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March 16 - Salvation Army
 
Capt. Zac Zumwalt serves as the Corps Officer for The Salvation Army in Waterloo, Iowa, alongside his wife, Capt. Karissa Zumwalt. Originally from Kansas City,  Zac has worked with The Salvation Army throughout the Midwest since 2014 in Chicago, Kansas City, Watertown SD, and Sioux City, IA.
With more than a decade of ministry and community service experience, Zac is passionate about putting faith into action through practical support and outreach. In Waterloo, he and Karissa oversee multiple community programs, including three homeless shelters, an extensive feeding and drive-thru pantry program, and a local church congregation, all aimed at meeting both the physical and spiritual needs of the community.
Zac and Karissa are celebrating 12 years of marriage this year and have two children, Theodore (2 years old) and Lincoln (5 months old). As free time allows, Zac enjoys spending time with his family, a really good book, and going to the theatre to see the latest movie release.
 
 
 
Rotarians in the News
 
We've had three Rotarians recently featured on the KWWL News @ Noon...
 
Phil Nash
Erin Langenberg with Grow Cedar Valley and Phil Nash with Community Bank & Trust - KWWL News at Noon | Video | kwwl.com
 
Suzanne Benda
Suzanne Benda and Annika Wall with Cedar Valley Hospice - KWWL News at Noon | Video | kwwl.com
 
Barb Prather
Waterloo restaurants unite to fight hunger with Plates for a Purpose | News | kwwl.com
 
 
 
Halverson to be Installed

 
Jeff Halverson, a member of our club for 34 years, will be installed as our next District Governor of District 5970 on Saturday, May 2 during the district conference in Iowa Falls. This is a major honor for Jeff and for our club, he will be the first Waterloo Rotarian elevated to be District Governor since Steve Thorpe in 2000. Our club should be well represented on May 2, including several club officers and past District Governor Dave Buck plans to attend. He is offering to take up to three people with him. In addition, Barb Prather, also from our club, will talk about food security on Saturday morning.  Edward Gallagher is also planning to attend.
 
Larry Steffens
 
 
 
Rural Urban Day March 23
 
Craig Foss, Executive Director for the Iowa Corn Growers Association will be our guest speaker for 2026 Rural Urban Day. 
 
A note to those that are sponsoring a farmer...PLEASE COME EARLY...11:45 would be great that is typically when our guests arrive.  We will also be upstairs at the convention Center.  It should be fun !  We will probably have about 30 guests coming to our meeting. 
 
-Larry Steffens
 
 
 
March 9 - UNI Community Engagement

Kristina Kofoot from the Center for Community Engagement at UNI will join us Monday, March 9th. She is the assistant director of UNI's Office of Community Engagement and the advisor for the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance student organization.  Active in the community, she serves on the board of directors for the Waterloo Cedar Falls Symphony as well as the Youth Art Team.  She also directs a summer camp for the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa and serves on their Youth Ministry Development Board.

Kristina is going to talk about community engagement at UNI and the preparation of future nonprofit leaders through service-learning.

 

 

District Governor Ward Budweg
 
Rotary District 5970 Governor Ward Budweg joined us for lunch March 2nd and encouraged our members to "find their replacement"...in other words, bring new members into our club and transfer our shared wisdom and love for service.  Two of our longest-serving Rotarians, Gene Leonhardt (51 years) and Frank Seng (52 years) were honored alongside our newest member Kristi Brown (32 days).  Each was given the choice of a lottery ticket or a one dollar bill; Frank chose the sure-thing, while Gene and Kristi chose the potential for instant riches.  Gene's ticket was a dud, while Kristi won DOUBLE what Frank walked away with!
 
Governor Budweg shared stories from his trip to Nicaragua alongside our past presidents Steve Thorpe and Dave Buck as part of our Shoebox Project, as well as circumnavigating the globe on bikes with his wife.  Ward donated a copy of their book to the Waterloo Public Library - The World at 10 MPH (available from Amazon -or- free with a $20 autograph directly from Ward).
 
 
 
Jim Waterbury Services
 
Funeral services for former Waterloo Rotarian Jim Waterbury will be early next week, details can be found by clicking this link.
 
Jim served our club for 26 years and was well-known in the Cedar Valley through his efforts in several organizations including KWWL and Allen Hospital.
 
 
Kathleen Wernimont Services
 
Our club is saddened to learn of Kathleen's passing in February, she was an incredible asset to our club and brought life and light to every gathering.  Kathleen and Betty Steege were the first female members of our club in 1987 - the same year the US Supreme Court ruled that Rotary clubs could not exclude women from joining.  The attached photo is from a 2018 celebration of women in our club. We have shared the service times for Kathleen below, please consider attending the visitation at 10am this Friday.
 
 
Family will receive friends on Thursday, March 5th from 1:00 - 4:00PM at Locke at Tower Park, 4140 Kimball Ave, on Thursday, March 5, with a Rosary Service starting at 1:00PM. Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, March 6, at St. Edward Catholic Church at 11:00AM with visitation one hour prior to the service at the church. Memorials may be directed to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, or the Waterloo Community Foundation.
 
 
Rotary Updates
 
We had our Rotary board meeting last week and it was announced Rochelle Kane has accepted the position of President Elect starting July 1st. Her term as our Waterloo Rotary president will begin July 1, 2027.  Rochelle and Jordan were selected for a nominating committee to fill a couple of board member positions, and Amy Rousselow will be retiring in July after her term of 4 years. 
 
Monday, March 2nd we will celebrate birthdays, have a business update meeting and our District Governor Ward Budweg will give us an update of what is going on within our district and Internationally. 
 
For those that can make the 5970 District Conference this year it will be in Iowa Falls ... Please consider registering...great opportunity to meet fellow Rotarians.  The conference will be May 1 and 2nd. 
 
Upcoming programs. 
March 9th - Waterloo Center for the Arts 
March 16th - Salvation army
March 23rd - Rural Urban Day
March 30th - Grow Cedar Valley
 
Larry Steffens
 
March Birthdays
March Birthdays
We'll greet the onset of spring weather Monday and celebrate Rotarians with March birthdays:
 
Mason FrommMarch 16 
Brian AronsonMarch 19 
Eric RitlandMarch 20 
Cathy NicholasMarch 24 
Bob RegenwetherMarch 30 
 
 
 
 
February 23rd - Ward 2 Candidate Forum
Thank you Ward 2 candidates for joining us Monday!  Click the image below to watch the story on KWWL
 
 
UPDATE 2-26-26 - *UNOFFICAL RESULTS* for the special election held Tuesday, February 24th:
 
 
The canvass will conclude March 3rd and if Dave Morrow maintains the slim majority vote, he will be certified the new Ward 2 City Councilor. 
 
>>
 
Join us Monday to hear directly from the three candidates vying to fill the Ward 2 City Council seat made available when Dave Boesen was elected Mayor of Waterloo.  The Ward 2 special election will be held Tuesday, February 24th, the day after our forum.
 
Information on early voting, election day voting, runoff provision, and length of term can be found here.
 
Candidates in alphabetical order with links to recent KWWL profiles:
Dave Morrow
Frank Magsamen
Ali Parrish
 
Rotarians and guests are asked to arrive promptly at noon to give our candidates as much time as possible to answer questions and describe their vision for Waterloo.
 
 
 
Northeast Iowa Food Bank Empty Bowls March 27
Join in on the annual Empty Bowls fundraiser at Northeast Iowa Food Bank!
Empty Bowls | Events & Campaigns | NEIFB
 
 
 
 
Cedar Valley Hospice Event March 27
Cedar Valley Hospice has their annual fundraiser coming up on March 27!
Rock the Cause - March 27 - Cedar Valley Hospice
 
 
 
 
Chili Cook Off to Support Food Bank
 
Fellow Rotarian and Official Club Pianist Bonnie Smith-Davis will compete in the Westminster Presbyterian Chili & Soup Cook Off Sunday February 22nd. Only $5 for admission, or 5 shelf-stable food items - all proceeds will benefit the Northeast Iowa Food Bank.
 
https://wpcw.org/eventer/chili-soup-cook-off/edate/2026-02-22/
 
 
 
Rotary Updates
 
 
Our Rotary board is looking for members who maybe interested in becoming a director... if you are interested please contact Jordan Bancroft or Larry Steffens. 
 
Upcoming programs
February 23... Ward 2 Council seat forum... Kevin McCrindle will be the Moderator and Steve Schmitt will be the timekeeper.
March 2nd... Rotary Business Mtg update and Ward Budweg District Governor from Decorah will provide updated information of our District and Rotary. 
 March 9th... Waterloo Center of the Arts
March 16th ... Salvation Army
March 23rd.... Rural Urban day - Our guest speaker will be Craig Floss who is the executive director of the Iowa Corn Growers. Association. Rural Urban day is our program where we thank our Ag producers for the food they provide for our tables.   We will start offering sponsorships of producers Monday. The Cost of the sponsorship is $25 which is the cost of your guest's meal. 
 
If you would like to attend the Black Hawk County 4-H Breakfast March 22nd .. See Larry Steffens for discounted tickets. 
 
 
Larry Steffens
 
 
 
International Update
Meet@AlGetler(and Floyd!): media professional, Rotary club co-president, and ventriloquist!
 
 
 
The Puppet Master Who Found Community
 
 
Love The Mission Breakfast
Fellow Rotarian Bryan Burton invited our club members to attend the Boys & Girls Club Love The Mission Free-will donation breakfast this Friday morning, February 13.
 
 
 
 
BEACH PARTY!
 
Reminder if you want to go to a Beach Party In February where you don't need to drive very far...  Jeff Hassman and his wife have an open invitation to District 5970 members to join them at the their house.  President Larry saw him last week and they are excited about excited about getting fellow Rotarians together.  You need to RSVP  and bring either a dish to pass or a desert.  Larry asked if we would be outside he said "no, we have a very big house."  It should be fun.  February 13th, @6:30 pm.  
 
Please RSVP to des@district5970.org if you plan on being there.
 
 
February 9 Cedar Valley Gearheads
 
Cedar Valley Gearheads is a nonprofit focused on improving transportation access for families across the Cedar Valley. Since 2006, Gearheads has partnered with local agencies, community members, and volunteer mechanics to repair donated vehicles and provide safe, reliable transportation to those who need it most.
 
This year marks our 20th anniversary. At our previous Skyview Drive location, volunteers repaired and donated 243 vehicles. We have now moved into the automotive shop at Cedar Ridge Christian School, located at 1015 Division St. in Cedar Falls. This partnership not only provides a new home for our mission but also creates opportunities to offer simple, hands‑on automotive curriculum to Cedar Ridge students—connecting real‑world skills with community service.
 
Vehicles undergo a 27‑point inspection and the necessary repairs, from basic maintenance to more advanced mechanical work. Reliable transportation helps families access medical care, employment, education, childcare, and essential resources.
 
We recently donated our first vehicle from the new shop and expect to surpass 250 donated vehicles in the coming months—continuing a mission powered by local volunteers and community support.
 
 
 
Matching Funds Available
If you are working on your Paul Harris Membership there are matching funds available but the deadline for assistance is rapidly approaching.  Please contact Larry or Deb Pullin-Van Auken if you would like assistance. 
 
District 5970 has released a program called Rotary Rush for matching funds to encourage donations to the Rotary Foundation.  Rotary Rush is available for a limited time and will conclude February 28th, 2026. Matching funds between $100 and $500 have been generously donated by district Rotarians and those funds may be exhausted before the end of February, so get started today!  Click this link for more details and see Deb or Larry if you are interested in participating in this program. 
 
 
 
 
Rotary International Convention in our backyard?
 
If you haven't heard, the 2028 Rotary International Convention will be held in Minneapolis, very close to our clubs in District 5970.  It is not often that the International Convention is held in a location that is so easily accessible and affordable for the Rotarians in our district.  Attending an International Convention is the best way for our members to fully understand the power of Rotary to change the world.  However, it takes a lot of manpower to host an International Convention.
 
Rotary International President Nominee Larry Lunsford will be visiting Minneapolis on February 10 and 11.  They are coming to Minneapolis to determine if they should recommend to the Rotary International Board of Directors that the city of Minneapolis be moved forward from a "Tentative" convention site location for the 2028 Rotary International Convention to the "Confirmed" convention site location.
 
Volunteers are needed to work a shift at the House of Friendship, or help with an HOC event, or in any number of other ways. I know it's a quick turnaround, but if you could let us know of some names in your clubs that might be interested in volunteering at the Convention in 2028 by Monday, February 9, it would be appreciated. 
 
 
 
February 2 Program - Grout Museum
  
 
We'll be back in the Waterloo Convention Center after a couple weeks away - join us to meet the new Executive Director of the Grout Museum District.
 
Margaret Moye is a museum professional and community advocate who believes strongly in the power of local history to connect people and strengthen communities. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Grout Museum District, where she leads the organization’s museums and historic sites, including the Sullivan Brothers Iowa Veterans Museum, the Grout Museum of History & Science, and the Rensselaer Russell House.
 
Before coming to Waterloo, Margaret spent several years at the Nelson Pioneer Farm & Museum, home of the Mahaska County Historical Society in Oskaloosa, where she served as Director and Curator. There, she focused on hands-on history, education, and community partnerships—working closely with volunteers, schools, and local organizations to make Iowa’s pioneer past engaging and relevant for modern audiences.
 
Since joining the Grout Museum District, Margaret has worked to expand the museum's visibility, develop a sustainable budget and organizational model, strengthen community connections, and ensure the museums remain welcoming, accessible spaces for all ages. Her leadership emphasizes storytelling, preservation, and civic pride, with a particular passion for helping people see themselves reflected in history.
 
Margaret values partnerships with service organizations and community groups, and she appreciates opportunities to talk with people about why the Grout Museum, and other museums matter—not just as places to visit, but as shared spaces for learning, dialogue, and community memory.
 
She and her husband just purchased a home in Waverly. Outside of her professional roles, she enjoys cooking, baking, hiking, reading, and tea.
 
 
 
February Birthdays
February Birthdays
These Rotarians will celebrate birthdays this month, join us to honor them on Groundhog Day!
 
Julie HayesFeb 9 
Bob KroghFeb 18 
Craig RitlandFeb 20 
Steve SinnottFeb 21 
Joan RiceFeb 21 
Arp PatelFeb 26 
 
 
 
RYLA Students Announced
RYLA Students Announced
Dear Fellow Rotarians,

It is our pleasure to announce the students who have been selected to participate in the Rotary Youth Exchange program for the upcoming year. These young people will serve as ambassadors of Rotary, representing our district, our clubs, and our values while building lifelong friendships across cultures.

Outbound Students for the 26-27 Academic Year:
     Liv Anderson - Rotary Club of Decorah
     Carly Giddings - Rotary Club of Cedar Rapids Metro North
     Naima Haynes - Rotary Club of Waterloo
     Anabella High - Rotary Club of Cedar Rapids Daybreak
     Vivian Soifer - Rotary Club of Charles City
     Cait O'Conner - Rotary Club of Linn County

We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to the Rotary clubs that are sponsoring and supporting these students. Your commitment of time, resources, and mentorship makes a profound difference—not only in the lives of the students and their families, but also in strengthening Rotary’s global impact. Your leadership and dedication are truly appreciated.

Rotary Youth Exchange is one of our most powerful programs. It develops future leaders, promotes peace and understanding, and creates connections that last a lifetime. We encourage clubs that are not currently participating to consider becoming involved—whether by sponsoring a student, hosting an inbound student, or supporting the program in other meaningful ways. The rewards, for both the students and the clubs, are immense.

For more information about how you and your club can participate, please contact Brian Globokar (5970rye@gmail.com).

Thank you to our RYLA committee and Cathy Nicholas for helping Naima get selected!
 
 
 
Food Bank Service Event
 
 
 
 
Club Information
Peace Through Service
Waterloo Rotary

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
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About Our Club
Join Our Club
Rotary Reserve
Student/Athlete Honors
Hops & Grapes Wine Tasting
Women in Rotary
Nicaragua Shoebox Project
Teddy Project
Itzhak Perlman Concert
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Area Rotary Clubs
Club Executives & Directors
President
Larry Steffens
President Elect
Jordan Bancroft
Secretary
Cathy Nicholas
Treasurer
Allison Beach
Rotary Foundation
Deb Pullin-Van Auken
Membership
Amy Rousselow

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Photo Albums
2024 Honor Student Luncheon
2022 Football Luncheon
2022 Volleyball Luncheon
2022 Cultural Immersion Workshop
2022 Honor Student Luncheon
Ashley Hinson visit 2022
2021 Football MVP
2021 Christmas Luncheon
Rural Urban Day 2022
2021 Volleyball
VGM Heartland Conference 2021
Food Bank Sept 2021
Hovey Brom WWII Photos
Steve Thorpe
Bill Robert
2020 Football
2020 Rural Urban Day - Mike Naig
2019 Holiday Luncheon
2019 Football Luncheon
2019 Volleyball Photos
2019 Family Picnic
2019 Student Scholars Luncheon
2018 Volleyball Luncheon
2018 Football
Hops & Grapes 2018
2018 Student scholars Luncheon
2017 Student Scholar Luncheon
2017 Football Luncheon
2017 Volleyball Luncheon
Shoebox Service Day, 2017
2016 Student Luncheon
June 2016 Kelli Farewell
Centennial Celebration June 25, 2015
2015 Holiday Luncheon
2015 Family Picnic
March 9th Meeting
Rotary Day Feb 23rd 2009
Chili Supper 1-18-09
2016 Family Picnic
Mason's trip to LA
Rural Urban Day 2009
2004 Million Dollar Hole In One Kick Off
2009 Shoebox pickup
2004 Million Dollar Hole In One Parade
Sullivan Museum 2-2-09
Photos of Dick Winegarden
April 20 Meeting
April 6th Meeting
Family Picnic July 31, 2008
2002 - First trip to Nicaragua
Recent Projects
Family Picnic 2009
2009 Steak Fry
July 6th Meeting
Hops & Grapes June 11
District Conference May 1-2
Nicaragua Journal
1965 Convention

March 2026

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