Last week was a one of a kind meeting of our club. We brought Rotary to our friend and Immediate Past President, Kent Templien at QLI. Kent's Rotary leadership class last year, led by PDG Gary Bren, joined us with Past Club Presidents in the area. President Nuzhat Mahmood presided the meeting. Andy Shim gave the Invocation. Rebecca Miller and Anne Fuhrman served as greeters, while Rodge Bickerstaff was Sgt. at Arms.
President-Elect Jill Slupe was Chair of the Day. Jill introduced Jon Pearson, Director of Creativity at QLI. Jon shared with us what QLI is and what it does as a Rehabilitation provider. A professionally produced video titled "Step by Step: Kent Templien's Story of Resilience" explained QLI’s proprietary Tri-Dimensional Rehabilitation® program. You can view the video here.
Susan Rohrig described the inspirational meeting on her Facebook post: "...Kent was injured 4 months ago and was paralyzed with a spinal injury. His story was shared via video. When the lights came back on, he shocked us all. He had gotten out of his motorized chair and was using a walker to walk to the front of the room! A beautiful surprise and not a dry eye in the room. Even though his struggle is not over, he is an amazing man with fierce determination. We are so proud to call him a fellow Rotarian. Keep up the good work."
Photo credit: Suzan Rohrig
President Nuzhat also described the meeting last week on her Facebook post: "What a day! 74 club members, visiting Rotarians and guests came out to QLI to bring the #Rotary meeting to Kent Templien today. It was an emotional meeting for all of us. Thank you to QLI for the amazing work they do as a non profit, providing rehabilitation services for those with spinal cord and brain injuries. How lucky we are in #Omaha to have Madonna Hospital and a place like QLI right in our hometown. Best of luck and heartfelt prayers for our brave and strong Rotarian, Kent, and to his family, in the journey towards full recovery."
Kent being interviewed by Mike Kelly of the Omaha World Herald
