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Here's a very simple way to ask a collegue to be a Rotarian:  Forward this newsletter to the last person who sent you an email!  Give them a taste of the great things our club is doing:

Hops & Grapes Wine Tasting
Nicaragua Shoebox Project
Teddy Project
Itzhak Perlman Concert
Student/Athlete Honors
Service Above Self Award

Follow up with a phone call and invite them to have lunch with us Monday - the club picks up the tab for potential members!  Our club is too good to keep a secret - so forward this newsletter NOW!

                  Can you clearly explain what Rotary is in the time it takes an elevator to move up or down a few floors? If so you've got an elevator speech- - short and to the point.

      Here's the official definition of Rotary;maybe you can improve on it. "Rotary is a volunteer organization of 1.2 million business and professional leaders united worldwide to provide humanitarian service and help build goodwill and peace." 

            Your elevator speech can be useful as you work to recruit new members to our club.   Be sure to invite them to our website or forward them our weekly newsletter, then follow up with them a few days later.

               The Waterloo Rotary club has given $1,000 scholarships to students at three local colleges. The awards were made April 27.

            The winners are Stacey Ginn from Waterloo West High, a student at AllenCollege; Matt Ites, a student at HawkeyeCommunity College from Wellsburg studying liberal arts; and Zachery Clark, a student at UNI. who graduated from Waterloo East High. He is majoring in supply chain management.

            Students are selected every year by representatives of their school. Funding comes from the Fred Adams Fund at the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa. Adams was a member of our Rotary club for over 71 years and the fund was started at the time of his death in 1986.

            Rotary clubs across Iowa are currently seeking candidates for scholarships to study abroad for one academic year with a stipend of up to $25,000. The Ambassadorial Scholarship program is underwritten by gifts made to the Rotary Foundation.

            Candidates for the scholarships should be at least in their junior year of college and not directly related to a Rotarian. Scholarships will be awarded next fall after interviews and are for the 2010-2011 year. Candidates will be asked to list up to three countries where they would like to study, but preference is given to those who ask to be assigned to third-world countries. Interview date (for this cycle is Saturday August 15^th) will be announced this summer.

            Application forms and details are available on the internet at http://www.rotary.org/en/StudentsAndYouth/EducationalPrograms/AmbassadorialScholarships/Pages/About.aspx.

            A unique feature of the Rotary program is that winners are expected to act as ambassadors from their home country to the host country while studying and as an ambassador from their host country after they return to the U.S. While abroad students will interact with Rotarians and have many special opportunities to travel, attend Rotary events and meet other Rotary scholars. They will be asked to attend a weekend training session before they travel.

            Applicants can apply to a Rotary club in their hometown (applications due to local Rotary club by end of July, 2009) or in their college community. If they hope to travel to a country where the primary language is not English, they will be required to pass a proficiency exam. Candidates are asked to contact their local Rotary club for more information or to contact Dr. Roger Kueter at UNI,

Roger Kueter (roger.kueter@uni.edu).Or Leigh Martin at UNI (leigh.martin@uni.edu.

Along with warmer weather comes two special events at Rotary Reserve.

               The board has announced the dates of two special events for club members at the Rotary Resereve.

            The Annual Steak Fry is set for June 25

            The Family Picnic will be July 30

            The Steak Fry is for members and spouses while the Family Picnic, as the name implies, is for the whole family.

            Mark your calendars now by registering online; and if you've sponsored a new member since last summer, make an effort to encourage them to attend as well.

               With 1.3 billion people China will soon become the number one English speaking country in the world.

The inbound Group Study Exchange Team from northern Italy will make two more presentations in our area in the near future.

                They will be at the district conference Saturday, May 2 at Kirkwood Community College and at the Waverly Rotary club May 14.

               If you plan to see them in Waverly, please call ahead to make sure there is room. That club meets at the Waverly Golf and Country Club Thursdays at noon. The secretary is Paul Schaedig and his phone number is 415-8570.

Today is the LAST DAY for Cedar Valley Rotarians to get their tickets reserved before the seats are opened up to the rest of the district!

You can click on the Itzhak Perlman Concert link on the left side of our website to stay connected to this major Rotary event.  We are anticipating the performance and the foundation dinner will SELL OUT - so be sure to read the details and get your reservations in soon.

This year's Duck Race to raise funds for the Rotary Foundation will be held at the District Conference May 1st & 2nd.  If you bought a $5 duck, you have a chance to win $500 towards your Paul Harris Fellowship.

Our goal was 220 Ducks, but this year's Duck Meister, Tom Arthur, with assistance from Chris Hurley and Sue Beach sold 226!  For the past couple meetings, Rotarians were greeted by splashes of yellow at the registration table, smiling faces, and exciting drawings for cash and lottery tickets.  Tom, Chris and Sue did an amazing job surpassing this year's goal 1 week early - please let them know their club service is appreciated.

The Mason City Sunrise Club has organized this annual event, with all proceeds going to the Rotary Foundation, benefiting programs like Group Study Exchange, Youth Exchange, Polio Plus, and Matching Grants.

Our district has contributed almost $150,000 to the Foundation through the Duck Race.  In fact, our own Bill Robert has "won" 2 fellowships!

Be the first to email me this Rotarian's name - I'll reveal his identity in the next Reporter, so stay tuned!  

E.J. has been an active volunteer for People's Clinic, Boy Scouts, and the League of Women Voters.  In addition to politics, his hobbies also include kayaking, biking, and both downhill and cross country skiing.