President Bill Applegate called the meeting to order.
Pledge
Mike Kelly led the pledge.
Inspiration
Liz Messier gave the inspiration. An inspiring person is someone who uplifts or motivates other people. They typically possess courage and deep empathy. Liz recognized the ways in which March birthday folks inspire her and the club broadly.
Speaking of March birthdays – Anthony Landi, Barry Fain, and, you guessed it, Bill Applegate. All exhibit qualities of courage, empathy, dedication, and openness.
Guests
Charles Donnelly
Matt Schmitz
Happy Bucks
- Pete Brock is happy that he is here. He looks forward to obtaining his degree from the University of Colorado on May 2.
- Holly Applegate provided a successful fundraising dinner. She is excited to have celebrated Bill’s birthday. Holly is also thrilled to be a mentor to a San Miguel student, who has high potential.
- Anthony Hollingshead is happy about two additional new Rotary members.
- Pete Peterson is happy about the three-point shot to advance UConn in the NCAA men’s tournament.
- Bill Applegate is happy about the large turnout.
- Sam New had two happy bucks welcoming Derrick Duplessy, and in hopes that Pete Brock does not become a hippie when he returns to Boulder.
- Matt Schmitz is happy that he has Friday off.
Speaker
The speaker is Derrick Duplessy, Executive Director of the
Duplessy Foundation. (Reporter’s Note:
Derrick and I worked together in a now-defunct co-working space for social enterprises in Boston.) The Duplessy Foundation provides advanced sales coaching to women, immigrants, and minority groups to help them become successful entrepreneurs. In addition to supporting constituents’ business goals, Derrick also focuses on the ways that participating in business develops the individual. Derrick’s goal is to have 1,000 of his entrepreneur constituents grossing $1m or more. Derrick’s constituents have collectively grossed $32m.
Derrick started a foundation 15 years ago, because he was seeking a grant from the Patriot’s Foundation.
Derrick told the story of a woman, Ann, who was a domestic violence victim. Derrick was supporting her through her entrepreneurial efforts, when they discovered that she owned high-value land ($20m). Ann was able to sell the land to fund her business endeavors.
