Waterloo Rotary Reporter (Aug 03, 2020)

Girl Scouts is Monday's Program

Monday, August 3rd we'll get to hear Robin Summers with the Girls Scouts (after technical problems delayed her program a couple weeks ago).

I have lived in Waterloo almost my entire life. I went through the Waterloo School system from Kindergarten through high school, graduating from West High. I have a BA in Sociology and a MA in Women’s and Gender Studies, both from the University of Northern Iowa. I have been at the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois since August of 2015 starting out as a community outreach manager and now as the director of community outreach and development. Through my role as the director of community outreach, I oversee our council outreach programming. I started working in development less than a year ago and serve as a major gifts officer.

Learn about the virtual way that Girls Scouts are able to do activities during this time and more.

https://www.girlscoutstoday.org/

Meeting ID: 985 7618 4918
Password: 061645

Rotary Makes Donation to Volunteer Center

The Waterloo Rotary Club just made another $1,000 presentation to the Volunteer Center of the Cedar Valley (VCCV).

Past Waterloo Club President and VCCV Executive Director Lauren Fink accepted the check from past president Mark Durbahn in front of the Volunteer Center on Kimball Avenue. This check will help the center to provide additional resources to recruit new volunteers due to changing volunteer pools caused by the COVID-19 crisis.

Lauren’s Thank You to our Club:

Thanks so much for the most generous gift from the Waterloo Rotary Club. The VCCV is lucky to have a partner like the Club in the community. We've had an interesting and busy couple of months diving in and assisting essential organizations in fulfilling volunteer needs in response to COVID-19. In fact we connected 300+ volunteers in about 5 weeks to assist at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, transporting blood products for the Red Cross, delivering meals for seniors for NEI3A, and creating PPE for community organizations including childcare center and senior communities. Thank you, again, for thinking of the Volunteer Center - we're truly grateful!”

George Wyth Project Update

As part of our District Grant from the 2019 / 2020 Rotary year, we will have a work day out at the Rotary Shelter on August 17!

The committee consisting of Katelyn Tungland, Steve Finegan, Dave Lee, Annie Vander Werff, Mark Kuiper, Gene Leonhardt and James Madison have developed a plan to improve the Rotary Shelter out at George Wyth State Park. Improvements include a new grill, lighting, electrical outlets, counter top and painting. We will have a catered event out at the Rotary Shelter on Monday, August 17^th with Lori Eberhard, Park Ranger making a brief presentation. The work day will be split in to sessions. 8 – 10 Rotarians will be needed from 10:00 – 12:00 to complete the scraping, sweeping, cleaning and arranging of picnic tables. All Rotarians are welcome for the program which will be from 12:00 – 1:00 and include socializing with face mask and proper distancing, catered lunch and presentation. 8 – 10 Rotarians are needed from 1:00 to 2:00 to complete the painting, clean up and moving tables back. Look for an email to sign up for this first in-person meeting for our Rotary Club since March. As an added bonus, Rotarians that sign up for one of the work sessions will receive a free Rotary Face Mask!

How Rotary creates lifelong relationships

Hilary and Kate became best friends when they met through #Rotary. Over the course of a decade, their friendship took them to Brazil, South East Asia and Japan as they worked on projects for peace.

I am constantly in awe of the power of connection. This is what Rotary is all about. We unite in friendship to realize truthful, fair, good-willed, and beneficial outcomes in our communities and the world. For Rotary members and people like me, our lives are forever transformed by this powerful network.

I was 17 years old when Rotary became a guiding force in my life. I was a young woman hungry to see the world outside my own country. Thanks to Rotary, I was granted the opportunity to live in Brazil as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student for a year. The experience was transformative for many reasons, the foremost being the people I met along the way who continue to be central figures in my life.

Read the rest of the story online:

https://blog.rotary.org/2016/04/25/how-rotary-creates-lifelong-friendships/