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

Almost 80 percent of the population in Nairobi, Kenya, lives in informal settlements where it’s not unusual for families of day laborers to live together in one house. Surviving day to day on the meager wages they typically earn as shop clerks, construction workers, or domestic employees, as many as eight people cook, do homework, eat, and sleep in these tight quarters.

In short, social distancing is a luxury that many poor Kenyans can’t afford.

“If the [COVID-19] pandemic hits here, like it has in North America and other places, it will be just catastrophic” because of the inability to social distance, says Geeta Manek, a Rotary Foundation trustee-elect and member of the Rotary Club of Muthaiga, Kenya. “We’re working very hard, through preventative measures, desperately trying to keep this thing away from us.”

Shortly after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, Joe Otin, governor of Rotary District 9212 (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan), formed a districtwide response team. Chaired by Nairobi-East Rotarian Joe Kamau, the team is working with clubs across the district to provide hand washing stations, deliver food to families who have lost jobs, and raise money for personal protective equipment.

“When [Kamau] asked what we wanted to do first, we said let’s go with hand washing stations,” says Manek, a member of the response team.

As an active member of the Rotary Club of Hampton Roads (Norfolk) in Virginia, Clenise Platt had been a club president and taken on some leadership roles in her district. Even so, it came as a complete surprise when Mary Landon, the club’s 2016-17 president, approached her at the end of a meeting and asked if it would be OK to nominate her for district governor.

“I thought one day I might place my name in the hat to become a district governor,” says Platt, 48. “But truth be told, I thought ‘one day’ was years away.”

The team at Grow Cedar Valley is excited to be hosting a series of Live Webinars on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10:30-11:00 AM on their Facebook Page and Youtube Channel!

These are just some of the ways that members are supporting their communities right now:

• In Italy, one of the countries that has been affected most, clubs in District 2080 are raising funds to purchase ventilators and protective gear for overstretched hospitals. And when the worst of the outbreak was raging in China, the district’s clubs raised more than $21,000 for protective masks to prevent spread of the disease there. 
• Clubs in District 2041, also in Italy, raised funds online to buy protective gear for health workers who will care for COVID-19 patients at a 400-bed hospital being built at Milan’s fairgrounds. 

Volunteers are STILL NEEDED - click here to offer your help!

April 11, 2020 - ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — The Rotary Clubs of Parole, Annapolis and Glen Burnie announced Saturday it has established a relief fund for first responders working on the frontlines during the coronavirus pandemic.

The project aims to support healthcare workers, firefighters, police officers and other essential personnel during the pandemic by providing them with meals prepared by local restaurants.

About 3,000 meals will be provided per-week for six weeks for the first responders.

The initiative will also help restaurants sustain their operations and employees.

• Pam Dellagardelle, CEO of UnityPoint Allen Hospital
• Lisa Gates: CEO of Friendship Village a multi-level living option for older adults
• Jeff Halverson, Vice President of MercyOne Medical Group-Northeast Iowa
• Lanett Kane, People’s Community Health Clinic, Director of Quality
• Joshua Pikora, BHCHD, Disease Surveillance and Investigation Manager (Epidemiologist)

Nearly 4,000 Rotary members from 35 countries, government officials and topic experts explored ideas and solutions around disease prevention and treatment, water sanitation and hygiene, education and other topics relevant to India

When you are in Honolulu for the Rotary International Convention, 6-10 June, make sure to save room for dessert, because the Hawaiian Islands have some sweet treats in store for you.

Shave ice (calling it shaved ice or a snow cone is a quick way of revealing you’re not from around here) was introduced to Hawaii by Japanese immigrants. Inspired by a Japanese frozen treat called kakigōri, they hand-shaved blocks of ice to create mounds of delicate crystals, then flavored the ice with the juice of tropical fruits.

Members of both organizations will benefit in new ways—and some already do.

By Paul Sterman

Toastmasters International and Rotary International. Two organizations with a long history, global impact, and proven track record of helping people. And now they have something else in common: They are teaming up to strengthen their members’ skills and broaden their opportunities. The Toastmasters-Rotary alliance, announced in January, will leverage the strengths of both organizations to help members grow personally and professionally.

Later this year, Toastmasters will begin delivering eight educational courses tailored to members of Rotary and Rotaract (a Rotary-sponsored organization for 18-to-30-year-olds). The phased rollout of the eight courses will help Rotarians develop and hone their leadership and communication skills.

Toastmasters members, in turn, can benefit from connecting with Rotarians—1.2 million members in nearly every country in the world—and learning from the organization’s model of humanitarian service. Members can use their communication skills to impact their communities.

To learn more details about this alliance, visit the Toastmasters website and watch the video below.

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. 

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

The year-long program in Peacebuilding, Conflict Transformation and Development will emphasize issues and solutions that are of particular relevance throughout the African continent and beyond. Hands-on experience will complement coursework that addresses topics including human rights, governance, and the role of the media in conflict. Other studies will focus on refugees and migration, as well as resource and identity-based conflicts.

We have all seen the disastrous fires that have erupted, taking lives as well as destroying hundreds of homes and properties across Australia.

Rotary is once again taking the lead and looking to provide support for families in need. To this end several Rotary Districts and Clubs have established projects which are ready and able to accept donations from you. All of those projects can apply for funds from this appeal.

Please donate to:

• We collected donations for the Salvation Army.  
• Enjoyed music from the Waterloo Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra string quartet.  They previewed their upcoming New Year’s Eve concert Melodies ‘Til Midnight which will be at the Gallagher Bluedorn.
•  This was the last Rotary meeting of 2019.  Our next meeting will be January 6^th, 2020.

Since 1936 the Waterloo Rotary Club has enjoyed the honor each year to celebrate outstanding performance by high school athletes in the city of Waterloo and surrounding areas. Area volleyball coaches choose their MVP's and then by ballot of all the coaches award the trophy for overall Most Valuable volleyball player. The winner is entitled to display the trophy at her school for the next twelve months.

2019 Waterloo Rotary MVP Avery Kroll, West High School

Avery is presented the travelling trophy by Barb Prather and Jaclyne Heller

Click here to see photos from the 2019 ceremony

The PAUL HARRIS Fellow is an award given to those who have given $1,000 dollars possibly over several years to our foundation or by a sponsor that has given the money in their name for extraordinary services rendered. It is one of the most prestigious awards in Rotary and thereby named after the founder of Rotary, Paul Harris.

A multiple Paul Harris Fellow is a Paul Harris Fellow who has contributed additional $1000 gifts to the Foundation.

Giving any sum of money to the Rotary Foundation makes you a part of the eradication of Polio, a partner in creating PEACE, a person who supports Clean Water and Sanitation where water is worth more than gold, it is measured in LIVES. It makes you someone who believes that all babies, children and moms should have good medical resources, micro-credit and equal rights. You are a person that is fighting Aids, Polio, Malaria and other diseases and doing so much more than I could ever tell you in these few short minutes.

Jeff, your contribution to the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is improving living conditions and providing educational opportunities for young people all over the world.  A truly selfless act.

Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to present to you, on behalf of the Trustees of the Rotary Foundation, this emblem of a SEVEN TIMES Paul Harris Fellow.  

-Foundation Chair Deborah D. Pullin-Van Auken

• Please commit to filling additional shoeboxes so our club can meet our goal of 75 shoeboxes filled.  If you haven’t signed up for a shoebox it’s not too late, they are due September 6^th.
• The shopping list list for a Boy's shoebox is here and a Girl's shoebox is here.
• If you cannot fill a shoebox, please contribute $40 to cover the cost of the contents of each box.
• Commit to purchasing supplies for a layette kit.  For a description of the supplies needed for a layette kit, click here.
• If you cannot fill a layette, please contribute $50 to cover the cost of the contents of each bag.
• Volunteers are needed the afternoon of Tuesday, August 27^th to pick up and set up tables at the old Food Bank.
• Volunteers are needed the afternoon of Wednesday, August 28^th and Thursday, August 29^th to help sort and unload.
• Volunteers are needed from 4:00 pm to 8:30 pm Tuesday, Sept. 3^rd, Wednesday, Sept. 4^th and Thursday, Sept. 5^th to check, sort and box shoeboxes.

The "old Food Bank" is located east of downtown, at the corner of Sycamore and 11th St.

After a couple of months as a retail cashier, at 16 Heather quickly found out through trial by fire there was more to being a leader than a title and a set of keys. This experience began her lifetime quest to build her leadership skills and help others develop theirs.

Now, with more than 25 years of management, leadership, and training experience, Heather’s mission is to help others realize their purpose and passion through collaboration that will unlock their leadership potential. She supports business leaders by equipping them with the skills needed to increase employee engagement and build a positive company culture.

Mark is the Sales Leader in the Cedar Valley market. He is responsible for growing the client base in the Cedar Valley area by building relationships with potential clients and working with them to help solve pain points they are experiencing in their business operations. Mark has been with the firm’s technology team for more than ten years, helping clients find solutions for their technology needs and is known by his clients and coworkers for being easy to work with and for his friendly and light-hearted demeanor.

A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Mark holds a degree in marketing with a focus on sales and advertising. He devotes his time to the Chamber of Commerce, serving as an Ambassador since 2008. He is also a long-time volunteer for the Boy Scouts Golf Tournament Committee. When he’s not in his office, Mark enjoys spending time with his family, fishing, cycling, golfing, landscaping and brushing up on reruns of Seinfeld.

Greetings,

Congratulations to the following Clubs for earning the 2018-19 Governor’s Excellence Award:

Algona
Bellevue
Cedar Rapids Daybreak
Cedar Rapids Downtown
Cedar Rapids Metro North
Cedar Rapids Sunrise
Cedar Rapids West
Cedar Valley
Charles City
Dubuque
Estherville
Forest City
Fort Dodge Noon
Garner
Guttenberg
Hampton
Iowa Great Lakes
Manchester
Mason City Noon
Mason City River City Sunrise
Monticello
Mt. Vernon-Lisbon
New Hampton
Rockwell City
Spencer
Waterloo
Waverly
Webster City

Be sure to check the District's Facebook page over the next 28 days to see your Club recognized. Better yet, follow District 5970 on Facebook!  Also, there is still time to earn the Governor’s Excellence Award. Here is a link to the form for completion. 

Thanks to all who assisted with or attended the District Conference. It was great fun and we even learned some new things and got some new ideas!  Visit District 5970’s Facebook page here and click on photos to see pictures taken by District Trainer David Drewelow at the Conference.

• The first step on our planning process will be to nominate your favorite Nonprofit to receive funding from the Event.
• Once we have the nominations the Club will vote for the 2 non-profit organizations we would like to receive a portion of the proceeds from our event.
• 50% - will go to Rotary projects (to be determined) 50% will be split by two nonprofits the club chooses through voting.