Happy Fall Rotarians!
The official start of Fall is September 22, but since my newsletter is a little late, that’s probably about when you’ll be reading this. With schedules returning for back to school, routines in full-force, and a little chill in the air – it’s sure feeling like it!
August flew by and we heard from great local leaders in our weekly programs. I encourage you to watch the recordings of our August meetings if you happened to miss one. We’re so lucky to live in this community with amazing resources, options, and a bright future.
You may have heard me say this, but I LOVE hearing from you on Brag Bucket day. We had a great Brag Bucket in August, raised over $100, and we heard from so many members about exciting things going on in their lives. Reminder that anything can be cause for celebration/brag. I love getting a glimpse into your personal and/or professional wins. And don’t forget that we now have a Vemno account if you forget cash! If anyone needs help setting up a Venmo account, please reach out to me. Maybe someone who has never bragged to our club before will go for it in October? 😊
Allow me a moment to brag on our members. Over the past month, we’ve heard about our members volunteering to help local events (Special Olympics huggers, Ada Hayden tour guides, Miracle League helpers, can donors, DOC volunteers, meal packers, etc). We’ve also heard about special celebrations our members have coming up. A few to note that we’re all invited to:
- The new Sixty Forward Center (former Heartland Senior Services) ribbon cutting and open house will be on Saturday, Sept 28 from 10am-2pm. Their first day of business is Monday, Sept. 30th and I’ve heard incredible things about their Bistro for breakfast and lunch, which is open to the public. If you can’t make the ribbon cutting, be sure to stop in and support the Bistro soon.
- Kent Frankenfeld has been leading the charge to help our ISU Rotaract Club get up and running. The official charter ceremony is Wednesday, Sept 25 from 5:30pm-7:30pm, on stage at CY Stephens. We would love to have you all join us to welcome this incredible bunch of ISU students who want to put Service Above Self! Please RSVP to Karin, dinner will begin around 6pm.
- Jamie Courtney shared that Iowa Home Crafters is celebrating their 35th year in business with a ribbon cutting and open house on Wednesday, Oct 2 from 4:00pm-6:00pm.
So many fun events to show our support of our fellow Rotary members! And how special that our members step up when needed!
I have another ask for each of you. In this season of routine/schedule changes, now might be the perfect time for a Rotarian to get back into the habit of joining us each week. If you have a friend that you haven’t seen in a while, invite them to our next meeting. We understand life gets busy, maybe your phone call or email will be just the push to get them to join us for lunch! If this works, please tell me. I’ll want to say hello, welcome them back, or simply have a warm smile for them and a high-five for you.
I’m excited to finish out September with you all. We will learn about Pickleball and have a visit from District Governor Dave Cook. It’s sure to be a great two weeks. And just in case you noticed, we were a few minutes over our time this past Monday and I forgot my kindness quote. Here is the one I was going to share, it’s a favorite:
“Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly, and most underrated agent of human change.”
See you soon,
Katy McMahon
Club President 2024-2025