Stories

Members of the Rotary Club of Waukee, enjoyed hearing from the keynote speaker, Steve Chapman on Thursday, August 28th,  how skills and talent can successfully be transferred from one job to another. Mr. Chapman served for 18 years as CEO of the ITA Group, which is a highly successful corporate and incentive travel firm in West Des Moines and serves a national clientele. Presently Steve Chapman serves as CEO of Ruan Management Systems, one of the largest transportation and logistics companies in the country.

Special Olympics Iowa’s West Central Area hosted its annual root beer float fundraiser on Saturday, August 16 at Hy-Vee stores in the Des Moines area.

Waukee Rotary volunteers and their families served the root beer floats, Wells Blue Bunny provided the ice cream and A & W provided the root beer.

Dr. James D. Polk consulted with the Chilean government during the mining crises and his strategic planning helped save numerous lives!
Dr. Polk has an extensive and diverse background in medicine and administration. He has valuable experience in accreditation and the evaluation of medical education. Dr. Polk has worked for the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS)  Before working at DHS, he spent seven years in aerospace medicine at NASA.
Currently Dr. Polk is the Dean at Des Moines University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. 

Active Aging Fitness.

Experiences of their trip to the Blessman Ministries in South Africa.

Katie Greving presented on behalf of Decoding Dyslexia Iowa to the Rotary Club of Waukee on Thursday, May 29th 2014.

United Way’s Shirley Burgess was the keynote speaker at Waukee Rotary on Thursday, May 22nd and presented a very informative program about volunteering.

I am sure that like I, those that braved the chilly temperatures for the groundbreaking were glad they took the time to do so. Being part of an event that is almost a decade in the making was a fantastic experience. The groundbreaking opened with the pledge of allegiance and was followed by a poem about the value of having a place to spend time with family. Representatives from the many facets of the project and the city of Des Moines had an opportunity to address the audience and all shared the theme of how great it was that Rotary could be part of such an historic part of the Principal River Walk and all of the many individuals that helped along the way. Along with some of the major donors given credit, such as the Gabus Family and Principal, two individuals from our own club were named as major parts of the success of the project outside of the Des Moines Club, Erna Morain and Roger Schlaefer whose leadership and inspiration drove much of the spirit of this project. After the photos had been taken, the event ended with the entire group reciting the four way test which, considering the project, all of the many Rotarians that participated in its success, and the benefit this will have to the community, a more perfect ending could not have had. 

Jeremy Masterson

Every Waukee senior who makes it into the School-to-Work (STW) Program ends up at an internship throughout the community. I was honored with being the intern at the Waukee Rotary Club for the year of 2013-2014. I started this internship in the fall of ’13 and will finish in May of ’14. Throughout these 7 months, I have made tremendous progress within Rotary.
 
Before STW, I had never heard of Rotary. So I was very open-minded when I went in, not knowing what to expect. The first thing I noticed was how nice the Rotarians were. At the beginning, I did not know any of them, however, as the internship went on, I developed relationships with the majority of them that I hope to keep even after my internship ends. The people in Waukee Rotary are different in so many ways, but alike in one big way, they always put others before themselves. Growing up, my parents always taught me this, but seeing a group of adults living their lives by it is truly inspiring.
 
My tasks within Rotary consist of many different things. Depending on what event we have approaching, I might be entering information into a database online or tying ribbon around bags of M&M’s to hand out. There really isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to help Rotary be a successful non-profit organization. Every week the Waukee Rotarians and I have the pleasure to hear a keynote speaker from a different business or organization present to the Rotary. By the end of week, I write an article about the speaker’s presentation to recap what they had talked about in case a Rotarian couldn’t make it that day. So many Rotarians are out trying to help the world, one business at a time, so I am glad when they miss a meeting, I can help them feel like they were there all along.
 
I have had the honor to be the Waukee Rotary intern in the year of 2013-2014. From this experience, I have learned what it means to be a true Rotarian. This means volunteering around your community, starting donations for an important causes, sharing stories from life that will impact others in a positive way and much more. I admire so many Waukee Rotarians for their heart, selflessness and generosity when it comes to lending a helping hand, and I hope to be the kind of person they are someday. I want to thank the Waukee Rotary Club for not only helping introduce me into the business world, but also creating such a positive impact in my life that will stick with me throughout the rest of my future endeavors.

District Governor, Waukee Rotarians, Rotarians, Family and Friends, thank you for joining us today to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the chartering of the Rotary Club of Waukee.  It is great to see so many of you here this morning. I have received apologies from members who are out in Washington DC with the annual Greater Des Moines partnership, or who were unable to be here with us.

In 1999 on May 18th our club was chartered and the club had weekly Thursday meetings at Immanuel Lutheran Church. These 15 years we have built on the work of our previous leaders and our Waukee Rotary Club is  what it is today because each president has picked up the baton and through the changes the Club has evolved in a positive way. 

Today I would like to honor and congratulate  7 of the original members in our club:

Craig Butterfield

John Wemer

Paul Kerkhoff

Jim Riordan

Mike Stifel

Roger Schlaefer

Dave Horner

Thank you and congratulations. Would all of our presidents stand up now and let us show you our appreciation. To honor them, we have a certificate for each of the charter members and presidents to commemorate his or her service.

I have asked all our past president to e mail me a memory or highlight of their year in office and  you will find those memories on our club runner web page(www.waukeerotary.org). I encourage you to spend a few minutes reading the highlights.

It’s a dutch tradition that when a person has a birthday or anniversary , everyone congratulates all that person’s family members. Because I am Dutch, I am going to congratulate every Waukee Rotarian for the Club’s 15th anniversary.

There is a framed certificate for each one of you, which we are going to distribute now. 

You should all congratulate your selfs on the growth of a great club and our 15th anniversary.

Erna Morain,

President 2013/14

Rotary Club of Waukee

Thanks to Craig Thompson and all of those who gave up their time to do a really worthwhile project that will mean a lot for years to come to the family who owns the home. This is just one more example of Service Above Self.

The Waukee Rotary club was honored several times for its membership growth and received the presidential citation award at the 2014 District Conference in Ames this weekend.

The Morains, Holmes, Wheelers, Rasmussens, Robbins, and Dr. Blessman all shared the excitement of the conference and the opportunity to meet Rotarians from the other 63 clubs in District 6000. 

Highlights included a surprise welcome from “the Mayor” of Ames, Fred Hoiberg, who was actually subbing for the real mayor of Ames, who recently suffered a heart attack. Hoiberg received an excited standing ovation from the crowd when he entered the room. 

District Governor Jacque Andrew of Jefferson completed the highlight of her term on a high note as she presided over a stimulating and thought provoking conference which emphasized both international successes of Rotary and opportunities to strengthen local clubs. 

Rotary International Vice President, Anne Matthews, a real southern belle from South Carolina, wowed the crowd with her inspirational message about women in Rotary and the opportunity for all Rotarians to make a difference.

The conference gave the opportunity to become more acquainted with leading Rotarians from all the clubs in District 6000. Some of the Waukee Rotarians had the opportunity to absorb ideas for successful programs from other clubs and brag about our own successes this year. 

Jacque Andrew called on the talents of the Jefferson Rotary, her home club, to help organize the well run conference. 

If you have never attended a District Conference, you missed the opportunity to get to know what Rotary International is about, be challenged,entertained, and inspired by the tremendous accomplishments of the organization unlike any other in the world.

On Thursday, May 1, the Rotary Club of Waukee had Mary LaHay present on behalf of the Iowa Friends of Companion Animals non-profit charity. This charity’s main concern is about the welfare of our pets. LaHay spoke mainly about the puppy mills in Iowa and what we can to do help put a stop to unfair animal treatment.

Puppy mills are a place that ship and sell puppies all across the country. She shared with us that Iowa is number 2 in the country on highest puppy mill concentration. The biggest problems with puppy mills are their environmental surroundings, owners and treatment.

The environments some dogs are forced to live in are horrendous. This includes not proper sanitizing within the facility, major health risks between the dogs and much more. This fault falls directly on the owners’ shoulders. The Iowa Friends of Companion Animals believes everything is entirely because of the owner. Dogs are in great shape and look healthy? It is because the owner was properly treating them. Dogs have lost eyes and possess infections that can potentially be fatal? It is because the owner did not treat them with the right care that dogs should be treated, which leads into the last problem, how the owners treat the animals. The information LaHay shared with the Rotarians were surprising to most. One fact being that some puppy mill owners power wash their facility to remove waste and such, being done so while the dogs are still in cages.

After LaHay’s presentation, the Rotary learned the severity of some puppy mills across the state, understanding the charity’s mission statement in great detail, “To advance the humane and responsible treatment of companion animals through collaboration and public awareness.” Thank you to Mary LaHay for sharing some insight on puppy mills and telling people there is always something they can do to help.

 Morgan McLaughlin

Join us on Tuesday, April 15th from 5-6:30PM for the Waukee Rotary Social at the Embassy Club West in West Des Moines.

Donate any amount. Your Dollars will benefit Rotary projects in our communities and world wide! 

The Rotary Club of Waukee’s 2014 Auction and Wine-Tasting event was held on Saturday, April 12 at Shottenkirk Chevrolet in Waukee. Club President Erna Morain welcomed guests to the event on behalf of all the 63 members and thanked Rotarians, area individuals and businesses for their donations for the live and silent auction. Guests enjoyed live music by Larry Berenguel,  Hors d'oeuvres and Desserts which were prepared by the award-winning Waukee High School ProStart students. All the money raised will benefit the many Rotary projects in our communities and world wide.

On Thursday, April 3rd we had Matt Wille, the CEO of Dallas County Hospital, speak to Waukee Rotary at the YMCA Healthy Living Center in Clive. Over the years, Dallas County Hospital has continued to focus on providing the highest quality healthcare to the people we serve through their knowledgeable staff and physicians, up-to-date facility and modern equipment. Their mission statement is, “To improve the health of the people we serve”, and their vision is “Partnering to deliver quality healthcare now and into the future through passionate caregivers with open arms.”

On Thursday March 27, the Waukee Rotary had Chris Jones speak about the Vision Soccer Academy, also known as VSA. This academy began in 1996 with over 700 member families. VSA provides soccer development opportunities for nearly 1,100 players every year. These players come from all across the state of Iowa including Grimes, Waukee, Urbandale, Johnston, Van Meter, Clive, and West Des Moines. VSA offers four different leagues a child can play in. This consists of a developmental league for 3 and 4 year olds, recreational for U5-U19, academy for U9-U10 and select for U11-U19.

Jones introduced the new VSA soccer complex that will soon be coming to the Waukee area. This is an area of soccer fields on 18.5 acres of land that will be located right in town next to the newest Waukee Elementary School, Timberline. There will be one main field with turf and stadium lights, dozens of additional grass soccer fields, a track, multi-purpose building with restrooms and concession stands and plenty of parking for all events that might be hosted there. VSA chose to build this new soccer complex to help encourage soccer development, be able to host more tournaments, create a soccer destination for the Waukee Community and to help meet the needs for sports facilities in the Waukee area.

Today at Waukee Rotary we had Tivon Feeley, the Forest Health Program Leader at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, speak with us about ash trees and the arrival of the emerald ash borer. What is this insect you ask? It is a green insect that is a primary invader who attacks ash trees and kills other healthy trees as well. It was first seen in Summer of 2002, and has been a big infestation problem ever since. But how do you know if you have the larva in your trees? There are many signs. If you see a split in the tree, that is a big indicator. If you peel off the bark, you can really get a good look to see if it is present or not. Underneath the bark there will be "S" shaped trails that the borer makes to make its presence known. One other sign to look for is white spots in the bark. These spots are left by woodpeckers who eat the larva that are living in the ash tree.
 
The emerald ash borer problem seems to keep getting bigger and bigger. There are a few solutions out there to get rid of them and save your ash trees, however they can be unpredictable and pricey. Feeley discussed how this insect is spreading over the country so fast, and the answer is through infested firewood, logs and trees. It has gotten so bad, there has been boundaries set up throughout the country that says people can't bring firewood across it. A lot of people are doing they're best to try and limit the problem but unfortunately we still have a long way to go.
 
Thank you to Tivon Feeley and his VERY interesting presentation about the emerald ash borer. He made a lot of Rotarians aware of a very serious problem occurring right now in the U.S. 

Morgan McLaughlin

Behindthe Scenes at the State Dinner for Vice President Xi Jinping.

Many Waukee Rotarians and their families/friends, got a twofer on Saturday night(February 8th, 2014) and the chance to support Polio Plus. Waukee Rotary made a great showing at both the Iowa Energy basketball victory (85-82) at Wells Fargo Arena and the Metro Rotary Friends and Family event at the Iowa Hall of Pride which preceded the game. 

Today, January 30th , 2014,  we had Theresa Liewer, from the Iowa Genealogical Society, speak to Waukee Rotary. The Iowa Genealogical Society is active in promoting family history, education, and the preservation of records vital in the search for your ancestors. The Society’s mission is to create and foster an interest in genealogy and to aid others in researching their family history.(iowagenealogy.org). It is a system that  really allows people to dive deep in their family's past. It is supported by memberships and donations. The IGS also offers beginning genealogy classes.

At the Waukee Rotary we had Bill Northey, the Secretary of Agriculture, share a little bit of background of agriculture and how important it is to keep up with it. Agriculture is more important than a lot of people think. Northey talked about how the demand of crops, such as corn, goes up as the population number continues to rise as well. 
Today, there are about 7 billion people in the world. Northey estimated that number to be at about 9 billion in the next 30-40 years. This means the crops need to be able to keep up and provide enough food for those billions of families. He mentioned that if just Iowa alone were a country, it would be the fourth largest corn producing country in the world. Northey believes it is an honor to be a part of the great agriculture business in this world, because it is today and forever will be a family operation.

        On Friday, November 1st, I attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the beginning of the Alice's Road Corridor Project in Waukee. This is a big step for the Waukee Community because the numbers within it keep increasing, which causes the city to expand as well. With the expansion of the city comes some expansions of developmental projects, Alice's Road being the biggest at this time.
         I feel extremely honored to have had the experience to be at this event as an intern with the Rotary because it really opened my eyes to how much our community works together to accomplish one goal. I had a great time meeting new people that included Senator Harkin, Senator Grassley and Mayor Peard. From attending this event, I realized how many people work so hard and put forth so much to make sure the Waukee Community is the best it can be.

Join our Club!

Becoming part of Rotary is a fantastic way to network with other business and community professionals while at the same time serving your community by putting Service Above Self.  If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact Erna Morain, President 2013-14 at morain4rotary@gmail.com or Craig Thompson at Craig.Thompson@RyanCompanies.com or 515-309-8512. 

Today's Rotary Foundation Minute is provided as a reminder to ALL of us that the Foundation is the primary way in which we are involved in the 4^th avenue of service - International Service.

These past seven weeks you've heard short bursts of information about YOUR Foundation; how it started, what it has become, what it does with your gifts. I hope you're as convinced as I am about the need to become a Sustaining Member of the Foundation. Without the support of Every Rotarian Every Year we will not accomplish what we are capable of doing. Your district, District 6000, has an enviable record of giving and you can feel justifiably proud.

District 6000 has given $5,718,754 in just the past ten years!

Please give yourselves a well-deserved round of applause. Please,.if you haven't yet made the commitment, do so now as we near the end of November, Foundation month. Without you, our picture is incomplete!

Today's Rotary Foundation Minute is provided as a reminder to ALL of us that the Foundation is the primary way in which we are involved in the 4^th avenue of service - International Service.

The "Matching Grants" program of the Foundation assists Rotary Clubs and districts in carrying out humanitarian international service projects in cooperation with Rotarians in another country. Whether its service roads, wells, reservoirs, dams, latrines, toilet blocks, or water supplies, Matching Grants programs are the "down-to-earth" projects that make such a difference to the truly poor of the world. Unfortunately, demand for Matching Grants far outstrips our current resources. This is why the Every Rotarian Every Year is so critical. With nearly 1.2 million members world-wide, the Foundation COULD be receiving and allocating $120 million or more each year instead of our current $90 million that is available now.

Today's Rotary Foundation Minute is provided as a reminder to ALL of us that the Foundation is the primary way in which we are involved in the 4^th avenue of service - International Service.

Four years ago, in an effort to do something more than just talk about world peace, Rotary established seven Centers for Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution around the globe-two in the United States. Each year up to 70 scholars at the master's degree level are sponsored to study at one of these seven sites. In 2005-06, 53 new scholars from 25 countries received $2.9 million for the two year program. The goal is to advance knowledge and world understanding among potential future leaders of government, business, education, media and other professions.

Today's Rotary Foundation Minute is provided as a reminder to ALL of us that the Foundation is the primary way in which we are involved in the 4^th avenue of service - International Service.

When you and I make our donations to the Rotary Foundation, we do so knowing that 50% of that donation will come right back to our District to be used for approved educational and humanitarian programs chosen by us! And Now.20% of our "half" can be allocated to District Simplified Grants for approved projects right in our own communities! Even the other 50% comes back to us indirectly because it's used to match a variety of world community service projects. Our gifts to the Foundation help the world while simultaneously they are rooted deeply in our club and in our community. Every Rotarian Every Year is a reminder to all of us to donate generously to the Foundation on a consistent basis.

Today's Rotary Foundation Minute is provided as a reminder to ALL of us that the Foundation is the primary way in which we are involved in the 4^th avenue of service - International Service.

The Rotary Foundation provides more money for scholarships than the Rhodes and Fulbright programs combined! Scholars study in a country other than their own where they serve as "ambassadors of good will." Since 1947, nearly 47,000 scholars from some 110 countries have received scholarships at a cost of more than $476 million. These scholars gain not only a priceless education, but in that process, help break down the barriers that exist between nations.

Today's Rotary's Foundation Minute is provided as a reminder to ALL of us that the Foundation is the primary way in which we are involved in the 4^th avenue of service - International Service.

Since it's beginning in 1917 with a contribution of $26.50, the Rotary Foundation has received in excess of $1.8 billion. More than 25% of this total has been applied directly to the eradication of polio around the globe. The original campaign took place in the mid-1980's. With the partnership of the United Nations, World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Gates Foundation, Rotary has successfully eradicated polio from 99.9% of the world -the dangerous one-tenth that remains is now the final goal of this greatest of all humanitarian projects.

Today's Rotary Foundation Minute is provided as a reminder to ALL of us that the Foundation is the primary way in which we are involved in the 4^th avenue of service - International Service.

The Foundation was established ."for the purpose of doing good in the world in charitable, educational, and other avenues of community service."  It took eleven years - from 1917 to 1928, before the Foundation had assets of $5,000.  In 1930 the very first grant was made to the International Society for Crippled Children - later to be known as the Easter Seals organization.  Like the proverbial acorn, the Foundation has grown to a mighty oak.  Last year Rotarians contributed over $93 million to the Annual Programs Fund, $12 million to the Permanent Fund, and $6 million in Restricted Giving, a total of $111 million!

Today's Rotary Foundation Minute is provided as a reminder to ALL of us that the Foundation is the primary way in which we are involved in the 4^th avenue of service - International Service - our crown jewel.

The Rotary Foundation was started with a gift of $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City in 1917 - the leftover profit from the international convention that year.  Earlier that same year, Rotary's 6^th president, Arch Klumpf, had suggested the creation of just such a fund and the first gift was a response to that suggestion.

Every Rotarian Every Year is a reminder to all of us to donate generously to the Foundation and do it year after year.

Corey Davison - The Concord Coalition
Editor - Lisa Hayek      July 13, 2006

The Concord Coalition is a nonpartisan organization founded in 1992.  The Concord Coalition was founded in 1992 by Warren B. Rudman (R- NH), Peter G. Peterson (Former Secretary of Commerce) and the late Senator Paul E. Tsongas  (D-MA).  The Concord Coalition was formed in response to the Federal Budget deficit.

 Currently our Nations debt is equal to 8.4 trillion dollars.  The Coalition is concerned about handing off this deficit to our children and grand-children.  They believe in a pay as you go budget.  We must make tough choices on both spending and taxes.  We must have spending caps to help reduce our deficit.

The Concord Coalition is guided by these key principles:

·         Today's fiscal policy decisions should be made within a long-term context that accounts for the economic and budgetary consequences of an aging America.