District Address:
PO Box 445
New Hampton, IA 50659
Telephone:
641-330-3118
Email:
- Do you want to run a hybrid meeting and need some help? Click here to get information from Minnesota District 5950's website.
- Michelle Bell received the Service Above Self Award and last weekend's All Iowa District Conference. Michelle is a Past District Governor and the current president of the Linn County Rotary Club. Congratulations Michelle!
July, 2022
A Note from Your District Governor
Dear Rotarians,
Here we go! We are off and running on our 2022-23 Rotary journey. Our theme this year is “Imagine Rotary.” I love that theme. I’m already having fun imagining what each of you will accomplish this year. As your District Governor I’ll be sharing a monthly message with you to give you what you need to know as we ride along together, learn together, and celebrate Rotary together. I’ll be cheering you on as you reach your goals—in your clubs, in your communities, and around the world. And I’ll be celebrating with you as each of us become better a person because of our Rotary journey. IMAGINE what can be…
Last Wednesday night we had a splendid event in Waverly for the “Passing of the Gavel” for our Waverly Club presidency, combined with my installation as District Governor. Eleven Past District Governors attended, along with five Assistant District Governors, many on our District Leadership Team, and eighteen Rotary Clubs from our District were represented that night. It was an exciting event. I am proud of my Waverly Club for being such great hosts. There are many people to thank, but if you will allow me to get personal for a bit, there are two Rotarians to which I extend very special thanks.
The first is Waverly Rotarian Lynne Fruehling, who not only passed the President’s gavel to Shawn Ellerbroek, our President-Elect, but also graciously hosted the event with her husband, Bill, at the Fruehling Barn, a really fun venue! I celebrate Lynne as our Past President as she brought amazing energy to our Waverly Club. In this day of vaccinations, she was definitely a “booster”!. Through her leadership, our club has been revitalized by going to a new meeting schedule and venue that works for our members, by doing fundraising events in new ways, by adding more flair to our events, and getting involved in RYE again. Thank you sincerely, Lynne, for your inspiring leadership!
The second is PDG Jeff Hassman. I can’t thank him enough for his constant reaching out to me, to help me acclimate to the role of District Governor. He welcomed me to ride along with him on his Rotary journey at any time, and we shared many rides together. On behalf of our District, I also thank Jeff for his thoughtful and caring leadership this past year. Jeff is a great listener. He’s a visionary. The vision he and his cohort from District 6000 had for an All-Iowa District Conference culminated last April in Iowa City with an event we’ll remember for a long time. The conference was bursting with energy and passion for Rotary. Thank you, PDG Jeff!
Both Jeff and I are blessed to have two teammates who are willing and eager partners in the work we do as District Governors—Maripili Hassman and Kris Meyer. They are a blessing!
I am honored to serve, excited to visit your clubs, and eager to meet more District 5970 Rotarians!
Until next month, keep IMAGINING!
Don Meyer
District Governor 2022-23
At the All Iowa District Conference on April 23, Michelle Bell received the Service Above Self award. This award is Rotary’s highest honor and recognizes Rotarians who demonstrate Rotary’s motto, Service Above Self, by volunteering their time and talents to help others. The award is internationally competitive, and is granted to no more than 150 Rotarians worldwide. Today, no more than one individual from each district, each year can earn the prestigious honor.
Ward Budweg of the Decorah Rotary Club has been selected as the District Governor for the 2025-2026 Rotary Year. Congratulations, Ward!
John Wasta, District 5970 Foundation ChairJune, 2022
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Welcome to the June District 5970 Foundation newsletter. I will start with a thank you to each District 5970 Rotarian. We are wrapping up a wonderful Foundation year. June is the final month of the Rotary year and we need to focus to get to the goals we set for the year accomplished.
Click on "read more" for more about -
- Reminder - District Grant final reports were due May 31, 2022
- Grant applications for 2022-2023 are due June 15, 2022
- NEW - Polio Plus Society Recognition - become a founding member
- Check your Foundation giving at My.Rotary.org
- Watch a video about Rotary's disaster relief to Ukraine
Yours in Rotary,
John Wasta
District 5970 Foundation Chair
New cell phone number 319-440-5959
John.wasta@gmail.com
Jennifer Jones
President 2022-23
President 2022-23
July 2022
Every month since I joined Rotary, I’ve looked forward to reading this magazine, especially the opening essay from our Rotary president. I’ll admit that as much as I appreciate a digital copy, I still revel in the tactile sensation of sitting down and leafing through the glossy pages. They are a treasure trove of photos and memorable stories about our great organization — the one we all know and love. I have learned so much over the years about service projects and lives that each of you have transformed.
As a communications professional, I have longed for the day that our stories were a regular part of mainstream media and that our flagship magazine might populate doctor’s offices, coffee shops, or anywhere else people sit, wait, and browse. It’s great that Rotary members are better informed about all we do, and wouldn’t it be that much better if more people knew our stories.
All this was top of mind as I thought about our plans for promoting Rotary worldwide in the upcoming year. Over the next 12 months, we are going to shine a light on projects that put Rotary service on display to the world, and we are going to do it strategically. Nick and I will focus on some of the highest impact, sustainable, and scalable Rotary projects from our areas of focus in what we call the Imagine Impact Tour.
We are inviting top-tier journalists, thought leaders, and influencers to use their channels to help us raise awareness by reaching people who want to serve but have not yet realized they can do it through Rotary.
But there was another important issue to consider — our carbon footprint. I take seriously Rotary’s emerging leadership position on environmental issues. The example set by our members during the pandemic is fundamental to how we carve out our future.
That means we will harness digital technology to tell these stories — we will be tweeting, posting, and “going live” to anyone who will listen. We must consider our environment, and part of that means not always traveling but continuing to connect in meaningful ways as we have for the past two years.
Of course, we are social people, and we still need to be together. We simply need to be more mindful of our decisions and think about how we get together just a little bit differently. For example, if we travel to visit a project, we will plan successive visits in neighboring areas.
So, what are your stories and who can help tell them? I hope you might consider your own Imagine Impact efforts — your story might be something you can promote just as easily on social media or during a Zoom call. Think about ways to showcase notable projects in your clubs and districts.
We all feel the impact that Rotary service and values have on us. Now it’s our opportunity to share that feeling with others.
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