Rotary Log for March 12, 2020
President-Elect Jon Flagg opened the meeting. We pledged allegiance. Aileen Dugan led us in singing “God Bless America,” Charles Bourdage’s invocation was short and sweet.
Jon sported a bright blue polo shirt, a souvenir of the President Elect Training (PET) conference he recently attended. While PET was useful in its own right, Jon noted that it also displayed high regard that other Rotarians have for our Portsmouth Rotary Club. Very gratifying news. But also humbling, because we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. Our obligation is to pass it forward.
GUESTS
Nicole Clark hosted guest David McMahon. John Rice’s son Thomas was here all the way from Barrington Passage, Nova Scotia. Does anyone know where that is?
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dave Underhill passed out a printed sheet outlining the goals of our Portsmouth 100 (Anniversary) committee. Members can offer feedback and/or attend the April 22 planning meeting. Contact Dave or Mort Schmidt.
Francois Meissner asked for donations of clothes on April 2 for Friends in Action. The organization helps young people with disabilities.
The $35 raffle was won by Nancy Notis. No bonus match ensued.
GUEST SPEAKER
Rick Wallis introduced our guest speaker, Russ Grazier, Jr. Russ is CEO of the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC).
PMAC is a 501© (3) nonprofit community music and visual arts school. Its mission is to build community through the arts by providing all people with the opportunity to achieve their creative potential. A challenge they undertake regardless of age, ability or economic status. To do so, PMAC offers high quality music and visual arts education programs. In addition, the organization creates ensemble, performance and exhibition opportunities.
Ten years ago, when Russ and Katie Grazier founded PMAC, it had only ten students. Today 800-1,000 students are enrolled in various programs. About 20% are adults, including some of our own Rotarians.
Currently PMAC has three major initiatives. (1) Reach underserved population segments by subsidizing partnerships with the local housing authority and library. (2) Catalyze interest among older people. (3) Address gender bias in musical instrument selection.
Russ elaborated on the positive role that the management style of “Radical Candor” has on PMAC’s mission. He explained that Radical Candor characterizes how managers interact with other people. Viewed as an X-Y grid, the X-axis reflects how much (or little) managers care about their people. The spectrum ranges from “Silence” to “Directly Challenging,” as in constructive feedback. The Y-axis reflects how much (or little) managers care about their mission(s.) This spectrum ranges from “Disconnected and not caring” to “Caring”.
The ideal location on the grid is the quadrant reflecting managers who deeply care about both their people and their missions. That is the Radical Candor location. Russ wants all PMAC’s associates to embody those qualities.
A special treat was a talented singing performance by PMAC student Gretchen Greene. Ms. Greene is a Jeremy Alex Scholarship recipient. This has provided her a full scholarship for one-on-one voice education and participation in PMAC’s ensembles. Thanks go to Past President Ted Alex for his effective generosity!
Nearly half of PMAC’s revenues come from contributions. Russ concluded his talk by thanking the Portsmouth Rotary Club and several of its individual members for their generous support.
Respectfully Submitted, Richard Greulich
Photos by Sara Treacy
