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
Timothy Quinn, Incoming President and CEO of Mercy
Nov 22, 2022
Vision for Mercy going forward and project update
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Welcome to Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary
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It is time to start getting your partner lined up for our 4th Annual Golf Outing.
This is social event for our club that has been enjoyed by many. It is an event we have come to look forward to each year. It will be held at Indian Creek Country Club again. We will not have our regular meeting on October 4th.
This is a two-person best shot. Most likely we will have two teams per hole again so you can put together a couple teams if you want to. There is a 3:00 PM shotgun start at Indian Creek. Let's make this event bigger than last year. We already have some awesome prizes. We will have a beverage cart again to keep you hydrated during this non-rigorous outing. The cost will again be $30 per person and it will include green fees, cart and meal following outing. If you have someone that just wants to come for the meal, that cost is $10.
We have had some clever events on the holes in the past.
If you have any questions, let me know.
Cindy Shipley
When the sirens sounds be reminded it is Siren Wednesday. HOWEVER, we will meet on Thursday, October 6 at Indian Creek Country Club following the Club Golf Outing. Since we are not meeting on Tuesday for our regular meeting on October 4 since we have our annual golf outing on Thursday, we want to invite our "Siren Wednesday on Thursday" guests to join us at Indian Creek Country Club for dinner afterward. Golf has a 3:00 PM shotgun start to any time after 3:00 to 5:30 should work to attend. The cost for dinner is $10/person. It would be helpful to let Cindy Shipley know you will be joining us that evening. You can use this link.
We will return to the Edison Pub and Eatery, 475 Northland Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids in November. We look forward to seeing you at Siren Wednesday on Thursday at Indian Creek.
Erik Miles
On September 13, Novak Brannon Monument installed the replacement middle granite tablet at Echo Hill Station at Lowe Park. Our Club's contribution to Marion's Lowe Park Art Trail is complete again after a wind event on August 10, 2021. Be sure to stop out and see the entire installation.
Marion resident and former Collins employee Joyce Stepanek. very much appreciated our Echo Hill Station monument and donated funds to provide plantings around the plaza area of the display in honor of her mother, also a Collins employee. Working with the Marion Parks Department arborist Mike Cimprich and horticulturist, Mary Weber, a plan was developed and has been installed. The plantings include:
- Bouteloua gracilis ‘Honeycomb’ – Grama Grass
- Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Standing Ovation’ – Little Bluestem
- Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoah’ – Switchgrass
- Andropogon geredii ‘Red October’ – Big Bluestem
- Panicum virgatum ‘Totem Pole’ - Switchgrass
"I love this so much and thank you and thank Rockwell for being such a wonderful place for my family to work." Joyce
It's the start of a new Rotary year and a good time to reassess how each of us can best serve as a member of our Club. We each have individual talents, experiences and resources that when combined make our Club better. We can start by adding our 2 cents worth. If some someone's 2 cents is combined with someone else's 2 cents, we have a better idea than as an individual. 2 + 2 > 5. Now when we add our talents, experiences and resources to everyone else in the Club, we can accomplish bigger things. Our impact is multiplied.
Our Club has certain identified needs for your talent and what you like to do. That could be service, administration, management, membership, fundraising, publicity, technology, finance and/or having fun. These things make our Club run efficiently and easily. These things also bring out new ideas. If you would like to help in an area where you are comfortable or where you would like to stretch your experience, let President Bob or one of the Board members know. You may also have a friend or business associate that would be a great partner in our Club. The place to start is to think about it but then step forward to share. If I can be of any help or answer any questions, I would be happy to help as would any of our members who have been around for a while. Thanks for your consideration!
Erik
The gavel, if we can locate it, was changed from President Jeff to Bob Butschi at the Year End Celebration held at Indian Creek Country Club Thursday evening on June 30. Our year was indeed a success with things getting back to normal, several new members, more regular visitors and fun. Highlights included awards thanking the Board, the transfer of the silver bowl from each Past-President in attendance from Bob Butschi Sr. through Jeff to Bob Butschi as well as special awards. Tom Padley was awarded the Rudder Award for his steady support of Club needs. Bob Butschi was presented the "Rotarian of the Year" award. Tom Barnes was awarded the newly named "Greg Hapgood Service Above Self Award" for his ability to make ideas happen and the work and ability that goes into that. It was an enjoyable get-together for those who could attend and now we are ready for 2022-23.
Bob Butschi is a Charter Member of the Rotary Club of Marion-East Cedar Rapids. He served as President of the Club in the 1972-72 Rotary Year. Now 50 years later his son Bob takes the reins as President for the 2022-23 Rotary Year. What a special event that reflects the Butschi family's dedication and support of Rotary and the Marion-East Cedar Rapids Rotary Club. Thank You!
Our Rotary District 5970 also had a change of leadership with the start of the new Rotary Year. On June 29 in Waverly, District Governor Jeff Hassman installed Don Meyer of the Waverly Rotary Club as District Governor for 2022-23. Don has served Rotary over the years and most recently as Foundation Chair. Don's development work at Wartberg will serve him well as he and we work together to implement this year's Rotary International theme, "Imagine Rotary."
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?
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.
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 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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