Sandy L. Burkart PT, PhD has been a Rotarian for more than 30+ years. Sandy has sought out a purpose with Rotary that would bring him and his family joy. He has dedicated his time as a Rotarian working with Youth Exchange and International Service, where he and Lisa Talley were instrumental in introducing District 6930 to Youth and Peace in Action (YPA), a vital peacebuilding, educational movement spanning across fifteen states, 300+ high schools, and more than 5,000 students.
His presentation was entitled, “Art and Peace: Finding Tranquility and Mindfulness in a Moment of Chaos with Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.”
The Rotary presentation began by introducing a poster of Henri Matisse’s work called “The Snail”, a piece that represents Matisse’s desire to show in abstract form the blending of colors.
From there, Dr. Burkart took the audience on a journey that traversed the landscape of Jennifer’s living room all the way to the Picasso Museum in Munster Germany.
Next, he escorted them to Besse sur Issole a quiet, pastoral village in southern France, before finally landing in the city of Vence to visit the Chapel of Matisse that sits on a hillside adjacent to a Dominican convent along the French Riviera.
The chapel was both built and financed by Matisse as an expression of his love for Sister Marie Jacques, a nun who had taken care of him when his health was failing. Matisse considered the chapel to be his finest work This link provides images of the chapel.
His presentation ended with a description of an international peace project that will be done in Sierra Leone, East Africa by students at Spanish River High School and Boca Raton High School as part of YPA. Spanish River High School will raise funds to build a digital classroom to connect with the students of Bumpe High School, Sierra Leone.
Boca Raton High School will be raising funds to purchase solar lanterns to provide light to homes in rural Africa. Each lantern will provide safe light to families of six.
The students will be working alongside Princess Sarah Culberson, who was featured in the June 2022 Rotarian magazine as well as her brother, Hindo, who will guide the project in Sierra Leone. These projects will provide opportunities for our high school students to learn about Rotary service in faraway places.