We talk to PDG Stephanie Meyer about her generosity, her life saving gift and her love of Rotary.
Welcome to this episode of talking Rotary. I'm Peter chi and I'm a member of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg Charleswood.
Mandy Kwasnica:And I am Mandy Kwasnica, Past President and also a member of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg. Charleswood. We are so happy you have joined us here and I are so excited for this new podcast and thankful to our many listeners. Let's start talking Rotary.
Peter Tonge:Everyone, I'm Peter Tonge, and welcome to another episode of Talking Rotary. I am here with Stephanie Meyer, and Stephanie is in Shawnee, Kansas. Hi, Stephanie. How are you?
Stephanie Meyer:Hello. I'm wonderful. Thank you.
Peter Tonge:Great. No, can you explain to me where Shawnee Kansas is?
Stephanie Meyer:Absolutely, absolutely. So if you've seen Parks and Rec, it is not Pawnee, Kansas, which is what I get constantly confused. Shawnee is as a subburb of Kansas City. So we are part of the big 3 million person Kansas City Metro Area.
Peter Tonge:I was gonna say so Kansas City is like 3 million, right? That's pretty big.
Stephanie Meyer:Yes, sure. It is pretty big. Shawnee is about 70,000. So we're smaller.
Peter Tonge:Okay. Fair enough. And tell me a little bit about your Shawnee Rotary Club.
Stephanie Meyer:Yeah. So fantastic club. We are I think about 28 years strong. Now I want to say, Don't quiz me on that for sure. But I think that's right. And we've got about 60 Folks, now who are involved is still I think about 20 of those are charter members. So people have been good well, throughout the life of the club. So a great group of folks from across kind of the metro but most live in Shawnee, of course, we're in the Kansas City area. So we're a busy club, do a lot of service projects have a really strong Service Committee, we have a couple of really great fundraisers every year, we just did. About a month or so ago, I want to say our big bike safety rodeo. So we give out about 500 bike helmets for free to folks who live in the area kids, and then we have a little safety course and just have all kinds of fun out there with the band and all sorts of good stuff. So that's kind of our big one of our big service events of the year that we just finished.
Peter Tonge:I think that's fantastic. Is what a great way to connect with your community and with families.
Stephanie Meyer:Absolutely, yes, people love it. And people have asked her in COVID, and we weren't able to do it when it was coming back. So we're glad to bring it back.
Peter Tonge:Yeah, glad you were able to do it sounds like it sounds like a really interesting thing in my, in my local city in pig Manitoba in the in the summertime, the police have a program where they pull kids, little kids on bikes over and give them a ticket. But no, but the ticket is a certificate or for the local ice cream store. It's like good for you for wearing your helmet. He's doing the right thing.
Stephanie Meyer:I wish the next time I got pulled over I would get a ticket for free ice.
Peter Tonge:I just think it's a really creative idea. So they praise them for doing all the right stuff, and they get a free ice cream out of the deal.
Stephanie Meyer:That's a great idea. I love that.
Peter Tonge:And you've also had the experience of working at the district level. You just finished your district governorship?
Stephanie Meyer:I did. Yes. Yeah. So this has been just two days ago, I guess we wrap that up. So I'm feeling refreshed already. It's been a super, super fun year. Just an unbelievable opportunity, really, over the last several years as I was preparing for the year to get to know people in my district, but also people in the zone and just around the rotary community who we all know are tremendous and interesting and compassionate people. So it has really been a joy.
Peter Tonge:And what were what were some of your highlights are the things that really stand out for you and for that.
Stephanie Meyer:Yeah, so a lot of it for me was service, which is kind of what my focus was. So my sort of overarching mission for the last year was do good, have fun. And so we tried to mix them a little bit of all of that. So had quarterly service projects. We actually switched up our district conference a little bit this year. And instead of having two full days of kind of seminars and sessions we made one just to community service day so you could take one of several different options just to serve. So that went over really well. I think they're going to continue that. So I'm excited to see that. So we've done meal packing, we've done, cleaned up parks, all sorts of really cool service projects and just visiting clubs is so fun. So we had 43 clubs in the district, I got to go to them all and do some really. Yeah, it was fun. One of my standout I think is we have a very small club in a very small community in northeast Kansas, but my district is kind of Kansas City plus an hour each way. And they Overbrook is the name of the club and they have their service program is affiliated with a national program. It's called Josh the Otter and it teaches water safety to kids. So the kiddos get a book about you know, the importance of water safety and what you should do when you're around water. But they have mascot, who is Josh the Otter and so I got to be the mascot at this elementary school program. It was the most fun.
Peter Tonge:Did you have the otter suit?
Stephanie Meyer:Oh 100%! Yeah. Yeah. I love it. That's right. Yeah.
Peter Tonge:I think I think that's great. And, and I also, like you say, I'm also on the on the district governor path. And I like the fact that you're sort of on the ladder and learning over several years. I mean, that makes me feel a whole lot more comfortable.
Stephanie Meyer:Yes, absolutely. Where are you in the track?
Peter Tonge:I'm now DGE.
Stephanie Meyer:Oh, you're almost there.
Peter Tonge:Yeah. So, but I really, I really liked the opportunity to learn from the others, because as you probably know, 10 years ago, there wasn't any of that. It was just like, congratulations, you're governor. Here's the key.
Stephanie Meyer:Good luck. Yeah. Yeah, it's the training program is definitely it's very robust. There's a lot of it. But I think it it makes it a good experience. And that's where I think I got the most out of it was being able to interact with my other classmates in other districts warzone and just learn and hear about what they're doing. And if we ever had an issue that came up, I could ping one of them and get advice. And most often they've been through it as well or something similar. So it's a really good system.
Peter Tonge:Yeah, I agree. I think a that network is really important. And as you say, that might be a bold statement for me to say, but I don't think there are very many unique rotary problems if you have had it you just have to find that person who's gonna help talk you through it. It was a it was I think is fantastic.
Stephanie Meyer:Yah.
Peter Tonge:The other thing is you and I met in Melbourne thanks to and mutual colleague, and he whispered in my ear that you have a kidney transplant story. And I want to hear about that.
Stephanie Meyer:Yeah, I would like to so next to rotary is my favorite thing to talk about. And actually was sort of inspired by rotary really. So I lead with, so I am a living kidney donor. So about five years ago, it'll be five years in December, donated my left kidney to a stranger, and it kind of started at it. It started at a rotary meeting honestly, like, as cheesy as that is. I happen to just be where Breakfast Club, I happen to be just having breakfast, sat down at the table with one of my good friends. And I just said to him, I switch Oh, what are you doing? As we meet on Fridays? Joe, what are you doing this weekend? And he said, Well, actually, I'm getting ready to donate a kidney. I was like, what, like, not I was going to a movie. So. So it was great. And I it was the first time I really knew that you could do that while you were still alive. So I'm a donor and have it on my driver's license and all that, but never really thought about doing that before I passed. That he was doing it kind of put it in my brain. And that was probably seven or eight years ago now. And so it's one of those things that just kind of sticks with you. And then I keep seeing stories about kidney donation. And I'm like this kind of an interesting thing. I don't know, maybe I'll think about it. And then I remember specifically March 9 2018. And I remember the date. It was like a little bit of a Godwin, to me, I will say so my I lost my father when I was four. And on March 9, and so every year on the anniversary of his passing, I tried to do kind of something to honor his memory. So I'm just scrolling Facebook on March 9, and I see a post from a girl I had gone to high school with but hadn't seen in the 20 years since high school. And her husband who I of course did not know had been had polycystic kidney disease has polycystic kidney disease and had been added to the transplant list. And I just felt like well this is what I have to do. It was it was the most clarity I think I've ever had an indecision so I just commented on the Facebook post and say I'd be happy to get tested you know so what's the first step and blood type has been matched so we were blood type match the odds of two strangers as being a near perfect kidney match are one in 32,000. And we were a match. So just an incredible thing. So I got to go through the whole experience of testing and all of that happened for a few months. I met Dan, my kidney recipient the day before we got final approval. So we already knew that we were a match and things were looking good so I like to joke with him like it was the most awkward blind date ever. You have a kidney? I need a kidney. It's a fit. Like it was really cute. He's a delight.
Peter Tonge:When, when amazing thing to do, and it kind of interestingly started at a Rotary meeting right, like you're seeing someone for breakfast, and somebody's trolling for a kidney.
Stephanie Meyer:Yep, exactly. But it was great. So we talked about it a lot. I've done a lot of rotary presentations about it. I just tried to let folks know that you know, you can have not only a normal, completely normal life, but you can do whatever sort of things you want to do. So yeah, into so that anyway, that year in December, they had the surgery, and it was so it's hand assisted laparoscopic surgery for me. So I was out of the hospital in two days, I was walking after a day like the next morning I was up walking around the hospital. It was a super easy recovery. The surgery was on December 18. And I went back to work the first of the year. So it was really a non event. And the statistic I'd love to share is Sudan was at 14% kidney function on the day of surgery. So 10% is full time dialysis, which is a horrible, horrible thing. Folks don't know about that. So they try to avoid folks getting to that stage as wrecks your body. So he was at 14% function. And two days later, when I left the hospital, he was at 87% function.
Peter Tonge:Wow. And apparently he's still doing well?
Stephanie Meyer:He's doing great. Yeah, yeah, he's been able to travel and do all sorts of things he had, he had been on kind of a kidney or renal diet. They call it before so we joke that he had peanut butter in seven years. So I gave Dan peanut butter beyond the kidney. So I can't imagine a world without it.
Peter Tonge:That is fantastic. And I mean, what a great tribute to your Dad.
Stephanie Meyer:I hope so yeah.
Peter Tonge:Planting a tree is a wonderful thing, but giving an organis another level.
Stephanie Meyer:Top, I can tell you that.
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Peter Tonge:Yeah, so what's what's next for you in the world of Rotary?
Stephanie Meyer:So I have moved on actually, so I'm going to be in a zone or regional role. So I will be an assistant rotary coordinator for membership so focused on new clubs, specifically for region 36. So that's zones 25 and 29. So I'm excited about it. I love that I'm focusing kind of specifically on non traditional clubs and opportunities was like, one of the overarching things I feel like I've talked to so I'm 42. So I'm on the young young side of Rotary District Governor. Yes. So there are a lot of conversations and conversations I think we should be having about how to bring in new members, younger members especially helped get them into leadership. And right now it's a pretty hard slog, honestly, like if you don't have the flexibility to do all the training and all the meetings and go to all the clubs. You know, it can be difficult for someone this age. So I love the idea of focusing on kind of the non traditional models for clubs and looking for ways that we can really make rotary a part of everyone's life. You know, people want to do service they buy into the mission, they love everything about it. And I think we're just leaving, we're leaving chips on the table as it were just not accommodating and looking for opportunities to bring those folks in.
Peter Tonge:Alright. I agree completely. So I'm sure you and I will talk a lot more away from the bike guys because that's in my in my era Ge Ge that's one of my goals. I'd already helped start one virtual club in our district that I want to start more because it's it as you say it provides so many other opportunities really good. Good example. It's the version the virtual club that we've started is growing nicely but one of the interesting things I think this combined with it is about half the people that are members of the club have a physical disability, not because the club was designed For people with physical disabilities as this people found a window in was much easier to be part of rotary and not going to the local golf club every Friday for breakfast or whatever it is, right? It was, it was an easy way to meet and connect and so hoping hoping to do more of that, as you say, to open the world.
Stephanie Meyer:I love that I so much so and those are still great contributing Rotarians, you know, even if there are if there are companion club or a satellite club, you know, it's, I think we get kind of laser focused on these traditional clubs. And that is not necessarily as common.
Peter Tonge:I think the other the other thing that's happened in my district, and I'm a good example of it, is, up until COVID, I don't think I was ever really a candidate for district governor, because everybody was kind of hung up on the idea how was the guy in the wheelchair gonna visit? You know, 47, Rotary clubs across three Canadian provinces. And then, and then all of a sudden, you know, we opened up the world with Zoom and virtual out and not immediately fell away, right?
Stephanie Meyer:Yeah. Opportunity. Yeah, to have a great district governor, as a result.
Peter Tonge:I will everybody that wants to talk to me, but a lot of folks are gonna see me on the screen.
Stephanie Meyer:And that's fine. Yeah, that's one of the definitely, you're right. One of the cool things about COVID. I mean, we've been able to get some really extraordinary speakers who, who would never be able to come to Shawnee, Kansas, but can hop on a zoom call, and we get great programming and the members are engaged and love it. And so why?
Peter Tonge:Now, did I did I see on the web page for your club that you guys have a virtual wohnen for your club as well?
Stephanie Meyer:We do. Yeah. So we have done, we kept that we started in COVID. And yeah, we have a few members who still choose to meet virtually. So we set that up. And we also have a satellite club too, that meets in the evenings. And it's just, I think, once a month now. So trying to find opportunities, like I said, just meet people where they are and and help them get excited about rotary and whatever that looks like.
Peter Tonge:Yeah, I think I think that's great. The the virtual club that I was talking about, my wife is actually the chair and we not only as a virtual club, we also set it up as a satellite club, because that was the easiest way to do it. So we sort of rolled the two of them together. And it seems to be seems to be working well. So well got more because I definitely my goal over the years is to start a couple of new clubs. And I think at least one of them is going to be virtual, because I think a whole new a whole new window into the rotary world that I can say it that way.
Stephanie Meyer:You're absolutely right. Yeah. That cool.
Peter Tonge:Now, there are a million organizations, you could be giving your time and energy to why Rotary?
Stephanie Meyer:Yeah. Well, that's a great question. So for me, so I've been in rotary for 12 years, just over 12 years. And it started as kind of a good way I was. So I was commuting. So Kansas City here I was commuting to Topeka every day to work in politics at the Statehouse. So I was doing some service, I guess you could argue politics that give you that really depends on the day. But I was doing that but wasn't really doing much at home. And so I would come back to Shawnee at the end of the day and wasn't really engaged and wasn't doing service. And it is an important, important part of my life. So I so my dad died when I was nine. As I mentioned, my I was my mom had not gone to college, my family and I've gone to college, I was the first in my family to do so. And so my mom was second groceries, we were on welfare, I had a two year old brother and then my four year old. So when that happened, and then when we were nine, our house was hit by a tornado who destroyed in a true Kansas cliche story. And every step of the way as both of these things happen and other things. Community members who we didn't know reached out and helped us and met the need and really like helped us get by so it hadn't really found impact on my life. I can still remember very vividly the Salvation Army volunteer who gave me a teddy bear and a glass of juice after my house had been destroyed and said everything was going to be okay. And it's what my nine year old self needed. So I feel really like I need to pay it forward. It's important and rotary is such a good organization not only so I can get involved in Shawnee but I can have an impact on projects around the globe. So I you know, you can kind of do most organizations, nonprofits, you know, you're kind of in a specific track. With rotary it allows you to kind of flex and meet local needs national international, all sorts of great stuff.
Peter Tonge:Oh, I agree it I think that's my favorite thing about Rotary over other service clubs, the various avenues of service and local and global and all that. Don't tell me you can't find something to get excited about in Rotary. There's just too many options.
Stephanie Meyer:That's right. Yeah. And if if you're not, then you can find a way to make that and make it happen. But something you're excited about.
Peter Tonge:that was that was the next thing that was gonna come out of my mouth. And that doesn't mean that we're restricted with what's already there. There's a little opportunity to do more. I mean, my my management team in my district, probably because the new day shouldn't say this publicly, or the podcast, right? Well, but my favorite thing to say about Rotary is I would rather ask for forgiveness than permission.
Stephanie Meyer:Generally, one of my life motos. So I think that but yeah, it's good for Rotary too.
Peter Tonge:I'm all encouraging for trying new things, new things in different ways. I was talking on the podcast a few months ago, and somebody was letting me know that in Hong Kong, there's a rotary club that actually meets on the the commuter train. They have a two hour commute to go into work. So they meet on the train.
Stephanie Meyer:That is a wonderful idea.
Peter Tonge:Let's make use of this time that we have anyway. And I think that's just brilliant. That's probably not in the rotary constitution anywhere, but I think it works. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I love that I love that kind of, kind of creativity. And I know in, in my area, there's, there's, there's a few sort of ethnic or cultural groups that are talking about setting up Rotary Clubs, that that are, you know, sort of focused on the Filipino community or something like that. And everybody sort of said, is that okay to focus on one community? Nobody's ever complained about having an all white Rotary Club. Why are we worried about that?
Stephanie Meyer:Amen. I love that. That's, you know, I think that's the only way that a large service organization survives, you know, we have to evolve, we have to adapt, I think COVID COVID has kind of made everybody really a little bit more selfish with their time and revisiting their priorities. And if we don't stay relevant and look for opportunities, like meeting on a train or meeting a certain group, it's not gonna work.
Peter Tonge:And that's kind of the feedback I was getting right. Yeah, I liked this Rotary idea but I really want to work within my community and I'm like, fine. There's lots of need in your community. I'm not gonna say no to that, like,
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Stephanie Meyer:That's always fun. I actually, just last year on the kidney conversation I joined a group of 21 other living kidney donors and we summited world summited Mount Kilimanjaro on world kidney day to get really awareness. Yeah, so that was fun. A tall mountain. Yeah, but it was great. Yeah. And it happened to be on the anniversary of my dad's passing, too.
Peter Tonge:Wow! This stuff all kind of comes together for you.
Stephanie Meyer:It's really wild. Yeah.
Peter Tonge:It's gotta mean something Stephanie.
Stephanie Meyer:That's what I'm doing. Yeah.
Peter Tonge:I don't know what it means but It's gotta be good.
Stephanie Meyer:I just have to say yes. Whenever it happens on that day, so yeah. We climbed a mountain together. It was beautiful.
Peter Tonge:That seems absolutely, absolutely fair. And I think those communities for whatever, whether there's further support or whatever, I think are so important, right?
Stephanie Meyer:Absolutely. Yeah. In fact, I think there is a national now, Rotary club that's geared entirely around organ donation. So really, just do whatever you want to do. So
Peter Tonge:yeah, some of the cause based clubs are interesting that they really focusing on on one thing or whatever, and I mean more, more power to folks as you're passionate about don't think we have the tools out to make it happen.
Stephanie Meyer:absolutely yeah our district was one of the first in the country and maybe the world. But I know one of the first thing the United States to start a virtual cause based club based on human trafficking, anti human trafficking. Yeah. And it's been really successful. So they have members from across the country now who come together, they have programs that are happening a lot in our district. And they, you know, we think about global grants. And we always think that that's like dollars leaving our district but we were able to do a local global grant in the women's Correctional Facility, right here in our district to help provide training and options and coaching and housing for women who are coming out of incarceration. So they avoid going into human trafficking. Yeah, so really cool stuff. Absolutely.
Peter Tonge:I'm gonna put a bug in your ear because something that my wife does that I love is they do books for prisoners. What they do is, is in Canada, Corrections Canada takes care of all the various jails and prisons and stuff. And regionally, what they do is they set up reading lists on Amazon, and anybody can go on these lists, and buy books, they go to collections, Canada, and then they distributed. So it's basically just purchasing the books, you're not moving them around, or deciding or whatever. And the best creators of lists, say we'd like so many copies of this. And suddenly, in my favorite one is in the Edmonton area. They as part of the program, they arranged for the prisoners to read to their kids. So they wanted you know, 25 copies of Oh, love you forever, or whatever. And it was gonna be part of the reading group. And I thought it was just brilliant.
Stephanie Meyer:That's a great idea. Yeah. Rotarians. Were creative. I love it. Yeah.
Peter Tonge:Well, I mean, that's how we're gonna keep doing what we're doing. Right. He's very creative as we go. Absolutely. Stephanie, thank you so much. This has been great. I appreciate you telling your story. We will talk more about grading clubs and stuff because we're both interested in now. So I'm so glad to hear about all the connections and stuff that your dad I'll think about him every now and again when something's going on as well. All right, take care. Thank you so much.
Mandy Kwasnica:Thank you so much for joining us on another great episode of Talking Rotary. We would love to hear from you. Please send us your comments and story ideas and you can share with us easily by sending us an email at feedback at talkingrotary.org Let's keep talking Rotary.