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February 3rd Program - Rotary Foundation and Social Media
 
 
Join us Monday to hear updates on the Rotary Foundation from Deb Pullin-Van Auken and Rotary's focus on social media from Jaclyne Heller.  We'll also honor February birthdays!
 
 
February Birthdays
The first meeting of each month, we celebrate our fellow Rotarians who have made another trip around the sun.  February has one more day this year, and this group has added one more Rotarian!*
 
 
John MallenFeb 1 
*Micki McCrackenFeb 07 
Julie HayesFeb 9 
Bob KroghFeb 18 
Craig RitlandFeb 20 
Joan RiceFeb 21 
Steve SinnottFeb 21 
 
 
Rotarian of the Week Shannon Thies

Years in Rotary - 4 in Pekin, IL (2010-2014), and now in Waterloo since 2019

Hometown -  Omaha, NE

College -  Olivet Nazarene University

Occupation – Officer in The Salvation Army (14 years)

Fave Food - anything Italian

Fave movie - "Little Women" (the 90's version....haven't seen the new release, yet).

Random fact about yourself - I have sang back up for the band Poison and Barry Manilow (enjoyed working with Poison way more than Mr. Manilow)

Favorite quote -  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  Philippians 4:13

 

 

7 Reasons Young (and Young-ish) People Should Join Rotary

Rotary is kind of a big deal. With over 1.2 million members worldwide, it’s the second biggest service organization on the planet. And if you’re a fan of the planet … well, that’s just what Rotary wants to preserve. Through peace. Through service. Through understanding. And — get this — NOT through religious or national affiliation. We don’t care what you believe or who you voted for. The way Rotary sees it, the most important thing is that we come together to accomplish some much-needed tasks for a lil’ group we like to call humanity.  

Rotary efforts have already helped eradicate 99.9% of global cases of polio. (Never heard of polio? Thank a Rotarian for your ability to NOT know about this awful disease.) Now, armed with a massive investment and partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary is poised to take on even more ambitious global projects, including water and sanitation access, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy to name a few areas of focus. In addition to these large-scale, international projects, Rotary clubs are always working to improve their own communities, too. 

 

1. You’ll make local connections.  

Rotary can introduce you to other like-minded and wonderfully diverse people from your community. 

2. You’ll make a global impact. 

Two words: Bill. Gates. He and Melinda Gates see the efficiency and effectiveness of the Rotary Foundation. So much so that they partnered with Rotary to commit $450 million to eradicating polio from this sweet planet we’ve got here.

3. You’ll see your work pay off locally.

Sure, the whole “saving the world” thing is cool, but if you’re wanting to make a difference a little closer to home, don’t worry, Rotary does that too! 

4. You can inspire the next generation... 

We have amazing youth programs to get high schoolers involved in service and leadership, and being involved in Rotary is life-changing for these kids!

5. ...and spend time with the Greatest Generation.

Sure, Rotary has a bit of a reputation for skewing older, and hey, there’s some truth there. But there is also a ton of great experience and perspective to be gained from the Greatest and Boomer generations. 

6. You’ll get inspired.

No matter what your motive is in considering Rotary, the meetings you attend will likely include a guest speaker or performance. 

7. You’ll put your energy where it’s really needed. 

Here’s (perhaps) the best part of getting involved in Rotary: these clubs freakin’ need you like crazy! We need leaders from every community in the world to join Rotary and amplify our impact. 

 
About the author...
Ryan Bell
Ryan Bell has been a Rotary member for seven years, and he is the owner of Locals Love Us Iowa City. His great passions include community-building, Pearl Jam and Iowa whiskey.
 
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Daring Donna to skydive for polio
 
It will be one step for Donna, one giant leap for polio when Rotary Great Brittian & Ireland President Donna Wallbank takes part in a tandem skydive later this year to coincide with Volunteer Expo in Birmingham. Donna explains why she has decided to make the charity jump from the Hinton Skydiving Centre in Northamptonshire.
 
By Dave King
Published Date: January 27, 2020
 

Icould have played darts, knitted squares to make blankets for the needy, walked on the treadmill to fundraise or, if I was brave enough, challenged myself to do something memorable to make a difference.

Something so memorable that when I’m sat in my rocking chair at 80-years-old, I can say ‘I did that and I was really part of making a difference!’

All this, knowing that my little part helped give polio vaccine to a child who may go on to develop a vaccine for another disease. We never know when our little bit of help will make a more significant difference for our world.

So why a skydive?

My daughter, and some of my salon team in Brynmawr, had done a tandem skydive a few years ago. When I was talking to Steph about what I could do, she said ‘skydive Mam’.

Now, I am terrified of heights. I laughed and said ‘no way’.

But I thought long and hard over Christmas what I could do that was good enough and the skydive kept coming back into my head.

 

I hope my Rotary friends will sponsor me with the video of the jump proof that I did it!

You can watch me on the video, hopefully with no screaming, crying or being pathetic. But you will also know that my 1240 challenge got me moving so we can end polio sooner rather than later!

My fundraising target is £12,400.

If you would like to sponsor me in this activity, I would be humbled and a child somewhere will be grateful.

Follow the link to support Donna in her daring fundraising challenge!

Read the full article online

 

 

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Buy a duck and change the world!
 
 
This year’s race will take place at the District Conference in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on April 25, 2020.
Here’s how it works:
1. Each club and individuals from that club will be represented by a single duck in the race.
2. The first three ducks to cross the finish line will be the winners. Once the winning three clubs have been determined a computer pick at random will occur to choose one winner of a Paul Harris Fellow designation for each of the three winning clubs.
3. Each club participating in the race will receive Foundation Paul Harris Fellow points for the full amount of dollars contributed by the club through the purchase of ducks.
Ducks are $5 each and checks can be made payable to The Rotary Foundation and mailed to:
John Wasta
221 Kent Court NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
 

 
Phone: 319-361-8527 Email: john.wasta@gmail.com
 
Please ensure mailed forms reach John no later than April 10. Forms may also be given to John at the conference.
They can be purchased online at www.district5970.org 
*If you choose to purchase ducks online we kindly request you pay for the credit card fees. Therefore ducks are $5.42 each.
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Upcoming Programs
One reason we have amazing programs and speakers is to entice more community leaders to be a part of our club. Invite someone to have lunch and learn about one of these upcoming topics!
 
February 10 - Shannon with Iowa Cannabis
February 17 - Rob Pruitt with Cedar Valley Arboretum
February 24 - Dr. Todd Holcomb - President Hawkeye Community College
 
Russell Hampton
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