Stories

Global Grant Update - Guatemala Water and Sanitation Project

Chronic childhood malnutrition is a problem all over Guatemala. Almost 50% of children aged 5 and under are malnourished. In the highland villages of Tecpan, however, the number is as high as 95%.

In 2019, Madison South Rotary wrote a Global Grant for a Water and Sanitation Project in two villages in the highlands of Tecpan, Guatemala. We partnered with ABPD (Association Behrhorst Partners for Development), the Antigua RC in Antigua, Guatemala, District 7750 in South Carolina and clubs in Florida and Maine. At the same time, Deb Walters from District 7790 (Maine and Quebec) wrote a Global Grant for Maternal and Child Health for one of the same villages plus one other that had been assessed to need this type of help. The “ask” comes from the village leaders themselves then a detailed assessment is done by ABPD.

Michelle McGrath - District Governor Nominee Designate

Madison Rotarian Dr. Michelle McGrath Selected as District Governor Nominee Designate

Michelle McGrath, a member of the Rotary Club of Madison has been selected as the next Rotarian to serve as District Governor for Rotary District 6250 upon approval at our upcoming annual meeting, this spring. As District Governor, Michelle will provide strong leadership skills and decision making to strengthen and support the 60 clubs that reside in Rotary District 6250. During her year in office (2023-2024), Rotary clubs will look to her for leadership, support, and motivation as they carry out service projects and participate in Rotary programs.

Dr. Michelle McGrath has been a long time educator for 25 years; high school teacher, coach, advisor, administrator, college professor, and for the past decade in her role as Executive Director at the Wisconsin Association of School Councils (WASC). She has been published and spoken nationally about her research on “The Urgency of Youth Leadership”. Her leadership extends both nationally and in her community of Madison. She has served as the President of the National Association of State Student Council Executive Directors (NASSCED).

Her previous Rotary service has included Rotary District 6250 Trainer, and Chair of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) youth leadership camp. She’s served in multiple roles including Club President of the Rotary Club of Madison. She is married with four beautiful teenage kids.

Congratulations, Michelle!

Fort Atkinson Interact Supports Phillippines Club's Blood Drive

A group of Fort Atkinson High School students from the Interact Club had planned to travel to the Philippines in March to carry out their second humanitarian project in District 3850. Needless to say COVID-19 got in the way. Instead the Interact club donated the monies they had raised and the Metro Kalibo Rotary club used the funds to buy aprons and other serving equipment used in conjunction with the local Red Cross blood drives that the Rotary club actively supports. Does your Rotary Club sponsor an Interact Club? For more information contact District 6250 Interact Co-Chairs: Carol Hermann or Andy Bakkum.

November Interact Instant

Bingo Night, Pennies for Polio, Grateful Gourmet, oh my! Check out the Interact Instant for November 2020!

November 2020 Governors Message

Greetings Fellow Rotarians. Welcome to Rotary Foundation Month!!

Back in 1956, The Rotary International Board of Directors designated a week in November urging all clubs “to devote a program to the Rotary Foundation.” In 1982, the Board determined that the entire month of November should be dedicated to the Foundation.

When one looks back at the momentous 1917 Rotary Convention (held in Atlanta, GA), it is difficult to see what could have been contentious about the words of then-Rotary President Arch C. Klumph: “It seem eminently proper that we should accept endowments for the purpose of doing good in the world.” Yet, at the time, support for the idea was far from unanimous. Some thought an endowment fund would create more trouble than it was worth. But Klumph’s idea received the support it needed in the form of an in initial donation of $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City, MO.

103 years later, we recognize Klumph’s idea as not only visionary, but revolutionary: It set in place the mechanism that allowed Rotary to become the vast force for “doing good in the world” that it is today.

I’ll take a risk here – I think our Rotary Foundation is the foundation of Rotary as we know it. It has created a mechanism for cooperation and partnership among clubs and between Rotary and other organizations; it has enabled us to be ever more ambitious in our work and to reach for goals of historic proportion, such as the eradication of polio. It is impossible to quantify the good that has been done over the last century as a result of The Rotary Foundation. All we can know for sure is that Arch Klumph, if he could see us, would be proud.

Rotary & Rainworks

ROTARY & RAINWORKS!

The Eau Claire Morning Rotary Club recently organized a project called R&R: Rotary and Rainworks in our community in Eau Claire. Rainworks is a super awesome invisible (and magical) street art that only appears when wet, most often on a rainy day. The designs are meant to make people smile and provide pure joy. The club got plenty of inspiration out of the project and many believe that it can change lives everywhere.

October 2020 Governors Club President Message

Welcome to October! It may be difficult to believe, but you are now 25% thru your year as Club President. As you look back over the past three months, what have been some of your highlights? How is the club doing in regards to the goals that you have set for the year?

Quarterly turns make great opportunities to review where you stand. You are at the first quarter poll. Take the opportunity to visit Rotary.org – go to your “My Rotary” page, and visit goal center section of Rotary Club Central. Update your goals while you are there – are there any that you have already achieved? There is some really low hanging fruit here… has your club had a discussion on your club’s Strategic Plan? Have you made an update on your clubs Facebook page? Have you had any social activities during the first quarter? Have you made a post on Facebook using Rotary promotional materials? All of these goals are found under the “Public Image” tab within the Goal Center. I’d bet that at least 2/3rds of you would be able to achieve at least two or three goals on this tab alone!

Club President Membership Update - October

Dear Club Presidents,

I have thought quite a bit about what makes Rotary so special and it always comes back to the people who make up the club’s membership. I continually meet new dynamic people in Rotary who broaden the friends I can learn from. It is the people involved with the club that come up with the great projects that make long lasting impacts in the communities. The millions of dollars raised for these projects all come from the members of club. Membership is the heart of this great organization.

Angling for a Better Tomorrow: Al's Musky Challenge

With a gleam in his eye, Rotarian Al Louis deftly set the hook on Musky #7; minutes later, he and his friend A.J. hauled it from the cold waters of Minnesota’s Lake Vermilion into their boat. This musky was special, not only because it takes, on average, 10,000 casts to land just one musky, but because this musky—all 41½” and 22 lbs. of it—represented more than $41,000 raised for five nonprofits in Al’s hometown, La Crosse, Wisconsin.

It wasn’t easy.

Al battled the elements, a lake crowded with 85 bass boats thanks to a two-day bass tournament, tedious hours without a strike, muskies that tracked the lure to the boat only to break away at the last second, the fog of a bizarre insect hatch, and a sinking boat (yes, really). Not to mention, raising money during a pandemic is ... challenging, to say the least.

October Interact Instant

From donations of pints of blood to walking dogs for Paw Rescue, check out the Interact Instant for October 2020!

October 2020 Foundation Highlights

"In 1985 Rotarians made a promise to the children of the world."

Saturday, October 24th is World Polio Day. Looking for a fun and inspiring way to make an impact on the push to End Polio Now and wipe this disease from the face of the planet?! Check out this campaign idea that your club can use in October - or any time of the year - to help you achieve your club Polio giving goal.

"Since 1985 Rotarians have raised over 1.8 billion dollars for this noble cause."

Want to learn more or get started?

Need some more inspriation?

Check out these videos which are both inspirational and informative presentations. One features our own Randy Sproule where he shares his passion and talks about why we need to finish the job of eradicating polio. The other is presented by Carrie Ronnander, Director of the Chippewa Valley Museum and she discusses the many aspects of living in a pandemic and the correlations between the times of Polio and COVID-19.

Josh Mansee

La Crosse Rotary - After Hours, President-Elect 2020-2021

District 6250 Foundation Chair

608-386-2641

October 2020 Governors Message

Greetings District 6250 Rotarians!

Welcome to October – Where we Focus on Economic and Community Development… along with celebrate World Polio Day!

Rotary’s long-term, sustained battle against Polio has defined our organization for decades. We have a right to be proud of all that we have accomplished through the years.

Our progress is real and noteworthy. In 1988, polio was endemic in 125 countries, with more than 350,00 new cases a year worldwide. Since then, Rotary and our Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners have reduced the incidence of polio by more than 99.9%, vaccinated more than 2.5 billion children against the virus, and prevented 18 million cases of paralysis. Over the years, Rotary has helped country after country move into the polio-free column. This includes India, which some considered impossible not long ago. Of the three types of poliovirus, type 2 has been eradicated and type 3 could soon be certified as eradicated. As we celebrated last month, Africa has been declared polio free, we are now down to just one type of wild poliovirus in only one section of the world – Afghanistan and Pakistan.

World Polio Day is a time for Rotarians to come together, recognize the progress we have made In our fight against polio, and plan the action we must take to end polio forever. The key word is action, because we still have important work to do.

A Big Thank You From Southern Greece

Thanks to the Dental Care in the Isolated Municipalities program organized and implemented as a Global Grant by Districts 2470 (Southern Greece) and 6250 (Wisconsin, USA) of Rotary International, several thousand citizens in isolated areas of the Southeastern Aegean Sea in Greece can now enjoy dental care. So, instead of going to other larger islands and wasting time, especially in times of difficult climatic conditions, they now have the possibility to have dental care in their place. Specifically...

September 2020 Governors Message

Greetings District 6250 Rotarians!

Welcome to September, where we Rotarians turn our attention to the good works surrounding Basic Education and Literacy. We also look forward to our district’s upcoming Vibrant Club Workshop, our Interact Clubs firing up in schools across the district, and an unusual opportunity for all to become involved in our Rotary Zone activities at the Rotary Zone Institute from September 8-13.

More on that in a few moments… but I first want to return to the groundbreaking, earth shaking news of August 6^th.

On May 4, 1987, the US Supreme Court ruled that Rotary Clubs could no longer exclude women from membership on the basis of gender. At the first gathering of the Rotary Council of Legislation following the decision, Rotary moved to admit women into Rotary Clubs worldwide. This remains a watershed moment in the history of Rotary.

The response to the decision was overwhelming: By June 1990, the number had skyrocketed to over 20,000. By July 2016, the number of women worldwide had surpassed 250,000. Women immediately embraced the leadership opportunities provided by their clubs and have been making an impact in communities around the world.

District 6250 embraced the moment as well. Sharon K. Imes of La Crosse became our first female District Governor in 1997-1998. Mary Beth Growney-Selene of Madison followed soon after as District Governor in 2000-2001, and was then selected to join the Rotary International Board of Directors from 2013-2015, and then a Rotary Foundation Trustee in 2016-2017. We have been ably led by 6 female District Governors, and Karen Hebert will become our 7^th in 2021-2022. Women now represent over 36% of our membership in District 6250.

Which brings me to the present now. On August 6^th, The Rotary International Nominating Committee selected Jennifer E. Jones of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario Canada to serve as Rotary International President for the 2022-23 Rotary year, a groundbreaking selection that will make her the first woman to hold the office of President in Rotary’s 115-year history.

Social Kitchen Global Grant Update - Follow up from RotaryFest

With this report we would like to update you with the current status of the Social Kitchen project.
Thanks to your financial support this project could kicked off in 2019.

RC Olsztyn Varmia worked hard together with Food Bank in Olsztyn to renovate the venue and buy the
gastronomy equipment to open Social Kitchen. As reported last time, just after the opening in September 2019, fire destroyed 2/3 of the building, where Social K itchen is placed. The losses were estimated at about €1 million. With great support from local, regional and countrywide communities and also insurance coverage (80% of the losses) the venue has been restored again. It was ready to re open in March 2020. Then, COVID 19 stroke in Poland and Olsztyn, which paused the launch of the face to face trainings.

Finally in May 2020 the first gastronomy vocational trainings were initiated. Together in May and June, 6 trainings took place, which engaged 80 participants and lasted 48 hours.

Yours in Rotary Service,

Edwin Bos

Rotary Club of Mayville Supports P.A.V.E. with Disaster Relief Grant

Imagine living in the same home as your abuser. The pandemic hits, escalating stress and tensions. A bad situation becomes untenable, and you know: you MUST get out. You MUST find a safe place to stay. For residents of the Beaver Dam area, that safe place to stay might be P.A.V.E, an organization that provides services and shelter to survivors of violence.

Unfortunately, the pandemic brought not only rising cases of violence, but with it, additional challenges in keeping the shelter a safe and healthy place:

Additional cleaning and sterilization processes needed to be put in place.
More personal hygiene and protection supplies, like masks, were needed.
Additional entertainment supplies were needed to help keep shelter residents occupied.

Dedicated Rotarians in the Rotary Club of Mayville saw a need in their community, and being People of Action, stepped up. With the help of a Disaster Relief Grant from Rotary District 6250, the Rotary Club of Mayville provided needed cleaning and personal hygiene supplies— including 35 handmade face masks—along with entertainment items, to P.A.V.E for use in their shelter.

We are Rotarians. We are People of Action. We believe in Service Above Self. Together, we EMPOWER.

Rotary Club of Sun Prairie Disaster Grant 2020

Check out the impact that the Rotary Club of Sun Prairie made on their community through the use of their COVID-19 Disaster Relief Grant!

August 2020 Governors Message

Twenty years ago a man named Chuck Hanson, an attorney that worked in downtown La Crosse, invited me to join Rotary. Back then, that was the common practice. A business person invited you to join Rotary because he thought it would be good for business and good for the community, and you said yes.

If It was not for Chuck (yes… that one – our past District Governor) it is unlikely I would be a Rotarian.

August is Membership and Extension month. In District 6250, our Membership Committee thinks every month is August – they are continually focused on helping clubs grow and thrive. More to come from John Locke and the membership team later. Be sure to use this valuable district resource to make your club stronger and more vibrant.

Growing a vibrant membership was my entrance into Rotary at a beyond-my-club level. For three+ years, I was the District Membership Chair. I focused on traveling around our district with my sidekick Joe Ruskey (yup – also a past District Governor) on how strong clubs create a strong Foundation… and vice-versa. During my travels, I crafted ten tips to attract and retain members. These tips proved effective: our District had growing membership during two of these three years – and the third year was flat. So If you’re looking to add members to your club, consider taking a page from these 10 tips...

Foundation Highlights August 2020

Highlights from the Foundation

On behalf of the Rotary District 6250 Foundation Committee, thank you all for your service and gifts of time, talent and treasure this past Rotary year!

While there are always obstacles, this year has been particularly challenging with the pandemic. While we work to adapt to limited social interactions, travel and in many ways a new lifestyle, our District continues to do its good work in our communities and abroad almost without pause. This is only possible because of the efforts of each of our committee members, and our many amazingly generous Rotarians in District 6250.

Read a few highlights of our Foundation team's accomplishments in the past Rotary year.

Rotary Magazine Highlight August 2020

Our own Karen Kendrick Hands talking about the new 7th area of focus - the Environment. 5 Questions on Environmental Projects https://www.rotary.org/en/5-questions-about-environmental-projects-karen-kendrick-hands

1. How does the environment fit into Rotary’s areas of focus?

Any project in any area of focus will benefit from having environmental sustainability as one of its watchwords. It’s a lot harder to supply clean water to people if your watershed is compromised— if your river is full of industrial, human, and animal waste. Basic education and literacy is a challenge when kids are sick because the school well is contaminated. Health is affected when insects carrying diseases expand their geographic range due to changing climate patterns. Water wars and climate refugees will make achieving peace and conflict resolution more complicated. Economic development is slowed when there’s not adequate energy. Rotary would do a huge service to the world if it moved every water project from a diesel pump to wind or solar. That’s a project that’s scalable.

Supporting the Environment becomes a new area of focus

The Rotary Foundation Trustees and Rotary International Board of Directors have both unanimously approved adding a new area of focus: supporting the environment.

July 2020 Governors Message

Welcome to the 2020-2021 Rotary Year! This year, the Rotary theme is “Rotary Opens Opportunities”.

Each month, District Governor Bill Pritchard will share some thoughts and goings on from around the district. Click on the link below to read Bill's July message.

All (22) Foundation (8) News (5) Global Grants (3) Interact (3) Youth Programs (3) Membership (1) Saving Mothers & Children (1) Supporting the Environment (1) The Rotarian Magazine (1)