Leslie Sager, January 21 speaker, in front of pictures of women in Kenya.

Leslie Sager, a professor at the School of Human Ecology, and a part time interior designer, has started and supported a number of ongoing projects in Tharaka Nithi, Kenya along with her students.  The Nyumbani Village, built 12 years ago, is Kenya’s sustainable HIV/AIDS community where children live in little houses with a grandmother.  Structures are made of interlocking blocks of soil and concrete. The Green Belt Movement empowers women to conserve the environment by planting trees and improve their livelihoods 

The Success One project, the Kiondo Project: Women have historically made their kiondo baskets with yarn and sisal.    Leslie helps sell their baskets and plans to put gutters and tanks on their roofs with the proceeds.

The Success Two project:  Leslie’s students came up with a plan to illuminate home for $2 each with LED solar batteries, so the women could farm during the day and read and create baskets at night and crochet.  

The Success Three project:  The students designed a double sided water vest for the women to transport water.

Our thanks to Leslie Sager for her work in Kenya in the spirit of Rotary and for her presentation.

On January 7, club members enjoyed an interesting and informative presentation from Steve Carpenter, retired Professor and retired Director of the UW-Madison Center for Limnology.  

If anyone wants to read the stories or see the videos and art from Yahara2070, they can find it all on the website: https://wsc.limnology.wisc.edu/yahara2070.  The center’s blog has new stories each week about Wisconsin lakes, and a searchable archive of past stories:  http://blog.limnology.wisc.edu/

Betsy and Doug Nordstrom, hosts of the October club event.

Doug Nordstrom, Eng Braun, Monica Tutte, and Bailey Lagman in the kitchen preparing and serving lunch for the café.

The tasty and enticing bake sale table.

A shopper checking out the whimsical items for the home on the Totally Wired display.

Martin Rouse, Autumn Sanchez, and Ace Hillard, October 22 speakers

Education is one true pathway toward a better life, and UW-Madison has plenty of help for returning  students, Martin Rouse, Dean and Director of Adult Career and Special Students told Breakfast Rotary on October 22.  He was accompanied by two advisors, Autumn Sanchez and Ace Hillard.   They support returning adult students with workshops, scholarships and advising.  They help special students with admissions and sponsor the senior guest auditors program. They also have a career advising center for career changes.  The Odyssey Program, in which students without any college experience, earn 6 credits of education, is part of this Division. 

There are two pathways to admission:  freshmen take the ACT or a transfer pathway. A student not admitted to UW-Madison who takes college elsewhere and gets a B average, can reapply.   Under the Badger Ready program, a student who takes 12 credits as a special student and gets a B average, will be guaranteed admission.

Our thanks to Martin Rouse, Autumn Sanchez, and Ace Hillard for their presentation and visit to the club.

Life in history rich Turkey is full of family celebrations with music and folk dancing, Su told Breakfast Rotary on September 24.  Su comes from Izmir, the 3^rd largest city of Turkey, on the west coast near the Greek islands.  The Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 after winning independence in the war against the Allies.  The Turkish alphabet has 29 letters some of which are marked for the Turkish language.

Su went to an American School for all 12 grades in the same classes.  They celebrate Halloween in her school but the rest of the country does not.  Su’s father is an architect, her mother is an archeologist and she has one sister age 10.  Su has participated in a model United Nations starting in the 5^th grade.  Each student represents a country and supports that country.  She also participated in a summer camp at Brown University, and visited New York, Chicago, and Nashville. Su wants to be an architect like her father.

The club enjoyed slides of historical Turkey as well as the wedding celebrations and dancing and was treated to Turkish candy.

In addition, club president Bailey Lagman thanked Eng Braun, the outgoing club secretary, for her many years of service.  Stephanie Stetson was welcomed as the incoming secretary, Erin Hastey to the Board of Directors. and Doug Nordstrom as the President Elect.  Club members enjoyed getting acquainted with our new incoming exchange student Su from Turkey 🇹🇷  

Mike Kafka, Ericka Braatz, Betsy Nordstrom and friend Darcy and the crew at the shot put event of the Special Olympics on May 4 at Oregon High School field.