In exactly 16 days, the Faribault Rotary Club will celebrate its 100-year anniversary on May 1, 2020. This week’s historical highlight is from 2014.
The global grant application for funding for GG14-11947 "UDDAO Cassava Processing Plant," submitted by host sponsor Rotary Club of Faribault (part of District 5960) and international sponsor Rotary Club Makeni (part of District 9101), was approved by The Rotary Foundation. The award is $54,000.
Janel Klein, NBC News Correspondent/Kare 11 and an FHS graduate and spoke to the club about her career in the TV industry.
Tami Schluter talked to the club about a project with Rick's Restoration (Cable TV show) and the Tilt-A-Whirl restoration for display on Central Ave.
There was a Rotary Honors banquet at the KC Hall.
The 2014 Rotarian of the Year was Brent Peroutka.
There was a President’s Event that included wine tasting and Rotary social in the ballroom above the new Alexander's Supper Club.
The club conducted its second car raffle to raise funds for Youth Services.
2013-14 Rotary District Governor Gary Campbell awarded the Faribault Rotary Club with three awards.
2013-14 Rotary Club Central Award- for setting strategic goals to Engage Rotary and Change Lives.
2013-14 Presidential Citation- for actively working to Engage Rotary and Change Lives.
2013-2014 Zone Literacy and Education Award- for promoting literacy and education that strengthens individual dignity and self-worth of people, thereby strengthening the foundation of international goodwill, understanding and peace.
Our club’s 94th president in 2013-14 was Brent Peroutka. He has been a member since January 2004.
Brent has the following memories from his year:
- Since I value history, I had Murray Hanson provide a brief “history minute” during each Rotary meeting.
- We recognized members each week that performed service above self with a “Service Above Self” trophy. This was a great way to recognize members in our club for their work in Rotary as well as in the community.
- We continued the fundraising efforts for the Rotary Clock Project that originally started with the Al Burkhartzmeyer memorial. We raised over $7,000 towards the project and started working on the proper legal documents with the city and building owner. The project finished the following year with a beautiful memorial and clock downtown Faribault.
- We held several meetings at the Rotary Camp as I wanted to highlight this great asset, and we made several improvements to the camp during the year.
- We held a “President’s Event” in order to raise funds for other projects, build relationships outside of Rotary, as well as recruit new members. This year we hosed a wine tasting and social. Rotarian George Wickstrom had donated some of the wine.
- Our club completed its first international project in several years, a cassava processing plant in Sierra Leone Africa. This process started prior to my term as Rotary president, and I was so grateful for everyone hard work putting this together and raising the necessary funds to make this project a success. We had a contingent of Rotarians travel to Sierra Leone Africa to work on the project first hand. Jake Cook, Richard Cook, Richard Ormsby, Dr. Richard Huston, Pat Gustafson (and I believe her granddaughter) all traveled to Africa to help with the project. This helped to build a sustainable cassava processing plat where local residents could produce, store and sell this local produce.
- Our club received the Presidential Citation Award as well as a Literacy Award from the district with awards at the District 5960 Conference.
- As club president, I had 100% attendance and led every meeting during the year!