Upcoming Speakers | Events
Speaker, Brent Blum w/We Will Collective
May 19, 2025
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Food Depot Bar & Grill
Memorial Day-No Meeting
Memorial Day-No Meeting
May 26, 2025
New District 6000 Governor Elect -Norlan Hinke Visit
Jun. 02, 2025
12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Food Depot Bar & Grill
Ride For A Reason
Jun. 21, 2025
11:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
No Meeting
No Meeting
Jun. 23, 2025
What's Going On
Rotary District Governor Dave Cook Visits West Polk County Club
On Monday, November 11th—Veterans Day—the Rotary Club of West Polk County had the honor of hosting Dave Cook, Rotary District 6000 Governor for 2024-2025. Governor Cook brought an uplifting message about the strength and potential of Rotary International, emphasizing this year’s theme: “The Magic of Rotary.”

Governor Cook began his visit with a meeting alongside Club leadership, discussing key topics such as membership growth, retention, and leadership succession. He shared insights on the District's ambitious goal of achieving the first net increase in membership in over a decade—a target our club is eager to help meet. With a goal of attracting five new members this Rotary year, we are inspired by his challenge for each current member to invite at least one guest to a meeting, helping more people experience the value of Rotary firsthand. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of reducing membership attrition, with an emphasis on supporting and engaging newer members.

We are grateful for Governor Cook’s visit and the opportunity to align our club’s goals with those of Rotary District 6000. Together, we look forward to strengthening our club, enriching our community, and furthering Rotary’s mission of making a difference around the world.

Supporting Tomorrow’s Leaders: Junior Achievement's Volunteer Opportunities Await
Emily Riedl, representing Junior Achievement of Central Iowa, spoke to the Rotary Club of West Polk County about the organization's impact and goals in financial literacy, career readiness, and entrepreneurship education. Junior Achievement, a leading nonprofit, works to inspire and prepare young people for successful futures by equipping them with critical skills in these areas. Their programs are tailored to engage students across various grade levels, helping them understand financial responsibilities, explore potential careers, and foster entrepreneurial mindsets.
 
During her presentation, Emily highlighted the "Power of Partnership," emphasizing the vital role that volunteers play in delivering Junior Achievement's programs. Volunteers can engage as classroom mentors, offering valuable career insights, or participate in JA Finance Park, where they guide small groups of students through real-world financial simulations. These roles allow volunteers to make a meaningful difference by sharing their own experiences and encouraging students to explore future career opportunities. The commitment involves a few hours of training and hands-on interaction with students, making it a manageable yet impactful way to contribute to the community.
 
The Rotary Club expressed gratitude to Emily for her engaging presentation and the opportunity to learn about Junior Achievement’s mission. With a strong need for additional volunteers, Junior Achievement of Central Iowa invites members of the community to get involved and support its mission through the JA Engage platform. The club appreciates Emily's time and dedication, recognizing that volunteer involvement will be essential in reaching even more students across Central Iowa.
Interested in Joining Rotary?  It's Easy.
 
If you're reading this, there is at least a chance that you've considered joining a local Rotary Club.  The organization has been around for a long time and it is the largest service organization in the world...that just means we like to things to help our community and our world.  Service is a good thing! 

Rotary members learn together, do community service projects together, network with one another, and often build long lasting relationships with other members.  We also eat together at the Rotary Club of West Polk County, the cost of this is covered as part of our quarterly dues structure.  Yes, there is a cost to be in Rotary, but for those of us in the Club, we really see it as an investment in ourselves and our community.
 
While our Club doesn't have attendance requirements, some of the value is lost when you cannot attend fairly regularly.  However, we won't get on your case if you cannot attend because we understand that there are other things in life that sometime need to take priority, such as work, family, VACATIONS :), etc.   But most people show up often, because we really like the food!  Our club meetings take place at The Food Depot in Grimes, Iowa...which we think is fantastic.  We often have their pizza, but sometimes we have taco bars and pasta dishes just to mix it up a bit. 
 
How do we serve our community?  This changes from year-to-year, but here are a few examples of things we've done in the past.  We host an annual bike ride fundraiser which is called "Ride for a Reason".  The past two years, with a little work from the members, the generosity of some great corporate sponsors, and a small but growing group of riders, we've raised over $30,000 for a local non-profit called Dorothy's House, which helps women who were victims of human trafficking.  Before that, we used the proceeds from the ride to fund an soon to be constructed Veterans Exhibit, which will be part of a larger amphitheater project next to the new Grimes Public Library.  This is scheduled to be completed in late 2024 or early 2025.
 
We also volunteer at Habitat for Humanity, feed kids at a variety of local non-profits, we've donated coats to kids in our community via Operation Warm, and we've raised money to try and eliminate Polio from our world.  There's more, but that's a good sampling of what you might expect.
 
If you have an interest, stop by for a visit.  If you already know this is something you want to be a part of, just send an email to Past President Brian Buethe at brianb@grimesiowa.com and he'll send you a simple application to fill out.  Questions are always welcome.   If you choose not to join, that is OK too, but we do thank you for your consideration and may your journey be filled with growth and grace! 
WPC Rotary Passes the Gavel to New President Kay Day

Kay Day is a Licensed Realtor at Keller Williams Greater Des Moines.  That is title she has held for roughly four years.  As of July 2024, she has a new title to add to her resume.  She is now the 2024-2025 President of the Rotary Club of West Polk County.   She takes over for Brian Buethe (Grimes Chamber & Economic Development) and has big plans for the Club during her year of service.

Kay has already been very instrumental in transitioning the Club's annual bike ride event into what is now known as Ride for a Reason.  The proceeds of this bike ride go to a charity chosen by members of the organization.  The transition has been extremely successful and has greatly benefited our friends at Dorothy's House.  She looks forward to growing the Club's membership, formalizing the service schedule, and working with the membership to continue to serve good causes in our community and around the world.

We are very much looking forward to President Day's term as President!

Ride for A Reason 2024 | Hot & Meaningful
Grimes Leadership New Member Rotary Service Volunteerism
 
 
The Ride for a Reason event, which took place last Saturday, is now in the books. Kudos to everyone who committed their time, talents, funds, etc. to help the Club raise funds and awareness for Dorothy's House and their noble mission.
 
A special thanks goes out the many sponsors, riders, and partners that we had along the way. What a wonderful testament to all involved that a few people can make a real difference for good in the world.
 
 
 
Club Information
West Polk County
We meet In Person
Mondays at 12:00 PM
Food Depot
3000 SE Grimes Blvd.
Suite 200 | Back Room
Grimes, IA 50111
United States of America
Prospective members and guests are most welcome. Regular meetings are sometimes supplanted by service opportunities, so watch events calendar for the most up to date opportunities.
Club Executives & Directors
President
Kay Day
President Elect
Chad Johnston
Secretary
Casey Woodside
Treasurer
Luke Vogel
Immediate Past President
Brian Buethe
Presidents Message:
member photo
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As President of the Rotary Club of West Polk County, I would like to welcome you to our organization's official website.  We are a small, but growing Rotary group.  We typically have our regular weekly meetings in the back room at The Food Depot in Grimes, Iowa.  However, we sometimes visit other venues when touring facilities learning about and/or serving our region.
 
While our Club is local, we are part of a much larger organization known as Rotary International.  Through this relationship, we are able to help make a positive impact on not only our area, but in places around the world. 
 
There are many benefits to being a part of this group including networking, serving our community, learning about a great variety of organizations, causes, and experiences.  However, perhaps the greatest benefit is just building relationships with wonderful people who want to do good for others.  So, if you're interested in visiting sometime, you would be most welcome.  You can decide later if you want to apply to be a member.  Just watch our event calendar on this page to learn about opportunities to engage.
 
Thanks for visiting!
 
Kay Day, 2024-2025 President
Rotary Club of West Polk County
kayday@kw.com
 
Rotary Links