Easy Riders Kiwanis Club will be sharing info about their fundraiser Monday at Rotary!
Coach Kyle Green is speaking on Monday August 24th and giving us an intro to his first season as Head Coach of UNI Men's Basketball!
Kyle Green was named the 26th head coach in UNI men's basketball history on April 1, 2026, culminating a coaching career that has spanned over 30 years across multiple NCAA divisions, including 16 seasons as an assistant coach at Northern Iowa.
“It is a great pleasure to welcome Kyle Green back to the University of Northern Iowa,” said Nook. “Kyle and his family have been a big part of UNI athletics for two decades. Kyle was an integral part of the Panther coaching staff during some of our most successful seasons and helped develop many outstanding players. I look forward to Kyle's leadership in continuing to grow the legacy of Panther Men's Basketball."
As of August 3, we have the following political candidates confirmed to speak to our club. We have reached out to and are waiting to hear back from several candidates!
September 14...Rob Sand, Democratic Candidate for Governor
September 28...Joe Mitchell, Republican Candidate for U.S. House District 2
October 5...Zach Lahn, Republican Candidate for Governor
October 12...Lindsay James, Democratic Candidate for U.S. House District 2
We will update the club as we hear back from the rest of the candidates.
August 31...Easy Riders Kiwanis Club
September 7...No meeting/Labor Day
September 14...Governor Candidate Rob Sand (D)
September 21...Cedar Falls Mall Update
September 28...US House District 2 Candidate Joe Mitchell (R)
If you know someone that would be a good fit for our club, invite them to a meeting for a free lunch and encourage them to consider membership!
Lucas Hewitt is a no-party candidate for Iowa House District 61 and is speaking on Monday. He is our first of many political candidates visiting Waterloo Rotary Club this year.
Born and raised in Waterloo, he graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in linguistics and spent several years in ministry before starting his career as an enterprise software developer. Years of leading software projects taught him that lasting solutions need buy-in from everyone at the table, which is exactly the approach he wants to bring to the Iowa House: judge every bill on its own merits, publish the reasoning behind every vote, and personally answer every message from a constituent. Lucas and his wife Bianca are raising their three kids in Waterloo, where the family also fosters kittens.
Today, we'll catch up on club business, join us for fellowship and great food at the Waterloo Convention Center
Iowa RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) was held July 26-31, 2026 at Grinnell College. The workshop is open to high school students going into their sophomore, junior and senior years. The workshop teaches collaboration, teamwork and leadership skills by having students work in teams to solve challenges.
This year 185 students participated; along with 20 Rotarian volunteers and 20 student team leaders. The cost is paid for by Rotary clubs in both districts who sponsor a student. The Waterloo Rotary Club sponsored Naima Haynes; she will be participating in Rotary Youth Exchange when she leaves on August 14 for Columbia for 10 months. It is a requirement that all outbound Youth Exchange participants take part in RYLA just before they leave.
Would you like to learn about another culture without leaving Iowa and make a lifelong impact on a young person?
We invite you and your club to participate in the Rotary Youth Exchange, an international program operating at a local level. To learn more about how you can engage with this highly impactful program, please join us for one of our upcoming Information Sessions via Zoom:
We invite you and your club to participate in the Rotary Youth Exchange, an international program operating at a local level. To learn more about how you can engage with this highly impactful program, please join us for one of our upcoming Information Sessions via Zoom:
Wednesday, August 26th at 7:30 pm Join Zoom Meeting Add to Calendar
Tuesday, September 1st at 7:30 pm Join Zoom Meeting Add to Calendar
WATERLOO — Nominations are being accepted for the 25th edition of 20 Under 40 Awards presented by The Courier, Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa and Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley.
These awards recognize 20 outstanding honorees under the age of 40 who are making a meaningful impact through their careers, leadership, volunteerism, and community involvement. We invite you to nominate an individual whose professional achievements, commitment to serving others, and dedication to strengthening our community exemplify the next generation of leaders.
The deadline for nominations is Aug. 14.
Bharat Pandya, a member of the Rotary Club of Borivli, Mumbai, India, has been selected to become Rotary International President for 2028-29.
Pandya practiced as a general and laparoscopic surgeon for 38 years.
He is currently chair of the RI Programs Committee and vice chair of The Rotary Foundation Programs Committee. He served on the India PolioPlus Committee in 2011-15, during which time India was certified polio-free.
Pandya and his wife, Madhavi, a past district chair of Inner Wheel District 314, are Major Donors and Benefactors.
Michael Mulherin, the owner & President of Informmics, is wholly dedicated to enhancing workplace safety throughout the State of Iowa. This includes office teams, the manufacturing sector, warehouse management, working with human resource departments, safety directors and more.
Mulherin is a former college adjunct professor, workplace safety instructor, and corporate trainer. He is also a hazardous materials instructor and facilitator and has been honored to implement many on-site realistic and “what-if” drills.
Additionally, Mulherin is a retired captain/EMT of the Cedar Rapids Fire Department.
-We'll also hear from Past President Cathy Nicholas about her experience with Rotary Youth Leadership Awards last week in Grinnell.
Join us for our first meeting of the month and celebrate these Rotarians born in August:
| Katelyn Tungland | Aug 15 |
| Ed Gurenwald | Aug 17 |
| David Lee | Aug 18 |
| Rachael Hoffman | Aug 19 |
| Amy Rousselow | Aug 22 |
| Michelle Weidner | Aug 23 |
| Beth McCrindle | Aug 24 |
| Jim Seeley | Aug 30 |
Our club is honored to have one of our own members elevated to Governor of our Rotary district. Join us Monday July 27th to hear from Jeff as he dives into his year at the helm!
Rotary was just four years old when Chicago members, family, and friends gathered at Lake Harbor, Michigan in August for a few days of fellowship, fresh air, and fun by the water. Laughter, leisurely conversations, and time spent together made for memories that reflected the spirit of Rotary's early years.
Join us back in the Waterloo Convention Center July 20th - our program will be Dr. Jeanne Rupert from the University of Dubuque who is starting a new program on Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Rupert is a fellow Rotarian and will be accompanied by Angie Hedy, also a Rotarian and our district's membership chairperson. Jeff Halverson referred this program to our club.
Please attend the regular July 20 meeting at noon as we will have a final review and call for a vote for our members to approve our club's revised by-laws. Click here to review the final draft and reach out to Catherine Nichols with concerns or questions.
We will honor these Rotarians with birthdays in July at our next regular meeting July 20th:
| Rick Morris, | July 2 |
| James Madison, | July 10 |
| Allison Beach, | July 11 |
| Lauren Finke, | July 17 |
| Michael Broshar, | July 26 |
| Bob Manning, | July 30 |
Contact Todd Wordel ASAP to RSVP
2026 Rotary Family Picnic - Thursday July 16th @ Rotary Reserve
5:00 happy hour - 6 o'clock dinner.
Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, and Brats will be expertly grilled by our crew
Bring your own table service and a dish to share.
Water and lemonade will be provided, but you are welcome to BYOB if you want something more "potent"
And of course, Marcella's famous Rotary Beans!
Todd Wordel is working behind the scenes this month to make this year's Family Picnic fun for everyone!
Price of the picnic as $10.00 adults and $5.00 Children 12 and under.
You can call text or email Todd with questions:
319-464-4754.
The gavel has been officially passed from Past President Larry Stffens to our 2026-27 Waterloo Rotary Club President Jordan Bancroft. Jordan shared some of his vision for our club at our June 22nd meeting, and this year promises to have a string of successes as our leadership team works to raise the visibilty of our service.
At our last meeting on June 29th, we acknowledged our longest-serving member, Dr. Sam Bovenmeyer, who joined our club at the invitation of Fred Adams, our very first club president! Here's a list of our members who have continued to support and serve our club for at least 50 years:
| Member | Date Joined | Years of Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bovenmyer, Samuel D. | Jan. 01, 1972 | 54 | ||||
| Seng, Frank | Oct. 16, 1973 | 52 | ||||
| Beecher, John | May 12, 1975 | 51 | ||||
| Leonhart, Gene | Dec. 17, 1974 | 51 | ||||
| Buck, David | Aug. 18, 1975 | 50 | ||||
| Gallagher III, E. J. | Feb. 01, 1976 | 50 |
Sam Bovenmeyer circa 1980s
As we roll into another Rotary year starting July 1st - please verify you have ClubRunner marked as a "safe sender" in your email platform. With so much spam and all the AI-powered phishing attempts being automatically filtered by your email server, sometimes that filter will flag ClubRunner as a potential risk and block delivery. Your weekly Waterloo Rotary Reporter and infrequent (but urgent) emails from your Rotary leadership team will come from an email address ending with " @ClubRunner.email "
Often, it's as simple as right-clicking on a past email from ClubRunner, then choosing "Never Block" or "Add Safe Sender" from the list. Here are a few links to help you verify your server will continue to allow ClubRunner emails to be delivered:
Don't show up at the Convention Center Monday; the July 13th meeting is called off to encourage attendance at the Family Picnic at the Rotary Reserve Thursday, July 16th.
Trent Hunter joined us June 15th with an overview of the tremendous volunteer effort to display 1,776 US flags over the 4th of July weekend. Please consider lending your time and skills to help with assembly, installation, and removal by clicking through the volunteer link below:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0B4DABAA22A7F85-64346794-field#/
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0B4DABAA22A7F85-64346794-field#/
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Sunday afternoon still has a few volunteer slots to be filled. please consider helping to wrap up this incredible display!
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In celebration of our nation’s 250th Anniversary Celebration, the Exchange Clubs of the Cedar Valley, the Americans for Independent Living Veteran Resource Center, Main Street Waterloo, and City of Waterloo, are hosting the Field of Honor®.
Our goal is to publicly recognize and honor those who have served our country, including veterans and their families, and their contributions to our democracy and provide an educational and reflective experience for the community. Each flag represents a story and may be dedicated in honor or memory of a veteran, active-duty service member, first responder, community leader or loved one.
From July 3 – 5, 2026, we will display 1,776 American flags, symbolizing the nation’s freedom, unity, and the sacrifices that made them possible. Flags will be displayed throughout the weekend at Veterans Memorial Park, Vietnam Veterans Park and 4th and 5th Street bridges in downtown Waterloo. This is an all-volunteer event and we invite the entire community to view this spectacular site anytime throughout the weekend.
Day 1, Friday, July 3, Procession of 500 U.S. flags across the 4th & 5th Street Bridges.
Day 2, Saturday, July 4th, “The Strength of a Nation”. Honoring our Veterans, First Responders, and Community Volunteers featuring local dignitaries and guest speakers.
Day 3, Sunday, July 5th, The Future of Our Nation. Public programs at 10 am each day with emphasis on youth.
Day 4, Monday, July 6th, Closing Ceremony at 1:45 pm.
Join us at the Convention Center for the last meeting with Larry Steffens serving as President of our club...next week he'll sweep up the highly-coveted title of "Past-President"
Our program will be Bethany Brooks, Development Director at the Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center which has been transformed this past year, including upgrades to accessibility.
From powerful performances and speakers to global service commitments, more than 38,000 people celebrate Rotary’s global spirit
The Rotary International Convention in Taipei, Taiwan, ended on a high note as singer Leona Lewis brought thousands of attendees to their feet with a stirring performance that included the resilience anthem “Fire Under My Feet” during the closing ceremony on 17 June.
Taipei’s warm hospitality was on full display as hundreds of Rotary volunteers formed a human corridor outside the venue, greeting departing attendees with cheers and celebratory gestures. Many people stopped to take selfies and exchange farewells before heading home.
The four-day event attracted more than 38,000 people from 140 countries and regions, making it one of Rotary’s largest conventions in recent years.
Read the full article here:
Our regular meeting room at the convention center will be occupied June 22nd with hundreds of visitors for the VGM Heartland Conference, so Kaye Englin will host our members Monday in her beautiful office at the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, 3117 Greenhill Circle in Cedar Falls. We'll hear from incoming President Jordan Bancroft on our upcoming Rotary year. Please arrive before noon and be aware Greenhill is closed at Katoski, so use Progress if you are arriving from Waterloo on University.
Peace Through Service
Service Above Self
We meet In Person
Mondays at 12:00 p.m.
Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center
4th & Commercial
Waterloo, IA 50701
United States of America
Waterloo, IA 50701
United States of America