Stories

White Bear Lake Project in Uganda

Patty Hall from White Bear Lake Rotary will speak to our club about their club's District Grant-supported project for 2023-24 in Uganda. The project is planned to provide water improvements and hygiene/sanitation training to students in 3 schools in Uganda. Our club has already contributed $500 toward the $11,710 needed to match the district funds allotted.

Patty Hall is the international chair for White Bear Lake Rotary.

Lunch and Tour at The Sycamore

This month the Lunch Mob went on the road down to The Sycamore for a lunch and tour. Abundant thanks to Megan Harstad and to The Sycamore for hosting our group of 26 Rotarians. The lunch was enjoyable, the fellowship was our usual, and the tour showed us what an amazing asset to our community this new facility is now and will be in the future of River Falls.

Exchange Student Introductory Talk - Rufus Elging

Rufus Elging is our most recent exchange student. He comes from Stockholm, Sweden and from a family of four: his mother is a book editor; father is the librarian for the Swedish military, and a brother. His host family has a mother, father, 2 sons and 2 daughters and one away at college. He is starting to get used to having so many people in the household. He says the 8-year-old “sister” follows him around like a puppy.

In Sweden, the equivalent to our high school is called gymnasium, which covers grades 10 to 12. Rufus is in the 11^th grade over there and is considered a junior here. Sweden does not have sports as part of the school system. Sports are a separate endeavor and according to Rufus, you must start in a sport when you are young. That is why he was so glad that his host family signed him up for some sports activities at his school here, including cross country this fall. He likes basketball, running and soccer (called football outside of the United States). He tasted turkey for the first time when he had a turkey leg at the Minnesota State Fair (kudos to the Miller family for getting him there on the final day). The turkey leg was so big he cradled it like a baby.

From Seed to Fruit - Gabe Olson-Jensen

River Falls native, recent RFHS graduate, and incoming UWRF student Gabe Olson-Jensen described the development and pursuit of his interests in plant science. What started as gardening in his youth has led him toward academic study and work in the field of Horticulture and Genetics.

Gabe started grafting plants at age 12 with help from Mark Christopher at Maple Leaf Orchard. He contacted Dr. Jim Luby at U of M to obtain budwood in order to graft apple trees. In 7^th grade at MMS, Gabe asked to use an inactive greenhouse at the school, and he used it to grow a variety of “bizarre” plants. He noted with understandable pride that the greenhouse remains in use.

Fifth Tuesday

Thanks to the 5th Tuesday assembly line, we put together 50 bags of personal care items for Wiley's Closet at RFHS and for the Cat's Closet at MMS. Thanks are due to all who participated and to Karla and Linda for project management!

Stories from the Water - Mike Wurm

A few sentences summarizing what we saw on Tuesday can't do justice to the film. Mike presented a slightly edited version in two parts, with comments about the process and about how he worked with a cast consisting of first-time, non-actor middle school students. The filmmaking skills Mike developed in the corporate world during his working days were evident in the totally professional caliber of the film. And the message the film and its cast conveyed is that we all need to respect and conserve the Kinnickinnic River and its watershed.

Speaking of the watershed: Mark Ritzinger, who appeared in the film and was one of our guests, mentioned that he offers tours of the watersheds that feed the Kinni. He said that touring the northern end of the KRLT conservation area can add a great deal to people's understanding of the Kinni. He takes groups of 4 at a time. Mark's email is markritzinger@yahoo.com.

Click Read More to read about Mike as well as his summary of Stories from the Water:

Exchange experience

Mary Lundstrom returned from Vigo Spain about 1-1/2 months ago. She had 2 host families while there. Vigo is a city just north of Portugal, known as a fishing port. The city is famous for its display of Christmas lights, and some of her slide photos showed us that. For chosen holiday to prepare a meal, Mary picked Thanksgiving, which was a partial success. Mary made several trips to Madrid, including a year-end trip with her class. Trips included a part of the famous Camino di Santiago. At the end of year her exchange student group had a “Eurotour” of 10 countries including 11 cities.

She felt good about her Spanish, particularly since she had no “school Spanish” going in. But Mary said that she also had to deal with a local language called Galician. Cultural changes of note include the differences in mealtimes, the noontime break, and how open and friendly everyone is.

Adler Howe spoke to the club just before he leaves next week for The Czech Republic, which has recently renamed itself as Czechia (the things one learns at Rotary meetings!). Adler said that he has never been out of the US, even to Canada. He told us that he will live in a small town about 1 hour from Prague, which gives him opportunity to benefit from what Prague has to offer. He is becoming more confident about the language differences he’ll face. Using technology to his advantage, Adler has been watching Netflix movies in the Czech language.

Corp of Engineers Study of the Kinni

Amy Peterson, Community Development Director for River Falls, described the vision for the Kinni Corridor plan and how the Army Corps of Engineers study that is underway will contribute. In the vision: the river will serve as an asset to the city, provide for economic vitality, improve and provide ecological stability, connect residents and visitors to nature, strengthen a sense of place, balance public use with property rights, promote history and culture, and improve the quality of life for future generations. She described the role of the US Army Corps of Engineers in conducting a study to evaluate proposed changes and how those changes will affect the ability to realize the vision.

UWRF Equine Program

Casie Bass from the UWRF faculty provided the club with an overview of the equine science program. The Equine Program is an undergraduate program with 250 students. The University Horse Farm has 100 acres with 60 horses at 1475 Wasson Lane. Casie noted that these large animals are expensive to feed. The farm breeding program has three stallions and nine mares that produce 3 to 11 foals a year. The farm is expecing 9 foals this spring, with six coming in February. Dr. Bass also described the specialties of the three other faculty members in the department.

River Monitoring Project

Amber Rappl, Maggie Stahley, and Judie Babcock provided an update on the Kinni Corridor Collaborative sponsored work monitoring stream quality and non-game wildlife populations along the Kinnickinnic River. Amber Rappl and Maggie Stahley are paid interns with the Kinni Corridor Collaborative. The Kinni Corridor Collaborative (KinniCC) is a community-led, non-profit organization working with the city and other stakeholders to implement the Kinnickinnic River Corridor Plan (KRCP).

Their work focuses on the River Water Quality monitoring plan adopted and implemented by the joint efforts of Kiap-TU-Wish, UWRF, and KinniCC. Maggie has connected with other volunteer organizations monitoring non-game wildlife in the Kinni watershed, and she told us about recent birding and pollinator events as examples. The non-game species she monitors include snakes, birds, frog and toads, salamanders, turtles, small mammals, and pollinators.

Amber monitors the water quality by measuring pH, temperature, alkalinity, hardness, nitrates (NO3), nitrites (NO2), turbidity, phosphorus and environmental conditions such as fish kill, algal bloom, and pipe/drain outflow.

[Click Read More for additional detail, including speaker bio's]

UWRF Dairy Pilot Plant Renovation

Michelle Farner, Director of Dairy Production at UWRF, spoke to Rotary about the pilot plant renovation at the university. Unfortunately, our club's reporting staff were all out of town for the meeting. The paragraphs below are a summary of an article in the Pierce County Journal, July 26th edition.

The dairy pilot plant renovation project is nearing completion after about 10 years since the need was recognized and the planning began. Farner and Chancellor Gallo both emphasized how the pilot plant will create hands-on learning experiences for students, and they emphasized the positive impact on Wisconsin's dairy industry. In the Journal article, the increased capacity of the new pasteurizer was emphasized. The previous dairy plant had been decommissioned five years ago because the equipment wasn't functioning as needed. Replacing key equipment has taken much longer than originally anticipated.

July 11th (noon) - UWRF Dairy Pilot Project

About the Presentation: Michelle Farner, Director of Dairy Production at UWRF, will speak to the club about the dairy plant renovation at River Falls. The talk will describe the challenges and successes of this 10-year project to update and improve this important resource that is part of a major area of study at our local university.

About the Speaker: Michelle Farner is currently the Director of Dairy Production at UWRF. She holds a BS degree in Food Systems and Technology from UW-Stout and a MS degree in Agricultural Education from UWRF. She is a member of several professional organizations related to the dairy industry.

July 25th (noon) - Status of Corps of Engineers Study of the Kinni

About the Presentation: As part of the Kinni Corridor Plan implementation, the City of River Falls signed a Federal Cost Share Agreement between the City and the United States Army Corps of Engineers to study both the cost and environmental benefits of restoring the Kinnickinnic River to its natural setting by removing one or both hydroelectric dams. By signing this agreement, the City and the USACE will enter into the study phase. Recommendations from the study will then be presented to City Council. If the City agrees to move forward with recommendations, Federal funding of up to $10 million would be available for removal of one or both of the dams. Amy Peterson will share a bit of project history and more details on what the community can expect as the project moves forward.

About the Speaker: As Community Development Director for the City of River Falls, Amy leads a diverse team that encompasses economic development, planning and zoning, building inspections, code enforcement and engineering. Amy and her husband Dan live in River Falls, and Amy is a River Falls Rotarian.

Presidential Transition at 5:01

At a very enjoyable, well attended 5:01 at the West Wind, we thanked Rick for his leadership of our club over the past year as he passed the gavel to Linda as incoming president. Tony Pedriana's "top 6" list added a humorous, in fact hilarious, note while Rick expressed thanks for the support of the members.

Steve Leonard, new KRLT Executive Director

New KRLT Executive Director Steve Leonard updated us on the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust. For 30 years, KRLT has worked with the community to protect the Kinnickinnic watershed (from north of Hammond and Roberts down to the Kinnickinnic State Park). The presentation focused on the recent purchase of the Community Forest: community support which made it possible; future plans to make the trails more accessible; and how local schools will use this site and the adjacent School Forest as an outdoor classroom.

LIFT Initiative Update

LIFT -- standing for Listen, Inquire, Facilitate, and Transform -- is District 5960's only district-wide service project. It aims to reduce extreme poverty and to improve the quality of life in rural Nicaragua. In describing both the philosophy and the conduct of the project, Jim Hunt emphasized the numerous connections to non-governmental organizations who are the "boots on the ground" when Rotarians are not there.

About the Speaker: Jim Hunt is a member of the White Bear Lake Rotary Club. Jim has been a Rotarian since 1989, and he was District Governor during the 2016-17 Rotary year.. He is very active at both the club and district level. At the District level, he is a Grants mentor on the district Grants Subcommittee, the District International Service Chair (DISC) and a member of the LIFT steering team.

Click "Read More" for more detail on LIFT.

New Senior Living Options - The Sycamore

River Falls has a new Senior Living option at 745 Sycamore Street. Megan Harstad, the Outreach and Sales Director for The Sycamore of River Falls, spoke about how The Sycamore came to River Falls and what the new senior living center has to offer our community in terms of apartments, amenities, and nursing services. She also briefly described the history of Ebenezer, the company behind The Sycamore.

Camp RYLA Student Presentations

River Falls High School juniors Anika Hovland and Greyson Delander told Rotary about their experiences at Camp RYLA last month. RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Awakening. Each year our Rotary club sends two high school students to the four day RYLA leadership camp at Camp St. Croix. The camp consists of a series of activities and projects that help the students discover the leadership skills within themselves.

Local Filmmaker's "Stories from the Water"

Here's a summary of the film from presenter/filmmaker Mike Wurm: “Stories from the water” doesn’t fit into a tidy film category. Five kids from town take a 2 year journey discovering the river and learning about the process of storytelling. Musicians from River Falls and western Wisconsin are a critical part of the storyline. The conservation theme is central: the issues and challenges facing the Kinni haven’t changed much through the years. Our 5 middle school producer/actors learn that the watershed is as important to protect as the river itself.

A children’s book from 1962, “The Fishing River”, is one of the driving forces behind the film.“Stories” has been in several film festivals.

Click Read More to learn about the filmmaker who is our presenter.

Hudson Rotary - Guatemala Stove Project Trip (AM meeting)

Kellie Burrows, Rob Howard, John Duntley, Kerry Reis, and Bill Fehrenbach from the Hudson Daybreak Rotary club told us about their trip as part of the Guatemala Stove Project. Those five and three others from their club traveled to the village of the San Raymundo, Guatemala to build stoves. They shared, through stories and pictures, the history and their impressions of the beautiful country and people of Guatemala. Trips to San Raymundo began in 2016 when Dr. Greg Young and Linda Robertson met local Rotarian Carlos Galvez. Seven thousand Chapina Bonita stoves have been constructed since then by numerous groups of volunteers.

County Surveyor's Role & US Public Land Survey System

James "Louie" Filkins provided Rotary with an overview of the US Public Land Survey System and the role of the county surveyor. Louie's first slide showed us Mount Rushmore, which he said most people see as four presidents. A surveyor sees “three surveyors and another guy”. George Washington and Abraham Lincoln both worked as surveyors. Thomas Jefferson’s father was a land surveyor, and Thomas Jefferson created the land survey system that is used in the US except in Texas and in the territory of the original 13 colonies. In 1803 Jefferson undertook buying the area around New Orleans and wound up with Louisiana and the middle of America North America all the way up to Canada (2400 times what he planned to buy). Being a surveyor back in that day was very lucrative because the surveyors were often paid in land and they knew where the best land was since they had just surveyed it.

River Falls PFLAG Chapter Update

PFLAG board members Lisa and Debra spoke to Rotary about PFLAG. Lisa is a founding member of the River Falls PFLAG chapter. She works as a mental health therapist at Allina in River Falls and presented information about the River Falls chapter of PFLAG, which stands for Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. PFLAG envisions a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

Zonta International Overview - Sally Bean

Zonta International is a 104 year-old service organization whose purpose is building a better world for women and girls. Zonta and Rotary have some overlapping goals and a shared vision of creating a better world. Zonta’s goals are to 1) promote peace by ending gender-based violence, 2) help women and girls by ending child marriage, giving birthing kits and doing service projects, 3) support education by granting scholarships and expanding access to education, 4) fighting diseases like obstetric fistula, neonatal/maternal tetanus, and HIV/AIDS.

Zonta also works on climate change by working to reduce plastic pollution and by mangrove planting. Planting mangroves helps protect the natural embankments of river mouths, thus restoring the aquatic environment, and ultimately restoring ecological balance.

School Forest Update - Club Assembly

Rick Wilson and River Falls School District Superintendent Jamie Benson provided an update about the school forest. Despite the cold and snow over this past winter, work has been going on at the property, mainly by a group of enthusiastic and capable volunteers. Equally important, there have been other developments that affect the opportunity that this education resource offers as a Rotary project.

The land for the school forest was donated to the school in 1942. The land exchange in 2009-10 required a cash contribution due to the unequal parcel sizes. Rotary contributed $5,000 (half of what was needed), but the consolidated property was still landlocked. In 2019, the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust acquired the adjacent Community Forest property. Dale Jorgenson has compiled a more detailed history. Click the link at the bottom of the Tidings to read what he provided to the club.

Tour at River Valley Converting

This week’ s program was a tour of River Valley Converting in the Whitetail Ridge Corporate Park, 2552 Prairie Drive. RVC CEO Brooke Lee provided an overview of the company, and then Todd Nerbonne gave a tour. CEO Brook Lee has been the CEO of Anchor Paper since 2014. River Valley Converting is a merger of two facilities in Hudson, one acquired in 2013 and a second that has been part of Anchor since 1982. The River Falls building is huge, 87,500 sq. ft. RVC has 50 employees who work four 12-hour shifts per week. Their employees are cross-trained so that each can run several of the specialized machines which cut large rolls of paper, bubble wrap, or foam sheets into customized sizes for other companies.

E-sports Comes to UWRF

About the Speaker: Dylan Gentilcore is fresh to collegiate esports as the inaugural head coach of University of Wisconsin-River Falls Esports after founding and operating Carmel Esports out of Carmel High School in Indiana. While at Carmel, his program secured a sponsorship from HyperX and racked up over 40 national and state championships in competitions such as NASEF, HSEL, UGC, PlayVS, and the Indiana Esports Network, a non-profit organization providing esports leagues for over 100 Indiana middle & high schools that he helped start in 2019 and currently still serves as a member of the board.

About the Presentation: Dylan Gentilcore talked about UWRF’s e-sports, the newest addition to the Athletic Department. He described who plays, and how this new kind of intercollegiate competition works. Gentilcore was announced as the UWRF Esports inaugural head coach in July of 2022. He came to River Falls as the founder, coach, and director of the esports program at Carmel (Indiana) High School, developed in 2018. He said that high schools and colleges have e-sports teams but they might not know it because they exist informally.

An Introductory Talk, By George

George Ball introduced himself to River Falls Rotary at our most recent meeting. George told us that he was born in Elgin Illinois, the oldest of 4 children; his parents were educators and he has two brothers. His wife of 46 years is a retired program analyst. The moved to River Falls in 2019, living in Clifton township west of the city with their labradoodle Maisie.

George received an undergraduate degree in zoology and chemistry in 1974. While working as an air traffic controller, George started taking computer science classes to gain understanding of the systems involved. George's air traffic control career ended when striking controllers were fired en masse in 1981, forcing a career change. He moved to computer systems business, including time as a co-owner of Studebaker Systems. During that stage of his career, he he added an MBA with a concentration in systems. His company developed two products for sale as well as supplying custom solutions to businesses.

State of the City

State of the City: Scot Simpson did his usual fine job in providing an overview of the 'possibilities to progress' that River Falls has made in the last year. He gave credit to the many organizations and many connections that make River Falls such a fine place to live, work, educate, and raise our families. As it was last year, the State of the City was in effect a Rotary meeting with a Rotarian speaker, great Rotarian attendance, and lots of guests at "our" meeting

District Governor Visit - Dayle Quigley

District Governor Dayle Quigley addressed the club on why she joined Rotary, why she stays, and where she sees Rotary going. She began by saying that she learned some of the tenets of Rotary growing up in Baltimore. One of her grandmothers taught her by example that one is never too old to make changes and do new things; and she told Dayle that when someone tells you that something can’t be done, it is a challenge. Her other grandmother raised 3 boys on her own and taught her that what you leave behind at the end of life isn’t important; it’s what you give to others while you’re alive. Dayle’s grandmother had little left of value when she died, but it turned out that she’d given much to many in the community where she lived.

Rise Baking Company

Doug Wilkins, Director of Operations for Rise Baking Company, spoke to the club about Rise Baking Company, which is a North American bakery manufacturer that produces a vast array of products for in-store bakeries and food service markets. Rise customers include leading national grocery chains, convenience stores, quick service restaurants, and mass merchandisers.

The Rise corporate umbrella includes 9 distinct companies covering a wide geographic area.

Adult Protection in St Croix County

Assistant Corporation Counsel for St Croix County (and River Falls Rotarian) Amber Hahn will present about what Adult Protective Services does, how community members can help the population served by Adult Protective Services and what citizens can do to help ourselves and our loved ones avoid finding themselves in situations requiring guardianship.

About the Speaker: Amber Hahn is currently employed as Assistant Corporation Counsel for St. Croix County. She started in this position in April 2022 after working as a prosecutor for 14 years. In her current role she provides legal advice and representation to county departments, handles guardianship cases on behalf of the county, represents the child support agency and also handles the county's emergency detention cases. She lives in River Falls with her husband and two children, Nora 8 and Calvin 5.

Students - Exchange Experience and Camp Enterprise

Short-term Foreign Exchange Experience: River Falls High School senior Sydney Johnson shared photographic highlights of her three-week exchange experience in southeastern France near Grenoble and Lyon. She showed pictures of her host family and places they visited. Since she was there during Bastille Day, which is the French equivalent of America's Independence Day, Sydney got to see fireworks on the Eiffel Tower. She wants to return to France for a longer period before she enters college and plans for a semester abroad in college. She answered questions about her career interests, and she talked about time her family spent with the host sister that came to the US with her.

Rotary Camp Enterprise: River Fall High School senior Johan Valentine and junior Perry Kotz described their participation in Rotary Camp Enterprise. Rotary Camp Enterprise gives student experience with business principles activities and also showed them that getting to know your business partner makes negotiation and teamwork easier. The experience consisted of team building activities and simulated business activities such as selecting a product, organizing people into teams and making a presentation on that product. Both Johan and Perry were CEO's of their small teams, which added to what they learned. They also showed flexibility in speaking to Rotary without their slides due to video system problems. The two also answered questions about future plans.

5th Tuesday MORNING in-meeting service

Last week's 5th Tuesday project was putting stickers with Rotary's name and a clever phrase onto seed packets that we'll hand out when EarthFest 2023 happens in a few months. As always, the work went quickly, and we were able to get in some early morning socializing and getting to know one another better as we worked. Beyond that, the pictures you can see by clicking "Read More" tell the story. Thanks to Karla for taking the lead on this, and thanks to those who braved the cold to come and do good.

UWRF Athletics Update

UWRF Athletic Director Crystal Lanning gave an overview of the UWRF athletic department, some recent updates and success stories, and then provided some history on the women’s athletics program since this is the 50^th anniversary of the Title IX legislation that opened up opportunities for women’s sports in higher education. At the conclusion of her presentation, Crystal introduced senior basketball player Morgan Seitz and junior hockey player Holly Eckers who told their stories and fielded a few questions.

Local Ambulance Service -- Allina

Matthew Bouthilet, Supervisor of Ambulance Operations for River Falls, spoke about the recent changes in ambulance operations for the River Falls and the surrounding area. He has been an Operations Supervisor for Allina Health EMS for five years and a paramedic with Allina Health EMS for 19 years and in EMS for 24 years. He provided an overview of the ambulance and EMS service, which is connected to Allina but is independent of the River Falls Area Hospital, serving it as well as the surrounding area.

KRLT Update -- Charlie Rader

Charlie Rader updated us on the the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust (KRLT), which has focused since 1993 on conservation and protection of the Kinnickinnic River and the watershed which feeds it. Charlie's talk covered what KRLT has done over this time and where they are planning to go in the future. He noted that this year is the 30th anniversary of the KRLT, a fact that will be celebrated (and should be!).

The mission of the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust is to work with the community to preserve and protect the beauty and health of the Kinnickinnic River and its watershed. The source of the Kinnickinnic is Casey Lake. The river covers 22 miles through Hammond, Roberts and River Falls. The estimated population of its 174 square mile watershed is 30,000 people. The Kinnickinnic River is a class one trout stream that has not been stocked since 1974 and has 2,000 to 8,000 trout per mile. The area along the river is home to a diverse plant and animal population.

Guatemala Literacy Project -- Rice Lake Rotary

The Guatemala Literacy Project (GLP) is one of the largest grassroots, multi-club, multi-district projects in Rotary. More than 650 clubs and 80 districts have been working together since 1997 to improve education for underserved students in Guatemala. Clubs from 8 countries provide funds and "boots on the ground" support. In that time, more than 261,000 students have been served through four tested, proven, and sustainable programs. Claire Parrish described how the grant facilitates work by an NGO called Cooperative for Education.

EarthFest 2022-2023 and more

At our 12/20/22 meeting, Mark Klapatch-Mathias and Lauren Kaminski talked about Earth Fest and related sustainability-focused programs and groups in and around River Falls. Mark Klapatch-Mathias is currently on the Hope for Creation Leadership Team, a member of the Systemic Solutions Committee, Co-Chair of Earth Fest 2023, and the Sustainability Coordinator at UW-River Falls. Lauren Kaminski has worked in the Community Education & Communications Department at the River Falls School District for 11 years. For Earth Fest, she is the Communications & Marketing chair.

The talk covered the first Earth Fest 2022 in April 2022 and Earth Fest 2023 which will be held on April 22 in Glen Park. Mark also explained Hope for Creation-River Falls. Earth Fest is a FREE community celebration of the past, present, and future sustainability efforts in River Falls and the surrounding area. Everyone is welcome.

New Member Introduction -- Jim DiPeso

Jim DiPeso joined the River Falls Rotary club earlier this year. He had previously been a Rotarian before he moved to River Falls. Jim was born in California, went through the California public schools and university system, and he has a communications degree from California State Polytechnic University. He started as a newspaper reporter and lived near Lake Tahoe. Later, he worked in communications for non-profit organizations.

Jim said that he and his wife are “digital nomads”. He lives in River Falls but writes for organizations based in Seattle. During the day he writes for the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and in the evenings he writes for Energy News Data. He also manages and edits their website. Energy News Data covers federal energy policy for the west coast. He obtains policy information by watching government meetings on Zoom. Now that he lives in Wisconsin, his editor gets his articles two hours earlier!

Focus River Falls Process Update

Rotarian Amy Peterson, Community Development Director for the City of River Falls, provided an overview on the direction of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, the Outdoor Park and Recreation Plan, and the City’s Comprehensive Plan. These important policy documents, when implemented, will shape the future of River Falls. Since the plans are being drafted now and will be finalized and presented to City Council in March 2023, Amy is encouraging conversations and comments now. Click Read More for further detail. Also, Amy’s PowerPoint presentation is attached; see Downloaded Files below.

UWRF Update from Chancellor Gallo

Chancellor Dr. Maria Gallo presented an update on several important projects and new developments at UWRF. First she showed a slide recognizing the school’s Best in the Midwest award. She noted that the school ranks high in social mobility measures, with many students from first generation to attend college families as well as students from lower income families.

A major part of her talk focused on the Science and Technology Innovation Center (SciTech for short) as a game changer for UWRF. The center will focus on science, engineering, mathematics, physics, and psychology, increasing the emphasis on these fields of study and research. The video Dr. Gallo shared noted that collaboration capability will be designed into the facility.

Chancellor's UWRF Update

Update from the UWRF Chancellor. Just over one year ago, UWRF Chancellor Dr. Maria Gallo introduced herself to our club. Now that she’s settled into her vital role at UWRF, Dr. Gallo will speak to our club about important and exciting projects and programs at the university. Her presentation will include the Science and Technology Innovation Center (SciTech) project, new programs such as the development of a marching band and addition e-Sports, and ongoing activity around the revitalized UWRF brand.

About the Speaker: it used to be that a picture was worth a thousand words. These days, it's a link: https://www.uwrf.edu/about/chancellors-office to learn more about Dr. Gallo.

Touching Tiny Lives -WBL Rotary

Janelle Erickson of White Bear Lake Rotary told our club that Touching Tiny Lives (TTL) was founded in 2004 to serve infants and small children in Lesotho. The organization started with a single safe home far from the capital city. Babies and children were brought to the home because they would not survive if they had remained in their rural home areas.

Lesotho is a landlocked country totally surrounded by the nation of South Africa. There is a high prevalence of both poverty and HIV/AIDs, with the latter affecting an estimated 25% of the population. Infant mortality rates are very high, with approximately 10% of children dying before their 5th birthday.

JW Matheson on the Rotary Foundation

In his presentation informing and reminding us about the Rotary Foundation and its importance, JW challenged our club to do things: 1) get everyone on My Rotary, and 2) get to EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) status. As you’ll read below, he even gave us a primer on the how-to of getting this simple online task performed. He also pointed out that the bar for each member to help achieve EREY is low: a minimum one-time contribution of $25 before 6/30/2023 puts a member into Foundation contributor status for this current Rotary year.

St Croix Bike & Pedestrian Trail Coalition

Tim Witzmann started off by telling the club that the St Croix trails Coalition is a Grassroots effort to create a coordinated bike and pedestrian trail network in St Croix County WI. The current situation is that WI “trails” behind MN in bike and walking options. He also pointed out that biking and walking are great activities to maintain good health. Tim also note that safety is important when riding or walking. Finally, the Coalition works to promote the benefits of trails to tourism and commerce in the county.

River Sky Drones - Judie and David Babcock

River Falls Rotary member Judie Babcock and her husband David operate River Sky Drones, a local business that creates aerial photography and video recordings showing the beauty of the Kinnickinnic River as well as other features of our area. They described how this hobby became a business, what is involved in getting the licenses necessary to operate drones for commercial purposes, and the other challenges they needed to meet to produce their video productions. The presentation included video clips from several of their projects to show how River Sky Drones uses the videos. This was a very cool presentation, including videos that the Babcocks have produced. This is one where you really should click READ MORE to get the rest of the story as well as links to videos.

Mental Health Co-Respondents - St Croix County

Sharlene Lopez of St. Croix County HHS will present on the programming and services offered in St. Croix County, highlighting opportunities provided by funding from the American Relief Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). The programs target populations disproportionally affected by the COVID pandemic including those who are homeless or are experiencing housing instability, those who are under- or unemployed, those who are under- or uninsured, and those who are justice involved. St. Croix County has been able to enhance existing programs to assist in crisis response and outreach efforts in all of these areas.

About the Speaker: Shar Lopez is St. Croix County's Behavioral Health Administrator. She holds a Master of Science in Education, Counseling and Guidance degree and is licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Her prior clinical experience includes working in mental health day treatment, public schools, higher education, and the prison system. Shar shared the following about herself: "On a personal level, I love the outdoors and love to travel, preferably to a beach destination. I have a goal of traveling to somewhere I have never been before every year". Shar will be bringing two staff members with her: Nate Cundiff, one of the Law Enforcement Co-Responders as well as Katie Robinson, a Behavioral Health Supervisor.

Mike Thompson -- Farming Greens Indoors

River Falls Rotary member Mike Thompson is a scientist with a PhD in molecular biology whose career has focused on the interface between science and business. Mike spoke to the club about his new business, Kairos Indoor Ag, growing greens in an indoor vertical farm. Using some unconventional methods to provide water and 17 essential nutrients, the "farm" grows several varieties of lettuce and herbs, with the produce sold to stores, restaurants, and individuals.

Melody House Trip - Tony Pedriana

Club member Tony Pedriana traveled in August to Melody House Home for Girls in Montego Bay, Jamaica with the Travel with A Purpose (TAP) organization. His mission was to promote reading and deliver books targeted to the girls’ interests to help with their progress in reading. The books requested for the girls and the books that Tony delivered were about women who had accomplished great things.

The mission of the Melody House Home for Girls is to provide a home away from home for girls 12-18 who are determined to need care and protection. Melody House fosters education and skill development, enhanced self-image, and builds familial and interpersonal relationships.

Exchange Student Introduction

Maximillian (Max) Goll, our 2022-2023 exchange student, introduced himself to the club. Max is from Bad Homburg, Germany, a city of about 54,000. Max was born in 2006 in Beijing China when his father was on an overseas assignment. He has 2 younger sisters, 15 and 13, one born in the US and one in Germany. Thus all 3 Goll children were born on different continents. Most of his friends are from school or his soccer team, and several of his friends are also on exchange programs this year. From the photos, it looked like the going-away party was a good time!

Max has volunteered with local groups sending donated clothing and personal items to Ukraine. He enjoys concerts and sports – especially soccer. Max’s family skis in Italy every year. He hopes to go to a Packers game in October. His favorite soccer team is Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga (Germany’s soccer equivalent of the NFL).

Status of Local/Regional Rail Service

William A. Draves, co-chair of the St. Croix Valley Rail Group (and charter member of River Falls Rotary), reported on the work his organization has done to expand train service to the area. Bill told the club that train service positions cities for prosperity by making them a transportation hub. Trains are increasingly popular; by way of example, Bill said that It now takes a month to reserve a spot on the sleeper train to the west coast. Amtrak and WisDOT have train plans that are synchronized.

Walk to End Alzheimer's

Rachel Bachhuber, the Walk to End Alzheimer's Manager for the Western WI/New Richmond Walk since January 2021, summarized the services the Alzheimer's Association provides in the local community and how the Walk to End Alzheimer's event contributes to these services and impacts global research. She emphasized that the mission of the Alzheimer's Association is a world without Alzheimer's disease and all other dementia.

5th Tuesday In-Meeting Service Project

As August's 5th Tuesday Service Above Self^tmin-meeting service, we affixed labels to healthful snacks that were distributed to all of the teachers, paraprofessionals and support staff at Meyer Middle School, River Falls High School and the Renaissance Charter Academy. Each snack bag had a label that says, "We appreciate your dedication to education. RF Rotary Club". We've already received thanks from the schools for recognizing their service to education in River Falls.

River Falls Community Education

Jenny Ames, director of communications and community education for the River Falls School District, started with an overview of her background including time in business, IT training, operating a preschool, and working as a community education director in MN. With her UW undergrad and U of Mn certificate in community education, Jenny is a Badger and a Gopher as well. She also worked for Shakopee MN Chamber and Visitors bureau. In her position with RFSD, she added a communications role to the community education management responsibilities.

Our Club's First Exchange Student's Message

Roxy Vergara – Former Exchange Student

Please visit the club Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/RiverFallsRotary) for a message from Roxy Vergara, our club’s very first inbound exchange student. Roxy came to us from the Philippines and was a great addition to our club. In her post, she recounts her trepidation about the trip, but the realization of what a life-changing year that was for her. Roxy did visit again after her stay, and Gordon Hedahl visited her once while traveling as well. Her post is a great example of the life impact that the exchange program has, and the lifelong bonds that can be formed!

Pleasant Pasture Farm Animal Sanctuary

Pleasant Pasture Farm Animal Sanctuary is a 21-acre farm in New Richmond established three and a half years ago. The mission is stated as: 1) provide a loving forever home for animals in need, and 2) create opportunities for people to connect with nature, the animals and community -- planting the seeds of compassion. Click Read More for details and speaker bio.

Freddy's Pantry at UWRF

Dr.Kathleen Hunzer told Rotary about Freddy’s Pantry at UWRF, which started in 2022 and is a full-service pantry to support UWRF’s student success by providing food items and daily essentials to students facing any kind of food and/or personal needs insecurity. The facility was initiated by Dr. Hunzer in collaboration with the UWRF Director of

Student Success as a response to the fact that some UWRF students struggle to meet basic needs.

Nationally, 11% of people struggle with food insecurity, which is defined as the inability to eat three solid meals a day. For college students it is 45% nationally and for UWRF students it is 42%.

Here is a photo of the contributions from our club:

Allina CHNA -- Brandi Poellinger

Healthier Together: Pierce/St Croix County Community Needs Assessment. As a non-profit hospital system, Allina Health is required to complete a community health needs assessment (CHNA) every three years. Brandi Poellinger will share the results of the CHNA and the priority areas for the 2023-2025 implementation plan.

About the Speaker: Brandi Poellinger is the Eastern Region Community Engagement Manager for Allina Health. She has been with Allina health for 9 years, and she lives in River Falls with her family.

Exchange Student Presentation

Angela Miller, recent RFHS graduate, talked to the club about her exchange student experience in Spain. She focused on her time in Spain -- how school went, about her host families, and descriptions of the city she lived in, etc. Angela showed pictures of her travels in Spain. Her Spanish high school class took a class trip to Italy. Angela had her time in Spain cut short because of the Covid pandemic but she was able to go back to see her Spanish family this summer.

Mary Lundstrom, who will be a sophomore at Ellsworth High School this coming fall, presented her introductory talk that she will give to the hosting Rotary club in Spain. Although she gave her presentation to our Rotary club in English, she plans to give the Rotary club in Spain the presentation in Spanish, which means that she will give that presentation later in her visit once her Spanish has improved. Her presentation about herself consisted of many pictures of her family, school and the state of Wisconsin.

About the Speakers: Angela will be attending Loyola University in Chicago starting in the fall. She just got back a few days ago from orientation, where she met other freshmen. Her plan is to study Exercise Science. Angela is the daughter of Rotarian Dr. Greg Miller and his wife Molly, and she has 3 siblings. Among her extracurriculars, Angela played tennis in high school (every year she was not in Spain) and really enjoyed it. As noted above, Mary is a rising sophomore at Ellsworth High School. River Falls Rotary has assisted her since Ellsworth does not have a Rotary club.

Rotary's new focus area "Protecting the Environment" and the challenge of climate change.

Northfield Rotarian Alan Anderson started by saying that Rotary has “Protecting the Environment” as a new focus. RI has had 6 focus areas; adding environmental sustainability as a 7^th recognizes that all 6 are at risk due to changes in the climate. Alan emphasized that the RI Board of Directors vote to add 7^thwas unanimous.

In reviewing climate science, Alan pointed to a November 2018 report that included multiple government agencies’ input: climate change is real, and effects are irreversible. The report stated that burning of fossil fuels is driving climate change. While the greenhouse gas effect is necessary to warm the planet, too much CO₂ is problematic.

Wiley's Wardrobe at RFHS

Wiley’s Wardrobe is a free resource located in the River Falls High School counseling office that offers clothing, school supplies, personal care products, and snacks to RFHS students in need. It is available to any RFHS student with no questions asked. Wiley’s Wardrobe’s mission is to provide a safe and welcoming environment offering clothing (including RFHS Wildcat “spirit-wear”), shoes, snacks, school supplies, personal care items and funds to RFHS students in need.

About Friends Update

Among Friends board chair Bonnie Jones-Witthun started with a brief description of dementia and its impact. Dementia involves more than just memory loss; reasoning and personality both change. People with dementia can, however, still enjoy socializing and learning new things. Bonnie cited an example of a woman with dementia who made a flower arrangement and said that she realized she’d never done that before.

Fifth Tuesday Service at our AM meeting

Thanks to Linda and Karla for the service idea, Linda for the scripts and stationery, and Cheryl for the photos from our fifth Tuesday service meeting. Telling educators that we appreciate them and the work they do is especially important now.

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 Historic Preservation Commission has open monthly meetings held on the second Wednesday of each month at 6:00 pm in the Training Room, City Hall, 222 Lewis Street, River Falls, Wisconsin.

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.

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.

River Falls Public Library Update

River 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.

April 19th Club Forum Follow-Up

Here 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 5^th 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.]

What's Been Going on at the River Falls Public Library

River 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.

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.

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.

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.

Fifth Tuesday Service This Week

This 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.

Our City’s Approach to Economic Development

Keri 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.

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 22^nd, 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):

Announcements for the week of March 14th

At 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):

Service projects at the 3/29 meeting and on 3/30 to label books for Tools for School.
Expanded Rotary Readers to include other elementary schools.
Looking at a trial of added adults at Westside Kids Club to be a resource for reading, homework, etc.
Staffing for Relay 4/1 (ClubRunner signup list has been generated)
A few good grill cooks to grill up some plant-based sliders at EarthFest on 4/24
Volunteers for concession stand work at the Friday 6/24 Fighting Fish baseball game.
Camp RYLA coordinator role filled; Thanks to Tony Pedriana for stepping up.

Important dates for Rotary and the Community

Looking 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.

Earth Day Events

Tony 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 4^th, into last week’s newsletter. See a later item in this Tidings for more about the 4/24 Earth Fest 2022.

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.

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.

Joke of the Week

NEW JOKE CATEGORY CONTINUES! Jokes with wordplay pun-chlines (Thanks to Tony P for that one!)

Did you hear about the Buddhist monk who refused anesthesia during his root canal procedure? He told the dentist that he wanted to transcend dental medication.

Supporting Tools for School

Message 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.

Important Dates for Rotary and the Community

No meeting Tuesday 3/8 – Because the Chamber has scheduled its breakfast and meeting where Scot Simpson will present the State of the City on Tuesday 3/8 at Tattersall, we have decided to cancel the scheduled meeting in the hopes that as many Rotarians as possible will attend. You should have received a ClubRunner email with details. If you didn’t (or if it went to Spam or Trash) and you need help, contact Rick Wilson at rkerfwilson@gmail.com.
Looking 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 (more about Relay will be coming out in a few weeks).
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.

Back in the groove

Well, 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.

Club evening and planning assembly

Club Social Evening and Planning Assembly: Instead of a morning or noon meeting on February 15^th, 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.

Important dates for the Community

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!
Looking 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 (more about Relay will come out in a few weeks).:
April 1, dinner served from 5-8 p.m. 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.

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.

New Feature – Light bulb Joke of the Week

Q. 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.

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.

Lightbulb Joke of the Week

Lightbulb 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.

February 15, 2022 - no morning or noon meeting!

Join us Tuesday evening for an important special meeting!

TOPIC: The future of River Falls Rotary. Please join us in the ballroom at the Radisson on Tuesday evening at 5:01 to help brainstorm and build the vision for the future of our club.

We will be breaking up into small groups to discuss member engagement and recruitment, community enrichment and engagement, and fundraising (both big and small). Groups will be provided with information from the member survey and asked to provide ideas to be discussed as a larger group. We hope to have 4-5 people at every table to discuss the various topics.

The goal will be to wrap up by 7:00 but if the discussion is good we may go longer. The club will be providing appetizers and there will be a server in the room to order your idea enhancing fluids from*. See you all there!

*--Drinks are on your own; that is, after all, fair to all concerned!

Announcements for February 15

Some 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!

A telescope under the ice at the South Pole

For 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.

Announcements for Feb. 8

Some 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.

2/24 – 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!

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?

Don't miss out! Read it all!

See below for some upcoming dates for Rotary and community events
Also –read down to the bottom for the second installment of a new feature

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.

Meeting recap: Fisheries management

January 25^th 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.

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!)

Announcements for January 25

Breakfast 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!

Last Call for Lunch Mob for 1/25

Lunch Mob 20-or-so: While non-eaters and brown-baggers are certainly welcome at this week's noon meeting, here's your last call to join the lunch mob, supporting a local restaurant (Nutty Squirrel this month).

Read more for the choices; Nutty Squirrel has asked to have the order in by noon Monday.

Managing Fisheries on Local Rivers

January'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.

Disc Golf 101 and the Local Scene

Andrew Reese started playing disc golf in the late 2000s with only one disc, playing occasionally. His interest grew, and he became a founding member of the River Falls Disc Golf Club.

In telling the club about disc golf and the River Falls club, Andrew pointed out that most of the basics of disc golf are similar to ball golf. Holes on courses vary in number but are generally divisible by 3 (Hoffman Park has 9). Courses vary in terrain and challenge; some are in open, flat areas, others are in heavily wooded and/or hilly terrain. The discs used are of four main types – putter, mid-range, long-range, and drivers to use off the tee. There is no set number of discs.

Announcements for January 18

No 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!

Upcoming events

SLIGHT 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.

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.

White Bear Lake Rotary Project Update

Our 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.

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.

Announcements for January 11

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!

Changes in the News Business as it affects River Falls

Bob 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.

Announcements for January 4

Club Forum a/k/a “Super 5:01” Postponed: Due to another event on 1/20, in February we’ll be combining an evening social with an opportunity to continue discussion on key items from the recently conducted member survey. Further details, such as location, to be determined. Time is 5:01 - 7:01 PM.

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.

In Case You Missed It #1

There 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!

Meet over coffee and donuts

More 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.

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.

Mark your calendars for 1/20 at 5:01

Mark 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.

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!

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.

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).

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.

Sad news to report

Sad 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.

A couple of thank-yous

Sharing Families

Matt 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-ins

Linda 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!

Breakfast at the Dec. 21 meeting

Planning 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.

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.

Fifth Tuesday Service project!

November 30: Easy-Peasy Service Above Self. Come to this Tuesday’s 7 a.m. Rotary meeting to help us write out cards to residents of local nursing homes. With fifth Tuesdays designated for service, this is a quick and timely opportunity to brighten some days. As a friend said recently, “For people living in nursing homes and assisted living, getting mail is important!”

In addition, we’ll have the chance to learn more about the Sharing Families program. Rose Walker has agreed to come to our meeting to provide a brief overview and history of the organization.

Sharing Families update during our service week meeting

Rose Walker about Sharing Families:

Sharing Families was started in 1988, by staff of the River Falls Journal. Rose became treasurer for the group in 2008. The impetus at the Journal was recognition of needs in the community for support of struggling families at Christmas; Sharing Families became a 501c3 charitable organization in 1990. Rose thanked Rotary for its long-time participation with Sharing Families, and she also noted that the organization has all 39 families covered for 2021.

Relief Services Work in Haiti

Haitian Relief Services Work in Haiti – UWRF Professor Emeritus Curtis Larson reviewed the incredible challenges facing Haitian Relief Services (Haitianrelief.org).

He discussed the history of HRS work in the community of Ganthier, a community of about 70,000 residents within 50 miles of the capital of Port-au-Prince.

Tattersall Distillery wows Rotarians

The word spoken and heard most often by our Rotary group during our pre-opening, behind-the-scenes tour of the new Tattersall Distillery was "Wow"!

While not very articulate, “Wow!” was a completely understandable response to the total transformation of the former Shopko building. Click the "Read More" icon for some candid photos taken during the tour.

UWRF Professor Emeritus Larson on Haiti

This 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.

Club Assembly results

Club Assembly – president Jason Fredrickson reviewed the survey results, thanking those members who participated.

The summary slides started useful and interesting discussion among the 25 at the meeting. At the November board meeting, we set the goal of a combined social event and follow-up discussion for January. Mark your calendar for a “Super 5:01” on 1/20/2022 (details to follow).

Backpack program update

ONP 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).

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.

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.

Chancellor Gallo covers goals and results for UWRF

At 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.

Meet the new UWRF Chancellor

October 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.

A Different Angle on Covid-19

At 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Phipps: get a behind-the-scenes glimpse

What 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.

The science behind teaching to read

What 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.

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.

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.

World Race mission trips connect travelers with community, culture

On September 7, Justin Harsdorf spoke to the club about his experiences in foreign countries as a participant in World Race mission trips.

World Race mission trips: Connecting community and culture

On September 7, Justin Harsdorf spoke to the club about his experiences in foreign countries as a participant in World Race mission trips.

Donate books for (and shop at!) AAUW book sale

Many 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.

August 31: An Easy 100 - Service above Self

For our Fifth Tuesday Service Above Self activity, we took some time for writing notes to teachers.

Please wear a mask to this week’s meeting

Please 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Morning meeting tour of Bakken Young Funeral and Cremation Services

Our 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.

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.

Club Assembly Lunch Meeting 6/22/21

Club Assembly Summary

River Falls Rotary Club - Club Assembly 6/22/2021

Thank you to Rick H and the Optimist Flag crews and Relay for Life Rotary Volunteers
- Updates on both successful Rotary service projects
- Need help with Flags 7/4 and then 7/16
- Need help at Fish Game 7/17
Picnic here at Glen Park next Tuesday 6/29/2021 evening at 5:30 pm.
- Steve’s Pizza will be provided by the Club
- Plan for a 20-minute program
- Social picnic – Family welcome
- RSVP with # attending
Update on returning to Ezekiel for meetings in July (stay tuned)
- Regardless of meeting space, now that we are back in person we will need to return to set-up and takedown and devotion assignments
- Goal of breakfast returning when possible
Kettle Corn for RF Days – Is it a go
- Determine logistics and volunteers
Club membership is down.We expect to finish the year down 5-6 members from July 1^st, 2020.
- How do we get River Falls Rotarians re-engaged with in-person meetings and service opportunities?
- Recruitment of new members
Need someone to take over administration of booking speakers
- If every Rotarian would provide 1 speaker per year, we would have it taken care of.
Action items from the floor

Best Dam Update this year

City 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.

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?"

Nanci Fulmek, Equine and Portrait Artist

Continuing 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.

Lunch Mob 13.0 - Social Lunch

Members 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)!

Rick Heidick District 5960 Fast For Hope & Stillwater Rotary Bike Rally

On 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.

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.

RIck Olson - Nakivale Refuge Settlement in Uganda

Rick 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.

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.

Water Project Update - Ocotal Nicaragua Rotary Club

We 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.

Virtual Update on the new M-Health Fairview Health Clinic Bldg

Club 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.

Hope for Creation: Partnering for hope, sustainability

Hope 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.

Assistance Resource Center serves many in community

Our 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.

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.

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!

Club Assembly summary

Sam Hosszu Introductory Talk

On Feb. 2, we heard from our newest Rotarian, Sam Hosszu. Samis the Senior Accountant for the City of River Falls.

2021 Announcements

Officers Needed: The board continues to seek a president and president-elect for the 2022-23 year and beyond. Many benefits come with the time and effort that our officers put in to keep our club running; please consider making the commitment to serve. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about Rotary International as well.

No Meeting 12/28: The club is taking the holiday week off. Happy New Year!

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 a few key items from the member survey recently conducted. We have reserved the ballroom at the downtown Radisson (formerly Best Western). Watch future Tidings for more details.

Amber Hahn Introductory Talk

Amber 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.

St. Croix Valley Youth Mountain Bike Club

Our zoom meeting welcomed Cathy McDonald, Team Director, for the St. Croix Valley Youth Mountain Bike Club.

Lunch Mob 7.0 and a Presentation from Hippy Feet

Michael 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

Gigi's Playhouse: educate, inspire, believe

Last 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.

Essay winners share personal insights into citizenship

The 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.

Hearing Loss: The Silent Epidemic

Our special guest presenter Sept. 13 was Monique Hammond.

Autumn 2020 announcements

Thank you to all who helped the Sharing Families 2020 program! The Rotary Club is excited to once again (Thanks Matt R!), support two families this holiday season.
What should I do with all my happy bucks? Please help us share some “happy”! Get your happy bucks jar ready to show off at our next ZOOM meeting! Each week, the River Falls Rotary Club spends a portion of our meeting time sharing personal aspects of one’s life during what we call “Happy Bucks.” During this time of uncertainty and social distancing, we encourage you to create a "Happy Bucks Container" and put your bucks in each week. Once the quarantine is over, bring it to our next "in person” meeting.
Feel free to continue to post on our Facebook page with your reason you are happy! During this time if we can't do anything else we can help improve our community's morale! Here's how:
1) Post a photo/“selfie” of yourself holding a sign of what you are “happy” about.
2) Share and encourage others to participate! Include hash tags:
#HappyBucks #PeopleofAction #RFRotary @Rotary5960

While we can't meet in person, we are looking for opportunities for our club to provide support during this time of need. Keep an eye on your email for updates from President JW Matheson. If you or others within our surrounding communities that you become aware of that could use a helping hand, please reach out. We are in this together as Rotarians and are ready to provide support as needed!
Have an announcement or photo you want to appear in Tidings and our website? See a typo that needs correcting? Email us!
Now taking suggestions! Please suggest a speaker for a future Rotary meeting.

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.

RF Rotary Meeting 9/8/20 at 7:00 am - Sunshine Club

Members 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.

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

Big Brothers and Sisters: igniting potential in youth

Do 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.

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.

Jen Loesch: A Health Care Calling

Jen 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.

Guillermo Delgado stops in to say "hi"

Former exchange student Guillermo Delgado was our presenter August 3.

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.

Patrick "Packy" Mader, author, sports fan

Our presenter was Mr. Patrick Mader, who talked about Minnesota athletes that have had the mettle to medal!

Roxy Gavin: FOMO is alright with her

Roxy Gavin entertained the group via Zoom as she gave her introductory talk with humor and grace.

Summer 2020 announcements

Volunteer opportunity: You can be a part of the River Falls Rotary flag crew! If a shift is full, consider contacting the volunteers to do a training "ride-a-long." Sign up here.
Watch for sign-ups for Veteran's Park cleanup!
What should I do with all my happy bucks! Please help us share some “happy”! Get your happy bucks jar ready to show off at our next ZOOM meeting! Each week, the River Falls Rotary Club spends a portion of our meeting time sharing personal aspects of one’s life during what we call “Happy Bucks.” During this time of uncertainty and social distancing, we encourage you to create a "Happy Bucks Container" and put your bucks in each week. Once the quarantine is over, bring it to our next "in person” meeting.
Feel free to continue to post on our Facebook page with your reason you are happy! During this time if we can't do anything else we can help improve our community's morale! Here's how:
1) Post a photo/“selfie” of yourself holding a sign of what you are “happy” about.
2) Share and encourage others to participate! Include hash tags:
#HappyBucks #PeopleofAction #RFRotary @Rotary5960

Even if we can't meet in person, we are looking for opportunities for our club to provide support during this time of need. Keep an eye on your email for updates from President JW Matheson. If you or others within our surrounding communities that you become aware of that could use a helping hand, please reach out. We are in this together as Rotarians and are ready to provide support as needed!
Have an announcement or photo you want to appear in Tidings and our website? See a typo that needs correcting? Email us!
Now taking suggestions! Please suggest a speaker for a future Rotary meeting.

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!

Essay contest for Middle School Students: deadline July 15

The River Falls Rotary Club invites all River Falls School District middle-school students to participate in its essay contest, centered on citizenship.

Theme: What it means to be a good citizen in the River Falls Community, and how do you apply the Principles of Character Education into your daily lives?
Length: 500 words
Deadline: July 15, 2020
Prize: $100 Chamber Check good at River Falls Chamber member businesses.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

5/19/20 Meeting - Vacations of Past, Present, and Future

River 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.

Dr. Chris Kamrath: Classification Talk

Dr. Chris Kamrath, Principal at Westside Elementary School, presented his Rotary introduction talk.

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.

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!

Ambulance chasers successful

The ambulances is ready! Loaded with gear, decals applied, this ambulance is ready for transport to Nicaragua.

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.

Spring Announcements

Congratulations, Tony Jilek for Rotarian of the Year!
Know a middle school student? Tell them about our essay contest! Theme: "What does it mean to be a good citizen in the River Falls Community?" Deadline July 15. Prize $100 in Chamber Bucks. Learn more.
Volunteer opportunity: You can be a part of the River Falls Rotary flag crew! You should have received an email about the opportunity. Sign up here.
Watch for sign-ups for Veteran's Park cleanup!
We made it! We surpassed our goal in the Push to 400k! Check your email for a thank you video from our leaders!
What should I do with all my happy bucks! Please help us share some “happy”! Get your happy bucks jar ready to show off at our next ZOOM meeting! Each week, the River Falls Rotary Club spends a portion of our meeting time sharing personal aspects of one’s life during what we call “Happy Bucks.” During this time of uncertainty and social distancing, we encourage you to create a "Happy Bucks Container" and put your bucks in each week. Once the quarantine is over, bring it to our next "in person” meeting.
Feel free to continue to post on our Facebook page with your reason you are happy! During this time if we can't do anything else we can help improve our community's morale! Here's how:
1) Post a photo/“selfie” of yourself holding a sign of what you are “happy” about.
2) Share and encourage others to participate! Include hash tags:
#HappyBucks #PeopleofAction #RFRotary @Rotary5960

Even if we can't meet in person, we are looking for opportunities for our club to provide support during this time of need. Keep an eye on your email for updates from President JW Matheson. If you or others within our surrounding communities that you become aware of that could use a helping hand, please reach out. We are in this together as Rotarians and are ready to provide support as needed!
Have an announcement or photo you want to appear in Tidings and our website? See a typo that needs correcting? Email us!
Now taking suggestions! Please suggest a speaker for a future Rotary meeting.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

Winter Announcements

Two volunteer positions open: We need a leader for our Happy Bucks section of each meeting. This easy job gives you a chance to meet every Rotarian one-on-one each week! Our second position is that of Rotary Foundation Board Chair. See John Kremer to find out more about this rewarding way of serving our Club.
Now taking suggestions! Please suggest a speaker for a future Rotary meeting.
Learn about these upcoming events at our Rotary District 5960 website:
March 10-15: World Rotaract Week
March 12-14: 2020 NCPETS - Rochester, MN
April 30-May 1: District Conference of Clubs
June 6-10 Rotary International Convention, Honolulu, HI
Have an announcement or photo you want to appear in Tidings and our website? See a typo that needs correction? Email us!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Kinnic River Watershed: Preserve, People, and Possibilities

Posted by JW Matheson

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Autumn announcements

Thank you to all who donated to Sharing Families: Bring donations to the Dec. 10 meeting or drop off by Dec. 13 at the Sharing Families location (see story for details). Our list is full! Additional gas/grocery cards or extra shirts and pants are always appreciated! See more information.
Volunteers needed for the 2020 Rotary gala. Tentative date is May 1, 2020. Keep watching for updates!
Have you thought about who will be your guest at a Rotary meeting? Members are encouraged to bring friends and coworkers to show them what Rotary is all about.
Want to be a mentor to new Rotary members? Here's your chance to introduce someone to the club and help them get starting finding out everything Rotary can do for them! See Linda Yde if you wish to mentor someone.
Have you LIKED our Facebook page? Check out River Falls Rotary's Facebook page. Hit the "like" button and you'll start seeing our posts in your Facebook feed. Then share those posts and help spread the good word about Rotary's work in our community!
Have an announcement or photo you want to appear in Tidings and our website? See a typo that needs correction? Email us!

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.

Tuesday July 30th , 2019 Meeting

Posted by JW Matheson on Jul 29, 2019

At 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tuesday July 9th, 2019 Rotary Meeting

Posted by JW Matheson

Our 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!

The importance of balance

River 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.

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.

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.

Autumn Meeting Commitments

Meeting 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:

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.

July announcements

Welcome Dr. Christian Neideberg of Recharge Chiropractic as our newest member of River Falls Rotary Club. Shown with Terry McKay (left) and Kendra Morgan (right.)
August 2 - Night at the Ballpark 2 - We still need helpers to sell 50/50 tickets as well as assist in the concession stand! This is a "Fun for the whole Family" night! Sign up today!
Have you LIKED our Facebook page? Check out River Falls Rotary's Facebook page. Hit the "like" button and you'll start seeing our posts in your Facebook feed. Then share those posts and help spread the good word about Rotary's work in our community!
September 13 and 14 is Prairie Burn! Come one, come many to sign up to help! Many hands make light work! Sign up here.
Walk to end Alzheimer's - September 21 is the day. Our own Kendra Morgan is walking and you can sponsor her with a donation, or sign up to walk yourself! See Kendra to donate or walk. Or donate to her team here.
Congratulations to Gorden Hedahl and Scot Simpson as John Kremer (left) presents them with Paul Harris honors.
A friend in need: Please consider a donation to a benefit for Ron and Chantel Mitchell. Ron was diagnosed with a rare condition, Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), which is a severe systemic inflammatory syndrome, that even with treatment, can be fatal. Donations will help with costs associated with Ron's treatment and time off work.
You can mail or donate in person to: First National Bank of River Falls, 104 E. Locust St., River Falls, Wisconsin 54022. Make checks payable to: Benefit of the Ron Mitchell Family.
September 6 - consider volunteering for the 4th annual River Town Live in Hastings. You can enjoy camaraderie with folks from the Hastings, MN Rotary Club and get in free to the festival as a volunteer. Contact Brian Schommer through the Hastings Rotary Club website.

Have an announcement or photo you want to appear in Tidings and our website? Email us!

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.

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.

Extending a welcome in a strange land

Mr. David Jal, guest of Rotarian Thomas Pedersen, provided a special presentation to the club.

Burgos, Spain will host Angela Miller

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.

Dean Van Galen receives Paul Harris Fellow recognition

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.

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.

May Meeting Commitments

Meeting 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

May Announcements

June 9 - Graduation Party! Club members are invited to celebrate with Arantza and Raphael at their graduation party! Festivities are Sunday, June 9, 4-7 p.m. at the Howie Residence, 295 Smith Circle, River Falls.
July 12-14 is River Falls Days! Calling all River Falls Rotarians! The signup sheet is on ClubRunner (www.rfrotary.org) for our food booth staffing. We need to have as many club members as possible work at least one shift during the event! Sign up often and sign up early to get the best spots! (PS: They're all good!)

September 6 - consider volunteering for the 4th annual River Town Live in Hastings. You can enjoy camaraderie with folks from the Hastings, MN Rotary Club and get in free to the festival as a volunteer. Contact Brian Schommer through the Hastings Rotary Club website.

Have an announcement you want to appear in Tidings and our website? Email Jill.

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.

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 😍

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 youth

If anyone would like to host a 17 year old girl from Denmark through Rotary’s youth exchange, please see Elaine.

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:

Grow to share, plots tended by volunteers, and food grown is donated to food pantries, shelters, and low-income housing throughout the area.
Grow your own, which consists of 40 garden plots people can rent to grow food for personal use.
University of Wisconsin Extension’s master gardener demonstration garden.

Announcements!

Help out with our youth exchange students by contributing to their USA Journey now through March 1.
Bowls for Hope is March 5!
20th Anniverary party is April 26
Volunteers for countertop installation
Noon meetings in 2019 on 4th Tuesdays (Feb. 26)
Visit Sporting World to banish the winter blahs!

Meeting Commitments

Meeting commitments

Set-up / Take-down

Feb. 19 Benson, Jilek / Laule, Jilek

Feb. 26 (NOON) Leitch

Devotions

Feb. 19 Nguyen

Feb. 26 (NOON) Nylander

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!

Announcements

Send a singing valentine from the Croix Chordsmen!
Help out with our youth exchange students by contributing to their USA Journey through March 1.
Bowls for Hope is March 5!
Mark your calendar now for our April 26 anniversary party! Invite your friends and sign up to help!
Volunteers for countertop installation at TurningPoint needed. See John to sign up.
We meet at noon on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Let us know how you like the additional time for meeting!
Banish the winter blues! Check out Sporting World for everything spring: baseball, golfing, tennis and more!

Meeting Commitments

Meeting 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

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.

Announcements

Send a singing valentine from the Croix Chordsmen!
Help out with our youth exchange students by contributing to their USA Journey now through March 1.
Mark your calendar now for our April 26 anniversary party! Invite your friends and sign up to help!
See Thomas for how to help out Our Neighbors Place and win a fabulous prize!
Volunteers for countertop installation at TurningPoint needed. See John to sign up.
We meet at noon on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Let us know how you like the additional time for meeting!
Banish the winter blues! Check out Sporting World for all your winter fun. Sleds, skates and skis! And weights!

Meeting Commitments

Set-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

Meeting Commitments

Set-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

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.

Announcements

Help out with our youth exchange students by contributing to their USA Journey now through March 1.
Mark your calendar now for our April 26 anniversary party! Invite your friends and sign up to help!
Volunteers for countertop installation at TurningPoint needed. See John to sign up.
We will meet at noon on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Let us know how you like the additional time for meeting!
Check out Sporting World for all your winter fun. Sleds, skates and skis! And weights!

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.

Meeting commitments

Meeting 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

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.

Meeting commitments

Meeting 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

2019 Announcements

We will meet at noon on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Let us know how you like the additional time for meeting!
January 13, join Raphael, one of our Rotary Youth Exchange students, for some Brazilian treats and dancin' feets, as he raises money for an east coast trip.
Welcome to our newest member, Tom Anderson.
Check out Sporting World for all your winter fun. Sleds, skates and skis! And weights!

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!

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.

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.

Next Meeting Tuesday December 11th, 2018

Our 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.

General Announcements

Announcements:

Welcome, new and prospective members!
Interested in club leadership? See Chris B. for more information. The leadership path is a three-year commitment with lots of training and help from past officers!
Thursday, Dec. 20 501 club will NOT be an official club meeting, given the holiday schedule crunch. If you want to show up, show up!
Service Opportunity - River Falls Gymnastics is moving to their new location (we helped fund with Happy Bucks) from 12/26 to 12/29 this month. Sign up here: https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/2601370/false#/invitation

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.

Sharing Families information

Want to help a local family have a bright holiday? Read on.

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.

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.

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.

Announcements

Important 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.

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.

Announcements

Posted on Oct 30, 2018

Backpack program: Our Neighbors Place provides backpacks filled with food to school children each weekend. Rotary supplies these backpacks during Christmas week! Bring your checkbook and sign up. A clipboard will be circulated at the meeting.
Calling all Santas! Jump Start to Literacy needs a Santa on Dec. 17. Start growing that beard and see Tony J. for details.
Foundation donation listing: Are you a Paul Harris fellow? See John K. and find out how close you are.

Announcements

Check out announcements:

AAUW Book sale October 19 and 26
World Polio Day is October 24
The 2019 Gala is April 26! Here's what you need to know!

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.

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.

Communication, plans and visioning tool

At the October 2 meeting, Rick Wilson, president, led a club assembly covering three main areas.

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.

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.

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/

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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."

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.

View from the porch! Thank you to all our donors

Posted on Feb 24, 2018

River Falls Rotary would like to thank all the businesses and individuals who donated to our "Porch Party" fundraiser benefitting River Falls School children.

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.

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.

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.

ARC coordinates local help to support neighbors in need

ARC (Assistance & Resource Center) is an all-volunteer organization and works out of space donated by St. Bridget’s church. With 97-98% of dollars contributed distributed to clients, they operate on very low expenses. If they can’t help, they refer patients to other resources, like The Salvation Army. In some cases, because they are locally controlled, ARC is able to provide more and/or different types of support to those in need.

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.

Learn more about Rotary Youth Exchange.

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.

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.

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!

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.”)

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.