Elkhart Rotary Club Meeting May 13 , 2019

Welcome to the Elkhart Rotary Club Meeting on May 13, 2019; Today we welcomed Brooke Ammerman from the University of Notre Dame Department of Psychology, speaking on "Suicide Prevention in Our Community – What You Can Do". Professor Ammerman’s research examines the spectrum of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, including non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts; she works from the framework that self-injurious thoughts and behaviors serve as an extreme means of emotion regulation.

President Peter Norton opened the meeting and introduced Terri Rickel who shared some thoughtful words of thanks for gardens, led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Four Way Test.

Guests were introduced by Todd Stone and included Rotarian guests: Cheree Thews, Jerry Stayton, Melissa Kinsey, Kevin Box and Jennifer Box (all guests of Eric Garton); Wayne Clayton and Stephanie Kabel (Julie Cotton); Lauren Hamlin (Aileac Deegan); Greg Conrad (Candy Yoder), Aillie Canniff (Brad Canniff) and EHS Students: Jaycee Rossi, Abigail Tyler, and Jason Crosby. Welcome, All. We hope you can join us again some other time!

Chris Pollack introduced Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) participants, who each shared a part of their experience with the club through a photo slideshow. This is Rotary actively promoting the future leaders in our community!

Today featured a Paul Harris Fellow presentation by Howard Edwards:
 

Paul Harris Fellow PLUS 1 recipients included: (pictured left to right) Linda Rupnow, Geoff Church, and Mick Faloon.
First-time Paul Harris Fellow recipients were: (pictured left to right) Dennis Neat - Accepted by Tom Neat, Rob LaRoy and Deb Alwine.
Congratulations to all PHF recipients and THANK YOU for supporting the Rotary Foundation and the good they do in our world.

Announcements for May 13:

  • Howard Edwards thanked the club members who volunteered on Saturday May 11th at Church Community Services. More than 200 families received food baskets. This food represents the $3,780.00 food donation to CCS from Elkhart Rotary to help assist needy families. 
  • A Message from the Marketing Committee: committee chairs, please share when you have events, Marketing Committee Members will get those events promoted among/beyond the club and help you spread the word!
  • Terri Rickel proposed that club members help support the Concord Rotary Club's fundraising efforts to purchase a Well-Drilling Truck for their international project - - an attempt to raise $31,000. $10 from each Elkhart Rotary Club member would add $1500 to those efforts; bring your cash or check book next week to help support. Contact Terri for specifics if you'd like to contribute more or add to the envelope on the table.
This week's Elkhart Rotary Grant recipient is Ryan's Place, represented by Lauren Hamlin, who thanked the club for its grant support. This year, the Elkhart Rotary Club gave a grant to Ryan's Place to aide in the purchase of equipment for their training and counseling programs. 
 
Today's Sergeant was Don Rodda, who provided an entertaining session of FUNdraising as Rotary fines are collected weekly and are pooled into a fund. In the spring more than $10,000 is distributed as grants to not for profit organizations around our county.   
 

Candy Yoder introduced Professor Brooke Ammerman from the University of Notre Dame's Department of Psychology, speaking on "Suicide Prevention in Our Community – What You Can Do". Utilizing a multi-method approach, Professor Ammerman’s research seeks to understand how various intra- and inter- personal factors interact to increase chronic or imminent risk of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. Brooke has a particular interest in the interpersonal context in which these thoughts and behaviors occur and how they may overlap with other risk behaviors (e.g. aggression, substance use). Throughout her presentation she dispelled myths about suicide, for instance that talking to someone who MIGHT be considering suicide may be in some way 'encouraged' to commit suicide through 'suggestion', which is generally not true. 

She provided helpful resources such as the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, 1-800-273-8255 or online at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ which provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. Brook also provided tools for those dealing with someone who may be at risk for suicide, such as the acronym S.A.V.E., which stands for:

  • SIGNS of suicide risk are noticed
  • ASK the Question!
  • VALIDATE their experience, and
  • ELIMINATE access to methods and ENCOURAGE treatment

 

Additional Resources include the Veterans Crisis Line and CRISIS Text Line, as well as 2-1-1.
Thanks for the great presentation, Brooke! For more information about visit these resources online, or for more information about Brooke's work at Notre Dame, visit the Affect, Suicide, Self-Injury, and Social Triggers (ASSIST) Lab website, which aims to better understand the cognitive-affective and social factors that influence the development and maintenance of self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. They consider questions such as: What makes someone more or less likely to think about harming themselves? Are there specific experiences that enable someone to move from thinking about self-injury to actually engaging these behaviors? Can we identify experiences in one’s daily life, such as interpersonal conflict or engaging in other risky behaviors, that increase someone’s likelihood of self-injury? What about how they respond on tasks in the laboratory? Our goal in the ASSIST Lab is to advance our understanding of the multiple pathways that can lead to self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, and, consequently, identify factors important for prevention.  Find more info online at https://assistlab.nd.edu/

About Rotary:
Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, community leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and act to create lasting change – across the globe, in our local communities, and in ourselves. The Elkhart Rotary Club was founded in 1917 and serves its community through volunteerism, providing grants to not-for-profit organizations, sponsoring, and participating in service projects such as ringing bells for the Salvation Army, roadside trash collection, and are the originators and sustainers of Wellfield Botanic Gardens. Elkhart Rotary Club’s membership consists of approximately 150 dedicated individuals from various professional backgrounds and diverse interests. Membership in the Elkhart Rotary Club is by invitation. We welcome guests to attend any of our meetings and hear from our great lineup of weekly presenters.
For more information on the Elkhart Rotary Club, visit elkhartrotary.org or email elkhartnoonrotary@gmail.com. Like and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook/ElkhartRotaryClub to stay current on meetings, upcoming events or speakers, and initiatives in the community.
 
Upcoming Meetings and Programs:
  • May 20: Iris Hammel - Regional Innovation & Startup Education; Act Learn Build - A Phrase that Embodies both Innovation + Entrepreneurship
  • May 27: Memorial Day - NO MEETING; We remember and honor those persons who have died while serving in the US Armed Forces
  • June 3: Scott Ford - Associate Vice President for Economic Development
  • June 10: Lisa Guedea Carreño - Director at Elkhart Public Library
  • June 17: Deb Alwine - Southgate Crossing
  • June 24: Lisa Koop - Associate Director of Legal Services, National Immigrant Justice Center
Join us for our next meeting:
All meetings are at noon on Mondays at the Matterhorn Banquet and Conference Center, 2041 Cassopolis St. in Elkhart IN, 46514. In months that include a FIFTH Monday, the Elkhart Rotary Club holds a dinner meeting (no presenter) at the same location.