, January 12
Membership Anniversaries
Roundabout Reporter: Kyla Cox Deckard
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