Visit Our Club
We meet In Person
Tuesdays at 12:00 PM
Indian Creek Country Club
2401 Indian Creek Road
Marion, IA 52302
United States of America
Marion, IA 52302
United States of America
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Welcome to Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary
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Our July 5 noon meeting at Indian Creek Country Club features Dr. James Coyle. Dr. Coyle is a keynote speaker for first responders and companies nationwide, and a chaplain and mental health specialist at the international, national, state, and local levels. He has responded to critical events around the world, and Dr. Coyle’s background as a counselor, pastor, professor, and first responder has anchored his desire to encourage and motivate people. If you would like to join us and reserve a meal, contact Cindy by 9:00 AM Monday July 4 using this link.
Blood Drive Challenge June 27 thru July 1.
Sign up today to donate at the Rotary Donation Challenge this summer! Donors who give during this week will:
- Help up to four patients in our community and give families more time with their loved ones
- Boost the blood supply before the Fourth of July weekend (donations tend to drop by about 20% or more during holidays)
- Earn a $10 gift card OR 500 Bonus Points to spend in the donor store
- And enjoy some snacks with friends and neighbors!
Donating blood takes about an hour (with just 15 minutes on the donor bed) and makes a HUGE impact.
Rotary Blood Donation Challenge
June 27 – July 2
Cedar Rapids Donor Centers
Cedar Rapids Lindale (4828 1st Ave NE)
Cedar Rapids West (3001 Williams Blvd SW)
Click on the location above where you want to schedule your donation or call (800) 747-5401. To find another location that works for you, click here
As a THANK YOU, all donors will receive a $10 gift card (options include Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, Subway and more) OR 500 bonus points to the Impact Donor Store.
We hope to see you there!
Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary Club, Tom Barnes led a fundraising campaign to provide the City of Marion a town clock which is located near the southeast corner of City Square Park. Recently, local resident and commercial photographer, Christopher Sherman captured an image of the town clock at sunset including the United States flag and the Marion and Veterans Banners acknowledging persons who have served in the Armed Forces. We thank Chis for providing us permission to use his photo and the reminder of one of the ways our Rotary Club serves the community.
Photo by Christopher V. Sherman. http://art.cvsherman.com/
Our June 7 meeting was a magic show for kids of all ages. We hope to do this on a regular basis and it follows the fifth item of the "Four Way Test" - Is It Fun?
At the May 31 meeting of the Marion-East CR Rotary, President Jeff inducts our Alex Chalk as a new member with more to follow. Alex works for Access Systems. We look forward to working along-side Alex as we make our community better.
On May 24, President Jeff inducted Zach Scmit into the Club. Zach is with Covenant Family Solutions providing mental support and counselling to area folks. This is an important service these days. Please welcome Zach and we look forward to working with you as a Rotarian.
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When the sirens sounds be reminded it is Siren Wednesday. HOWEVER we will meet on Thursday, July 7 at the Edison. During May, June, July and August we will meet on Thursday instead of Wednesday. We will reassess for September to see if Wednesday or Thursdays work best for folks. The Edison Pub and Eatery, 475 Northland Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids is our normal gathering spot however from time to time this may change so watch The Wheel for updates. Stop by after 5 PM and have conversation, a beverage and if you like, a meal. Bring family and friends since the more the merrier. This is purely a social time. We look forward to seeing you at Siren Wednesday on Thursday.
Erik Miles
A successful 2022 Marion-East CR Waffle Breakfast was held on May 21. It included of course delicious Dad's Waffles, a good crowd, a silent auction with great deals and above all great volunteers from the MECR Club, BSA Troop 360 Scouts, Veritas Church youth, Marion Independent School District and the community leaders, citizens and students who took part in the Waffle eating Contest that came down to a sudden death overtime won by Hypnotic Razz of the Cedar Rapids Roller Girls who employed a "waffle dunk" technique which will be copied by competitive wafflers world-wide. Here are a few pictures from the event:
On May 10 our Club hosted students, parents and Marion City and school district officials to recognize students who have worked to create a safe and drug free school environment at Linn-Mar, Marion Independent and St. Joseph schools. Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary has represented the community in honoring some very accomplished and busy students for 27 years. Pictured is the 2022 class honored as well as Mayor AbouAssaly presenting a recognition plaque to the daughter of Marion-East CR Rotarian Mark Ahlers, Anna.
On April 18 the stainless-steel sphere representing the Echo satellite was re-installed on a cold and blustery day. The Marion Parks Department removed the sphere late last Fall with high winds forecast and winter coming on and stored it in their building at Lowe. Tom Barnes and Harrison McDonald took the opportunity to bring it back to Tom's shop to reinforce the sphere on April 7. Harry did an excellent job welding the stainless gussets and used his trusty dump truck to transport the sphere to the shop and back to Lowe Park with a police escort finishing the trip. The Parks Department helped us unload and install "satellite" in its original location. The fallen granite tablet will be installed later this Spring with Echo Hill Station better than new.
April 9, the MECR Rotary Club planted new trees at Prospect Meadows as a service project. Weather cooperated for a hardy crew to plant several trees as guided by Prospect Meadows staff who had the trees spaced out and set up where they would like the trees to be planted.
The Marion-East CR Rotary had a social event at the Cedar Rapids Roughrider game on Saturday, Jan. 29. They were treated to a close overtime and shoot-out 3-2 victory by the Chicago Steel over the Roughriders. Lots of good conversation, some food and beverages and enhanced friendships were had at this family event. Also:
Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary’s own Steve James on behalf of Prospect Meadows was presented a “Difference Maker in the Community” recognition at the Cedar Rapids Roughrider game. Congratulations Steve and Prospect Meadows.
On December 21, the Club voted for Officers and Directors to fill spots for the 2022-23 Rotary year beginning July 1, 2022. Those elected are
- President - Bob Butschi
- Treasurer - Cindy Shipley
- Secretary - Jeff Selfridge
- Board Members - Steve James and Kyle Low
Thank you to all who are running. This may be the first time both a father and son have served as President of the Rotary Club of Marion-East Cedar Rapids. Congratulations Bob and your service to the Club is very much appreciated.
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Our November 16 our Club met at the new Marion Fire Station #1 located at Irish Drive and Tower Terrace Road. Chief Deb Krebill gave us a tour of the station which provides public safety facilities for well into the future and an environment which supports fire fighters and their support staff.
On September 30 at Indian Creek Country Club, golfers may wonder, "What is going on?" There were hockey sticks, sledge hammers, hoses, corn and pumpkins and exploding golf balls. It was just the Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary Club having a golf tournament and living up to the Fifth tenet of the Four-Way-Test, "Is it Fun?".
Thanks to all the organizers of the event and the hole sponsors and their creativity!
On Saturday, October16 Metro Rotarians walked around Cedar Lake and cleaned up all sorts of debris. It was a great day and about 25 Rotarians with their families including Marion-East Rotarian Megan Crawford and her sons picked up several bags of trash.
On August 10, 2021, the 1 year anniversary of the derecho that hit Iowa, another wind storm hit the Marion area with strong winds. An unusual burst of wind took aim at the Echo Hill Station monument knocking over the center tablet. City Parks notified us on Wednesday morning and by Friday a solution was identified after meeting with the City of Marion, Marion Parks, Marion-East CR Rotary and Novak Brannon Monument Company. While it will take a while for a new granite tablet to be shipped and fabricated, Echo Hill Station will brought back better than ever. With the pandemic, the monument industry has not been immune. Everything has been ridiculously slow. We are honestly looking at spring or summer installation.
On September 7, the undamaged tablets and bases were stabilized by adding mortar, leveling, adding pins securing the bases to the foundation and pins securing the tablets to the bases. This was done by Novak Brannon Monuments and masons under their direction. We had special assistance from Bob Barnes whose own masonry skills helped develop the project plan and worked the project. Coonrod Wrecker moved all of the bases and tablets for the enhancements to be made.
A successful Fly-in/Drive in Pancake Breakfast was held on June 27. Thanks to Chairperson, Bob Butschi, the committee, Club Member volunteers with their families and our Scout Troop 360 for all the work that made it happen!
The Town Clock provided by the Marion-East CR Rotary to the Marion community has provided a "way-finding" point commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Club. Located in City Square Park Uptown Marion, it also helps to make the community aware of the Club as a partner in making Marion a great place to live and work. This project could not have been accomplished without the leadership of Tom Barnes and contributors who are now listed on the base of the clock.
The Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary Club's Echo Hill Station project was dedicated on May 4, 2021 at the site at Lowe Park. This has been a major undertaking for the Club. This was a truly community project with support from the Marion Parks Department and some funding from the Marion Hotel/Motel Tax Grant as well as the vast majority of support from businesses and individuals financially and in-kind. David Nieuwsma, President of Collins Aerospace Avionics Business Unit spoke on the importance of the legacy of accomplishments employees and suppliers of Collins Radio and successors have provided to today's technology in space and how students today can carry on that legacy with education and career choices. Mayor Nick AbouAssaly congratulated the Club on this addition to the community and the Lowe Park Art trail as did Parks Director Seth Staashelm. We appreciate the support provided by our Club. The core committee of Don Stulken of the Arthur A. Collins Legacy Association, Tom Barnes and Erik Miles of the Club provided technical and historical guidance, physical fabrication and installation and project management for Echo Hill Station.
We received several positive comments for our work as well as personal remembrances such as the following comments from Cynthia Stretch appreciating our work:
"I just learned about the Lowe Park Echo Hill Station project today. I read on your site that the donation period has ended. However, I would still like to make a contribution."
"My motivation for this is very personal. My father worked at Collins Radio from 1955-1968. Without question, it was the highlight of his working life. Even as a child, I felt his excitement and enthusiasm about what he and the company were accomplishing together. The words "Echo," "radio wave propogation," "ionospheric forward scattering," and many more such terms I really didn't understand, were a part of my childhood. I remember the electric mood as we watched the moon landing together in the basement of our Cedar Rapids home."
"There are three stone markers at the Lowe Park Site. One of them is entitled "Legacy". There are two pictures beneath the title. I believe the one on the left must be of Art Collins. The one on the right includes a group of men. The man on the right side of the photo nearest to the camera is Clifford Beamer, my father. I am so moved to see him there, and ecstatic to think that the work he was so devoted to is still valued today."
"Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this project, from initial concept to completion. It means more to me than you could know.
Very Sincerely,
Cynthia Stretch"
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Bob Butschi 2022-2023 President
Welcome to the Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary Club website. Chartered in 1969, our growing club is currently made up of over 35 men and women that are actively involved in serving our local community as well as internationally. We have opportunities to be involved in almost any area that you are passionate about!
The Rotary motto is “Service Above Self” and I am honored to work with fellow club members who volunteer to help others.
Our goals for this year include continuing to support programs such as our Shoes for Kids project, as well as Rotary International’s humanitarian efforts which includes world Polio eradication. Currently there are only three countries in the world (Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan) which have cases of polio. We are very optimistic that complete eradication is very close to happening.
Within our community our club supports both a boys and girls troop of Scouts BSA activities and sponsoring students to the annual Rotary Youth Leadership Award, and we hold several fundraising events during the year, which include our Marion-East Cedar Rapids Annual Waffle Breakfast.
Experience firsthand the “goodwill and better friendships” shared by our members.
We meet every week for an interesting program, a delicious lunch and enjoyable fellowship.
We meet every week for an interesting program, a delicious lunch and enjoyable fellowship.
Visitors are encouraged and welcome!
The Marion East-Cedar Rapids Rotary Club is The BEST place to be on a Tuesday for LUNCH in Marion, Iowa!
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