Waterloo Rotary Reporter (Mar 23, 2020)

Meetings Canceled Through April 13th

Hi All,

I would like to update everyone on a few things as the COVID-19 situation continues. I know that we are facing some changes and challenges as we navigate life while social distancing. As you know, the Governor has directed Iowans to limit social interaction and so we have canceled meetings through April 13th. As Rotarians and leaders in the community we should look to assist organizations and people in need during this crisis when we can.

On March 17th, the Rotary Board held a meeting using computer conferencing which included audio, video and screen sharing to discuss our response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Due to our Club not having our Monday meetings, we are not spending the approximately $1000 each week on our meal. We discussed whether to refund or credit each member the cost of the meals. It roughly relates to a little over $8 a meal for all 120 members. In the spirit of community and helping organizations most impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, we as a Board decided to donate the $1000 each week to organizations most impacted by the crisis. We voted to do this for the next 4 weeks.

The first organization identified to receive a $1000 award from our Club was the Northeast Iowa Food Bank. Attached you'll find a press release by the Food Bank and in it they discuss the increased need from people who are temporarily or permanently out of work due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Also, the March Empty Bowls event, which is a major source of revenue for the Food Bank scheduled on March 27th has been changed to a two-week silent auction beginning on that date.

I know there are many worthy organizations that will be impacted by this outbreak and we as Board identified a few. To help foster some feedback, We have created a survey which is at the following link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfq_gvTooGXo-D5HEYTqwIUzqryM-Cn7DpTCNpItuuVaTyJvg/viewform?usp=sf_link

A story each week will follow our donation on why this is a worthy organization and how they are coping through this crisis.

We are also looking at doing a Facebook Live event for our March 30th meeting so look for details on that. If you are a part of the Rotary Shelter committee, the Park Ranger has delayed activity on this project and we will be scheduling a field visit hopefully in 4 to 6 weeks.

Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. Let us remember those most impacted by this outbreak and most importantly, everyone stay healthy.

Mark Durbahn

Club President

Grow Cedar Valley Survey Request

Grow Cedar Valley has a request from the State of Iowa:

Assistance Guide Now Available.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) needs to assess the impact of the pandemic in Iowa. To assist in these efforts, please complete this survey, developed by University of Northern Iowa – Institute for Decision Making, to tell us what your business is experiencing and how your business is handling the current crisis.

The IEDA is asking businesses/attractions and organizations within our membership or communities to follow this link and complete the survey. Utilize this Business Response Guide for assistance in completing the survey.

IEDA will use the information collected in this survey to inform its public policy in response to the crisis, as well as potential assistance to businesses. The deadline to complete this survey is Monday, March 23 at 5 p.m.

Again, thank you for mobilizing and providing this information on such short notice. We will remain connected with you in the coming weeks to provide additional guidance as warranted.

Our thoughts are with all of you and our business community, and we remain confident the efforts we are undertaking today will mitigate the long-term impact on our economy.

Additional resources available:

https://www.iowaeconomicdevelopment.com/businessrecovery

https://www.traveliowa.com/industry-partners/tools/covid-19-resources/

Rotarian of the Week, Tavis Hall

Years in Rotary - 4 years

Hometown - Waterloo

College - Hawkeye Community College

Job - Executive Director, Experience Waterloo

Fave Food - Tacos

Fave Movie - Coming To America

Fave quote - "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced" - James Baldwin

Fave thing about Rotary - camaraderie

Something unique about you - To be honest, I'm not particularly unique. I'm just particularly passionate.

Rotary International Conference Canceled

We regret to announce that the Rotary International Convention, scheduled for 6-10 June 2020, in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, has been canceled in response to the ongoing threat of COVID-19.

http://riconvention.org/en