Monthly Archives: July 2014

A Bad Gift Reconsidered: Fun at Rotary

Posted on July 31, 2014 by | 2 comments

–article submitted by Ellie Schatz; photo by Ellsworth Brown

Warren and Group

(Pictured above are Rotary Board Members with District Governor Dave Warren. From left: Robyn Kitson, Dave Warren, Dora Zuniga and Tim Stadelman)

Last week, President Tim promised 10% more fun at Rotary and said we would hear more about this from District Governor Dave Warren.

So what is fun and how does it relate to Rotary? Do you consider Rotary fun?

I looked up “fun” in three dictionaries, starting with a classic Webster’s Unabridged. I didn’t think Webster’s first definition fit either Dave’s message or my experience of Rotary. “Fun: A practical joke: trick, hoax.” Dave had us laughing, and he described Janesville’s annual corn roast and mud volleyball tournament laughingly, but he in no way thinks of Rotary, his governorship, or Janesville’s fundraiser as a hoax. Try again.

“Fun: a source of enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure.” This first definition from American Heritage Dictionary is second in the Webster’s, and fits with Dave’s message. The first two definitions in my Random House dictionary give us these descriptors as well as adding mirth and playfulness. Dave clearly wants all Rotarians in District 6250 to enjoy their meetings, and his playfulness was evident as he quizzed us on Rotary trivia and offered Jolly Rancher candies as prizes for correct answers. We all learned the first president of Rotary was, not Paul Harris, but rather Silvester Schiele. No candy on that one; Rob Stroud knew the answer from hearing Dave’s speech before, so his answer didn’t count!

Fun for District Governor Warren goes much deeper than games and amusement. He takes great pleasure in Service Above Self.  He shared how the project, Kids Against Hunger has encouraged children in Nicaragua to attend school by ensuring that if they come they will be fed a nutritious meal. He reiterated how the Rotary International effort to eradicate polio is close to reaching its goal. Reflecting on success is fun.

Where does his title, the bad gift, fit into Governor Dave’s definition of Rotary fun? He says joining Rotary was a gift that he initially didn’t think he wanted. But he now appreciates it as the gift that keeps on giving. “Rotary is a gift to myself and to my family,” he declared, as he asked us to offer this gift to our spouses, grown children, friends, and neighbors.

Dave joins RI President Gary Huang in asking us to enjoy our Rotary service, share it with others (a good gift even for the busiest of the busy), and Light Up Rotary together.

Our thanks to District Governor Dave Warren for his presentation CLICK to view his first video newsletter.

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Posted in 2. Meetings, 5. Members, District 6250, District Governor

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Recent Rotary Fellowship Events – Hitting the Open Road!

Posted on July 29, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Motorcycle Ride 7 27 14

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Pictured above, the Motorcycle Fellowship Group is crossing the Wisconsin River on the Merrimac Ferry.

Our club’s Motorcycle Fellowship Group headed out on the open road on Sunday, July 27, for LaFarge, Wisconsin, and the Rockton Bar’s World Famous Chicken Feed. Located in the heart of the beautiful Kickapoo Valley, on scenic Hwy 131 between Ontario and La Farge, the Rockton Bar is a favorite destination for hungry and thirsty patrons, especially motorcyclists in Wisconsin. The group rode through the amazing countryside of the Driftless region and enjoyed a great meal of BBQ chicken and fixin’s with great conversations and a positive Rotary experience!  Thanks to Jeff Bartell for organizing this event.

Brewers Trip 7 27 2014

Our club’s Baseball Fellowship Group boarded a bus on Sunday, July 27, for Milwaukee to see the Brewers take on the New York Mets. Final score:  Mets 2, Brewers 0.

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Posted in 4. Fellowship Groups, Baseball Fellowship Group, Motorcycle fellowship group

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Meet Tim Stadelman: Club President

Posted on July 24, 2014 by | 1 comment

–submitted by Andrea Kaminski; photo by John Bonsett-Veal

Tim and Rob

President Tim Stadelman (Pictured above at left with Past Club President Rob Stroud) was our speaker on Wednesday, July 23. He spoke about his past and connected it with his goals as President of our club. Tim referred to four core areas of his life – Rotary, Family, Findorff and the Community. He said all four mainstays are connected, and the first three support the community.

Tim thanked his wife Lori and sons Ross, Tommy and Justin as well as his partners and colleages at Findorff for their support. He thanked Rotary members for “the opportunity of a lifetime to lead the Club.”

The sixth of seven children, Tim grew up near Belleville. His father was a cheese maker and the family lived on the upper floor of the cheese factory. After raising seven children, his mother became a kindergarten teacher. Tim’s parents wanted all of their children to go to college, an opportunity they themselves did not have. Tim graduated from UW-Whitewater with a degree in accounting.

In August Tim will celebrate 25 years with Findorff, where he is CFO and an owner of the company. He noted similarities between Findorff’s core values and those of Rotary, including taking a long-term view, fostering strong leadership, maintaining a community focus and engaging multiple generations.

Tim gave a preview of what to expect as the Rotary Board enters the fourth year of our Club’s five year strategic plan:

  1. Marketing will continue to be an emphasis, so that all materials and messaging will have a consistent focus on core concepts;
  2. Membership development efforts will focus on building connections for members, especially those in their first few years with the Club. Each committee and fellowship group will be challenged to organize one shared activity or event with another committee or group.
  3. The Board will lead us in identifying a fourth focus area for Service, in addition to the current areas of Basic Needs, Education and Mentoring, and Civic Leadership.
  4. We will increase involvement with the Rotaract Clubs at UW and Edgewood College, as well as support a new Interact Club at Madison East High School.

Finally, Tim promised 10% more fun! District Governor Dave Warren will explain this in detail at our July 30 meeting.

 

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Posted in 1. President's Messages, 2. Meetings, Networking, Weekly Rotary Guest Speaker

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Berry Tells Story of DDT Activists

Posted on July 17, 2014 by | Leave a comment

–submitted by Valerie Johnson; photo by John Bonsett-Veal

Bill Berry

DDT saved lives during WWII, and still does today in some places, Rotarians heard at the July 16 meeting from Bill Berry.  Berry is the author of “Banning DDT: How Citizen Activists in Wisconsin Led the Way.”

Berry then went on to explain how too much DDT usage began to disrupt reproduction in several fish and bird species, and the industry’s lack of response “caught them with their pants down” by concerned citizens who then sued to get action and ban the pesticide.

Berry researched this case study of early environmental activism for six years.  He told of the hunters and fishers, bird-watchers, and garden-club ladies such as Lorrie Otto, who dropped off twenty-eight dead robins at the Bayside village offices. He described university professors and scientists such as Joseph Hickey, a professor and researcher in the Department of Wildlife Management at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, who, years after the fact, wept about the suppression of some of his early DDT research.

Some of the lessons to be learned Berry shared with Madison Rotarians included:

  • Economic arguments are important and business should be involved in environmental debates
  • Scientists should engage in public debate
  • Media matters
  • Ecological catastrophes can be avoided
  • Humans are capable of making a global imprint
  • Private citizens can make a difference

Berry grew up in Green Bay and earned undergraduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. After more than 20 years as a reporter, columnist and editor for several daily newspapers, he now focuses his work on communicating in the fields of conservation and agriculture. A columnist for The Capital Times newspaper in Madison, Berry lives in Stevens Point.

 

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Posted in 2. Meetings

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Highlights from 9th Annual Rotary Scholar-Mentor Picnic on July 13

Posted on July 15, 2014 by | Leave a comment

–article submitted by Ellie Schatz; photos submitted by Noel Pearson and Ellie Schatz

On Sunday, July 13, nearly 80 Rotary scholars and mentors attended our 9th Annual Rotary Scholar-Mentor Picnic. The following photos don’t quite tell it all, but they give the flavor of a day filled with the excitement of shared goals and dreams, the bonding accomplished through conversation and caring, the comforts of an idyllic environment, good food, and people we are so lucky to have in our lives.

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Upperclassman Patrick Mather shared the ropes of college with Austin Coppernoll, incoming freshman.

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Club President Tim Stadelman heard of dreams and plans, like Sheikh Jammeh’s possibility of working and studying in the Galapagos Islands.

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Cheryl Weston spent some quiet moments with Kiran Silwell as she prepares for her senior year.

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Alan Rubio and Cristhian Hernandez talked about classes at Madison College (and soccer?).

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Our hostess, Noel, never took a breather. When she wasn’t behind the scenes organizing food, chairs, etc., she was behind the camera capturing the fun and future that’s represented at her lakeside table. Thank you Noel and Dick Pearson.

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Graduate scholar Chie Yang began a conversation about majors, graduation, graduate school and careers. Mentors reveled in hearing all the BIG ideas and plans.

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A picnic on the lake must include a boat or two?!  Brett Stratton helped Captain Dick bring the boat up for a very popular annual activity.  Seeing Madison from the lake adds new perspectives for many scholars.

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New Rotarian Jason Hunt and scholar McKenna Crossen shared some get-acquainted time.

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The Kitchen Committee, as always, got a big heads up as do all the mentors for the delicious dishes, from chips and dips to cookies and pies. Terry Heinrichs, did you make that scrumptious raspberry pie yourself?

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It was a perfect day in a perfect setting. If this is “service above self,” we enjoyed living our Rotary motto.

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Posted in 5. Members, MRF Scholarship Committee, Networking

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Photo Highlights from Annual Vocational Fellowship Luncheon Day on July 9

Posted on July 14, 2014 by | Leave a comment

Carey Glass 2Carey Glass 3

At the Carey Fused Glass Studio, members created unique votive candle holders.  Photo 1: from left: Peggy Lescrenier, Rachel Krinsky and Ken Yuska; Photo 2: Dewey Bredeson

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Members and guests received a backstage tour at the Overture Center for the Arts.

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At Madison College, members and guestsreceived a tour of the new Health Education Building.  Pictured above from left: Bob Dinndorf and Dick & Nina Rieselbach.

UW Athletic Center

Members enjoyed lunch and a tour of the new UW Department Student Athlete Performance Center which was completed in January 2014.

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At St. Mary’s Hospital, members heard about better care at lower costs.  Photo 1: Frank Byrne; Photo 2: from left: Dave Ewanowski, Suzanne Qualia, Larry Zanoni, Pat Guttenberg and Ted Waldbillig; Photo 3: from left on the helipad: Cindy Herbst, Ted Wadbillig, Paul Karch, Larry Zanoni, Jon Lewis (VP of St. Mary’s Operations) and Dick Goldberg.

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At UW’s School of Human Ecology, members toured this sustainable facility which included 13,000 items in its textile collection.

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At Bruker AXS, members learned about cutting edge digital technology used by next generation scientists in a wide array of industries.

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Members and guests learned how rapidly the health industry is changing and what that means to palliative care at Agrace Hospice & Palliative Care.

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And members enjoyed lunch and a tour of Webcrafters on July 9.  Photo 1: from left: Kip Frautschi, Nate Brand, Ellis Waller, Martha Casey, Brian Basken, Marci Henderson, Derrick Van Mell and Neil Fauerbach; Photo 2: Jac Garner (left) addresses the group.

We thank the following organizations and Rotary hosts:

  • Agrace Hospice & Palliative Care – Lynne Myers
  • Bruker AXS – Mark Stover
  • Carey Fused Glass – Denny Carey
  • Edgewood College – Scott Flanagan
  • Madison College – Bob Dinndorf, Carey Heyer, Kathleen Smith & Diane Walleser
  • Overture Center for the Arts – Ted DeDee
  • St. Mary’s Hospital – Frank Byrne
  • St. Vincent de Paul – Ralph Middlecamp
  • The Capital Times – Paul Fanlund
  • UW Athletic Department – Ben Fraser
  • UW-Madison School of Human Ecology – Majid Sarmadi
  • Webcrafters, Inc. – Kip Frautschi  

We extend a special thanks to Rico Goedjen, chair of our Vocational Opportunities Committee and his committee for organizing this year’s Vocational Fellowship Luncheon Day.  

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Posted in Vocational Fellowship

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