VIEWING YOUR NEWSLETTER...You will notice at the top of the newsletter a statement... "Having trouble viewing this email? Please click here." This format will allow you to see any embedded videos and animated ads within the newsletter. Email newsletter will allow you to see your commitments at the end of your personal newsletter...online newsletters will not show this, the bulletin on the web site may have a more readable format...you can also view bulletins online.....www.rotarycluboflacrosse.org
Our club will have a ZOOM meeting again this week. We will be sending you a browser link via email Thursday morning. We will open at 11:30 and our meeting will start at Noon. If you have an announcement you would like to make...please contact Tami Woods at woodstami13@gmail.com. If you would like to have a guest attend, please let Tami know and YOU can forward your email link to them.
We have put together a Zoom cheat sheet....tips on how to make your experience with Zoom a littler easier. If you have a tip, you would like to share, please let us know. I will add to the sheet each week if necessary until we all become pros at this! ZOOM TIPS LINK
Thanks to Sarah Arendt-Beyer you can now view past Zoom Rotary Meetings - she will post each week on our web site......LINK.
This Week at Rotary:
Dr. Cheri Olson, a family physician who recently retired from Mayo Clinic Health System where she served for many years as a member of the faculty of the Family Medicine Residency, will be speaking on the topic of vaping. She was recently named medical director of St. Clare Health Mission.
Our Youth Committee recognized nine "Extra Effort Students." A thank you to Rusty Cunningham, Executive Editor of the La Crosse Tribune and River Valley Media Group for presenting our "Extra Effort Students" to our membership. The students honored will receive: a certificate, a Rotary Bronze Coin and $250...made possible by David Amborn, Tom Brock, Randy Nelson, Tom Berkedal, Bruce Swanwick, Bob Masewicz, Joyce Wichelt, Mary Stanek, Patt Boge, Ed Neuman, Annette Mikat, James White, Richard Strauss, Tom Thompson, Tom and Julia Behrenbeck and Mark Solyst.
La Crosse County Health Department is teaming up with iFeed, Rotary, and Rotary Lights to hold “Food Drive Fridays”, a drive-thru style food drive where donors don’t get out of their vehicles
Collections will be held every Friday from 11am-1pm starting on Friday, April 17th through May 29th.
Valley View Mall parking lot (by former Macy’s location), 3800 Hwy 16, La Crosse Downtown La Crosse:
La Crosse County Parking lot behind the Courthouse & Law Enforcement Center, 333 Vine St:
Big Lots parking lot located at 3960 Mormon Coulee Rd, La Crosse
Non-perishable foods are running dangerously low at The Hunger Task Force, and with the postponement of the National Letter Carrier’s Stamp Out Hunger food drive, they are in desperate need of canned goods for the programs they serve. Canned items needed include meats (tuna, chicken), peanut butter, soup, fruit, boxed side dishes (stuffing, rices, potatoes), breakfast items (cereal, oatmeal, etc), canned ravioli & spaghettios, pasta & pasta sauce. We believe that everyone deserves to have access to food and essentials, especially in times of uncertainty.
Every year the nine area Rotary Clubs gather for a celebration of club projects and honor members that have lived the Service Above Self motto. Clubs will also honor their Rotarians of the Year. This year our Avenues of Service Banquet will be Tuesday, August 18th at the La Crescent Area Event Center, 595 Veterans Parkway, La Crescent, MN. A decision will be made on July 18th if we will have the event. The celebration will begin at 5:30 with a social. This is a fundraiser for our Rotary Works Foundation. We hope you will save the date. It is a great night of fellowship and celebration. More details coming.
We are now looking for nominations for the following categories: Avenue of Service Nominations for Club Projects, Lifetime Achievement Nominations and the Rising Star Nominations. More information and nominations forms can be found on the Avenues of Service Dinner page on our web site....LINK. Deadline to submit nominations isJuly 15th
Some of our members work for non-profits, some members serve on boards, some members may know of a worthy cause or organization. Your Rotary BOD is reaching out to all of you for recommendations to be the recipient(s) of “Al Louis’s 2020 Musky Challenge Fundraiser”. Starting July 25 through August 25 Al will be fishing up at Lake Vermillion with the hopes of catching many Muskies. Al is contributing $100 per Musky he catches during that time frame and challenging our members to match any $ amount towards each Musky. If you want to challenge Al to $10 per Musky and he catches 7, your generous contribution of $70 would go towards the fund. Last year we raised over $4,000 which went to The Parenting Place for the 2019 Diaper Drive. This year Al would like to extend this fundraising event with another worthy recipient(s). Al’s minimum donation will be $500 and he will also be promoting this fundraiser at his honorary clubs in Arizona and Minnesota. Anyone donating $50 or more will receive a bronze Centennial coin. If you are interested in receiving funds for your organization or an organization that you care about please submit your request to Lyn or Tami.
Here are some things we would like to know:
What is the organization or cause?
How would the funds be used?
All requests would need to be submitted to Lyn or Tami by June 1st. The Board will vote on the top 5 and make a decision on the recipient(s) at our June BOD meeting on June 8th.
A huge “Thank You” goes out to Al Louis for initiating this fundraiser and being a “Person of Action” in Rotary.
Andy Bakkum was chosen as one of our Rotarians of the Year. Andy's nominator's stated: He is a very active Rotarian with our club's events and he has been active in the Interact Program. Beyond that he brings fun and humor to the club. Another nominator stated he has been tremendously engaged as a leader propelling many of our Rotary initiatives forward. At PETS (President-Elect Training Seminar) Andy took the initiative to start a fundraiser for books for Razia's schools....over the weekend they collected $10,000+.
Lyn Sheffer
Lyn Sheffer was also chosen as one of our Rotarians of the Year. Lyn's nominators stated: Lyn has been deserving of this award for many years, and we can think of no one more worthy to be our Rotarian of the Year. Lyn emobies Rotary. She lives and breathes the Four Way Test and exemplifies Service Above Self. What we love most about Lyn is the kindness, respect, and compassion she shows to all of our members, and to our community. She greets us with a smile, listens patiently to our requests, and is always there to help. Lyn cares deeply about our older members and goes above and beyond to support their involvement. In a club where so many could be singled out for their service, Lyn stands out amongst us, and we are blessed to have her as a member and as a leader.
Andy and Lyn will be recognized at the Changing of the Guard and the Avenues of Service Dinner on August 18th.
Thank you to Rotarians Jodi Widuch and Mary Beth Hensel for presenting our "Wheels of Hope" project. This is an international project that our club in cooperation with other Rotary Clubs has set a goal to raise money to fund a bus and a van to safely transport girls to their schools in Afghanistan. LINK to PowerPoint Presentation.
Only 12% of women in Afghanistan are considered literate. The Zabuli Education Center is one of the few successful schools for girls that is working to change that sad statistic. The Wheels of Hope Project is an important support to expanding educational opportunities for girls and creating safety. This work is inspired by Razia Jan, last year’s District Conference keynote speaker and founder of the school.
Follow-up from Jodi Widuch...….
Thank you very much for the opportunity to talk with you about the Wheels of Hope Project.
As follow up here details of how to donate:
1. Here is the link to our Go Fund Me Page. This is the easiest way to used a credit or debit card. There is a small processing fee that you can choose to pay for. charity.gofundme.com/razias-wheels-of-hope
2. You can also donate by check, payable to Rotary Works Foundation, Wheels of Hope in the memo, and mail to Jodi Widuch, 2555 Edgewood Pl., La Crosse, WI 54601
Happy Birthday Thai Vue - May 25 Anne Snow - May 26 Jake Erickson - May 28 Peter Grabow - May 29 Randy Nelson - May 29 Anna Prinsen - May 29 Jim Salmo - May 29 Erick Maki - May 30 Steve Shultz - May 30
Happy Wedding Anniversary Mike (Vicki) Hartigan - May 24 Val (Deb) Schute - May 25 Mary (Randy) Mickelson - May 26 Marcie (Scott) Wycoff-Horn - May 27 Angela (Curt) Czerwinski - May 30
Rotary Anniversary Kelly Krieg-Sigman - May 29 - 17 years
MEMBERSHIP Active Membership 185 Honorary Members 27 Associate Membershipis a program to recruit younger members, millennials, to membership. Associate Membership is available to anyone who is proposed for membership who is 35 years of age or less. Associate membership will end when that member reaches the age of 38. They would pay for dues and $100 for meals per quarter no matter how many meetings they attend that quarter.
Corporate Membership is a program to allow multiple employees of a business Rotary participation under one primary membership. Each corporate membership is limited to a three-year term. After the three-year corporate membership term, the individuals are required to become individual members. View Corporate Membership Policy.
Family Membershipis a program to allow a second individual Rotary participation under one primary membership. View Family Membership Policy.
Honorary Membership is offered to members who have distinguished themselves by meritorious service in the furtherance of Rotary ideals.Unlike other membership categories that can be requested by the member, Honorary Membership is bestowed upon a member by election from the Board of Directors. View Honorary Membership Policy.
Excused Membership is offered to members if the aggregate of the member’s years of age and years of membership in one or more clubs is 85 years or more, the member has been a member of one or more clubs for at least 20 years, and the member has notified the club's secretary in writing of the member’s desire to be excused from attendance and the board has approved. Excused Members will pay the quarterly dues and only for meals when they attend a meeting.
Membership Proposals....we will no longer ask for three references when you propose a new member. This was a criteria that our club had set not RI. This will help us process new members into our club more efficiently. You can access the membership proposal form online, under the Club Information site page.
Scrip Kwik Trip cards are still available for purchase. We have them in denominations of $10, $20, $25, $50, $100. We have about a $1000 on hand we would like to sell. Send a check to Lyn Sheffer at N6945 Pine Lane, Holmen, 54636 and she will send you the cards. Our club gets 5% back + if you use the card in store we will get another 10% back. Thank you for support our club fundraiser.