Thanks to Dan Iburg for getting new signage on the Rotary bench and bike fix-it station in Sauk Rapids, including the special acknowledgment of April Myers. April was a very active member of our club and avid cyclist.
Stories
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 Wolves Race Winner and Best Design AND Pack Winner Best Design  Wolves 2nd Place |
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Our Annual Rotary Thanksgiving meal for the senior citizens of the area was another great success. We prepared a great meal, served it, and provided access to a wonderful fall musical production, Oklahoma performed by the SRRHS Drama! The Great River Rotary could not have done it without our fellow Sartell Rotarians, the Boy Scouts, many friends and family, Metro transit and the School District. It was a terrific experience for all!
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The lederhosen and dirndl were ready, it was Octoberfest time. There was wurst, sauerkraut, spatzle, red cabbage and German potato salad. It was a great time for all.
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Blair Schroeder passes the Presidential gavel to April Myers. |
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Don Popowski along with the Great River Rotary welcome Joe Nadeau to the club. |
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Joe shared his story on how he became a member of the St. Cloud Fire and Police Pipe and Drum. He demonstrated his bagpipe expertise by playing Amazing Grace for us.
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Pictured is speaker Lisa Braun from the RSVP and Rotarian April M. RSVP(Retired Senior Volunteer Program) is a volunteer program for men and women age 55 and better offering a variety of one-time and on-going volunteer opportunities within 200 local organizations.
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Pictured is President Blair Schrader with Shelby and Lisa Eisenschenk. Shelby has Autism. He and his mom, Lisa spoke to us on living and communicating with Autism using the Dyna Vox Speech Device. Shelby is pictured wearing a few of his many medals won in Special Olympics.
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Speaker Linda Allen from the St. Cloud Granite Rotary Club spoke to our club on their project in the Dominican Republic for safe water.
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On November 17th The Great River Rotary members, family and friends along with the help of the Boy Scouts hosted our 25th Anniversary of the Thanksgiving Senior Dinner. Here is the link to the video coverage from WJON this event. http://wjon.com/volunteers-serve-over-300-seniors-at-25th-annual-thanksgiving-delight-video/ Over 300 Senior citizens from Sauk Rapids came from 10 different nursing homes, apartment centers, and assisted living facilities to enjoy a full Thanksgiving meal prepared by volunteers. The volunteer cooks started preparing at 6 a.m. today by putting turkeys on the grill. Pumpkin pie, potatoes, gravy, and a ton of turkey eventually filled the kitchen as the meal was ready to be served.
This meal also included support from local Boy Scout troops, who helped greet guests and serve meals. Noah Simondet is a member of the Boy Scouts, who’s been volunteering at the event for years:
“Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts is huge in volunteering, so that’s a big thing in helping out the community.”
Daniel Bittman, The Superintendant of Sauk Rapids-Rice schools, says the event is all about giving back to Seniors in the area:
“We are so thankful for the opportunity to give back, we have wonderful Seniors throughout this community.”
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Pictured is fellow Rotarian Steve Paasch with recipients, from the East Side Boys and Girls Club and Hillside School Early Childhood Program ,of the 50 hats and gloves.
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Tonya Hinkemeyer spoke to the group on the legal aspects of a DUI. Tonya is shown shaking hands with President Blair Schrader.
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Our tour guide for the clubs quarterly tour.
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Fellow Rotarian Greg Vandal and President Blair Schrader shake hands. Greg gave a vocational talk.
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President Blair Schrader and District Governor Diann Kirby
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The Great River Rotary Club supported a Peace Corps Partnership Program - The Desta Project in Atsbi, Ethiopia. Project leader is Peace Corps Volunteer Katheryn Hoerster. Great River Rotary member Melissa Schmidt's son, Chris is also a PCV in Atsbi Ethiopia. Over the past six month Katheryn has been working with the Atsbi Primary School, the largest elementary school in town, to implement a project that will provide school supplies and materials for all enrolled orphans. Several staff members approached her about the project in late October, and since then the entire town has come together to make Desta Dairy & Egg Farm a reality. They assured her that if she could find funding for one dairy cow and 100 laying chickens, they would cover the rest of the necessary costs. Attached is the link to the you tube video they made to promote their project. http://youtu.be/f6003Kz9Zuo Also attached are pictures of the new cow and calf that have been purchased for the project. The Children of the primary school meet them for the first time.
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Incoming President Blair Schrader presents outgoing President Bob Rueter with a plaque for his year of service. A huge thank you to Bob for leading us in a great year.
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The Rotary year ended June 30th. With that came the passing of the Presidential gavel from President Bob Rueter to President - Elect Blair Schrader. Blair will be the Great River Rotary President for the 2013 - 2014 Rotary year.
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2012-2013 Great River Rotary president Bob Rueter has a big smile on his face. This is his last meeting as President. A huge thank you to Bob for leading us in another great year.
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Rotarian Steve Paasch delivered 50 pairs of hats and gloves from the Warm Head, Hands and Heart Program. East side Boys and Girls Club director Katie Ruprecht is pictured with lots of happy kids who received the hats and gloves.
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It takes many Rotarians, family members, friends and local Boy Scouts to make the annual Thanksgiving Dinner a success. We serviced close to 250 area Seniors a great Turkey feast. |
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The Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery Memorial Association has commissioned internationally-recognized artist Charles Gilbert Kapsner to design and paint canvases depicting the history of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Five 8 x 10-foot oil canvases will be hung in the cemetery’s committal hall to represent all who served, commemorating their sacrifices in all wars, rather than eulogizing a particular war. Beyond being a memorialto our nation’s fighting men and women, the paintings will serve as an educational tool to help future generations understand our history and the vital role our military plays in maintaining our freedom and democracy.
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The Great River Rotary hosted the 2012 All Area Rotary Meeting. Guest speakers were Dave Swantek, director of the MN State Veterans Cemetery and artist Charles G. Kapsner.
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 Owner Bill Scarince showing a sample carbon steal plate cut on their plasma cutting machine. Also pictured are Rotarian's Steve P, Jim W, Eric R and Bob R. |
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Come visit us and learn more about our Rotary club at the Benton County Fair. To raise money for future projects, we will be selling turkey legs, flavored smoked brats, corn on the cob, pickles, and soda starting each day at 11 am on Wednesday, August 1st through Saturday, August 4th.
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Check out pictures of club members April Myers and Dan Iburg at our ice cream social.
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Bob Reuter recently became our club's newest President.
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Great River Rotary members Eric Trettel and Eric Reisigner helped out during the SWAT Competition at the St. Cloud Can-Am games June 24-26. Click here to see pictures from the event provided by sctimes.com
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On Saturday, June 2, members of the Great River Rotary installed signs and toured the soon-to-be-completed disc golf course at Mayhew Creek Park in Sauk Rapids.
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On January 18, 2012, Marsha Kelly, a consultant with the MN Indian Gaming Association, spoke to Great River Rotary. She informed Great River Rotarians about the Native American and tribe population in MN. The Tribes are the 6th largest employer in MN, creating over 40,000 direct and indirect jobs. Ninety-five percent of the jobs are full-time with benefits. Ms. Kelly also stated that the Tribes pay over $150 miillion annually in federal and state taxes.
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CLUB ASSEMBLY Jan 18 the MN Indian and Gaming speaker has rescheduled. Blair S has agreed to be a board Director - approved by all present Robert was a guest Jan 14th Mid Term assembly, please let Dan know by Jan 10th Jan 5th is next board meeting We are at 73% for foundation participation. PR - Sauk Rapids Herald had an article about our Thanksgiving meal Social will be Feb 4th. Betsey will ask for a head count Erik gave a calendar year end treasure report Rick talked about a Visioning project of "Best hamburger in Town" more to follow. |
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Club Assembly will be 12/28/11
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Speaker Jennifer Schlecht from SRRHS Mid term assembly is Jan 14th - Bob R to attend. Let Dan know if you would like to attend. Visioning meeting before the Jan board meeting. |
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Great River Rotary raised $200 for hats and gloves for kids. Through the Warm Hands, Warm Heads, and Warm Hearts program, Rotarian Steve Paasch helped organize the project to raise enough money to purchase 100 hats and 100 gloves for children in central Minnesota. The hats and gloves were donated to children at the East Side Boys and Girls Club, Hillside Early Childhood Development Program, and the Sauk Rapids-Rice Middle School. |
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On Sunday, November 20, 2011, the Great River Rotary of Sauk Rapids and East St. Cloud prepared and served a Thanksgiving dinner to 275 senior citizens from central Minnesota. For 23 years, Great River Rotary has prepared and served a turkey dinner with all of the fixings, including pumpkin pie, for senior citizens from Good Shepherd Community, Country Manor, Carefree Assisted Living, Russell Arms Apartments, and Ridgeview Assisted Living. This year a record number of senior citizens were served and twenty turkeys were cooked. Several senior citizens commented that they have come to Great River Rotary’s Thanksgiving dinner for many years and look forward to it each year. The event could not have been possible without the help of several Cub Scouts from Pack 8, Mississippi Heights, Sauk Rapids and their family members who helped set up for the event and serve the food to the senior citizens. Also in attendance, were several St. Cloud State University students who volunteered their time to help make the day a special event for the seniors. St. Cloud Metro Bus once again volunteered their drivers and buses to transport the senior citizens from their respective senior living communities to the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School where the event was held. Staff at the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School also played an important part in providing the space and preparing the high school for the large number of attendees. Many of the senior citizens also took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School’s production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” The senior citizens were even given a special pre-show preview of the play by the cast members who displayed their outstanding talents. New this year, Great River Rotary also hosted a food drive and collected 160 pounds of food and cash from Rotarians, play attendees, and the community at large. Food donations were delivered to the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and Living Waters Lutheran Church. |
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On December 7, 2011, Great River Rotary elected its 2012-2013 Club Officers: President: Bob Rueter, Boy Scouts of America President-Elect: Betsey Lund, Neils, Franz, Chirhart, Law Firm Treasurer: Eric Reisinger, US Bank Secretary: Melissa Schmidt, St. Cloud HOspital Director(s): Greg Vandal, Retired Sauk Rapids-Rice Superintendent *The 2012-2013 term begins July 1, 2012. |
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John Packert resigned for work/family obligations. Murry Mack and Bill D were our speakers for the new Civic Center Expansion project. 12/1 board meeting 12/1 Salvation Army bell ringing at the Sauk Rapids Coborns Fight the food Package - Saturday the 3rd for Rotary groups. Foundation still needs to be submitted to Diane - we are at about 25% participation. 100% is the goal. Hats and gloves still need about $50.00, please see Steve with your donation. Tour of the new Civic Ctr expansion project is set for January 25th. Winter Social is Feb 4th. |
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Full house was in attendance for our weekly meeting. Our Speaker was Tim McGrath from Sweep Dreams - a modern day chimney sweep. We welcomed Jim Cota as our newest member. Reminder that we will have a Visioning meeting Dec 1st at 3:45 before our regular Board meeting at 4:15 at Rinke Noonan. Bell ringers still needed for Dec 1st - see Blair if able to attend. Betsey is still looking for participants to help with mock interviews with students in the DECA program at the Sauk Rapids - Rice High School. The class is 12:40 to 2:00 pm. Dates still avaible are 11/29, 11/30, and 12/01. See Betsey if able to help. The 23rd Annual Senior Dinner was held on November 20th and was another huge success. Rough estimates showed we served 280 meals and over 160 play attendees. Any suggestions for any improvements, please let Greg V know. Lots of thank you's have been recieved from attending Seniors. Betsey will send Thank You's to all of our extra helpers. Please let her know the names and addresses of those to include. Diane B still collecting for Foundation dollars. Please submit to her ASAP. From Steve P. - for those that were not at the meeting today I wanted to give an update on our hats and glove project. We got our hats and gloves (thank you Granite Club for picking them up) and today(11/23) they were distributed to Sauk Rapids Rice Middle School, East Side Boys and Girls Club and Hillside School that has the Adult Basic Ed. Program and Early Childhood. All were very grateful and excited to have the hats and gloves to give to families that need them. We thank them for helping us to get the hats and gloves to the right families. There is a great need for them! We actually received 9 dozen of both so we got a little more bang for our dollar. Speaking of dollars, we are doing pretty well in collecting the money for the hats and gloves. We have collected about $150 so far and need to collect another $50 to cover our cost on the hats and gloves. Minutes submitted 11/28 Melissa Schmidt |
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On August 10, 2011, MN Farmer Kelly Anderson from Oak Creek Ranch in Farwell, Minnesota came to talk about changes in the farming industry and being a Minnesota farmer in 2011.
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Elizabeth Ferguson from Habitat for Humanity ReStore in St. Cloud comes to talk about the new ReStore in St. Cloud. The store accepts donations of home/houseware supplies and surplus construction supplies from area residents and businesses. You can also shop for new and gently used home/housewares at the store.
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Steve Paasch is pictured with members of the Eastside Boy's and Girl's club. They were very excited to receive the hats and gloves donated by the Great River Rotary Club.
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We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.
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An optimist is the human personification of spring.
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Here you can post little tidbits of information, reminders, or anything else!
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The school year has finally started in Atsbi, and with the return of teachers and students we’ve been able to implement the final stages of our project. The rainy summer months proved to very productive for everyone; our dairy cow, which has been living at the school for five months now, has given more milk than we expected. Part of this is due to the generosity of the Parent-Teacher Association, which donated a great deal of high quality food for Lemlem. The community also hosted a tree-planting day at the school to ensure a sustainable source of livestock fodder for years to come. Over and over again, the community has shown its support for this project and the underserved population it benefits. My heart is warmed each time I encounter someone who wants to help the school in its endeavors to better the education of all students. Several weeks ago a few of our project committee members went to the city to purchase one hundred chickens and the rest of the project supplies. It was a long day, but we finally got all the chicks home safely. We purchased thirty-day old chicks, which are hardier and already vaccinated and should begin producing eggs in about three months. It felt great to be back at work with my counterparts and friends. Half of the money that we raised from selling milk over the summer was used to purchase notebooks, pens and pencils to distribute to orphans registered at the school. While this was the ultimate goal of the Desta project, I was just as happy to hear that the committee had decided to save half of the summer’s proceeds to guarantee that the chickens could be fed until they begin producing eggs. This decision demonstrates an important commitment to sustainability of the project. As my time in Atsbi comes to an end, I’ll be working closely with the school and committee members to make sure the project will be sustainable after I leave. The new Peace Corps Volunteer who has been assigned to work at the school will also continue checking on the progress and helping with any challenges that may appear in the future. Finally, I’ll be putting together a more formal project report that I’ll send out in the next few weeks. Once again, thank you for the donation you made to this project. It has been so rewarding to work with a school that is dedicated to improving education for the children of Atsbi. Our work would not have been possible without your generosity.
Warmest regards, Katheryn Hoerster |
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On Saturday November 3rd fellow Rotarians Bob R, Greg V, Dan I, Steve P and Diane B repaired the roof on the Fair booth. They got the job done!
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 Fellow Rotarian and W. F. Scarince employee Rick Sarner shows us a Nitronic plate that is used on oil rigs for navigation and controls between the rig and the sea floor. Also pictured is Don P. |
On Sunday, November 20, 2011, the Great River Rotary of Sauk Rapids and East St. Cloud prepared and served a Thanksgiving dinner to 275 senior citizens from central Minnesota. For 23 years, Great River Rotary has prepared and served a turkey dinner with all of the fixings, including pumpkin pie, for senior citizens from Good Shepherd Community, Country Manor, Carefree Assisted Living, Russell Arms Apartments, and Ridgeview Assisted Living. This year a record number of senior citizens were served and twenty turkeys were cooked. Several senior citizens commented that they have come to Great River Rotary’s Thanksgiving dinner for many years and look forward to it each year. The event could not have been possible without the help of several Cub Scouts from Pack 8, Mississippi Heights, Sauk Rapids and their family members who helped set up for the event and serve the food to the senior citizens. Also in attendance, were several St. Cloud State University students who volunteered their time to help make the day a special event for the seniors. St. Cloud Metro Bus once again volunteered their drivers and buses to transport the senior citizens from their respective senior living communities to the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School where the event was held. Staff at the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School also played an important part in providing the space and preparing the high school for the large number of attendees. Many of the senior citizens also took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School’s production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” The senior citizens were even given a special pre-show preview of the play by the cast members who displayed their outstanding talents. New this year, Great River Rotary also hosted a food drive and collected 160 pounds of food and cash from Rotarians, play attendees, and the community at large. Food donations were delivered to the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and Living Waters Lutheran Church. |
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Kevin Lanave from the Center for Service Learning came to talk about the culturing compassion retreats he has created for central MN students.
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Watch for the Great River Rotary at the Pantowners Car Show Saturday, August 20th and Sunday, August 21st. We will be selling burgers, BBQ chicken sandwiches, popcorn, and more!
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On Wednesday, January 4, 2012, one of our newest Rotarians, Jim Cota, spoke to Great River Rotary about his business JC Signs and Graphics in Foley, MN. JC Signs and Graphics can be found online at 
On January 11, 2012, SRRHS Teachers Lori Posch and Laura Arndt came to Great River Rotary to talk about the One District One Book program. The idea behind the program is to encourage families to read together and read the same book and the same time. Great River Rotary is supporting this program by donating $100. 
