The Tuesday meeting of the Rotary Club of Knoxville was held at the Knoxville Museum of Art. The program began with Frank Rothermel presenting Paul Harris Fellowships to Michael Baer and Bill McGrath (+3).
Next, President Chris Lambert acknowledged the awards that the Rotary Club of Knoxville received at the 2025 District Conference last weekend in Chattanooga. RCK took home many awards, including the Globe Club Award, the Young Event Sponsor Award, the Governor’s Citation, the STAR Award, and two Germ Lacy Bomers. Our club also one first place for our electronic bulletin. Joe Stabb was also recognized at the conference as a graduate of the District Leadership Academy.
Lina Shatara introduced our guest speaker, Brenda Sellers. Brenda is a member of the Maryville Rotary Club, an accomplished businesswoman in the auto parts industry, philanthropist, and author. Brenda’s book, “You Slept Where?: Calamities of a Clumsy Businesswoman” is a non-fiction book chronicling her life of traveling in pursuit of her dreams of being published in National Geographic, while coping with life’s struggles, including caring for aging parents. Brenda emphasizes that life is short and you short treat every day as if it could be your last. Her inspirational message to the club included details of her personal struggles, including her mother’s battle with Alzheimer’s Disease and the struggles of trying to save a ninth-generation family farm. Brenda also explained how her book has been used for philanthropy, raising over $50K for Alzheimers research. Her book was available for purchase at the meeting and can be found on Amazon and Audible.