Home Page | Rotary Club of Waterloo

Nov 2 - Waterloo Schools Supt. Dr. Jared Smith

The Waterloo Career Center (WCC) provides Career Technical Education (CTE) for not only Waterloo Schools high school students, but students in surrounding districts. One of the only facilities like it in the state of Iowa, the WCC offers over 18 career paths and counting.

November Birthdays

Join us today to celebrate these Rotarians as they complete another trip around our Sun!

Kristi Brown	Nov 01
Jay Crisp	Nov 06
Luke Jensen	Nov 08
Donna Miller	Nov 12
Zach Zumwalt	Nov 16
Mark Reeder	Nov 22

REMINDER: Student Luncheon Sponsorships

Fall sports will be wrapping up and soon we will be honoring high school seniors in Volleyball and Football with our annual award luncheons as well as top students in academics in the spring!

We are asking for your support in sponsoring the upcoming award luncheons! We have multiple sponsorship levels and your business can be recognized in front of numerous students, coaches, teachers, administrators and parents with your donation. We already have some businesses sign up and still need several others to hit our goal.

Whether you give $25 OR $500; every dollar helps. Please see below for details and reach out to Barb at bprather@neifb.org and/or Jaclyne at jheller@kwwl.com with your pledge to invest in a sponsorship!

Game Show Night for Boys & Girls Club

Fellow Rotarian Bryan Burton has invited our members to attend an event at the Isle Casino to support the Boys & Girls Club - click the image below to download the flyer

Operation Warm 2026

Fellow Rotarian and CEO of the CFNEIA Kaye Englin reports the CFNEIA will match the first $1,000 in contributions to the Operation Warm fund.

Here is the link for more info and to contribute online, and you can also print flyers from this webpage to share with others who would rather send in checks, etc.

https://www.cfneia.org/donations/waterloo-rotary-operation-warm/

Upcoming Programs

November

November 9...Volleyball Banquet

November 16...Board Meeting and Football Banquet

November 23...NO MEETING - THANKSGIVING WEEK

November 30...Rotary Business meeting

December

December 7...Kent Larson, Cedar-Loo Veterans Network

December 14...Paul Lee, Make A Wish Iowa

December 21...Rotary Holiday Luncheon

December 28---NO MEETING - Holiday Break

If you know someone that would be a good fit for our club, invite them to a meeting for a free lunch and encourage them to consider membership!

https://waterloorotary.org/SitePage/join-our-club

October 26 - Josh Turek

Josh Turek is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist for Team USA and a State Legislator who represents the reddest seat held by a Democrat in the state of Iowa. Born with spina bifida after his dad was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, Josh overcame 21 surgeries by the age of 12 to eventually represent the U.S. at four Paralympics.

Josh Turek, Iowa Senate Candidate

Student Luncheon Fundraiser Kicking Off

Rotarians, please check your email inbox (Oct 19) for sponsorship opportunities for the student luncheons we hold each year! The Volleyball, Football, and Honor luncheons are huge events we do each year to support local seniors in high school!

Premier Sponsor
Receives: Table at the Event; Website Acknowledgement; Logo in Program; Logo
in Weekly Email and a Shoutout from the Podium (Amount: $1,000 and above)
Presenting Sponsor
Receives: Table at the Event; Logo in the Program(Amount:$500-$999)
Premium Sponsor
Receives: Name or Logo in the Program (Amount: $200-$499)
Friend
Receives: Listing by name in the Program (Amount: Up to $199)

October 19 - BHC Supervisor Candidates

Black Hawk County shifted from At-Large to district-based representatives, and approved a new map with 5 districts. Only 2 of the districts have a contested seat this election cycle, and Monday we'll meet the two candidates for District 5 which includes much of the southwestern metro area.

Democrat Casey Schotter (left) will face Republican incumbent Justin Brandt (right).

Polling sites sometimes change, so before you head out to vote in the primary or general election, confirm the location of your polling place by CLICKING HERE.

October 12 - Lindsay James

Join us back at the Waterloo Convention Center Monday to hear from Democratic candidate for Congress, Lindsay James

Lindsay James is a mom, Chaplin, and State Representative now running for Congress.

As a mom of two teenagers, Lindsay personally knows the impossible choices families face to make the numbers work.

As a Chaplin, Lindsay has sat with Iowans through their hardest moments. Her faith teaches her that caring for her neighbor is not optional.

As a State Representative, she has taken on corporations and lobbyists on the house floor - fighting the last eight years to expand affordable insulin and protect mobile home residents against private equity takeovers.

Now, she’s going to take on corporate greed and corruption in Washington - putting Iowan families first, not the ultra wealthy. Her platform is focused on lowering the cost of living by passing permitting reform to build more homes and clean energy projects, reversing the ACA cuts and passing a public option, and passing a stock trading ban, banning the legislator to lobbyist pipeline, and co-sponsoring a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.

As Northeast Iowans face sky rocketing prices, out of control healthcare costs, and layoffs, it’s clear IA-02 can no longer afford the same in Washington. It’s time we elect someone with the courage of conviction and moral compass to set D.C straight - and that person is Lindsay James.

Meet our Rotary Goodwill Ambassador

If you joined us October 12th, you got to hear from Sayo Kasuna, our Rotary Goodwill Ambassador from Japan. She's attending West High and shared this photo with our club:

"I took this picture when I joined UNI home coming parade (October 10th) as an international student! It was great experience for me, I talked with many international students all over the world and knew each other’s cultures. I was glad to be a friend of them because I came here as a Rotary goodwill ambassador."

October 5 - Ashley Hinson

Monday we hosted U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Hinson-R at the Van G. Miller Adult Learning Center in downtown Waterloo.

Ashley Hinson is a proud mother and wife who is fighting for the future of her children and the next generation. She is working alongside President Trump to secure our borders, cut wasteful spending, and put our country back on the path to prosperity. In Congress, she continues to be a commonsense leader and pursue pro-growth policies.

She has introduced and supported bipartisan legislation to improve child care access for working families in Iowa, root out corruption in Washington through federal lobbying bans, and create opportunities for workers in the community. She is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, where she oversees the government funding process and fights to ensure every taxpayer dollar is accounted for and spent responsibly, a Member of the Select Committee on Communist China, where she fights to hold Communist China accountable for their actions against the United States, and a Member of the Ethics Committee.

Born and raised in Iowa, Ashley is an award-winning journalist. During her years as a reporter, Ashley shared the stories of countless Iowans on the local news. As their Congresswoman, she is bringing those stories to Washington to help shape federal policy and improve the lives of workers, farmers, seniors, veterans, and families in Iowa. Ashley previously served in the Iowa state House and represented Iowa’s 67th House district, serving Hiawatha, Robins, Cedar Rapids, and Marion, where she currently resides. As a state Representative, she worked successfully to balance the budget, cut taxes, and protect the most vulnerable in her community.

OFF SITE MEETING OCTOBER 5TH

Monday, October 5th we are starting Rotary at 12:05 p.m. SHARP.

Also, note we are meeting at the Van G. Miller Adult Learning Center (TOP FLOOR) 120 Jefferson St in downtown Waterloo.

Please arrive early enough to find a parking spot - if the lot is full, our members and guests can use the Cedar Valley Sportsplex parking lots just across Hwy 63

Rotarians in the News - Cathy Nicholas

Our very own Cathy Nicholas was featured on television recently...

Black Hawk County keeps speed limit at 55 mph on rural roads | News | kwwl.com

October Birthdays

Our regular first-meeting-of-the-month birthday recognition has been disrupted by the midterm elections and our very diligent programming committee who has been able to book top candidates to speak to our club. We'll combine the October and November birthdays at our first meeting in November, but the Rotarians below should still receive an avalanche of cards on their special day:

Lind, Mike	Oct 04
Carignan, Steve '09	Oct 10
Paulsen, Chuck	Oct 10
Bovenmyer, Samuel D.	Oct 12
Englin, Kaye	Oct 15
Gallagher III, E. J. '20	Oct 16
Schmitt, Steven '04	Oct 16
Nash, Phillip '17	Oct 16
Kuiper, Mark	Oct 19
Ericson, Marcella	Oct 25
Beecher, John '92	Oct 27
Jim Burbridge	Oct 28
Star Rupe	Oct 28

Hops for Hospice Oct 8

Fellow Rotarian Mike Lind has invited members to attend Hops for Hospice: Thursday, Oct. 8, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. | Diamond Event Center, Cedar Falls

Join UnityPoint Hospice and Allen Foundation for a fun night featuring beer and wine tasting, appetizers, live music from Beau Timmerman and stories of hospice hope. All proceeds support UnityPoint Hospice, helping make final wishes come true for our patients and their families.

Order your tickets here!

US House Candidate Joe Mitchell Sept 28

US House District 2 Candidate Joe Mitchell is visiting Waterloo Rotary Club today.

October 5 Rotary - Hinson and Lahn

PROGRAM CHANGE AND LOCATION CHANGE: U.S. Senate Candidate Ashley Hinson and Iowa Governor Candidate Zach Lahn will both be our program Monday, October 5. Due to a conflict, we will be have our Rotary meeting at the Hawkeye Community College's Van G. Miller Adult Learning Center in downtown Waterloo.

Allen College Sim Lab Sept 21

Allen College has recently expanded its facilities with a $4 million simulation lab. Fellow Rotarian Mike Lind and associates will be presenting on Monday. See recent story for details.

https://www.unitypoint.org/news-and-articles/press-releases/allen-college-completes-4-million-sim-lab-expansion

Waterloo's Allen College quadruples lab space with $4M upgrade | News | kwwl.com

Coverage of Governor Candidate Visit: Rob Sand

Both KWWL and Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier attended our program with candidate for Governor, Rob Sand!

Sand pitches nonpartisan politics platform in Waterloo

9-14 Program: Rob Sand, Candidate for Iowa Governor

WATERLOO, IOWA, September 10, 2025 — Waterloo Rotary Club is hosting Iowa Governor Democratic candidate Monday, September 14, at Noon at Waterloo Convention Center at Five Sullivan Brothers Plaza.

This is the second of several political candidates the Waterloo Rotary Club has invited to speak at the Waterloo Rotary Club.

“Our Rotarians each election cycle enjoy hearing from candidates of all political parties,” says Jordan Bancroft, Rotary Club President. “We like to host political candidates so members and guests can hear ideas for Iowa and our country.”

Link to Courier story

Rotary International Update

Broaden your horizons with new ideas, inspiring speakers, and friendships from around the world 🌍

📍Barcelona, Spain ✈️ 2027 Rotary International Convention 📅 26–30 June 2027

Save the Date: Political Candidate Speakers

We have the following political candidates confirmed to speak to our club. We have reached out to and are waiting to hear back from several candidates!

September 14...Rob Sand, Democratic Candidate for Governor

September 28...Joe Mitchell, Republican Candidate for U.S. House District 2

October 5...Zach Lahn, Republican Candidate for Governor

October 12...Lindsay James, Democratic Candidate for U.S. House District 2

We will update the club as we hear back from the rest of the candidates.

NO MEETING LABOR DAY

Take the last day of summer to gather with family and friends...if you are lucky enough to have this "day off", please remember the social and economic contributions of American workers. In the late 19th century, municipalities and states began recognizing a specific day to honor the labor of American workers, and celebrate improvements to working conditions, shortened work days, and establishing "weekends". If you are travelling, be safe and we'll see you back at the Waterloo Convention Center September 14th to hear from Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand, Democratic candidate for Governor.

September Birthdays

We have a long list of September birthdays - this list is STACKED with past presidents, too:

Wade Itzen	Sep 02
John Bunge '02	Sep 09
Dave Lederman	Sep 12
Annie Vander Werff '19 & '22	Sep 13
Gene Leonhart	Sep 14
Bryan Burton	Sep 15
Larry Steffens '25	Sep 23
Emily Frederick	Sep 24
Nick Hildebrandt	Sep 24
Adam Schaefer	Sep 24
Deb Pullin-Van Auken	Sep 26
Jordan Bancroft '26	Sep 27
Jeff Halverson '13	Sep 28

Peace Through Service

Service Above Self

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Mondays at 12:00 p.m.

Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center

4th & Commercial
Waterloo, IA 50701
United States of America

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2024 Honor Student Luncheon

2022 Football Luncheon

2022 Volleyball Luncheon

2022 Cultural Immersion Workshop

2022 Honor Student Luncheon

Ashley Hinson visit 2022

2021 Football MVP

2021 Christmas Luncheon

Rural Urban Day 2022

2021 Volleyball

VGM Heartland Conference 2021

Food Bank Sept 2021

Hovey Brom WWII Photos

Steve Thorpe

Bill Robert

2020 Football

2020 Rural Urban Day - Mike Naig

2019 Holiday Luncheon

2019 Football Luncheon

2019 Volleyball Photos

2019 Family Picnic

2019 Student Scholars Luncheon

2018 Volleyball Luncheon

2018 Football

Hops & Grapes 2018

2018 Student scholars Luncheon

2017 Student Scholar Luncheon

2017 Football Luncheon

2017 Volleyball Luncheon

Shoebox Service Day, 2017

2016 Student Luncheon

June 2016 Kelli Farewell

Centennial Celebration June 25, 2015

2015 Holiday Luncheon

2015 Family Picnic

March 9th Meeting

Rotary Day Feb 23rd 2009

Chili Supper 1-18-09

2016 Family Picnic

Mason's trip to LA

Rural Urban Day 2009

2004 Million Dollar Hole In One Kick Off

2009 Shoebox pickup

2004 Million Dollar Hole In One Parade

Sullivan Museum 2-2-09

Photos of Dick Winegarden

April 20 Meeting

April 6th Meeting

Family Picnic July 31, 2008

2002 - First trip to Nicaragua

Recent Projects

Family Picnic 2009

2009 Steak Fry

July 6th Meeting

Hops & Grapes June 11

District Conference May 1-2

Nicaragua Journal

1965 Convention

Service Above Self

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November 2026