Donaghadee Rotary Host Group Study Exchange
On 18.9.08 Donaghadee Rotary Club played host to The Colorado Group Study Exchange to Ireland. A number of members from other local Rotary clubs attended the event. The Group Study Exchange programme (GSE) is a unique cultural and vocational exchange designed to build bridges of friendship between nations. GSE teams are young business and professional men and women in the initial years of their careers. They act as “Ambassadors of Goodwill” to promote understanding and peaceful relations among diverse peoples of the world. The programme also develops the professional and leadership skills of team members to better prepare them to address the needs of their communities and an increasingly global workplace. Rotary District 5470 from which the team hail occupies roughly the southern 2/3 of the state of Colorado in the western USA. Colorado is often thought of as the “mountain state.” It has the highest average elevation of any state in the nation, containing 54 mountain peaks over 14,000 feet high (4,267 meters). Outdoor recreation and tourism are major industries. Manufacturing is also important in the state, as well as energy production and agriculture. The latter dominates the eastern part of the state, which is quite flat in contrast to the mountains to the west. Colorado’s population is approaching 5 million, most of which is concentrated in a few larger cities. The people of Colorado are generally known for their warm, casual friendliness and relaxed pace of life. The GSE party consisted of 5 members. Jack Thomas The Team leader. Jack from North Colorado Spring Rotary Club was born and raised in St Louis and graduated with a degree in geology from the University of Arizona, going on to earn an MS in Information Systems Technology from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. He is married with two grown up daughters. Jack is very involved in Rotary and has participated for the last 11 years. He is the past president of his club. He currently works as the operations director for a local non-profit organisation doing work in South America called Adopt-a- Village International. He served 21 years in the U.S. Navy serving in a variety of capacities including commanding a Destroyer. Angela Harness Angela lives in Grand Junction Colorado. She attended the University of Kansas where she received her BA in Political Science with a minor in Public Service and Civic Leadership. She then continued her studies and received her Masters Degree in Public Administration. Angela works closely with the management team in the City Manager’s Office of the City of Grand Junction. Her duties include providing support to the City administration, the City Council and other City departments. She is also responsible for coordinating the City Youth Council. Sally Spalding Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Sally was almost a Southern Belle before moving to Boston to attend Wellesley College. Upon graduating in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in English and environmental studies, Sally moved to Grand Junction Colorado, to become an environmental beat reporter for the local newspaper. Sally is now the director of community and media relations for the city of Aspen. A small ski town high in the Rocky Mountains. Professionally she spends her time involving citizens in their local government, producing a television show called “City Matters,” serving on the board of Sister Cities International, organising the Youth Leadership Council and acting as the city’s spokesperson in local and national media. Amber Ptak. Amber was born and raised near Detroit, Michigan, home to her large extended family, the “Big Three” auto industry and thousands of lakes and rivers. She graduated from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo with a BS in Community Health Education. Amber worked as the Project Director for a federal initiative known as the Greenbook Project, an eight year demonstration project that tested innovative responses to the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child maltreatment. In her role as Project Director, Amber facilitated a multidisciplinary collaboration that included representatives from law enforcement, courts, domestic violence advocacy, child protective services, prosecutors, and mental health. Prior to her work on the Greenbook Grant, Amber was the County’s Violence Prevention Coordinator and her responsibilities included training for schools, corporations and the medical community on family violence issues. Jonathan Mangino Jonathan is a native of Trinidad, CO. After attending Trinidad State Junior College the oldest junior college in Colorado, Jonathan completed his degree in business administration from Regis University. After a few years as a loan officer for First National Bank in Trinidad, he took over a Farmers Insurance Agency. He also originates mortgage loans for Mountain West Home loan. Jonathan is an active member of his community. Each of the members of the GSE programme gave a talk on their careers and family background. This was accompanied by a display of photographs of Colorado. They then answered questions from the audience. Donaghadee Rotary Club President Paul Leathem thanked the group for their informative and interesting talk, and wished them well for the remainder of their exchange visit. |
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