Parkville Presbyterian Church - Living Center (lower level)
819 Main Street, Suite 304b, Parkville, MO 64152
Time:
12:00 PM
Topic: The Nature-Wired Brain in an Indoor World
Statistically, we have become an "indoor generation," spending 90% of our lives confined within four walls. Yet, while our lifestyles have moved inside, our biology remains deeply rooted in the natural world. This "biological mismatch" is a leading driver of modern stress, burnout, and cognitive fatigue—especially in the high-pressure world of public safety.
In this talk, Dalyn explores the neuroscience of biophilic design, moving beyond simple aesthetics to treat architecture as a biological necessity. By understanding how our "nature-wired" brains respond to natural light, organic patterns, and restorative spaces, we can bridge the gap between our ancient DNA and our modern structures. Drawing from her work in public safety infrastructure, Dalyn demonstrates how these principles act as a critical tool for health and recovery, transforming high-stakes environments into habitats where the human spirit can actually thrive.
Dalyn Novak is the first female President/Principal in the firm's 58-year history. Novak has been an integral part of the WSKF team for 20 years. Novak became an Owner/Principal in late 2019. She has been integral in WSKF’s public safety design team that in recent years has designed more than $225 million in fire/EMS/police/dispatch facilities across 11 states. Novak has extensive experience in other areas, such as higher education, aviation, senior care, commercial, and government projects. She is actively involved in various community boards including the St. Luke's North Hospital Board and has held leadership positions in Parkville Rotary since 2015.
Please Join Us in Attending Two Events on Tuesday, May 5th:
Honoring Former First Lady Sandra Breckon
11am @ Breckon Sports Center
Remarks will be made at 11am followed by a light reception and time to say hello to Don and his family.
RSVP to president@park.edu
Comfort Field 25-Year Celebration
2pm @ Comfort Field (up the hill to the baseball field!)
Please arrive between 1:30 - 1:50pm for a program to start promptly at 2pm to honor Mark and Mimi's legacy and contributions to Park.
RSVP to melissa.molloy@park.edu
Don & Sandy Breckon
Mallory Sole, Rotaract Park University sent me some photos from last Friday's tree planting project at Park University. Parkville Rotary donated $500 to them to help out, and the check was presented at the same time.
This is Mallory's last project… she graduates next week. Congratulations are in order, for sure.
There was a duel benefit at this event… the Gardening Club at Park University was there also… and they showed everyone how to correctly plant a tree. There was a lot more to it than I knew… really interesting on how to do it correctly.
The trees planted were maples, to replace some of those the University had lost in recent years. The area was just outside the "Meeting House" walk way entrance.
Bottom line, it was a nice event, attended by Park Interim President Katherine Swanson.
Dave Rittman
Parkville Rotary President
Hi all,
I just wanted to share with you some of the pictures from last Friday's event and make some last-minute thank yous.
Thank you again to President Swanson for attending. Thank you for the Rotary's generous donation, Dave. Thank you, John and your team, for all your help and instructions. Thank you, Gardening Club, for joining us. And finally, thank you, club members and students, for participating. I am so happy you all could make it.
Best,
Mallory Sole
President of Rotaract Club
6040 District Conference Update
The 6040 District Conference was a joyful celebration, as it marked the 25th year of collecting shoes for "Shoes for Orphan Soles", started by KC Plaza Club member Larry Lunsford, who just happens to be Rotary International president for 2027-2028. The caravan's last stop was Rotary Youth Camp in Lee's Summit where the shoes collected across north Missouri were transferred from the 53' trailer to a like-sized UPS truck, for transport to Texas, and then Guatemala and Dominican Republic.
Jodi Sundaram, our district governor, presided over a productive meeting that started with a service project of getting the grounds of the camp ready for the annual summer campers. Activities included mowing, planting, cleaning, and painting on the beautiful grounds of Rotary Youth Camp. We met in the dining hall for meals and presentations.
The highlight of the conference was the 51 Club Roll Call, led by Larry himself, with each club announcing how many shoes they collected. Being the 25th year, the stated goal was 25,000 shoes, which is about double what was collected the last few years. The final tally was over 29,000! Parkville's contribution was 930, paid for by the club, and collected by Joe Carroll. Nice job Joe!
Attached is a photo I had taken with my camera this morning as Parkville Rotary delivered to Jodi Sundaram at District 6040 930 pairs of shoes for the Shoes for Orphans project this morning over at the former K-Mart parking lot at 72nd Street and I-29.
Our shoe committee, headed up by Joe Carroll really did an "over the top" and amazinfg effort to come up with this many shoes for this year.
Dave Rittman
Numberous Volunteer Opportunities in April & May! We Could Use Your Help!
COMING UP...
May 9 Saturday at English Landing Park - Butterfly Garden
Under the guidance of Mark Stuhlhatz and Ryan Lawn and Tree, we will be planting another butterfly garden near Farmer's Market. This will be at 11:00 AM, as there are other events scheduled earlier in the park.
May 19-21 Fly the Flag
We have many volunteers, organized into routes, to put out flags, but we can always use more. Usually takes about 2 hours, exact time and day to be determined by route leader. Contact Steve Bleish.
RECENTLY ADDED!
May 21 Thursday at Parkville Presbyterian Church - Restocking Pantry
We will help unload the Harvester truck and restock the shelves for the South Platte food pantry. Lower level, Highway 9 entrance. Please park on the Highway 9 side of the parking lot, to give truck plenty of room. Truck arrives at 7 :15 AM. Should be finished by 9 AM. Please invite friends or family.
Sign up at a Friday meeting, or contact Dianna Collins for Beerfest.
For other events contact Steve Bleish at 816-868-6697 or drsvbleish@aol.com
Parkville Rotary "Fly the Flag" Program
Subscription renewals have been sent out by email so make sure you don't miss yours! If you have any questions or need to update your information, please to go the website by clicking on the blue box below.
Have news you want to share with Parkville Rotary members? Email Dalyn at dnovak@wskfarch.com to have your news added to this section of the newsletter.
The Membership Committee has been hard at work looking for great new members. All members and prospective members can access the new member forms by clicking on the blue box below. This link will take you directly to the membership forms.
Parkville Rotary has the following membership types:
Standard Rotarian Membership
Corporate Membership
Spouse Membership
Please submit the forms filled out to Sandy Knoernschild, SandyKnoe@outlook.com, so the new member information can be reviewed by the board for approval! We are always looking for new members to join our growing club!
When you have a speaker scheduled please make sure to provide the following information to Michelle Sparks at michellesparkshomes@gmail.com, who is managing our events calendar.
Speaker Name
Speaker Bio
Speaker Topic
Any other information you think members would like to know about your speaker, photos are welcomed too!
This information is included in this weekly newsletter and can really get people excited to come listen to our weekly speakers!
