Regular Meeting - February 8, 2023 (Feb. 14, 2024)

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:

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, 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

_______________________________________