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....click here for online bulletins.
If you are reading this newsletter on the day it was published, (Monday, Oct. 22nd) you still have two days to prepare to reflect on World Polio day. Starting at 6:30pm on Wednesday, Oct. 24th, you will be able to live stream Rotary International’s (“RI”) event in Philadelphia on your smartphone or computer. This link will give you instructions on how to participate. https://www.rotary.org/en/how-watch-world-polio-day-2018-livestream. If you missed the live stream, RI will post a recording of the event online and should be accessible from a page via this same link.
At this RI event, global health experts and Rotary’s celebrity polio ambassadors will discuss our remarkable progress toward a polio-free world. Patience Asiimwe, the protagonist of Rotary’s upcoming virtual reality film “Two Drops of Patience,” will introduce the movie. A sneak peek from Rotary’s documentary “Drop to Zero” will also be featured. Jeffrey Kluger, senior editor for Time magazine, will discuss his experience traveling to Nigeria with Rotary to report on polio eradication. And we’ll celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Each week I have attempted to show a second video that isn’t related directly to RI, but has some current relevance or is just plain fun. This video combines both relevance and fun. It also has some beautiful imagery. The speaker is National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen and the link is: TED Talk: Ice Wonderlands.
Finally, invite someone to our Club’s meeting this week. We have money set aside to cover the cost of your guests’ meals.
Jamie Bakkum Gamez MD will give a presentation on Henrietta Lacks. (Jamie is the sister of Rotarian Andy Bakkum.)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Now an HBO® Film starring Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more. Henrietta's cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can't afford health insurance. This phenomenal New York Times bestseller tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew.
Thank you to Grant Withrow for sharing his life story with our membership. We always enjoy getting to know our fellow Rotarians better. Here is his PowerPoint presentation.
Grant is a member of our Humanitarian Committee and is promoting Warm Feet, Warm Hearts. You can bring your donations to our Rotary meetings....top three items needed...socks, long underwear and hand warmers.....here is the complete list of needs.
Put a team together with a few of your Rotary friends (minimum of three participants per team) and email rgeister@trane.com. Talent entries can include singing, lip syncing, dancing, or other talents (please, nothing involving fire)!
We're also soliciting sponsors to donate prizes for the event.
Our Youth Exchange Student for 2018-19 is Lucia from Spain.Info on Lucia.
Having a family outing...invite Lucia....it will be a rewarding experience for you and your family. Reminder if you are one-on-one with our youth exchange student you will need to have a background check done.Online Application for a background check.
We have Lucia's contact info in ClubRunner - under Cabanas Fernandez
You can connect with her at an upcoming meeting or give her a call!
Created in 2015, iFeed is a proclaimed holiday in La Crosse. iFeed is a one day event that brings the greater La Crosse community together to help alleviate hunger in the world and our own communities. The fourth annual event is organized by seven area high school Interact Clubs and their Rotarian advisors. Interact is the high school equivalent of Rotary that focuses on teaching servant leadership.
Part 1: Involves packing 100,000 + dried meals in assembly line fashion. The past two years we have shipped these meals to Nicaragua. This year they will be shipped to help victims from Hurricane Florence.
Part 2: Includes the collecting of non-perishable food items in the weeks preceding iFeed. The collections are all brought to Logan High School November 3rd for the area's largest food-drive. The items will be counted, sorted, and transported to the Hunger Task Force to be distributed to area food banks. They hope to collect 50,000 items this year. They are asking that you collect items at the corporate level and bring them to Logan High School that morning.
FRUIT BASKET FUNDRAISER....Our Fruit Basket Fundraiser is to generate financial resources for our club activities and service projects. The fundraiser also provides an opportunity for all club members to participate in an annual activity through the assembly, distribution, purchase and sale of fruit baskets during the holiday season.
Every Rotarian is obligated to buy or sell a minimum of five (5) baskets @ $20 a piece. You may allocate your baskets to a local pantry of your choice.
Does your business give employee gifts? Rotary Fruit Baskets are your answer! Each wicker basket contains 8 apples, 5 oranges, 3 pears and a bag of peanuts. The fruit is delicious and the sturdy basket makes an attractive keepsake. We have special rates for large orders: 200+ ($13), 100-199 ($15), 49-99 ($16), 1-48 ($20).
Order forms will be available at our upcoming meetings...our dates will be December 8th to assemble and deliver and December 10th to deliver. Save those dates!
theExchange - People helping People - Many families in our community need a helping hand. theExchange partners with local social service organizations to provide free gently used furniture, kitchen and household goods to community members in need.
Bill Hoel had two guests last week, Denise Shedivy (and her husband Carl). She volunteers with theExchange, which is a local non-profit helping the homeless. They’re a part of the La Crosse Collaborative to End Homelessness. What they do is, when a homeless person finally gets some shelter, the person’s social worker brings them to theExchange, and they get what Denise describes as “an apartment in a bag” – stuff needed to set up housekeeping, including some furniture. Problem is, theExchange is being removed from the donated space it has occupied for awhile. If anyone has a lead on possible space that might be available to this agency – they need about 3,000 sq. ft. , please reach Bill Hoel, who can connect you with the agency.
Message from the Fundraising Committee: Lee Rasch, Kerstin Boudreau, Kenna Christians, Sue Durtsche, Mary Ann Gschwind, Chuck Hanson, Kathryn Sexauer, Mike Swenson, Jodi Widuch, Todd Restel, Katie Berkedal and Catherine Kolkmeier.
As you know, we are celebrating 100 years of Rotary service to our region with the Growing Hearts Across the World campaign. The campaign will culminate with the completion of the Cameroon Garden in Riverside Park in the summer of 2019. The Garden will honor the rich cultural traditions of Cameroon and provide a wonderful gathering place overlooking the area where the the “Three Rivers” meet. Most importantly, it will serve as a model for community and international service for the upcoming generations of Rotarians.
To date, we have received excellent support from Rotarians. But we have not yet heard from all of you. The next phase of the Growing Hearts Across the World campaign will be to the Seven Rivers Region community. It is very important to be able to state to the community at large that Rotarians are fully committed to Growing Hearts Across the World. Indeed, there is no better message than to state...every Rotarian in our Club contributed. We have asked members to consider a $100 contribution pledge for up to two years. However, your contribution at any level will count. Please complete a pledge card and include with your payment.
Please turn in your pledge cards and contributions to Earlamae Dahlby or send your contribution to Rotary at P.O. Box 1914, La Crosse, WI 54602-1914.
One hundred years of service by Rotary has had a profound impact on the lives of many in our region and throughout the world. Come join us in celebrating this service...and help set the stage for generations of Rotarians in the years to come.If you would like more information, please contact Lee Rasch, Chuck Hanson or Eva Marie Restel.
We have put the Fellowships on the Committee Module on ClubRunner...you will be able to login and see who is on your Fellowship...email your Fellowship Group and post files if there is a need. We will also indicate who is the chair on that site once you provide that information to rotarylax@charter.net.
We will also have a Fellowships Page on our web site. We will include the chairs and their email on that page so members can contact the chair if they would like to join your Fellowships.
Your personalized newsletter that arrives in your email box each week will also indicate which committee, fellowships and what you have volunteered for - iFeed, Rotary Lights, etc....scroll to the end of your newsletter that you receive each week.
We are taking orders for Rotary Club of La Crosse Sweatshirts and Fleece jackets. See attached photos. The items are: Full-Zip Fleece; Full-Zip Hooded Sweatshirt; Pullover Hooded Sweatshirt and Crewneck Sweatshirt. All items are $30 each.
If you would like to order one, please contact Jamie Capuzzi at JamieCapuzzi@outback.com or 507.319.1141. Payment must be made to Jamie prior to submitting the order. Jamie will have order forms at our upcoming meetings.
Happy Wedding Anniversary Matt (Mindy) Durtsche - Oct 21 Ben (Laurie) Lachecki - Oct 21 Mike (Cindy) Seichter - Oct 21 Steve (Sude) Tanke - (honorary) - Oct 23 Peter (Amy) Grabow - Oct 25
Happy Rotary Anniversary Judy Kirkpatrick (honorary) - Oct 21 - 25 years Tom Thompson - Oct 21 - 19 years Don Zimmerman - Oct 22 - 31 years
ROTARY ATTENDANCE Oct 4th - 63% Oct 11th - 69% Oct 18th - 44%
Rotary Attendance policy is to attend or makeup at least 50% of the club meetings during the first six months and the second six months. They can be done by: • Attending regular club meetings • Making up meetings at other Rotary Clubs ( which includes E-Clubs) • Engaging in club projects/events/fellowship/board meetings.
100% Attendance Winners July - Sheila Wieser August - Bob Riutzel
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. 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.
Congratulations to Don Zimmerman winner of the $110.
Please note: Raffle, Fines, Birthday, Anniversaries and Scooters are all donations that will go to the club If you are making a donation and would like it to go to the Rotary Works Foundation or Rotary International Foundation, we ask that you write a check to the Foundation of your choice.
Oct 18th: Raffle $82: Fines $115: Scooters $0: Scrip $10
If you would like to volunteer for Rotarians in the News, be a greeter, a hospitality greeter, raffle ticket seller, scrip seller or announce guests, you can email the Monthly Duty Roster Coordinator that are listed above....just click on their name. If you would like to give your classification talk please contact Program Committee Chair Andy Bakkum.