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Family Promise was selected as The Rotary Club of Rochester's 1Q 2024 Community Outreach organization. The mission of Family Promise is "Transforming the lives of families experiencing homelessness. Because every child deserves a home". At our club meeting on Thursday, March 28, Erin Sinwell, Executive Director of Family Promise Rochester will be our guest speaker and will share the impact this organization has within our community.
Family Promise has a lot of exciting things happening as they are expanding to have a larger home from which to provide their services. Since Family Promise was selected as our first quarter community outreach organization, it would be appropriate to "shower" Erin with gifts for the organization at our meeting on March 28.
A few of the items on their wish list include:
Aluminum Foil
Baggies (all sizes)
Diaper Wipes (sensitive skin)
Diapers (newborn size)
Baby Lotion, soap, shampoo
Twin white sheets (fitted only)
If you would like to donate, please bring your items to the March 28th meeting, or reach out directly to Tamsen Leimer at tamsenl@fmcommunity.com or 507.273.6932 to make other arrangements. To learn more about Family Promise, visit their website at www.fprochestermn.org.
Don Meyer was welcomed to The Rotary Club of Rochester at its March 14, 2024, weekly meeting. Member Suzanne Dinusson introduced Don to the club.
Don is retired after working as an architect in Forest City, Iowa, for 12 years and in the fundraising profession for 23 years at Waldorf University and for 13 years at Wartburg College. He most recently served as the executive director for the Waverly-Shell Rock Community School Foundation. Don has also served the community of Waverly as the Chamber of Commerce Board Chair and as a member and Past President of the Waverly Historic Preservation Commission. Don served as District Governor in 2022-23 for Rotary District 5970. He has also served as the Rotary District Foundation Chair and is past President of both the Forest City and Waverly Rotary Clubs. Don also serves on the Waldorf University Foundation Board. His hobbies include music, fishing and baseball. Don and his wife, Kris, have two grown children and one grandson.
The Rotary Club of Rochester wishes a warm welcome to new member Terry R. Smith. Rotarian Suzanne Dinusson introduced Terry at the March 14, 2024 club meeting.
Terry Smith was born and raised in Quincy, IL. In 1994, Terry entered The Salvation Army College for Officer Training in Chicago and was commissioned and ordained (as an Officer/Pastor) in June 1996. He was then appointed to South Bend, IN., Lansing MI., Iowa City IA, (Becoming a Paul Harris Fellow in Iowa City as a member of the Iowa City Noon Rotary Club), and Divisional Headquarters in Detroit MI. Following his time as an officer with The Salvation Army, Terry finished his bachelor's in human services and master's in communications from Quincy University in Quincy, IL. He went on to work as the Twin Cities Director of Development and Communication for The Salvation Army Divisional Headquarters in Minneapolis. In 2019, he became the Chief Development Officer for the second largest child welfare agency in Illinois, where he was also a member of Downtown St. Louis Rotary Club. This past January, Terry became the executive director of the Two Rivers Habitat for Humanity.
Terry is the father to two adult children, Andrew and Lauren and son-in-law Bret, and will become a first-time grandfather this summer. Terry is an avid music lover, traveler, and golfer.
A small group of Rotary Club of Rochester members regularly clean White Oaks Park on the third Wednesday of each month during the warmer months, usually beginning at6:00 p.m. for less than an hour.
This year, thanks to the unusually warm weather, we started in February. A bucket or plastic garbage bag, gloves and good shoes are needed for the clean-up. There is a sign in the park stating that the park has been adopted by the club. If you would like to help keep the park clean and be outdoors, come the next third Wednesday of the month.
April 17 | May 15 | June 19 | July 17 | August 21 | September 18 | October 16
Address: White Oaks Park, 4597 55th St NW, Rochester, MN 55901
The Rotary Club of Rochester furnished and served an evening meal for the Jeremiah Program "Cook 4 Kids" on Tuesday, March 5. What a feast our volunteers provided! From fresh fruits and veggies, homemade and "regular" bread, to the scalloped potatoes main dish and cupcakes and brownies for dessert!
Many thanks to those who provided food: Josef Chlachula, Cynthia Daube, Suzanne Dinusson, Dana Funk, Sara Gilliland, Allie Good, Jaime Gouyonnet, Celeste Hofer, Tamsen Leimer, Melody Trimble, and Marilyn Deling. And, many thanks to those who set-up, served, and cleaned-up after the meal: Robert Bouapaengphan, Jaime Flores Gouyonnet, Mariana Gonzalez Trevino, Dave Moertel, and Lingxin Zhang. As always, it was rewarding to see the moms and their children enjoying the meal or picking up the meal to enjoy together later.
MAKE PEACE VISIBLE "Peace Talks"- Part of the three-year initiative is to provide peace talks. The purpose is to expand our awareness of professions, organizations, and individuals integrating peace into their work.
March 22 - John Noltner - In the fall of 2020, award-winning photographer John Noltner and his wife Karen sold their home in Minneapolis and hit the road to live small, listen deeply and learn about who we are as a country. 900 Days, 93,000 miles, hundreds of stories, one goal…in a divided world, to rediscover what connects us. Registration Link
Have you missed a Peace Talk? Visit the District 5960 Peace Talks Library to view video recordings,Link.
Did you have water in your kitchen or bathroom today? Did you worry about whether it was safe to use or drink? While very few people die of thirst, millions die from preventable waterborne diseases. At least 3,000 children die each day from diseases caused by unsafe water. Rotary International, through the combined actions of individual Rotarians and Rotary Clubs, seeks to assure that all people have adequate access to clean and safe water. The Rotary theme for March, Water and Sanitation, asks us to focus on the life-changing improvements that we can make through these international projects to provide a more readily available and healthy supply of water to all people. Watch this short video
As a Rotarian, if you would like to gain more knowledge about the Rotary/Toastmasters Alliance consider attending one of local Toastmasters International free local public speaking contests. This year two competitions will be held -- Table Topics and International. Table Topics speeches are completely impromptu. Winners of the International competition will compete at successive levels--with the ultimate winners competing this summer at the World Championship of Public Speaking at the International Convention in Anaheim, California.
Check out the contest fliers for more information and registration.
LINK TO: March 2 Area Speech Contests at Century High School
LINK TO: March 23 Table Topics Contest at Autumn Ridge Church - Rochester
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A small group of Rotary Club of Rochester members regularly clean White Oaks Park on the third Wednesday of each month during the warmer months, usually beginning at 6:00 p.m. for less than an hour. 
The Rotary Club of Rochester furnished and served an evening meal for the Jeremiah Program "Cook 4 Kids" on Tuesday, March 5. What a feast our volunteers provided! From fresh fruits and veggies, homemade and "regular" bread, to the scalloped potatoes main dish and cupcakes and brownies for dessert! 
Did you have water in your kitchen or bathroom today? Did you worry about whether it was safe to use or drink?
