See you September 13th, 2010

Have a great summer!

City Club Missoula

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City Club Missoula Presents:
Human Services in Missoula: A Hand Out or a Hand Up? Help or Hindrance?

Monday, July 12, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park, 200 S. Pattee St.

Join United Way of Missoula County CEO Susan Hay Patrick for a thought-provoking overview and discussion of nonprofit human-service programs in Missoula.  Missoula is well known for its plethora of human-service nonprofits.  Learn more about the diverse populations they help and the services they provide.  Who are the key players?  Whom do they help?  Do these services do more to address social ills or to foster them?  Where do gaps exist?  What is the role of government in the human-services arena?  Where is the balance between prevention and safety-net programs?
The leaders of several local nonprofit human-service agencies will be at the forum to answer questions and take part in discussion. They will include Ellie Hill of the Poverello Center, Lori Davidson of the Missoula Housing Authority, Nick Roberts of the Missoula Food Bank, Andrea Davis of HomeWORD and others.
Patrick has been a leader of nonprofits for 30 years and has served as chief executive officer of United Way of Missoula County since 2006.  She was executive director of the national foundation MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger before moving to Missoula in 2001. In Missoula, she has worked as a consultant and volunteer guiding strategic planning, marketing and fundraising efforts for numerous local nonprofits.

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City Club Missoula Presents:

AmeriCorps VISTA in Missoula
Who are they? What do they do? How does their work impact the Missoula community?

Monday, June 14, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park, 200 S. Pattee St.

AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) are full-time members serving nonprofit, faith-based, community organizations and public agencies to create and expand programs that bring low-income individuals and communities out of poverty.  AmeriCorps VISTA members leverage human, financial, and material resources to increase the capacity of thousands of low-income areas across the country to address challenges and improve their lives and communities.  After their terms of service, each VISTA member leaves behind lasting solutions to some of the toughest problems facing our communities.

The following local VISTA members will briefly present the projects they have been working on and will describe the challenges and successes they’ve encountered along the way:

Bethann Merkle, graduate of the University of Montana, will talk about her work for MUD (Missoula Urban Demonstration Project) and illustrate what an effective VISTA can accomplish in just one year.
Emilie Kohler, graduate of Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, will talk about her work at WEN (Watershed Education Network).
Erin McPeck, graduate of the Eastman School of Music, will present her work on capacity building through grants writing, needs assessments and organizational components for the ZACC (Zootown Arts Community Center).
Hermina Harold, graduate of the University of Montana, will talk about her work with the NMCDC (North Missoula Community Development Center).
Jessica Stamler, graduate of Northwestern University, will speak about the literacy program she developed for pre-school children at the CDC (Child Development Center).
Levi McGarry, graduate of the University of Idaho, will talk about his work with the American Red Cross.
Niraja Golightly, graduate of the University of Montana, will present her work on a service-learning course she developed which spawned research on the Poverello’s homeless support facilities.

Following presentations and table talk, the speakers will be available to answer questions about their work and the impacts on the Missoula community.

If you want to be inspired about our future, come hear these amazing young people!!!!

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City Club Missoula Presents:
“DUI Treatment Court: Is it Possible in Missoula?”
With Judge Karen Orzech
Monday, May 10, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park, 200 S. Pattee St.

Montanans clearly enjoy their alcoholic beverages: Historically, our consumption of alcohol per person has been 15 to 20 percent higher than the national average. But alcohol abuse brings consequences that are not enjoyable, costing the Montana economy more than a half billion dollars each year in medical costs, lost wages and productivity. And driving under the influence of alcohol causes needless crashes and deaths.

Missoula County Justice of the Peace Karen Orzech and a 10-member team from the Missoula justice system have been receiving formal training in establishing a DUI Court for Missoula. The national training in Athens, Georgia, is based on best practices developed during the past 20 years in courts throughout the nation. The idea is a problem-solving court that makes a second DUI the last DUI.

“We want to stop people from coming back for their third and fourth DUIs,” Orzech says. “We want to treat the problem.”

Judge Orzech has served as Missoula County Justice of the Peace since 1999. She believes in a restorative justice system based on respect and accountability. Come hear her talk on this important topic.

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The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center &

City Club Missoula Welcome Senator Jon Tester

Special Date, TUESDAY APRIL 6, 2010

11:30a.m. to 1:00p.m.

Holiday Inn Parkside

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City Club Missoula Presents:
“Not as Advertised” - Are You Media Literate? What are the Effects of Modern Media on Missoula’s Youth Today?
Monday, March 8, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park, 200 S. Pattee St.

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn." ALVIN TOFFLER

City Club Missoula brings a presentation on media literacy.  What are the effects of the messages that we, along with our children and grandchildren receive on a daily basis from modern media? Are we all learning attitudes and behaviors while viewing hours and hours of media that are not positive? Our presenter, Layci Nelson, will explore the principals of Media Literacy. She will explain how to deconstruct the messages we receive on a daily basis and will provide tips and tools to support efforts to raising healthy and resilient children, and young adults. 

Layci Nelson, Missoula Forum for Children & Youth Coordinator, with over 10 years of experience working with youth in the inner city of Tacoma, WA

Go to our BLOG, start a conversation at http://cityclubforum.blogspot.com/

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College!Montana
A Talk with Sheila Stearns, Montana’s Commissioner of Higher Education

Monday, Feb. 8, 2010 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Holiday Inn Downtown at the Park, 200 S. Pattee St.

Montana’s higher education system is ready to meet the challenges of the next five years and beyond. Commissioner of Higher Education Sheila Stearns will talk about the why, how and who of some interesting directions in Montana. She’ll touch on topics ranging from the rising dual enrollment for high school students to the creation of a virtual community college.

Stearns is a native Montanan who has served in a variety of senior administrative positions in higher education, including vice president of the University of Montana, chancellor of UM-Western, president of Wayne State College in Nebraska and, since 2003, commissioner of higher education in Montana. Her degrees are in English, history, and educational history and leadership. She has been committed to access to college for low-income students and interested in the connection between higher education and economic and workforce development.

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January Forum: What Cap & Trade Means to Missoula and the World

Monday, January 11, 2010

Are you embarrassed when you hear "cap and trade" come up in conversation?  Do you always feel left out when conversations turn to the subject of cap and trade? Do your eyes gloss over whenever a news program mentions "cap and trade" Can you name the three things everyone should know about cap and trade?

If you think that climate change is caused by greenhouse gas emissions, or if you just think the world  should be conservative and err on the side of caution, what is the best way to decrease our discharge of carbon into the atmosphere?  Many economists favor a Cap and Trade system in which release of carbon would be capped and the rights to emit carbon would be bought and sold in a market similar to a stock exchange.  

Whatever the mechanism, raising the cost of dumping greenhouse gases will raise the cost of doing business.  Who will pay those costs?  What environmental impact will there be?  How will Montana be affected?

Keegan Eisenstadt, CEO of Clear Sky Climate Solutions, will discuss what the issue means to all of us. Mr. Eisenstadt is just back from the Copenhagen Climate conference, and will share his experience with us.

James D. Jensen, will also be joining the discussion. Mr. Jensen has been the Executive Director of the Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC) since 1985. He attended Westminster College in Salt Lake City and holds a B.A. in Political Science from the Univ. of Montana (1980). Mr. Jensen served in the Montana House of Representatives from Billings where he was a member of the Natural Resources, Fish and Game, and Judiciary committees. Prior to taking his present position he was a lobbyist for various interests including the elderly, child care providers, and magistrates. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Center for Environmental Politics, the Western Mining Activist Network, and Montanans for Common Sense Mining Laws.