Waterloo Rotary Reporter (Feb 09, 2018)

February 12th Program

Mallory Petsche is the program coordinator for EMBARC (Ethnic Minorities of Burma Advocacy and Resource Center) in Waterloo.

Over 6,000 refugees from Burma have made Iowa home in the past 5 years. Countless were forced to flee from their home because of who they are and what they believe. EMBARC is a grass-roots nonprofit organization founded by and for refugees from Burma living in Iowa. Since 2011, EMBARC and our volunteers have been providing refugees the resources they need to successfully settle in their new home. Click the logo to learn more.

Our tutoring programs have assisted over 75 children and adults. Our family advocates have empowered over 100 families to access resources such as food pantries and bus training. Our cultural competency presentations have helped over 200 Iowans increase their understanding of our newest Iowans from Burma.

In 2014, EMBARC was one of nine nationwide recipients awarded the three-year federal “ethnic community self-help” grant. Coupled with grants from Chrysalis, Polk County, the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa and donors like you, EMBARC has been able to establish offices in Des Moines and Waterloo and hire a paid staff. We are very excited to expand our capacity beyond our hard-working, volunteer-only base.

Great Programs For Sharing With Prospective Members

The only way our club can grow and continue serving our community is to bring new people to get hooked on Rotary. There are some amazing speakers lined up in the coming weeks - make it a goal to call AT LEAST ONE person and invite them to lunch. Our club provides two complimentary lunches for prospective members - who would say "no" to a free lunch!?!

Senator Grassley will be at our meeting Monday, February 19. Please come early to find a seat and eat so we have time for Q&A.
Rural Urban Day is scheduled for Monday, February 26. Sign up your guests or sponsor a farmer at the next meeting!

March 2018:

March 5 – Black Hawk County Elections Overview – Karen Showalter

March 12 – “Reflections From the Home Team” Local Author - Dave Welter

March 19 – Rotarians Engage with American Cancer Society – HPV Vaccinations – Tammy Schoonover

March 26 – Rotary in Action – Steve & Liz Thorpe

April 2018:

April 2 – Cedar Valley Trails Partnership – Roger White & Bob Manning

April 9 – Boys & Girls Club – Chuck Rowe & Phil Nash

April 16 – Iowa Auditor of State – Mary Mosiman

April 23 – Student Honors Luncheon

April 30 - Program not scheduled yet - do you have a suggestion? Email Katelyn!

Rural Urban Day February 26th

You have two more chances to sign up to host a "farmer friend" at our annual Rural Urban Day. This tradition brings the people who provide our food "to town" to meet metro business leaders and encourage dialogue and understanding of the very different day-to-day businesses they manage.

Our keynote speaker will be Shane Wulf who works for the Black Hawk Soil and Water Conservation District serving as Miller Creek Water Quality Improvement Project Coordinator. Beginning in January 2014, the Miller Creek WQI Project began focusing on approximately 42,461 acres in Black Hawk and Tama Counties. Shane works with producers and landowners in the Miller Creek Watershed to implement agricultural best management practices. These BMPs are designed to help reach the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy goals of a 45% reduction in nitrogen and phosphorus loading. Shane grew up in southeastern Wisconsin and received a BS in Geography with a minor in Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

This project has garnered State and National attention. Former National Secretary Tom Vilsack has visited the project and met with all stakeholders.

February 5th Program

For those of you who were interested in more information following the FIRST Robotics program on February 5th, here is a link to their presentation slides. Bruce added the local contacts for all participating teams in the Cedar Valley on the last slide. Please reach out to Bruce if you are interested in getting involved! Bruce Newendorp: bnewendorp@firstinspires.org

FIRST® is a non-profit organization whose goal is to get students excited about STEM and pursue education and career opportunities in this field. Inspiring young people since 1992, FIRST began with 28 teams in a New Hampshire high-school gym. Today, the four FIRST programs reach over 400,000 young people annually. The fun they have, the knowledge they gain, and the friendships they make along the way help build self-confidence, nurture creativity, and inspire them to solve the world’s greatest challenges, be strong citizens, and build a brighter future.

Jan and Bruce Newendorp have been mentors for the Cedar Falls FIRST Robotics Competition team for 15 and 18 years respectively. Jan was an elementary teacher for many years and Bruce was an engineer at John Deere for 39 years retiring in 2016. He then became the FIRST Regional Director for Iowa. In that role he and Jan work together to promote FIRST in Iowa and lead the planning committee for the FIRST Robotics Competition Iowa Regional.

Website Sponsorships Available

Every week, The Reporter arrives in your inbox and is packed with information about our next meeting, photos from past events, and Rotary news from around the world. The newsletter is just one function that our nearly 10-year-old ClubRunner website provides to our club. We also use ClubRunner to organize member information and send invoices for member dues. If you would like to sponsor our website with a clickable graphic, email Mason for details!

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