The County Health Department is strongly recommending that anyone over the age of two (2) wear a mask in public, indoor spaces AND at indoor, private gatherings. This guidance also applies to those who have been vaccinated. Hand sanitizer will be at each table for your convenience. Meals will be plated and served to you.
This Week at Rotary:
Making a Time Capsule of Life During the Pandemic
Join Cindy Ericksen, Sarah Arendt-Beyer and Eva Marie Restel for this interactive discussion designed to collect an archive our club members' experiences of the pandemic. During the meeting, you'll be asked to write responses to prompts about your experiences during the pandemic. You can then choose to verbally share these responses with others at your table. Then, these responses will be collected and submitted to our club's archive at the La Crosse Public Library, creating a record of what life was like during the pandemic, for Rotarians and community members to be able to read 50, 100, or 200 years from now.
Last Week Week at Rotary:
Karen Hebert - District Governor
Thank you to Karen Hebert, 2021-22 District Governor, for the presentation and inspiration! If you are a club member who was not able to participate in the meeting, you can access the recording on ZOOM through September 23rd.
Applications are now being accepted for outbound Rotary Youth Exchange students for the 2022-23 school year. Students who are interested in being outbound exchange students should complete the preliminary application right away. We would ask that you please direct any students that you know of that are interested to do so. You can also refer them to our outbound program page.
Saturday, November 6, 2021 District Level Interviews in Baraboo
Wednesday, December 1, 2021Overall Application Deadline
Eligible students who applied for the cancelled 2020-21 and 2021-22 exchange
years have already been contacted and encouraged to reapply.
Vibrant Club Workshop
September 22nd
6:30-8:30pm
Holmen Community Center or ZOOM
Mark your calendars for our upcoming Vibrant Club Workshop - September 22nd from 6:30-8:30 PM. We are excited to launch a new hybrid model for this engaging, must see program. VCW gives your club an opportunity to learn, connect, and most of all, get inspired.
VCW will be kicked off by a high energy, inspiring speaker- Tei Street.
The “Amazing” Tei Street has more than 25 years of experience in higher education, curriculum development; training in sexual assault prevention, violence prevention; diversity & inclusion, as well as advocacy, education and youth leadership development. For more on Tei, click below
The Cargill Room has been very supportive in meeting our requests for special diets. Please email Robin at rotary@rotarycluboflacrosse.org to request any dietary accommodations.
Rotary Lights
Save The Date
Rotary Club of La Crosse is scheduled to volunteer for opening night
Friday, November 26th.
Annual contributions to Rotary Lights should be sent to:
Rotary Lights
P.O. Box 215
La Crosse, WI 54602-0215
Invoicing Update
You may have received an email Monday morning indicating an outstanding balance for club dues, meals and/or pledges. This information is generated from invoices and payments received over the past year - a time of significant transition for Rotary Club of La Crosse. If you received a reminder email indicating you have a past due account and you believe this to be inaccurate, please email the office at rotary@rotarycluboflacrosse.org Thank you in advance for your patience as we navigate through this.
Afghan Refugees
Rotary in Wisconsin has a non-profit foundation where a special account has been established called the Wisconsin Afghan Fund. Anyone wishing to contribute can send donations to:
Wisconsin Afghan Fund
Rotary District 6250 Foundation, Inc
c/o Treasurer Val Schroeder
1723 Chadbourne Ave.
Madison, Wisconsin 53726
Be sure to indicate on the memo section of the check that this is for the Wisconsin Afghan Fund.
If anyone would like to form a committee within our club to focus on these efforts, please email rotary@rotarycluboflacrosse.org. Other area clubs are also interested in this effort so there's potential for collaboration among clubs.
Rotary Leadership Series - Shaundel Spivey
October 14th at 7:00 AM via ZOOM
Shaundel Spivey is a recognized community leader in La Crosse. In 2015, he co-founded Black Leaders Acquiring Collective Knowledge (BLACK) and now serves as their first Director.
The organization was developed to build space and opportunities for Black people in this community, especially Black youth, and to help them feel empowered and knowledgeable about their significance in this community. He recently served as the Director of Upward Bound at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He is a community organizer and very passionate about social justice, equity, and community.
Spivey is someone who serves in many capacities in our community and is always willing to share his knowledge and experience to help the community and others. He is a School Board member for the District of La Crosse, serves as a Racial Justice Training consultant in the community and also serves on the Governors Equity and Inclusion Council. Originally from Milwaukee, Shaundel is the recipient of the 2019 Martin Luther King award in La Crosse. An alumnus of UWL (2012 and 2015) and Western Technical College (2014), he is currently in the Counselor Education Supervision Doctoral program at Viterbo.
There’s a lot to love about the alliance between Rotary and Toastmasters as it leverages the strengths of both organizations for the personal and professional growth of all members. As part of the alliance, Toastmasters developed online leadership and communication courses specifically for Rotary members. Eight courses are available free for Rotarians and Rotaract members to access on Rotary’s Learning Center (member login required). After you login to My.Rotary, click on the Learning & Reference tab, then click on Learning Center, and choose "Professional Development." (Note: as a Rotarian, you can register for a free My.Rotary account here if you haven't done so already).
Come show off your bartending skills at Oktoberfest and spread gemütlichkeit and cheer -- all while earning our clubs $1,000! Rotarians will be staffing the bar at Oktoberfest on October 2nd from 8:00 p.m. to midnight. What better way is there to "fest with das beste" than giving back to our community through service and donations?! Invite your friends and family to join and we'll be sure to have great time! Prost!
Hilltopper Second Annual Chiefs Challenge Pulled Pork BBQ-Q
Tickets on sale now for the Second Annual Chiefs Challenge Pulled Pork BBQ-Q on Thursday, October 14 from 3:30pm-6pm (or till sell-out).
Sparta Rotary Club
Korean War Memorial Dance Fundraiser
October 23rd 7-11:00pm
Club 16
1615 W. Wisconsin Street, Sparta
$20.00 includes entrance to event, live music, hors d’oeuvres, and special raffle. Raffles and Silent Auction Items throughout the evening. Tickets available from Sparta Rotary Members and Sparta Area Chamber of Commerce.
