 We recited the four way test to remind us of our Rotary ethics of truth, fairness, goodwill, friendships and beneficial to all. Looking to be more involved in Changemakers Rotary? We have leadership positions open for membership committee, foundation committee, president elect, president nominee, treasurer, and grants committee. Please let an officer know if you are interested. Thank you to current club officers, look for the full list on our website. We are still looking for help to co-chair the service committee, and someone to arrange monthly guest speakers for us. Please talk to Sharon about any opportunity for you to serve your club.  Kathy Roberg was the winner of our 50/50 raffle. Congratulations Kathy! All are encouraged to contribute to the Rotary Foundation program called Every Rotarian Every Year. In order to be eligible for grants, we need to average $100 per person per year donations to the Rotary Foundation. We are always looking to grow our club. Invite people to join us for our monthly meetings.  The fourth Tuesday of the month is for committee meetings. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, March 25 at 5 pm. Join a committee and enhance your Rotary experience! If you are passionate about something that would help Rotary advance its mission, let a club officer know. Our Service Committee is still collecting funds for the District 6250 Ukrainian Refugee school, our district will match any donations 1:1. We have heard from Viktoria Griessmuller of Hungary that the school is now in its second year, it has moved to the new larger building, and has 450 refugee students and over 50 refugee teachers. A list of donations they already received were shared with us. A check can be mailed to Rotary District 6250 Foundation, c/o Brian Watson, 4030 E. Stone Ridge Dr., Milton, WI 53563. Be sure to note that it is for the Hungarian-Ukrainian School project. The school is also seeking our help to launch a Pen Pal Program between American and Ukrainian students to enhance English proficiency and foster cross-cultural connections. Our Julie Zilmer hopes to implement this soon with her class.  In July, Fran Wargolet, a Kenosha Rotarian and ambassador to ShelterBox U.S.A. spoke to us about this organization that is a partner if Rotary International. It offers shelter and supplies to people in natural disaster areas and to others in areas of conflict, sometimes before a peace settlement has bee reached. The shelter might be a tent, tarp, or house repairs. At the January service committee meeting, we decided to begin our next project for ShelterBox USA. We set up a fundraising goal of $500 by June 10th. We can all help in donating and telling our friends, families, and associates about this opportunity to make a difference by making a donation to the Changemakers Rotary District 6250 Foundation account. District 6250 Donation Click on the Donate Now button and be sure to select ShelterBox - Changemakers Rotary Club in the dropdown. Alternatively, you can write a check to Rotary District 6250 Foundation and mail it directly to: Rotary District 6250 Foundation c/o Brian Watson, 4030 E. Stone Ridge Dr., Milton, WI 53563. Be sure to note that it is for the Changemakers ShelterBox project. Members of the Rose Bowl float committee were at PETS last month. If you want to find out more, go to www.RotaryFloat.org.  Congratulations to Valerie Wachuta for becoming a Paul Harris Fellow. The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation.  Congratulations to Changemaker Julie Zilmer, who has won an Illinois Schoolyard Habit Action Grant for Elmwood Elementary School in Zion, Illinois. Julie is a 3rd grade teacher and Earth Club Leader. The project is a 12 foot by 12 foot pollinator garden designed to provide essential habitat for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating species. The primary goal is to provide students and staff with hands-on leaning opportunities, fostering curiosity and critical thinking about ecosystems, pollinators, and plant growth. Another goal is to strengthen connections between the school and the local community by creating a shared space.  Sun Prairie East High School Interact has three projects for second semester. 1) Letters of Love to make and send cards to patients and Children's Hospitals and to involve elementary and middle school students. 2) To make pollinator garden seed packets to pair with a small pamphlet and to hand them out at a community event 3) End of semester book drive to donate books to elementary student to take home for the summer. Interact President Teegan Davis and her Cap City Cougars hockey team are state bound. Congratulations Teegan!. In our April meeting Valerie Wachuta will lead us on the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) activities and getting ready for another year of pollinators.  Our guest speaker for March was Bill O'Donnell, who talked to us about his experiences in Team Rubicon. Team Rubicon is a veteran-led humanitarian organization that serves global communities before, during, and after disasters and crises. Team Rubicon members are called the Gray Shirts. They write their names right on their shirts, that is how they recognize one another on their missions. Bill joined Team Rubicon in 2017. There are 13 operations, in eight states and Canada. People from all over the world belong to Team Rubicon. Bill works with chain saws.  Team Rubicon started with a 2005 UW Madison graduate Jake Wood, who became a marine. After his time in the marines, an earthquake in Haiti occurred. He knew that he and his fellow veterans had the skillset needed to help with the recovery in Haiti. He gathered his friends and equipment and they all went to help in Haiti. Their name was chosen after crossing the river between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, like Caesar crossing the Rubicon. After returning, they realized they could work on projects in US too. One original member committed suicide two years later. No they have a training that includes suicide prevention. Most training is on-line, but hands on is in person. To become a member, take Rubicon 101 training and pass background checks. You do not need to be a veteran. Their Motto is get shit done. They are obsessive about safety and fond of patches. For vaccinations they have a patch that says "Get shots done".  Rubicon has done projects in all 50 states and several countries. They work with other agencies including Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and Emergency Road Clearance Teams. Highly skilled sawyers, be at the airport within 6 hours of call.
FEMA - core operations gathers information about what needs to be done, they do damage assessment, with information going into a database. Team Rubicon is assigned from this, so they know what to bring with them. This link is for a Team Rubicon Call up for a March event, to further explain their process. To find out more, visit teamrubiconUSA.org. |
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It’s Saturday night, March 1st and I have just completed a day and a half of the Midwest President Elect Training Seminar. I want to thank you for your generous support of this intense weekend of learning how to be a Rotary leader. Last year I was blown away by the plenary speakers at the general sessions and the dedication of the fellow Rotarians who facilitated the break out sessions. This year’s seminar has matched the high bar set by last year’s. I have another half day tomorrow that I am very much looking forward too. I have met so many Rotarians from Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin who have shared so many experiences and ideas. 
Tricon will be April 25 - 26 in Brookfield Wisconsin. 
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