Now-past president Katelyn Tungland passed the gavel at our June 24th meeting to now-club president Mark Durbahn. In her last remarks at the podium as our president, she thanked several Rotarians who assisted her throughout the year, and the membership showed her appreciation for leading our club through another successful year.
President Mark has included a letter to members below:
Hi All,
As incoming president, I wanted to provide information about our Club's current activities and an overview of our plans for the upcoming year. In looking over the minutes of the Board over the last year, we are continuing to adjust without having staff. While this has provided our membership value, we are working to find ways to spread responsibilities more evenly to Board and Club members.
Some of the main activities from last year include the following:
District Grant Application: We challenged the Club to identify worthy projects to put forth for a District Grant Application with the match provided by the Club due to the savings from not having staff.
Off-Site Meetings: An idea from other Clubs to keep programming interesting and fresh is to move meetings to off-site locations. We continued to do that last year and we will continue to do that in the upcoming year. Locations like the Hartman Reserve, Van G. Miller Learning Center, Gallagher Bluedorn and the Waterloo Center for the Arts.
Youth Exchange: Our Club hosted Anahi Rojas from Paraguay who stayed with Curt and Mary Ritter, Dana and Rachael Jenson and Mark and Brenda Durbahn. Our Club also sponsored an outbound student, Meg Durbahn, who just returned from the Netherlands.
Renewed Attention on Hops and Grapes: Some worthy volunteers Chuck Rowe and Barb Prather are bringing Hops and Grapes back to its former glory with a renewed emphasis on being a fund raiser for non-profit organizations in the Cedar Valley.
New Piano: The East High Choir Director put the old piano through its last stages of life at the Holiday Luncheon, thankfully we were able to secure a new piano this year from Friendship Village. A thank you to the volunteers who delivered and tuned the piano.
While we were busy last year, thanks to our president Katelyn Tungland and the Board of Directors, I hope to carry on many of the things that were begun previously with some new initiatives as well. Some of the activities planned for next year include:
Engagement: One of the ways to build fellowship and a sense of purpose is through membership engagement in Club activities. Through many of the initiatives that were started in previous years, we will have the opportunity for the Club members to get involved. The Rotary Shelter at George Wyth State Park will provide membership the opportunity to paint and provide other maintenance at the shelter. The Shoe Box Project with an emphasis on informing the Club about volunteer opportunities. Operation Warm, which provides coats to hundreds of children in the Waterloo School District and the need for volunteers for coat distribution. Hops and Grapes with auction items and attendance.
Programs: Looking forward to a great year of programming with Annie VanderWerff leading the effort of finding interesting program options for the Club. We will have the opportunity to have some of the 23 Democratic candidates speak as well as our current US senators and representatives. Also, as you know we are in the process of evaluating our meeting place and catering options in an effort to provide the best location and value for our Club members.
Foundation Giving: We will have a renewed emphasis in Rotary Foundation giving with Deb Pullin-Van Auken leading the way. The Rotary Foundation gives to local projects such as our George Wyth Rotary Shelter project and a Global Grant project with Peoples Community Health Clinic in Waterloo which will help support the purchase of Digital Radiographic Equipment.
Membership Committee and Treasurer Responsibilities: Phil Nash and Brian Aronson are leading the efforts to develop a better process to handle Club invoicing of members, payment of bills, budget tracking, Club communications and other processes. They will be working with the new treasurer to insure a smooth transition. Their work will continue in the upcoming year.
I want to thank Katelyn for her service to the Club as President by developing the frame work for the next year and beyond. She has been able to effectively juggle career, being a new Mom and Rotary President all through out the year making our Club the premier service organization in the Cedar Valley.
As president, I want to give everyone the opportunity to be engaged and involved in Rotary activities throughout the year. Please contact me if you have program ideas or other ideas on what can be done in our Club.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Mark Durbahn
Club President