Regular Meeting - April 25, 2024 (May 01, 2024)

Last Time We Met 4/25/2024

Today our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg. We sang and recited the pledge:
We pledge ourselves to; Create Hope in the World;. We will accomplish this by reaffirming our mission to inspire leaders with passion to serve humanity, strengthen youth for tomorrows' leadership and dedicate ourselves to enhancing lives in our world. Before we speak, act, or make decisions, let us pause and ask ourselves: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? These are our compass and will ensure that our actions are filled with integrity and genuine care.
Attending
Dirk Barrett, Wade Bastian, Terry Bizal, Julie Fish, Neil Gagnon, Katie Harstad, Thomas Kerber, Heather Kliewer, Mark Kuyava, Dr. Laura Mullennex, Cal Portner, Pete Reiner, Debbi Rydberg, Theresa Slominski, Joe Stremcha, Nicole Wojcik, Bob Maxwell, John Osterman, Bruce Tyler

Guests Attending
Garrett

Program
Debbi introduced Bret Denison of Diageo Hospitality Partnership Spirits Education; Tasting. They are a parent company that owns many different brands of liquor. The program was very educational on what bourbon is and isn’t. To be sold as Bourbon in the USA, it needs to be made in the United States, must be made from at least 51% corn, aged in new charred oak barrels, and it can’t be distilled to over 160 proof. It is one of the most regulated alcohols in the world. We sampled Bulleit Bourbon, Bulleit Rye,
George Dickel 8 years, and George Dickel Bottled in Bond. Bret was very knowledgeable and provided a wealth of information regarding bourbon, whiskey, whisky, proofs, definitions of labels, the production processes, and history of the liquor.

District Updates
Shark Tank is May 8th . It is a virtual event and Debbi will be attending. Let her know if you are interested in attending also.

Board and Committee Updates

Service Committee – Mark Kuyava shared that we will be collecting lithium batteries at the Farmers Market every week this summer. We will also be helping as bartenders with the Livin Event at the racetrack in September and more information will be coming.
The next Taste meeting will be May 9 after the regular meeting. Katie thanked everyone for the feedback on the ticket site. Jim Boyle will be doing an article in May.

Public Relations - Cal Portner shared that Star News has started publishing the upcoming speakers in the Star News, and so thank you to those who provided bios on the program along with the speaker and organization name.

May 2, 11 a.m. is the next Board meeting.

May 2 program will be Victoria Powell and Melissa Pribyl with Sherburne County Substance Use Prevention Coalition.

May 9 program will be Ceallaigh (pronounced Kelly) Smart from Haiti Outreach.
Rotary Vocational Minute – through a series of questions, Debbi invited Neil Gagnon to talk about his vocation at The Bank of Elk River and his commitment to Rotary.

Fundraising Opportunities

Delights and Dilemmas
T

erry Bizal thanked Debbi for leading the Student of the Month program last week in his absence and was delighted to have attended his daughter’s game in Montreal.
Wade Bastian was delighted to have done maple “syruping” for the first time. He has two batches, a “blonde” and a “brunette”.
Julie Fish was delighted with Saturday’s adventures. She went to friends’ Ryan and Becky Thompson’s Produce in Nowthen to get eggs and a sneak peak at the greenhouses. Then she went to her sister’s house for a visit with her five grandkids under the age of 4 and loved the noise and the chaos!
Bob Maxwell thanked Katie for her help with the ticket site that is ready to go once we get the all clear.

John Osterman was delighted to have talked with Cathy Mehelich at Marilyn VanPatten’s funeral and coordinate a Polio Plus bowling tournament with the St. Cloud Rotary.
Neil Gagnon was delighted for the Timberwolves 2-0 record over the Suns, significant because they have been dominated by them losing 13 of last 15 games previously.
Tom Kerber was delighted to have passed his private pilot’s exam a week and a half ago, and his number two son passed his driver’s exam.
Cal Portner was delighted for the NFL draft to actually start today because he is sick of all the speculative drafts.
Nicole Wojcik was delighted to have attended a Tim McGraw concert, and Sunday they opened the camper and only found 5 mice. She had a bit of a dilemma with April as a close friend of Haley’s passed away and Marilyn’s funeral was the third one in the month, and the six year anniversary of her dad passing on Tuesday. She went to the cemetery with her mom and then went shopping and they had a great day together.

Birthdays - Wade Bastian paid $20 not to be sung to for his birthday.

Card Draw - There was no winner for the card draw this week.

Debbi said that there was good Rotary representation at Marilyn’s funeral and wake.

Pearls of Wisdom:

“Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but whenever
you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.” Unknown Author

Last Time We Met 4/18/2024
Today our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg. We sang and recited the pledge:
We pledge ourselves to Create Hope in the World. We will accomplish this by reaffirming our mission to inspire leaders with passion to serve humanity, strengthen youth for tomorrows leadership and dedicate ourselves to enhancing lives in our world. Before we speak, act, or make decisions, let us pause and ask ourselves: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? These are our compass and will ensure that our actions are filled with
integrity and genuine care.

Attending
Wade Bastian, Melanie Clemons, Roger Clemons, Julie Fish, Neil Gagnon, Heather Kliewer, Tove Lichty, Cal Portner, Pete Reiner, Debbi Rydberg, Alan Sakry, Theresa Slominski, Joe Stremcha, Glen Ertel, Bob Maxwell, John Osterman, Bruce Tyler

Guests Attending
Patricia McClease, District Governor; Syd McGowan with FirsTeam; Gigi Clemons (Melanie’s daughter); Student of the month, Isaac Sydow and parents Lori and Kelly Sydow; and Garrett who is checking out our club.

Program

It was Club Assembly today and we started by recognizing our Student of the Month, Isaac Sydow. He is captain of the Tennis Team and also captain of the Robotics Team, a position he has held for the past four years. He is also on the Math Team and a member of the Jazz Band. His favorite classes are Manufacturing Shop and Calculus. He plans on attending the University of Wisconsin – Madison and majoring in Engineering after graduating. In his spare time, he likes to repair vehicles, create metal art, build rockets, JAVA programming, fly drones, scuba diving, and sailing. His leadership style is to learn and then teach and encourage others. He believes anyone can do anything they set their mind to!

Next was Paul Harris recognition. Julie Fish, Tove Lichty, and Cal Portner each received Paul Harris pins for their generous contributions to the Rotary Foundation. Also recognized but not present was Stewart Wilson. District Governor Patricia McClease thanked them for their generosity.

Debbi Rydberg shared that we will be collecting lithium batteries at the Farmers Market each week this summer. She has also been asked to share information about our collection events with the Conference of Clubs.
Julie Fish thanked everyone for attending the membership social last week. We had 19 people attend, gave away four gift cards, and recognized Melanie Clemons for bringing the most guests to our meetings and having the most new members join, and all had fun.

Next week at Rotary we will have Bret Denison from Diageo Hospitality Partnership Spirits for some education and tasting.

Patricia McClease was asked if she would like to share a few words and she said she was happy to attend our meeting today, thanked the Paul Harris contributors, and then asked various members what they were proud of with our club.

Tove Lichty was proud of the audio visual display that is now at each club meeting, Theresa Slominski was proud of our opportunity to partner with the club in Rwanda for a global grant (and also asked for another committee member to join!),

John Osterman was proud of our Taste event, Wade Bastian was proud of the welcome he received as a new club member,

Peter Reiner was proud of all our Paul Harris members, and

Julie Fish was proud of the Student of the Month program we have.

Debbi Rydberg shared that Marilyn VanPatten-Chuba passed away April 14 of Glioblastoma brain tumors. The visitation will be Tuesday, April 23 4-7pm at Dares Funeral and Cremation in Elk River, and the funeral will be Wednesday, April 24 12:30 at St Andrew’s Church. A moment of silence was held followed by a few moments of remembering her lively spirit as others shared favorite memories.

Rotating Reports

District updates
Celebration of Clubs is Saturday, May 4, $20 per person, at the Phipps Center for Arts in Hudson, WI, and Boyd Huppert will be the speaker.

Fundraising Opportunities

Delights and Dilemmas:
Cal Portner was delighted to attend a tribute band concert for ELO at the Burnsville Center and an upcoming trip to Vienna and Prague with his wife and daughter.
Bob Maxwell was delighted to be back om Arizona.
Roger Clemons was delighted and proud of his daughter, Melanie Clemons, for being honored as the Volunteer of the Month for the City of Elk River.
Theresa Slominski was delighted Bob was back, for the student of the month, and that Patricia was able to visit us.
Tove Lichty had a dilemma that raccoons broke her new Oriole bird feeder.
Wade Bastian was delighted to be able to carry on the Leadership Breakfast that Jim Acres used to organize. He has passed and the Leadership Breakfast is now in his name and will be held 5/16.
Heather Kliewer was delighted to be able to recognize the wonderful person Marilyn was, and for the Loons playing at the Dayton bar last Saturday.
Julie Fish was delighted for Marilyn’s life, for Melanie because she loves Rotary so much, for Garrett attending our social and coming back to visit our club meeting, the attendance at the social, and for her business being recognized in the small business section of the newspaper in March.
Alan Sakry was delighted for the 5 days of peace and quiet he had while his wife and daughter were in Arizona hiking, had a dilemma when his furnace went out during that time, and a delight in memory of Marilyn.
Debbi Rydberg was delighted to have attended an Air Force concert in St Michael for her husband’s birthday, and also in remembering Marilyn.

Birthdays – There were no birthdays to recognize this week.

The winner for the card draw this week was Theresa Slominski.

Pearls of Wisdom:
“Minds are like parachutes – they only function when they are open.” Thomas Dewar, in honor of a Braver Angels event Debbi Rydberg attended Tuesday evening.

Last Time We Met 4/4/2024

Today our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg. We sang and recited the pledge:

We pledge ourselves to "Create Hope in the World". We will accomplish this by reaffirming our mission to inspire leaders with passion to serve humanity, strengthen youth for tomorrow's leadership and dedicate ourselves to enhancing lives in our world. Before we speak, act, or make decisions, let us pause and ask ourselves: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? These are our compass and will ensure that our actions are filled with integrity and genuine care.

Attending

Melanie Clemons, Roger Clemons, Julie Fish, Neil Gagnon, Molly Hanson, Katie Harstad, Heather Kliewer, Bonnie Koste, Mark Kuyava, Dr. Laura Mullennex, Cal Portner, Debbi Rydberg, Theresa Slominski, Nicole Wojcik, Bill Yueill, John Osterman, Bruce Tyler

Guests Attending

Rachael Hill of Jeff Hill Legacy Fund and Molly Ruby, Associate Director of YMCA

Program

Melanie Clemons introduced Rachael Hill with the Jeff Hill Legacy Fund. Jeff Hill was Rachael’s husband and they met in the Air Force right out of high school in Technical Training and were married in Guam when they were 19 years old. They lived in Alaska for a time and then were transferred to Mississippi where both their sons were born. He was diagnosed with a medical condition the jeopardized his ability to be a pilot, however he fought this and was able to continue to be a pilot and in 2007 received

his dream assignment to fly C17s in Alaska. The family did a

lot of camping and outdoor activities together while in Alaska and were living the dream! On July 28, 2010, Jeff was called out to a routine flight assignment, expecting to return home after dinner time. Rachael received the phone call that the plane went down killing all four crew members on board. The boys were 3 and 5, and she made a pact with herself that they were not going to live a sad life but were somehow going to turn this tragedy into something good – she just didn’t know what or how. Several of her friends made suggestions over time and it just kind of happened

that the Jeff Hill Legacy Fund was created. She shared a video of Jeff and her family’s life, with pictures of scholarship winners and fundraising events. The organization has given over $150,000 to 80 cadets in scholarships to the University of Anchorage Alaska, (Jeff was the first pilot to receive his wings at the Anchorage detachment and is really why the whole thing started), the University of Minnesota, and the University of Madison Wisconsin. In addition to money, the organization is about taking care of others. Jeff was the guy who was always taking care of others, and the organization is a network to do just that. One of her favorite quotes is that a person dies twice, the first time when they stop breathing, and the second time when their name is spoken the last time. Through this legacy, she can continue to impact lives and have Jeff remembered, and his name spoken.

Rotating Reports

District updates

Celebration of Clubs is Saturday, May 4, $20 per person, at the Phipps Center for Arts in Hudson, WI, and Boyd Huppert will be the speaker. We applied for awards in Club Service, Administration, Community Service, and Public Image.

Community update reports

We had a board meeting before this meeting. Some updates are we are going to award $6,000 in scholarships: 2 $1,500 scholarships to Ivan Sands and 2 $1,500 scholarships to Elk River high school. Fundraiser goals for the foundation were $2,000 for the general fund and we have given $2,220 YTD, and $2,500 for Polio Plus and we have given $1,537 YTD. The Star News has offered to publish our upcoming speaker list for our programs, however, to do this we need to provide the information earlier to Bruce and Cal and need to include a little bio of the program. We voted for two new members and have added Alan Sakry and Roger Clemons to our membership.
Julie Fish gave an update on the membership campaign. The celebration will be April 11 at POUR Cocktail Bar and Bites, 5:30-7:30pm and we will not have a regular meeting that day. Appetizers and one drink will be provided.
Katie Harstad gave a Taste update. We are looking for other fundraising game ideas – something big and visually impactful, like a giant Wheel of Fortune wheel or something. We are moving from a silent auction to a raffle for donated items. The Taste date is August 8, 2024 this year.
If you are interested in helping represent Rotary and present the scholarships to either Ivan Sands on June 4 7:00pm, or Elk River on May 22 7:00pm, please let Molly Hanson know.
April 18 will be Club Assembly, there will be four Paul Harris pins to present, and there will be a Student of the Month presentation.

Fundraising Opportunities

Delights and Dilemmas:

Debbi Rydberg had a dilemma for being hacked on Tuesday but was delighted for her IT guy.

Cal Portner was delighted to announce he will be a grandfather for the first time in September.

Roger Clemons was delighted to have returned from Mexico with his youngest granddaughter, and for the Twins opener today.

Molly Hanson had a dilemma that she was in a car accident on her way to Rotary today. She is grateful for her insurance agent, and her friendship with Rachael who was so supportive with her sister’s death.

Melanie Clemons was delighted for Rachael and her boys, and her parents’ 55^th anniversary 4/19.

Heather Kliewer was delighted with the story of Rachael’s husband and that they share the same birthday, May 29.

Nicole Wojcik was delighted that Haley’s surgery went well, and for her stepson in the Air Force and was encouraged with Rachael’s story and the support the organization provides.

Bonnie Koste had a dilemma that her son’s best friend’s father (Dan Ward) lost his life in a farm accident, and he was a wonderful man who helped everyone and was loved by everyone.

Neil Gagnon was delighted to be back from a family road trip to Florida. He had a dilemma that after switching his home and auto insurance he has a tracker in his vehicle, and he may lose his discount.

Birthdays – Molly’s birthday is next week, and she gave $20 not to have us sing to her.

There was no winner for the card draw this week.

Wade Bastian had an announcement that the Jim Acres Leadership Breakfast is May 16, 7am at the Legion. Trisha Mowry of Metalcraft will be the keynote speaker.

Pearls of Wisdom:

“Most everything that you want is just outside your comfort zone.” Jack Canfield

Last Time We Met 3/28/2024

Today our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg. We sang and recited the pledge:

Attending

Dirk Barrett, Wade Bastian, Terry Bizal, Melanie Clemons, Julie Fish, Molly Hanson, Katie Harstad, Heather Kliewer, Mark Kuyava, Dr. Laura Mullennex, Debbi Rydberg, Ashley Schultz, Theresa Slominski, Joe Stremcha, Bill Yueill, John Osterman, Bruce Tyler

Guests Attending

Alan Sakry, Shilo Klinkhammer of Homestead Electrical Services, Eileen and Emily Anderson of Northstar Arts, and Bret Weber Beecher of Weber Interiors.

Program

Dirk Barrett introduced Eileen Anderson from Northstar Arts and her daughter Emily. Her father (Les) was a Rotarian and today was the 15^th anniversary of his death. She

shared that on his box where his ashes are stored, the Rotary symbol and the Lions symbol are proudly displayed. Her parents originally started the Elk River Theater in this community in 1974, and have since added a children’s theater component, and morphed into the Northstar Arts that it is today. She shared that there is a greater impact to theater than entertainment for the community; it also helps growth of the participants. She shared many stories of children and adults that started out shy and came out of their shell and some went on to have careers in c

communications. The many benefits are developing creativity and imagination, the power of communication, confidence, critical thinking skills and seeing the other perspectives, cultural awareness, emotional intelligence, self-expression, teamwork, and social skills. She stated that theater is comparable to sports in many ways; it is a team sport, but everyone can win in theater! This theater group has travelled all over the world to perform. They currently are out of room and are seeking additional space and developing a fundraising plan for accomplishing that. The next production will be The Diary of Anne Frank in October, at a place to be determined.

Rotating Reports

District updates

Celebration of Clubs is Saturday, May 4, $20 per person, at the Phipps Center for Arts in Hudson, WI, and Boyd Huppert will be the speaker.

Community update reports

Julie Fish gave an update on the membership campaign. There was applause for Melanie Clemons who has brought a guest to every meeting! The celebration will be April 11 and we will not have a regular meeting that day.
Student of the Month may be moved to April 18.
Julie Fish was asked to provide a Rotary Minute and she shared how she first heard of Rotary when the high school choir she was in, came and sang Christmas carols, and then as a senior in high school she was student of the month, and as a junior she went to Camp Enterprise. At that time women were not allowed in Rotary. Then in 1987 women were allowed and Mag Johnson invited her. She applied and was denied her first time because there could not be more than one of any trade classification in the club as there was already a printer. She applied a second time as a Graphic Designer, and she got in! She was the second woman to be in the club, however five men quit the club because of the women membership. We have come so far!
A Taste meeting will be today after the regular meeting.
Next week is the board meeting before the regular meeting.

Fundraising Opportunities

Delights and Dilemmas:

Melanie Clemons was delighted and thanked Debbi for the fabulous Chamber event last week, she thanked Emily and Eileen for coming and for the work that they do as her kids have benefited from it, and she thanked Molly for the great heart to heart conversation they had. She had a dilemma that her kids were on spring break, and she had to shovel all the snow by herself, and she is watching her parent’s dog that has some digestive issues.

Terry Bizal was delighted and thanked everyone for their support and kind words regarding his daughter’s story, and her decision to no longer be private about it but go public and hopefully help others struggling with any health issues.

Katie Harstad had lots of dilemmas with her son’s health issues, losing a close family friend, and having approximately $20k of catering equipment stolen from Rockwoods. However, looking on the bright side, she was delighted that the criminal was identified, and they can hopefully retrieve some of their equipment. She was grateful for all the support that Rotary and her other groups provided during these challenging times.

Theresa Slominski shared that her husband was out of town again when all the snow fell, and she had to snow blow again.

Debbi Rydberg was thankful to Heather for leading the meeting last week while she was working on her event. She was grateful to be able to work from home with the recent snow fall and that her husband was home to shovel for her.

Eileen Anderson was delighted to share that when her father was a Rotarian there was a rule that if you missed a meeting you had to make it up, so they used to go to Rotary in Florida while on spring break. If they could not get to the Fort Myers meeting, they went to the meeting on Sanibel Island. That club assessed fines of $500 to $1,000, which was pocket change to them!

Heather Kliewer thanked Emily and Eileen for their work and the benefits her kids received being in theater and the friends she and her husband made helping. She fined Dirk for he and his family being in the paper and he did not even realize it!

Birthdays – Julie Fish has a birthday on March 30 and requested to be sung to backwards. She stood in the middle of the room, and we all turned our backs to her and sang.

There was no winner for the card draw this week.

Pearls of Wisdom:

“The rough side of the mountain is the easiest to climb; the smooth side doesn’t have anything for you to hang on to.” Aretha Franklin

Last Time We Met 3/21/2024

Today our meeting was led by President-Elect Heather Kliewer.

We sang and recited the pledge: We pledge ourselves to "Create Hope in the World". We will accomplish this by reaffirming our mission to inspire leaders with passion to serve humanity, strengthen youth for tomorrow's leadership, and dedicate ourselves to enhancing lives in our world. Before we speak, act, or make decisions, let us pause and ask ourselves: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? These are our compass and will ensure that our actions are filled with integrity and genuine care.

Attending Wade Bastian, Terry Bizal, Melanie Clemons, Julie Fish, Neil Gagnon, Thomas Kerber, Heather Kliewer, Mark Kuyava, Tove Lichty, Cal Portner, Theresa Slominski, David Vinje, David Anderson, John Osterman, and Bruce Tyler. Guest Attending Speaker Dave Williams - Elk River Highschool School Resource Officer, Alan Sakry, Roger Clemons, Dawn Carlson of Dream Vacations, and Katie Shatusky of Thumbs Up.

The speaker was running late and so the agenda was a bit different this week….

District Updates – The Celebration of Clubs at the Phipps Center for Arts in Hudson WI, Saturday May 4

Delights and Dilemmas!

Roger Clemons was delighted to be taking his granddaughter to Puerta Vallarta for spring break since his grandson will be in Florida for baseball training.

Theresa Slominski was delighted to be attending the Men’s College Hockey NCHC Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul this weekend to cheer on UND.

Alan Sakry was delighted to have spent Tuesday with Stewart Wilson in Florida while on a week of rest and relaxation.

Tom Kerber had a flight dilemma that he wasn’t leaving on a plane until Monday due to the weather but was delighted to be able to spend a week in Cancun.

Wade Bastian was delighted that his daughter was married last weekend, to another Wade!

Heather Kliewer was delighted to a great 5K tournament last weekend. They had 274 runners and raised $23,000! Her seven year old grandson ran the whole race!

Elections – Heather Kliewer, President Elect, reported that the President-Elect for the 2025-2026 will be Cal Portner and the 2024-2025 Board will also include Mark Kuyava, Theresa Slominski, Neil Gagnon, and Julie Fish. The gavel passing will be June 20 as Debbi will be gone June 27.

Program Terry Bizal and Dave Williams arrived and immediately started presenting.

Dave has been in law enforcement for 16 years and has been in Elk River for the last eight years. He currently is stationed at the Highschool but works with the other two School Resource Officers (SRO) in the area to serve the 16 schools. They do investigations to determine if a crime occurred and then proceed with education or charges, depending on the situation. Mostly he does a lot of educating. He enjoys building rapport with the kids so that when something does happen, he can be a known resource. A typical day can involve bullying/harassment, sexual misconduct (mostly with cell phones), and vaping or THC using. His most rewarding situation was helping a student and the family through two very difficult times where he was able to provide support and encouragement.

Birthdays – there were no birthdays this week.

Card draw – there was no winner this week.

Pearls of Wisdom “If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.” - unknown

Last Time We Met 3/14/2024

Today our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg.

We sang and recited the pledge:
We pledge ourselves to Create Hope in the World, We will accomplish this by reaffirming our mission to inspire leaders with passion to serve humanity, strengthen youth for tomorrows' leadership, and dedicate ourselves to enhancing lives in our world. Before we speak, act, or make decisions, let us pause and ask ourselves: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? These are our compass and will ensure that our actions are filled with integrity and genuine care.

Attending
Terry Bizal, Melanie Clemons, Neil Gagnon, Molly Hanson, Thomas Kerber, Heather Kliewer, Bonnie Koste, Mark Kuyava, Tove Lichty, Dr. Laura Mullenex, Cal Portner, Debbi Rydberg, Theresa Slominski, JoeStremcha, David Vinje, Nicole Wojcik, Bill Yueill, David Anderson, Robert Maxwell, John Osterman, and Bruce Tyler.

Guest Attending
Speaker John Dietz, Mayor of Elk River; Student of the Month, Morgan Peterson and her parents Wendy and Daniel Peterson; Mike Spellman, Rotary Assistant District Governor; Terra Pavelka of Squeegee Magic; and Jeremiah Bouley from REMAX Realty.

He fielded questions from the group regarding the 169 Redefine Project, the summer Concert Series, Elk River Fest, Marijuana sales, the Indoor Farmers Market, the Landfill, and gave a shout out to the Guns and Hoses hockey game success last Sunday.

Terry Bizal introduced the Student of the Month, Morgan Peterson. Morgan is a very accomplished young lady who has a high GPA and is on the Elk River High School Varsity Girls Lacrosse team, coaches youth lacrosse, is a member of National Honor Society, Yellow Ribbon Club, and the Super Fans Club.
Her favorite class is science, and she plans to attend either the University of Madison or the University of Michigan to pursue a pre-medical track in Biology, with hopes of finding a career in the medical field where she can help people every day. Her hero is her mother who is a strong role model and inspiration to her.

Rotating Reports
District Updates – We will be participating in the upcoming Shark Tank where we get to see other club projects and offer to help them with funding. Debbi will be pledging up to $1,000. We will also be contributing to LIFT and the Uganda Water Project.

Elections – Heather Kliewer, President Elect, distributed a ballot for the 2024-2025 Board and Chair Elect.
Membership Update – Melanie Clemons gave a Rotary Moment and shared that of all the organizations she belongs to she likes Rotary the best and wants everyone to belong. For the membership drive, Neil Gagnon encouraged others to bring guests to a Rotary meeting throughout the month of March through April 4. There will be an event on April 11, 5:30-8:30pm, at POUR Cocktail Bar & Bites to celebrate our new members.

Taste Update - There will not be a Taste Meeting today as Katie is unable to attend. Debbi announced that the signature recipient will be CAER.

Next week – Dave Williams, ERPD School Resource Officer

Fundraising Opportunities

Delights and Dilemmas!
Heather Kliewer was delighted for the CAER 5K and made a plug for Dirk Barrett’s team. She was delighted to have attended her son’s musical last weekend, and to have attended a President Elect

Training (PETS) with a thank you to Mike Spellman for his assistance.

Cal Portner was delighted to give Melanie Clemons kudos for the Guns and Hoses event success, and to be attending the women’s D3 hockey frozen tournament in River Falls Wi where he will be supporting Middlebury as his daughter used to play on that team.
Bob Maxwell was delighted that Diana has retired now and they will be travelling to Arizona until the middle of April.
Nicole Wojcik was delighted to run a 7K, going to Rochester with Haley for a volleyball tournament, and attending the MCEA day at the capitol to promote a levy to cover preschool staffing for special needs children. Her final delight was for good luck as Haley has a medical surgery next week.
Theresa Slominski was delighted for National Pi Day today.
Tove Lichty was delighted to have returned from a Sicily visit where she didn’t have cell service and so had a very relaxing vacation.
Tom Kerber was delighted that Elk River was at the State hockey tournament even though they did not place. He was also delighted to be starting his Executive Coaching business and even though it is in the very early formative stages he has some interest in his services.

Birthdays – there were no birthdays this week.

Card draw – there was no winner this week.

Final announcements:
Mike Spellman announced that the May 4 Celebration of Clubs is upcoming and encouraged Elk River to apply for rewards.

Debbi announced the upcoming Saddles and Spurs event next week at Chow.

Pearls of Wisdom

“The real risk is doing nothing.”

– Denis Waitley, author

Last Time We Met 3/7/2024

Today our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg. We sang and recited the pledge:

Attending
Wade Bastian, Melanie Clemons, Julie Fish, Neil Gagnon, Katie Harstad, Heather Kliewer, Mark Kuyava, Cal Portner, Debbi Rydberg, Theresa Slominski, Nicole Wojcik, Bill Yueill, Robert Maxwell, John Osterman, and Bruce Tyler.

Guest Attending
Speaker John Babcock from The Bank of Elk River, Rob Reidel – Commercial Lending Director of The Bank of Elk River and St. Michael Rotarian, Alan Sakry, Nicole Wocjik’s daughter Haley Rasmussen, Bill Yueill’s wife Lynn Yueill, and Missy Wilson, owner of Royal Supply and Director of the Elk River Fire Foundation.

Program

Bill Yueill introduced John Babcock from The Bank of Elk River. Bill built a residence in Blue Lake and it was actually John’s first construction-to-permanent financing loan that he did as he learned the banking industry. John is the president and CEO of The Bank of Elk River and provided a history of the bank when it began with his great, great grandfather, WL Babcock, back in 1885, through the current day. He is very proud of the family-owned bank and its resilience through the years, and the community focus it has. Even though it is a for profit entity, the community is very important to the bank, and he views it as an economic engine in the community and loves to help entrepreneurs achieve their dreams and give to those in need. In 2023, The Bank of Elk River employees volunteered over 1,400 hours and the bank gave $120,000 back to the community. John closed by encouraging everyone to bank locally.

Rotating Reports

District Updates – March is Water & Sanitation month for Rotary, and Debbi shared a video from Rotary International. She stated that this is an example of our foundation dollars at work and having a real impact. Grant opportunities for Elk River Rotary will be contributions to a Uganda water project and the LIFT program that we heard about last week. The exact dollars will be forthcoming.

Membership Update – Julie Fish inducted Wade Bastian into our club today. Congratulations Wade! Wade gave a brief introduction of himself that he grew up in Wadena area, and now he and his wife live in Foley where she is a fourth-grade teacher. They have a son who lives in Seattle and a daughter that will be getting married next week. Wade works for the Boy Scouts of America and his territory covers 11 counties including Elk River, Nevis, and Mora. He has served in the Minnesota National Guard for 24 years, took a break to raise their children, and is now serving again.

For the membership drive, Neil Gagnon encouraged others to bring guests to a Rotary meeting throughout the month of March through April 4. There will be an event on April 11 5:30-8:30pm (details to come), and prizes will be a $150 gift card to Rockwoods for member having most new members signed up, $100 gift card to POUR for member having second most new members signed up, and $50 gift card to Boondocks for the member bringing the most guests throughout the campaign.

Next week - John Dietz will be here as the guest of Dave Anderson, and we will have board elections for the upcoming year.

Annual Rotary Forum - Debbi passed out flyers about an upcoming Rotary program “Minding the Gap: Constructive Conversations in a Polarized World” that will be at Fort Snelling Tuesday, April 16, 5:00-7:00pm. It is available in person or virtual. Debbi is planning on attending virtually but if anyone is interested in attending in person she will gladly do that.

Fundraising Opportunities
Delights and Dilemmas!

Nicole Wocjik was delighted her daughter Haley was with her today at Rotary, her new white Jeep named Charlie, and singing the National Anthem for the Zimmerman archery tournament tomorrow.

Heather Kliewer had a dilemma that she was no longer in Belise.

Bob Maxwell was delighted for the boys’ hockey team in the state high school tournament. Go Elks!

Alan Sakry was delighted for the Thumbs Up event yesterday in Rogers with 40 kids.

Julie Fish was delighted with the boys’ hockey (Go Elks!), Haley being in attendance, and thanks to John Babcock for being here!

Mark Kuyava was delighted for the boys’ hockey (Go Elks!), and that it is 12 weeks since surgery and he has no restrictions and a cardio rehabilitation certificate.

Cal was delighted that baseball started and the boys’ hockey tournament is happening now.

Katie Harstad has several dilemmas but is choosing to focus on delights of upcoming events with Dueling Pianos, Purse Bingo, a Permanent Jewelry party, Line Dancing, and St Patrick’s Day Bingo at Rockwoods.

Bill Yueill was delighted to have attended his great niece’s Hindu wedding in Zion National Park, a night in Minneapolis, and then a funeral in Indianapolis. These events gave him lots to reflect on, and he and his wife were able to be with her family and his family in a short period of time.

Lynn Yueill was delighted with gratitude to have met people from all over the world at her niece’s wedding, and these young people gave her hope for the future.

Debbi Rydberg was delighted to have 100 guests registered for the Chamber’s Saddles and Spurs event, and for not having to push a grocery or shopping cart in a snowy or icy parking lot this winter.

Birthdays – We sang to Melanie Clemons for her birthday March 10.

Card draw – there was no winner this week.

Final announcements:

Julie Fish talked about the Rotary flags that are available to take to different countries when members visit other Rotary clubs.
Katie Harstad reminded us that the Taste committee is meeting next week after the regular meeting.

Pearls of Wisdom
“Unless someone like you cares a whole lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” – Dr. Suess

Last Time We Met 2/29/2024

Today our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg. We sang and recited the pledge:

Attending
Dirk Barrett, Wade Bastian, Terry Bizal, Melanie Clemons, Julie Fish, Neil Gagnon, Katie Harstad, Thomas Kerber, Mark Kuyava, Cal Portner, Debbi Rydberg, Ashley Schultz, Theresa Slominski, Joe Stremcha, Nicole Wojcik, Robert Maxwell, John Osterman, and Bruce Tyler.

Guest Attending
Speaker Rick Heidick from LIFT, Roger Clemons - retired and future member, and Brenda Roux from Thrivent Financial.

Program

Debbi Rydberg introduced Rick Heidick from the Rotary District 5960 LIFT Program (this used to be called Fast for Hope, for reference.) Rick provided an annual update on the program and stressed that this is an international service program that has projects and is not a project itself. District 5960 is in the process of finalizing a 501(c)3 status for the program, which will be able to serve as a charitable organization for other grant opportunities in the future. The LIFT program focuses on ending extreme poverty by fostering community relations and making sure projects are sustainable for the communities. LIFT is an acronym for Listen, Inquire, Facilitate, and Transform, and this is the framework for having a successful program. Some examples of their work in Nicaragua are a water project in El Corozo that was completed in March 2023, increasing crop yield and diversifying crops in Monte Verde, and liquid fertilizer sales by youth in San Juan de Mombacho. The current district grant LIFT is pursuing is $28,000 for a seed bank building (for which they are still looking for a sponsor club), a global grant of $90,000 for starting the operation of the seed bank that Sunrise Rotary is sponsoring, with a chicken farm operation to help sustain the project. They have a trip next week to Nicaragua to see the area and help people understand what they are trying to accomplish and hope to continue this annually in March or April so let Rick know if you are interested.

Rotating Reports

District Updates

Share the Love campaign ends tonight at midnight
Membership Update

For the membership drive, Julie Fish encouraged others to bring guests to a Rotary meeting throughout the month of March.

Julie shared a “membership moment” that when we started in 1960 we were gifted the bell from the Monticello Rotary club. She then shared the history of the bell and its purpose was to guide us through the meeting time and stands for order and discipline, as on the ships the very first bell came from.

Next week we will have board elections for the upcoming year.

Nicole gave an update for the members unable to attend last week on the Hallway Café program.

Fundraising Opportunities
Delights and Dilemmas

Bruce Taylor was delighted that there are five Thursdays in February this year due to leap year and he wasn’t sure how many years ago that happened.

Katie was delighted that she will be officiating a leap year wedding tonight, the Wedding Expo this weekend at Rockwoods, and upcoming events of Line Dancing, Permanent Jewelry, and St. Patrick’s Day Bingo with the local Lions clubs.

Bob Maxwell was delighted for his grandson’s leap year birthday today.

John Osterman was delighted for recent fishing in Lake of the Woods where he caught a bourbot and some walleye.

Nicole was delighted for last week at the Hallway Café, attending a WILD game Sunday, and soon to be purchasing a Jeep Wrangler.

Julie was delighted to share her last $ for her Share the Love commitment and had $28 for the number of years she has been a Paul Harris Fellow, $29 for the days in February, $63 for the year she was born since her birthday is in March, and $1 for her recent beach time.

Mark Kuyava was delighted with the Elk River Boys Hockey team making it to the State Tournament and knocking out Moorhead - who has been there the past 23 years. It has been 19 years since ER made it to the State tournament.

Terry Bizal was also delighted with the high school hockey team’s success.

Cal Portner was delighted to share that he was inspired by the ProStart team last week and binge watched The Bear, and his family will be going to New Ulm for Schell’s Bockfest.

Julie was also delighted with the Chocolate Tour that ends today and encouraged participation.

Tom was delighted for the boys’ hockey team and excited to sign his first document today so he can start his own business!

Birthdays – none

Card draw – there was no winner this week

One last announcement from Katie Harstad that Otsego is forming a Business Alliance and they are meeting next Tuesday at Rockwoods at 10:30.

Pearls of Wisdom

“If you are going to be successful in creating the life of your dreams, you first have to believe what you want is possible and you are capable of making it happen.” – Jack Canfield

Last Time We Met 2/22/2024

Today we met at the Elk River High School Hallway Café and our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg. We were served a delicious meal of pasta with red or white sauce and a choice of protein and vegetables.

Attending
Dirk Barrett, Terry Bizal, Melanie Clemons, Katie Harstad, Thomas Kerber, Heather Kliewer, Mark Kuyava, Dr. Laura Mullennex, Cal Portner, Debbi Rydberg, Ashley Schultz, Theresa Slominski, Joe Stremcha, Nicole Wocjik, Glen Ertel, Robert Maxwell, and Bruce Tyler.

Guest Attending
Ronda Hoesly (Ashley’s mom), Roger Clemons (Melanie’s dad), and Alan Sakry. We also had the students from Hallway Café: Harrison Brandt, Beck Fluguear, Jaelyn Mogren, Andrew Voss, Tya Schmidt, Addy Langton, Kalia Swart, Gavin Illies, and Ava Tvedt, along with their ProStart Educator, Monique Sabby.

Program

Nicole Wocjik introduced Monique Sabby who is the coach/advisor/educator for this culinary program known as ProStart. ProStart is hospitality focused and has a

goal to prepare students for life in this industry. The ProStart program has a culinary team and a management team. These students compete in national competitions, networking with professional chefs in Minnesota and across the country. The students shared that they have made new friends, have grown socially and professionally with this program, have been able to learn the front of the house (customer experience focus from entry to exit) and back of house skills (food preparation and presentation). This program is under the umbrella of Minnesota Hospitality, and this provides additional opportunities and exposure to work with award winning chefs. They experience ordering, inventory management, recipe creation, markup costs, etc. The General Mills’ Chef and Associate Culinary Manager, Gilles Stassart, serves as a mentor for the students. There are approximately fifty schools in the state of Minnesota participating in such a program and the Elk River program is highly respected. The students create a mission, vision, and goals, determine the type of restaurant they will have and the hours they will be open, in addition to the annual competitions they participate in. They will be competing March 14 at the River Center, a free event, if you would like to attend.

Rotating Reports

District Updates

Share The Love campaign continues throughout this month, and they are at approximately $280,000 towards their goal of $492,000. There is still time!

Membership Update

For the membership drive, Nicole passed around the sheet again of potential members asking Rotarians to put their initials by the name of someone they would be willing to reach out to. She also passed out invitations for current members to use.

Next week Nick Heidrich from the LIFT Initiative will be presenting. In two weeks, we will have Board elections, and if interested please contact Heather Kliewer.

Debbi received an email from Sonja Weiler from ISD728 requesting volunteers to be judges for the DECA 2/Product Development Students’ Hot Cocoa Business Concept Challenge, next Friday, March 1 from 7:30am – 8:30am and 8:30am – 9:30am. You would be moving from project to project and listening to pitches and then determining a winner for each hour. If interested, Debbi can forward you the email.

Birthdays – We sang Happy Birthday to guest Ronda Hoesly since it was her birthday and we wanted her to have the full Rotary experience!

Fundraising Opportunities

Delights and Dilemmas
Melanie Clemons was happy to have her dad here for Rotary today, and the upcoming Guns and Hoses charity hockey game.

Heather Kliewer was happy for the wonderful lunch today and traveling to Belise on Saturday.

Dirk Barrett was happy to be attending the premier for his son’s movie “Frogman” tonight.

Terry Bizal was thankful for Rotary attending Hallway Café today.

Katie Harstad was happy for the awesome experience today.

Theresa Slominski was happy for lunch today, the warm weather, and the guests attending today.

Nicole Wocjik was also happy for lunch today and thanked everyone for coming, she completed her 3^rd shift last night at Big Lake Liquors and is really enjoying it, and happy for the weather.

Alan Sakry was happy for a ride from Katie.

Debbi Rydberg was happy to have her husband home after being gone for ten days, and happy for her daughter coming home June 3 through July 27.

Thomas Kerber was happy to congratulate the Elk River Boys High School Hockey team winning.

Announcements

Dirk Barrett and Heather Kliewer announced CAER’s 5k Run, March 16 starting and ending at CAER and then off to Aegir Brewing for a complimentary beverage. Bonnie Koste is sponsoring a snack table and may need some help with volunteers that day.

The update on Shiver: the checks were presented this morning, and they were close to their goal of $39,000. Rotary served over 300 hot chocolate drinks at the event.

The first ever Chocolate Tour in Elk River, sponsored by the Elk River Chamber, is February 27-29. Pick up a passport at any participating business and receive chocolate (and whatever else they are distributing)!

Pearls of Wisdom
“The truest, most beautiful life never promises to be an easy one. We need to let go of the lie that it’s supposed to be.” Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed

Last Time We Met 2/15/2024 Today our meeting was led by President-elect Heather Kliewer. We sang and recited the pledge: We pledge ourselves to "Create Hope in the World". We will accomplish this by reaffirming our mission to inspire leaders with passion to serve humanity, strengthen youth for tomorrow's leadership and dedicate ourselves to enhancing lives in our world. Before we speak, act, or make decisions, let us pause and ask ourselves: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? These are our compass and will ensure that our actions are filled with integrity and genuine care. Attending Dirk Barrett, Melanie Clemons, Julie Fish, Katie Harstad, Heather Kliewer, Mark Kuyava, Dr. Laura Mullennex, Cal Portner, Ashley Schultz, Theresa Slominski, Joe Stremcha, Bill Yueill, Robert Maxwell, John Osterman, and Bruce Tyler. Guest Attending Student of the Month, Henry Rumreich, with parents Don and Jenine Rumreich, and Carrie Salsness, Program Director, with Breath of Hope Lung Foundation. Student of The Month Terry Bizal introduced Henry Rumreich as our first student of the month post-COVID. His parents Don and Jenine were also in attendance and were introduced. Henry is a musician and is proudest for his accordion accomplishments. His proudest moment was being recognized for playing his accordion at the state football championship game by John Millea, head of MSHL, and was briefly in the news. Weird Al Yankovich is his hero because he inspires him to take risks and enjoy music! Henry is also involved in choir, pep band, jazz band, DECA, and volunteering. Henry plans on attending UMD for a degree in Financial Planning and Jazz. In his spare time, he likes board games, composing his own music, and playing the banjo. He approaches school very nonchalantly, trying less to be perfect but putting out what he can naturally do. He is not a good math guy and finds school much more enjoyable without it. He feels students should put out work they are satisfied with. His leadership style is to have fun and respect others. He thinks that he won this award for his outgoing and fun attitude and trying to encourage his fellow classmates to enjoy the day and make it fun for everyone. Mark Kuyava gave a shout out to Henry’s parents for doing a great job raising him and they received a round of applause. Program Carrie Salsness is the Program Director with A Breath of Hope, a lung cancer foundation. She started with the organization after her mom passed away from lung cancer in 2009 at the age of 54, six months after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Her mother was not a smoker and so she struggled with the question of why her mother had lung cancer. Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer, accounting for 23% of all cancers. It is unfortunately not usually diagnosed early, 75% of cases are diagnosed in stages 3 or 4 and that doesn’t bode well for survival. The five-year survival rate of someone diagnosed is only 26.6%. The symptoms are common and mimic other diseases and is the reason for the late diagnosis. Over half of those with lung cancer are non-smokers. Anyone with lungs can have lung cancer. Some causes of lung cancer other than smoking are secondhand smoke, Radon, exposure to asbestos and other chemicals, family history, and pollution. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer and since it is colorless and odorless it goes undetected unless it is tested for. Radon is in two out of every five homes in Minnesota, three times the national average, due to soil types and the cold temperatures when we keep our houses closed and so the radon can’t escape naturally. She encourages everyone to test for Radon with simple kits that can be purchased in local hardware stores or online for $5 or less. Breath of Hope was formed in 2008 by patients, family, and a nurse of victims of lung cancer. Their main focus is research and have donated $3 million to the University of Minnesota, but also focus on education, patient and family support, and transportation. They also partner with underserved communities to have information and screenings available. There is an animated guide and information source at YouAndLungCancer.com that is very easy to understand. Upcoming events are April 15 at Brickworks where $1 for every beer purchased is donated, May 11 Women’s Tea at the Golden Valley Country Club, August 10 Lung Run/Walk at Lake Harriet, September 28 The Summitt at Marriott Minnetonka, and November 8 Shining Bright Gala. Rotating Reports District Updates • February 16 Virtual Peace Talk 7:30-8:00am • February 16 Virtual Grants Teams Meeting 11:45am-1:00pm • February 19 Rotary Day at the State Capitol Membership Update For the membership drive, Julie Fish provided invites to members to distribute to people and bring them to a Rotary meeting to check us out. She also sent around a prospective list for potential individuals to invite, and asked members to initial next to the names they would be inviting. This is a contest so there are gold, silver, and bronze medals to win. Gold is for member to have most visiting guests sign up to be a Rotarian, Silver is for person who bring most prospective members as guests, and Bronze is for someone who brings back a past Rotarian. At the end of the drive, we will have an evening meeting for celebrating April 11. Taste of Elk River Katie Harstad updated that since we will be in the “Cornerstone” Arena for our event, Cornerstone has some available hours for use of the Event Center that they will be giving to Rotary as in in-kind donation to alleviate some additional expense for us! Theresa Slominski updated that, unfortunately, the winner of the vote last week was ineligible as a signature recipient and so we need to vote again. Katie Harstad provided new ballots including CAER, Friends of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, Sherburne County Area United Way (Dolly Parton Imagination Library), Main Street Family Services (a new family resource center), ISD 728 Cadets Marching Arts, Jeff Hill Legacy Fund, and Rivers of Hope. Katie will also be sending out a rotary email to members not in attendance today, so they also have an opportunity to vote. Service Projects Service History Day at Sauk Middle School next week. They are looking for judges February 21, 22, or 23. Heather Kliewer has the link she can send to anyone interested to register to serve as a judge of the 400 middle school students’ history projects. Next week we will be meeting at the Elk River High School Hallway Café and Nicole needed a head count today for those able to attend. A sign-up sheet was distributed. Fundraising Opportunities Delights and Dilemmas Julie Fish was delighted $36 for the number of years she has been an Elk River Rotarian, and $44 for the number of years ago she received the Monticello Student of the Month award. Cal Portner was delighted to have again traveled to Saskatchewan to watch his nephew play hockey, and also for his wife in her new job where she will be travelling a lot and he will have the opportunity to accompany her, including a trip to Tokyo in July! Mark Kuyava was delighted $5 for celebrating his second-year anniversary of Handyman Services yesterday. Theresa Slominski was delighted that her snowblower started this morning. Katie Harstad was delighted with the snow because she was in a contract for snow plowing and it made it seem worthwhile (a little), and because her boyfriend was able to work as a snow plow operator for the first time. She was also delighted that she was a former Rotary Student of the Month a long time ago. Henry Rumreich was delighted with his recent band competition where they received a superior ranking, the highest ranking you can receive.

Birthdays – Dirk Barrett was sung to for

$20 Card draw – there was no winner this week

Heather Kliewer shared a picture of Madeline Marie Caswell, born 9:34am 2/8/2024 and weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces.

Pearls of Wisdom “There is no change where there is no action.” – Rotary

REMINDER - February 22, 2024 - Nicole Wojcik -

Monique Sabby, teacher at ER High

YES School. Culinary program. We will eat lunch at the Hallway Cafe

Elk River High School, 900 School St. Elk River -

enter Door H on the northside of the building - off Jackson.

Lunch will be paid individually with debit/credit card only -

NO CASH - Program - Elk River Culinary Program

Last Time We Met 2/8/2024
Today we met at Pizza Ranch and our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg. We sang and recited the pledge:
We pledge ourselves to Create Hope in the World;. We will accomplish this by reaffirming our mission to inspire leaders with passion to serve humanity, strengthen youth for tomorrows' leadership and dedicate ourselves to enhancing lives in our world. Before we speak, act, or make decisions, let us pause and ask ourselves: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? These are our compass and will ensure that our actions are filled with
integrity and genuine care.
Attending
Wade Bastian, Melanie Clemons, Julie Fish, Neil Gagnon, Molly Hanson, Katie Harstad, Thomas Kerber, Mark Kuyava, Dr. Laura Mullennex, Pete Reiner, Debbi Rydberg, Theresa Slominski, Joe Stremcha, Nicole Wojcik, Bill Yueill, David Anderson, Robert Maxwell, John Osterman, and Bruce Tyler.
Guest Attending
Alan Sakry, former member, soon to be active member again! Kat Sarff, Executive Director, Sherburne County Area United Way.
Program
Joe Stremcha introduced our speaker Kat Sarff. She did not need much introduction as she was a former member of Rotary. She is promoting United We Shiver this Saturday

2/10/2024. She stated that Sherburne County Area United Way is like a chamber for non-profits. They provide support to these organizations in terms of financial contributions, getting their name out in the community, leadership skills, and resource sharing. The United We Shiver event is the annual fundraising event for supporting the non-profits financially. It is a polar plunge event and has its challenges as an outdoor event in the
winter but after their third year they feel they have it figured out. This year there is a new logo! For kids there is a passport to participate in a coloring contest, practice plunge in a ball pit, face painting, and they bring the passport to the after party at Lupulin for another prize. For adults there is a keg toss contest, a shoot the puck contest, and the after party at Lupulin! PT is announcing and providing the music, and there are 7 teams participating in the Rib Cook-off contest that happens after the plunging. Lupulin is providing a shuttle to Embers, Willy’s on The Water, the parking lot behind Casey’s, and Lupulin from 2-6. At the after party there will be a raffle, scratch-off tickets, a band, and food trucks.
Rotating Reports
District Updates

 Rotary is serving hot chocolate at the Shiver event.
 February is Rotary Foundation month and Share The Love Campaign is going on through the end of the month.
 February 19 is Rotary Day at the State Capitol.
 Votes were collected for the Taste of Elk River Signature Recipient.
 February 22 we will be meeting at Elk River High School and have lunch at the Hallway Café and hear about the student culinary program there. Nicole needs a head count and passed out a sign-up sheet. Debbi emailed out a map for parking and the entrance we will need to use (the North entrance.)

Fundraising Opportunities

Delights and Dilemmas
Molly Hanson was $4 delighted for the Shiver event, leaving for the Florida Keys Saturday morning, Comedy for a Cause event was sold out, and her dad is now home after recovering from Covid.
Tom Kerber had a dilemma and his wife forbade him to do it.
Nicole was delighted for the UMD trip last weekend, this weekend she is going to meet up with some friends in Stillwater, and finally she and Mark have their first shift at Big Lake Liquors on Saturday, 2/17.
Alan Sakry was delighted for the Rogers event for Thumbs Up with 21 kids.
Katie Harstad was delighted with the Rockwoods remodel, and the finished floors look great! The lobby remodel was challenging but is almost complete.
Wade Bastian was delighted and thankful to be the newest member of Rotary. He was also delighted for an upcoming trip to Seattle, and also his daughter’s wedding coming up.
Debbi had a dilemma that Rob left to go to Texas and one of the cats threw up his breakfast this morning. She is also delighted for Shiver and the Super Bowl this weekend, before she leaves for a three-
day conference next week.
Kat Sarff was delighted to be at Rotary again, and to sleep on Sunday after her event.
Julie Fish, in her commitment to the $365 Share The Love promotion, contributed another $70 for every year of Bob’s life, and $13 for excitement of the Shiver event to serve hot chocolate.

Theresa Slominski shared that Leah Atkinson wanted to update the group that she is finishing up her consultant position in Washington and then will be on to Maine until September. She loves reading the updates from the meetings and misses everyone so says hi from afar!
Birthdays – none
Card draw – we didn’t have the second deck of cards and so Debbi “picked” a card from her brain, and no one had a Jack of Clubs.
Julie shared that information on the membership campaign will be next week so be thinking about who
you would like to invite to Rotary.

Debbi received a note from Heather Kliewer that Madeline Marie Caswell was born 9:34am 2/8/2024 and weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces.

Pearls of Wisdom
“What you do has far greater impact than what you say.” – Steven Covey

Important Notices From Debbie

I want to make sure each of you are aware that THIS week, February 8^th we will be meeting back at Pizza Ranch because Rockwoods is getting new floors in their kitchen.

Also in two weeks, on February 22^nd we will be meeting at Elk River High School and enjoying lunch from their award-winning student culinary team!

Tuesday February 8th

Pizza Ranch, 19141 Freeport St, Elk River

Cost of buffet lunch is $14.13+tax

Program - Kat Sarff, United Way - United We Shiver

We will also be selecting the Non-profit signature recipient for a portion of proceeds from this year's event.

February 15th

Rockwoods - regular room

Tuesday February 22nd

Elk River High School, 900 School St. Elk River - enter Door H on the northside of the building - off Jackson.

Lunch will be paid individually with debit/credit card only - NO CASH Program - Elk River Culinary Program

Mark your calendars, apps, write a sticky note, whatever you need to remember these changes.

Last Time We Met 2/1/2024
Today our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg. We sang and recited the pledge:
We pledge ourselves to Create Hope in the World;. We will accomplish this by reaffirming our mission to inspire leaders with passion to serve humanity, strengthen youth for tomorrows leadership and dedicate
ourselves to enhancing lives in our world. Before we speak, act, or make decisions, let us pause and ask ourselves: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be
beneficial to all concerned? These are our compass and will ensure that our actions are filled with integrity and genuine care.
Attending
Dirk Barrett, Melani Clemons, Julie Fish, Neil Gagnon, Molly Hanson, Katie Harstad, Thomas Kerber, Heather Kliewer, Mark Kuyava, Tove Lichty, Debbi Rydberg, Ashley Schultz, Theresa Slominski, Joe Stremcha, Nicole Wojcik, David Anderson, Glen Ertel, Robert Maxwell, John Osterman, and Bruce Tyler.
Guest Attending
Alan Sakry, former member, soon to be active member again! Trent Fischer, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).
Program
Theresa Slominski introduced our speaker, Trent Fischer, from the BCA. Human Trafficking is one of Rotary’s focuses and Sherburne County Sheriff’s office recommended Trent as the expert on the topic locally. He worked for sixteen years in St. Cloud and started with the BCA in August of 2023. He is formally from Elk River and now lives in Becker. His last five years in St. Cloud his focus was on human
trafficking, and now he works with that in the BCA. In the eyes of the law, trafficking is usually linked with prostitution, although there is some trafficking that is linked to slavery. Victims are the vulnerable,
especially those with addictions who will do anything for their next high. Trafficked victims are controlled with abuse, dependencies, withholding information (like keeping their passports or legal documentation), or due to criminal backgrounds. It is most common in the larger metropolitan areas,
the oil fields, and large events like the Super Bowl. It does occur in the rural areas as well, where it is not as much about money as survival. Trent shared that their cases involving youth trafficking are more than
likely not abduction, but situational. Once victims are in the system, it is like a vicious circle that they get caught in and even when rescued often fall right back into it. There is a cyber tip resource and the
numbers have increasingly grown from 1,298 in 2016, 5,964 in 20021 and approximately 9,000 in 2023.
Ways to identify potential victims are companions with a noticeable age difference, lack of eye contact, controlling behavior, and multiple phones. The best local resource is the BCA (877)996-6222 or email
bca.tips@state.mn.us to report suspected trafficking.
Rotating Reports

 District Updates
February is Rotary Share the Love Month and Tove Lichty, Foundation Chair, provided some information. February is Rotary’s birthday and that is why Share the Love is this month. The district’s goal is to raise $450,000 for the foundation. Money donated to the $243,000 and to incentivize giving, Rotary will provide additional recognition points to the donor in February, one point for each dollar donated. If you donate $365, you will receive additional points to become a Paul Harris Fellow (635 points to make 1,000

points total.) Tove passed out a how to set up a Rotary account flyer, and if you set up an account this month of at least $30 per month you will receive an additional 500 points. The more dollars we give, the more love we share!
 February 19 is Rotary Day at the State Capitol. Debbi passed out a flyer for details of the event. You will need to provide your own transportation to get there. The tentative
agenda starts at 9:00 with refreshments and snacks, 9:30 Welcome Greetings, 10:00 optional free tour of the Capitol (45 minutes) or visit with your local House or Senate Legislator, 11:00 view Minnesota Senate in session with the option to join the public gallery, 12:00 and 1:00 free tour of the Capitol – meet before the hour at the Capitol
Information and Tour Center located in room 126 on the first floor to the right side of the main (south) entrance, 12:30 speakers (TBD).
 The Board now meets the first Thursday of the month. Highlights from today’s meeting, a new Rotarian Wade Bastian with the Central Minnesota Boy Scouts Council of America was voted in. Club elections are March 7 and if interested in serving please contact
President-elect Heather Kliewer.
 Next week we will be meeting at Pizza Ranch because Rockwoods will be closed for renovations. We will be voting for the Signature Taste recipient at that meeting so be sure and attend! Nominations so far are C AER Food Shelf, Spark to Hope, Main Street Family Services, Sherburne County Area United Way, Friends of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, 728 Marching Arts, Jeff Hill Legacy Fund, Bags of Smiles, and Rivers of Hope. Please feel free to continue to nominate by contacting Katie.
 Service opportunity at the Shiver Event, February 10, Big Lake Park 11:30 – 4:00 wherewe will be serving hot chocolate.
 February 22 we will be meeting at Elk River High School and have lunch at the Hallway Café and hear about the student culinary program there. She needs a head count and so will be bringing a sign-up sheet and will be providing a map for parking and

coordinating visitor badges.
Fundraising Opportunities

Delights and Dilemmas
Heather Kliewer, her husband, and son will be running in the lake as Care Bears for the Shiver Event.
Julie Fish decided to commit to the $365 Share The Love promotion and so contributed $42 for her 42
years at her job, $30 for the thirtieth grand niece (a girl!), and $10 for the Three Rivers fundraising event of Pizza, Puzzles, and Pints for a total of $82 so far and she will be donating more throughout the month
to reach the total of $365.
Molly was delighted for her nephew’s 18th birthday today, the beautiful weather, the winter Farmer’s Market at the YMCA today, and the YMCA Comedy for a Cause event next week February 8 at
Rockwoods featuring Papa Bear Norton.
https://www.ymcanorth.org/blog/2024/01/23/4769948/comedy_for_a_cause
Bruce was delighted that his nephew, his girlfriend, and their two small children were taken in last July
to his home and they have now moved out.
Alan Sakry was delighted to be back as a member of Rotary!
Katie Harstad had dilemmas and delights for the renovation at Rockwoods next week with the floor kitchen and the main lobby. The train track is coming down and the walls will be repainted, the men’s bathroom will have some repairs done, and new light fixtures will be installed in the banquet area.

Theresa Slominski was delighted with the nice weather and having survived Covid for the third time.
Nicole Wocjik was delighted to have attended the membership meeting to discuss the upcoming membership drive and heading to UMD for a college visit this weekend.
Mark Kuyava was delighted with his report of good health and after his surgery six weeks ago he doesn’t have to see the doctor again for another year.
Debbi Rydberg was delighted for the upcoming Chamber Chocolate Tour of approximately twenty locations to visit February 27, 28, and 29 to receive a chocolate treat!

Birthdays – Bob Maxwell had us sing Happy Birthday to celebrate 70 years!

Card draw – no one had an 8 of hearts.

Pearls of Wisdom
“I

f you think you can do a thing, or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

Last We Met - Thursday, January 25, 2024

Attending: Terry B., Nicole W., Tom K., Mark K., Bob M., Glen E., Dirk B., John O., Melanie C., Joe S., Heather K., Julie Fi., Neil G., Dr. Laura M., Bruce “Buck” T., Debbi R.

Guest: Wade Bastian with Central Minnesota Council Boy Scouts of America, prospective member

President Debbi Rydberg welcomed us and told us about our new podium. She thanked many for the collaboration of getting it, getting it put together and moving things from one to the another! Great job everyone who made it happen!

Program

Bruce “Buck” Tyler introduced our program today – Bruce Messelt, Sherburne County Administrator. Bruce has spoken to us in the past and came today to give us an update on County items! Bruce is a past Rotarian in Morehead, Lake Elmo and Chisago Lakes. He is considering joining our club so Julie Fish, membership chair, will email him an application form! Bruce spoke on a few subjects. First up was to tell us that the county received a $24 million federal grant to do road improvement at the Zimmerman interchange on Highway 169 and Co. Rd. 4. Construction may start this year. The next road project they will look at will be Co. Rd. 11 and Highway 10, between Big Lake and Becker. Public Health and Human Services is the agent of the state for program – “hands and feet” so to speak. $.75 of each dollar is spent with Health & Human Services. They do a lot! Next, Bruce went on to talk about environment and elections. Elections have already begun. They are short on election judges. There are elections for townships, schools, primary and general elections. The environment is hostile, honestly. Systems really do work and are not rigged. Taxes – in his 30 year career, last December was the most interesting! The average home value increased, which is bad for taxes going up. The average home in Sherburne County is $375,000/$400,000 and this puts people into a higher tax bracket. It is a great challenge! Next subject was marijuana. It is a new world and they have no idea what it looks like! They have been put into a consumer product safety business and now have to check labels and selling to minors to all of the canibus locations. There are at least 11 dispensaries in Sherburne County. They run through Public Health at this time. Deputies are being retrained to test for marijuana use in drivers. Question and answer time!

January Vocation Service Month – we heard from Heather Kliewer with CAER Food Shelf who went up front for a Q & A from President Debbi. Heather shared her career path and now her position at a non-profit business. She worked a lot of places and they have all panned out to be beneficial in her journey to the CAER job. She enjoys Rotary’s weekly meetings to refresh the 4 Way Test each week. If you would like to volunteer and share your vocational moment, please contact Debbi Rydberg!

District Info

-February 8^th – next One Summit – it is virtual

-February 19^th- Rotary Day at the capital to help pass the license plates through with the Rotary logo

Announcements

-Shiver Elk River is February 10^th and we will be hosting a hot cocoa table. Debbi sent around the sign up sheet and will again for the next few weeks.

-Debbi had a question to propose to the club. If we were to have a table on July 25 at the Farmer’s Market in Elk River, would it be ok to have a lithium battery drop off and also sell Taste of Elk River tickets? Sounded like we should pursue this idea!

-Taste of Elk River Sponsorship Committee had a meeting. No report. Bob Maxwell spent about 45 minutes on the telephone with Zeffy re: ticket sales procedures, to get a handle on how it all works. He has a support connection established!

-February 8^th, we will NOT meet at Rockwoods. We will meet at the Furniture & Things Event Center. Stay tuned for more details!

Delights & Delimas

-Terry Bizal was delighted to share with us that he has submitted his letter of retirement for the end of June 2024! Congratulations, Terry!

-Julie Fish was happy to have our prospective member, Wade Bastien here with us today and also Bruce with Sherburne County!

- Nicole Wojcik was happy for Terry Bizal’s retirement! Nicole and her husband Marc have new part time jobs at Big Lake Liquors!

-Tom Kerber was happy his father in law was home from rehab today. He had some bad infections and other things going on but is now only 3 blocks away from Tom’s family! He was also happy that this morning he was invited for a potential part time consulting job in St. Paul!

- Joe Stremcha was happy to tell us about his great adventure to Florida and back where he had a great road trip with his two dogs and met up with his mom and took in 3 MN Wild games. One of the resorts loved his dogs so much that they gave him the penthouse upgrade for free!

-Debbi Rydberg was happy her kitties – Chip and Dale are doing fine and have been left to run the house to learn how it feels!

Card Game – a 7 of hearts was drawn and Terry Bizal was the winner of half the pot!

Pearls of wisdom was shared, but I was too slow to get it written down! Lol!

Last We Met January 18, 2024

Attending
Terry Bizal, Melani Clemons, Julie Fish, Neil Gagnon, Thomas Kerber, Heather Kliewer, Mark Kuyava,
Tove Lichty, Dr. Laura Mullennex, Cal Portner, Pete Reiner, Debbi Rydberg, Nicole Wojcik, David
Anderson, Glen Ertel, Robert Maxwell, John Osterman, and Bruce Tyler.

Guest Attending
Wade Bastian, Boy Scouts of America. Prospective member.
Alan Sakry, former member, good friend, humble guest, and all-around good guy.

Program
President Rydberg opened the meeting by welcoming back Mark Kuyava.

$500 Recipient - Jennifer from the Elk River Area MOMS ; MOMS– which stands for Mothers of
Preschoolers but has now extended their reach to all moms. MOPS began in 1973 and is now supporting moms in more than 83 countries.

$500 Recipient – Heather Stockman, the President of the Elk River Dugout Club – It’s the
mission of the Elk River High School Baseball Dugout Club to prepare these young men to
compete at their highest level on the field, to be respectful and honorable young men on and off
the field and for this foundation to have a positive impact in their lives and their communities
even after they graduate.

$1,000 Recipient – Jen Gunnarson and Tiffany Gruidl from the 728 Cadets Marching Arts – This
organization aims to teach students through life experiences while they pursue excellence in the
ultimate sport of music in motion.

$1,500 Recipient – Carol Mertesdorf from the Friends of Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge.
We would like to use these funds to help build our Go Wild Amphitheater campaign.

$1,500 Recipient – Dennis Wold, Board Treasurer for Open Doors for Youth. Open Doors has a
drop-in center in Elk River, and it provides a safe and welcoming space where youth
experiencing homelessness have immediate access to basic needs and can build healthy
connections with trusted adults.

$2,500 Recipient – Wendy Hidde, Co-Chair of the Elk River High School Yellow Ribbon Club.
This club’s goals are to help students and the community who may struggle with mental illness
and provide support wherever needed, including suicide prevention, education, awareness and
reducing the stigma to help save lives.

$2,500 Recipient – Sonja Weiler, Director of the Elk River DECA Program, Emme Jorgenson,
current President, Anna Voigt, current Vice President and Finley Mortenson, current Vice
President.
DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance,
hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe.

Vocational Minute
Tove Lichty provided our first Vocational Minute. She shared her experiences as a young, enterprising,
professional woman in the financial planning world and as a member of Rotary.

Community Update Reports
Sherburne County United Way United We Shiver on Feb. 10. We need volunteers to serve hot chocolate

District Updates
February is Rotary Share the Love Month
February 8 is Rotary One Summit
February 19 is Rotary Day at the State Capitol.

Fundraising Opportunities
Delights and Dilemmas
-

Bob Maxwell was $20 delighted after feeling ill over the weekend. He was hospitalized with a mild
heart attack.
- Tova Lichty has had a busy December with her new position and earning a new financial planner
professional designation.
- Terry Bizal – thanked today’s recipients for their work. He has been to Montreal to watch his daughter
play professional hockey and took a 5.5-6-hour father/son hockey trip by bus from Buffalo, NY to
Reading, PA and back. He also slept (kinda) in an airport for a couple of hours and doesn’t recommend
it.
- Nicole Wojcik – was delighted to propose an IOU for Bob’s recovery.
- Peter Reiner – also issued an IOU to inform the club that long-time Bank of Elk River employee Jack Ellis
has passed away. Jack had visited Rotary.
- Heather Kliewer was delighted Bob and Mark have returned to Rotary. She announced she is again
jumping in the lake for United We Shiver. She will share their theme next week.
- Mark Kuyava was $20 delighted to return and expressed thanked everyone for their support, he is glad
to be back.

Club Notes
The monthly board meeting is moving to the first Thursday of each month. We will meet next on Feb. 1.
Rockwoods will be closed on February 8. We will find out next week where we will meet. Joe Stremcha is
the host.

Birthdays - none

There was no winner for the card draw this week.
Pearls of Wisdom
“Don’t worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don’t try” – Jack Canfield

Last We Met January 11, 2024

Today our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg.

We sang and recited the pledge:
We pledge ourselves to Create Hope in the World; We will accomplish this by reaffirming our mission to inspire leaders with passion to serve humanity, strengthen youth for tomorrows' leadership and dedicate ourselves to enhancing lives in our world. Before we speak, act, or make decisions, let us pause and ask ourselves: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? These are our compass and will ensure that our actions are filled with integrity and genuine care.
Attending
Dirk Barrett, Melanie Clemons, Julie Fish, Neil Gagnon, Molly Hanson, Katie Harstad, Tom Kerber,
Heather Kliewer, Tove Lichty, Cal Portner, Debbi Rydberg, Ashley Schultz, Theresa Slominski, Joe
Stremcha, Nicole Wocjik, Bill Yueill, Glen Ertel, Robert Maxwell, John Osterman
Guests Attending:
Amy Eppen, Development Director, Ann Bancroft Foundation and Rosemount Rotary President 2023-2024

Program

Founded the organization because she believes every girl and woman in the US should live their dreams. The mission of the organization is to support girls to live their dreams and imagine something bigger through grants, mentorship, and ongoing development. They provide Trailblazer grants of up to $1,000 twice a year to girls K-12 in Minnesota. They also provide Trailblazer Fellowships of up to $2,500 annually to girls in grades 9-12 who are previous Trailblazer recipients. All grant winners work with a self-identified mentor. Ashley Schultz introduced Amy Eppen from the Ann Bancroft Foundation. The Ann Bancroft Foundation was founded in 1997 in St. Paul, MN. Ann was born and raised in rural Minnesota and raised in St. Paul.
She is an explorer and was the first woman to cross both the North and South Poles. She founded development is various video meetings where they are interacting with published authors and accomplished professionals, learning about health and wellness, finances, and other growth topics. The ratio of grants they are currently awarding is 65% Twin Cities area and 35% greater Minnesota, and they would like to serve more girls in greater Minnesota. Rotary can help by spreading the word to girls in our communities and encourage them to apply, being a mentor, volunteering at or attending their annual celebration event in April, sponsorships, or grant funding. Their website is
www.annbancroftfoundation.org
Rotating Reports
District updates
 Heather Kliewer attended the District Mid-term January 6, 2024 in St. Paul. Information she shared was there were several speakers to provide ideas for club presentations, there will be another One Summit on February 8 that will be virtual, and February is Share the Love Month
(as Rotary’s birthday is in February.) Bruce Tyler has a list of approximately twenty speakers in
the district on various topics.
Community update reports
 Julie Fish needs 5 volunteers for a Membership Committee to work on a membership campaign.
It will be fun so please let her know if you are interested!
 Mark Kuyava is feeling much better and might be able to join us soon.

 Service update – Shiver is February 10 in Big Lake and Rotary will be providing hot chocolate again. Debbi is still encouraging the club to jump in the water this year!
 A Taste meeting will be today after the regular meeting at the Furniture Things Event Center.
We have two Signature Recipient suggestions and are still accepting more nominations.
 January is Vocational Service Month and Debbi shared that it is using the skills in your profession to do good in the world beyond your careers.
Fundraising Opportunities

Delights and Dilemmas:
Heather Kliewer was delighted that she went to the eye doctor and now has mono vision instead of cheaters and is loving it! She was also delighted for the new floor at CAER that Dirk helped install.
Molly was delighted to have gone to Mexico for five days after some not so good Christmas holidays.
Julie Fish was delighted that the sun was shining, and that she has great #29, Bridger Radley, born December 28 (this was the eighth boy in a row!)
Theresa Slominski was delighted to have traveled to New York to watch her daughter coach hockey as they played Plattsburgh, the team that won the National Championship last year. They won Friday night and it was great to be there for that.
Katie Harstad was delighted to learn about the Ann Bancroft Foundation and how it might be able to help her daughter’s best friend participate in dance!
Joe Stremcha was delighted to be road tripping to Florida with the pups and taking his mom to three Wild games.
Tom Kerber was delighted to soon be crossing off a bucket list item of earning his private pilot’s license.
Debbi was delighted that her husband’s second eye surgery went well, and having a great holiday season.
Nicole had a dilemma that she was sick over Christmas but delighted to be better to celebrate Haley’s 18th birthday, having her stepson home with his new girlfriend (but also had a dilemma of having a key break off in a deadbolt lock), and final college visit to UMD February 3.
Glen was delighted that his hip replacement surgery was moved up two weeks to February 7. It will be like a new life after that and he is looking forward to it!

Birthdays – Tove Lichty had us sing to her for her birthday January 13th

There was no winner for the card draw this week.

Other updates
 Next week is the Board Meeting at 11:00, and the donation recipients will be here for the regular meeting.
 Marilyn Van Patten had a brain tumor removed and is in rehab at the BeeHive.
 Joy Nadeau passed after suffering from dementia and ALS. A celebration of life will be planned for later in the year.
 Tom Kerber offered to assemble the new cabinet!

Pearls of Wisdom:
“Do the best you can do until you know better, and then when you know better, do better.” Maya
Angelou

Last Time We Met 12/14/2023

Today our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg. We sang and recited the pledge:

Attending

Dirk Barrett, Melanie Clemons, Julie Fish, Katie Harstad, Tom Kerber, Heather Kliewer, Tove Lichty, Debbi Rydberg, Ashley Schultz, Theresa Slominski, Joe Stremcha, Nicole Wocjik, Bill Yueill, Robert Maxwell, John Osterman, Bruce Tyler

Guests Attending

Mark Hanson, General Manager, Elk River Municipal Utilities (ERMU); job shadow students Easton Jones (with Katie Harstad), and Kaden Healy (with Melanie Clemons)

Program

Joe Stremcha introduced Mark Hanson from ERMU. Mark gave a brief history of ERMU with Fred Waterman starting Elk River Power and Light in 1915 utilizing hydropower at the dam, and it became a public municipal utility in 1945. ERMU does not generate the electricity power now but purchases it from a joint action agency called Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA), which is about 70% of the annual budget. Two big projects for ERMU was the completion of the new Field Services Building on Main Street, and currently installing an Automated Meter Infrastructure (AMI) system. AMI allows the utility to obtain meter readings and information from the office, rather than being physically close to the meter to obtain readings. AMI will also allow two-way information to be obtained from the meters in fifteen minute increments rather than once a month. This type of information will be able to identify water leaks for customers, and also in the future, customers will be able to view real-time usage information. ERMU is always planning for the future and works closely with the City for this planning so that services can be available as Developers want to develop areas in the City of Elk River. ERMU is working with a consultant to obtain customer service survey information and plans to have this completed prior to the AMI project completion so that good survey information can be obtained post implementation too. ERMU has been awarded the Reliable Public Power Provider award, the Smart Energy Provider award, and an Excellence in Communication award. The last thing Mark wanted to leave us with was that they are budgeting for a 0% electric rate increase in 2024!

Rotating Reports

District updates

District Mid-term is January 6, 2024 in St. Paul

Community update reports

Mark Kuyava is home and doing well, although it will be a long recovery. He is grateful for the Rotary prayers and support, and his wife loved the Christmas flower arrangement.
Service update – Shiver Elk River is February 10 in Big Lake and Rotary will be providing hot cocoa again. Debbi also encouraged the club to jump in the water this year!
A Taste meeting will be today after the regular meeting here at Rockwoods.
January 18, 2024 is the meeting date for public recognition of the $10,000 in donations to the various agencies. The agencies will actually get the physical checks by the end of December.
Debbi showed a video from Rotary International on Health and Wellness, the theme of the month, focusing on disease prevention. Our local Rotary club is part of a much larger organization and it’s good to see how we are a part of that and can help with our foundation dollar contributions.

Fundraising Opportunities

Delights and Dilemmas:

Nicole Wocjik was delighted to have completed the college visit to Moorhead and Concordia, and still has a visit to UMD planned for next year. She was also delighted to have won a $500 gift card at Mark’s company Christmas party, and lastly to be attending the Ripley Wreaths for the Fallen this weekend with her mom (and will be able to meet her mom’s boyfriend.)

Julie Fish was delighted for her family’s Christmas gathering (“Fishmas”) this weekend, and her A1C number is down to 6.6 this year!

Theresa Slominski was delighted her daughter is recovering from appendicitis, and her husband is recovering from having two teeth pulled.

Debbi Rydberg was delighted for her mom’s cataract surgery to have gone well, and her husband’s cataract surgery went well too. She had a dilemma, however, that the kittens did not do so well with them being gone and not being at their home, suffering from anxiety.

Birthdays – Tom Kerber had us sing to him for his

birthday December 24. John Osterman wants to be sung happy birthday at the Christmas party for his birthday on December 26.

Melanie Clemons was the winner for the card draw this week! The pot will start fresh in January!

Other updates

There is no regular meeting on 12/21 since we have the holiday party that evening at POUR approximately 5:30-8:30pm. Wear an ugly Christmas attire, bring $1s and $5s, and there will be a new game requiring some skill. Don’t be late as there is a booby prize for that! Rotary will be providing appetizers and the first round of drinks.

Pearls of Wisdom:

“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion, and the will to help others.” Albert Schweitzer.

Wanted to add this to the bulletin... Bob

Holiday Social - RSVP to:

Nicole @ 763-331-5747

Theresa 763-227-0654

Ashley 715-741-7526

Julie @ 763-286-7298

Julie@elkriverprinting.com

Last Time We Met 12/7/2023

Today our meeting was led by President-Elect Heather Kliewer. We sang and recited the pledge:

Attending

Terry Bizal, Melanie Clemons, Julie Fish, Neil Gagnon, Katie Harstad, Tom Kerber, Heather Kliewer, Tove Lichty, Dr. Laura Mullennex, Pete Reiner, Theresa Slominski, Joe Stremcha, Bill Yueill, Robert Maxwell, John Osterman, Bruce Tyler

Guests Attending

Twila Johnson, Executive Director Maria’s Voice; Lissa Weimelt, Co-Founder Maria’s Voice; Michael Spellman, Assistant District Governor

Program

John Osterman introduced Lissa Weimelt from Maria’s Voice. Maria and her husband founded Maria’s Voice after their daughter was murdered by her husband. They didn’t know the signs of domestic violence and it was right under their nose. Now they want to educate everyone to be able to recognize the signs and know what to do. Their mission is to prevent domestic abuse, and their vision is to end domestic abuse. Their Values are Awareness, Education, and Safe Action. The education of domestic abuse is so important and they feel if every person that has an average of eight interactions per day can share the message then that is 2,920 messages

delivered every year. (They compared the message sharing like that of how most people now know how to recognize the signs of a heart attack and now know to call 911.) The best thing anyone can do is to know the signs. The number one sign is isolation, as the abuser doesn’t want the abused to seek help or to have others know they are an abuser. The number one thing NOT to do is confront the abuser; rather ask the suspected abused how they are doing and if you can meet to have a cup of coffee or something somewhere. Their organization provides resources in the form of business cards with help phone lines listed (in multiple languages) for adults, and coloring books for kids to help them recognize the behaviors of abusers and how to resolve. They provided packets with the coloring books, a handout of the signs of an abuser, and resource business cards. Finally, they shared how important it is for men to be good role models and speak up when other men are telling jokes about body parts and putting women down.

Rotating Reports

Fellow Rotarian Mark Kuyava was in the hospital with aortic stenosis. He had surgery Monday and hopes to return home Friday. Please keep him and his family in your prayers!

District updates

Midterm is January 6, 2024 in St. Paul

Julie Fish presented Tom Kerber with his badge, certificate, packet, and pin officially welcoming him into Rotary!

Community update reports.

Service update – Shiver Elk River is February 10 in Big Lake and Rotary will be providing hot cocoa again. Heather challenged the club to jump in the water this year!
Joe Stremcha gave an update from the Donations Committee. They will be distributing the $10,000 to seven various groups in increments of $2,500, $1,500, $1,000, and $500.
A Taste meeting will be next Thursday, December 14 after the regular meeting. Anyone interested in helping out should attend, or let Katie know if you want to help out and are unable to attend, because she would like to start delegating tasks at this meeting. Reminder that the event is scheduled for August 8 at the Furniture and Things Event Center.

Fundraising Opportunities

Birthdays – None

Delights and Dilemmas:

Tove Lichty was delighted to be here. She had to travel to Mendota Heights and shared about a podcast she listened to called 10% Happier that really moved her and said it is worth a listen. It was about Father Boyle with an organization for gang outreach being successful due to the power of love. The bible verse from Corinthians says love never fails, and this podcast restated it saying love never stops loving. She also had a dilemma that a veteran staff member is retiring on January 4.

Bob Maxwell was $22 delighted to be here as 22 years ago on this very day he had the widow maker event, survived, and appreciates the support received from Rotary.

Bill Yueill was delighted to be learning to play the cello. It is his motivator to keep his mind and body healthy.

Pete Reiner was delighted for their company Christmas party tonight at Rockwoods.

Julie Fish was delighted for awesome sunrises and sunsets, and for Bob.

Tom Kerber was delighted/dilemma-ed that his father-in-law was moved to rehab and is no longer in the hospital.

Heather Kliewer was delighted for her daughter’s birthday, her grandson’s birthday, and her son’s birthday, for leading today, and for a Christmas party she is going to tomorrow night at Rockwoods.

There was no winner for the card draw this week.

Other updates

The next meeting will be December 14 and Cal Portner’s program will be Mark Hanson with Elk River Municipal Utilities.
Terry Bizal had to leave early but wanted to let members know that Student of the Month will start in January, the second Thursday of the month and so January 11 will be the first one.
There is no regular meeting on 12/21 since we have the holiday party that evening at POUR approximately 5:30-8:30pm. Look for an email from Julie with more information.
encouraged us all to participate in district activities.

earls of Wisdom:

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” Elf

Last Time We Met 11/30/2023

Today our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg. We sang and recited the pledge:

Attending

Dirk Barrett, Melanie Clemons, Julie Fish, Neil Gagnon, Tom Kerber, Bonnie Koste, Dr. Laura Mullennex, Cal Portner, Debbi Rydberg, Ashley Schultz, Theresa Slominski, Joe Stremcha, Nicole Wocjik, Bill Yueill, David Anderson, Robert Maxwell, John Osterman, Bruce Tyler

Guests Attending

Alan Sakry, Colleen Bernard from Gifts Anonymous

Program

Dr. Laura Mullennex introduced Colleen Bernard from Gifts Anonymous. Colleen has been a board member since 2017 after her husband passed away suddenly of a heart attack and she does this in honor of him. Gifts Anonymous has 479 kids and 189 families signed up so far in 2023. Guardians will come and shop on December 16 and they also have curbside service available. They are taking donations through December 14 and have 55-60 barrels out in the community to collect the toys, blankets, gift cards and money. What they don’t collect in donations they shop for with the money collected. Everyone receives a blanket, several gifts, and each family a gift card for $50-$100 for additional needs. They also do gift bags for seniors.

Rotating Reports

Community update reports.

Joe Stremcha gave an update from the Donations Committee that they are meeting today after the regular meeting to decide on grant awards.
John Osterman gave an update on the Literacy Project. It was well received by the third graders and their teachers.
Taste update that the next meeting will be Thursday December 14 after the regular meeting.

Fundraising Opportunities

Birthdays – Bill Yueill had us sing the regular way.

Delights and Dilemmas:

Melanie Clemons had a dilemma that she was not able to make the book event at the school she signed up for but was delighted that they served 390 people at the Thanksgiving event.

Nicole Wojcik was delighted to be heading to Moorhead State and Concordia for senior visits with her daughter, a great Thanksgiving turkey cook-off, and the holiday planning party meeting tonight.

Bruce Tyler was delighted to be the world champion for his baseball league!

Bob Maxwell was delighted to have been able to attend the Eagles and Doobie Brothers concert as his kids surprised them with tickets, and was at the Gopher football game with his grandson.

Alan Sakry had a dilemma that Jordan and Scott are in Kansas and delighted he was able to spend Thanksgiving with them.

Debbi Rydberg has a dilemma that Chip and Dale are now jumping on the counters. She was delighted for their Thanksgiving on Friday that everyone came, and she is also delighted for Heather to be able to run the meeting for her as she will be helping out her mom after her cataract surgery.

There was no winner for the card draw this week.

Other updates

The next meeting will be December 7 and John Osterman’s program will be Maria’s Voice.
December 14 is Cal Portner’s program and it will be Mark Hanson from Elk River Municipal Utilities.
Save the date for the Holiday Social on 12/21 at POUR approximately 5:30-8:30pm. There will be no noon meeting that day. The board will be meeting at 9:00am.

Pearls of Wisdom:

“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” Ayn Rand

Last Time We Met 11/16/2023

Today our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg. We sang and recited the pledge:
We pledge ourselves to Create Hope in the World. We will accomplish this by reaffirming our mission to
inspire leaders with passion to serve humanity, strengthen youth for tomorrows leadership and dedicate
ourselves to enhancing lives in our world. Before we speak, act, or make decisions, let us pause and ask
ourselves: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be
beneficial to all concerned? These are our compass and will ensure that our actions are filled with
integrity and genuine care.

Attending
We welcomed Tom Kerber as our newest member! Terry Bizal, Melanie Clemons, Julie Fish, Neil
Gagnon, Katie Harstad, Tom Kerber, Heather Kliewer, Bonnie Koste, Mark Kuyava, Dr. Laura Mullennex,Cal Portner, Debbi Rydberg, Theresa Slominski, Joe Stremcha, Nicole Wocjik, Bill Yueill, David Anderson, Robert Maxwell, John Osterman, Bruce Tyler

Guests Attending
Paul Thomas Hohag “PT”, Livin’ Foundation

Program

Bob Maxwell introduced PT from the Livin’ Foundation as a friend of Rotary and local media personality of 102.9 The Wolf. PT founded the organization after he

lost his father 1/21/2013 to suicide, as a way to help others seek answers and find peace after surviving such tragedies. Livin’ is a choice every single day to find things that make you smile and put peace in your soul. It’s the idea that today can be a beautiful day and tomorrow can too. The foundation is like the stewards and supporters of mental illness. There have been a lot of resources assembled to help people facing mental illness but it was an overwhelming amount of information and tough to navigate when you are already struggling. The infrastructure for physical health is much more advanced than the infrastructure for mental illness. They have created a website to help get people in touch with mental health resources and it has an AI robot named “Hope” that welcomes an individual and helps them navigate the site and feel connected. The website “Livin’ Connected” was built by Healthtek with help from Optima, MNDH, Tina Smith’s office, and some Fortune 500 Companies. Information is available at livinconnected.com and livinfoundation.org.

Rotating Reports
Board meeting update. Funds were approved for the Christmas social, a membership event will be
coming in early 2024.
Community update reports.
 Joe Stremcha gave an update from the Donations Committee that they currently have eight grant requests for a total of $18,000. The deadline for applications is November 30 and there
are $10,000 to distribute. Checks will be sent out the end of December and a program will be
scheduled to recognize the recipients.
 Mark Kuyava gave an update on the Literacy Project for the Service Committee. The books have

been stickered with a sticker that has the 4-Way Test, noted the donation by the Elk River Rotary Club, and a place for the students to write their name that the book belongs to them.
Mark has assigned leads for each of the schools to take

the books and he will distribute the
boxes after the meeting. Mark also provided information for the teams on the program at each school and instructions for the day.

Taste update that the date will be August 8 at the Furniture and Things Event Center and we will
be utilizing the Zeffy electronic ticket sales platform. Taste meetings will be every month on the
second Thursday after the regular meeting.

Fundraising Opportunities

Birthdays – none this week

Delights and Dilemmas:

Melanie Clemons was delighted her taxes went down in her proposed property tax statement.
Tom Kerber was delighted to be a new member.
Bob Maxwell was delighted for PT’s Livin’ updates for the program today.
Julie Fish was delighted in her position as Membership Chair to welcome Tom as our newest member.
Debbi Rydberg was delighted for the Thanksgiving gathering date for her family to be determined.
Heather Kliewer was delighted to have returned from Napa last week with her girlfriends, and that her
grandson’s twelfth birthday is tomorrow. She was also delighted to plug CAER Foodshelf for give to the
max day.
PT was delighted to give CAER a shout out and also to recognize that give to the max in Minnesota is a
leader for other states.
Theresa Slominski was delighted for the sunshine again and for the good work that the Livin’ Foundation
does.
Bonnie Koste was delighted to bring the bell back after having it repaired by her neighbor.
Terry Bizal was delighted to go to Montreal Canada on a road trip with this daughter.
Cal Portner was delighted to fine Neil Gagnon for promoting Rotary as a singing club over anything else,
and also delighted to share a story regarding Paul Martin and his daughter who had him help coach
defense with her for the Breck girls’ team.
Neil Gagnon was delighted to have attended an Edina Rotary Club meeting.

There was no winner for the card draw this week.
Other updates

 The next meeting will be November 30 and the program will be Gifts Anonymous. They really
need gifts for teenagers and blankets so if you can bring some on the 30th it would be much appreciated!
 Save the date for the Holiday Social on 12/21 at POUR approximately 5:00-8:30. There will be no noon meeting that day.
 Terry Bizal updated that the Student of the Month should be able to start in January and he and
Molly Hanson are working on that.
 The Elk River Fire Foundation and Kiser are hosting a Thanksgiving meal at Central Lutheran
Church from 11:30-1:00 and they will have homebound meals available as well.
 Kiser Kid’s Christmas toy drive has collection sites are at the Police Station, VP, Kiser and the
Furniture and Things Arena.

Pearls of Wisdom:
“Gratitude is a currency that we can mint ourselves and spend without fear of bankruptcy.” Fred DeWitt
Van Amburgh

Last Time We Met 11/09/2023

oday our meeting was led by President Debbi Rydberg. We sang and recited the pledge:

Attending

Melanie Clemons, Julie Fish, Molly Hanson, Mark Kuyava, Tove Lichty, Cal Portner, Pete Reiner, Debbi Rydberg, Ashley Schultz, Theresa Slominski, Joe Stremcha, Robert Maxwell, John Osterman, Bruce Tyler, Stewart Wilson

Guests Attending

Alex Safe, Bank of Elk River Branch Manager in Otsego; Tom Kerber, prospective member (he grew up with Rotary, his father started two different clubs and is a six time Paul Harris fellow, is a former Rotary exchange student to Australia and his family hosted exchange students, but never joined Rotary himself); Margo Barry, Elk River Library Services Coordinator/Branch Manager

Program

Tove Lichty introduced Margot Barry as our speaker today. Margot has previously worked with the Great River Library program in Carver County, and with the public school system in St Paul before that. She visits libraries wherever she goes and her favorite is Nova Scotia. She has been with the Elk River Library since the end of May. Elk River Library is part of the Great River Regional Library system which encompasses six counties, thirty-two branches, one locker station where people can pick up items, and is headquartered in St Cloud. St Cloud is the largest library in the system and Elk River is the second largest. The library’s main focus is the collection of books (digital and regular.) Programming is designed and developed for lasting impact as the children grow into adults to keep them engaged in the library all their life as life-long learners. She has been very focused on communication and discovering what the needs of this community are so the appropriate programming can be available. They have programs for almost all ages: 0-3, 3-6, home schools programs, teens’ book club and new teen writer’s club, two adult book clubs, plus miscellaneous varied programs about history, arts, music, etc. The library’s core values are exceptional service, forward thinking community focus, literacy access, library awareness, and operational excellence. The literacy component is missing for programming in K-3 and so right now working on a reading program to help kids be at their best reading level for school. It is a mentoring program for adult volunteers to come to the library once a week in an eight week cycle. They are paired up with kids who are struggling with reading and there is a curriculum to follow and you sit and read with them. When the program is ready to go she would be coming to groups like ours for volunteers to help mentor students. Outreach is important to Margot, to let others know all that the library has, and to bring back to the library programs needed in the community.

Rotating Reports

Community update reports. Tove gave a reminder for grant funding. As we send money to the foundation, we get money back, and she asked us to give to the foundation. She also asked that we think of ideas for potential grants in our community so we can be ready to go in the spring. November is Foundation month.

Mark Kuyava gave an update on the Literacy Project

for the Service Committee. Mark has been in contact with the district office and has contacts for Lincoln, Parker, Meadlowvale, and Twin Lakes Elementary, as well as on online group of students. He is passing around a signup sheet and would like to have five Rotarians to help out but needs at least two for each location. There is also a need for a group to put stickers inside each book with the club donation noted, the four-way test, and a place to write their name as owner of the book. Julie is printing the stickers and will let us know a date to put them inside the books at the Elk River Printing location.

There is a Taste Of Elk River meeting after meeting today. Katie gave an update that we met last week and tabled decisions until we talked to the major sponsors John Houlton from First Bank, and Phil from POUR. Meetings will be the second Thursday of every month after the regular meeting moving forward.

Fundraising Opportunities

Birthdays – none this week

Delights and Dilemmas:

Julie Fish was delighted for Margot’s presentation without a slide show, and also for the Veterans in the room and her favorite Veteran her father.

Tove Lichty was delighted for Margot’s presentation as literacy is close to her heart as well as her husband’s.

Stewart Wilson was delighted to be heading to Florida.

Peter Reiner was delighted for his daughter Erin’s wedding and the talk he had to give on being a father of four daughters but the program stated he had a son as well (oops – gotta proof read those things!)

Margot was delighted to be here and meet us.

Theresa Slominski was delighted for the sunshine today, excited for the literacy opportunity Margot is working on, and potential grant opportunities.

There was no winner for the card draw this week.

We have a board meeting prior to next week’s meeting, November 16.

Pearls of Wisdom:

“They say there are two things that define someone; your determination when you have nothing, and your attitude when you have everything.” Anonymous

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