REPORTER May 24, 2016

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Suzanna Walker
3 years ago
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What was Radim Ptak's favorite button?
Has Take Me Home , Country Roads been sung more or less more or less than John Denver's?
Where did Radim Ptak travel to to visit?

1 REPORTER May 24, 2016 THE ED AND BILL AND ANNA AND RADIM SHOW OPENED TO RAVE REVIEWS! (With a tip of the hat to Ed Wadsworth & Bill Loftin, as well as to Anna & Radim) John Denver s Take Me Home, Country Roads has never been played so beautifully nor has it been sung with greater vigor and delight than when youth exchange student, Radim Ptak, picked up his guitar and strummed a rousing rendition of that marvelously uplifting song to kick off Charlotte Rotary s meeting ~ with 175 grinning Rotarians and guests joining in with great gusto. Ed Wadsworth opened today s Youth Exchange Program like a proud father --- as well as he should have. Along with Bill Loftin the two have spearheaded a life-changing experience for two teenagers from foreign lands. And so began a lively program of shared experiences from Charlotte Rotary s two current exchange students: both bright, talented, joyful and tremendously grateful for the year spent living in Charlotte with six generous and welcoming host families who are now and forever part of their lives. Anna Sybrecht addressed us first and we were captivated by her beautiful smile and her warm demeanor. Born and raised in the town of Dortmund, the 8 th largest city in Germany with 600,000 residents, Anna excels in academics and sports. An avid golfer, she loved being part of the Charlotte Latin School golf team this year and attributes their conference title and 2 nd place winning record in the entire state to her coach, Robin Griffith, and her teammates. (Note: Of course, Robin is special. She s Martin Waters daughter!) Anna beamed as she shared that her coach built a golf family and the members of the golf team all had such great fun together and all became close friends. Anna also joined the swim team to try something new and loved it, finding that same close friendship with her swim teammates. Anna then turned to track, finding her joy at long distance running. Again --- more great coaching, more fun and more close friendships. The words fun and friendship were consistent throughout Anna s speech and it says so much to the success of the youth exchange program. Anna gave credit to her teachers at Charlotte Latin for their support and kindness, and then spoke happily about sightseeing. Thanks to her host families ~ the Duncans, the Normans, and the Sappenfields ~ and to the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, Anna travelled to the mountains of North Carolina, Charleston, Folly Beach, Walt Disney World in Florida, New York, Boston, Columbus in Ohio, Washington and New York City. She experienced the White Water Center, Davidson basketball games, and even a shopping spree with Meg McElwain. Her next trip will be to California, she hopes. She found she loves ice cream and frozen yogurt but will pass on sweet tea. She was adamant in thanking us for this lifetime experience. We fell in love with Anna and we hope she felt that love and will take it back to Germany to share with her family.

vigor and delight than when youth exchange student, Radim Ptak, picked up his guitar and strummed a rousing rendition of that marvelously uplifting song to kick off Charlotte Rotary s meeting ~ with

2 Radim Ptak, from the Czech Republic, was the second of this year s Charlotte Rotary youth exchange students to step to our MIC. Sporting a blue blazer jacket decorated with an incredible collection of buttons representing countries, clubs and organizations with which Radim has interacted; he pointed proudly to one particular button and announced that it was a gift from Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts. The Mayor, he told us, just took it right off of her lapel to present it to me and I will wear it with honor. That incredible young man, already a gifted athlete, academic whiz and musician, showed his wit and wisdom by sharing his take on Charlotte upon his arrival. Our traffic overwhelmed him, he said, because in the small town of Pisek, with a population of 30,000, just outside of Prague in the Czech Republic, cars are a rarity. Typical transportation consists of walking wherever one is going. Originally settled in the year 900 B.C., Pisek boasts the oldest bridge ~ the Pisek Stone Bridge ~ in the Czech Republic. Radim was a member of the 2014 Czech national basketball team; he plays championship volleyball; and, along with his two younger brothers won a national Czech guitar-playing competition beating out over 170 other aspiring players. He has fit in so well at Myers Park High School and his mastering of the English language is amazing. He enjoys finding new things to do and has now joined a bluegrass music club; learned to ice skate in warm weather; marched with a marching band (they don t exist in Pisek); played on Myers Park High School s varsity tennis team; been a guitarist in a jazz band; discovered golf (played 9 holes for the first time and made par twice!); has discovered the wonderful world of barbecue. Radim loved his travels which took him to Boston, New York City, Gettysburg, Charleston, Washington and the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to name a few. He attributes those - and even more - great experiences to his fantastic host families - the Osiers, the O Donoghues, and Chuck Cocke and Nanelle Napp, as well as to Rotary International. He is particularly grateful to Karen Steffens, Ed Wadsworth and Bill Loftin, and the great people with Rotaract at Queens University through which he has volunteered to tutor children and make them smile with pride. Radim made it a point to talk about meeting a holocaust survivor in a museum in Washington which has left a lasting impression on him as he has with all of us. The central theme running throughout today s Charlotte Rotary meeting was one of gratitude, kindness, hospitality and understanding. The Rotary Youth Exchange Program signifies Service Above Self and nowhere is it more apparent than to see, hear and feel the genuine warmth that students from foreign countries experience through this miraculous program and take home with them to show the rest of the world what America ~ and Americans ~ are really like. In the words of both Anna and Radim, Thank you. We are grateful. And in our words, as Rotarians throughout the world, Thank YOU. WE are grateful. Speaker Write Up: Marilynn Bowler; Head Table: Crissy Wagner, Tom Bartholomy, Ed Wadsworth, Anna Sybrecht, Bill Loftin, Radim Ptak; Invocation: Lisa Mask; Visitors & Guests: Hank Donaghy; Photos: Bert Voswinkel; Guitar: Radim; AV: Jessica Dupree CLUB NEWS Welcome new Rotarians.Tom Bartholomy introduced Angela Wagner, executive VPagency manager for Professional Liability Solutions. Reach out to Angela at wangela7@gmail.com; John Lassiter introduced Alexandra Myrick, financial advisor with Morgan Stanley. Contact Alexandra at alenaranjo@yahoo.com. In case you re wondering, 24% (77) female; 76% (240) male make up this club. Tony Zeiss is discussing his retirement from CPCC in the Business Journal, on the Mike Collins Show, in the Charlotte Observer.a dedication ceremony was held last week to

button and announced that it was a gift from Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts. The Mayor, he told us, just took it right off of her lapel to present it to me and I will wear it with honor.

3 rename the Elizabeth Classroom Building to the Dr. Tony Zeiss Building; thanks to Stuart Hair for volunteering a couple hours on Saturday at the Farmer s Market; Ed Wadsworth is looking for a host family for Franziska Matusche in the August-November time period. Franziska is from Germany and she will be attending Charlotte Country Day. KAREN STEFFENS Recognized at the District Conference for outstanding leadership with the Youth Exchange Program LUTHER FINCHER Recognized at the District Conference as Charlotte Rotary s Distinguished Rotarian 100 SERVICE PROJECTS OBJECTIVE: 3 to 4 (or more) Rotarians are asked to participate in a service project and report their name, project, date and hours to the Rotary office. This approved club initiative runs through December 1, Project suggestions should be sent to Sandy for advertising in the weekly Reporter. ONGOING -Allenbrook Elementary School: North Star Reading Partners with a commitment to read to a 3 rd grade student one hour a week. Eric Davis: eric.davis@wellsfargo.com. -Platelet Donation (on-going): Register at the American Red Cross or Community Blood Center of the Carolinas to donate platelets. -Cotswold Farmers Market: UPCOMING BIRTHDAYS (06/04/16 06/11/16) 06/05 George Rohe 06/06 David Zimmerman 06/07 Jeff Searcy 06/08 Tom Wright 06/09 Alex Browning, Ray Killian, Henry Bostic 06/11 Tom Bartholomy, Lee Morris UPCOMING ANNIVERSARIES (06/04/16 06/11/16) 06/05 Betty & Ray Killian, Beverly & John Lassiter 06/06 Sarah & Tony Lathrop 06/07 Jean & Al Allison, Betty & Erskine Harkey, Jillian & Sean Preston 06/08 Julie & John Armistead; Eileen Keeley & Pat Millan 06/09 Katherine & Mark Crockett, Linda & John Shell\ 06/11 Nancy & Bob Fuzy Visitors & Guests 26 Club Members 145 Total 171 (51.4%)

time period. Franziska is from Germany and she will be attending Charlotte Country Day.

4 MEMBERSHIP 06/30/ /24/ Net Increase: -2 New Members: Randy Robinson, Susan Evans, Angela Wagner, Alexandra Myrick Resignations: Omar Kazzaz, Blair Fisher, Claire Fallon Visitors: Mahlek Pothemont, Nancy Hughes, Steven Cole, Jack Duncan, Clifford Waddell, Oscar Joyner, Rick DeSoto, Alex Myrick, Crissi Wagner, Jane & Tim O Donoghue, Nanelle Napp, Robin Griffith, Derek Smith, Heidi Carpenter, Stacy & Becca Harbin, Andrea Sappenfield, Larry Osier, David Lynn, Todd Porter, Federica Cimarra, John Luebke, Catherine Coughter UPCOMING LUNCHEONS ( and click on the events tab) 05/31 Dave Gettelman, General Manager, Carolina Panthers 06/07 How I Got Where I m At (Stuart Hair, Lauri Eberhart, Wil Bosbyshell) Photos from our luncheons and other events can be found on Flickr Click here

Heidi Carpenter, Stacy & Becca Harbin, Andrea Sappenfield, Larry Osier, David Lynn, Todd Porter, Federica Cimarra, John Luebke, Catherine Coughter UPCOMING LUNCHEONS (www.charlotterotary.

5 charlotterotary.org East 3 rd Street Suite 220 Charlotte, NC USA Rotary Club of Charlotte

RIVER HILLS CHRISTIAN CHURCH JULY 25-29. riverhillscc.com/arts-camp

RIVER HILLS CHRISTIAN CHURCH JULY 25-29. riverhillscc.com/arts-camp LET IT SHINE! RIVER HILLS CHRISTIAN CHURCH 2016 MATTHEW 5:16 JULY 25-29 riverhillscc.com/arts-camp LET IT SHINE! MATTHEW 5:16 Welcome to River Hills 2016 Arts Camp: Let it Shine! Arts Camp is designed

REPORTER May 24, 2016

What was Radim Ptak's favorite button?

Has Take Me Home , Country Roads been sung more or less more or less than John Denver's?

Where did Radim Ptak travel to to visit?