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 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.
This Week at Rotary:
Dean Dickinson & Andy Bakkum
Paul Harris Presentations
Dean Dickinson and Andy Bakkum will pay tribute to a host of generous La Crosse Rotary Club members with Paul Harris Fellow awards, about 25 to be specific. Dean will give you the history and Andy made the rounds collecting pictures with the awardees.
Paul Harris Fellows Continuing the legacy of our founder, the Paul Harris Fellow program recognizes individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.
The honor was established in 1957 to show appreciation for contributions that support our Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Foundation grant.
Rotary started with the vision of one man — Paul Harris
After setting up his law practice in Chicago, Harris gathered several business associates to discuss the idea of forming an organization for local professionals. He envisioned a place where professionals of diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. On 23 February 1905, Harris, Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and Hiram Shorey gathered at Loehr’s office in Room 711 of the Unity Building in downtown Chicago. This was the first Rotary club meeting.
“I was sure that there must be many other young men who had come from farms and small villages to establish themselves in Chicago ... Why not bring them together? If others were longing for fellowship as I was, something would come of it.”
In February 1907, Harris was elected the third president of the Rotary Club of Chicago, a position he held until the fall of 1908. Toward the end of his club presidency, Harris worked to expand Rotary beyond Chicago. Some club members resisted, not wanting to take on the additional financial burden. But Harris persisted and by 1910 Rotary had expanded to several other major U.S. cities.
Harris died on 27 January 1947 in Chicago at age 78 after a prolonged illness.
His death prompted an outpouring of contributions from around the world and his name continues to evoke the passion and support of Rotarians and friends of Rotary.
Jon Steffes Wings in the Wind: The Armistace Day Storm of 1940
When not hunting or fishing, Jon Steffes is an elementary teacher in La Crescent, Minnesota. Besides teaching fourth grade and his involvement with summer athletic programs and the school’s foundation, Jon enjoys writing novels. His second book is called Wings in the Wind: The Armistice Day Storm of 1940. Wings in the Wind uses Jon’s father as the main character, following Bob Steffes through the blizzard that killed dozens of duck hunters in the Mississippi River bottoms in November, 1940. Jon discussed the blizzard, Wings in the Wind, and his other works during the program. Learn more at jonsteffes.com.
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 interviewed Rotarian Kurt Schroeder - click on photo to view.
Happy Birthday Kaycie Green - Aug 16 Nancy Mueller - Aug 17 Dave Trapp - Aug 17 Mary Mickelson - Aug 21 Ray Kline (H) - Aug 22 Katy Wood - Aug 22
Happy Wedding Anniversary Dave (Bonnie) Koudelka (H) - Aug 16 Sheila (Richard) Wieser - Aug 17 Peter (Susie) Hughes - Aug 18 Ian (Whitney) Turner - Aug 18 Mark (Cindy) Cassellius - Aug 21 Dave (Betty) Trapp - Aug 21
Rotary Anniversary Randy Nelson - Aug 18 - 9 years Mary Kay Wolf - Aug 19 - 10 years
Jennifer E. Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, has been nominated to become Rotary International’s president for 2022-23, a groundbreaking selection that will make her the first woman to hold that office in the organization’s 115-year history.
Jones will officially become president-nominee on 1 October if no other candidates challenge her.
Benefits of sponsoring an ad on the Rotary Club of La Crosse web site: Enhance your business' public relations and image. Advertise an upcoming event. Opportunity to sponsor and support the Rotary Club of La Crosse and your community. Sharing with fellow Rotarians in our club and other local clubs who would like to know what you do.
Why advertise on the Rotary Club of La Crosse web site?The majority of visitors to our website are members and friends of our club. This makes our site's web sponsorship an ideal opportunity for small and large businesses to promote their products, services or an upcoming event in our community. Moreover 100% of the advertising revenue goes back to our club; this in turn supports the local community.
Cost is $20 per month up to $120 per year . . . . click here for form and more information. We will include your logo/link on our web site, send one email blast to all Rotarians and include an initial mention in our newsletter and on our Facebook page.
Click on the logos under Web Site Sponsors...located on right side of our home page and in each newsletter.
New Sponsors this Month
Catholic Charities
Coulee Region 2020 Back2school Event Help area families get ready to go back to school! Donations will be used to buy school supplies to help students start the year off on the right foot.
Anyone donating $50 or more will receive a bronze Rotary Centennial coin.
To date, over $30,000 has already been pledged! We're simply amazed as the private and corporate support keeps rolling in. Al set a pretty big goal for this event and shared with a few people privately that if we could exceed $40,000 he would be speechless. Let's see if we can make it happen and provide even more support for the important work New Horizons is doing in our community.
Our "Wheels of Hope" project has been awarded a Rotary District Grant of $14,500. Thanks to committee member Teresa Pierce who wrote and submitted the grant. The Committee will be updating us soon on the final phase of this project.
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
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.