MEETING LOCATION CHANGE: August &September 2026 we will be at Conrad's Restaurant & Alehouse
210 North State Route 291 in Liberty MO.
Members will be able to order food from the Handhelds / Salad menu and will pay Conrads directly for any food or drinks as they place their order.
If you plan to order food we ask that you arrive at 11:45am so they can begin preparing your meal.
Our Program this week: A Club Wide of Discussion of Plans to Distribute Butt Buster Funding - Community Grants?
Now that our Youth Programs are funded by the Endowment from the Frevert Trust, we need to find a use for the funding from our Annual Butt Buster BBQ. One idea would be to create a ‘Rotary Community Grant’ program to support small non-profit groups in the Liberty area. Be prepared to share your ideas which will be reviewed by the Board and a plan will be developed. Hopefully, a plan will be presented at our meeting next week so we can start ‘Doing Good in Liberty.’
Next Week's Speaker: Makana Brooks, Global Grant Scholarship Awardee
Queen's University Belfast postgraduate student (M.A. in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice) with experience in youth work, child development research, English education, and historical analysis. Most recently, she completed a fellowship at the Center for Arabic Study Abroad in Meknes, Morocco, and a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) grant in East Jerusalem, Palestine. She is passionate about positive youth development, community engagement, and language acquisition. She is looking for opportunities that will allow her to practice and further enhance these skills, particularly as they relate to the SWANA region and the Arabic language.
Update: The representatives from the Frevert Family Trust reported this week that the Trust was finally closed. They presented the club with a check for an additional $103,098.00. WOW!
Special Announcement!
Eariler this summer David, Ann, Pat, and I met with the Frevert Family Trust representatives. Before we share with you why they wanted to meet, let me share some background on Elvin Julius (E.J.) Frevert.
He joined the Liberty Rotary Club in June of 1938 and was included in the club group photo above(circled in yellow). During WWII he briefly left the club for service in the Army. After returning home to Liberty he had perfect attendance from 1955 until he passed away in 1998. E.J. served as Club President from 1956-57 and during his year as President the club brought in twelve new members. In 1964 he was the chairperson for the District Conference held in Excelsior Springs. Following his death a club scholarship was created in his honor.
E.J. was also active in the community. He served on the Board of Public Works from 1959 to 1972. He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce and served on its Board of Directors.
His hardware business was initially on the south side of Liberty Square. In 1966 he made a bold move and relocated Frevert Hardware to 71-Bypass, now called Hwy 291. At the time people thought he had lost his mind!
Drum Roll…….the estate representatives are finishing settling up the Frevert Family Trust and presented the club with a check for…………$1,000,000.00…….yes, that is one million dollars!
August: In Rotary International, August is designated as Membership and New Club Development Month, a time dedicated to growing the organization, celebrating current members, and starting new clubs.
D6040 Foundation Dinner 2026
The dinner is scheduled for November 6th, 2026 at 6pm. The location this year is The Carriage Club a private country club located in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri at 5301 State Line Road, Kansas City, MO 64112
Please click the poster for more information. Our club will be sponsoring a table for ten. Contact Pat if you would like a seat at the table! We have #5 seats remaining at the Club table.
Golden Tickets Available!
New this year:
We are looking for businesses to sponsor the Event. Think your business might be interested????
Contact Pat Knauss (660)200-5106
It is too early to make arrangements to attend the Rotary International Convention in Barcelona, Spain, next June. The RI Convention was to be in Dubai next year but the location had to be changed and Barcelona will not be ready to start registrations until September.
Yes... we Rotarians get to celebrate two New Years every year!
Today marks the beginning of a brand-new Rotary year. New presidents are ringing bells, new officers are stepping into leadership, and clubs across our district are already looking for ways to make a difference in their communities.
As we kick off the new Rotary year, here are three ideas I'd love for us to keep in mind.
Do Better Than Your Best
Rotary International President Yinka challenged us with these words, and they've really stuck with me. To me, it isn't about comparing our club to another club. It's about asking, What's our next step? How can we build on what we've already accomplished? Every club has room to grow, and every club's next step will look a little different.
Connection Creates Impact
This has become my theme for the year because I believe it's at the heart of Rotary. Every member joins because someone made a connection. Every service project begins with people coming together. Every partnership, every friendship, every new idea starts with a conversation. The stronger our connections, the greater our impact.
Create Lasting Impact
The work we do matters. Sometimes we see the results immediately. Other times, we never know just how far a kind word, a scholarship, a service project, or an invitation to Rotary will reach. Together, we're creating something that lasts—not just for today, but for generations to come.
Over the coming year, I look forward to visiting each of the District 6040 clubs, celebrating what makes your club unique, and learning alongside you. I know I'll leave every visit inspired by the incredible people who make District 6040 such a special place.
Thank you for everything you do for Rotary, for your communities, and for one another.
Here's to a wonderful year of serving, growing, connecting... and Creating Lasting Impact.
Amy Chinnery-Valmassei D6040 District Governor 2026–2027
Club History: Want to check out the digitalized version of Jim Tanner's book, Wheel Within a Wheel-The Rotary Club & Liberty 1935-2010? You can access the book with this link to Flipbook: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/a7a2edf49b.html Want a pdf copy of the book, just let us know and we will email you a copy.
Want to learn more about Rotary? Check out the website for ‘Heart of America - Zones 30-31’. Rotary clubs are organized into Districts, our club is in District 6040. Rotary Districts are organized into Zones and D6040 is in Zone 30. The ‘Heart of America - Zones 30-31' website is filled with information, educational materials, and ways to connect with other Rotarians.
Take advantage of a wealth of training materials designed to help you learn new skills and become more successful in what you do. Check out the Online "Rotary Learning Center."
Accessing Rotary’s Learning Center is easy, and you’ll soon be taking courses and finding resources about the topics that matter to you the most. • If you haven’t used the Learning Center yet, go to rotary.org/learn, sign in to My Rotary, and accept the privacy policy to enable your access. Direct links to courses work only if you have visited the Learning Center before. • If you need to create a My Rotary account, use the same email address that your club has on file. If that email isn’t valid, ask your club secretary to update the club’s record in Rotary International’s membership database.
