Members of The Rotary Club of Rochester, past and present, along with family, friends, and Rotary members from area clubs gathered on May 15 at the Rochester Golf and Country Club to celebrate 100 amazing years of The Rotary Club of Rochester.
In addition to enjoying a delicious meal, attendees were welcomed by the evening's emcee Betsy Singer, Club President Dave Moertel, and District 5960 Governor Ed Boeve. Rochester Mayor Kim Norton read a proclamation from the City, and Lorie Luedke spoke about the club's 100th anniversary community project and the $10,000 raised to purchase benches that will encircle the new Silver Lake Park splash pad. Rotary Club of Owatonna's President Tom Partridge shared the story of how The Rotary Club of Rochester came to be through sponsorship by his club. Lois Nelson, secretary and club service lead for the Rotary Club of Owatonna, spoke about how the Rochester and Owatonna Rotary clubs came together to contribute funds toward a statue of Amelia Witherstine, the first woman elected to public office in Rochester. Ed Zirkle was the evening's keynote speaker. Ed, a photojournalist and Rotarian from Ohio, shared a story about the war in Ukraine through photos he had taken. The evening concluded with a heartfelt video featuring interviews with several members of The Rotary Club of Rochester. More than 500 hours of video was masterfully edited by Warren Harmon into a 20-minute video shared at the event.
If you haven't already pre-ordered the 100th anniversary commemorative booklet, there's still time. The printed booklet is available for purchase for $15 and is only available to those who pre-order. A PDF version of the booklet will also be available to download at no cost. The booklet will be available this summer. Use this LINK to order and pay for your booklet. Click on the "register" button in the upper right corner of the webpage to complete your order.
The Rotary Clubs of Rochester are planting trees at Quarry Hill Nature Center. Volunteers should bring gloves and wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Tree planting should take less than two hours, and pizza will be provided after the trees are planted.
No sign-up necessary; just show up ready to plant!
Our next Cook 4 Kids at Jeremiah Program is on Tuesday, May 20.
We are going to serve Breakfast for Dinner! Last time I did this meal there it was a hit!! Who doesn't love bacon any time of the day!? The Rotary Club of Rochester's next Cook 4 Kids at Jeremiah Program is on Tuesday, May 20, and we're going to serve breakfast for dinner because who doesn't love bacon any time of the day!
You can help by donating to the meal, serving the meal from 4:00-6:00 pm, or both. Sign-up by putting your name in the yellow cell for the item(s) you are interested in helping with. Contact Tamsen Leimer with questions: tamsenl@fmcommunity.com or 507.273.6932
From the Rochester Risers Rotary Club's website . . .
The Rochester Risers Rotary Club, along with Greater Rochester Rotary and The Rotary Club of Rochester joined forces with the Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club to support Crutches4Africa. The goal - to collect 3000 used mobility devices and ship them to Africa where partners will distribute them to people in need. Each donated device will change a life!
The three Rotary Clubs, together with the generous assistance of local businesses, strategically placed donation barrels around Rochester, allowing people to drop off used crutches, walkers, canes and wheelchairs. Our friends at 125 Live supported the effort by scheduling a donation drop off day at their facility. We asked the community to support this project, and the response has been amazing!
The Crutches4Africa service project demonstrates the strength of Rotary and our ability to impact lives through service.
Donations to Cradle 2 Career are needed and welcome!
Many thanks to all who contributed to the recent fundraiser at Sorellina's, to benefit Cradle 2 Career (C2C)! This fundraiser raised $250, adding to the $600 from Victoria's, so The Rotary Club of Rochester will contribute $850 to Cradle 2 Career's 4th Annual C2C Education Summit which will be held in October. The Rochester Risers Rotary Club and Greater Rochester Rotary also contribute to the Education Summit. However, with a budget of $10,000 needed, there is still a need for additional funds. If you are able to contribute any amount, please do so online through the TRCR Foundation webpage, designating Cradle 2 Career in the drop-down box.
Please make your donation by the end of May, if possible. Thank you for your support of this vital initiative!
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Our next Cook 4 Kids at Jeremiah Program is on Tuesday, May 20.
