Speakers

The Onalaska Hilltopper Rotary Club will share the story of our recent Puerto Vallarta Water Filter Project and the incredible impact Rotary can make when clubs work together.

With support from the Sparta Rotary Club and a District 6250 Grant, we raised $13,500 and helped provide 245 long-term water filtration systems to families in rural communities outside Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. These filters provide safe drinking water for more than 10 years, helping families improve their health while reducing the cost of bottled water.

Several Hilltopper Rotarians traveled to Mexico in February to assist with distribution and witness the impact firsthand. Join us to hear how a local Pork Q fundraiser turned into a life-changing international service project and what it was like to see Rotary's work in action. 

Short Bio on Dr. Larry Skendzel

Dr. Larry Skendzel graduated with honors from Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1990.  He has worked in hospice medical care for over 30 years!  First in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and for the last 8 years here in La Crosse as hospice medical director.  He loves working with a team of caring providers to put together a care plan for people with serious illnesses that incorporates their values and has a good chance of success!  For him, he sees healing evolve every day and new hope grow in the people he serves!

He and his wife, Missy, have 3 children who are all out in the world doing good things for their communities.  He loves to cook and time around the table with friends and family is such a great time to connect!  He loves Cajun and Creole cooking!  He loves going to music festivals and biking in the area.  Polka, New Orleans and French-Canadian music are favorites.

His personal perspective:   ”I feel so lucky to serve this generous community here in the Driftless!  I am a member of Rotary After Hours and a Youth Exchange Coordinator.”

An annual report from a few of our club committies. We will learn who they are, what their purpose is, what they are working on, and how members might become more involved.

We will hear from the Humanitarian Committte, Youth Exchange Committee, Fruit Box Committee, and Interact Committee this week.

Scott was accepted as a Rotarian on December 3, 2008.  He has held several roles in his club, particularly in the area of youth development, serving as Holmen Area Youth Exchange Officer and Holmen High School Interact Advisor. However, if you ask his friends when he “became” a Rotarian, it was four years later when he and members of the Holmen Area Rotary Club traveled to Peru to deliver bio-sand water filters to families living on an active garbage landfill and drinking contaminated water out of the Rimac River. For the cost of a good pair of shoes this filter could prevent disease and save lives for a family of nine. It was at that point Rotary opened his eyes and heart and empowered him to believe that a single person can make a difference with the dedicated support of 1.2 million members devoted to making a world better for everyone.

Another Rotary gift he has received is the confidence from District 6250 to serve as District Governor Nominee Elect and eventually as District Governor. When he is not doing something Rotary related, he owns and operates a family business selling manufactured homes and managing several manufactured home communities in the LaCrosse area. His family includes 3 adult children and his wife of over 33 years, Mary. In addition to any family event, the Ryan’s enjoy traveling anywhere in the world and sharing a meal or libation over a game of cards with friends and family.

Rotary has made him a better person, business owner, husband, father and friend. He is humbled and excited to be asked to serve in this leadership role for District 6250. Let’s make the world better…together!

Join us for an extraordinary conversation with Dr. Michael Osterholm, one of the world’s foremost experts on infectious diseases, in a compelling moderated interview with veteran journalist Rusty Cunningham, former publisher and executive editor of the River Valley News. 
As director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Osterholm has spent decades preparing the world for emerging health threats. His distinguished career includes advising the World Health Organization, the CDC, the NIH, and the U.S. Department of State on global health security and biosecurity. He is the co-author of the New York Times bestseller Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs, a member of the TIME100 Health list of the world’s most influential health leaders, and recipient of the American Medical Association’s Outstanding Government Service Award.
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear one of the world’s leading voices discuss today’s public health challenges, disease prevention, and the future of global health.