Your Board met on Monday, Oct 25 to cover the usual business and to take a look at the way we're dealing with masks and Covid in general ... and how this has affected our Club. You all know attendance has been sorely impacted.
Starting with October 29 meeting:
All in-person attendees must be vaccinated and masked. We're not going to ask for proof of vaccination. We'll let the four-way test handle that.
Unvaccinated people attend via Zoom, & we genuinely wish they do so.
If you eat or drink at the meeting, you'll see two special tables set aside for you. Most of the room will be for people not eating or drinking, and they'll be wearing masks all the time. You'll have your mask off while eating/drinking, obviously, but put it back on when you're done. The meeting runner and Board members in attendance will lovingly poke members who've let their masks slip.
People at the microphone may remove their mask while they're there. No removal of masks when talking from the floor ... just go to the microphone and remove your mask.
Relatedly, we're aware that our usage of Zoom has been too often problematic. We know this is an issue and we're working on it.
The Board hopes this revised policy encourages more members to attend the meetings in person. We want the safest, healthiest environment for members to enjoy what they primarily come to the Club FOR: fellowship. We want to re-establish the importance of regular attendance in our members' lives. We can't do the good we do without engaged members. We think many have just gotten out of the habit of attending meetings regularly, especially in light of Covid. We want to change that. We NEED to change that.
We will review this policy regularly. We hope that Covid continues its downward trend. We'll follow Dane County on refining our mask policy. We have moved our Fiftieth Anniversary event from January to the spring in the hope that the Covid situation is better, and that we can hold part of the event outdoors.
Finally, please, please make a hearty effort to attend meetings in person. Venue directions are in the Bulletin. Your Club needs you. If you have questions about this new policy, please reach out to President-Elect Kathy Roberg (kar8525@gmail.com )
November 19District Governor Karen Hebert will talk about the state of affairs in our District and beyond. Karen noted that it is our 50th anniversary.
Birthdays:
November 25: Joe Valenta
November 30: Tony Burns
December 06: Deb Dieter
December 17: Jack Ferreri
December 31: Jerry Smith
Anniversaries:
November 27: Joe Valenta, 21 years
December 20: Jim Emerick, 52 years
Join Date:
November 14: Deb Dieter, 24 years
November 15: Todd Wiegand, 5 years
December 04: Barry Pace, 6 years
December 06: Abby Benbow, 2 years
UPCOMING PROGRAMS:
November 26 No meeting (Thanksgiving)
December 03 Our own Kathy Roberg as a member of "Walking Each Other Home" will talk on the conversation none of us wants to have, Death and Dying.
December 10Middleton School Superintendent Dr. Dana Monogue
December 17 Open
December 24 No Meeting
December 31 No Meeting
Our January 50th anniversary meeting is postponed until spring.
January 7Veterinarian Dr. Marty Greer will talk about her drive-thru pet clinic. She and her husband, also a vet, own three animal clinics in Wisconsin but their newest clinic, Checkout Veterinary in Sun Prairie, is a drive-through wellness pet clinic and the only one in the U.S. -- the concept is patented. Pet owners love this no waiting room, of not having to fend off bigger dogs.
January 14 Jim Emerick's son Tyler and daughter-in-law Meredith Emerick will talk about Adopting Children in China.
January 21 Open
January 28 Author David Benjamin will talk about publishing books -- he has written 16 of them
February 4 Dr. Daniel Dickinson will discuss sleep disorders.
At our 11/05 meeting, Mike Dillis, Assistant District Governor and Chair of the District 6250 Hybrid Meeting Task Force, sat in and observed. He followed that up with comments, suggestions, and resources to selected Board members. He saw ways for us to improve the user experience for our Zoomers. We’re digesting these suggestions, and you can expect to see changes in the coming weeks. Thanks, everyone for your patience with our hybrid meetings. Please feel free to send Club Service Chair Dean Ryerson (dryerson@tds.net) any suggestions regarding your virtual attendance at our meetings. Thanks.
Here is a photo of (most of) our nine-person McAdow Miles Team at the Epic Campus on our 14-mile ride today around Verona for Polio Plus. A big thanks to Paul Patenaude for organizing it, and also to Mary Ruth Marks for her wonderfully narrated tour of Epic.
Lizzy Gietman has resigned from the Club due to an imminent move to Green Bay for work.
We have a new member application from Kevin Hayden, sponsored by Mary Beth Growney-Selene. Classification is Healthcare, Retired. This is his second mention in the Bulletin
The Wisconsin Academic Decathlon The State Competition takes place Thursday-Friday, February 24-25, 2022
at the Wilderness Resort/Glacier Canyon Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells.
Our Club has participated – and for years funded the meal – for many years. It’s an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Here’s a link to the Volunteer section of their website.
More than one-third of the global population lacks basic sanitation. About 10 percent of people worldwide do not have clean water. Rotary and USAID share a commitment to providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene through sustainable projects that are built on local needs. The unique partnership pairs the technical expertise of USAID professionals with Rotary members, who are leaders in their communities, and who build the capacity of local governments and residents to plan and implement solutions. The partnership has committed $18 million through 2025 and has improved the lives of an estimated 450,000 people since 2007. Learn more about the partnership and share with your members how it’s making a difference in countries like the Dominican Republic, Ghana, the Philippines, and Uganda.
Our members are willing to do darn anything for our Club and its good causes … including quaffing a beer or two. Headquarters Pub in Oregon hosted a Pints for Polio event on Monday, donating a dollar for every pint sold to go to PolioPlus. We were well represented; in the middle in purple is the Assistant District Governor Erin Luken. Salute to Mary Van Hout for organizing!
The meeting place is Serendipity Labs, a co-working facility on the sixth floor of the Johnson Bank Building at 525 Junction Road (right next to Panera Bread). We’re in the SOUTH TOWER. Parking is easy and undercover. We’re doing this on a month-to-month basis right now, but it may lead to a long-term arrangement.
Our meeting place is circled in red on this map. 6th floor. For parking, follow the blue arrow on the map to underground parking. Go left once you enter the ramp. Parking is free; park in any unassigned spot. Go to the covered walkway to enter the building and grab the elevator to the sixth floor.
Our District 6250 Grant Committee is pleased to offer matching grants through a one-time pilot project through the rest of 2021-22. $33,453 is available on a first-come, first-served basis until all funds are granted. There is no change to the criteria used to review and approve applications. Project reports are due by May 15, 2022.
According to Liz Evans, District Grant Committee Chair, “This pilot project is intended to give our clubs the ability to apply for a grant at any time a project is identified as long as funds are available. We hope this gives Rotarians more flexibility to consider projects that might be difficult to fund with short-term notice. It can also help to provide more timely responses due to the shortened time available to complete projects.”
This pilot project will be evaluated at the end of the year to determine if there is a positive impact for District 6250 Clubs. If this process works well for our clubs, we will consider using it in years that District Designated Funds are available after the June review period.
Qualified clubs can submit an application at any time to D6250Grants@gmail.com.
Applications materials and supporting information are available on the District 6250 website under the Foundation header. Questions about the application process can also be sent to the email above.
BMO Harris o Club checking account o Foundation checking account o Foundation bingo checking account
Charles Schwab o Legacy account
Investments
Cash balance
Overview of Club Day-to-Day Operations
Income - $18K o Member dues o Meeting meals
Expenses - $18K o Club administration o Room rental & meals o Club Service activities o Dues – RI & District 6250
Financial objective o Was – generate income o Is – breakeven & user friendly
Cash balance – $25K
Summary of Foundation Income
Objective o Sustainable o Predictable o Prior fiscal year income
Sources - $51K o Golf outing o McAdow Miles o Good Neighbor Fest o Legacy Fund transfers o Raffle & Happy/Sad Dollars o Rotary District & Global Grants
o Other donations & special bequests
Summary of Foundation Expenses
Objective o Breakeven o Boots on the ground o Balanced across committees o Retain for needs during the fiscal year
Uses - $53K o Community Service projects o International Service projects o Vocational Service projects o Administration
Balance - $50K
Special Events Finances
Foundation Bingo Account - $5K o Separate BMO Harris account o Required by State of Wisconsin
Balance to be transferred to Foundation checking account
Golf Outing - $0K o Ad Hoc operation o John Olsen, Treasurer
Operated within Foundation checking account
Schwab Account
Origin o Was – an “endowment” o Is – Legacy Fund
Objective o Sustainable o Supporting our causes o Encourage future bequests
Management Goals o Fund investments o Balanced profile
o Fully invested
o Annual payout – 5% of prior 12 quarter balance ($14K)
One of the "Happy Bucks," offered last Friday was for the birth of former Rotary Exchange Student Rumi Matsukata Hige's baby girl. Rumi was our exchange student, at the time we were sponsoring a new club in Reedsburg. We placed Rumi with three families in the Reedsburg School District. The following is a brief excerpt from a recent e-mail we received. The birth of this baby is extra special because Rumi is 47 years old. This is the couple's first child.
"... I returned home from the hospital yesterday (in Japan, we stay at least 5 days at the hospital and I stayed 9 days at the hospital) and I can now write you back! The baby was born on Nov 2nd, weighed 7.63 pounds and 19.68 inches. We are both well. Haven’t finalized the name yet … but more likely to be Yui Hige (Yui is the first name)."
Rotary Club of Madison West Towne-Middleton, PO Box 620312, Middleton WI 53562
We meet at Serendipity Labs, 6th floor Johnson Bank Building, SOUTH TOWER, 525 Junction Road (right next to Panera Bread) We’re doing this on a month-to-month basis right now, but it may lead to a long-term arrangement.
Fridays at 12:12 PM
The meetings combine a live, in-person element with the capability to join via Zoom.
We are the self-anointed ‘Coolest Rotary Club in the World.’
Our website is mwt-mrotaryclub.org
Executives
President
Connie Fish
President-Elect
Kathy Roberg
Secretary
Jack Ferreri
Treasurer
Matt Loch
Club Service
Dean Ryerson & Rod Nilles
Community Service
Abby Benbow & Todd Wigand
International Service
Paul Patenaude & Mary Cobb Dunn
Vocational Service
Roxanne Brazeau & Jim Emerick
We meet
FRIDAYS at 12:12 pm
at
Serendipity Labs, Suite 6500 Johnson Bank Building 525 Junction Road Madison, Wisconsin 53717
ask Force, sat in and observed. He followed that up with comments, suggestions, and resources to selected Board members. He saw ways for us to improve the user experience for our Zoomers. We’re digesting these suggestions, and you can expect to see changes in the coming weeks. Thanks, everyone for your patience with our hybrid meetings. Please feel free to send Club Service Chair Dean Ryerson (dryerson@tds.net) any suggestions regarding your virtual attendance at our meetings. Thanks.
Here is a photo of (most of) our nine-person McAdow Miles Team at the Epic Campus on our 14-mile ride today around Verona for Polio Plus. A big thanks to Paul Patenaude for organizing it, and also to Mary Ruth Marks for her wonderfully narrated tour of Epic.
Our District 6250 Grant Committee is pleased to offer matching grants through a one-time pilot project through the rest of 2021-22. $33,453 is available on a first-come, first-served basis until all funds are granted. There is no change to the criteria used to review and approve applications. Project reports are due by May 15, 2022.
