Meeting Report from April 24, 2001

Meeting

Rotary Wheel

Report

April 24, 2001
By TOM HUNTER

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     President Don opened our meeting and introduced Jim Adams, who welcomed guests and visiting Rotarians. Leland Park gave the Health and Happiness Report, Richard Early led us in song, and Julian Aldridge delivered the invocation.
     Ed Kizer introduced our newest member, Mark Schaffner, president and CEO of the Ben Craig Center. Mark is a graduate of Bowling Green University and received an MBA degree from UNCC. He and his wife Beth have three children, ages two through eight. Mark is heavily involved with sales, marketing, financial, and production problem solving for early stage entrepreneurial companies.
     President Don reminded us of the Rotary International theme for the year, "create awareness, take action." In that vein, he announced that we would complete our second Habitat house this coming Saturday, a fact of which all Rotarians should be proud.
     The head table consisted of Cindy Johnston, Al Allison, Christie Taylor, Michael Elder, Julian Aldridge, and Katie Tyler who introduced our speaker, one of our own, Alan Barnhardt.
     After 23 years in the retailing business, Alan joined the Carolina Raptor Center in August 1999 as its executive director. He has been an enthusiastic leader and spokesman for the Raptor Center ever since.
     The Carolina Raptor Center is dedicated to environmental education and conservation of birds of prey through public education, rehabilitation of injured and orphaned raptors, and research. There are three specific characteristics of raptors: 1) they have talons with which they grab their prey, 2) they eat meat, 3) they have a hooked beak for ripping and tearing flesh.
     There are five groups of raptors: owl, hawk, eagle, falcon, and vulture. There are many varieties of each group including seven different types of owls at the Center.
     Raptors are often excellent indicators of the status of our environment as diseases that show up In raptors are often caused by problems in our water or other parts of the environment. The chemical DDT was banned after it showed up in the raptor population with a dramatic reduction in that population.
     Alan brought three different types of raptors with him, including a great horned owl, a broad-winged hawk (who took a particular liking to Sadler Barnhardt and dumped a special surprise on him), and a blind screech owl. These were all beautiful birds and everyone thought it was special to see them up close (except for Sadler).
     The Carolina Raptor Center would like to expand its peregrine falcon aviary. To this end, it has challenged the seventeen local Rotary Clubs to provide specific funding for a larger aviary at the Carolina Raptor Center.
     Several other interesting facts about raptors:

• Eagles have the gripping strength of seven men.

• During courtship, bald eagles clasp talons and cartwheel through the air.

• It is illegal to hunt or possess any part of a raptor. The penalty is up to two years in jail and a $2,000 fine for non-endangered species and more for endangered species.

• Vultures don't build nests, but lay their eggs on flat surfaces.

• A ten-year-old eagle's nest can weigh more than a ten-year-old child.

• Without raptors, we would be ankle-deep in rats and mice and other small animals such as rabbits and snakes within one year.

Over 600 injured and orphaned raptors come to the Raptor Center each year. Many are rehabilitated and released back into the wild. However, others could not survive back in the wild, and they take up permanent residence at the Center. Many of those go on the road with the Wild Wings Program as part of a children's educational program throughout the Carolinas.
President Don thanked Alan for a fascinating meeting and terrific presentation and adjourned the meeting until next week.

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New Member

MARK GREGORY ARIZMENDI

MARK GREGORY ARIZMENDI

2001

New Ventures

Northwestern Mutual Financial Network
6235 Morrison Blvd. (28211)
704-365-2014
FAX 704-442-4430
email: marka@cminvestments.com

     Mark Arizmendi grew up in Pasadena, California. He attended the University of Southern California where he majored in finance and economics and received an MBA from the McColl School of Business in Charlotte, N.C. He currently works with the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network as an investment banker and is enrolled in a post-graduate program in entrepreneurial finance at the Kellogg School at Northwestern University.
     Mark works primarily with private companies in the private equity markets. Northwestern Mutual is a $100 billion company with a diverse service line and a reputation for integrity and creative solutions. Mark's passion is the creative application of solutions that benefit a client from capital formation through wealth retention.
     Mark is involved with several non-profits, and serves on the board of Catholic Social Services. Mark believes that the commitment and action to work for a community's general success directly affects the quality of life for the population at large and leads to further success.
     Mark resides in Charlotte and belongs to St. Patrick's Cathedral. He is married to Lynne and has four children: Hunter, age 13; Lauren, age 12; Michael, age 9; and Megan, age 6.
     Welcome to Charlotte Rotary, Mark.

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POWELL'S
OBSERVATIONS

POWELL MAJORS

POWELL MAJORS

Pam Syfert was cited for being the first woman to be Charlotte's city manager. She has been in city government for 24 years.
Richard Early treated Itzaak Perlman for dinner except for a $400 bottle of Cabernet for which the violinist picked up the tab.

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OBJECT OF ROTARY

     The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
     FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
     SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
     THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;
     FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

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