It's October, the leaves are changing color and falling off. Gardening is pretty much done. It's time to come indoors and enjoy soups and long evenings. For Rotary, October focuses on mental health, eradicating polio, and the environment.
District 6250 is involved with the Operation Pollination project. The “Mississippi River Operation Pollination Partnership” is several organizations collaborating and engaging in pollinator education and restoration along the whole Mississippi River corridor from its Lake Itasca headwaters in Minnesota to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico. Check out the district website https://rotary6250.org/ for more information. We also have links to the Prairie Enthusiasts Seed Harvest on our club website.
October 24th is World Polio Day. Check out the World Polio Day article and October Meeting Recap for more information on what Rotary is doing to eradicate polio, and how you can help.
Mental Health/Wellness is a priority this year for Rotary International. Our district is working with NAMI (National Association for Mental Illness) this year. They are sharing resources available to promote work life balance and best practices. Visit the district website https://rotary6250.org/ for more information.
Our club's Happy Hour in September was a scavenger hunt, and it was quite fun. We all got to know each other better by discussing the items we scavenged. October will be a Social, discussing a relevant topic. Be sure to read the October Social article. We have homework, although it is not required, it is very interesting.
I am so grateful for all of you. Together we can create hope in the world.
During our October Social we will experiment with a deep dive into a relevant topic. If you have a moment, please watch this video by Celeste Healdee on great conversations.
We'll discuss "What makes a man - and how to welcome and celebrate masculinity". For some current thinking, please watch this video conversation and explore further as you'd like!
Rotarians can deepen fellowship and grow understanding through more and better conversations. Let's start "at home" here during our October Social and see how we like it!
Yours in Fellowship and Service,
Karen
Karen Hebert
Past District Governor ("Serve to Change Lives" '21-22)
For those of you on vacation or otherwise unable to attend, here is a recap of our October club meeting.
We recited the four way test to remind us of our Rotary ethics of truth, fairness, goodwill, friendships and beneficial to all.
We are looking for members of Service committee, if you are interested, let anyone on the board know, or just show up. Meetings are on the last Tuesday of the month at 5:00, and can be accessed from our website.
We are looking for a President-Elect for July 2024 - June 2025. The election will be in December. The president-elect training, PETS, will be in Itaska Illinois on March 1 - 3. (Club president duties are listed elsewhere in this issue)
The vibrant Club Workshop will be in Tomah on November 4th. All members are encouraged to attend.
Tri-Con (our Multi-District Conference) - will be April 19-20, 2024 in Green Bay.
Rotary's International Convention will be May 25 - 29, 2024 in Singapore.
We have new hosts for Happy Hour. Petra led the September event. We had a fun scavenger hunt for normal objects in our home.
Karen will lead our next social, to be held October 19th at 5:30 p.m. Look for another article explaining the October social and suggested advance reading/listening.
Dwight gave a short presentation regarding Rotary's efforts to eradicate Polio. Two bonuses to donating now - all donations are matched 2:1 by the Bill Gates Foundation, and any Changemaker that donates by October 31 will receive 100 Foundation Recognition Points. Go to www.endpol.io/giveto make a donation.
We had a new twist with our 50/50 raffle. It was divided up 33% to the club, 33% to the Polio foundation, and 34% to the winner. Sharon was the lucky winner, and donated her winnings to the Polio foundation.
All of the funds collected for the La Clinica project are en-route to them, or already there. Dwight will check in with them after the first of the year on how it is being put to use.
Sharon gave an excellent presentation regarding the Rotary International Friendship Exchange between Wisconsin District 6250 and four southern Budapest Hungary Rotary clubs April 9th - 19th.
Hello Rotarians. I am forwarding a link to everyone for the Fitchburg Verona Horizons Silent Auction that will be closing on October 29th. The auction headlines with 100 level Wisconsin Badger Men's basketball season tickets (2 season tickets), 2nd row (#1 ranked) Wisconsin Badger Women's volleyball tickets for 1 game (4 tickets + parking to November game vs. Iowa), and a bottle of hard to find Stagg Jr Batch 2 Bourbon.
Rotary is an international community that brings together leaders who step up to take on the world’s toughest challenges, locally and globally. The eradication of polio is one of our longest standing and most significant efforts. Along with our partners, we have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. We have reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent worldwide and we won't stop until we end the disease for good.
Polio is a debilitating disease that causes paralysis and death in children aged 5 and under. There is no cure. But vaccination can and does stop this disease from maintaining its foothold. It will be only the second time in human history that we eradicate a disease from the face of the earth.
Currently, only 7 cases of wild polio exist in the world - 5 in Afghanistan and 2 in Pakistan. In 1985, Rotary promised the children of the world we would eradicate this disease. We are so close and need to see this promise through.
October 24, 2023 is Rotary’s annual World Polio Day. It’s a reminder that working together as Rotarians and with our international partners, we can change the world to be a more peaceful and healthier place to live. Please do what you can to help us keep the promise to eradicate polio.
Have you ever wondered what a Rotary club president does? Well, here is the answer for inquiring minds.
As president, you lead and motivate your club, ensuring that club members feel valuable, inspired, and connected to each other. You also need to be mindful of the club vision and make sure that the club actions align with the vision.
Duties can be divided among other members. Currently we have several members doing assorted tasks listed below.
1. Preside over the club, happy hour, and board meetings
a. Create agendas
b. Run meetings
c. Find speakers for meetings
1. Communicate to Public Relations and Web Master
2. Follow up with speakers for schedules
d. Decide on topics for the meetings
e. Find new online games for happy hours
2. Appoint committee chairs and members
a. Meet with new chairs to share vision and plans for the role
b. Touch base with chairs to see if they need help
c. Assist with providing help
d. Follow thru with reaching out and asking people
e. Motivate chairs to complete tasks on time and completely
f. Check out and approve any public notice about the club
3. Conduct club assemblies
a. Create agenda
b. Decide when to have an assembly
4. Create a budget and manage club finances, including an annual audit
a. Sign/co-account owner of bank accounts
b. Follow up with finance planning/budgeting
5. Develop a safe environment for youth participants
a. Advocate for more communications with the club members
b. Show/share enthusiasm for the club and for the club activities, build excitement with club members
6. Work with your district governor and assistant governor
7. Be the point of contact for the club online
President duties can be divided between different members. For example, someone can lead the regular club meetings, and someone else can prepare and lead the social events/happy hour. Lining up speakers can be by committee.
This is 99% of the things that a club president does. It has excellent opportunities for networking and broadening the horizons.
On behalf of Governor Michelle, we appreciate your involvement in our recent NAMIWalks, a Mental Health Awareness Walkathon with our partner NAMI which is one of the few initiatives we have planned for this Rotary Year. We have raised a total of $1,400. Thanks again to the teamwork of D6250 Hope Squad, fellow Rotarians, students, and good friend Tom Farley.
If you missed last Oct 7 webinar, please listen to NAMI's important insights HERE
To promote mental health and wellness, various campaigns are scheduled and promoted through social media and our D6250 website. The goal is to raise awareness about mental health issues and encourage seeking help when needed. Sharing provided resources in your own page/website is encouraged to make a positive impact on mental health in the community. Follow us HERE
Looking to start your seed-collecting journey? Now is the time! Work party leaders are eager to have you join and pass along this valuable skill.
Collecting prairie seed is one of the most pleasurable and accessible volunteer activities. You make a considerable impact on restoration work with no previous training required while enjoying mild temperatures. Our chapters have several upcoming opportunities to join in on this rewarding activity.
Specifics are still being determined, but volunteers will start collecting mid-October through November. Updates will come through chapter emails soon. Not receiving Coulee Region Chapter emails? Send us a message!
With the interest in green burial growing across the country, we are excited to invite everyone to a presentation and an exploration of the Driftless Area’s very own certified green burial cemetery.
ONLY A FEW SPOTS LEFT! We will learn about snakes native to Wisconsin and how to manage and monitor snake populations on your properties. We also will have a chance to get up close and personal with some of Dr. Rebecca Christoffel’s live snakes.
Enjoy a drink, snacks and conversation about the organization's initiatives and direction. All chapter members who want to learn more about The Prairie Enthusiasts and the chapter are welcome to attend.
Cheryl is dearly missed, it's impossible to forget someone who gave so much.
Anyone interested in making a donation in memory of Cheryl can do so through the District 6250 Foundation. The funds are tax deductible, and will be used toward our next service project, a cause which Cheryl was deeply involved with.
It's October, the leaves are changing color and falling off. Gardening is pretty much done. It's time to come indoors and enjoy soups and long evenings. For Rotary, October focuses on mental health, eradicating polio, and the environment. 
Dwight gave a short presentation regarding Rotary's efforts to eradicate Polio. Two bonuses to donating now - all donations are matched 2:1 by the Bill Gates Foundation, and any Changemaker that donates by October 31 will receive 100 Foundation Recognition Points. Go to 
We had a new twist with our 50/50 raffle. It was divided up 33% to the club, 33% to the Polio foundation, and 34% to the winner. Sharon was the lucky winner, and donated her winnings to the Polio foundation.
Rotary is an international community that brings together leaders who step up to take on the world’s toughest challenges, locally and globally. The eradication of polio is one of our longest standing and most significant efforts. Along with our partners, we have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. We have reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent worldwide and we won't stop until we end the disease for good.
Have you ever wondered what a Rotary club president does? Well, here is the answer for inquiring minds.
Time to Harvest Prairie Seed!
Cheryl is dearly missed, it's impossible to forget someone who gave so much.
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