Dear Fellow Rotarians,I am writing to let you all know of an important decision that is coming for our membership. On October 23rd, our club will vote on whether to support the creation of a bike ride during Rochesterfest next June as our club's next major fundraiser. As a refresher for those who aren't aware, we have not had a major fundraiser since the discontinuation of our Holiday Classic Basketball tournament a few years ago. We have spent a significant amount of time and effort behind the scenes investigating different possible replacements and the idea of hosting/sponsoring a bike ride has come up as a viable option for our club to consider. We could join the circuit of rides that have been successfully implemented by the Rotary clubs in Northfield and Stillwater for the last several years. There are many details with any event of this magnitude and with that, there are many questions that need to be answered as well.
We have done our best to perform due diligence in the information gathering stage that is now completed. On October 23rd, at our club's weekly meeting, Michael Wojick, executive director of BikeMN.org, who will present ideas we have talked about for this ride and how BikeMN.org might be able to help us make this bike ride a reality. We realize there are some risks involved, as there are with any potential fundraiser, and this is your chance to weigh in on the pros and cons of this event. I encourage you to attend the meeting on October 23rd to get the information you need to make an informed decision as to whether you, as a member of our club, will support this fundraising project. If your attendance is not possible, please feel free to direct your questions to any Board member or email me as well at: steve.w.sperling@gmail.com
Hope to see you on October 23rd.
Steve Sperling
President, 2025-2026
The Rotary Club of Rochester