Fifth Tuesday Service at our AM meetingAs the school year ends, we'll reinforce our focus on youth, literacy, education, and River Falls schools by letting educators know that we value them and the work they do. Since many hands make light work, we need you there with pen in hand to write a few sentences of appreciation to teachers on behalf of Rotary. |
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River Falls Historic Preservation Commission
Heide Heinze and Jayne Hoffman updated Rotary on Tuesday on the work of the River Falls History Preservation Commission and on some River Falls history. The River Falls Historic Preservation Commission is part of our city's Certified Local Government. The seven-member panel creates policies, plans, and public programming in the spirit of stewardship, and for the inspiration and benefit of current and future generations. Their purpose is to 1) protect, enhance, and preserve historic structures, sites, and districts, 2) safeguard the city’s cultural heritage, and 3) stabilize property values and enhance aesthetic character. |
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Update on International Projects in District 5960
Dave Newman updated our club on the long-standing D5960 Fast for Hope (FFH) project in Nicaragua. The Fast for Hope name is based on the thought that the money saved by skipping one meal could be used to fund a project that can improve lives. The FFH goal has been $15 per year from each D5960 Rotarian. |
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Camp RYLA Student Presentations
River Falls Rotary sponsored two River Falls High School students who participated in District 5960's Camp RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awakening), which is held at YMCA Camp St. Croix. The RFHS students this year were Angela Miller and Astrid Downey. |
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River Falls Public Library UpdateRiver Falls Public Library Director Tanya Misselt updated the club on developments, improvements, and programs at the RFPL. She pointed out during her talk that River Falls has an award-winning library that is well funded through the RFPL Foundation, through direct contributions to the library, and through the city’s budget. At the conclusion of her presentation, Tanya asked us for help. Because the RFPL wants to be sure the library serves the community’s needs, they will conduct a brainstorming meeting in the lower level of the library on June 28 at 6:30 p.m. Tanya concluded her talk by urging Rotary members to attend. |
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April 19th Club Forum Follow-UpHere are summaries compiled from notes taken while Jason and the area champions present led the members through the various goals and tasks identified at the forum in February. Member Engagement Service – Tony Pedriana is leading the effort to increase the visibility of opportunities. The new signup sheets circulated at meetings are a way to make service activities more prominent. In meetings and other communications, we need to make sure that ongoing social and service items are promoted. As part of the effort to expand Rotary Readers, Linda Yde has expanded outreach to non-members. We have added the 5th Tuesday as a way to promote service opportunities to engage members in simple yet effective projects. [Click Read More for review of the remaining reviews.] |
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What's Been Going on at the River Falls Public LibraryRiver Falls Public Library Director Tanya Misselt will talk about several recent improvements, current programming, and the adaptations occurring during 2020-22. Specific subjects will include: --the installation in 2020 of the library’s Automated Material Handling System and its impact on workflow and staffing; --the 2021-22 programming goals (job hunting, social justice, environment and mental health); --programs and offerings this summer; and --the current building space study About the Speaker: Tanya Misselt has a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a Master's Degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. After completing her B.A. she first worked in the field of criminal justice. She served as a law enforcement officer for the City of Appleton for eleven years before resigning to stay at home with her two boys and develop a new career. |
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Turning Point Sexual Assault Services
Katie Niznik, Sexual Assault Director at Turningpoint, shared information about Turningpoint as an organization, and she talked more specifically about her role in the organization. Turningpoint is an organization that helps anyone in St. Croix and Pierce County, male or female, who is experiencing abuse. The organization's mission is to provide support and resources to achieve freedom from domestic and sexual violence. |
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CVTC Update
Jen Sell, Marketing and Recruitment Department and Interim Campus Manager and Dan Lytle, Menomonie Campus Manager and the Business Development Manager for St. Croix, Pierce, and Dunn counties, shared details on how Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) delivers innovative and applied education that supports the workforce needs of the region, improves the lives of students, and adds value to our communities. Click Read More below for details about CVTC and its mission. |
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UPDATE on Youth Exchange – It's a BOY!Elaine continues to look for members’ help in identifying prospective host families for the young man we'll be hosting during this coming school year of 2022-23. His name is Maximillian Goll, and we've learned a little more about him. Elaine asked to be contacted with suggestions of host families. |
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Fifth Tuesday Service This WeekThis Tuesday’s breakfast meeting – did I mention that breakfast is back? – will be our fifth Tuesday service, and we can do it right at Ezekiel. And if time permits, we might be able see an example of a school forest educational building. Then Wednesday’s project for those signed up will be labeling a large number of books for Tony Pedriana’s literacy effort. This will be another way to get River Falls Rotary’s name recognized more widely in our community. |
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Our City’s Approach to Economic DevelopmentKeri Schreiner, Economic Development Manager for the City of River Falls, will be presenting information on the City’s approach to economic development. This will be a great follow-up to the State of the City report that many of us heard on March 8th at the Chamber meeting. See next item for more on that. About the Speaker – Keri Schreiner graduated from the University of Kansas with degrees in Environmental Studies and Political Science, and she received a Master of Public Affairs from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University. She came to the City of River Falls in 2014 as a Management Analyst Fellow before becoming the city’s economic development manager. |
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Taking the Week Off Made for a Great Rotary Meeting!
The River Falls Chamber of Commerce breakfast at Tattersall turned out to feel like a Rotary meeting with a very large number of guests. In addition to Scot Simpson, who presented the state of the city and who will be our speaker again on March 22nd, Rotary was well represented in the audience. Read more for the list of those I spotted (and let me know if I missed your name): |
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Announcements for the week of March 14thAt the March 1st meeting, Jason and Rick Heuertz circulated list of upcoming volunteer opportunities. This was one recommendation coming out of the February assembly. Some of the opportunities (with more to come):
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Important dates for Rotary and the CommunityLooking ahead to April and Relay for Life on 4/1 – Rotary will again be sponsoring and staffing the spaghetti dinner at the re-established and re-energized Pierce County Relay for Life, which hasn’t occurred for two years. Brian McQuade will again coordinate the event, and Chris Blasius is leading an effort to help promote the Relay for Life by selling advance tickets. See below for more details. Details on spaghetti dinner : April 1, dinner served from 5-8 PM at River Falls High School. Tickets are $10 adult $5 child under 10. All proceeds to American Cancer Society. Anyone who is interested in helping to promote the spaghetti dinner through advance ticket sales, please reach out to Chris Blasius at 715-821-4916 to coordinate ticket pickup. Earth Fest 2022 on 4/24 at Glen Park – Many community groups are coming together to put on this free, family friendly event focusing on sustainability. Future newsletters will provide more details. Rotary will have a role as the grill cooks for sample-size plant-based burgers. |
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Earth Day EventsTony Jilek provided the attached flyer about Friday 5 PM events this month that will lead up to Earth Day in April (click Read More below). Apologies for not getting the flyer out in time to promote the first event, which happened on Friday Marth 4th, into last week’s newsletter. See a later item in this Tidings for more about the 4/24 Earth Fest 2022. |
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The Enigma of Crop Circles
Lou Greub, agronomist and UWRF professor emeritus, summarized some of his research, observations, and travel experiences investigating these phenomena. Crop circles are designs that appear mainly in field crops – wheat, barley, etc., though some designs appear in materials such as sand. The designs appear when crops lie down on the ground to form a pattern, and many are intricate and not simply circular. They appear more in England than in other countries; 80% are in England, with the greatest concentration in counties south and west of London near Stonehenge; but they have appeared in a total of 44 countries. More than 10,000 have been documented worldwide. . Circles have appeared near our area: MN 15 starting in 1909, WI 23, Iowa 34, IL 23, MI 26. Lou showed a slide of a 17th-century woodcut that appears to depict a crop circle in a field. |
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No meeting this week (Tuesday 3/8)Instead of our normal weekly meeting, we’re encouraging all who can to go to Tattersall for the Chamber event where Scot Simpson will present the State of the City. If you’ve registered to have breakfast, it starts at 7:30. If you missed the deadline or simply don’t choose to have breakfast, the presentation starts at 8:30 and the event ends at 9:30. All are welcome to hear Scot’s presentation. |
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Lightbulb Joke of the WeekPoignant Light Bulb Joke of the Week : Q: How many lonely guys does it take to change a lightbulb? A: One, but he would prefer it took two. |
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Supporting Tools for SchoolMessage from Linda Yde About Supporting Tools for School The Club’s Board has approved participation in the Tools for School annual event. For those of you not familiar with Tools for School, it is the distribution of school supplies to elementary, middle school and high school students in the River Falls school district. These school supplies are donated by area churches. Distribution of these supplies occurs in August (two-day event) at the First Congregational Church. |
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Important Dates for Rotary and the Community
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Back in the grooveWell, River Falls Rotarians, it has been a couple of weird, or at least non-standard, weeks. The evening social + planning assembly session replaced our 2/15 morning meeting, and Old Man Winter wiped out our planned visit and tour at the Wisconsin site of Carpenter Nature Center. The tour has been rescheduled to a spring noon meeting; and if we have to cancel that one due to a blizzard, I’m seriously thinking of moving south! Now we are back – we hope – to more normal times, starting with: BREAKFAST BY EZEKIEL IS BACK!Ezekiel’s Youth Group Parents have told Jason that they are ready to resume breakfast preparation. It's set to start with this meeting. Next meeting 3/1 at 7 a.m. – Crop Circles. Retired UWRF Professor Lou Greub will share results of his investigations into the mystifying and intriguing phenomenon of crop circles. As a professional agronomist Lou became interested in crop circles when their mysterious appearances, usually in England, began being reported in the news media in the early 1970s. He continued to follow the phenomenon as best he could, even after he retired. In 2010 I had the opportunity to join a crop circle tour group that went to England to examine them first-hand. |
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Club evening and planning assemblyClub Social Evening and Planning Assembly: Instead of a morning or noon meeting on February 15th, an energetic group gathered in the evening at the Radisson to plan the club’s future direction with emphasis on what was learned from the recently conducted member survey. Jason, Chris, and Karla report that a number of good ideas emerged from the meeting. Karla will be compiling a report of the group’s thoughts and proposed actions. Jason also reported that a Rotarian stepped up act as a champion for the ideas generated; the champion for each idea will each provide present the findings on their item at our April 19 meeting. |
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Important dates for the Community
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This week: Field trip to Carpenter Nature Center
This week’s NOON meeting*** -- FIELD TRIP!*** See and hear about the improvements at Carpenter Nature Center’s Wisconsin site, including the new shelter building. We’re taking a break from the Lunch Mob at noon this month. Instead we’ve been invited to get a look at and tour the nearly completed shelter at 279 South Cove Road in Troy township (see map and more by clicking Read More below.) *** - NOTE: We are keeping a close eye on the weather (winter storm warning for Hudson, where we'll be headed) and predictions of snow Monday and Tuesday in River Falls. Watch for an email Monday early afternoon to update you on whether or not we'll proceed with the meeting/tour at CNC. |
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New Feature – Light bulb Joke of the WeekQ. How many punk rock musicians does it take to change a light bulb? A. Two: one to install the new bulb and one to eat the old bulb. |
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A telescope under the ice - at the South Pole
UWRF Physics Professor Suruj Seunarine described the scientific research using the unique characteristics available in the Antarctic to increase the understanding of neutrinos, one of the many subatomic particles that don’t comprise atoms. |
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Lightbulb Joke of the WeekLightbulb Joke of the Week Q. How many procrastinators does it take to change a lightbulb? A. Only one, but he has to wait until the light is just right. |
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Announcements for February 15Some important dates for the Community (from Judie Babcock and Amy Peterson) 2/16 – Twin Cities Live mid-day at the Falls Theater to populate the theater for Twin Cities live. Michelle will be featured as she describes how the historic Falls theater has weathered the disruptions of 2020 to the present. Having an “audience” is being promoted to improve the visuals for the live show. 2/24 – Comprehensive Plan Community Engagement -- Join us at the first Open House! Thursday, Feb. 24 from 2 to 7 p.m. at the River Falls Public Library. You can visit engagerf.org to learn more about the planning process and sign up for future updates. By registering – which is really easy, by the way -- you will have a direct connection to the planning process and will have ample opportunities to engage in the creation of goals and future actions in River Falls! |
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A telescope under the ice at the South PoleFor our February 8 meeting, UWRF Physics Professor Suruj Seunarine will describe the scientific research using the unique characteristics available in the Antarctic to increase the understanding of neutrinos, an abundant but little-understood subatomic particle. About the Speaker: Dr. Seunarine's research interests are in the fields of neutrino astrophysics and theoretical particle physics. He works on IceCube with a large international collaboration that has built and operates a neutrino telescope at the South Pole, and he conducts research using the neutron monitors at the South Pole. |
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Announcements for Feb. 8Some important dates for the Community (per Judie Babcock) 2/9 – 11:30 at Falls Theater -- Watch party with webinar about the Kinni Corridor Collaborative’s ongoing efforts. There will be a light lunch, Falls Theater concessions, and an opportunity for discussion on placemaking. 2/16 – Twin Cities Live mid-day at the Falls Theater to populate the theater for Twin Cities live. Michelle will be featured as she describes how the historic Falls theater has weathered the disruptions of 2020 to the present. Having an “audience” is being promoted to improve the visuals for the live show. 2/24 – Comprehensive Plan Community Engagement (forwarded by Judi from Amy Peterson). Join us at the first Open House! Thursday, Feb. 24 from 2 to 7 p.m. at the River Falls Public Library. Amy’s message says that in the meantime you can visit engagerf.org to learn more about the planning process and sign up for future updates. By registering you will have a direct connection to the planning process and will have ample opportunities to engage in the creation of goals and future actions in River Falls! |
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New Feature – Lightbulb Joke of the Week (we’ll see how long this lasts!)Q. How many telemarketers does it take to change a lightbulb? |
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Don't miss out! Read it all!
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Update on Willow River and Kinnickinnic State Parks
Friends of Willow River and Kinnickinnic State Parks: Rita Thofern, President of the Friends of Willow River and Kinnickinnic State Parks, told us that the Friends’ current goal is the upgrading of the Willow River Nature Center. She said that they are at about 25% of the needed funding. |
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Meeting recap: Fisheries management
January 25th Noon Meeting – Fisheries management on the Kinnickinnic and Rush Rivers. Since 2018, Kasey Yallaly has been working as the Fisheries Biologist for the Wisconsin DNR out of the Baldwin office. She presented virtually due to her employer’s restrictions on in-person meetings. Kasey’s territory is Pierce, St Croix, and western Dunn Counties. |
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Announcements for Feb. 1
Congratulations and thank you to Gordie Young, who received a pin in recognition of reaching the next level as a Paul Harris fellow. We all thank Gordie for his generous support of the Rotary Foundation. Breakfast will be served: we are continuing to provide a simple coffee + doughnuts or muffins breakfast brought to Ezekiel for our morning meetings. You’ll need to show up to find out more! We have a president elect – At the December board meeting, Jason announced that Rick Heuertz has agreed to serve as President Elect for January-June 2022, then take the reins as president for 2022-23. The board all committed to continue our support, and we’ll be looking for support from our whole membership as we continue and expand our service in River Falls and beyond. New Feature – Lightbulb Joke of the Week (we’ll see how long this lasts!) Q. How many real men does it take to change a lightbulb? (hint: you'll have to click "read more" to find the answer!) |
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Announcements for January 25Breakfast will be served (at our February morning meetings): we will continue to provide a simple breakfast brought to Ezekiel by our crack volunteer breakfast team for our morning meetings. You’ll need to show up to find out more! We have a president elect – At the December board meeting, Jason announced that Rick Heuertz has agreed to serve as President Elect for January-June 2022, then take the reins as president for 2022-23. The board all committed to continue our support, and we’ll be looking for support from our whole membership as we continue and expand our service in River Falls and beyond. |
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Last Call for Lunch Mob for 1/25
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Managing Fisheries on Local RiversJanuary's NOON meeting: If any of you trout fisherpersons take your catch for granted – assuming that you are successful in hooking fish and not just bushes, trees, your lucky fishing hat, your thumb, or any unintentional “catch” your hook finds – you won’t be able to take the presence of fish in the streams for granted after Tuesday’s NOON meeting. Kasey Yallaly of the Wisconsin DNR will tell us about her work managing fish populations in our local rivers including, of course, the Kinni. Given how well regarded the Kinni is as an attraction to River Falls, even us non-fishers appreciate the value of her work. About the speaker: Kasey began her career in natural resources at Southeast Missouri State University in 2011, where she graduated with a degree in Wildlife Conservation and Management while working for the Missouri Department of Conservation for three years as a forestry research technician and fisheries technician on large rivers. From there, she worked for Idaho Department of Fish and Game for three years on coldwater and warmwater fisheries. She then attended Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and graduated with her Master’s degree in Fisheries Management in 2018. Kasey has been working as the Fisheries Biologist for the Wisconsin DNR out of the Baldwin office since 2018 where she manages fisheries resources in Pierce, St. Croix and western Dunn counties. |
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Disc Golf 101 and the Local Scene
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Announcements for January 18No 5:01 this month – due to the Taste of River Falls event occurring on 1/20 at Tattersall, we are canceling the third (thirsty) Thursday social gathering this month. If you’re thirsty and of a mind to mingle, it sounds as if Tattersall is the place to be! Breakfast will be served: we are continuing to provide a simple coffee + doughnuts or muffins breakfast brought to Ezekiel for our morning meetings. You’ll need to show up to find out more! We have a president elect – At the December board meeting, Jason announced that Rick Heuertz has agreed to serve as President Elect for January-June 2022, then take the reins as president for 2022-23. The board all committed to continue our support, and we’ll be looking for support from our whole membership as we continue and expand our service in River Falls and beyond. |
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Upcoming eventsSLIGHT CHANGE OF PLANS! The club social event and survey follow-up has been finalized. We’re meeting on Tuesday 2/15 at the Radisson, starting with social time at 5 p.m. After the social time we’ll move to further discussions of the club’s future direction coming out of the all-member survey recently completed. The club will spring for appetizers with drinks on your own. There won’t be a morning meeting on Feb. 15. |
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A Look into the Future of River Falls
Development Director Amy Peterson told us that Focus River Falls is the name given to the Comprehensive and Companion Planning process that will occur over the next 15 months. There was a flourish of planning done between 1995 and 2005, then planning went on pause. The planning process getting underway now will update and roll those existing plans into the new plan. Amy said that to add to the fun (and complications) of this process, planning will include two other plans: bicycle/pedestrian and outdoor recreation. The resulting plan will certainly be comprehensive. |
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White Bear Lake Rotary Project UpdateOur River Falls Club contributed to this project in Africa, the Nasasruni Academy for Masai Girls. This week we received a progress report and photos. Click 'read more' for a brief letter from the White Bear Lake Club. Monday's reminder email will have the detailed progress summary along with some photos. |
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An Insider’s Perspective on the Major Changes in Local Journalism
At the January 4 meeting, Bob Burrows introduced himself to the club before telling us about the numerous changes to the news business and to the River Falls Journal, its successors and competitors. Bob grew up in the blue-collar city of Bayonne, NJ, famous for "Sopranos" street scenes and boxer Chuck Wepner, the inspiration for Rocky (I, II, III, etc. – I lost count!) After a year at Marquette University on the other side of Wisconsin with too many distractions, Bob spent three years in the Navy tracking Soviet subs (pretty cool stuff!) After the Navy, college at UWRF set him in new directions, and he was won over by the openness and friendliness of Midwesterners. Several part-time jobs led to his starting on the journalism career that he continues to enjoy, despite the changes and challenges. |
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Announcements for January 11No 5:01 this month – due to the Taste of River Falls event occurring on 1/20 at Tattersall, we are canceling the third (thirsty) Thursday social gathering this month. If you’re thirsty and of a mind to mingle, it sounds as if Tattersall is the place to be! Breakfast will be served: we are continuing to provide a simple coffee + doughnuts or muffins breakfast brought to Ezekiel for our morning meetings. You’ll need to show up to find out more! We have a president elect – At the December board meeting, Jason announced that Rick Heuertz has agreed to serve as President Elect for January-June 2022, then take the reins as president for 2022-23. The board all committed to continue our support, and we’ll be looking for support from our whole membership as we continue and expand our service in River Falls and beyond. |
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Changes in the News Business as it affects River FallsBob Burrows will speak to the club at our 7 a.m. meeting on January 4, our first meeting of 2022. He will talk about his background and career and will offer his perspective on local ramifications of the upheaval in print journalism and newspaper reporting and publication. About the Speaker: Bob was born and raised in the far east(ern US) in the definitely-not-exotic city of Bayonne, N.J. He attended Marquette University in Milwaukee for one year before serving in U.S Navy 1980-84 (if Bill and Dale are at the meeting, that will make for 3 Navy veterans!). Bob’s Navy service was followed by three years working for Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City, after which he moved to River Falls to attend UWRF in 1987. His first journalism job was at the Polk County Ledger in Balsam Lake 1993-96, and he has been the sports editor at the River Falls Journal (Now the Star-Observer) since 1996. He has been married for 21 years to (Hudson Rotarian) wife Kellie, who is currently an Advancement Officer at UWRF. |
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Announcements for January 4
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ICYMI #2 (in case you missed it)ICYMI #2: At the December board meeting, Jason announced that Rick Heuertz has agreed to serve as President Elect for January-June 2022, then take the reins as president for 2022-23. The board all committed to continue our support, and we’ll be looking for support from our whole membership as we continue and expand our service in River Falls and beyond. |
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In Case You Missed It #1There will be food! Tony Pedriana is working out the details of having a simple coffee + doughnuts or muffins breakfast brought to Ezekiel for our morning meetings. You’ll need to show up to find out more! |
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Meet over coffee and donutsMore Good News: Also at the December board meeting, we agreed to try bringing in a simple coffee + doughnuts or muffins breakfast starting in January. Better news – Tony Pedriana agreed to take charge of managing the breakfasts. |
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Leader steps up!Good News -- Success in Presidential Succession: At the 12/20 board meeting, Jason announced that Rick Heuertz has agreed to serve as President Elect for January-June 2022, then take the reins as club president for 2022-23. The board all committed to continue in our current roles, and we’ll be looking for support from our whole membership in the 2022-23 Rotary year as we continue and expand our service in River Falls and beyond. |
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Mark your calendars for 1/20 at 5:01Mark your calendars for a Club Forum a/k/a “Super 5:01” on 1/20/2022: We’ll be combining an evening social with an opportunity to continue discussion on key items from the member survey recently conducted. We have reserved the ballroom at the downtown Radisson (formerly Best Western). Appetizers provided, drinks on your own starting at 5:01 (of course!). Meeting/discussion planned to start at 5:30. |
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No meeting Dec. 28!NO MEETING THIS COMING TUESDAY 12/28 – Hope you all had a great Christmas; Happy New Year and hopes for a better, healthier 2022 for all! |
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Amy Peterson “101”
The peripatetic Amy Peterson did a great job of telling us about her personal history. Her 6 years in River Falls are the longest she’s lived anywhere as an adult. Let’s hope there are many more years for her and Dan in River Falls. While Amy’s Wisconsin roots are deep, her career has taken her around the Midwest. Early years in Rhinelander and Wausau. During her college years at UW Stevens Point, a course on conservation was key in charting her career direction. |
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Dec. 21 end-of-year meeting breakfast!
This Week: Breakfast prepared and delivered by Selah Vie – if you’ve missed the emails, here’s your last chance to order. Customize your bagel sandwich order – click “read more” for the details. Orders are needed soon – the restaurant wants the order in by 5 p.m. Saturday (though they can probably accommodate a couple of stragglers). |
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Tokenization of Real Estate – What is it?
Dan and Sarah Jenkins, along with their high school intern Eddie Loesch, presented an introduction into two very new and somewhat mysterious financial concepts: Real Estate Tokenization and Cryptocurrencies. |
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Sad news to reportSad News: Larry Cicchese, a member of River Falls Rotary since 2005, has passed away. Bill Montgomery forwarded us this news from River Falls American Legion Post 121, where Larry, a proud US Marine veteran, was a long-time member. Details as of this writing can be found here. |
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A couple of thank-yousSharing FamiliesMatt Russell says thanks for the generous response that enable Rotary to cover two families. This year’s collection process wrapped up on 12/10, and there are two families with brighter Christmases thanks to River Falls Rotary. Cards to Shut-insLinda Yde collected the 98 cards that we wrote out at our 11/30 meeting. They have been hand delivered to the assisted living facilities. As Randy Cudd noted, the recipients are likely folks who can read cursive handwriting! |
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Breakfast at the Dec. 21 meetingPlanning brought-in breakfast for 12/21 (Last meeting before Christmas)Selah Vie will be preparing breakfasts for us for the last meeting of 2021. Menu will be bagel sandwiches with several choices of bagel, meat (or veg) along with fruit//juice/coffee. How will these be like Lunch Mob? You'll need to respond with your selection so that Selah Vie knows what to prepare. How will it be unlike Lunch Mob? IT'S FREE! Well, actually your dues are paying for it. Watch for an email Thursday with details. The email will ask you to confirm that you'll be coming and to state your choice of bagel flavor, meat (or vegetable), and cheese. |
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Return of the Marching Falcons
Dr. Tom Barnett has been teaching music at UWRF since 2001. Over the last 10 years, he has rediscovered the joy inherent in "athletic band." The recently formed UWRF Pep Band (which includes Rotarian Linda Yde) is part of effort to bring back a marching band. Students often don’t know that there is a pep band at UWRF. There hasn’t been a marching band in over 30 years. |
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UWRF Professor Emeritus Larson on HaitiThis week’s (morning) meeting – Come hear about "boots on the ground" work in Haiti. Curt Larson, retired physics professor at UWRF, will discuss history of work in Ganthier, a community of about 70,000 residents within 50 miles of the capital of Port-au-Prince. We all have heard about Haiti in the news, and this will be an opportunity to get the perspective of someone who has worked there over years. |
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Backpack program updateONP holiday backpack update and President’s challenge: Scott reports that $1977 has been pledged as of this week, which puts is far ahead of our goal of funding 90 backpacks over the Christmas break. Jason’s challenge is to meet or exceed last year’s outstanding level of club generosity. Last year’s total raised was $2860; if we did it last year, then we can do it this year. The club has always been very generous in supporting the backpack program, and we know that ONP will use any amount over the number needed to fund the holiday gap later in the school year. Since the goal is to have all donations presented to Shelly Smith, Our Neighbors’ Place executive director, at our 11/16 meeting, Scott asks that everyone get your contributions to him. And if you haven’t stepped up yet, there is still time. Checks can also be mailed to the Rotary PO Box 311 (check to Our Neighbors’ Place, please). |
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Breakfast Will Be Served!BREAKFAST WILL BE SERVED! At the recent board meeting, we decided it was time to experiment with breakfast being sent in, and now it’s happening. Table on Main will provide breakfast sandwiches, fruit, cinnamon rolls, OJ, and coffee. This is NOT Breakfast Mob 1.0 – the club’s operating funds will be footing the bill! Come and enjoy! If you’re not a breakfast eater, come anyway. |
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Women's wrestling: Olympic experience
Our Nov. 2 morning meeting featured a presentation about women’s wrestling and Olympic experience from Kevin Black, a local wrestling legend and currently the head wrestling coach at River Falls High School. Women’s wrestling has been around for a long time; it was added to the Olympics in 2004. In 2016, Kevin traveled to Rio de Janeiro as a coach for the first and only American Olympic Gold Medalist in women’s wrestling. |
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Chancellor Gallo covers goals and results for UWRFAt our October 26 noon meeting, we got to know Dr. Maria Gallo, UWRF’s new Chancellor. She introduced herself to the club and told us a little about herself, updating the group about UWRF's COVID goals and results as well as highlighting accomplishments and strengths of UWRF and the promising future outlook for our regional university. |
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Meet the new UWRF ChancellorOctober 26 meeting: Meet the new UWRF Chancellor: Come to our noon meeting on Tuesday to welcome UWRF’s new Chancellor, Dr. Maria Gallo. It will be a great opportunity to learn more about her background and her vision for UWRF. A little bit about Dr. Gallo from the UWRF website: With degrees in agronomy, crop science, and genetics from Cornell and North Carolina State Universities, she is, per the University of Wisconsin system president, “a scholar with expertise in agronomy and genetics.” She is also a Fulbright Scholar and a fellow of both the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America. She has an extensive academic background as a professor, researcher and administrator. |
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A Different Angle on Covid-19At our October 19 meeting, Helen Strike, president of River Falls Area Hospital, spoke to Rotary about “Covid from another angle”. The talk provided an insider’s perspective on the pandemic’s effect – from inside the health care system. Based on what Minnesota health care leaders saw happening in places like New York City, in early 2020 regional health care leaders created the “C4” – Critical Care Coordination Center. Its purpose was to oversee and react to the varying impact of COVID on hospitals in Minnesota as well as the border areas of western Wisconsin (us!) and the Dakotas. Working together allowed the systems to optimize the balance between hospital capacity and the demand for care. |
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Service Opportunities during October“Around the District” highlights service to our local communities. How well does this fit with our 10/16 and 10/23 cleanup actions, you ask? Pretty well, I say! Whether or not we collaborate with other service clubs, our service this month is timely and in line with what you can read by clicking the “read more” button below. |
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Powers of attorney: learn all about it
Jennifer A. O’Neill, owner of O’Neill Elder Law, LLC, in Hudson, covered the bases about powers of attorney (POA) and what we need to think in our personal situations, as issues vary over time. PoAs are not limited to elder law. Jenny explained that PoAs allow you to share your legal authority with someone you trust in two distinct areas: health care and financial. She used the analogy of providing an extra set of car keys. It’s still your car, but someone else can get behind the wheel if need be. |
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River Falls School District's Project SEARCH
Natasha Herum described Project SEARCH, a nationwide program conducted here by the River Falls School District and River Falls Area Hospital. It is a business-led transition to work program covering a full school year and leading to employment. In the state of Wisconsin, there are 29 programs, 643 nationwide. The team supporting program participants includes family, skills trainers, job developers, Wisconsin DVR (Division of Vocational Rehabilitation), and long-term support agencies. |
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The Phipps: How Does It Work?
While most of us enjoyed a lunch from Table on Main and while welcoming a couple of guests, we learned a lot about The Phipps Center for the Arts from Executive Director Darby Lunceford. When he asked who’d been to The Phipps, many hands went up; when he asked who knew how it works, no hands. |
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Volunteer in the great outdoors!
We have two service opportunities in October: Saturday, October 16: Highway Cleanup. We’re looking for Rotarians (kids/grandkids OK) to walk one short mile while gathering roadside trash. It’s time for our semi-annual cleanup of Highway 35 southbound between Glover and Coulee toward Hudson. We need at least 8 – more are welcome – to team up, gather at 9:30 at the veterinarian practice parking lot off Main Street, and pitch in to gather the trash. To join the team, e-mail Steve Schroeder (Schroeder.Steve@principal.com.) Saturday, October 23: Veteran’s Park Cleanup. Grab rakes, leaf blowers, loppers and whatever tools you think will help and join a crew of 8-10 people at 10 AM to clean up Vet’s Park. If you have done it before, you know how quickly our group, with help from the City, can make a major difference in this downtown park. If you haven’t been part of it in the past, now is your chance to see that many hands truly do make light work. Let Scott Morrissette (scott.morrissette@gmail.com) know that you can help. |
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The science and "ladder" of reading and learning
The main speaker at our September 21 meeting was Starla Dixen, who shared her knowledge of the science of reading along with her passion for teaching. In addition to introducing Starla, Kari Owens told us about the wide range of reading capability in primary grade students and the resulting challenges. |
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Lunch Mob Tuesday! Order by Monday noon!Lunch mob Tuesday! It's an opportunity to support the newest eating establishment in River Falls -- Table on Main (in the former South Fork Cafe). E-mail your order to rkerfwilson@gmail.com by noon on Monday if you want to join the mob. Read on for menu choices. Your $20 payment will include a generous tip to support the restaurant as they work to get established in, shall we say, challenging times. |
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The Phipps: get a behind-the-scenes glimpseWhat is The Phipps? How does it operate? Phipps Center for the Arts executive director Darby Lunceford will give us some of the background about this regional performing arts resource. As would be expected, keeping The Phipps operating and growing takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work by a combination of dedicated staff and volunteers. Darby Lunceford has been Executive Director of The Phipps since July 2020. Prior to taking his current position, he served marketing and communications roles for The Minnesota Opera, Minnesota Children’s Theatre, and Shakespeare Theatre. Earlier in his career he worked in management consulting related to the world of theater. |
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The science behind teaching to readWhat is the Science of Reading? The talk will take a quick dive into learning more about the Simple View of Reading formula, what it takes to become a skilled reader and how our brain's neuroplasticity is a vital component to building successful readers. Rotarian Kari Owens is the Title 1 Reading teacher at Westside School in River Falls. She has been instrumental for years in coordinating our Rotary Readers program. Kari will introduce her colleague, Starla Dixen as the main presenter on the science of reading. |
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Rotary Readers is back!September is Literacy Month! As you’ll hear on Tuesday 9/21, work is underway to get Rotary Readers back with students at Westside School this year. That is great news, and it fits with the September Rotary focus on Literacy. |
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Field trip to St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center
The tour of the St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center (SCV BIC) in the Sterling Ponds Industrial Park gave our club detailed exposure to this gem of a facility. |
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World Race mission trips connect travelers with community, cultureOn September 7, Justin Harsdorf spoke to the club about his experiences in foreign countries as a participant in World Race mission trips. |
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World Race mission trips: Connecting community and culture
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Donate books for (and shop at!) AAUW book saleMany people at Rotary Tuesday morning wanted to know about donating books to the AAUW book Sale. Here are details regarding drop-off locations and times. |
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August 31: An Easy 100 - Service above SelfFor our Fifth Tuesday Service Above Self activity, we took some time for writing notes to teachers. |
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Please wear a mask to this week’s meetingPlease note: Ezekiel Lutheran now requires masks for anyone in the building. This change is in line with Pierce County Health Department guidelines in response to the increase in Covid-19 cases. Please plan to wear a mask to this week’s meeting. |
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Have you completed Youth Protection Certification Training?At a recent meeting club Youth Protection Officer, Linda Yde, gave a brief overview of the youth protection training Rotary International requires of any Rotarian who works with youth as part of Rotary activities. |
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Traveling with a purpose
For August 24, our speaker was Tonja Lesmeister, founder and president of Traveling with A Purpose. Traveling with a Purpose is a local non-profit whose mission supports sustainable improvements at two community homes (orphanages) in Jamaica. |
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Mariachi Loco for Lunch Mob 17.0 - Order today!For our noon meeting in August at Ezekiel, Lunch Mob 17.0 features selections from Mariachi Loco to be picked up and brought to you at the meeting. Please get your order in by noon Monday if you haven’t already; the price remains $20 to cover the meal and include a generous tip to support the restaurant. Bring your beverage to accompany your lunch, or if Mexican isn’t your thing, feel free to brown bag it. HIT "READ MORE" BELOW TO SEE THE MENU. |
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Making cookies to make a difference
At our August 17th meeting, Melissa “Mei Mei” Abdouch updated Rotary on the history of Mei Mei’s Cookies and Creamery as well as describing the challenges of guiding the business during the pandemic. It’s a fun fact that she looked around the area and chose River Falls as the place to open her business in 2017. |
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Helping to provide water, sanitation and education
Patty Hall of White Bear Lake Rotary is the founder of H2Oforlifeschools.org, the mission of which is to involve children in raising both awareness and funds for improvement in access to water, sanitation, and hygiene education in poor rural areas of Africa. |
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Dale Jorgenson reclassifcation talk
Past River Falls Rotary President and School Forest lead, Dale Jorgenson presented a reclassification talk. Members learned a lot about Dale that they may not have known. |
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Lunch Mob 16.0
"The Big Cheese" food truck was parked right outside the new River Falls Police Department building (2815 Prairie Drive, River Falls, WI 54022), which was the site of Tuesday's meeting. |
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Morning meeting tour of Bakken Young Funeral and Cremation ServicesOur very own Distinguished River Falls Rotarian Jodie Bakken Young hosted our July 13 morning Rotary meeting at Bakken Young Funeral and Cremation Services at 805 East Division Street. |
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End/beginning of year picnic and transfer of leadership
Club members met at the Glen Park Pavilion to enjoy pizza, visiting and installing our 2021-22 president, Jason Frederickson. A big thank you to everyone who kept our club afloat during a historic and turbulent time. |
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Club Assembly Lunch Meeting 6/22/21Club Assembly Summary River Falls Rotary Club - Club Assembly 6/22/2021
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Best Dam Update this yearCity of River Falls Utility Director, Mr. Kevin Westhuis provided an update on the dam removal. Members reported the best dam presentation this year. Did you miss the fun? Check out the city's web page for more updates. |
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The Warren Commission: Fact or Fiction?David Yorks, a life-long resident of Lake Minnetonka and a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a History degree and a Masters Degree in American History, and a fifty-five-year interest in the presidency of John Kennedy, joined us to share his talk, "The Warren Commission: Fact or Fiction?" |
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Nanci Fulmek, Equine and Portrait ArtistContinuing our series of meetings at the Glen Park Pavilion, we met Nanci Fulmek, Equine and Portrait Artist. Please take a look at her beautiful art on her website. |
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Lunch Mob 13.0 - Social LunchMembers enjoyed a nice lunch together at the Glen Park Pavilion on Tuesday May 25th at noon. It was fitting to catch up and socialize at the Pavilion for our first in-person Rotary Lunch meeting in over a year (February 2020)! |
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Rick Heidick District 5960 Fast For Hope & Stillwater Rotary Bike RallyOn May 18, we were joined by Rotarian Rick Heidick to present on District 5960's Fast For Hope project and also some information on an upcoming Stillwater Rotary Bike Rally event. |
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First in-person meeting in 13+ months!We had our first in-person River Falls Rotary Meeting in 13.5 months!! We will be meeting Tuesdays at 7:00 am at the Glen Park Pavilion for the six meetings starting May 11. Please bring your own coffee and personal snack. |
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RIck Olson - Nakivale Refuge Settlement in UgandaRick Olson from the Prior Lake Rotary Club joined to share details of the Rotary Global Grant 2122662 Providing Safe Drinking Water in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda. |
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Tasha Schuh: A message of resiliency and hope for youth
River Falls Rotary welcomed speaker, author, and resilience expert Tasha Schuh to visit us virtually. Tasha updated us on all that has happened since she last visited and how she is helping others. |
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Water Project Update - Ocotal Nicaragua Rotary ClubWe heard from our Rotary Friends in Ocotal Nicaragua about an exciting water project their club is working on and how we might be able to help support them in their endeavors. |
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Virtual Update on the new M-Health Fairview Health Clinic BldgClub members enjoyed a virtual update on the brand new M-Health Fairview Health (formerly Vibrant Health) Clinic in River Falls. The new clinic site just opened this month and was the end result of a complete remodel of what used to be both Pizza Hut and formerly the River Falls Y locations (319 S Main) behind the Family Fresh grocery store. Dr. Keri Lijewski and River Falls Rotarians Dr. Greg Miller and Sam Bluhm provided the virtual tour. |
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Hope for Creation: Partnering for hope, sustainabilityHope for Creation is comprised of communities of faith partnering to create a hopeful, sustainable future through collaboration, advocacy, and action. All are welcome to participate in meetings and activities. You do not need to be affiliated with a faith community to be involved. |
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Assistance Resource Center serves many in communityOur guest, Sharon Schulze, Chairperson at ARC, gave a very informative presentation. Sharon has a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN, RN). Prior to retirement, she was employed as a Pierce County Public Health Nurse serving in the Ellsworth and River Falls communities for 32 years. She now serves on the Pierce County Board of Health. She has been active with Assistance & Resource Center since 2014 and has served as chair since 2015. Her volunteer time outside of ARC is focused on English Lutheran Church in Ellsworth and with the Ellsworth Public Library. Sharon updated the club on ARC's role in the community and future needs and plans. |
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A mission to provide clean water - and hope - to the world
Our distinguished guest presenter, Lamah Bility, Founder of Didómi received the highest award any student can receive at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, the Chancellor's Award. The award recognizes students who have made exceptional contributions to the university and the community. |
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Bill Montgomery - Classification Talk 2.0
Our very own Distinguished Rotarian, Pastor Bill Montgomery, gave his third classification talk! He last presented to the club in 2007. Bill is a founding member of our club. It was an excellent opportunity to learn more about Bill and his rich history of service above self! |
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Club Assembly summary |
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Sam Hosszu Introductory TalkOn Feb. 2, we heard from our newest Rotarian, Sam Hosszu. Samis the Senior Accountant for the City of River Falls. |
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Amber Hahn Introductory TalkAmber Hahn is an assistant district attorney for Dunn County, specializing in drug and sexual assault cases. Her path to what some would call a difficult calling was built from a combination of case experience and the work she did on the Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. |
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St. Croix Valley Youth Mountain Bike ClubOur zoom meeting welcomed Cathy McDonald, Team Director, for the St. Croix Valley Youth Mountain Bike Club. |
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Lunch Mob 7.0 and a Presentation from Hippy FeetMichael Mader, CEO of Hippy Feet joined our Lunch Mob last week to share his incredible story about Hippy Feet. To learn more, please see this link |
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Gigi's Playhouse: educate, inspire, believeLast week's guest was Jenna Elling from Gigi's Playhouse. The Vision of Gigi's Playhouse is to see a world where individuals with Down syndrome are accepted and embraced in their families, schools and communities. |
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Essay winners share personal insights into citizenshipThe River Falls Rotary Club invited all River Falls community middle-school students to participate in an essay contest centered on citizenship last summer. Two winners were chosen. Meet our winners and read their essays. |
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Hearing Loss: The Silent EpidemicOur special guest presenter Sept. 13 was Monique Hammond. |
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Autumn 2020 announcements
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Helping kids read more with free books
Join Dr. Tony Pedriana on Sept. 18 at 9 a.m. in a virtual event where you can learn how you can help get books into the hands of young readers. |
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RF Rotary Meeting 9/8/20 at 7:00 am - Sunshine ClubMembers received an update from the River Falls High School Sunshine fund. Created in 2016, the River Falls Sunshine Fund is a student-originated & student lead non-profit organization that originated to help a family going through a difficult time. These students quickly learned there was an even greater need to help the community as a whole. |
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Scavenger Hunt fills the space!
What do beans, floppy disks, #2 pencils, and Rotary items have in common? This is what appears when a quick-thinking President hosts a fun virtual scavenger hunt meeting when a presenter mishap develops at the last minute. Rotarians rushed around their homes and offices to find 1) Something Rotary related 2) Beans of any kind 3) Elmers glue and a #2 pencil 4)VHS tape and a floppy disk and 5) An item that was at least 50 years old |
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Big Brothers and Sisters: igniting potential in youthDo you remember someone who encouraged you to believe in yourself, to work hard in school and in life? Big Brothers Big Sisters, with the help of donors, volunteers, partners, advocates, and supporters, encourages the next generation of children to reach their dreams. |
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Grant will help support 75 local families
River Falls Rotary Club secured a Rotary International District 5960 COVID Disaster Response Grant to help support 114 kids from 75 local families relying on the Backpack Program for food. |
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Jen Loesch: A Health Care CallingJen Loesch, Director of Patient Care Services at River Falls Area Hospital, and one of our newest members, presented her introductory talk via Zoom last week. Jen showed photos of her family, including the family dog, Pete, a 10 year old Pug. Her family loves to spend time at the lake. |
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Guillermo Delgado stops in to say "hi"Former exchange student Guillermo Delgado was our presenter August 3. |
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Wildcat Roadmap preview
River Falls School District superintendent, Jamie Benson provided a look at some of the options the district is exploring for the new school year. |
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Patrick "Packy" Mader, author, sports fanOur presenter was Mr. Patrick Mader, who talked about Minnesota athletes that have had the mettle to medal! |
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Roxy Gavin: FOMO is alright with her
Roxy Gavin entertained the group via Zoom as she gave her introductory talk with humor and grace. |
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Summer 2020 announcements
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Club picnic: passing the gavel and more!
For this year's club picnic, we met at Belle Vinez outside of River Falls. A brief program allowed outgoing president, Chris Blasius, to recognize our year and our club. Tony Jilek was honored with Rotarian of the Year. He attended via Zoom, so he will have to provide a selfie of himself with the plaque later! |
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Essay contest for Middle School Students: deadline July 15The River Falls Rotary Club invites all River Falls School District middle-school students to participate in its essay contest, centered on citizenship.
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What's it like to be part of the United Nations
Ms. Markell Lockwood brought two students from the River Falls School District Montessori Model United Nations Club to address our club. |
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A fond farewell: Dean Van Galen
We had a wonderful meeting wishing Dr. Dean Van Galen a fond farewell and expressing thanks for his 11 years of service to UWRF and his active participation in the RF Rotary Club. Dean will be leaving us to head up the Missouri Southern State University as its sixth president. |
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Ag Inspirations: Sharing the real story of agriculture
Kim Bremmer, a nationally recognized speaker from Ag Inspirations, started with a mission to inspire farmers to tell their stories, connect people to where their food comes from, and represent the great success of American agriculture today. |
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A special message from Kyle Haugen & Paul Perez
We need your help! For the past four years, we have not been able to fully fund District Grant requests from our clubs because we haven’t had enough District Designated Funds to do so. As you probably know, the amount of District Designated Funds (DDF) we get each year is based on our giving to The Rotary Foundation’s Annual Fund. We can then use the DDF to match grant requests from our clubs. |
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Carpenter Nature Center: a good place to escape
Jennifer Vieth from Carpenter Nature Center visited with us online and talked about some of the enhancements to the Wisconsin Campus of the center. Even with the recent restrictions on work and travel outside of the home, Carpenter Nature Center fulfills its community obligation to keep the trails open during the COVID-19 outbreak. |
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5/19/20 Meeting - Vacations of Past, Present, and FutureRiver Falls Rotarians gathered virtually for our weekly meeting on Tuesday 5/19/20 at 7:00 am to share our favorite vacation spots. Scenic Zoom backgrounds, vacation wear, and vacation gear was shown off as each Rotarian took a couple of minutes to share their favorite vacations. We certainly have some world travelers in the club as well as vivid recollections of family vacations involving adventure, incredible site seeing, and the making of memories. It was a much needed "virtual escape" from the pandemic. Rick Wilson and Rick Heuertz (The two Ricks) also updated the club on a new "boots on the ground" service opportunity for the club. We will be helping the Optimist club place flags curbside in the city on specific National Holidays throughout the year. We will be earning money for the Our Neighbor's Place Backpack program. The two Ricks will pilot the project this upcoming Memorial Day and then report back to the club at our noon meeting on 5/26/20. |
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Dr. Chris Kamrath: Classification TalkDr. Chris Kamrath, Principal at Westside Elementary School, presented his Rotary introduction talk. |
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Cali Holman: Peace Corps volunteer
Our virtual presenter was Peace Corps Volunteer Calista (Cali) Holman from Shell Lake, WI. In July 2019, she began what was going to be a 27-month post-graduate appointment as a Peace Corps Secondary School Science Education Volunteer in Tanzania, Africa. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Cali was required to return to Wisconsin earlier this month. |
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Creating a better world for all
Rotary members got together via Zoom to show their support for many causes throughout the world. This is just a brief snapshot of how Rotary makes a worldwide difference from right here at home! |
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Ambulance chasers successful
The ambulances is ready! Loaded with gear, decals applied, this ambulance is ready for transport to Nicaragua. |
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River Falls Virus Response Team will deliver food, medicine
At our first ever "Virtual Rotary Meeting," Brett VanBlaircom, Lead Coordinator of River Falls Virus Response Team (RFVRT) outlined what the organization is doing and how it intends to proceed through the current COVID-19 pandemic. |
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Spring Announcements
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UWRF Laboratory Farms offer hands on learning and more
Greg Zwald, UWRF Laboratory Farm Director, and owner of White Pine Berry Farm discussed the UW-River Falls two laboratory farms. Integral components of students' education, the lab farms host classes in animal sciences, horticulture, crop and soil science, environmental science and agricultural engineering technology. |
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The Phipps: Accessible artistic experiences for everyone
John H Potter, from Hudson Rotary, serves as the Executive Director for the Phipps Center for the Arts in Hudson. The Phipps Center provides a spirited blend of performances, exhibitions and classes which ensure an accessible artistic experience for everyone. |
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Kinni Corridor plan spawns as a solid stable organization
Judy Foster Babcock, long-time Rotarian and president of the Kinni Corridor Collaborative (KinniCC), gave an overview of the history, mission and vision of the Kinni River Corridor Colaborative (KinniCC). |
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Restorative Services: Helping to right wrongs
Susan Capparelli, Executive Director, of St Croix Valley Restorative Services shared the mission, vision, model and results of restorative services in our community. |
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Camp Enterprise: learn about entrepreneurship and business
River Falls High School students Casey Schlatter and Lindsey Young presented to the club about their Camp Enterprise experience last November. |
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Changes Coming for River Falls Emergency Medical Services
We had many visitors January 14, including Assistant City Administrator for the City of River Falls, Jason Stroud, (center in photo.) Jason provided an overview about the current state of the City's emergency medical services (EMS) department and discussed challenges and considerations about its long-term sustainability of the continued municipal operation. He shared what the City has evaluated and is considering, in order to ensure that we have viable plans for the provision of EMS/ambulance services for the community. |
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Theater ties old and new together to thrive
Last week’s guest speaker was Michelle “Mickey” Maher, owner of the Falls Theater, also known as “the person behind the curtain,” and outstanding recipient of Small Business of the Year last year. |
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Winter Announcements
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Partners in collaboration: School improvements
Dan Heffron, Jo Wrich and Julie Dodge from the Rotary Club of New Richmond told the story of their club's first (but not last) international mission. Eight members of the New Richmond club constructed bathrooms for an elementary school in Panama. It was the club’s first international service project, and more are planned. |
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Family, Farm, Career and Community Service + guest speaker!
Jim Harsdorf fulfilled his classification talk with a bonus - he brought his own guest presenter in the form of his grandson, Christian. Plus, he brought his son along to complete the three-generation presence! As a former lawmaker and a long-time dairy farmer, Jim had a wealth of local experience to share about living, working, and serving and helping others in rural Wisconsin. |
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New healthcare model engenders trust in patients, reduces cost
Dr. Greg Miller and guest Dr. David Usher from ReforMedicine presented a new way of obtaining healthcare to the club. This innovative model of practice - ReforMedicine - where primary care physicians are helping with the challenges of the cost of healthcare, provides high quality primary care to individuals and employer groups. |
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Sharing Families: a way to share joy
The Sharing Families Project has a mission to help caring River Falls residents to anonymously connect with families who need help at Christmas time. Please note! Thank you to all who are donating. Our sign-up list is full! If you wish to donate, additional gas cards are always appreciated. You can also donate extra shirts/pants in the sizes listed. Read on to find out drop-off details, how to label your gift, and see our club's list of donations. |
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The American Dream, my dream - Louisa Holm Bak
Louisa Holm Bak, our Rotary Youth Exchange student from Denmark, informed and entertained club members with an overview of her life and land in her “My life and Denmark” presentation. After hearing her talk, we can all agree that there are no cows on the ice. |
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Daring to be different! Netherlands university emphasizes Applied Sciences for the world of tomorrow
River Falls Rotary members recently welcomed Dr. Wil Bekkering, Vice Chancellor of Aeres University in the Netherlands. Dr. Bekkering was visiting as part of the UWRF International Summit on Education and Engagement. Her presentation, "Dare to be Different: Aeres University of Applied Sciences as an Example of Innovative Higher Eduction in the Netherlands," covered higher education in the Netherlands, and its faculty/student visit and exchange experiences in River Falls. |
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Something doesn't look right?If you spot something wrong in Tidings, please email and let us know so we can correct it ASAP! You can also request an announcement via that email link. Thanks for your help! |
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Rotary Foundation - high ranking, professionally managed to make a difference worldwide
Rotary District 5960 Governor Elect, Ed Marek and 2013 District Governor Gary Campbell presented to the River Falls Rotary Club about the power of Rotary and the impact it has on the world. Gary is a long time member of the Anoka, MN Rotary club, former 2013 District 5960 Governor, and current 2016-2019 District Foundation Team Leader. Gary talked about the Rotary Foundation, the Paul Harris Society requirements and use of Club Paul Harris points. |
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River Falls Business Improvement District improves, helps our community
Joleen Larson, chair of the River Falls Main Street Business Improvement District (BID), provided our club with an overview. Established in 1989, the objective of the BID is to encourage business improvement and development by offering façade and sign grants to businesses and property owners in the River Falls downtown BID District. |
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How to grow our club membership
Special guest and distinguished Rotarian Jim Hunt, (center in photo with John Kremer and J.W. Matheson) member of the White Bear Lake Rotary Club since 1992 and former District 5960 District Governor, continues to be very active both locally and internationally with Rotary. He spoke on fostering, growing, and expanding our club's membership. |
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Public Health efforts to eradicate polio
Sue Lindberg, RN, from the St. Croix County Health Department, is a fantastic public health nurse who leads many of St. Croix County's immunization and communicable disease prevention efforts. You could say she likes to give every patient her best shot. |
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Speed dating helps members get acquainted
Rotary members engaged in a networking “Speed Dating” activity. This gave everyone a chance to formerly introduce themselves, their background, and get to know fellow club members on a more personal level. Our great camaraderie is one of the many reasons why you should join our outstanding club! |
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Jump Start to Literacy: providing books at home
Saying that science proves that books in the home are the best predictor of later reading success, Tony Pedriana addressed the club about how Jump Start to Literacy supports that goal, and encouraged Rotary support of the program. |
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Kinnic River Watershed: Preserve, People, and Possibilities
Charlene Brooks, Executive Director of the Kinnickkinnic River Land Trust (KRLT), presented to our club about how the KRLT has protected more than 3,000 acres of land and ten miles of shoreline along the river since 1993. |
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Dr. Abul Sharah: Changing cultures, changing lives
"We are changing lives," said Dr. Abul Sharah, the founder of the International Village Clinic Manav Khidmet Foundation (IVC/MKF) in Uttar Pradesh, India. |
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Angela has landed
Sneak peek! Angela Miller, RF Rotary's youth exchange student to Spain, has arrived. Host families welcomed her with signs and smiles. Stay tuned for more! |
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Empowering people to gain peace of mind
River Falls Rotarian and Sergeant at Arms, Gerd Jon Bents, presented his classification talk to the club, where he touched on his current and past work experience, his family, and some of the things he has learned on his journey. |
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District Governor Paul Perez Visit
District Governor (DG) Paul Perez joined us at our noon meeting and talked about his "2020 Vision." District Governor Perez described his personal vision for this current Rotary year and also highlighted the updated strategic plan of Rotary International. For a brief video message from Governor Perez, please click on this link. |
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Ever flexible Rotary club fills time with stories, smiles
River Falls Rotary is nothing if not flexible and creative! When our speaker was unable to attend this week because of transportation issues, the members gracefully filled in, stretching their happy bucks into an almost hour of laughter and stories. |
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Students STEP into other cultures
STEP students Casey Schlatter (right) from River Falls High School visited the club with her exchange sister Karolina Winkler from Uehlfeld, Germany. Karolina (center) presented club president, Chris Blasius, with a Rotary flag. |
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Helping people recharge their bodies and health
Dr. Christian Neldeberg shared some of his life story and lots of interesting information in his classification talk on August 6. The photo shows him explaining either the importance of corn detasseling or later, how a 13 student high school class can support an 8-man football team. The most important topic, however, was that Christian has opened a new chiropractic practice in River Falls - Recharge Chiropractic - and he is already an active volunteer in the River Falls Community. |
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Autumn announcements
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STEPs toward lifelong friendship
Anna Pond, exchange sister of Olivia Miller and her family through Rotary's Short Term Exchange (STEP) program, shared her summer experience and a little about her homeland. Dr. Greg and Molly Miller had Anna join the family during a tour of the the entire east coast, from Florida to Massachusetts. Anna met up with the Millers on their East Coast trip, and traveled with them to Atlanta, Savannah, Charlotte, Louisville and Chattanooga. She noted as memorable a hike in the Smoky Mountains and the DC and New York City areas, as well as seeing the Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania. |
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Tuesday July 30th , 2019 MeetingAt tomorrow's 7:00 am meeting we will hear from two current Rotary STEP exchange students. Olivia Miller and her exchange sister, Anna Pond, will be sharing their summer experiences. When last I talked to Rotarian Dr. Greg Miller in early July, the Millers where going to have Anna join them on their tour of the the entire east coast from Florida to Massachusetts. We will have to hear how this exciting trip went! Also - an urgent plea for Rotary volunteers. We are still short workers for this Friday's (8/2/2019) FISH game. We need two people for the concession stand and two for the 50-50 game. Please contact Linda Yde or me if you can help with this important Rotary event. A Happy Buck for the first Rotarian to tell me what historical event happened in Independence, Missouri on 7/30/1965. See you tomorrow morning. |
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Club assembly yields ideas
On July 23, our working club assembly was moderated by President Chris Blasius. The goal of the meeting was to work on getting more of the membership involved in Rotary Club Committees. Members saw an overview of the Club's committee structure along with job duties and expectations. A call for new committee members was made, and members divided into groups to brainstorm ideas and changes for the coming year. |
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STEP exchange students visit from and to Finland
Pictured from left to right: Elaine Baumann, KateLynn Larson, Marika Salo and Chris Blasius. Marika visited us from Finland, and presented Chris with a Rotary flag from her local Rotary club. |
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An update from Nicaragua
River Falls Rotarian, Dr. Tony Jilek, gave an update on the Ambulance project and several other projects in Nicaragua. In 1981, Tony joined the Wisconsin Nicaragua Partners, a nonprofit volunteer organization. |
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Check out the River Falls library
River Falls Public Library Director Tanya Misselt, addressed the club after she completed her first year in River Falls. Saying her last name is pronounced "like mistletoe without the o," Tanya proceeded to provide a brief history of how she ended up at the River Falls library after first starting a career in criminal justice. She also briefly outlined some of the services the library offers. Tanya is shown here at left with Rotary President Chris Blasius. |
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Tuesday July 9th, 2019 Rotary MeetingOur guest for this week's morning meeting is River Falls Public Library Director Tanya Misselt, MLIS. Director Misselt has just completed her first year in River Falls and tomorrow's presentation will give her an opportunity to introduce herself and meet many River Falls Rotarians for the first time, and let us know some of the great events and activities going on at the Library this year. Many of which may be found on the library website. I highly suggest you "check it out" and "book it" on your schedule as we have been "overdue" for a presentation from the library. Thanks for reading this message. An extra Happy Buck to the Rotarian that can tell me what Sporting Event happened on July 9th, 1877. See you tomorrow morning! |
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The importance of balanceRiver Falls Rotary President Elect, J.W. Matheson addressed the group on the importance of Fall Prevention. Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for people aged 65+. Falls can result in hip fractures, broken bones, and head injuries. And even falls without a major injury can cause an older adult to become fearful or depressed, making it difficult for them to stay active. Yet, the good news is that many falls can be prevented with some planning and exercise. |
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Passing the gavel of Rotary Leadership
Rotary President Rick Wilson ended his 2019 term by providing a year-end update and passing the gavel to incoming President, Chris Blasius. |
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J.W. receives Rotarian of the Year Award
President Rick Wilson, left with J.W. Matheson, right, of of Catalyst Sports Medicine, who was voted 2019 Rotarian of the Year. Rotarian of the Year is presented to those members of the River Falls Rotary Club who have been recognized by their peers for their unselfish dedication, leadership and continuous support of the ideas and principles of Rotary. |
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Autumn Meeting CommitmentsMeeting commitments Set-up / Take-down Aug 24 (noon) - Roxie Gavin Aug 31 - Jim Harsdorf Sep 7 - Randy Cudd Sep 14 - Rick H / Linda Sep 21 - Julie / Rick H Sep 28 (noon) - Terry Mc Oct 5 - Jodie BY Oct 12 - Oct 19 - Karla T Oct 26 (noon) - Devotions: |
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Get involved and be a friend to area parks
Rita Thofern, left, shown here with River Falls Rotary president, Rick Wilson, is the Vice President of The Friends of Willow River and Kinnickinnic State Parks, Inc. addressed our club to give an overview of the organization, which has been active since the 1990s. |
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July announcements
Have an announcement or photo you want to appear in Tidings and our website? Email us! |
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RF Rotary's vision report: on track for long term goals
Incoming River Falls Rotary Club President, Chris Blasius, presented an update to the membership on the club's goals for the 2019-2020 year and reviewed some of the long-term goals from the 2018 Rotary Visioning session. The Board is looking forward to your input on these goals. |
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Gary Porter reflects on Midwestern Boyhood
The River Falls Rotary Club welcomed local author Gary Porter (center) to discuss the release of his book, Town Kid: Reflections of a Midwestern Boyhood. |
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Extending a welcome in a strange land
Mr. David Jal, guest of Rotarian Thomas Pedersen, provided a special presentation to the club. |
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Burgos, Spain will host Angela Miller.jpg)
Angela Miller, 15, will travel to Burgos, Spain, in September, and shared her presentation with the club. She will present at Rotary clubs (speaking Spanish) during her stay. |
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Dean Van Galen receives Paul Harris Fellow recognition.jpg)
Dean Van Galen recently received recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow. The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation. |
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Community Policing has wide array of contact
River Falls Police Officer Tom Overland spoke to the group about his experiences as a River Falls patrol officer. Officer Overland is the Community Policing Specialist for the River Falls Police Department. |
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May Meeting CommitmentsMeeting commitments Set-up / Take-down June 4 Julie W., Rick W. / Jill, Rick W. June 11 Jill K. Devotions June 4 - Wayne Wulf June 11 - Linda Yde June 18 - Gordon Young |
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May Announcements
Have an announcement you want to appear in Tidings and our website? Email Jill. |
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Our Neighbors' Place: Building bridges to hope
Shelly Smith, director, center, along with board members Janet Wilson and Thomas Pederson. Shellly and Janet visited the River Falls Rotary Club to provide an update on Our Neighbors' Place. Since 2009, Our Neighbors' Place has been a leading social service provider in St. Croix and Pierce Counties, helping clients with shelter, food security, housing, and a variety of other services. Its services are making a difference in the lives of local families and individuals, strengthening our community and building bridges to hope. |
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Greetings from Turkey
Dear All friends, We Rotarians are dedicated to serve for humanity without any discrimination of religion, language, country, gender or ethical origin 😍 |
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20th anniversary Gala!
"Town crier" J.W. Matheson read the mayor's proclamation of April 26 as office Rotary Day in River Falls at the 20th anniversary gala, Friday, April 26. Read on to check out the photos. |
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River Falls: City is healthy and growing
City Administrator and River Falls Rotarian Scot Simpson provided a "State of the City" presentation. The City Administrator is trained in the business of managing government and its resources, maintains political neutrality, puts the overall welfare of the community first and brings a community-wide perspective to policies and programs. Scot is celebrating 10 years in the position in 2019. |
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Help girls pursue SCIENCE careers
Dr. Rellen Hardtke from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, gave an overview of the program she is involved in – SCIENCE – which encourages youth, especially girls, to get involved in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math careers. Dr. Hardtke brings a rich background to the challenge, fromgrowing up on a Wisconsin dairy farm to a bachelor’s in science in math, with minors in gender, society and technology. She started in actuarial science. |
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Keep the train on track for Hudson-River Falls
Bill Draves, president, Learning Resources Network (LERN), addressed the club about plans for extending rail service via passenger train from River Falls and Hudson, on an Eau Claire to St. Paul route. “The Hudson-River Falls train is based on a whole new business model involving little or no taxpayer money, just private investment,” Bill said. “The train operator will be a private, not publicly supported, train company, running on privately owned Union Pacific tracks.” |
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Promoting River Falls as a great place to work
The River Falls Economic Development Corporation is intent on bringing jobs to River Falls. "More than 50 percent of our deployable workforce leaves town to go to work and we would like to keep them in town," said Dale Jorgenson, recently "retired" president of the River Falls Economic Development Corporation (RFEDC), who updated our Rotary club on the organization's future in the region. |
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Dean Van Galen: UWRF update
Club member UWRF Chancellor Dean Van Galen provided a university update which included positive trends in enrollment and student participation in study abroad. |
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Providing food with respect and dignity in times of need
Bill Anderson and Jeanette Juetten presented to the club about how the River Falls Community Food Pantry (RFCFP) addresses food insecurity problems in the River Falls area. The RFCFP is a private, non-profit, volunteer organization. Its mission is to provide food, with respect and dignity, in times of need to those in the River Falls community. It is a 100 percent donor driven organization. |
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Looking for blue bridges: an introduction
Tom Anderson shared four lessons he has learned along the way with club members as part of his introductory talk. Tom and his wife Pam live in River Falls. They have two adult daughters and four grandkids. |
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Team teaching with Mother Nature
Members enjoyed a presentation by former River Falls Rotarian and retired River Falls School Superintendent, Tom Westerhaus. Tom's topic was, "Team Teaching with Mother Nature" and he shared the work he does for a nonprofit foundation called the Jeffers Foundation. |
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Honoring his father's heroic journey
Roy Plana gave a powerful presentation on his completion of the Bataan Death March 102 km Ultra Road Race in January 2019. Plana completed this challenging race in honor of his father, Richard Plana, a Bataan Death March survivor and three-year prisoner of war in the Philippines during World War II. Richard Plana served 33.5 years in the United States Army earning a chestful of medals, ribbons and commendations, including the Purple Heart, a Presidential Unit Citation with two oak leaf clusters, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon, a joint services commendation, the Army Commendation, Meritorious Service Medal, and Combat Infantry Badge. |
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April Announcements
Thanks to Kinni Cleanuppers!Thank you to all who helped feed the hungry masses at the Kinni Cleanup! Calling for photos from the Gala!If you took any photos at the Gala, please share them. Tag @rfrotary if you're on Facebook, or send to Jill. Win a tent at Sporting World!Stop in, sign up and win a tent! While you're there, sign up to work a shift. It's easy and fun! ISO: host family for visiting youthIf anyone would like to host a 17 year old girl from Denmark through Rotary’s youth exchange, please see Elaine. |
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Grow to Share feeds our community in more than one way
John Ramstad, fellow rotarian (Hudson Daybreak) provided what he termed a "somewhat accurate overview" of the River Falls Grow To Share program, which believes that everyone should have access to fresh, locally grown food. Grow to Share is a 501c3 non-profit garden located just north of Hoffman Park in River Falls. It offers three programs:
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Announcements!
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Meeting CommitmentsMeeting commitments Set-up / Take-down Feb. 19 Benson, Jilek / Laule, Jilek Feb. 26 (NOON) Leitch Devotions Feb. 19 Nguyen Feb. 26 (NOON) Nylander |
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Kendra Morgan: una introducción
She's a financial advisor, gymnastics coach and Rotary volunteer. Becoming fluent in Spanish is one thing that Kendra Morgan hasn't accomplished -- yet. In her introductory talk, she gave us a sense of who she is and how she got here. From athlete, to international student, to financial advisor, Kendra has a variety of experiences and talents she brings to our club. Welcome, Kendra! |
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Announcements
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Meeting CommitmentsMeeting commitments Set-up / Take-down Feb. 12 VanGalen / Feb. 19 Benson, Jilek / Laule, Jilek Feb. 26 (NOON) Leitch Devotions Feb. 12 Neuhaus Feb. 19 Nguyen Feb. 26 (NOON) Nylander |
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Food, culture and fun in Zacatecos
Arantza Jaloma Cuellar (accent on the e) is one of two youth exchange students for 2019. She gave the group an overview of her home country, shared photos and also told us a little about her family and personal life. Arantza lives in the 11th most populous state of Mexico, Zacatecas, in north-central Mexico. |
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Announcements
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Meeting CommitmentsSet-up / Take-down an. 29 McKay, Frederickson / Leitch, Pedriana Feb. 5 Mottaz, Moe / Hedahl, Moe Feb. 12 VanGalen / Feb. 19 Benson, Jilek / Laule, Jilek Feb. 26 (NOON) Leitch Devotions Jan. 29 Mottaz Feb. 5 Nelson Feb. 12 Neuhaus Feb. 19 Nguyen Feb. 26 (NOON) Nylander |
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Meeting CommitmentsSet-up / Take-down Feb. 5 Mottaz, Moe / Hedahl, Moe Feb. 12 VanGalen / Feb. 19 Benson, Jilek / Laule, Jilek Feb. 26 (NOON) Leitch Devotions Feb. 5 Nelson Feb. 12 Neuhaus Feb. 19 Nguyen Feb. 26 (NOON) Nylander |
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Swinging Bridge Brewery: A community-driven business
Dustin Dodge, General Manager, of the Swinging Bridge Brewing Company spoke to the members about Swinging Bridge Brewing, a community driven business, uses the Community Supported Brewery (CSB) membership concept, and showed how this concept has helped the brewery become successful. Swinging Bridge strives to deliver high-quality beer made from locally sourced ingredients in a comfortable and interesting setting. |
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Announcements
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New member, UW-RF Athletics presentation
We welcomed new member, Tom Anderson, to the club. Welcome, Tom! Our January 15 meeting presentation was from the UWRF Athletics Department. Athletics Director Crystal Lanning and Assistant Athletics Director Kellen Wells-Mangold shared some fun facts about the history and current status of UWRF Athletics as well as some information on their recent NCAA and Minority Opportunities Athletic Association’s 2019 Award for Diversity and Inclusion. The Athletics department will accept the award later this month at the annual NCAA meeting in Orlando, Florida. |
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Meeting commitmentsMeeting commitments Set-up / Take-down Jan. 22 (NOON Meeting!) Matheson, Wilson Jan. 29 McKay, Frederickson / Leitch, Pedriana Feb. 5 Mottaz, Moe / Hedahl, Moe Devotions Jan. 22 (NOON Meeting!) Morrissette Jan. 29 Mottaz Feb. 5 Nelson |
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YMCA: a community partner for Hudson and beyond
Chris Kost, Hudson YMCA Director and Hudson Daybreak Rotarian, provided our club with an update on the Hudson YMCA. Under Chris's leadership, the Hudson Y has become more than just a "Gym and Swim," and is an active supporter of many organizations around the St Croix Valley. Chris updated us on what the Y does outside its own four walls and covered some new initiatives the Hudson Y is working on in 2019. |
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Meeting commitmentsMeeting commitments Set-up / Take-down Jan. 15 Bakken Young, Morrissette Jan. 22 (NOON Meeting!) Matheson, Wilson Jan. 29 McKay, Frederickson | Leitch, Pedriana Feb. 5 Mottaz, Moe | Hedahl, Moe Devotions Jan. 15 Morgan Jan. 22 (NOON Meeting!) Morrissette Jan. 29 Motaz Feb. 5 Nelson |
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2019 Announcements
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Brazilian treats and dancin' feets!
Help our sponsored exchange student, Raphael, tour America when you sign up for a Sunday afternoon of dancing and sweet treats! |
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Exchange students share news from home
Raphael Costa and Arantza Cuellar, two of River Falls Rotary's Youth Exchange participants, talked with the club about their home countries. |
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Students share Camp Enterprise experience
Emily and Ahsan are two River Fall High School students who attended Rotary Camp Enterprise in November and shared their experiences with our club. Shown here, L to R, Kelly McCarthy (host mom), Sean Bird (host brother), Ahsan Bhatti, Emily Anderson (Camp Enterprise participants) and Sheri MacBeth, River Falls Senior High School guidance counselor. |
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Next Meeting Tuesday December 11th, 2018Our presenters this week are Emily and Ahsan, who are the two River Fall High School students that attended Rotary Camp Enterprise last month. Camp Enterprise is an incredible opportunity that is sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of District 5950 and 5960, it is an extensive three-day camp offering students the opportunity to participate in leadership activities focusing on the Free Enterprise System. Ahsan's host mother, Kelly, and his host sister will also be in attendance. A big thank you to River Falls High School Counselor Sheri MacBeth who helped organize the student's trip as well as helping them present at Rotary. Sheri will also be joining us tomorrow for breakfast. Please check out the link above to the Camp Enterprise website and come prepared with several questions for Emily and Ahsan about their exciting experience. |
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General AnnouncementsAnnouncements:
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Glen Park: a destination of natural beauty
“Our job is to preserve and promote local history and interpret and share it with the public,” said Heidi Heinze, River Falls Historic Preservation Commission, as she presented to our club. Some of the ways that the organization accomplishes that are the survey of historical buildings for the National Register, installing plaques on downtown buildings, walking tours, consulting with city groups, the park board and placing historic photos on the outside of buildings. |
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Sharing Families informationWant to help a local family have a bright holiday? Read on. |
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Following a vocation for service and community
Julie Weber talked about service and being part of a community as part of her introductory presentation. Julie puts her more than two decades of legal practice to work for clients of Weber Law Office in River Falls. |
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Education that takes us back to nature
The Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center (CNC) began as a dream of Tom and Edna Carpenter, who set aside 325 acres for future generation enjoyment of the natural world. This soon grew to 425 acres, including 50 miles of trails. The Minnesota location is open 8-4:30 daily, and admission is free. |
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Rotary supports Our Neighbors Place backpack program
Rotary presented $1705 to Our Neighbors' Place for the backpack program at Tuesday's meeting. Scott Morrissette led the effort, and members contributed enough for 114 backpacks. Rotary funds provide the program with food during the holiday season. |
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AnnouncementsImportant announcements this week:Rotary Foundation Giving: See John K. to see your donation status. He has the list! Backpacks for Our Neighbors House: Thank you! Our goal was 75 backpacks and we're at 103! That means $1540 for the program! Scott will still accept orders through next Tuesday's meeting. Hudson Free Clinic fundraiser: You can procure tickets from Heather. Note to Hudson residents: your gifts will be doubled through the end of this year. Find out more by contacting Heather. Better Angels event is Wed., Nov. 14. Attendees will discuss how to have civil discourse in challenging times at a lunchtime event. Contact Heather for more information. The Croix Chordsmen will perform Saturday, Dec. 11 at 2 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, Stillwater. Tickets are $10. Children 12 and under are FREE. To order ticktes go to www.eventbrite.com or call Ted 651-308-5775. Taco Fund raiser lunch will benefit a family from Guatemala. See Tony J. for more info. Thank you to Brian McQuade, for agreeing to head up the efforts for the 2019 Relay for Life event. |
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River Falls School Safety
Dr. Nate Schurman, (right) Greenwood Elementary Principal and District Safety Director, spoke to the club about how the district is responding to the changing concept of school safety. |
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Announcements
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AnnouncementsCheck out announcements:
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Bike group works in partnership with the community
Phoenix and Lionheart, two representatives from the Great Rivers chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA), provided a quick overview of how BACA works with law enforcement and the community to provide safety and security to kids who’ve experienced the horrors of abuse. With more than 289 chapters internationally, (seven in Wisconsin), BACA’s intent is to create a safer environment for abused children. “We exist as a body of Bikers to empower children to not feel afraid of the world in which they live,” said Phoenix. “We stand ready to lend support to our wounded friends by involving them with an established, united organization.” BACA works in conjunction with local and state officials who are already in place to protect children. It desires to send a clear message to all involved with the abused child that this child is part of our organization, and that we are prepared to lend our physical and emotional support to them by affiliation, and our physical presence. |
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Kinni Hemp Co. and industrial hemp
Abbie Testaberg from the Kinni Hemp company, outlined for our group how she went from coffee shop owner to becoming someone who can speak both eloquently and scientifically about health and phyto chemicals. Abby and her husband, Jody, make their home in River Falls and are owners of the Kinni Hemp Co. |
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Communication, plans and visioning tool
At the October 2 meeting, Rick Wilson, president, led a club assembly covering three main areas. |
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Sporting World benefits Big Brothers and Big Sisters
Carole Mottaz, Board Chair of the St. Croix Valley chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin and River Falls Rotarian, is shown with the Events Manager, Paula Skoviera and Program Manager, Nate Schorr. St. Croix Valley has recently changed their business model, closing the office in Hudson so that Paula and Nate can work remotely. Carole opened a used sporting goods store called Sporting World in August to raise funds for St. Croix Valley BBBS on N. Main Street, River Falls. |
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Challenges of Camp RYLA help students strengthen leadership skills
Camp RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) is a five-day camp which strengthens leadership skills and capabilities of high school students through physical, mental, emotional, and intellectual challenges. There is an emphasis on problem solving, teamwork, and interaction with other outstanding students and volunteer counselors and presenters. Because all participants were leaders at their own schools, it was initially challenging, as they had to learn to sometimes lead and sometimes follow. |
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Around the World in 140+ Days
Gorden and Jean Hedahl shared stories from their 140+ day trek around the world on the Viking Sun. You can view some of their fantastic photographs and read more of this phenomenal journey on Gorden’s blog, https://followingphileas.wordpress.com/ |
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African Soul, American Heart
It started with creating a documentary on the lost boys of Sudan, and evolved into providing education for hundreds. Deb Dawson, of African Soul, American Heart shared her story of children torn by war and healed through education. |
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You can be certified in Mental Health First Aid
Amy Schreiner is a local chiropractor (and former Rotary Group Study Exchange participant) recently completed a five-day training to offer Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) trainings. MHFA helps prepare everyday people to respond to mental health issues. The intention is to make MHFA training as familiar and widespread as CPR and First Aid training. MHFA is an evidence-based, peer-reviewed curriculum that follows a very proscriptive path. |
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Belize update: An opportunity to help in a direct way
Ed Robbins provided an update on his work with a school in Belize. When he arrived this year, he learned that what his students needed most was materials to help them prepare for their exams. He purchased a printer and they subsequently printed thousands of pages of materials to help them prepare. While he was there, another opportunity to help presented itself! Find out how you can help. |
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River Falls Sunshine Fund comes up with support
Over the past two years, the River Falls Sunshine Club has raised more than $20,000 to support RFSD families struggling with health issues. |
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River Falls Gymastics Club: building strong kids and a strong community
This summer, the RFGC is breaking ground on a new 15,000 squre foot facility, the “River Falls State Bank Center,” which will be home not only to the RFGC but also to the River Falls Wildcats gymnastics team. The new facility is directly east of the high school, north of the track. The new two-story facility was designed to be a state-of-the-art facility for all participants; a dedicated preschool area will serve participants as young as 18 months. Find out how you can help! |
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River Falls Montessori – Model United Nations
Students from the River Falls Public Montessori School shared their experience participating in the Model United Nations Conference in Chicago, IL. The goal of the Model UN program is to bring students together to solve real-world issues such as clean water to all, gender equality, global sustainability, etc. Students at this year’s conference came from all of the United States and Canada, totaling more than 200 students. |
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Wisconsin/Nicaragua Partners Of The Americas
The work of the Wisconsin/Nicaragua Partners of the Americas includes sports equipment, Chica Nica doll dresses, lending libraries, the stove and chimney project, Firefighters United, backpacks, learning centers, eyeglass projects, and more. The Firefighters United projects provides used equipment to municipalities in Nicaragua; to date, Wisconsin has sent 25 ambulances and 35 fire trucks to Nicaragua. Tony Jilek’s late wife, Ann, made four trips to Nicaragua before her untimely passing; Tony and his family visited our club to talk about their work in Ann’s memory through the eyeglass project of the Wisconsin/Nicaragua Partners of the Amerias. |
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Judie Foster Babcock: a history of helping others
With long term family connections to scouting, Judie Foster Babcock sees many connections between the scouting mottos/laws and the Rotary 4-Way Test; that’s part of what attracted her to Rotary. Many of her jobs revolved around helping people. She currently works at St. Paul Traveler's Insurance; however, her Rotary badge reads “Philanthropist." |
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Referendum offers an investment to support learning
The River Falls School District has two referendum questions on the ballot for next Tuesday, April 3, said Jamie Benson at the March 27 Rotary meeting. The referendum will help River Falls maintain its high performance by investing in facilities that support learning. A video on the district’s website http://www.rfsd.k12.wi.us/district/referendum-informational-video-q2.cfm#d569010 provides an overview of the referendum, including the proposed projects and the needs they will address. |
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Safe, fresh, cold drinking water: brought to you by RFMU!
Kevin Westhuis (Utility Director) and Ron Growth (Water/Wastewater Superintendent) are proud of the work that Ron and his team do to take care of our water and wasterwater systems. Water and wastewater operators are required to be certified (and recertified) by the State of Wisconsin; this is important and serious business! Kevin noted that River Falls Municipal Utility (RFMU) delivers safe, fresh, cold drinking water to our homes for about $2/1000 gallons. |
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New stoves make dreams come true, showcase power of Rotary
Rotary has the power to make dreams come true, according to Carlos Galvez, who visited and updated the club on the Chapita Bonita Stove Project. "When you support this project, you are helping people who are a world away," he said. "One thousand, twenty eight miles from here, you are making other people’s dreams come true." |
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Second hand sports store would help fund Big Brothers / Big Sisters program
When we surveyed members last year, one of the themes was a desire for more service projects, according to Carole Mottaz. Well, Carole has a proposal! Carole is chair of the board of our local Big Brothers, Big Sisters affiliate. As an affiliate, BBBS is allowed to “do anything” as long as they can fund it. When a funder recently did not renew support for 2017, leaving a $50,000 hole in their budget, they started thinking about ways they could generate more support for the affiliate. They are now looking at a new funding source, a second-hand sporting goods store in River Falls. |
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View from the porch! Thank you to all our donors.png)
River Falls Rotary would like to thank all the businesses and individuals who donated to our "Porch Party" fundraiser benefitting River Falls School children. |
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Group seeks to build bridges between Muslims and broader community
The Islamic Resource Group (www.irgmn.org) works to build bridges of understanding between Minnesota Muslims and the broader Minnesota community through education. Members believe a deeper understanding of different religions and cultures contributes to peace and harmony in the world. "As with Christianity, Islamic religion and culture are two different things, and it is important to understand both," said John Emery, left, who started his path to Islam when he served as a translator in the Armed Forces. Also pictured: Bill Montgomery. |
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Turningpoint helps survivors of domestic abuse start over
One in three women will be a victim of some form of intimate partner violence in her lifetime. An average of four women are murdered every month in the state of Wisconsin, and about half of those homicides occur in rural areas like ours. Turningpoint provides help for survivors to rebuild healthy lives free from domestic violence and abuse. |
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Luke Martz: Marsy's Law
Marsy’s Law is an organization based in California that advocates for rights for crime victims. Each state does things its own way. “Marsy” was Marsalee Ann Nicholas, a UC-Santa Barbara student who was stalked and killed by her ex-boyfriend in 1983. Marsy’s law was eventually started by Marsy’s brother, who was very disturbed when his family encountered Marsy’s murderer in a grocery store just one week after Marsy’s murder; they had no idea he’d been released on bail. |
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ARC coordinates local help to support neighbors in need
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International presentation
At this week's meeting, inbound Rotary Youth Exchange Student Ana Novoa presented our club with the official flag of the Youth Exchange Program for Rotary Districts 2201, 2202 and 2203 in her home country of Spain. |
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Rick Wilson: New Year’s Inspiration
Rick Wilson teed up “an experiment,” sharing a Ted Talk that he came across a few years ago and found inspiring. Rick noted that representatives of the Rochester Rotary clubs use Ted Talks to spark conversation between members, and he hopes this might do the same for our club. |
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Emma Becker: Ending human trafficking in Minnesota
Human trafficking has been selected as Rotary’s next global initiative, following the incredible work we are close to finishing with polio eradication. We acknowledge that we are not the expert in this area, but know that we can play the important role of convener, bringing together and supporting those who are already working on human trafficking. |
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Winfield United: Crop protection, seed marketing and more
Greg Dahl, Winfield United, spoke about Land O’Lakes, a Fortune 500 company with 290 facilities across all 50 states and 50+ countries. They have 10,000 employees and are the 3rd largest US member-owned cooperative. WinField United is a crop protection, seed marketing and professional products company in River Falls for 30 years! |
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Data Science: a new but huge field of study
Hossein Najafi, PhD, gave an overview about data science field and the UW-RF program. UW-RF is the only school in the UW system that offers at data science undergraduate degree. Data science is a relatively new – but huge – field of study. It is emerging now for three reasons: data volume, computational power, and advancements in machine learning. Najafi touched on aspects of data volume, computational power and advancements in machine learning (AKA artificial intelligence or “AI.”) |
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The Rotary Foundation: Doing good in the world
The Rotary Foundation has been named the “best charity in the world” by charity watchdogs. Not only do the funds you donate end up directly funding projects, making it efficient, but it’s also effective. This is because of Rotary’s unique ability to leverage the “local experts” on the ground – Rotarians in countries where the work is happening. Roy and Marlene Gargulak presented to the group as part of the District Foundation Committee, convened with the goal of growing giving to The Rotary Foundation by Rotarians in our District. |
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Nancy Miller: Your Public Library
The public library, according to Nancy Miller, is the best thing we do with local tax dollars. Celebrating 34 years of working at the library (the past 20 in the new building), Nancy said that people often tell her that the library is one of the reasons they chose to locate in River Falls. |
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John Kremer recognized as Multiple Paul Harris Fellow
John Kremer is shown being pinned by president Heather Logelin as a Multiple Paul Harris Fellow. Fellows receive a pin for each additional $1,000 donation to the Rotary Foundation. |
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Introductory Talk: Jill Krentz
What's worth remembering? Photographs tell the story of your life, as Jill Krentz outlined in her introductory talk. |
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October Rotary Reader of the Month
Maesa Kuchera reads with Rick Wilson, a River Falls Rotary Reader. Maesa was chosen to be the River Falls Rotary Reader Student of the Month for October. Maesa is in Ms. Lori Rosenow’s third grade class at Westside School. Maesa enjoys reading with Rick Wilson on a weekly basis, and her favorite book series is Pete the Cat. In her free time, Maesa loves swimming and dancing. |
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World Polio Day!
The River Falls Rotary Club marked World Polio Day by viewing a brief video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xheITaL96B8 , followed by a rousing game of POLIO JEOPARDY! |
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Intercultural volunteering: Belize project
As an anthropologist, Ed Robins appreciates the value of intercultural exchanges. He first traveled to Belize in 2002, to assess the likelihood of developing a study tour for UW-River Falls students. They did subsequently develop a two-week study tour. Over 15 years, more than 500 UW-River Falls students had the opportunity to experience what he calls “the conservation of cultural experience and biological diversity.” Now, River Falls Rotary is going into action with even more support for Belize. |
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A fruitful beginning to a lofty goal
Rotarians joined with Youth Leadership in River Falls planted four fruit trees as part of its Natural Resources Day. |
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Ana Novoa, exchange student
Ana Novoa, Rotary's youth exchange student from Spain, provides an early look at her experiences as an exchange student. She talked about daily life and culture in her region of Spain, Galicia. |
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Foundation provides one-stop resource for veterans in need
Victory and Valor for Vets, created by Jessica Schmitt to honor her husband’s memory, provides assistance to veterans, service members and military families. Jessica and her husband, Derrick, grew up in River Falls and were high school sweethearts, married right out of high school. He joined the National Guard with an understanding that they wanted to stay here in River Falls. He ended up in active duty, eventually the first from Minnesota trained as a member of the Elite Air Force Special Forces Phoenix Raven. |
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Steve Englehart: What's up with Steve?
Steve Engelhart provided an introductory talk about his life experiences, the growth of online readership and the changing world of advertising. |
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Clean cooking transforms kitchens to family gathering places
What if you could empower women, protect the environment and improve the lives of families throughout a whole country? Hudson Daybreak Rotarians have found an amazing way to accomplish this in Gautemala. Led by Dr. Greg Young, Rotarians Linda Robertson and Margaret Christianson visited with our group to talk about their work. He has traveled to Guatemala many times with his family, doing medical mission work, but recently focused on providing clean cooking stoves to Guatemalans. |
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Helping people with disabilities make their own music Music has been an important part of leading an ordinary life for students at the Music School for Children With Disabilities in Honor of Paul Harris in Lublin, Poland. Founded by Rotary members, the school serves 20 students with various disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism, and visual impairments. The Rotary Club of Lublin-Centrum-Maria Curie-Sklodowska has provided funding with help from Rotary Foundation Matching Grants and the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society, which houses the school. After their son Mateusz was born with underdeveloped eyes, Mariusz and Joanna Kania looked for ways to help him be active. When he showed an aptitude for music, they looked for a teacher and were thrilled to find the Paul Harris music school. |
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Finding Safe Haven For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.After serving her time, Bianca sought help from a local homeless organization, A Safe Haven, and moved to its shelter in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Bianca followed the program closely -- she attended all the required meetings, passed drug tests, and volunteered at every opportunity. |
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Saving lives in Ghana What is it like taking a large team to Africa? It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.A highlight for the team was greeting the chief of Sagadugu. The team got excited about buying goats and food for children in the villages where I support eight churches. It was good to see the pastors of most of the eight churches, and I had to explain that we were just passing through on our way to Bolgatanga. |
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India celebrates three years without polio Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."The three-year achievement sets the stage for polio-free certification of the entire Southeast Asia region by the World Health Organization. The Indian government also plans to convene a polio summit in February to commemorate this victory in the global effort to eradicate polio. |
