May 8, 2023

Meeting Location Schedule

May 11 - The Rivoli, 117 4th Street N

May 18 - Cargill Room

Last Week:  Amy Smith, Environmental Concerns - Ground Water

Continuing an effort begun by the La Crosse Tribune, our club will honor recipients from local high schools with the "Extra Effort Award". They will receive a financial award donated through the generosity of many club members. The students will be joined by administration, staff and fellow students from their schools.  This is an ongoing project of our Youth Committee and the leadership of Tom Berkedal.

Last Week: Niki Pohnl, RFE trip to India
A Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) is an international exchange program for Rotary members and friends that allows participants to take turns hosting one another in their homes and clubs.
 

Niki Pohnl (Rotary Club Administrator) and her son, Caden, attended an RFE to India in February.  We will learn more about their RFE experience, the relationships they built, the Rotary projects they visited, and what happens AFTER an exchange.

We understand the audio was not well recorded but we do have a recording attached if you missed it.

Upcoming Speakers
May 11, 2023
Extra Efforts Awards
May 18, 2023
My Rotary year in La Crosse
View entire list

Meal for This Week

Catered by Festival Foods and Maringue Bakery!
 
Guests are ALWAYS welcome!  RSVP in advance to Niki Pohnl if know you are bringing guests but last minute invites are also welcome!

Hospitalizations and Condolences

We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family of Ed Neuman. Ed passed away peacefully in his home Sunday.  Here is the message on Caring Bridge from his family:
 
Journal Entry by Steph Neuman  
Good morning,

It is with great sadness we share Ed passed away last night.  
I will be honest, I’ve always been a bit skeptical when I read obituaries that say a loved one “passed away peacefully surrounded by family”.  But, in reality, that was exactly how it happened with Ed.

It was surprising to all of us just how quickly he declined over the weekend.  But, in the end, he left this world on his own terms (he told me repeatedly last week he was at peace with his decision and hoped for a swift exit).

As you’d expect, we all have heavy hearts this morning.  But, knowing he is at peace certainly lightens the load a bit.

We are working on arrangements today.  Tentatively, we are planning for burial on Wednesday with a celebration of life to follow Wednesday afternoon/evening.  As details are finalized, I will post an update here.

Love to you all,
Steph

Welcome New Members!

This month we officially welcome the following members to our club:
  1. Jane Klekamp (sponsor Steve O'Malley).  Jane and her husband, Keith Belzer, lives in La Crosse and has worked at La Crosse County as a social worker, a program manager, Associate County Administrator, and now County Administrator. She is an advocate for fair voting and has been a member of the League of Women Voters for decades. 
  2. Ezana Azene (sponsor Annette Mikat). Ezana lives in La Crosse works as a Vascular and Intervention Radiologist at Gundersen Health. Ezana serves on the Bellin-Gundersen board of trustees, where he brings his expertise in healthcare to the organization's leadership. Ezena and his wife, Nicole, have three children.
  3. Michael Quam (sponsor Jeanne Meyer). Michael lives in La Crosse and works at the Salvation Army as their Development Director. Michael has Bachelor of Science/Finance from UW-L, Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts in Servant Leadership from Viterbo. Michael and his wife, Rebecca, have three children.
  4. Hope Hembd (sponsor Tom Monson). Hope is a La Crosse native, a two-time graduate from Viterbo, and happy to be working in her home town. She is employed by Franciscan Spirituality Center as their Director of Community Engagement. Hope says service comes easy to her because of her strong belief and exampling of servant leadership. 
STAR Meeting - Thursday, May 11th
Our next STAR Meeting will be Thursday, May 11th from 7-8am. Location: Rotary Office in the Capella Performing Arts Center at 721 King Street (enter through the doors on 8th Street (DOOR D) and follow the signs). Hosted by Jodi Widuch and Todd Restel.
 
Please RSVP through the link below.
 
STAR - Specialized Training for Action in Rotary....you will meet other new Rotarians from the area. We will provide programs on the Avenue of Service, The Rotary Foundation, and the Rotary Works Foundation, along with other aspects of Rotary. This is a great time to ask questions you may have about our club or Rotary in general. Hope you will be able to join Jodi and Todd on Thursday!

ROTARY LIGHTS HAS TEAMED WITH GREAT RIVER UNITED WAY TO ORGANIZE 'OUT OF PARK' FOOD DRIVES. 

VOLUNTERS NEEDED TO PICK UP FOOD FROM THE POST OFFICE AND DRIVE IT TO WAFER - OR - HELP UNLOAD FOOD AT WAFER.

SEE BILL HOEL WITH ANY QUESTIONS.

New Member Applications
The following community members have been proposed to become members of our club and were unanomously approved by our Membership Committee and Board of Directors:
  1. Laurie Cooper Stoll, Executive Director of YWCA and proposed by Pat Ruda. Laurie is very well versed in diversity and equity issues. She was instrumental in developing Social Justice week on the UWL campus.
  2. Quinn Devlin, Executive Director of Marine Credit Union Foundation, and proposed by Peter Grabow.
  3. Allison Kurth Krzych, Executive Director of the Pump House, and sponsored by Thomas Behrenbeck. Allison has experience in event planning, digital marketing, and social media.
  4. Erik Vose, Executive Director of the La Crosse Community Theater, and sponsored by Mark Solyst. 
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 May 23, 2023.
 
Click the link below if you have a new member to propose!

River Clean Up Volunteers Needed:  Saturday, June 3rd 

Our Rotary has volunteer to work as a specific group to help clean up in the La Crosse marsh.   This will include an area from the Mississippi to potentially West Salem.   How much ground we can cover will depend on the number of people that can volunteer.   But it will include trails and road sides and could include the banks of the La Crosse River.  If you can participate in this clean up please reach out to Bud Hammes or register at below.  
Add text here
The WINE RAFFLE is back!
Tickets are on sale for our Wine Raffle fundraiser and will be available through the month of May at weekly meetings our through our office.
 
There are two ways to participate in this effort to raise funds for our club: 1)purchase a ticket to WIN for $20 or 2)donate a bottle of wine for the raffle.  YOU CAN EVEN DO BOTH...once, twice, or multiple time!
 
For questions or to drop off your wine, see Andy BakkumTom Beherbeck, or Niki Pohnl

Rotary Fellowship at the Loggers! May 30th!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

Active Rotarians
184

Honorary Rotarians
12

Rotary Attendance
92 between in person, Zoom, and guests

New Members

Ezana Azene, Hope Hempb, Jane Klekamp, and Michael Quam

Resignations/Transfers

Attendance Policy

Birthdays:
Joan K. Parke - May 8
Jodi Widuch - May 8
Kenna Christians - May 8
Dave Riley - May 9
Tom Thompson - May 9
Rita Von Haden - May 10
Timothy Candahl - May 10
 
Anniversaries:
 
Club Anniversaries:
Catherine Kolkmeier - 15 years
Marj Gillespie - 7 years
Matthew Curtis - 1 year
Tim Gillespie - 7 years
Ruth Kinstler - 2 years

CLICK HERE for meeting volunteer opportunities!

Meeting Responsibilities
(Volunteers available by 11:30am)
Sergeant at Arms
Gschwind, Mary Ann
 
Secretary
Journot, Lauren
 
Treasurer
Nickel, Michael
 
Program Chair
Jolivette, Mark
 
Duty Roster Coordinator
Pohnl, Niki
 
Register and Introduce Guests and Visitors
Thomas, Bridget
 
Rotarians in the News
 
Introduce Speaker
Journot, Lauren
 
Hospitality Greeter
Riley, Sheila
 
Greeter
Ellingson, Sarah
 
Raffle Ticket Seller
Ericksen, Cindy
 
Scrip Seller
Hensel, Mary Beth
 
Upcoming Events
Club Board Meeting
May 08, 2023
 
STAR Meeting
Cappella Performing Arts Building
May 11, 2023
7:00 AM - 10:35 AM
 
Logger Game and Picnic - Fellowship Event
Copeland Park Ball Field
May 30, 2023
 
Club Board Meeting
Jun 12, 2023
 
View entire list

RAFFLES

May 11, 2023

$10 Kwik Trip Gift Card

Dean's Marbles: $30

May 4, 2023

Raffle $46 - Fines $92 - Scooters $0 - Scrip $50

Raffle, Fines, Birthday, Anniversaries and Scooters
are donations that go to directly to our club.


Find us on:
   
Club Links - Local
Links
Rotary Works Foundation
The Brain Game Web Site
Rotary Lights
Rotary eClub
Rotary Leader
Rotary District 6250 Newsletter
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Rotary Peace Centers
Club Runner Member Log In


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