Speakers

Join us for the Rotary Club of La Crosse's Annual Meeting and Mystery Program!

Discussion with slides focusing on Gene Moran of Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin. During WWII, Gene, a 19-year-old tail gunner on a Flying Fortress bomber plane, was shot down over Nazi Germany and fell four miles without a parachute. He survived, but was quickly captured by the Germans. My talk will focus on Gene's war and the development of the book which told his story - Tailspin.

John Armbruster grew up in rural Central Wisconsin and currently resides outside Viroqua, Wisconsin. He graduated from UW-Madison with a journalism degree and then went on to write for a public radio program and two Wisconsin newspapers: The La Crosse Tribune and the Marshfield News Herald. John returned to UW-Madison and earned a degree in secondary education-social studies, and later, a master’s in education from Viterbo University. John recently retired after a 30-year career teaching a variety of middle school and high school social studies courses. John has two sons: Matthew, a police officer in Madison, and Joe, a biosecurity technician for the USDA in Iowa.
Tailspin is John’s first book.

Sharon and Mark Jolivette will be sharing stories of their Rotary Friendship Exchange (RFE) to District 3850 in the Central Visayas islands of the Philippines.  They experienced Rotarians at work in incredible ways, along with tremendous hospitality, and are eager to share photos and experiences.  And they hope to encourage members to expand their Rotary world through Rotary travel, experiences of club activities in other countries, and the home stays that lead to lifelong friendships.

THE PURPOSE OF ROTARY LIGHTS, INC. IS TO FEED THE HUNGRY OF THE COULEE REGION 

https://www.rotarylights.org/

The annual Rotary Lights display began in 1995 and has grown tremendously since then due to the fantastic support from the greater La Crosse community.

Pat Stephens has partnered with incredible volunteers and volunteer organizations since then and now, nearly 130,000 visitors per year enjoy this holiday tradition while driving, walking or taking a carriage ride through Riverside Park.

At our meeting, the past year's illumination of the downtown waterfront and some of the people who helped make it a success will be celebrated with checks to multiple organizations.

Pat Stephens retired in 2013 from UW-L after many years in leadership with its Foundation.  He is the "Irish Man of the Year", an Iverson-Freking Ecumenical award recipient, long-time leader of Freedom Fest, recipient of Viterbo University's Pope John XXIII award and the driving force behind many community fund raisers and community events.

Alan has been a Rotarian for many years and is a member of the Northfield, MN club of 148 members. He is a Paul Harris Fellow, and a member of Rotary International’s Environmental Sustainability Action Group (ESRAG). In 2017 he & several friends started a Rotary Climate Action Team (RCAT) in his club. Over the last several years, he has presented on climate change to over 180 church, school, business, fraternal and senior organizations, including 78 Rotary clubs.

In Oct. 2012, Alan and his wife Deb attended the Nobel conf. at Gustavus Adolphus College, on the health of our oceans, with some of the top scientists in the field, making presentations. This inspired Alan to take an on-line college course from MIT, on the Science of Climate Change, and begin giving public education talks on the subject.

He and his wife, Debbie, have been married 50 yrs, and have two grown kids, and five little grandchildren, who focus his concern on the health of the planet we will leave to them.

Rusty Cunningham is an award-winning journalist who served as editor and publisher of the La Crosse Tribune and River Valley Media Group for nearly 25 years. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2024.

As we approach the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war, you’ll hear what it was like to be a kid in a small village while the war raged in the nearby countryside.  Tan Pham will talk about the stroke of luck that allowed him (at age 12) and his immediate family to escape shortly before the fall of Saigon.

You’ll be moved by Tan’s experience of joy when he was finally able to return to Vietnam and to see his grandparents for the first time in 20 years; and you’ll gain an understanding of how the country has grown since the war ended and the military presence left.

Tan is the owner of Cuisine Adventure Tours and at least twice a year takes inspired visitors to see his homeland.

Haven for Special People is a like-minded group of parents, friends, and educators uniting around a common goal of providing a life-long residential community for people with disabilities living side by side with people who are not disabled.  Our board member parents of children with special needs know first-hand the challenges and concerns for their children as they grow older and want them to live independent, purpose-filled lives. Since our first meeting in 2022, we remain focused on the  ision that the challenges of a disability should not prevent individuals from living in their own home in a community of their choosing. We believe that inclusivity is the key and that all residents benefit from living in a “neighborhood in a building”. We also believe in extending this inclusivity to include the economic spectrum as well and will offer rent profiles that cover a wide range.

Rick Diermeier has been involved in the Onalaska community since making it home in 2004. He served as CEO at L. B. White Company for seven years and on the boards of: Mayo Clinic La Crosse Foundation, Outdoor Recreation Alliance and La Crosse County Sustainability Commission. Since retiring from his corporate career, Rick is proud to serve as the Vice President of the Flyway Trail Board of Directors. the La Crosse County Committee on Transit and Active Transportation and as a member of L. B. White’s Board of Directors.

In 2021, Rick attended the grand opening of Home of Our Own in New Glarus where the daughter of close family friends had recently relocated. Despite being largely non-communicative and requiring 24 hour care, she was thriving, living independently in her new home. After touring her apartment and community spaces and meeting her neighbors, Rick left confident that this building was really a supportive and vibrant village that would drive positive change in many families’ lives. Home of Our Own’s founders, Mary Anne and Susan expressed their desire to help others to build inclusive “neighborhoods in a building” like they had done in New Glarus.
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Returning home from that grand opening night, the idea for Haven for Special People sparked for Rick and Julie. They are determined to create a safe haven in the Coulee Region that will empower young people to live their lives to the fullest, no matter their level of abilities.

Do you have an idea? Have you heard a presentation recently that inspired you?  Let us know!

Contact Richard Strauss, Program Chair, with details.

Continuing an effort begun by the La Crosse Tribune, our club will honor recipients from local high schools with the "Extra Effort Award".

Students will receive a financial scholarship donated through the generosity of many Rotary Club of La Crosse members.

Recipients will be joined by those who have supported them in their educational journey thus far such as their parents, administators, staff and fellow students.  

This is an ongoing project of our Youth Committee with leadership from Tom Berkedal.

Agi will share his reflections upon life in La Crosse as a Rotary International Friendship Exchange Student from Finland.

The Rotary Club of La Crosse is sponsoring Inbound Youth Exchange Student Agi for the 2024-2025 school year!

Agi is a student at Central High School in the School District of La Crosse.

Julia Behrenbeck coordinates our Youth Exchange student's schedule with their host families, as well as the background check process required for Rotarians to spend time alone with Agi.  

Committee Members: Hope Clements, Duane and Karen Abata, Michelle Skemp, Michael Wagner  

Do you have an idea? Have you heard a presentation recently that inspired you?  Let us know!

Contact Richard Strauss, Program Chair, with details.

Jason Gilman presentas on the redevelopment in the City of La Crosse and the River Point District Story and how it implementing the citizens vision of an urban neighborhood at a time housing is highly desired.