Stories

He serves: Cedar Falls, Hudson, Evansdale, Elk Run Heights, Gilbertville, Washburn, La Porte City, Traer, Dysart, Mount Auburn, and parts of Waterloo.

In Cedar Falls, Eric was previously a math teacher at Peet Junior High School, a former member of the Cedar Falls Board of Education, and has worked at the University of Northern Iowa Center for Energy and Environmental Education where he led a program to help Iowa communities increase the adoption of sustainability practices.

With transplant changes afoot, Rotary members push to end global organ shortages

Extraordinary.
Amazing.
Spectacular.

This is how I feel about Rotary. I’ll be 90 years old in June and joined Rotary at a relatively late age. I went on my first volunteer trip to Guatemala in 2006 to help install stoves for Mayan families. Those stoves changed their lives, and the experience changed mine.

As we installed stoves, I enjoyed talking with the families and asked them what other assistance would be helpful. Most often, someone would reply that clean drinking water would be the most significant improvement. I promised them I would help, and that became my purpose in Rotary.

Leading Main Street Waterloo since 2018, she plays many roles and wears every hat imaginable to make sure the job gets done. In partnership with dedicated volunteers, Rucker works to revitalize downtown Waterloo through historic preservation, economic development, and community engagement.

Passionate about the community she lives and works in, Rucker will share news about downtown Waterloo and all it has to offer. Jessica is embracing the opportunity to create a positive change in her community - reminding us all that downtown Waterloo is YOUR downtown!

United States

OysterFest has been a calendar highlight of the Pacific Northwest’s fishing industry for more than four decades. The two-day festival is hosted by the Rotary Club of Shelton Skookum, Washington. Last year’s event, held in October, attracted 13,000 seafood enthusiasts and raised $170,000 for community organizations. 

Suriname

Passing rates on secondary school entrance exams that have dipped as low as 50 percent have vexed officials in Suriname. The Rotary Club of Paramaribo Residence, whose members include several teachers or retired educators, is aiming to improve those results and reduce dropout rates. In October, the club instituted a mathematics training project for around two dozen teachers at schools serving older children. 

Macao

The Rotary Club of Macau’s meeting place — one of the world’s most profitable casinos — has turned out to be an ace in the hole for the club. Sands China, the operator of The Venetian Macao, sponsors the club’s signature project, a Christmas party for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Nigeria

Nigeria has one of the world’s highest breast cancer mortality rates, a statistic that has not gone unnoticed by the Rotary Club of Ikoyi. “With an incredibly scary rise of the incidence of breast cancer in Nigeria, the club became saddled with the huge responsibility of combating this scourge with every resource available,” says club member Winifred Ebiye Imbasi.

Australia

A stroll inspired Rod Morrison to suggest that his Rotary club in southeast Australia offer public tours of a structure that has long loomed beside the Barwon River: the 1878 Fyansford Paper Mill. Though listed by Australia as a heritage site, the mill and its legacy hadn’t received their due, says Morrison, a member of the Rotary Club of Highton. 

“The thought persisted that I was experiencing only what had happened to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of others in the great city. I was sure that there must be many other young men who had come from farms and small villages to establish themselves in Chicago...Why not bring them together? If others were longing for fellowship as I was, something would come of it.”

Read the rest of the story here: https://www.rotary.org/en/history-paul-harris-rotary-founder

Dr. Elaine Eshbaugh is a professor of Gerontology and Family Studies and has coordinated UNI’s Gerontology program since 2007. She has a master’s and PhD in Human Development and Family Studies from Iowa State University, and has been published in research journals such as the Journal of Poverty, Journal of Community Health Nursing, Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, and the Journal of Community Psychology. Dr. Eshbaugh has more than 30 research publications in empirical journals. She teaches courses such as Research Methods, Family Relationships, Psychology of Aging, and Families, Alzheimer’s & Related Dementias. She has collaborated with various continuing care communities, adult day services, and hospices.

In her free time, she enjoys doing semi-adventurous things with her husband (Bill), running, documentaries, hanging out with dogs of all sizes, and students who bring cookies to her office.

Rotaract club in Bangladesh rocks on, raises profile.

Whether you know it or not, we’ve ALL met someone at some point that has struggled, who's had too much weight on their shoulders, and didn’t know how to talk about it. They probably didn't think there was a real issue until it was too late. So often we default to ignoring, drinking, or medicating through it. Those are difficult trends to break without help.

You may have wanted to help someone else and just didn’t know where to point them, point them here. In the beginning of that journey, Dads are hard wired to suck it up and handle it ourselves.

Also, while highly effective for those trying to get sober, Alcoholics Anonymous, rehab, detox facilities or state funded programs can be uncomfortable places to start.

We built this brand as an ongoing project to provide a comfortable and encouraging place to start while helping people come together, drive success and save lives in the process.

The Rotary International Convention is where friendship and learning come together to inspire you. In Singapore you’ll connect with people of action from around the globe at Rotary’s biggest event of the year.

We’ll share fresh perspectives, inspiration, and hope – with each other and the world! The convention features world-class dining and cultural attractions, distinguished speakers, energizing breakout sessions, and much more.

Join us 25-29 May 2024 in Singapore where we’ll be Sharing Hope With the World!

• Love to be outdoors (run, hike, camp, hunt, golf), travel, cook, and spend time with family 
• General Manager of Telecommunications - July 24, 2023 
• Having worked in local and municipal broadband in the past, I know firsthand the huge positive impact it can have on a community. I want to be a part of bringing that to Waterloo. 

Each year, Rotary awards up to 130 fully funded fellowships for dedicated leaders from around the world to study at one of our peace centers.

For $40, a ticket includes entry to the event, registration for auction bidding, delicious soup, a beverage and a raffle ticket!

Click link below for details...

Empty Bowls | Events & Campaigns | NEIFB

The club’s policy for canceling meetings due to bad weather reads as follows:

“If Waterloo public schools have been closed by 8 AM on a Monday, there will be no meeting that day. If Waterloo schools have not closed by 8 AM, Rotary will proceed as scheduled.

Adam Gregg serves as Iowa’s 47th Lieutenant Governor. In his role, he is also Chair of the Governor’s FOCUS Committee on Criminal Justice Reform and Co-Chair of the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative. 

At the national level, he serves on the executive committee of the National Lieutenant Governors Association, and as Chair of the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association. He has also served as a Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellow focused on leadership in education policy and was chosen for the Aspen Institute Rodel Fellowship. 

The Rotary Foundation Trustees established a new Morocco Earthquake Response Fund in September 2023 to support immediate relief efforts for people affected by the devastating earthquakes. Donors can give directly to relief efforts led by Rotary members.

You can give online, by check, or by transferring District Designated Funds:

• To contribute online, use my.rotary.org/disaster-response-fund.

You can give online, by check, or by transferring District Designated Funds:

• To contribute online, use my.rotary.org/disaster-response-fund.
• To give by check, make it payable to The Rotary Foundation or to an associate foundation and include a completed contribution form. In the DESIGNATION/PURPOSE section, choose Other and write the fund name (Morocco Earthquake Response Fund).

Natalia Perehrestenko’s life changed forever on 16 March 2022. That’s when her home in the Ukrainian village of Moshchun was demolished by a Russian attack.

“The house was destroyed as a result of a projectile hitting the room where my daughter lived with her child,” she says. “Thank God, by the time the house caught fire, we had already been evacuated.”

Tom Eachus will be presenting Monday. He is a Licensed Independent Social Worker and current Executive Director of UnityPoint Health, Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Center. 

The opportunities in our city will continue to be as diverse as the people in it. Our commitment is to stay engaged with the work of our local nonprofits and the needs of our neighbors so we can connect donors to the causes that matter.  

Every investment in our community makes a lasting impact, not only today but for generations to come. It takes all of us to inspire growth and opportunity in Waterloo. We want to help you play your part in investing in the city we love. 

World Refugee Day is observed annually on June 20th. On Monday, June 26th from Noon-1:00 pm, The Waterloo Rotary Club will celebrate, honor, and recognize World Refugee Day at our monthly “Cultural Conversations Lunch Series.” The meeting will be at the Waterloo Convention Center. 

According to the United Nations, “Around the world, every minute 20 people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution or terror. World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honor refugees around the globe.”

Waterloo Mayor Hart reports, “The Cedar Valley has welcomed nearly 500 refugee families in the last year.” Edgar Ramirez, Workforce Liaison with the Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services highlights that, “during the 2020 – 2021 school year in Iowa, 177 World Languages were spoken by over 30,000 students ages K to 12 grade. Nearing a 60% increase in English Language Learning (ELL) since 2010.”

Both Mayor Hart and Mr. Ramirez, along with World Grace Project’s Executive Director, Karen Everling, will be presenting at the Monday, June 26th meeting. Dignitaries, organizations, and partnerships in the Cedar Valley welcoming newcomers are encouraged to attend.

Nancy Rogers seemed too young to have Alzheimer's disease. But in 1999, her husband, Norm, knew something was wrong. First, she misplaced a couple of pocketbooks. Then, she started getting lost on the 11-mile commute from her office to her home in Raleigh, North Carolina.

"I would get a call from a highway patrolman 60 miles away in Greensboro saying that your wife is here at 7-Eleven, and she's lost," remembers Rogers.

As the years passed, he had to explain to his grandchildren why Grandma didn't know them. "It's horrible," he says. "It's the longest goodbye you'll ever have in your life."

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate has dedicated his life to public service. Now entering his fourth term as Iowa’s Commissioner of Elections, Secretary Pate is guided by three core principles: service, participation and integrity.

Under Secretary Pate’s leadership, Iowa has become one of the top three states in the nation for election administration. The state has broken numerous records for voter registration and participation during his tenure. Secretary Pate successfully instituted Iowa’s online voter registration system in 2016.

He has also taken steps to protect election integrity by drafting Iowa’s Voter ID laws and defending them in court multiple times. Secretary Pate also established a post-election audit system and greatly enhanced Iowa’s election cybersecurity.

His civic education programs, voting accessibility initiatives, and election cybersecurity efforts have been recognized nationally by National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, and the National/Student Parent Mock Election organization.

The Secretary of State’s Office is the small business portal for the State of Iowa. For six of the past seven years under Secretary Pate, Iowa has seen a record amount of new business filings. Secretary Pate implemented a Fast Track Filing system in 2018 that greatly enhanced the speed and efficiency of the process.

The women live independently in their homes in Chichester, a picturesque and vibrant cathedral city near the sea. But Worden, who once worked as a teacher there, was widowed a few years ago, and her outings in town are far less frequent. Cranmer, too, has had to cope with feelings of isolation.

Members of the Rotary Club of Kaka‘ako Eco, Hawaii, tossed 5,000 mud balls filled with beneficial organisms into the Ala Wai Canal in Waikiki as part of a rehabilitation effort to make the waterway fishable and swimmable. 

Canada

Guelph, Ontario, is one of 25 Canadian municipalities to sign a pledge with the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, to welcome people who have fled countries such as Afghanistan, Syria, and Ukraine.

Italy

The Rotaract Club of Milano Nord Est Brera collaborated with an art publisher to produce a book of photography featuring women who have had breast cancer surgery to put a face to the fight against the disease. 

United Kingdom

One coin at a time, a whimsical contraption celebrates a legendary Scottish locomotive while raising thousands of dollars for charity. 

Uganda

When the Rotary Club of Malta constructed its second primary school in Uganda, it made sure to consider the needs of menstruating girls in the design of washroom facilities.

“I worked with WHO to make sure every child is immunized [and] all my five children have got the vaccine … I'm very happy because their immune system [has] increased and also they are healthier,” Ibrahim told Global Citizen in August. “I have seen the transformation because now that the vaccine is accessible, [there is] no more paralysis of children in the community; no more threat of wild poliovirus.”

As a mother, resident, and experienced health care professional, Ibrahim understands the importance of protecting her community from the deadly disease, and how the journey to eradicate polio at home in Nigeria has had wider implications around the world.

“It created something weird for people to look at — people running with pink balloons,” Flindt says. “It was a way to reach people in the community around the park. They were asking, ‘Is this a bachelor party, a bachelorette party? Why are you running with these balloons?’”

Flindt never seems to lack creative, eye-catching ideas. It’s clear why he’s the Rotary Public Image Coordinator (RPIC) for Zone 18, the first Rotaractor to serve as an RPIC. He’s been promoting Rotaract since he helped found his club on 13 March 2013. That date, he’s quick to note, is the anniversary of the certification of the first Rotaract club in 1968.

• Give to The Rotary Foundation's Disaster Response Fund. Donations help clubs and districts provide aid and support rebuilding efforts where the need is greatest. The funds are distributed to affected communities through disaster response grants. The Disaster Response Fund can accept cash contributions and District Designated Funds (DDF). Donations to the Disaster Response Fund are combined and cannot be designated for a specific disaster.
• Support local initiatives. As we learn about local response efforts that are being led by clubs and districts, Rotary raises awareness about how to support them. People can then support these projects by working directly with Rotary members in the region. If you want us to publicize information about local response efforts, write to relief@rotary.org.

How can we even begin to list her involvement in this community?? Some highlights include the Waterloo Jayceettes, the Waterloo Downtown Council, My Waterloo Days Committee, the Alan Heart Foundation, Go Red for Women, The Ambassadors, and so much more!!

She loved to shop ... and spoil her granddaughter.

She loved to support and encourage us all.

She loved to see us all be the best versions of ourselves - like no other we may ever know!

People were her passion. This community was her passion.

WE were her passion! She loved us all!

Bette loved Christmas quite possibly the most. She had many favorite Christmas songs, but "Silent Night, Holy Night" was her favorite. She cherished the candlelight services tremendously. She believed as her father did, that Christmas isn't just a season, it's a spirit of joy, love, and kindness to share with everyone all year 'round. That's part of why Christmas was often a little difficult for her. She would talk often about how much she missed her dad (among others). Bette would want us all to cherish everyone in our life all the time - be fair to one another - forgive often - and, most importantly, don't sweat the small stuff!

View live stream of funeral services

Originally from Holstein, Iowa, Nook has committed his Midwest education and values to higher education for many years and on many levels. He is dedicated to ensuring every member of the university community reaches their individual educational, professional and personal life goals.

Prior to serving as the chancellor at MSUB from 2014-2016, Nook was the senior vice president for Academic and Student Affairs at the University of Wisconsin System from 2011-2014. He also served as provost (2007-09 and 2010-11) and interim chancellor (2009-10) at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and in a variety of roles at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.

Jennifer Scott, a member of the Rotary Club of Central Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia, is a past governor of District 9685. She is a member of The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers and works in law and mediation.

Mongolia, a country caught between two giants – China and Russia, is a long, long way from Australia and I never planned to travel there. However, like many Rotary projects, it is through networking and circumstance that you find an opportunity to make a difference. Mine came as part of a vocational training team to Mongolia to conduct workshops to empower single fathers.

In 2017, I ran into Kathyrn Johnson, a fellow mediator, who had just returned from Mongolia where her brother was making a documentary. She had met Professor Namjil from Ulaanbaatar University, who told her how he had been asked for help by a group of 150 single fathers, many of them disabled or unemployed or both. The men were from Erdenet city, a mining town about 300 kilometers from Ulaanbaatar, and were lost in a culture where the very notion of a father raising their children alone was alien.

Professor Namjil explained how it was not uncommon in Mongolia for women to be better educated than the men due to their nomadic tradition. Boys were kept behind to assist with the seasonal movement of the herds while women could be sent to gain their education as a means of assisting the welfare of the family. In recent years this was causing a societal problem. The men felt their traditional skills of horsemanship and herding were no longer useful in an urban setting, causing a feeling of disempowerment which led to depression, alcohol abuse and domestic violence, particularly in the mining towns with high unemployment.

As the women were better educated and thus more confident than the men, they would separate from their husbands, and sometimes from their children, in pursuit of better jobs. This resulted in a very high divorce rate.   

At the University of Oklahoma, Moris led a public relations and media campaign to unveil the $370 million renovation project of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. As Associate Director of Public Relations for the Kansas City Chiefs, Moris coordinated public relations and event management for four Super Bowls. Additionally, he has served on the media relations teams at the NCAA Final Four, the College Football Playoff Championship Game and multiple major collegiate bowl games. 

Pete holds bachelor’s degrees in public relations and writing from Loras College, and he is a graduate of the Disney Customer Service Training Program. 

The livestream of Rotary International and the World Health Organization’s World Polio Day 2022 and Beyond: A healthier future for mothers and children two-day conference begins Friday, 21 October.

Join Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, and RI President Jennifer Jones, as they discuss the state of polio eradication and its broader relevance to global health. This conference will address not only the status of polio eradication and what’s next, but also the potential for community-based solutions to improve global health, particularly as it relates to maternal-child health.

• Tavis Hall (Democrat)
• Glen Keith (Democrat)
• Dennis Halverson (Republican)
• Dan Trelka, Incumbent (Republican)

The funds raised through this event go to The Rotary Foundation. We have contributed close to $100,000 to TRF from the last 6 editions.

This year’s event will be held from 13th to 28th January, 2023. The 15 days event will start-off from Mahabalipuram (India) and can either be a motorcycle ride, or a four wheeler drive.

The ride will cover multiple Rotary Districts and many Rotary Clubs. Route map will be - Mahabalipuram - Pondicherry - Thanjavur - Madurai - Coimbatore - Ooty - Mysore - Madikeri - Mangalore

• Iowa House Candidate Derek Wulf, District 76
• Iowa House Candidate Kate Wyatt, District 76
• Iowa House Rep. Timi Brown-Powers, District 61(Incumbent)
• Iowa House Candidate John Bothwell, District 61
• Iowa House Rep. Bob Kressig, District 75 (Incumbent)
• Iowa House Candidate Jerome Amos,Jr., District 62
• Senator Bill Dotzler, District 31 (Incumbent)

In 1998, I took a trip to Ukraine and have been yearning to go back since. The people there are so excited about their freedom. When the war broke out in February, I felt a strong call to do something to help these free-spirited people. I had been hearing about the massive destruction and wanted to do more than make donations.

When Chris Brand, a member of Rotary and President of Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC) in Tucker, Georgia, USA, called me one morning to tell me there was an urgent need to take Stryker Drill Sets and other medical relief supplies over to the war-torn country, it was just the call I had been waiting for. Without hesitation, I said, “I’ll go.” On 6 June, I boarded a flight to Bucharest, Romania, and began my journey to Ukraine.

Stephanie A. Urchick is selected to be the 2024-25 president of Rotary International

Katy is a graduate of the University of Northern lowa and has been employed with Cardinal Construction since 2012. She was named CEO and President of Cardinal Construction last year, which makes her the first female CEO in the company's 127-year history. Katy leads the mid-sized commercial construction company that serves clients in senior living, education, industrial, and healthcare sectors. She guides the execution of the company's short and long-term strategic initiatives while providing leadership and guidance to everyone on the Cardinal team. She aims to create a strategy that everyone on our team can get behind to ensure that we are executing well on the projects that we have committed to.

A 2020 survey reconfirmed that our members, more specifically, value community service, friendship, and professional development. Knowing this helps us meet their needs and give them reasons to stay involved.

Our focus, then, should be offering more of these meaningful experiences. How do we do this? Two main ways are by fostering mentoring relationships and by supporting activities that let people use their skills in new ways or build new skills through membership and service.

The Keys to Engagement: Understanding and Delivering Personal Value Keeps Rotary Fulfilling | My Rotary

Squeezing a teddy bear is comforting, no matter your age

With the help of sponsors, members of the Rotary Club of Estoi Palace International launched Happy Bears, a project to crochet and distribute teddy bears to a children's home and center for disabilities. pic.twitter.com/j5ElgZxVYT

Jared holds a BA in Elementary and Middle Level Education from the University of Northern Iowa, an MS in Educational Leadership from National Louis University, and a PhD in Educational Leadership from Iowa State University.

Jared has taught and coached at both the middle school and high school levels. Prior to superintendency, Jared worked as an assistant principal and principal for ten years. Jared is an award-winning blogger, the host of The Group Project Podcast, and the author of Learning Curve: Lessons Learned on Leadership, Education, and Personal Growth.

Meaning of the design elements

There is, of course, a deeper meaning behind each element of the design. The circle in aboriginal culture for instance, signifies our connections to one another. The dots around it represent people and there are seven because of Rotary´s areas of focus.

The circle and the dots together become a navigation star – our guiding light. The solid line underneath is what is referred to as a digging stick and it is used when doing hard work. And since Rotary members are people of action – it represents a tool for getting things done.

The colors

The colors green, purple, and white are not necessarily connected to aboriginal culture. President-elect Jennifer Jones asked the new crew of Governors to use one, two, or all three when dressing for official events instead of using a theme jacket. “As we celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion, I wanted all of us to be able to express ourselves differently in what we wear, but still have connection,” she explained.

At one time he had been a brilliant lawyer, a lover of Broadway musicals, a world traveler. But after his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in 2006, he developed dementia, and slowly everything changed. His gait flattened to a shuffle. The sparkle in his eyes turned into a blank stare. His mood soured. Worsening matters, the medications he took caused hallucinations and extreme agitation. As communication grew more challenging, Carol felt the distance between them growing.

Then, in 2014, something happened. Irwin, who had been a gifted pianist since childhood, sat down at the piano and began to play.  As his fingers floated through American classics like “Fly Me to the Moon,” “What a Wonderful World,” and “Try to Remember,” Carol saw his posture straighten. The sparkle returned to his eyes. The husband she once knew came back, bit by bit, if only briefly. “I could see this human being resurrect and start to reconnect with his environment,” she says, “just like I had given him a dose of medication.”

Mystified, she called his neurologist and asked what was happening. “He said, ‘Carol, you are watching the power of music, changing brain chemistry.’” 

That statement would go on to change not only their lives but the lives of countless others. 

This vibrant hub of art, sports, and cuisine will host the 2023 convention, set for 27-31 May. Rotary members, participants, and supporters are invited to Imagine What's Next and explore the possibilities for Rotary's future.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion will also be an important focus during the event, which will be packed with thought-provoking speakers and practical breakout sessions. Rotary members in the Host Organization Committee are planning activities to show visitors why their city is known for world-class sports, cultural diversity, exceptional dining, and inventive street art.

Anyone who registers by 15 December will pay a reduced price.

The 2022 convention in Houston, Texas offered plenty of inspiring moments as Rotary's global network gathered in person for the first time since 2019, following two conventions that were held virtually because of COVID-19. The convention offered participants new horizons to discover through in-person events and a robust schedule of virtual offerings (with recordings available through 31 August).

Imagine Melbourne | Rotary International