Working at the intersection of data, evidence and policy impact for over 20 years, Rebecca is an applied social scientist passionate about translating high-quality evidence in ways that decision-makers can quickly use to take action.
After a career spanning four continents, Rebecca joined OpenSky in 2022. She leads a team focused on policy development that promotes shared prosperity and opportunity for all Nebraskans. Before joining OpenSky, Rebecca supported research and evaluation initiatives at the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, and she served in leadership roles with Population Services International and the Harvard Global Equity Initiative. Rebecca holds a Doctor of Science in Health and Social Policy from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a Master of Public Health from the University of Washington and Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Asian Studies from Vassar College.
A native South Dakotan and proud Nebraska transplant after time on both coasts, Rebecca lives in Omaha, where she can often be found shuttling her son to school events or cooking extravagant meals.
President Larry Guenther and the Board have asked a group of Rotarians to engage in Rotary Visioning to help plan the future of our club for the next three to five years. The event will take place on January 27, 2024, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. If you are interested in participating, please send an email to President Larry Guenther at larry.guenther@chase.com.
We have collaborated with multiple Rotary clubs to secure a multi-club grant. When combined with our Service Fund and funds matched by the Rotary International Foundation through the District Designated Fund, we will be able to provide a total of 41,800 meals to those in need in our community. All the meals will be distributed within Omaha.
Currently, we need 22 more volunteers to reach our goal of having 50 volunteers from the Downtown Rotary to pack these meals. We encourage you to invite your spouses, friends, children, or grandchildren aged six or older to participate in this event alongside you. We will be assembling the meals in an assembly line, and it will be a meaningful initiative for everyone involved.
Event Details:
Date: February 24, 2024
Time: 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM - pick a shift
Click here to sign up: https://omahawestrotary.org/event/multi-club-meal-packaging-2/
Location: Hope Church, 4418 S 180th St., Omaha NE 68135
Let's come together as a community, leverage our collective strength, and create positive change. Your involvement makes a difference, and we look forward to packing meals alongside you on February 24th!
Rotary's temporary meeting location will be Johnny's Cafe for January 2024 while Trinity addresses the lighting issues in our usual function room. Please note that there is a temporary change in the lunch price at Johnny's, now set at $14. We anticipate returning to Trinity by the first week of February once the lighting is resolved. We are grateful to Vanessa Clark for accommodating us at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. Stay informed about our meeting locations by checking our website, and be sure to read The Whirl for the latest news on the Rotary Club of Omaha. Your patience is greatly appreciated.
Rotarians are making a difference at Stephen Center. CLICK HERE to sign up.
Stephen Center partners with the community, families, and individuals to overcome homelessness, addiction, and poverty. Stephen Center has served the homeless and low-income in Omaha since 1984 through its three programs: Emergency Shelter, HERO Program, and Transitional Living Program. The Omaha Downtown Rotary partners with Stephens Center in serving hot meals to its residents.
Pictured here are the January volunteers L to R:Mike Mancuso, Fletcher Reel, Steve McCollister, Scott Kinnaird, Colleen Brennan (Future Rotarian), Franco Gentile, Jim Stewart, and another Future Rotarian.
The Honor Roll Committee is currently busy with preparations and fundraising for the 97th Honor Roll, which is scheduled for April 30, 2024. As the event was conducted virtually for the last three years, the preparations required are massive. The middle schools that participate in the annual Honor Roll had a popular request that it be held in person again. Many Rotarians have already pledged to support the 97th Honor Roll event, and their pledges are listed below in the order they were received:
Hal Daub, John and Viv Ewing, Bill and Gretchen Harvey, Deb Skinner, Larry Guenther, John Mock, John Marburger, Todd Johnson, Heather Legge, Tobi Mathouser, Dawn Gonzalez, Michelle Trawick, Susan Koesters, Jim Suttle, Tom Gouttierre, Brad Burklund, Jim Stewart, Dianne Desler, Lisa Tonjes Moritz, Brett Frevert, Fr. Lloyd Gnirk, Paul Cohen, LeRoy Swedlund, Fletcher Reel, Jim Murphy, Omaha Downtown Rotary Foundation, Okley Gibbs, Camille Metoyer-Moten, Bob Keefer, Yolanda Hoffman, Gene DeBoer, Sandy Lemke, Steve Carper, James Mackiewicz, Adam Leong, Steve McCollister, Heidi McGinness, Kevin Baitey
If you have not yet submitted your pledge, please email Yolanda at director@omaharotary.org or click the amount to donate: $125$250$500$1,000. Your donation is fully tax-deductible.
The Rotary Club of Omaha is now recruiting more members! It's your opportunity to join the Rotary Club of Omaha, click here to complete the membership application form. For questions, please contact Membership Chair Franco Gentile at FGentile@sbgtv.com.
Earl Knauss got a lesson in food waste when he received a neighbor’s gift of three bushels of red peppers that had been cast aside by a farm because they were misshapen. “I discovered that odd-shaped, blemished, and imperfect vegetables were dumped or destroyed,” says Knauss, of the Rotary Club of Hamburg in western New York state. He asked the farm’s owner for more of the unsalable produce and collected 18-gallon totes of vegetables that he sent to food pantries. The Farm to Family project has since expanded to include three farms, and the Hamburg club formally adopted it in 2018. From May to December, Rotary members and friends work alongside Knauss delivering vegetables to about 3,000 families. In 2022, they provided more than 100,000 pounds of vegetables to 23 distribution sites. Among them is the Resurrection Life Food Pantry in Cheektowaga, where pantry director Kim Reynolds says the site would not have many fresh vegetables without the program. “Our clients rely on Farm to Family to fill that gap,” she says.
PERU
Much of the milk produced in Peru never leaves the farm: It’s consumed directly by farming families, fed to calves, and used to make artisanal cheeses. The Rotary E-Club of Fusión Latina Distrito 4465 teamed up with the nonprofit CEDEPAS Norte to help subsistence farmers in the country’s northern highlands. Last year the club delivered stainless steel presses and molds to open two cheese production facilities. A global grant of more than $50,000 helped pay for the equipment, training, management, and marketing. “So far there are 21 new employees and 63 families served, and 25 pregnant cows were gifted” through the Peruvian government program Agroideas, says Club President Fernando Barrera, who lives in Trujillo.
Jim Cavanaugh
Paul Cohen Sean Connolly
Hal Daub
Gene DeBoer Dianne Desler
John Ewing
Viv Ewing
Brett Frevert
Dawn Gonzales
Okley Gibbs
Larry Guenther
Dee Haj Bill Harvey
Gretchen Harvey
Yolanda Hoffman
Bob Keefer
Susan Koesters
John Marburger
Steve McCollister
Camille Metoyer-Moten
Lloyd Meyer
Jim Murphy
Jim Scott-Miller
Mike Schlickbernd
Jim Stewart
Michelle Trawick
Aileen Warren
REBECCA FIRESTONE
PERU
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