Sunday, January 29, 2017

Advice for Improving Your Golf Drive


Charlotte Johnson is an experienced senior executive who serves as a co-CEO and trustee of the Otto Bremer Trust. Charlotte Johnson of Otto Bremer is also a keen golfer who plays regularly. 

The drive is one of the most important shots in the game of golf. Here are a few tips that should help you improve your drive.

1. Focus on the shot rather than everything that surrounds it. At times, playing off the tee can feel like a performance, especially if an audience is present. Drown out distractions and get the shot right.

2. Change the placement of the ball so it relates to your stance. As a general rule, the ball should be placed farther forward of your stance than it typically would be for other shots. You should aim to make contact with the ball as your club’s head begins to ascend.

3. Keep your muscles relaxed throughout the swing. At your finishing position, you should have all your weight on your left foot (or right foot, if you are left-handed) while your other foot should be on its tiptoe.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Authors’ Challenges When Writing Historical Biographies




Charlotte Johnson serves as a co-CEO and trustee of the Otto Bremer Trust, a grantmaking entity in the Upper Midwest that was formerly known as the Otto Bremer Foundation. In her spare time, Charlotte Johnson pursues a multitude of hobbies, including reading nonfiction.

Some academics doubt that biographers can adequately take into account the wider historical context of the personages about which they write. Yet, good biographers seldom discuss such personages without reference to their impact on the age in which they lived—and vice versa.

The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography emphasizes the importance of readers learning about both of these aspects of biographies, which means that biographers must be careful about how they portray their subjects.

This raises the question of whether biographers can separate their emotions from their subjects. Some authors choose to write about people they admire, whereas others opt to discuss those they detest.

In this regard, biographers may feel a connection to their subject by digesting all of the information they can find, including documents, personal letters, and other data that reveal pertinent or shocking details. In doing so, they must take care to reflect details accurately, making sure not to let their emotions affect their writing, particularly about someone who has affected the course of history.

Friday, January 6, 2017

YAH Awards Scholarships to Three Youth Volunteers


Charlotte Johnson is a longtime co-chief executive officer and trustee at Otto Bremer Trust. A charitable trust established in 1944, Otto Bremer has helped countless nonprofit organizations through its grant-making activities. In her role with the trust, Charlotte Johnson contributes to its mission of helping local communities move forward by supporting such nonprofits as Youth Acton Hudson (YAH), which focuses on the empowerment of Hudson youth.

Many of the youth volunteers at YAH spend thousands of hours working toward community building. As an incentive, YAH grants scholarship awards to deserving youth. In 2016, YAH chose three scholarship recipients: Clare Weber, Shayla Koeckeritz, and Brianna Manke. 

The three young women have a combined 3,000 hours of volunteer experience and eight years of service to YAH. Throughout their high school years, they have been heavily involved in all of YAH's programs and have had a significant impact in their local communities despite responsibilities at school and at home. 

The recipients have all achieved acceptance to major universities: the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Creighton University, and the University of Colorado Boulder.