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President’s message for March, 2026

Greetings to all of you Changemakers! This will be my last message to you. And, it is not goodbye, but rather, until the next time we see each other. It has been a privilege to have been your president for the past two Rotary years and to have gotten to know you.

Please join us for our March 6th, monthly meeting at 7:30 am for fellowship and the business meeting from 8:00-9:00. We will be having a celebration of our club. Join me as we reflect on everything we have done in the past three plus years. And a recognition of all those members who contributed to our club. I hope that we can share our memories and experiences as Changemakers.

A big thanks to our first president LeRoy Kemnitz who was tasked with getting this club off the ground and up and running. Not only did LeRoy dedicate many hours for this but he has also been our treasurer for the last three years. And to Val Wachuta, our second president and forever secretary, thanks to all of your hours of work to keep this club viable. Val has done an outstanding job of keeping our website current and vibrant. And to Peter Groth, thanks for your work on our Facebook pages and posts as our Social Media Chair. Thanks to Cathy Statz for being Co-chair of the Service Committee and for being our Youth Protection Officer. Thanks to Rita Wachuta-Breckel for inviting speakers to our monthly meetings.

What can you be doing? You will remain a member of the Changemakers Rotary Club through March 31st. You might want to visit some in-person clubs near you and consider a change in membership as of April 1st.

This is not goodbye. We may all become members of other clubs; but, Changemakers will be part of us as we move on.

February 2026 Meeting Recap

Sharon was traveling, Val led the meeting and forgot to record it.

Highlights from the meeting:

We recited the Four Way Test. Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendship? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Peter ran the 50-50 raffle - Val was the winner this month. Hooray Val!

Service Committee Updates:

Rotary Peace Pole for Elmwood Elementary's Peace Pollinator Garden, where Julie Zilmer is a 3rd grade teacher - The pole has arrived, installation and a ceremony will take place this Spring.
Ukrainian Refugee School - The global grant will be coming soon. Alternatively, you can donate to the District 6250 Foundation for that cause.
Operation Pollination - We're in the winter resting period. Feel free to visit the website at https://operationpollination.net.

Committee meetings are the fourth Tuesday of the month, this month February 24th at 5 pm. If you wish to form a committee and meet at another time that is good too.

We are in need of a membership committee, foundation committee, grants committee, treasurer, secretary/website, speaker line up, and president nominee for 26/27.

Our club has lost another member, and is facing unexpected significant price increases. The executive committee has been discussing this, along with the lack of club participation and difficulty in lining up speakers. We have come to the conclusion that this club may no longer be viable. The executive committee voted to disband as-of March 31st, and brought this to a club vote. Five of the eight members voted to disband the Changemakers Rotary Club, as of March 31, 2026.

The next executive board meeting will be February 10th at 5:00 pm All members are welcome. Find the meeting link on the website.

Our tentative March 6th speaker will be Ben Stanger, CEO and Founder of Green Box Compost. This matches the Rotary focus of protecting the environment.

Today's guest is Gary Eldred. He founded the Southwest Wisconsin Prairie Enthusiasts. Over time, the organization expanded and rebranded as The Prairie Enthusiasts, which has enabled thousands of activists to work together to heal nature’s wounds. In his newly published memoir, author Gary Eldred shares his unlikely stories of how a miserable person found a passion and became the leader of a grassroots, boots-on-the-ground movement, The Prairie Enthusiasts, to protect and restore the remaining fire-adapted ecosystems of the Upper Midwest.

Gary, along with the botanist Mark Leach PhD, has recently written a book about his life and giving back to nature. The memoir intends the reader to find and grow passions in this world of wounds. In many ways, the prairie saved him. He found a passion and ways to work with other enthusiastic people to start healing nature's wounds. He hopes that the reader's small failures and grand successes bring them joy.

Gary grew up in the Albany area. As a kid he learned from the old timers, who were always happy to share their knowledge. He learned about Rubin's Cave, named after Rubin Folsom who made a living hunting wolves. Rubin lived a hermit lifestyle, and would sometimes shelter in the cave. He became good friends with trappers and fishermen, a bee keeper and breeder of Jack-in-the-pulpits. Some exploited the weaknesses of nature and could have destroyed it, others cared for nature. Gary became a good hunter, taking from nature. He was inspired by Sand County Almanac, and began to wonder if he needed to give back.

He began building bluebird and wood duck boxes, but felt he still needed to give back more. Another project was working with the Green County Conservation League to restore Marsh Creek. He fenced out the cattle and added habitat for trout. Working there, he learned about the glacial drift in the area, and the area used to be an Indian gathering area. He realized that this piece of land had been used for centuries.

In 1977 The Green County Conservation League and DNR bought Muralt Bluff Prairie, and a group including Gary worked on restoring the prairie so the original native plants could grow. Experts came to teach others about the native vegetation needs.

After that, he moved to Boscobel, and began looking for native areas in Grant County. He founded the Southwest Wisconsin Prairie Enthusiasts, which became The Prairie Enthusiasts, which has thousands of members in the upper midwest area. Because of all of his activities, one of the lands for restoration in Grant County has been named Eldred Prairie.

Gary is selling his memoir, with all proceeds going to cover publishing costs and restore more prairie land.

President’s message for February, 2026

Greetings to all of you Changemakers! I read in the February Rotary magazine that this month is Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention Month. Holger Knaak the Foundation Trustee Chair wrote this, “. . .a perfect time to reflect on The Rotary Foundation’s mission to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace. Whether improving health, supporting education, or alleviating poverty, peace is at the heart of everything Rotary does.” Please consider making an annual donation to the foundation.

Please join us for our February 6th, monthly meeting at 7:30 am for fellowship and the business meeting from 8:00-9:00. Rita has invited Gary Eldred, the Prairie Enthusiast, and author of the book Healing Wounds: Giving Back to Nature to speak to us. Our March speaker is Ben Stanger, CEO and founder of Green Box Compost.

January 2026 Meeting Recap

Find the recording of the January meeting here.

Highlights from the meeting:

We have several position openings for the upcoming year, including membership committee, foundation committee, president elect, grants committee and treasurer.

Julie Zilmer has agreed to be president for the 2026-2027 Rotary year. PETS Training is in Itasca Illinois March 6 through 8.

50-50 raffle - Rita was the winner this month. Yay Rita!

District Grants are based on giving to the Rotary Foundation. We are all encouraged to participate in the very Rotarian, Every Year program of donating $100 to the Rotary Foundation each year. Go to myrotary.org to make a payment or set up ongoing contributions.

We are looking for new members, invite people to come to our meetings. On social media, use hashtags #servicebeforeself, #peopleofaction and #rotary to get more attention.

The next executive board meeting will be January 13th at 5:00 pm All members are welcome. Find the meeting link on the website.

Join us for the service committee meetings, normally the fourth Tuesday of the month at 5:00 pm. Find the meeting link on the website. Find your passion and enhance your rotary experience.

Our application for a Rotary Peace Pole for Elmwood Elementary's Peace Pollinator Garden in Zion Illinois has been approved. Our Julie Zilmer is a 3rd grade teacher at this school. Elmwood Elementary School is planning a ceremony to dedicate and celebrate the pole, and to create an annual tradition to reaffirm their collective commitment to peace, empathy, and belonging.

Other ongoing projects we are following include the Ukrainian Refugee School Viktoria Vita Griessmuller, the refugee school project coordinator, has been recognized as a 40 under 40 Business Elite Europe awardee. Congratulations to Viktoria. Operation Pollination is taking a seasonal break.

We are still looking for a speaker for the February 6th meeting. If you have any ideas, let Sharon or Val know.

Our March 6th speaker will be Ben Stanger, CEO and Founder of Green Box Compost. This matches the Rotary focus of protecting the environment.

Sydney Widell from the Coon Creek Community Watershed Council was our January speaker. Their mission is to continue the historic legacy of conservation through improving and restoring our soil, water, and air as stewards of the Coon Creek Watershed. They focus on strategies and practices that individuals can implement. https://cooncreekwatershed.org/ This coincides with Rotary International causes of providing clean water and protecting the environment.

Watch the meeting recording for the full presentation. Ideas - Learn about your own watershed. Consider conservation on the land where you live. Have a conversation with your neighbors about collaboration for conservation. Learn what conservation resources are available through your county. Become a member of a watershed organization where you live. If your area doesn't have a watershed group, start one. Advocate for conservation funding. Support the farmers at the forefront of soil conservation. CCCWC membership is free and open to all.