Our January 50th anniversary meeting is postponed until spring.
PAST 2 WEEK'S PROGRAMS:
March 4 - Jim Emerick's son, Tyler, and his daughter-in-law Meredith, talked about adopting children in China.
March 11 - Our own Mary Van Hout will present speaker Dave Schroeder who is an expert on the technology of cybersecurity in our military operations. Don't miss this informative and vital program.
THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM:
March 18 - After twenty years as Wisconsin's head football equipment manager, Mark Peeler was named UW's Director of Equipment Operations for ALL sports which include the department's 23 athletic programs and 26 support units. Imagine having so much responsibility in so many areas! Don't miss this exciting program brought to us by Leo Edelstein!
UPCOMING PROGRAMS:
March 25 - Mary Beth will discuss our upcoming and largest fundraising activity of the year, the golf outing.
April 1 - Bev Davis is a hospice chaplain and an author of books about kindness and then about bullying.
April 8 - Jim Olmsted's daughter-in-law, Diana Decker, (our 6th-floor hostess), will show us around the various offices on the 6th floor and then talk about her previous job in Madison's hotel industry where she was responsible for finding accommodations for visiting big 10 sports teams when they played the Badgers and what the Covid virus did to that industry.
April 15 - Open
April 22 - Leanne Lippincott-Wuerthele details to follow.
Currently, 1 in 3 families in America struggles to afford diapers for their children. The Village Diaper Bank partners with local service organizations to provide free diapers to disadvantaged families while raising awareness of the basic health need for diapers." from The Village Diaper Bank website
Dean Ryerson is heading up a baby diaper collection for the Village Diaper Bank. Child's Diapers will be collected at the March 18 meeting. Sizes large or extra-large are most needed.
At our meeting on Friday, March 18th, there will again be food available!
As a continuation of what hopefully will become a weekly event, we will have food for our meeting! This week, we will again have a variety of pizzas, sodas, and a dessert; as always, water will also be available. There is no need to reply if you will be participating as we want to keep this simple. It also means we are unsure of the correct amount of food to have available - hopefully, we won't run out! You will be asked to provide a small donation if you participate. $10 or so should be about right.
This "soft opening" will help us determine our members’ interest in sharing a meal together again. Please contact our Club Service Committee (Dean Ryerson ryerson@tds.net, Rod Nilles rcnilles@chorus.net, or Mary Van Hout maryevanhout@gmail.com) about your thoughts, including alternative vendors and menus.
Our meeting time together is always a great way to connect, share ideas and continue to get to know one another. That's made better by having lunch together! See you Friday for another great meeting!
The Madison West Towne-Middleton Rotary Foundation Board of Directors has authorized a fundraising campaign to support relief to Ukraine in light of the catastrophe of the Russian invasion. This will be a matching fundraiser, and the Foundation will match contributions from both members and non-members up to $5,000.
Initially, a check can be made out to the Madison West Towne-Middleton Rotary Foundation, in the amount of your donation, with a notation on the check indicating “Ukraine” or “Ukraine Relief”. Bring the check to a meeting or mail it to
Madison West Towne-Middleton Rotary Foundation
P.O Box 620312
Middleton, WI 53562-0312.
We will have the fundraiser open for the next four weeks, ending on April 10th. We will send all collected funds to Rotary International’s Disaster Response Fund, specifically designated for Ukrainian relief. We'll keep the Club posted on the amount donated.
Join Rotary as we come together to help districts affected by the worsening Ukrainian humanitarian crisis.
As one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations, Rotary has made peace the cornerstone of our global mission. We are deeply concerned about the Ukraine crisis and need your help.
Rotary is made up of people of action, especially in difficult times. In response to the deepening refugee crisis, The Rotary Foundation Trustees have decided to prioritize contributions made to the Disaster Response Fund until 30 April 2022 to support disaster response grants for districts affected by these events. These expedited disaster response grants can be used to supply water, food, medicine, shelter, and clothing.
Half a million people have fled Ukraine and are in dire need of emergency aid. The United Nations estimates that the number of refugees could grow to as many as 5 million people displaced. Rotary clubs in Europe and around the world have stepped up their relief work, some working on the ground to help displaced families.
With your donation to our Disaster Response Fund, we can support communities and help rebuild lives during this tragic time.
Sincerely,
John Germ Trustee Chair, 2021-22 The Rotary Foundation
On behalf of the Host Organization Committee, we cannot wait to welcome Rotarians and guests to Houston and the great State of Texas for the 2022 Rotary International Convention. The saying goes that everything is “Bigger”, “Better” and “Friendlier” in Texas, and the goal of the Houston Host Organization Committee is to have each of you feel that every moment as our guest while in Houston! From the humble beginnings of this great city, Houston has been led by “People of Action” who have taken this City to great heights including, to the moon and back.
The City has plenty of activities to keep you entertained. Visit Space Center Houston, the home of Johnson Space Center and the Astronauts. Enjoy a night at the theater. Houston features a world-class symphony, opera, ballet and permanent theater company. World-class museums are within a short ride from the convention center. Of course, you can watch the 2017 World Series Champion Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park which is within walking distance from the Houston Convention Center. Second stop – Host Committee Events
Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the world with a vast range of cultures. Houston’s diversity has resulted in some of the world’s best cuisine. Houston’s vast array of restaurants includes Creole, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Italian, African, Caribbean, Argentinian and of course our very own Tex-Mex and world-famous BBQ, to name a few.
Stay tuned to this website for some exciting things to look forward to during your trip to Houston!
We look forward to welcoming each of you personally to Houston in June of 2022!!
Posted by Submitted byJack Ferreri on Mar 17, 2022
Draft MINUTES v 1
Note: THIS WAS A ZOOM MEETING, IN LIGHT OF COVID-19
Board Members in Attendance:, Roxanne Brazeau, Jim Emerick, Jack Ferreri, Connie Fish, Kevin Hayden, Matt Loch, Rod Nilles, Paul Patenaude, Kathy Roberg, Dean Ryerson,
Members Absent: Steve Aune, Abby Benbow, MC Dunn
CLUB MEETING
Called to order by President Connie Fish at 12:02pm.
PRESIDENT (Fish)
Consent agenda on Secretary report and Club financial report. Ryerson moves approval, with Roberg second. Motion passes.
Edelstein will take over membership chair from Tony Burns. Fish will meet with Edelstein, Hayden, and Roberg to get membership moving.
Nominations for next Board (2022-2023):
President Kathy Roberg
Incoming President Kevin Hayden
Secretary Jack Ferreri
Treasurer Matt Loch
International Paul Patenaude
Vocational Jim Emerick
Community John Gerold
Club Rod Nilles
Should the Club make a donation in honor of recently-departed Club member Ruth Domack? No indications of guidance for any donations received. How best to honor her memory? Perhaps a special mention at the Golf Outing, since she was always active in it.
Dane County is lifting mask mandate as of March 1. What should we do? RI in Evanston still needs proof of vaccination or a negative test. The Board resolves on the following policy:
Masks are not mandatory
Members may wear masks if they wish
Unvaccinated may attend meeting in person, although we prefer they attend via Zoom
We encourage unvaccinated attendees to wear masks
We’ll announce this policy at the next meeting, as well as in the Bulletin and via email.
The meeting place is Serendipity Labs, a co-working facility on the sixth floor of the Johnson Bank Building at 525 Junction Road Madison, WI 53717(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.
Effective at 12:00 am on March 1, 2022, Public Health Madison & Dane County no longer requires face coverings in public indoor spaces in light of steadily decreasing COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations.
“Letting the face-covering order expire doesn’t mean that the pandemic is over. Rather, it signals that we have made it through the Omicron surge and are entering a new stage of the pandemic,” said Janel Heinrich, Director of Public Health Madison & Dane County. “The most important thing you can do now is to stay up-to-date on our vaccines as they have proven to be highly effective in protecting you from becoming severely ill, ending up in the hospital, or dying from COVID-19.”
As stated at a previous meeting we are making a change to our attendance policy. We will no longer be requiring members and guests to wear a mask during our in-person meetings. Please note that we will no longer be asking attendees to be vaccinated in order to attend in-person meetings. We know that this is a very personal choice for all.
Rotary Club of Madison West Towne-Middleton, PO Box 620312, Middleton WI 53562
We’re currently holding Hybrid/Zoom meetings during this COVID time. The Zoom link is above in this Bulletin. The in-person meeting site is the Johnson Bank building at 525 Junction Road. Park in the ramp to the east of the building, then go to the 6th floor to Serendipity Labs.
You can’t miss us.
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.’
Rotary is made up of people of action, especially in difficult times. In response to the deepening refugee crisis, The Rotary Foundation Trustees have decided to prioritize contributions made to the 
