We meet at the Cappella Wedding and Event Center at 721 King Street this week. Enter through the King Street doors (look for the Rotary sign).
Parking: Street parking or parking in the lot north of the building.
DO NOT park in the bank or library lot please.
This Week: Gemma Sisia, School of St. Jude
Gemma has traveled the world spreading the word about The School of St Jude; from the International Rotary Convention to the TEDx stage, she has inspired people of all ages and from all walks of life with her story. St Jude’s was built on her belief that everyone has the right to an education. Since 2002, Gemma has seen the school grow to offer free, quality education to 1,800 students across three campuses, expand to include a successful
university program and watched over 400 alumni graduate from university and begin entering the workforce.
During this year’s tour, Gemma will be joined by an incredible St Jude’s alumni: Dr. Suleiman. Dr. Suleiman joined St Jude’s in Form 1, spending 6 years at the school and was among the first Beyond St Jude’s (BSJ) scholars. After studying medicine, he is now working as a doctor at Tanzania’s largest and most renowned hospital. Both of them will take your guests on journey through the growth of the school, sharing the big wins, challenges and undeniable results of the schools model through personal stories.
Last Week: Alex Attardo, Classification Talk
When Rotary was established by Paul Harris and three others, each person came from a different walk of life. This diversity is a cornerstone of Rotary. The intent is to have a cross-section of business and professional experiences in your community.
For decades Rotary International listed a range of professional “classifications” and restricted how many representatives of each could be in a club. This ensures that each club reflects the community in which it serves. It also reminds us to not have one profession as a dominant voice in our club. Over time, these restrictions have pretty much given way, but your classification continues to be of great interest to your fellow club members. That’s why your Rotary badge carries your name and your classification.
Classification talks help us learn about the life experiences and professional backgrounds of new members.
Lunch this week: Mediterranean Buffet catered by Apothik
Coffee and water available.
Guests are ALWAYS welcome! RSVP in advance to Niki Pohnl if know you are bringing guests but last minute invites are also welcome!
Pickleball for Polio - October 24th
Help us CELEBRATE WORLD POLIO DAY! Pickleball for Polio takes place at the Blue Zone Pickleball, 2500 Rose Street, La Crosse on Thursday, October 24th, which is World Polio Day.
There are four ways to participate in this fundraiser, all of which include a donation to Polio Plus:
Attend the event - $15 (includes one drink ticket)
Open Pickleball Player - $20
Join in the Pickleball Tournament - $25
Donate!
Items available for purchase at the event: Beverages from Blue Zone. food from Food Truck in the parking lot, bucket raffle tickets, other raffle drawings.
Hosted by: Holmen Area Rotary (Kelly Dunn), La Crosse After Hours Rotary (Marissa Dickinson), Rotary Club of La Crosse (Eva Marie Restel), Onalaska Hilltoppers Rotary (Ramona Lisowski)
The following community member has been proposed to become members of our club:
James Beeby, UWL Chancellor, proposed by Betsy Morgan
Bruce Waldron, Dairyland Power, proposed by Tim Kolek
According to club procedure, applicant names are to be published in our weekly email bulletin for two weeks. If there are no objections from the current membership, these applications will be approved. Please contact the Club Administrator if you object to these applications by Oct. 25
Send well wishes and prayers for healing to Rog Christians today (October 21st) as he is having shoulder surgery. He will be home later today to recover over the next several weeks.
Our condolences to the family of Judy Kuipers who passed away on October 15th at her daughter's home in Fresno, CA. Judy was a member of our club in the 90's while she served as the first female UWL Chancellor. Judy was on The Brain Game Committee in its early stages and also served on our board at one time. When I reached out to a couple long time members asking about Judy's history with the club, Bob Bendiksen provide THIS ARTICLE he thought would be fun to share.
Club Fruit Box Fundraiser STARTS TODAY!
All proceeds go to the Rotary Club of La Crosse and are used to support a wide variety of activities and initiatives.
Each box contains 8 apples, 4 oranges, 4 pears, and a bag of nuts. Fruit is packed in elegant and sturdy white boxes.
Pick up your boxes on Sat. December 14th or Monday, December 16th, or we will deliver to within a 20 mile radius of La Crosse!
Rotary Club of La Crosse-Downtown Rotarians: you are required to purchase 5 fruit boxes OR you may choose the $100 buy-out. If you wish to donate your fruit boxes to a nonprofit, simply note the appropriate delivery address in the field provided.
Early-Bird pricing through November 29th. ALL sales end on December 6th.
In continuation of the recognition of October as very important to TRF in its annals of
Polio Eradication, Foundation Minute is dedicating this week’s report to the on-going
effort by the Rotary Club of Scranton, PA, to educate the young about poliomyelitis.
According to the report culled from, https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-projects-around-globe-october-2024, “Students from Dunmore High School have created a documentary based on interviews conducted during a polio and health policy symposium that the club and District 7410 organized for World Polio Day 2023.
The film features interviews with International PolioPlus Committee Chair Michael McGovern, other Rotarians, and symposium attendees, and is scheduled for broadcast during the club’s World Polio Day events this month. “It is hard to get hands-on with history,” says Alan Roche, a Dunmore teacher who enlisted about 40 students to produce the video, which includes interviews with three local polio survivors, one of whom taught at the high school. The project was an eye-opener for the young people, he says. “It’s usually a page or two in the textbook, a blip in a slideshow,” Roche says. “It’s one thing to just learn about this and another to talk to someone who was affected by it and lives in your hometown.
.png)
