Classification talks help us learn about the life experiences and professional backgrounds of new members. This week we will hear from Hope Clements.
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.
Last Week: Canine Companions - Luna and Lisa
Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse is the first health system location to have a full-time, trained facility dog. Lunar III, known as Luna, graduated from Canine Companions for Independence in Delaware, Ohio. She was assigned to Mayo Clinic Health System free of charge.
Luna is an expertly trained assistance dog and can understand over 40 commands. She is trained to assist patients and the health care team in the hospital setting. Luna and Lisa demonstrate some of the ways Luna helps patients.
Lunch this week: Cubano sandwich, chips and pickle
Coffee and water will be provided.
Guests are ALWAYS welcome! RSVP in advance to Niki Pohnl if know you are bringing guests but last minute invites are also welcome!
Raffle Basket Items Needed by April 11
As a Polio fundraiser, each club is assigned to bring a raffle basket to TriCon. Our theme this year is:
POLLINATION ATTRACTION
We are looking for things like flower seeds packets, gardening tools/gloves, knee pad, bird house, humming bird feeder, yard decor, potting soil, pots, etc.
Bring your donated items to a club meeting by April 11th or drop off at the Rotary office at 432 Cass St.
Also accepting cash or Venmo donations to purchase items.
The Reach Center is a walk-in resource center offering housing navigation, homeless prevention, mental/AODA support, healthcare, and violence prevention and support in one location.
We are forming a team of Rotarians to assist with removing items from the building, light cleaning, and yard clean up.
Note: You don't have to be a Rotarian to sign up. Feel free to sign a friend or family member up! See Cindy Erickson for questions or more details.
Our team will assist Friday, April 26th with grounds set up (hanging banners, setting up tables, assisting with rearranging areas of the grounds - lunch included) and assist with program and glass distribution at the front gate on Saturday, April 27th. Dress for the weather whichever day you choose.
This is also a fundraiser for our club and each person volunteering receives a free ticket to the event and a VIP meal the day of the event.
Note: You don't have to be a Rotarian to sign up. Feel free to sign a friend or family member up! See Niki Pohnl for questions or more details.
All Quarter 4 club invoices were emailed last week. Look for them in your email and reach out to Niki Pohnl if you don't find it.
WELCOME New Members!
Welcome to our new members just introduced last week!
Randy Erickson, External Communications at Viterbo University, comes with reporting, editing, and photography background through his work as an newspaper journalist at the La Crosse Tribune. Randy serves on the La Crosse County Board. He plays guitar in a the band Tabasco Cat (the third band he has played with since moving here in 1990).
Amanda Worman Holmgaard, Interim Executive Director of The Good Fight, has lived her whole life in the Coulee Region (except for a few years abroad). She feels passionate about social justice, equity, and urban and rural development. Amanda looks forward to meeting like-minded individuals, hopefully allowing us to mutually benefit each other and our community.
Justin Riggert, a Principal Engineer for Comcast, recently to moved to the area from Colorado and is looking forward to getting to know everyone and learn how he and his family can become involved. Justin was very involved in St. Vincent De Paul society, where he took a lead on the food pantry, developed relationship with the Food Bank of the Rockies, and participated in the on call rotation.
Eugene Shields, a Student Behavioral Specialist at the Good Fight Community Center. His experience in the nonprofit industry brings a valuable perspective to Rotary, emphasizing his dedication to community service and social impact.
Proposed New Members
The following community members have been proposed to become members of our club:
Ann Christianson, new Children's Museum Director, proposed by Anne Snow.
Rusty Cunningham, Retired/La Crosse Tribune, proposed by Betsy Morgan
Renee Dietzel, Retired/Education, proposed by Julia Behrenbeck (joining with her husband)
Kimberly Gochanour, new CEO at Bethany St. Joseph, proposed by Craig Ubbelhode
DeeAnn Romanowski, Director of Community Relations at River State Trucks and Trailer, proposed by Eva Marie Restel
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 April 23, 2024
Click the link below if you have a new member to propose.
Welcome to Week 2 of RI’s Month of Maternal and Child Health.
No country has greater instances of maternal death than Nigeria. In 2020, 82,000 pregnant women and new mothers died there, nearly four times the maternal fatalities in India, where the second-most deaths occur. One contributing factor? Sixty percent of births in Nigeria take place outside of a health center or hospital, meaning mothers and expectant mothers are far more vulnerable if complications arise. And they so often do:
The top causes of maternal deaths include postpartum hemorrhage, obstructed labor, and eclampsia, when seizures develop from a complication that can cause high blood pressure and organ damage. “Most people view [the deaths] as a punishment from the gods or some kind of witchcraft,” says midwife Ashezi David Alu. “But it’s just a pure act of negligence because of poor management of those complications.”
Now a $2 million Programs of Scale grant from The Rotary Foundation is addressing this problem head on. Its goal is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by 25 percent in target areas at the end of the three-year program. Known as Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria, the initiative is sponsored by Rotary District 1860 (Germany) in partnership with Districts 9110, 9125, 9141, and 9142 (Nigeria), as well as the Rotary Action Group for Reproductive, Maternal, and Child Health.
Unfolding in targeted areas within three Nigerian states and the Federal Capital
Territory, the initiative builds on previous work by Rotary members in the country. It’s hoped that, once the program demonstrates its effectiveness, it will be replicated across Nigeria and elsewhere. Critically, Rotary members are partnering with federal and state agencies in implementing the program to ensure the intervention and its benefits last far longer than the three years of the grant cycle. “This project is going to birth more projects,” insists Toyosi Adebambo, the program’s manager.
.png)
