Join us Wednesday morning at 7:30am in the Great Hall - Kitchi Gammi Club (831 E Superior St., Duluth, MN 55802) as we hear from Sarah Glesner - Sarah's Serpentarium!
The Serpentarium's work is rooted in thoughtful engagement between people and animals. They create experiences that prioritize learning, respect, and care—bringing live animals into educational spaces in ways that are safe, intentional, and meaningful.
Sarah Glesner, whose experience spans more than two decades of working with live animals in educational and public settings, has shaped this approach. Early in her professional career, Glasner developed a strong connection with reptiles—an interest that helped guide her path through seven years at the Lake Superior Zoo, eight seasons with Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory, and two years in wildlife rehabilitation. That combination of animal care and public education experience continues to inform how the Serpentarium operates, emphasizing respect for animals, thoughtful learning, and environments where people of all ages feel informed and included.
Whether you’re seeking an educational program, exploring adoption or surrender options, or simply wanting to learn more, we invite you to connect with us and continue the conversation!
Harbortown Rotary is calling all do-gooders for our last year volunteering at the Bike Duluth Festival (now the Duluth Trails Fest). We are in need of volunteers on Friday, August 7th, and we will be focused on filling the Registration tent.
Registration volunteers will - register all racers, collect payments, ensure mandatory waivers are signed by all participants, distribute bib/race number items, and pass out maps and festival schedules.
Volunteers are needed for two shifts (or the time frame you can accommodate):
9:30am - 3:00pm
3:00pm - 7:00pm
Please let Chloe Strand (ChloeStrand90@gmail.com | 218.340.2531) know if you are interested in participating, or sign up for a shift at our Wednesday morning meeting!
August 7th is the last day to sign up for the Lifestyle Wellness and Longevity program for Rotarians based on the Harvard Medical School Executive Extension Lifestyle and Wellness Coaching Program. The program runs for seven Tuesday evenings, staring August 18th, from 7:00pm - 8:15pm on Zoom. No cost to you other than your time and effort. Sessions will be recorded in case you need to miss.
When most of us think about aging well, we picture our future selves still doing what matters: traveling, working on things we care about, being present for the people we love, getting outside, staying involved in our communities. Whether you are in your 20s building lifelong foundations or in your 60s (or older) refining what you already do, the science of healthspan applies to you now. That simple difference captures a crucial idea in longevity science: the gap between lifespan and healthspan.
If you are interested in joining the seven-week program, email: Brad Jenson <bradleyjenson1956@gmail.com>
Two clocks, two futures: Lifespan is straightforward. It’s the number of years between your birth and your death. Healthspan is more personal: it’s the stretch of life when you’re reasonably free of disabling disease, pain, and serious limitation.
Why the way you age is not fixed: It’s tempting to think that how you age is mostly written in your genes. Family history does contribute, but it’s not destiny. Many of the chronic illnesses that shorten healthspan are strongly impacted by lifestyle and environment. Inside your cells, aging is driven by a set of biological processes often called the hallmarks of aging. Research shows that healthier lifestyle patterns can influence many of these hallmarks.
Healthspan in everyday terms: Scientific vocabulary aside, what does extending healthspan actually look like in daily life?
What moves the needle most? The good news is that the same everyday behaviors your doctor has been recommending for years—sometimes to the point of sounding repetitive—are exactly the ones that support a longer healhspan.
A shift in mindset: Perhaps the most important change is mental. Instead of thinking of aging as an unstoppable slide, it may be more accurate—and far more useful—to see it as a dynamic process that you can influence every day.
Vulnerable and unsure of where to go, women released from jails and prisons across the U.S. face many dangers, sometimes starting right outside with sex traffickers lying in wait in the parking lot. A Rotary club in Topeka, Kansas, has made it its mission to help these women get to safety and rebuild their lives. To do it, they turned to former inmates.
August is Rotary's Membership and New Club Development Month. To mark the occasion, we're highlighting a unique aspect of Rotary membership — support and care for members experiencing major personal challenges. Hear members' stories in our "Lifequakes" feature.
This month, we also turned to our members for stories and tips on how they boost club productivity by tapping into artificial intelligence tools. Then, find even more tips in the Handbook on how to revitalize clubs and create vibrant new ones. Both strategies are essential for reaching Rotary's goal to grow to 1.25 million members by 2030 (more about that in our Goodwill column).
If you have the upcoming program duty (check the duty roster here), please be sure to secure a speaker and provide notice to Chloe Strand (chloestrand90@gmail.com) as soon as your speaker is confirmed. If you are unable to confirm a speaker, please contact Lauren Farden (lauren.farden@edwardjones.com) for help. If you have a different assigned program duty and cannot make it to the meeting, please find a replacement.
Harbortown Rotary has a Windows 11 laptop. Presenters may bring a USB drive with the PowerPoint presentation (or whatever is wanted to be shown on the projector while speaking). Please share this information with your program's presenter.
Upcoming Program Speakers:
Sept. 9th - Dr. Jose Velasquez, Executive Director, Mano a Mano Bolivia
There will be some changes to the Club Service role starting 7/1/26. There will now be a Club Service Committee: Chloe Strand, Brad Jenson, & Steph Jago.
JULY 1 - SEPT. 30, 2026 - Scuttlebutt
For news, announcements, event promotion, social media, media releases, please contact Chloe Strand | cstrand@allete.com | 218.340.2541
OCT. 1 - JUNE 30, 2027 - Scuttlebutt
For news, announcements, event promotion, social media, media releases, please contact Stephanie Jago | sjago@charter.net | 218.343.1833
For Scuttlebutt: If you are hosting the program speaker, please copy Chloe on the speaker's name, organization, and email. If you are the chair of a Harbortown Committee, please update Chloe on relevant information regarding grants and awards, meetings or news. Your information will be used to create more dynamic and engaging content to share with potential club members and on social media!
Do you have Harbortown Rotary pictures to share!? Share your photos HERE with Google Photosso we can spread the word about how awesome our members are and the impact we're making on our community!
