Rotary International

Sholom Menorah Plaza in Minneapolis, MN, is a mission-driven senior living community that emphasizes culture, connection, and comprehensive care. With a full continuum of services, including independent living, assisted living, memory care, and various therapy options, Sholom aims to provide a welcoming environment for individuals at every stage of aging. Rooted in Jewish values, Sholom fosters inclusivity and compassion, offering innovative life enrichment programs and support for caregivers. The community encourages belonging and engagement through a variety of programs designed to enhance the quality of life for all residents. Generated from the website

Sons of Norway, with more than 66,000 members in the United States, is a fraternal benefit society dedicated to the appreciation and preservation of the heritage and culture of Norway and other Nordic countries. The organization promotes Norwegian traditions and fraternal fellowship through cultural and social opportunities offered in local lodge and district lodge activities. These activities include language camps and classes, scholarships, handicrafts, cooking and heritage classes, heritage programs, sports programs, travel opportunities, Viking Magazine, and outreach programs sponsored by the Sons of Norway Foundation. It also offers its members a variety of insurance programs. Sons of Norway was organized as a fraternal benefit society by 18 Norwegian immigrants in Minneapolis in 1895. It has district lodges throughout the United States, Canada and Norway.

What is Ski for Light Ski for Light, Inc is an all-volunteer, non-profit, organization founded in 1975. The goal of the organization is to teach blind, visually- and mobility-impaired adults how to cross-country ski, in an atmosphere that encourages participants to recognize that they can usually accomplish much more, both on the snow and back home in everyday life, than others may have told them was possible. Each year Ski for Light, Inc conducts a week-long event where blind and mobility-impaired adults are taught the basics of cross-country skiing. The event attracts upwards of 300 participants and guides. The location of the event changes from year to year in an effort to spread the Ski for Light philosophy and idea to as many parts of the country as possible. During the Ski for Light week each disabled skier is paired for the entire week with an experienced, sighted, cross-country skier who acts as ski instructor and guide. The disabled person skis in tracks or grooves in the snow, while the guide skis in a parallel set of tracks. The guide offers instructional tips and suggestions, support and encouragement, and describes the countryside. The blind and mobility-impaired adults who attend each Ski for Light week come from all over the U.S. and from several foreign countries. Many of them come to Ski for Light with a desire to become more physically active and fit, and to find recreational opportunities that are lacking at home. Most of these skiers discover, in the process of learning how to cross- country ski, that they can accomplish much more than others have told them, and much more than they themselves believed. They leave Ski for Light with a sense of accomplishment and motivation that carries over to every aspect of their lives back home.