Home Page | Rotary Club of Waterloo

May 14 Program

We’ve had a change in schedule!!

Martina Signore’s parents will be visiting her and attending graduation. Due to a scheduling conflict, we have moved the Food Bank presentation to June 4^th and Martina will be presenting this Monday.

Martina arrived in Waterloo in August and will be departing on June 9^th. In that time, she’s attended Waterloo West High School, lived at three host families, traveled throughout the Midwest and Hawaii and has interacted with many in our Rotary Club. She will be sharing her many experiences she’s had throughout the year and will be saying her goodbyes to our club. Come hear Martina and wish her well on her future endeavors.

Also, Meg Durbahn will be coming to give a description of where she will be going next fall as our sponsored outbound Rotary Youth Exchange Student. She will be living in Enkhuizen, Netherlands and has been in contact with her host families.

Hops & Grapes Details

"Get Ready" for Dr. John Berry to reveal the theme and details for this year's Hops & Grapes at today's meeting!

Make Up Meeting

With a worldwide network of meetings, Rotarians have countless opportunities to make-up for missed regular meetings at our "home club". Just provide some form of written record of your attendance at another Rotary meeting and you'll "keep it 100" (as the kids say these days).

The Cedar Falls Rotary Club meets Tuesdays for lunch, but they have recently changed their meeting location from the Cedar Falls Women's Club near City Hall. They now meet at the Western Home, Windcove, 5300 South Main Street. At their next meeting (May 15th), they will be led on a tour of the almost-completed Diamond Event Center on the Western Home Campus.

May 7 Program

Today's presentation, “The Opioid Crisis and What You Can Do”, will provide an overview of the opioid crisis including national, state and local data, and the underlying contributors to the crisis. The cycle of opioid addiction and the drugs in this category will be discussed. Participants will be able to identify relevant actions in prevention, treatment, emergency response, and safety. Each person will be able to identify something they can do to help address the issue.

Rotary Birthday Machine

With the change in seasons, you might want to re-check your Radon levels in your house or business. Former Waterloo Rotarian Tom Arthur provided our club with a digital Radon detector/meter that we have been offering to members on a 2-week check-out program. This device will give you an approximate average reading over several days, and should used to determine if a more precise test is warranted. Charcoal test kits are available at hardware stores for $10-15, but thanks to Tom, Rotarians can run this electronic test at home for NO CHARGE. The "birthday machine" is so named as it will help provide MORE birthdays for your family by identifying the need for corrective measures to mitigate Radon in your home.

For more details on Radon, click here for the American Cancer Society's link.

If you would like to check out the birthday machine, email Mason - it will be available to pick up at our May 14th meeting.

Laura Bush to speak at Rotary convention

Former First Lady of the United States Laura Bush, an advocate for literacy, education, and women’s rights, will speak at the 2018 Rotary Convention in Toronto this June.

For decades Mrs. Bush has fought for key national and global issues including launching groundbreaking education and healthcare programs in the U.S. and abroad. She founded both the Texas Book Festival and the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. As chair of the Women’s Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute, Mrs. Bush continues her work on global healthcare innovations, empowering women in emerging democracies, education reform, and supporting men and women who have served in the U.S. military.

April 30 Program

We are excited to host Rodney Anderson and Dan Levi discussing their new development project including a grocery store and community center in the Walnut Neighborhood. Here's a link to the Courier story on the groundbreaking story a few weeks ago:

CV Rotary Club Meets...OUTSIDE?

Since we turned the corner on winter weather this week, our fellow Rotarians in the Cedar Valley club took full advantage and held their regular meeting outside the Hilton Garden Inn.

As Rotarians, we are welcome at over 32,000 Rotary clubs all over the world - Rotary.org has a "Club Finder" page where you can search for Rotary clubs that are meeting where you are travelling. Take advantage of your Rotary membership and connect with people across town or across the globe!

Rotary.org wins Webby Award

The people have spoken. With a majority of internet user votes, Rotary.org won the prestigious Webby People’s Voice Award for best association website. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences announced the winners on 24 April.

This year, internet users cast over 3 million votes worldwide. And with over 13,000 entries from nearly all 50 U.S. states and more than 70 countries, this year’s contest is the biggest Webby Awards ever. Winners will be recognized at the Webby Awards’ 22nd annual ceremony 14 May in New York, New York, USA.

April 23 - Honor Student Luncheon

The Waterloo Rotary Club annually recognizes senior honor students of the Waterloo high schools and their principals. Through this recognition, the Waterloo Rotary Club congratulates its outstanding students and schools for their accomplishments, commitment to excellence, and dedication to developing leaders of the future. We are extremely proud of each participant and salute them for their achievements.

Arnold Becker 1927-2018

Many of our seasoned members will remember Arnold - he joined our club in 1967 and served for 44 years. Arnold's funeral will be Monday morning at 10:30 - just before our regular meeting. His obituary can be found on the Locke Funeral Home website.

Click the image above to register today!

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!?!

May 14 – Northeast Iowa Food Bank

May 21 – Pam Delagardelle and Ben Stroh - North Crossing

May 28 – No Meeting – Memorial Day

April 16 Program: State of Iowa Finances

State Auditor of Iowa Mary Mosiman is responsible for the audits of state agencies, counties, cities, and school districts. The office plays a major role in fraud investigations around the state. Mary will present "Fiscal Responsibility and State of Iowa Finances" and will highlight how audits and investigations impact Iowa taxpayers. She will also share an anti-fraud YouTube video for elected city officials.

Paul Harris Fellow Jeff Halverson

President Phil had another big Paul Harris recognition to present this month, this time to Jeff Halverson who earned his 4th stone.

The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of US$1,000 to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.

It was established in 1957 to show appreciation for and encourage substantial contributions to what was then the Foundation’s only program, Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships.

April 9 Program

Chuck Rowe and Chelsea Szczyrbak are the dynamic duo for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Cedar Valley. Chuck has been with the Club for 8 years now, surrounding himself with a great board and staff . . . who are doing some really cool things . . . like starting new sites, creating new programs, and now . . . being part of a capital campaign. His wife Karin is also in the non profit world, and they have a set of twin boys who are very cute . . . but break everything they own.

Chelsea is the Development Director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Cedar Valley. Almost two months on the job after spending several years at UNI as an assistant swim coach and a coordinator on the Panther scholarship club. She is not a Cedar Valley native, but loves this community. Moved to Cedar Falls in 2008 and completed an undergraduate degree at UNI in Leisure, Youth and Human Services. She loves being part of her church and has also done a few triathlons (FYI – Chuck has not). She is also a new wife that is loving the beauty and challenges of marriage.

Welcome New Member Chris Kemp

We welcomed Chris Kemp as an official member of our club April 2nd. She is the CEO of Peoples Community Health Clinic on Franklin Street near downtown Waterloo.

Steve Thorpe - Paul Harris Superstar

At our April 2nd meeting, Steve Thorpe was presented with his 7th Paul Harris pin which puts him in a very exclusive club.

Many Waterloo Rotarians have earned their Paul Harris Fellowship for a donation of at least $1,000, but Steve has continued to contribute for many years. Steve has seen first-hand the benefit of the Rotary Foundation's work and encourages all of our members to invest in the rotary foundation through sustaining contributions. To learn more, click the link below:

https://www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary/rotary-foundation

April 2 Program

Roger White is a member of Cedar Trails Partnership Board and Chair of the Partnership’s Cedar Valley Nature Trail Committee. He is helping to organize the fund drive among trail users and supporters to replace the closed Wolf Creek Bridge on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail. Roger is also active with Cedar Valley Cyclists, Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective, Preserve Cedar Valley Nature Trail group, Chair of Cedar Falls Bicycle/ Pedestrian Advisory Committee, member of MPO Pedestrian Master Plan Committee, member of Black Hawk Water Trails Master Plan Steering Committee and Chair of Black Hawk County Resource and Enhancement Program (REAP) Committee. He is an active hiker, bicyclist, gardener, nature lover and volunteer.

Click here to see a map of trails in the Cedar Valley

April Birthdays

Join us Monday to celebrate and sing to the Rotarians born in April:

Barbara Prather, Apr 02

Linda Allen, Apr 04

Bill Robert, Apr 04

Bette Wubbena, Apr 04

Megan Kugler, Apr 14

John Berry, Apr 16

"Lindy" Lindberg, Apr 16

Jack Locke, Apr 24

Steve Finegan, Apr 25

Jane Lindaman, Apr 25

Jeremy Kauten, Apr 30

March 26 Program

Steve and Liz Thorpe will present a wide-ranging presentation of our club's major projects: Polio eradication, Shoeboxes/Layettes for Nicaragua, and Operation Warm. The last 20 years have been very active for our club thanks to the hard work and dedication of our members.

Our First Female Member Honored

Kathleen Wernimont was presented an honorary membership at Monday's meeting by President Phil Nash. Kathleen's original membership was proposed by Dave Buck in 1987 shortly after the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of allowing women to join Rotary clubs. A brief history of Women in Rotary was complied on our website a few years ago.

Today, almost a 1/3 of our membership is female, and we've elected 3 female presidents (with Katelyn Tungland set to assume the role this summer) . Our club is undeniably stronger with women members and all those in attendance Monday posed for a photo with Kathleen.

Letter from DG Smith

Dear Rotarians:

The joy of Spring is in the air and with it comes the thought of renewal. As we dust off our golf clubs and make plans for our gardens we should also think of ways in which we can renew our Rotary Clubs and our commitment of service to our respective communities.

In my speech to your Club this past Fall I emphasized that we benefit from Rotary only to the extent that we personally invest our energies in our local Clubs. I was reminded of this, in a very positive way, by my home Club this past week when I was made aware that we have inducted six new members within the last year. This reflects a commitment by a group of our local Rotarians, and in particular the women of our Club, to actively pursue our service projects, promote social activities, and improve Club administration including the development of a new and exciting Club website (check it out). These Charles City Rotarians, through the investment of their time and energy, have proven that a rural small town Iowa club can maintain a vibrant service organization that benefits its members and the community. I believe that you will experience this energy when you attend our District Conference on June 1^st and 2^nd.

So as you look ahead to the new Rotary Year under the leadership of District Governor-Elect Neil Fell think of how you can contribute to your local Club in a manner that allows you, your fellow Rotarians, and your community to benefit from the Rotary experience.

Yours in Rotary,

Ralph Smith, your District Governor

March 19 Program

Our featured speakers were from The American Cancer Society. Tammy Schoonover provided an overview of the American Cancer Society and their local community events and Kelly Angell presented information on a priority of ACS this year, HPV vaccination.

Kelly has been with the American Cancer Society for 7 years and works with the ACS Mission Programs of the Road To Recovery and Hotel Partners Programs for all of Iowa and South Dakota to help remove transportation or lodging as a barrier to a cancer patients treatment options. Kelly oversees all of the volunteers in these programs and works in various communities to share the impact of ACS programs and services. Kelly and her husband live here in waterloo with her husband and 2 children.

Tammy has been with the American Cancer Society for 6 years and serves as the community development manager for UNI, Black Hawk, Grundy and Tama Counties. Tammy is also responsible for the golf fundraising event and the daffodil sales. Tammy and her husband reside in Cedar Falls and she has two college age students attending UNI.

Farmers Bank Spotlights Rotary

Thank you to Mindy Hendrickson at the Farmer’s State Bank location in downtown Waterloo. She and her co-workers have set up a table to Spotlight the Waterloo Rotary Club as their business customer of the month! There are photos from different projects, brochures, and even invitations to become members! Thank you Mindy!