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Last Week: Chuck Hanson, Tracy Littlejohn, and Judson Steinback Introduced the Ho-Chunk International Garden Project
Chuck Hanson, Tracy Littlejohn, and Judson Steinback introduced us to a new project happening in our area: the addition of the Ho-Chunk Garden to the Riverside International Friendship Gardens (RIFG).
The RIFG Board of Directors have been working with members of the Ho-Chunk Nation to create a Ho-Chunk Garden to be included in the RIFG at Riverside Park. The garden will be west of the existing Cameroon Garden and will have unrestricted views of the La Crosse, Black, and Mississippi Rivers.
Ho-Chunk Nation representatives have recommended a sculpture depicting Betsy Thunder. Betsy Thunder was a native healer who in the 1860’s used her healing skills to help both native peoples and the newly arriving settlers. They have also expressed their desire to symbolize through this sculpture a sense of community, friendship, and healing and have indicated they would like the garden to include native plants, including healing plants.
Check out our website for more details by clicking the link below.
At this time, there is a $5000 match on the table by a member of our club. Please consider helping us reach our $5000 goal. More details coming!
Our team will assist with packing toys for moving and the Toys for Tots storage site. We will be working from 9am-1pm at 1701 Main Street in La Crosse. We appreciate any help you can give during that time period.
Our club will be the ushers for of The Odd Couple performance. Volunteer opportunities include taking tickets, helping with seating, handing out programs, 50/50 raffle ticket sellers, and Will Call ticket distribution. Attire: Rotary volunteer t-shirt. Volunteers see the show for FREE this evening!
As a member of the three represented districts (6220, 6250, 6270), we invite you to come together for a weekend of lively discussion, educational sessions, and tons of fund and networking. Come and be inspired by the plenary speakers and be exposed to the true breadth and depth of Rotary International through the many breakout sessions.
District 6250 announced there will be 16 inbound exchange students (plus one Ukrainian student living in Poland) next year. If you are interested in hosting an exchange student for 3 – 4 months or know of an interested family, please contact Julia Behrenbeck at 507-254-0983 or jbehrenbeck@gmail.com. Being a rotary member is not a requirement. See flyer below to help get the word out!
Julia Behrenbeck has agreed to be YEO (Youth Exchange Officer) and we need more YEC’s (Youth Exchange Counselors). Contact Julia if you would like more information. Working together, we can make this successful for our exchange student and club.
Let's Celebrate!
Active Rotarians
183
Honorary Rotarians
11
Rotary Attendance
94 between in person, guests, Zoom
Betsy Morganis the Interim Chancellor at UWL. Betsy says most of her service to the community has been through the college in recent years and she is looking forward to opportunities outside of that. Her and her partner love the physical beauty of the area and the true civic mindedness of the people.
Josh Levine is the Executive Assistant for Roz Schnick Consulting LLC. Josh has had a passion for community involvement since high school and looks forward continuing this passion through Rotary.
Michael Wagner is a Technical Specialist for Mayo Clinic our of Rochester. Michael is eager to get involved in our club, along with his wife Beth.
Welcome to Week ONE of RI’s Month of Peace& Conflict Prevention/Resolution.
Yemen, Syria, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Israel-Hamas…the list goes on of major conflicts in this century alone. The conflicts have exacted a devastating toll on civilians. Communities are continuously caught in the middle — killed, displaced and pushed into starvation as conflict blocks aid and cuts off communication. The violence has also wreaked havoc on health facilities and other infrastructure, making it that much harder for organizations to reach and help people.
This is the month Rotary International devotes to issues of peace and conflict prevention and resolution all around the globe. TRF’s Trustee Chair, Barry Rassin reminds members that, “…in these times, we need to shift our focus from what we can’t change to what we can do. We can also support what we know works.” Rassin further believes that peacebuilding and conflict prevention is one of RI’s areas of focus because, “…peace is central to everything we do in Rotary.
Even though most of us aren’t diplomats at the negotiating table or peacebuilders working on active conflicts, in Rotary’s regular way, what we do works to promote peace and prevent conflict somewhere, every day…When you support any of the areas of focus of The Rotary Foundation, you are contributing to peace. Foundation grants that address fundamental issues –such as a global grant focused on enhancing basic literacy in a community—will cultivate a better understanding of the world and lead to greater economic stability, laying the groundwork for peace.”
(Barry Rassin, “The groundwork for peace.” Rotary, February 2024: 56).
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