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Technical and Lowell K. Levy Hard Work Scholarships

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Service Above Self

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Thursdays at 12:00 PM

Amercian Legion, Peter Wollner Post No. 288

W57N481 Hilbert Ave
Cedarburg, WI 53012
United States of America

Our summer meetings rotate and are posted in our calendar. We will resume meeting at the American Legion in September. Visiting Rotarians are welcome to join in at our meetings by emailing our Secretary.

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Invest in your community through the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Club.

Through donations or sponsoring our events, giving to the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Foundation supports deserving students with scholarships to technical and vocational schools and improves our community's quality of life through the grants we give and the projects we're involved in.

To donate, click the image above or make your check payable to

Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Foundation | PO Box 194 Cedarburg, WI 53012

As a Wisconsin 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Club. Donations are 100% tax-deductible to the extent of the law. Ref EIN 39-1446118.

2021-2022 Scholarship Recipients

John Hanson introduced three of this year’s scholarship recipients: Connor Sobczak, who will be attending MATC to pursue a career as an electrician, Lauren Rathke, who will be attending MATC to pursue a degree in photography, and Ella Day, who received the Lowell K. Levy Hard Work Scholarship and will be attending Creighton University with a double major in biology & Spanish. John noted that this year the club awarded five technical scholarships for $6,000 each, five renewal scholarships for $1,000 each, and the annual Lowell K. Levy Hard Work Scholarship for $6,000.

Pictured, left to right, are Ella Day, Lauren Rathke, and Connor Sobczak. Not pictured are Clayton Kleckner, Nathan Skebba, and Shane Wissing.

22nd Annual Rotary Music Festival

The 22st annual Rotary Music Festival returns to Cedarburg this summer on Sunday, July 3rd. Four (4) amazing Midwestern drum and bugle corps will perform at the Cedarburg High School Alumni Field that evening. Performances by Madison Scouts, Blue Stars, River City Rhythm, and the Colt Cadets. Pre-show appearances by Wisconsin SoundSport Teams including the Green Beret and Sound of Sun Prairie. The event is hosted by the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Club. All seats are reserved so advanced tickets are encouraged to get the best seats in the stadium.

Guatemalan Water Project

In February 2022, the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary board of directors approved a $500 donation toward the Guatemalan Service Project, allowing the on-site volunteers to provide 5 families with filtered water.

The Mukwonago club announced in January, along with others they will deliver a minimum of #50 TivaWater filters to families in Chichicastenango, Guatemala March 5th - March 12th, 2022. The Mukwonago club along with the Oconomowoc club have successfully done prior projects with the Guatemalan Service Projects, Inc a 501c3 non profit.

To follow is a short 1:30 minute video clip that covers our specific Water project. https://www.canva.com/design/DAE01euVHpY/Ohk4NaO6CK9bwQw8GcpYcQ/watch?utm_content=DAE01euVHpY&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink

Rotary Gives $75,000 to All Children’s Playground

The Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary, represented by club president Mark Ziebell, far right, and grants chair Pat Thome, second from right, presented a check for $75,000 to members of the Friends of the Cedarburg Parks and Recreation including (from left) board members Steve Bicek and Krisie Mansell as well as Danny Friess, director of Cedarburg Parks, Recreation and Forestry.

Rotary gives $1000 to Family Sharing

The Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Club gave $1000 to Family Sharing of Ozaukee County during their Empty Bowls event on Friday October 29, 2021.

Club vice president Mike Herbrand, seated left, presented a check for $1,000 to Julie Hoover, Director - Family Sharing (seated right). Other club members taking part in today's Empty Bowl fundraiser are (standing l-r) David Stern, Jeff Nelson, Jack Henke, secretary Minal Hahn, Carol Alexander Coutts, Cindy Petted, Dick Dieffenbach, Jim Pape, Chad Curran, Layton Olsen, past-president Linda Pierschalla, and Todd Bugnacki. (seated l-r) Kim & Brad Babcock, and Bob (Chimmy) Chmielewski.

2021 Paul Harris Awards Ceremony

The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have had contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation. Through the “Every Rotarian, Every Year” campaign, collectively our Club members contribute between $5,000 and $6,000 to Rotary International annually.

Paul Harris Awards were presented by Club President Mark Ziebell to the following:

First-time Paul Harris Awardees:

Dean Fitting
Julie Hoover
Stephanie Hayes

Second-time Paul Harris Awardees:

Ben Levy
Jim Dhein
Richard Dieffenbach
Nial Peterson
Terry Skebba
Mal Hepburn

Fourth-time Paul Harris Awardee:

John Hammes

Special Awards

For her outstanding work on our inaugural Rotary Ride, Mark awarded an honorary Paul Harris to Cindy Petted. Mark said that Cindy put in “superhuman effort” to make our ride run well.

In memory of one of our long-time members, Mark announced a Paul Harris Award for Jerry Aussprung, who passed away in 2020. Mark noted that Jerry was a “tireless supporter of the cause of Rotary.”

Recognizing our Past President, Linda Pierschalla

Linda Pierschalla was presented a Paul Harris Award for her service as president of the club. Mark said: “The period from July 2020 to June 2021, the period of Linda’s Presidency of the Club, will be remembered as some of the most challenging times we as a Club and society altogether encountered.”

Applications are now being accepting for the 2022/2023 District 6270 Global Grant

Rotary District 6270 is pleased to announce the availability of a Global Grant Scholarship for matriculation in the fall of 2022 or spring of 2023. Deadlines are as follows:

No Empty Backpacks - MPS School Supply Drive

In August of 2021, members of the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary filled 30 backpacks with notebooks, pens, crayons, and much more as one of our club’s quarterly service projects.

2021-2022 Rotary Board

The new board of directors for the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Club officially began its duties in July for the 2021-2022 year. They include (seated l-r): Linda Pierschalla, past president; Minal Hahm. secretary: Mark Ziebell, president; Melissa Wraalstad, president-elect, and Mike Herbrand, vice president. (standing l-r): Cindy Petted, operations chair; Layton Olsen, fundraising chair; Ron Knaus, finance chair; Pat Thome, Rotary International and grants chair; Gail Ostermann, publicity chair, and Carol Alexander Coutts, executive secretary.

Live Performance from Top Drum & Bugle Corps Teams

Our Fearless Leader: President Mark Ziebell volunteering his time to sell Raffle Tickets during the 2021 Rotary Music Festival.

More than 1500 tickets were sold and over $2200 in raffle ticket sales. To complement the great performance of the Drum & Bugle Corps teams, the weather turned from rain to nearly perfect sky as the show began.

Rotary Music Festival 2021

21st Annual Rotary Music Festival, Drum & Bugle Corps Show

The Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary is pleased to present the 21st annual Rotary Music Festival on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021

The Jack Henke Show - 2021 Rotary Ride Podcast

The Jack Henke Show - 2021 Rotary Ride Podcast

Click on the link to download https://shows.acast.com/cpl-radio/episodes/the-jack-henke-show-rotary-ride-2021-edition

Rotary Ride Recap

Lisa Werner, District 6270 Governor (2021/22); Mark Ziebell Cedarburg-Grafton Club Vice President; and Linda Pierschalla Cedarburg-Grafton Club President.

Photo courtesy of Cindy Petted.

For sun lovers, the inaugural Rotary Ride on Saturday, May 22, was a shining success. Hosted by the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Club, more than 500 bicyclists registered to ride one of four routes throughout the scenic countryside of Ozaukee County. Afterward, cyclists and the public were entertained with music, a beer & wine garden, and a variety of delicious meals near the finish line in Cedarburg’s Cedar Creek Park.

We are happy to announce that the Rotary Club exceeded its fundra

Rotary Chicks guests on The Jack Henke Show

ROTARY RIDE SUPPORTS

TECHNICAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Jill Hepburn, back middle, representing the Rotary Ride’s lead sponsor, Ozaukee Bank’s Gift to the Future, is joined by her grandchildren Kylee and Aubree Hepburn. She encourages families to participate in the ride to support technical & vocational scholarships. Linda Pierschalla, foreground, is president of the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary. Photo by Visual Image Photography

Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary presents $60,000 to Grafton School District

Courtney Lutz, right, past president of the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Club, presents a check for $60,000 to Grafton School Superintendent Jeff Nelson to benefit the district’s Enhancing Our Future campaign. The donation will be used for school athletic facility improvements. Photo by Visual Image Photography

Jerry Edquist and the Compass Rose/Rotary Wheel

Jerry thought his getaway would get him out of giving his Member Minute. Ryan suggested he's rescheduled during Jerry's Summer Meeting BBQ. The group agreed that was a great idea. To his credit, Jerry sent in this awesome picture. Here, he is captured in the center of the Compass Rose/Rotary Wheel on the Edward B Knight Street pier in Key West, FL. Enjoy your time there, Jerry, and safe travels!

Print Presentation

Bones (left) presents the framed print to Ed Downey, Service Officer at American Legion Peter Wollner Post 288 in Cedarburg. The painting is that of a lone soldier enjoying a coffee in the early morning hours before the 2019 Cedarburg Hometown Celebration parade in downtown Cedarburg.

Rotary Ride Logo Contest Winner

Maya Hahm, a sophomore at Cedarburg High School, submitted the winning logo design for the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Ride, which will be held Saturday, May 22, starting and finishing at Cedar Creek Park. Hahm’s design was selected from a field of 33 entries submitted by students from Cedarburg and Grafton High Schools. Participants in the logo design contest were asked to submit a design that reflects the mission and the values of the club as well as incorporate the Rotary International logo.

“This logo really represents the spirit of Rotary. The world. People hand in hand serving together,” said Pat Thome, a member of the selection committee. Hahm’s logo will be used on t-shirts, posters and other publicity materials for the event. She received a $100 cash prize for having the winning entry. All participants received credit for two hours of volunteer community service.

A Special Thank You to our Sponsors

On December 31, 2020, the Rotary Club of Cedarburg Grafton placed an ad in the News Graphic recapping the year and thanked the organizations who invested in us this past year. It read...

The Rotary Club of Cedarburg Grafton is not looking back,

We are looking forward!

In 2020, we were forced to cancel our two signature fundraising events: the Rotary Music Festival on July 3 and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra holiday concert on December 10. In 2021, we will be back better than ever. Our club will be introducing a new event - our inaugural Rotary Ride, a bicycling event on May 22 to benefit our technical scholarship program.

Thank You For Your Support We want to give a shout out to those who responded to our 2020 Fall Fundraising Campaign so that our club may continue to do good work in the community. Your support means the world to us! Click here for the list of individuals and organizations).

In Memoriam This year our club lost a dear friend, Jim Coutts. Jim was one of a kind. A former Cedarburg mayor, Jim's impact ran deep. He was a beloved former high school teacher and coach, a community leader in so many ways, and a huge cheerleader for our club. Words can't begin to say how much he will be missed.

Next December, when the country is healthy once again, we plan to bring back the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for our popular annual holiday concert at the Cedarburg Performing Arts Center.

2020-2021 Rotary Board of Directory Conducted Meeting on Zoom

Things may have looked a bit different this year, but we are still thankful for our Rotary family and the opportunity to serve our community. So,

from our family to yours, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year.

Jerry Aussprung, Brad Babcock, Bud Beverung, Dan Bodart, David (Bones) Boyles, Todd Bugnacki, Steve Cain, Vince Cameranesi, Bob Chmielewski, Brian Collins, Carol Alexander Coutts, Chad Curran, Dan Davis, Jim Dhein, Dick Dieffenback, Jerry Edquist, Dean Fitting, Tom Frank, Adam Gerol, Blaine Gibson, Brandon Goldbeck, Mike Groth, Minal Hahm, John Hammes, Mike Hansen, Patty Hansen, John Hanson, Stephanie Hayes, Jack Henke, Mal Hepburn, Mike Herbrand, Blaine Hilgendorf, Julie Hoover, Dick Janssen, Pat Kennedy, Ron Knaus, Jeff Knorr, Chad Koehler, Mike LaRosa, Ben Levy, Don Levy, Courtney Lutz, Dale Lythjohan, Jeff Nelson, Gary Newman, Layton Olsen, Ryan Olsen, Gail Ostermann, Jim Pape, Nial Peterson, Cindy Petted, Linda Pierschalla, Paul Radtke, James Schowalter, Terry Skebba, Chris Smith, Dave Stern, Bob Thierfelder, Pat Thome, Bill Wernecke Sr,. Melissa Wraalstad, Mark Ziebell.

Celebrating Founding Member Don Levy and his 55 year commitment to the Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary

As a founding member of our Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary Club, Don Levy shares the humble beginnings with us during his Member Minute.

2020 Paul Harris Awards

Congratulations To Our Paul Harris Award Recipients Pictured left to right: Brad Babcock, Linda Pierschalla, Courtney Lutz (2nd-time recipient), Minal Hahm, Dave Stern & Jeff Nelson. See The Awards Presentation section below for a list of all recipients.

2020 Changing of the Guard

To keep meetings rolling during the COVID-19 saga, in August, then-President Courtney Lutz handed over the gavel and bell to Linda Pierschalla. Today we celebrated her presidency with the Changing of the Guard ceremony. Linda (right) presented to Courtney (left) her Rotary President Gavel Plaque. Click here to view Courtney's Thank Yous and hear why she is a Rotarian.

Cedarburg-Grafton Rotary
2020-2021 Board of Directors

Top row: Linda Pierschalla, President; Paul Radtke, Operations; Mike Herbrand, Secretary; Brian Collins, Membership Chair. Middle row: Layton Olsen, Fundraising; Gail Ostermann, Public Relations, Mark Ziebell, President-Elect, Courtney Lutz, Past-President. Bottom row: Patricia Thome, ; Ron Knaus, Finance Chair, Dick Dieffenbach, Treasurer, Melissa Wraalstad, Vice President. Not shown: Carol Alexander Coutts, Executive Secretary; and Dan Davis, Youth Services.

District recognition

Ass. District Governor Tim Vertz presents a certificate of recognition to Cedarburg Grafton Rotary Club President Courtney Lutz for the Club's contributions toward the Rotary International Polio Plus campaign to eradicate polio.