It was a Peanut Butter kind of day at the Rotary Club of Traverse City on April 16, 2019.

President Awesome opened the meeting, Homer Nye offered up a moment of silence for each to reflect on the many gratitudes that have been bestowed on us.

The Kingsley Trio - which could be named “Marsha and the Boys” - led us in Down By the Riverside.

Ramona Pleva introduced visiting Rotarians and guests.

President Awesome made the announcement that we will be staying at the Park Place for our weekly meetings. We will have full use of the parking lot during our meeting times. Also, she reminded us that we need to kick up our ticket sales for next week’s Rotary Show. Seriously people, the president is always judged on how well the show does. It does not behoove President Allison to have a small showing since she will be rocking the stage with another fabulous parody song that she has become world famous for! WE NEED YOU TO SELL LOTS OF TICKETS! Selling them on April 28 won’t do us any good!

The Access- ABILITY committee had a meeting after the meeting today.

Congrats to our own Paul LaPorte. He won a recent competition where his artwork was selected to serve as the label for a fine Pinot Grigio from Bower’s Harbor Winery. A portion of the sales of this wine will go to support the Old Mission Lighthouse.

Deana Hess announced that we have a new Rotary feeder program! Yes, now we can integrate our Rotary ideals with students ages 12-17. An Interact club is forming at TC Central! Should have you have a student in mind for this club who does not attend Central, please let Deanna know and she will help get them connected and involved. This program has been a long time in the making and we are excited to be able to engage this generation.

Vern Gauthier announced that we are having a Rotary Show next week (see the announcement about ticket sales!). While Vern is about to do the work of about 10 strapping men, he actually asked for some assistance unloading our programs at the State Theater. This jovial event will take place on Friday, April 19 around 3:30 pm. The time is soft but you can connect with Vern via cell phone: 231.883.3806, or email: vern@fitforyou.info. Not recommending you contact him via telepathy, that just never ends well for anyone.

Autumn Soltysiak introduced our students of the week. Rachel Cooper is from TBAISD and is in the agriscience program. Rachel grew up on a farm, was involved with 4-H and completed at the FFA competition at MSU. She will be attending Baker College in Cadillac in the fall. Evan Anderson attends GT Academy and TBA and is in the business career program. An articulate young man who credits his success to many good mentors, including his parents. He will attend NMC in the fall, has plans to earn a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in business and his dream is to own a boat!

Marty Colburn walked away with $50 from the 50/50.

Andy Kempf introduced our speaker today, Dr. Glen McPherson. Dr. McPherson serves as a flight surgeon with Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City. His life of service includes the Peace Corps and in August 2018 he and two of children Emma and Alex traveled to Malawi to help address the struggles of malnutrition.

Malawi is the 6th poorest country in the world and food security is a major healthcare issue. Childhood malnutrition can lead to decreased fertility rates, lower IQ, government instability, famine vulnerability and economic stagnation.

Most malnutrition occurs with children age 6 months to the age of five and can lead to diarrhea, malaria, acute respiratory infections and Marasmus. One way to assess for malnutrition is an upper arm circumference measurement. The measurement is easy to perform and is not influenced by body type or edema.

To address the malnutrition challenge, Project Peanut Butter was formed. Peanut butter packets are distributed to Malawian children. The packets contain precisely constructed nutrients, require no refrigeration or mixing with water, no heat is required for preparation, and can be eater with minimal assistance. Every two weeks children are assessed at a local clinic. If a child is not thriving, food distribution and health of the child are reviewed.

The peanut butter packets are made by Malawians with mostly locally sourced food. They are manufactured in Malawi which helps provide sustainability for the program.

The peanut butter is held to European Union standards for cleanliness. Approximately 600 metric tons are produced each year. Project Peanut Butter is expanding to Sierra Leone, Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

Both Alex and Emma articulately shared their thoughts regarding their experience of traveling to Malawi. Alex sees himself serving in the Peace Corps. Emma transcended the language barrier and connected with the children by drawing sketches of them and sharing her paper and pens.