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 Andy Bakkum. If you would like to have a guest attend, please let Andy know and YOU can forward your email link to them.
Thanks to Sarah Arendt-Beyer you can now view past Zoom Rotary Meetings - she will post each week on our web site......LINK.
November 12, 2020
Dean Dickinson
Rotary Foundation Presentation
November is Rotary Foundation Month
Rotary International Foundation Web Site The mission of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is to enable Rotarians to advance international understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, support of education the alleviation of poverty. The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects.
Rotary Works Web Site The Rotary Works Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 organization, encourages Rotarians to enact the Rotary Four Way Test by financially supporting local and international charitable and educational activities.
Honorary Membership is offered to members who have distinguished themselves by meritorious service in the furtherance of Rotary ideals. Honorary membership is the highest distinction that a club may bestow and should be conferred only in exceptional cases. Honorary members cannot propose new members to the club or hold office and are exempt from attendance requirements and club dues. Honorary members are entitled to attend all meetings of this club and others, wear the RI emblem, badge or other insignia, and enjoy all the other privileges of the club other than the right to vote or hold office within the club. These statements are according to the Rotary International Manual of Procedure, Standard Rotary Club Constitution.
Rotary Club of La Crosse designated the following criteria in addition to the above.
As a Club, we’ve seen a lot of changes in how we connect because of the pandemic, and technology has given us new ways to meet.
Coming back together in person is likely going to be a gradual process, so we are looking at technology options to help us stay engaged and connected during (and between) our meetings, even after the pandemic is over. It’s not the same as in-person, but look at the opportunities we’ve had to bring in some great international speakers!
If you are interested in being part of this conversation, contact Lyn or Catherine Kolkmeier.
Last year Dean had announced he would no longer organize our Christmas Program. He has agreed to co-chair with Katie Berkedahl this year and help her plan the program. The show will go on!! Thank you to Dean and Katie for agreeing to co-chair this event.
Note from Katie.....the weather is starting to cool, so we've started preparations to warm your with the annual Rotary Holiday Program! Dean and I are working together this year to turn this virtual reality into the best show yet, but we need your help.
If you have children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, neighbors or whomever willing to share their holiday spirit through their musical gifts, please sign up. Because we're doing this thing virtually, think beyond local! Performers can join from anywhere in the world this time!
The program is December 17th at noon and we're looking for at least 10 families of performers.
Our next STAR Meeting will be this Thursday, November 12th - Zoom - 7 am - 8 am
Please RSVP to Todd Restel and he will send you the link to the meeting.
STAR - Specialized Training for Action in Rotary....you will meet other new Rotarians from the area. We will provide programs on the Avenues 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 Todd next Thursday, November 12th.
Who wants to play Jeopardy? Local superstar Andy Trebek will be their game host for the evening. Everything is on the table so start studying up on your Rotary IQ! The winning team will walk away with bragging rights and 100 Paul Harris Fellow points in each member's account. If you would like to join them AND be on a team...contact Marissa Dickinson at marissadickinson@gmail.com
If you would like to just join their meeting here is the link:
I am Rachel Zajicek, Vice President of Lodi High School's Interact club. Our club has created a webinar on polio for all of the Interact clubs in District 6250. The leader for Rotary International has agreed to speak, along with our district chair for PolioPlus.
Polio still exists to this day in 2 countries, and Rotary International's primary goal is to eradicate polio. PolioPlus was started in 1985 and thanks to its dedication over 2.5 billion people have received the polio vaccine. Come and discover more about why we need to end polio while learning about Interact's history with polio.
We ask you to share this webinar with your Rotary and Interact clubs, along with their schools. The webinar will be held on November 12th at 2pm. The link below will take you to the webinar homepage where you can learn more about this event. Make sure that anyone who wants to attend the meeting registers prior to that day. The registration can also be found on the webinar home page.
Fruit Basket Fundraiser.....will now be a Fruit BOX Fundraiser! Yes we will be having our fundraiser despite COVID-19! We are replacing the baskets with a box - same amount of fruit (8 apples, 4 oranges, 4 pears and a bag of peanuts). Boxes will cost less than the baskets, are recyclable and you will be able to personally send them to family and friends out of town.
David Amborn and Steve O'Malley have met with the La Crosse County Health Department to review what we will need to do to make this a safe and healthy event for our members and customers. Things may be a little different this year....we will be wearing masks and gloves, distant ourselves and work in shifts.
Boxes will be $23 each and every Rotarian must buy or sell 5 baskets OR if you wish you can do a buy out at $100. This is our major fundraiser of the year and we hope you will start promoting our fundraiser to your friends, family and co-workers. Do you know of a business that might want to purchase them as a gift for their employees? All proceeds go to our club and are used to support a wide variety of activities and initiatives (Youth Exchange, Interact, Wheels of Hope, Kids Coulee..lots of things.)
We will be assembling the boxes the weekend of December 12th....with deliveries on December 12th and 14th. So save the dates.
We hosted Rotary District 6250 Governor Bill Pritchard at our October 22nd meeting. If you missed the meeting and would like to view...here is the LINK. Bill talked about After Hours member David Knutson, who was the ultimate Rotarian. David believed that saying YES to service leads to a happy life. District Governor Bill Pritchard asked the president of each club in our district to select a “Yes Person” for recognition by Governor Pritchard, a person who always says “yes” when needed. Bill asked all the clubs in the district to identify the member that most exemplified David's Rotary spirit. One lucky "YES Rotarian" from the District Clubs will be chosen to attend the RI Convention in Tapei next June 2021.
La Crosse Downtown Executive committee chose Bruce Swanwick as our "YES" recipient.
Our "Yes Person" for downtown La Crosse Rotary Club is Bruce Swanwick. Bruce has been our rock in our club for the last 15 years. He was Rotarian of the Year in 2015-16. Served on our Board of Directors as Secretary from 2015-18 and he is a Paul Harris +2.
When we were having onsite meetings he was always there to help set-up for meetings and also to help clean up after meetings. He would fill in and sell raffle tickets and scrip when we would have no shows. He would help some of our elder members who were having transportation issues get to meetings, because he knew it was important to them. He is also an ambassador to our club. He frequently invites guests and recruits new members to our club. One of Bruce’s favorite places to visit is Howies, which is a bar located close to UW La Crosse campus and he will often visit with young people at Howie’s and invite them as guests to our Rotary meetings and they will come to our meetings. One student, Katie Shephardson became one of our Rotary Global Scholars thanks to Bruce!
During our club fruit basket fundraiser, Bruce is in charge of the children and organizing them to help move completed fruit baskets and organizing them. Andy Bakkum stated, "somehow he is able to get all these young people of different ages to work together which is almost magical when you see it. Then on top of that he usually gives them something to thank them for their service. I know one year he gave my children $5 each for helping out, but he told them that the greatest thing they could do with that money is put it in a salvation army bucket and give it to a person who needs it more than them. I believe both of my children did that, although one of them might have bought some gum first and donated the remainder."
This is just the tip of the iceberg of what Bruce does. There is so much more, that I am sure we don’t know about, because Bruce isn’t someone who looks for recognition for his contributions. He has a huge heart and lives the Four-Way-Test and that is why Bruce is Downtown La Crosse Rotary "Yes Rotarian"!
We thank Bill Pritchard for honoring the "Yes Rotarians" within our District 6250.
Honorary Rotarian Mike Hartigan. Mike had extensive skin cancer surgery. He is recovering well. W7394 Sylvester Road, Holmen WI 54636.
We continue to send well wishes to Rotarian Diana Carey, Rotarian Tim Ehler, Rotarian Pat Smith and Barb Hammes (Rotarian Bud Hammes' wife) all dealing with health issues.
Rotary Club of La Crosse highlighted four previous youth exchange students recapping their experience and what they're doing now. Jack Haase moderated the discussion. Thank you to all of them for joining us last week and letting us know how being a Youth Exchange Student changed their lives.
Meg Steuer (daughter of Anne Snow), Outbound from La Crosse to Chile, 2007-08 Rotary Youth Exchange, without a doubt, changed my life and made me who I am today. The experience allowed me to discover a new culture, learn a new language, build confidence in myself and develop empathy for others. Upon returning, I was more open-minded, adaptable and confident I could take on any challenge. This led me to live abroad for 3 semesters in college and travel to over 30 countries, allowing me to continue to learn, grow and develop a passion for connecting with people across difference. Over time, I fell in love with business/entrepreneurship and my midwestern roots called me back home to complete my MBA and begin working with startups in Minnesota. In every aspect of my role as a community builder, I have leaned on skills I developed as an exchange student to listen actively, think globally, adapt quickly, connect authentically and work inclusively. In 2020, these skills are more important than ever and have allowed me to effectively convene diverse partners to serve our community and create impact amid a global pandemic, economic downturn, civil unrest and an unprecedented election. Meg currently resides in Minneapolis – St. Paul, MN where she works at GREATER MSP managing Forge North – a coalition supporting the startup community.
Sabrina Jeckelman, Inbound from Switzerland, 2005-06 For the teenage me “exchange year” was equivalent to “language exchange”, and by language I meant English. Little did I know back in 2005 how much more I would learn from a youth exchange. Not only did I discover a lot about different cultures and countries, including my own, but I gained a new understanding of friendships and got over my homesickness. I learned to trust that with an open mind, a sense of adventure and a smile you can make friends and feel at home almost anywhere. Today, I am married to a German and live in China. I draw my energy from all the interesting people around me, live with many languages and am eager to learn new things every day. My exchange year has strengthened my confidence and motivated me to tackle whatever adventure comes my way. Thank you Rotary for giving me this opportunity 15 years ago.
Meghan (Gallagher) Shaughnessy (daughter of honorary Rotarian Jim Gallagher), Outbound from La Crosse to India, 1989-90 I think the biggest impact my year abroad had on me was confidence - not only in myself, but also confidence in the world around me. It strengthened my belief that everything happens for a reason and when faced with challenges, the only option is flexibility and acceptance of change. If you can do that, everything will always work out the way it was meant to be.
Allyson Lowbridge, Inbound from Australia, 1988-89 Five ways that being a Rotary Exchange Student influenced my life: 1. Food connects people. 2. Back yourself and say yes - the year away from home was an incredibly propelling confidence booster. 3. Travel helps you get outside yourself - what a way to build your sense of adventure, curiosity and empathy. 4. Be grateful for the luck and the love that you experience every day. 5. World peace is the lofty goal that can be achieved if we tap into our human interconnectedness of shared feelings and needs.
During the past decade, Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation (named for its founder Razia Jan) has created transformative change by educating more than 1,000 girls from kindergarten through college. Graduates have have gone on to become teachers, midwives and shop owners, equipping them to support their families and creating positive economic and social impact where they live and work.
Consider this: 1) If all women were able to complete high school, 49 million children would be saved from severe malnutrition; 2) If all women were able to complete high school, child mortality would decrease by 49%; 3) Women reinvest 90% of their income in their families, compared with 30-40% invested by men.
Razia needs a bus. It all begins with getting girls to school safely. More than half of the students attending Razia's school, the Zabuli Education Center, live more than five miles from school. These students must travel through areas where others may harm them for attempting to gain an education. That's why Rotary Clubs in La Crosse, Wisconsin, launched a campaign called “Wheels of Hope" to purchase a bus and a van that can safely take the girls to and from school.
The goal was to raise $45,000 and we raised $46,000!!
Last week Jodi Widuch, chair of the Wheels of Hope project presented $46,000 to Razia at our Zoom Meeting.
Each week President Andy will interview one of our Rotary Family. We will post the video each week in our newsletter. We will also post on Facebook and our website: PAGE LINK. You can share this site with prospective members.
Last week Andy interviewedJohn Honadel click on photo to view.
It's two... two... TWO magazines in one! The special edition of Coulee Parenting COVID & Our Community.
$6 a copy, 100 percent to the six organizations listed below. Please help them reach their goal of raising $1,000 for each of them.
Missed the curbside release and other events for Coulee Parenting's special edition, COVID & Our Community? It's NOW AVAILABLE for a $6 donation from 2-4pm Mon.-Fri. at the rear entrance to the Children's Museum - simply text 608-317-8748 and they'll meet you at the doors (the Museum remains closed). Or save the trip and enjoy home delivery for $10 ($6 donation, $4 postage and fees).
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.
As a Club, we’ve seen a lot of changes in how we connect because of the pandemic, and technology has given us new ways to meet.
with the annual Rotary Holiday Program! Dean and I are working together this year to turn this virtual reality into the best show yet, but we need your help. 
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GET WELL WISHES 
