Buffet Lunch is $18 for members and $20 for visiting Rotarians and guests. Lunch ticket is back. Please collect your lunch ticket after check-in and put it in the jar at the beginning of the buffet line
YVETTE BURKS Belize Rotary Past President Operation Hippocrates
Yvette Burks is a dedicated humanitarian and an influential leader in her community, with a remarkable track record of service. As the Founding Director of the Belize Emergency Response Team (BERT) and Wings of Hope, she has been instrumental in providing critical support during emergencies. Yvette also founded the Burn Victim Mercy Fund, offering vital assistance to those affected by fire-related injuries.
Yvette has been a valued partner in Operation Hippocrates (known as Gift of Life in Belize), an Omaha Downtown Rotary signature international project that has been making a difference for nearly 50 years.
Her commitment to service extends to her role on the Board of Directors for Marla's House of Hope, where she supports vulnerable populations. A longstanding member of the Rotary Club of Belize since 1998, Yvette has served as Chairperson of Gift of Life Belize, Past President of her club, and Assistant District Governor, showcasing her dedication to Rotary’s mission of service above self.
Yvette is married to Jack, a member of the San Ignacio Rotary Club, and they are proud parents of two children. Through her various roles, Yvette exemplifies the spirit of compassion and leadership, inspiring others to make a positive impact in their communities.
We’re having another great week in the Rotary Club of Omaha! We had lots of guests including many friends from NorthStar as well as more people in our community curious about this thing called Rotary.
Upcoming we have some exciting updates and fresh perspective on one of our club’s signature projects, Operation Hippocrates with a distinguished guest from Belize, Yvette Burkes!
This past meeting our featured speaker was Creighton Men’s Basketball Coach Greg McDermott. We got a little bonus when he was introduced by Taylor Stormberg who said something I truly appreciated regarding setting goals and the desire to achieve: “You can work as hard as humanly possible but you’re never entitled to it.” It’s a good reminder that we are not owed the things we want in life. Coach McDermott shared some advice for aspiring Blue Jays, the exhilaration of a couple career highlights, and his thoughts on developing ingrained habits by finding ways to “embrace the tedium” while working to achieve. It’s a tricky time in athletics with the portal and name, image, likeness changing the nature of everything but the game itself.
Members had much Good News to celebrate! Steve McCollister is collecting cash for candy for the upcoming Stephens Center Trunk or Treat event. We said congratulations to Tobi Mathauser for Goodwill Industries being recognized at the BBB Torch Awards.
Thank you to again to our September Business Sponsor of the month Zac Triemert for sharing more delights from Lucky Bucket and Brickway Brewery and Distillery! Stay tuned for our October sponsor!
It’s absolutely a great time to be a Rotarian! I’ll see you at an upcoming Wednesday at the Field Club of Omaha for lunch. Bring a guest!
President Heather Legge The Rotary Club of Omaha
Here is the link to the President's weekly video: https://youtu.be/gw2Ra893XK8
As announced by President Heather Legge last week, Omaha Downtown Rotarians are invited to another multi-club Rotary Business Networking on October 3, Thursday at 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Beacon Hills in Aksarben, 6750 Mercy Road. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.
September is Basic Education and Literacy Month for Rotary. As I am visiting clubs in our district, it is fantastic to see the number of clubs that are recognizing students for academic achievement, giving out dictionaries to grade schoolers and awarding scholarships to high school seniors to help support our next generation of leaders.
In addition, I would like to thank PDG Kathryn Schubert and her committee for all of the work that they have put in to bring the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) back on October 11-13 at Camp Sonshine in Roca, Nebraska. We truly are "People of Action".
I would also like to thank our District Conference Committee, led by James Mackiewicz for all of the work that they are doing to plan a terrific "Fusion 5650 District Conference".
We will be hosting the conference on October 18th and 19th at the Downtown Omaha Marriott. Please make plans to attend. The discounted conference rate and the room rate will end on September 20th.
We are working on a great agenda that will include Don Eckles, Co-founder of Scooters as our keynote speaker at the District Luncheon on Friday. PDG Barbara Bartles will present on her group's NID trip to India on Saturday. We will have some interactive roundtable discussions on Membership Recruitment and Public Image best practices and more. We will post the entire agenda soon. I hope to see you all there.
Where three or more Rotarians gather, it's called a Rotary Social, and you earn attendance credits. Rotarians may come from different clubs. Connect with Rotarians and enjoy the power of Rotary fellowship. Below are our recent Rotary Social.
It looks like the mayoral candidacy of Rotary Past President John Ewing is in full swing. Pictured here are left to right: John Ewing, Lisa Tonjes Moritz, and Viv Ewing
Recently, Rotarians celebrated Brett Freverts' company, CFO Systems' 20 Years in business. Congratulations, Brett! Photos below:
L to R: Sandy Lemke, Steve McCollister, Zac Triemert & Brett Frevert
L to R: Brett Frevert, Christopher Nwafor, and Brad Burklund
L to R: Christopher Nwafor, Josh Todd and Brett Frevert
Rotarians at the Association for Corporate Growth L to R: Brett Frevert, Larry Guenther, and Susan Koesters
Thanks to the efforts of Rotarians and dedicated volunteers, nearly 3,000 flags now stand at Memorial Park as part of our 9/11 Tribute. Each flag honors one of the 2,977 lives lost on September 11, 2001, displaying the name, age, location, and personal details of a victim. A special section is reserved for flags representing those with a Nebraska connection. We extend our deepest gratitude to Dan Esch for coordinating this meaningful project, and a heartfelt thanks to all the Rotarians, Boy Scouts, family members, and friends who generously volunteered their time.
The Rotaract Club of Belize City is renovating a rural school and a Rotary club-sponsored park as part of its youth-focused agenda. In April, club members met at the Hattieville Government Preschool to paint restrooms and complete other beautification work. A later phase will include new toilets. “We’ve been able to replace chalkboards in 10 classrooms with whiteboards and to donate a printer and other school and hygiene materials,” says Kristoff Nicholson, immediate past president. The club partnered with a telecom provider and raffled off smartphones to help pay for the project. It also received a District 4250 grant of $1,000. In March, club members replaced basketball and goal nets and painted benches and a playset at Love Park in Balama, another element of the project, Nicholson says.
Colombia
In January, the Rotary Club of Cúcuta-Ciudad de Arboles purchased about $600 of school supplies and delivered 100 sets of notebooks, pencils, pens, erasers, sharpeners, and more to students in the city. It’s about 350 miles northeast of Bogotá. Club members also visited with students in the neighborhood of Las Delicias, says Dora Patricia Lobo, a past president of the club. “The hustle and bustle and joy of these students when they receive their school package warms our souls and encourages us to continue,” Lobo says. More than 1,400 students have benefited since the project began.
June 26, 2024. Outgoing President Larry Guenther recognized our members who achieved perfect attendance. Perfect Rotary attendance(aka Perfect Rotarians) is attained through consistent participation in weekly meetings, service projects, committee work, weekly club service, Rotary socials, visiting other clubs, Rotary online makeups, Zoom attendance, attendance at club board meetings, and attendance at club foundation board meetings. Below is the list of our perfect attendance Rotarians.
July is the perfect time to start your journey towards becoming a Perfect Rotarian!
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 July 2024 volunteers L to R:Steve McCollister, Colleen Brennan, Christopher Nwafor, Fletcher Reel, and Julie Sanford
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.
Chase Bank
UNO College of Business
Centris
Ollie The Trolley
Carlson West Povondra Architects
DA Davidson
Elkhorn Athletics Association
Omaha Massage Therapy
Catholic Archdiocese of Omaha
Kevin Baitey
Brad Burklund
Paul Cohen Hal Daub
Gene DeBoer Dianne Desler
John Ewing
Viv Ewing
Brett Frevert
Dawn Gonzales
Okley Gibbs
Fr. Lloyd Gnirk
Tom Gouttierre
Larry Guenther Bill Harvey
Gretchen Harvey
Barbara Hayman
Yolanda Hoffman
Larry Johansen
Bob Keefer
Susan Koesters
Heather Legge
Sandy Lemke
Adam Leong
John Marburger
Steve McCollister
Heidi McGinness
Camille Metoyer-Moten
Lloyd Meyer
John Mock
Jim Murphy
Roxy Orr
Fletcher Reel
Jim Scott-Miller
Deb Skinner
Jim Stewart
Jim Suttle
LeRoy Swedlund
Lisa Tonjes Moritz
Michelle Trawick
Jennifer Trebill
Kathryn Weitz
YVETTE BURKS
President's Pen
Belize
Colombia
.png)
