Growing up in the Midwest, Holly Harris always felt a connection with the opposite side of the world. Harris was adopted from China at just 10 months old, and she developed a passion for exploring differences between cultures. As she got older, her experiences through school and travel transformed her interest in life outside the U.S. into a dream career.

“Throughout elementary and high school, I took Spanish classes and really just fell in love with learning the language,” she says. “After high school, I went to Brazil through a youth exchange program. While I was living there, I learned Portuguese and decided I wanted to continue learning it on an academic level and make it part of my career.”

Harris will graduate this fall with a bachelor’s degree in Portuguese, a bachelor’s degree in international studies, a certificate in nonprofit leadership and philanthropy, and a minor in Spanish. Her time on campus has been highlighted by her work as a research fellow assisting Armando Duarte, a Brazilian professor in the Iowa Department of Dance, with the translation of historical interviews about samba and Carnival from Portuguese to English.

Read the full story here.

2021 Glen "Doc" Miller Most Valuable Football Player

Carter Gallagher, Columbus High School

 

Click here to see photos and video from the 2021 ceremony

 

 

Click here to see photos from the 2021 ceremony

Click here to see the Facebook LIVE program

Ways and Means Raising Money for Polio 

The Bakau Drainage project has helped reduce the incidence of Malaria in Bakau by constructing, developing and maintaining a drainage system to address poor storm water management.

It was following a holiday to The Gambia in 2006, that Chris developed strong bonds with the West African country. In particular, she connected with the Bakau community, a village on Gambia’s Atlantic coastline to the west of the capital, Banjul.

After seven trips in seven years to The Gambia, it became evident there was a need to improve the education, health and environment of Bakau, and Chris needed to galvanise the community to work towards a solution.

So the seeds were sown for the ‘Oasis Project’, a charity which began in 2007. Chris founded the Starlight School which is responsible for the education of 200 children in Bakau. 

The massive explosion on 4 August 2020 killed more than 200 people, displaced hundreds of thousands more from their homes, and destroyed or damaged many structures. It was caused by a dangerous mix of materials that had been stored in the hangar — including ammonium nitrate, oil, kerosene, hydrochloric acid, miles of fuse wire on spools, and 15 tons of fireworks.

Like many buildings near the site of the explosion, Beirut hospitals were left with extreme damage, often making it difficult or impossible to treat patients safely. This led to a sudden surge in demand at other hospitals not directly affected by the blast.

As the magnitude of the destruction became known, Rotary clubs in Lebanon and around the world asked themselves what they could do to respond to a disaster that was playing out amid a deadly global pandemic. They soon realized that hospitals, some of which had been severely damaged, were in dire need of help. Beirut-area clubs received donations from clubs around the world; some worked with clubs outside Lebanon to apply for global grants from The Rotary Foundation.

Read the rest of the story here:

Rotary clubs in Lebanon spring into action after a major disaster | Rotary International

Doing something good in the Rotary world has always been my passion. The reach and access that I was afforded as an assistant governor in my district in India made it possible for me to reach my goals. 

My endeavor to grow Rotary in my region began with an idea to revive our 52-year-old community based Rotaract Club of Secunderabad. It was chartered in April of 1968 and is one of the oldest Rotaract clubs in the world. Until the last few years, the club was slumbering with not much activity and not a lot of member engagement. We started at the top, revamping the leadership and bringing in passionate and active people. We were then able to induct 30 new members and discover ways to get them involved in voluntarily community services activities that they were proud to participate in.  

Occupation: Business Development and Marketing Specialist at Cardinal Construction

Hometown: Waterloo, IA

College: Studied Communications and Public Relations at the University of Northern Iowa

Favorite food: Homemade Mac and Cheese 

Favorite movie: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days 

Biggest Pet Peeve: Knowing a surprise is coming, but not knowing the details of the surprise 

Unique fact about yourself: I am recently engaged, so I can add wedding planning to my already long to-do list! 

Hobbies: I am extremely family oriented. I enjoy spending time with my 5 nieces and nephews and watching my fiancé play competitive hockey. I love connecting with people in my community and serving at Sent church!

Favorite quote: "Excellence in the small things leads to success in the big things." -Christine Caine

Sandy Salmon is serving her third term in the Iowa House.

Sandy and her husband, Matt, live on an acreage between Janesville and Denver and have lived in northeast Iowa 25 years.  Currently, Sandy partners with her sister to manage the family farm in northwest Iowa. You can read her full biography in the link below:

My best day as a vaccination volunteer

The only other time I had seen hundreds of faces filled with so much emotion was leading a Rotary mission trip in Guatemala in November 2014 to open a trade school. That morning an earthquake measuring 7.4 magnitude hit the San Marcos region 40 miles from where we were working. It was the largest earthquake to hit Guatemala since 1976.

That afternoon I and two other Rotarians volunteered to be first responders with Shelter Box leaving at 04:00 the following morning for San Marcos. You could see it on their faces. The villagers cried for help, support, food, water, shelter, hope for missing family members amid the destruction and crumbled houses. I was there to provide hope.

Chris Dunn graduated from UNI in 2012 with Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and Communications. Since, he has worked at several area not-for-profits, currently being employed as the Outreach and Communication Coordinator with Cedar Valley Hospice for the past five years. Today, Chris will be giving an overview of care provided by Cedar Valley Hospice and how it differs from other types of healthcare.

At Cedar Valley Hospice, we do much more than provide hospice and palliative care for our patients. We also look after the well being of their families and our community members through grief support, education and ways for the people of our community to get involved. Cedar Valley Hospice believes one person can change a life, so we invite you to connect with us today.

https://www.cvhospice.org/

They will also be recognized at the 2021 Virtual Convention for their outstanding contribution to health.

Iowa United Nations Association Executive Director - Debra DeLaet, Ph.D.

The Rotary International Convention, scheduled for 12-16 June 2021, in Taipei, Taiwan, will now be a virtual event in response to the ongoing threat of COVID-19.

We are sorry that we will not see you in Taipei this year, but this decision, made by the Rotary Board of Directors, is necessary to protect the health of everyone involved. We will share more details about the 2021 Rotary International Virtual Convention soon. Here’s what you need to know now:

This year’s “Duck Pluck” will take place on May 1, 2021, virtually.  The winning ducks will be plucked out of Michelle Bell’s hot tub during the District Conference!

Norman Ussery
Norman was raised in the Virgin Islands where he worked in several theatres, taught at University of the Virgin Islands and was co-founder of St. Thomas’ Pistarckle Theatre.  He graduated from Duke University and has worked at Twin City Stage in Winston Salem, NC, the North Carolina Theatre in Raleigh, NC, Theatre Tallahassee in Tallahassee, FL, and Theatre Arlington in Arlington, TX. Through his career, he has been an avid participant in the American Association of Community Theatres and is an advocate for collaboration in the arts, especially among theatres. He currently serves on the board of the Iowa Community Theatre Association. His background includes management in both professional and community theatres. In addition to theatre management, he has worked extensively as an actor and a director, mostly in the southeastern US and the Caribbean.

There are four Rotary clubs and two Rotaract clubs in Kingston, and members from all six clubs are assisting this effort.

“Rotarians have been assisting Kingstonians for 100 years in many areas, particularly support to youth, seniors, and the underprivileged,” said Mike Moore, local Rotarian. “COVID has presented an entirely new challenge for Kingston. So, Rotarians and Rotaractors have responded by donating significant sums of money to the Food Bank, have helped deliver food to needy families, produced and distributed masks to disadvantaged families, and will be helping KFL&A Public Health in perhaps the most positive, impactful event of our lifetime, vaccinating our residents.”

The Covid pandemic, while bringing so much suffering to the entire globe, has also enabled Rotary to open opportunities in many different ways, such as this institute and the virtual meetings we hold. These are so important as they bring leaders together to brainstorm on how to take on the challenges ahead. We are now in a time of rapid change and we have to keep working together to ensure Rotary comes out of this difficult time in a much stronger position,” said RI President Holger Knaack, while delivering the convocation address at the GETS event for RI zones 4, 5, 6 and 7.

Striking a pensive note, he said, “Rotary was founded in a world that doesn’t exist any longer, it is a different world now, which moves faster and is harder to comprehend. And it is filled with crises to manage. And yet it gives us new opportunities.”

He said even before this crisis, people were meeting and keeping connected to different friends in different ways. “Social media and online connections were already there but they have now become more important. We are all now used to working virtually. Most important, the younger generation that has grown up in this world, has a stronger desire for service and connections.”

The people who fill the truly essential roles in society are often in short supply

By Joe Queenan Illustrations by Sébastien Thibault

From time to time, societies run low on the things — and the people — they really need. We wake up one day and realize that there are too few doctors. Or far, far, far too few nurses. Or it suddenly dawns on us that there aren’t enough teachers, engineers, or plumbers to go around. There are certainly never enough guys who work well with sheetrock.

Other professionals we have in spades. There are always more than enough landscapers, baristas, actors, masseurs, personal trainers, hairdressers, IT guys, and chefs. Nor are we ever in any real danger of running out of hedge fund managers, ballerinas, real estate agents, claims adjusters, standup comics, bartenders, aspiring singer-songwriters, or car salesmen. But the people who fill the truly essential roles in society are often in short supply.

Something like this may already be happening with Good Samaritans. From time to time, societies run desperately low on the kinds of devoted, implacable altruists who are always ready to pitch in and make the world a better place.

In March, the Ugandan government moved rapidly to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, issuing a strict lockdown and closing schools before the country had experienced more than a handful of reported cases.

The measures have been credited with saving lives and limiting the spread of the virus in the country, which had recorded only 1,200 cases and five deaths in August as the continent of Africa approached a million.

Still, those measures didn’t come without a cost, including lost jobs and hardships on pregnant women unable to reach a hospital due to the travel restrictions. Reuters reported that one woman in Kampala struggled for 90 minutes to reach a hospital a mile and a half (about 2.4 km) away. Both she and the baby died. In addition, the Women’s Probono Initiative, an advocacy group, reported cases of six other women and two babies dying during the lockdown.

When the Rotary Club of Rubaga, Kampala, heard of the reports, they knew they had to act to provide a safe transport option. The club donated an ambulance to provide medical transport to residents of Kikajjo, about a 40-minute drive southwest of Kampala. Betty Mwesigwa, the club’s immediate past president, says Kikajjo has densely populated, lower-income areas.

Monday the 21st, our last meeting of the year, we will celebrate the season with a holiday performance and presentation by the Waterloo Cedar Falls Symphony! 

Please join us virtually and invite some guests! This is a perfect prelude to the holiday season. We will also spend some time reminiscing about our favorite holiday traditions, recipes, and past times. 

Please wear your festive holiday hats and attire. There will be prizes!

ROME, Italy (December 4, 2020) — In the face of surging infections in Italy, Rotary and the U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), are taking action to support the country’s COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.

As part of an 18-month partnership, USAID will provide US$5 million to The Rotary Foundation – Rotary’s philanthropic arm, to support Italy’s pandemic response, prepare communities for future outbreaks and address the long-term social and economic impacts of COVID-19.

The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world.

Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects.

With your help, we can make lives better in your community and around the world.

All equipment has been purchased and installed at the four health care centers.  One of the sites, Eastern Iowa Health Care Center has seen a huge increase in patients since the August 10 Derecho that came through Cedar Rapids. Our grant was nearly completed at that time. 

Please know that the Rotarians and residents of Iowa thank you for believing in this project and for helping our residents living in poverty gain a basic human right: healthcare.

I personally thank you all for an unprecedented Global Grant collaboration in the US with contributions from India and Brazil and Minnesota.  

Yours in service,

By Brenda Cressey, Trustee and Rotary Member of South Portland-Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA

Several years ago, my husband and I had the opportunity to take part in a multi-project mission with more than 100 Rotarians, spouses, Rotaractors and even a few new Rotarians from Rotary District 5280. We flew to Panama to visit project sites, perform cataract surgeries, and deliver wheelchairs.

There were several “Rotary moments” on that trip, but the truly unforgettable moment for me was when a grandfather, having no legs, was presented with the gift of mobility in the form of a bright red wheelchair.

Seeing his grandson in tears reminded me that we not only changed that grandfather’s life, but the life of that young boy who had been lovingly carrying his grandfather everywhere since he became big enough to do so. Moments like that one are why I never miss an opportunity to promote the World Fund and encourage others to support it with their generous giving.

This year, the COVID-19 crisis has resulted in a child rights crisis. The costs of the pandemic for children are immediate and, if unaddressed, may last a lifetime. 

It’s time for generations to come together to reimagine the type of world we want to create. 

Kids are reimagining a better world. What will you do?

2020 Waterloo Rotary MVP
Alex Feldman, Columbus High School

For true economic development, women are essential

Here’s why these organizations and their Rotary club partners are supporting local women’s entrepreneurship with financial literacy, small business loans, and one-on-one advisors.

by Anne Stein

I studied at the University of Kentucky where I majored in Broadcast Journalism and minored in Political Science. There, I competed for the school's Division 1 gymnastics team for four years.

Although I received my education from the Bluegrass state, my roots go back to Southern California. Ever since I was five years old, I've always said I wanted to be the anchor for the TODAY Show one day. Now being here and working for KWWL, I feel like I'm getting closer to achieving my dream. 

Riikka Muje had a fantastic time when she lived in Brittany, France, in 2011-12 as a Rotary Youth Exchange student. “At the beginning it was hard,” she recalls. “I didn’t speak the language. I didn’t know anyone. But then it’s amazing how you can form a life in another place.”

After her exchange, adjusting back to life in her hometown of Rovaniemi, Finland, was just as hard — until she joined a Rotex alumni association, Rotex for short. Rotex alumni associations are groups of Rotary Youth Exchange alumni who act as intermediaries between Rotarians and Youth Exchange students. They provide mentoring and organize events with exchange students in their home country as a way to give back and keep their international connections alive.

Terrance Stevenson - Rotary Peace Fellow, MSc Economics and Finance for Development

The U.S. lost a remarkable leader on Sept. 18, 2020, when Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at age 87 after a years-long battle with recurrent pancreatic cancer. Famously nicknamed “The Notorious RBG,” Ginsburg’s career focused on ending gender-based workplace inequities for men and women.   
 

No matter your political affiliations, it’s tough not to notice the similarities between Ginsburg’s impactful career and the evolution of Rotary over the past few decades:

• In the 1950s, she was one of just a handful of women admitted to Harvard Law School. It wasn’t until the 1980s that women were allowed to join Rotary.
• In the 1990s, RBG made famous her “dissent” standings, in which she went against popular opinion to mainstream “gender blind” law, for equal rights for men and women in work and education. In Rotary, women became district governors for the first time in the mid-1990s. 
• As of this year, RBG is one of just four women to have served as Supreme Court Justices. The first female Rotary International presidential nominee was appointed in 2020 for the 2022-2023 election. 

We’ve come a long way in Rotary and in society for raising the bar for equality standards among men and women. RBG’s work made a lasting impact that parallels our Four-Way Test: truth, fairness, goodwill, and mutual benefit.

Facebook Events will be created for each forum, and available as Facebook Live.

The public will have an opportunity to submit questions on-line. 

For more information, please contact Jean Seeland, 319-493-2015.

• Dedicate a club meeting to polio eradication awareness.  Invite a guest speaker who is a polio survivor.  Invited your local media to the meeting.  Have a discussion aimed at increasing awareness of Rotary’s fight against polio. 
• Host a virtual viewing party for friends and club members to watch the official Rotary International Online Global Update on October 24. 
• Show the “5 Ways to End Polio” video at your club meeting.  You can find it at this link:

John Hewko, CEO of Rotary International: In addition to stressing that all leaders reflect on their personal and organizational core values, I would simply suggest that those in the for-profit sector take a critical look at how social value is part of their firm’s mission. Broadly, if the 19th century for-profit sector valued “reward,” and the 20th century benchmark was risk and reward, then the 21st century will be defined by risk, reward and impact. For many years, it was difficult to answer the inevitable question: How do you blend and measure social and financial returns? This is no longer the case, but it requires some bold collaboration between the private sector and non-profits to act on this insight. Finally, I firmly believe that trailblazing leaders are made, not born. Rotary’s founder Paul Harris wasn’t blessed with once-in-a-lifetime talents, but he was able to articulate a vision that inspired others. He was able to act on his vision to form a new social network well before anyone ever heard of Facebook or LinkedIn.

To see the other 9 responses, click here:

https://www.adammendler.com/blog/advice-from-ten-top-ceos

• We’ve adapted to virtual meetings - including the Rotary International Conference.
• We’ve donned our masks - some Clubs have even ordered specialized Rotary masks for members who choose to wear them.
• And really, we’ve done the same things we’ve always done...a little differently.

Just three years ago, Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology, a post-secondary school in Oshawa, Ontario, constructed a new Centre for Collaborative Education, which included a Global Classroom. The center allows students to learn from, and share with, students and experts from around the world in real-time. The class brings cultures from around the world together to share information about each other’s culture and countries. The clubs of the Durham region all helped provide funds for the creation of the center and global classroom.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on 25 August announced that transmission of the wild poliovirus has officially been stopped in all 47 countries of its African region. This is a historic and vital step toward global eradication of polio, which is Rotary’s top priority.

After decades of hard won gains in the region, Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) — WHO, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the vaccine alliance — are proclaiming the milestone an achievement in public health. They offer it as proof that strong commitment, coordination, and perseverance can rid the world of polio.

As part of our District Grant from the 2019 / 2020 Rotary year, we had a work day out at the Rotary Shelter.  The committee consisting of Katelyn Tungland, Steve Finegan, Dave Lee, Annie Vander Werff, Mark Kuiper, Gene Leonhardt and James Madison developed a plan to improve the Rotary Shelter out at George Wyth State Park.  Improvements included a new grill, lighting, electrical outlets, counter top and painting.  

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.

2. Why did ESRAG publish a handbook with environmental project ideas?
A lot of people say they’d like to do an environmental project, but they don’t know where to start.

3. Can you describe some of the project suggestions?
We looked to address topics that we thought were important, topics that fit well with existing areas of focus, and topics that expanded Rotary clubs’ reach into the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

4. What inspired ESRAG’s collaboration with UNEP?
Rotary and UNEP decided to work together to create a handbook for Rotary clubs that want to participate in World Environment Day, which is 5 June.

5. Are Rotarians getting more involved in environmental projects?
People interested in environmental solutions could go out and work with other groups, and many Rotarians do. But what we’re seeing is a real desire to do their environmental work within the Rotary framework.

• This story originally appeared in the July 2020 issue of The Rotarian magazine.

Caparas launched the worldwide anti-polio drive aimed at eradicating the deadly disease that has killed and paralyzed tens of thousands of people.  The campaign has become a huge success and has drawn the strong support of Microsoft’s founder and philanthropist Bill Gates.

The Filipino socio-civic leader was instrumental in the acquisition of the One Rotary Center in Evanston, Illinois.  He led the two-year fund raising campaign for the project and was able to raise $130 million, surpassing the target by $70 million. It was also during Caparas’ term that the RI board allowed membership of women in Rotary. 

This is where Rotary can help.

• This Official Suggestion Form must reach the nominating committee convener no later than 1 September 2020 (the address is provided on the form). 
• The form must also be accompanied by a written statement from a physician certifying that the suggested candidate is in good health and physically able to carry out the duties of an RI director. 
• The form must be signed by the candidate, indicating that he or she agrees to abide by RI's provisions against campaigning for elective position, and that he or she accepts the attached "RI Board of Directors Job Description."

As Rotarians, we know this phrase is true: Rotary Opens Opportunities. Chosen as the 2020-2021 Rotary theme, these are words to live by for all clubs. But what does “opening opportunities” mean for individual Rotarians?

I’ve collected a few ideas I’ve observed throughout my tenure as 5970 District Governor:

From Hong Kong to Hungary, Rotarians captured perfect moments in our annual photo contest.

Congratulations to  Executive Director, Barb Prather, for this well-deserved Ovation Award, courtesy of the Iowa Women's Foundation, that celebrates hard-working Iowa women in leadership.

You can see the whole Virtual Ovation Unveiling Ceremony here:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1116788875359641

Joel Fitzgerald was sworn in as Waterloo's first African American Police Chief after a unanimous vote from Waterloo City Council back in April. Prior to coming to Waterloo Fitzgerald served as Chief Deputy in Philadelphia, PA and Fort Worth, TX.

WATERLOO, Iowa (KWWL) - With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, now more than ever is a time when kids need extra meals during the summer when school is out.

The Northeast Iowa Food Bank's summer feeding program is getting help from eastern Iowa communities to assist children at risk of going hungry.

https://kwwl.com/2020/06/04/summer-food-program-offers-meals-for-children-during-pandemic/

• The easiest way is make your gift online at www.rotary.org/donate . Be sure to sign in to your myRotary account when you give online.  Then let your Club Foundation Chair know you made the gift. 
• You may also pay by check, payable to The Rotary Foundation, and get it to your Club Foundation Chair and they will send it in.  

5/26/2020: Gov. Reynolds announces casinos, amusement parks, outdoor venues, and sports leagues allowed to reopen Monday, June 1 with restrictions

• Businesses allowed to reopen at 50% capacity while following social distancing measures include: casinos, amusement parks, outdoor venues can hold live performances, bowling alleys, speedway, racetracks can reopen events to spectators, pool halls, and arcades

• Recreational and social sport gatherings of more than 10 people will be allowed - individuals must remain 6 feet apart and venues are limited to 50% occupation capacity

• Bars, wineries, breweries, and distilleries can reopen Thursday, May 28. They must follow the same public health measures as restaurants, including limiting normal operating capacity to 50 percent and social distancing groups of 6 feet. Live bands are also now permitted at bars and restaurants following social distancing guidelines.

• Businesses that remain closed will continue to be closed through June 17 and Reynolds said she will continue to monitor whether any other measures should be adjusted.

• View Proclamation