Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin

Big Wheels Bicyclists Meet with Dinner & Discussion Group October 26

Posted on October 28, 2014 by joannamartinez | 1 comment

–submitted by Joan Collins; photos by Pete Christianson & Teri Venker

(Pictured above from left: Jason Beren, Dawn Crim, Ed Van Gemert, Joan Collins, Becky Steinhoff, Teri Venker & Terry Jacobson)

Ever been to McCarthy Reserve? Even know where it is?

SPOKESwoman Becky Steinhoff who led the Big Wheels Bicycling Fellowship fall bike outing on Sunday, October 26, took us there during a hilly trip through the fall colors. Our bike wheels met the pavement in Madison, Monona, Cottage Grove and the Town of Burke before we headed back to our stating point, The Goodman Center, where we doubled our numbers for food and conversation.

(Photo 1: from left: Joan Collins, Ed Van Gemert, Becky Steinhoff, Jason Beren, Dawn Crim & Teri Venker; Photo 2: from left: Joan Collins, Bill Waldbillig, Sandra Christensen & Jim Christensen; Photo 3: Pete Christianson)

From left: Jason Beren, Jim Christensen, Dawn Crim & Roger Phelps

Besides the bright colors on a sunny and no-wind day, we saw Halloween decorations in one neighborhood sure to win prizes in a decorate your yard contest, as well as farm fields and peaks of Lake Monona.

Back at the Goodman Center, Becky hosted us with her fabulous lasagna (both meat and veggie) and wine, with the rest of us adding to the potluck mid-day dinner.

What’s next? Talk of a cross country ski fellowship as bicyclists switch gears for winter.

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Posted in 4. Fellowship Groups, Bike Fellowship, Dinner & Discussion

Tagged Membership, Rotary, Rotary Club of Madison

The Face of Edgewood College is…

Posted on October 23, 2014 by joannamartinez | Leave a comment

–submitted by Linda Baldwin; photo by John Bonsett-Veal

From left: President-Elect Ellsworth Brown with Scott Flanagan

Everyone!

Scott Flanagan is the 7^th President of Edgewood College, after spending 16 years at the college as a teacher and administrator. Today he gave us an overview of the college. Begun in 1949 under the leadership of the Dominican sisters, Edgewood College has grown to more than 3000 students in many undergraduate, graduate and non-traditional programs.

President Flanagan recalled that in 1970 the college went co ed and announced this change through a road sign “Now Co ed.” He surmised this change was not met with enthusiasm as the sign was quickly stolen.

Today the sisters’ legacy is carried out through the good work of all associated with Edgewood; students, faculty and staff, the board of trustees and even the presidents, past and present.

Edgewood College was one of the first in the country to offer the “yellow ribbon” program, an opportunity for veterans to attend college on scholarships. Today more than 150 vets are attending Edgewood.

Edgewood primarily educates students from the greater Madison area, and they stay in the area after graduation. Flanagan proudly pointed to the fact that only 3% of 2013 grads were still looking for work; 97% were working, in the military or doing graduate work.

He also talked about the programs for returning students seeking professional advancement through Edgewood programs, serving traditional and non-traditional students and invited everyone to the “Stream,” Edgewood’s new arts complex.

It’s Wisconsin, so Flanagan mentioned the 15 sports programs at the college, the robust study abroad program, the community internships which take students out into the community for service and civic engagement, offering more than 200,000 hours in service.

In closing, he touched on the partnerships with area businesses that provide additional scholarship money for students; the emphasis on inclusivity, noting that 15-20% of Edgewood students are minorities with retention rates almost as high as the student body in general and affordability, noting that 94% of Edgewood students receive some sort of financial aid.

President Flanagan closed by asking Rotarians to get involved with Edgewood to help meet our society needs for qualified workers, engaged citizens, servant leaders and scholarly problem solvers.

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Posted in 2. Meetings, Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker

Tagged Rotary, Rotary Club of Madison, Rotary Club Weekly Guest Speaker

“Rotary Bingo” at The Madison Club October 21, 2014

Posted on October 22, 2014 by joannamartinez | Leave a comment

–summary & photos submitted by Jason Beren

On Tuesday, October 21, at our New Member Event, about 25 new and experienced Rotarians attended a coffee event at The Madison Club (Thanks to Mary Gaffney-Ward for the use of the great room).

The focal point of the event was a cutting edge networking activity known as “Rotary Bingo.” Much like a scavenger hunt played with a bingo card, attendees had to work their way around the room to fill out their card with the names of the Rotarians who matched each square.

Prior to the event, attendees completed a survey with questions such as:

What is something about yourself that’s unique and people might not know about you?
Where were you born?
Who were your Rotary Sponsors?
What high school activity, club, or sport did you participated in?
What unique event have you attended?
Have you ever done a unique Rotary make-up international or domestic?

Attendees learned that some of their fellow Downtown Rotarian’s have:

Been a ski bum for a winter
Spent two months deep in the Amazon jungle
Attended a cocktail party on Malcolm Forbes yacht
Did a Rotary make-up on Easter Island

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Posted in 2. Meetings, 3. Committees, 5. Members, New Member Events

Tagged Fellowship, Membership, New Members, Rotary, Rotary Club of Madison

Autumn Hike at Louis’ Bluff on October 18, 2014

Posted on October 20, 2014 by joannamartinez | Leave a comment

–submitted by Katie Ryan; photos by Herman Baumann, Karl Gutknecht & Susan Hunt

On Saturday, October 18, the Rotary Special Events Fellowship Group, Hiking Fellowship Group and Big Wheels Bicycling Fellowship Group and guests were invited to Frank and Mariana Weinhold’s beautiful 135-acre property, Louis’ Bluff. The farm was settled in 1847 and is one of the oldest in Juneau County. It includes 7000 feet of shoreline along the Wisconsin River and a spectacular rocky bluff that provides an incredible view. The October 8 Rotary speaker photojournalist Mike Kienitz went out to the site, which is about an hour and a quarter’s drive from Madison on the north side of the Wisconsin Dells, and captured the panorama with his camera-fitted drone.

You can watch his October 11, 2014, at the you tube video “DRONE IN THE DELLS“. Our hike was on the same sort of glorious, sunny fall day.

We gathered at the Weinhold’s house for a barbecue lunch and social time before heading out on hikes. There are flat routes past cultivated fields and through the oak and pine woods to the beaches and a steep climb up the rocky limestone bluffs. Most of the group of thirty headed up to the top. There’s an overlook to the north that juts out into the Wisconsin River and provides a stunning view of the formations caused by glacial outwash. The entire property is a private conservation area, and although you see some evidence of civilization, you’d never guess you were down the road from the amusements of the Dells. There is a reminder of the tourism history however, a 1954 cedar-log replica of the Fort Winnebago blockhouse from the Fort Dells amusement park relocated at Louis’ Bluff. It was dedicated in a traditional Ho-Chunk ceremony and there are headdresses from the Bear Clan on display inside.

Besides geological interest, the entire area is sacred to the Ho-Chunk nation. Melanie Tallmadge Sainz (left), a member of the Ho-Chunk nation whose family has a long history at the site, accompanied the hikers. At the top she explained the Native American significance of the area and played a beautiful melody on a cedar flute. She is director of the Little Eagle Arts Foundation. Another special viewing was an active eagle’s nest on the Weinhold’s bluff. The group reconvened at the house for pie and ice cream. The Weinholds opened their house, ice house, shed, beach-side gazebo and a cemetery for exploration. It was a spectacular fall day and a great excursion for the Rotary hiking fellowship.

Our thanks to Frank and Mariana Weinhold for their gracious hospitality and to Petie Rudy and Leigh Richardson of the Special Events Fellowship Group for organizing this event.

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Posted in 4. Fellowship Groups, Bike Fellowship, Hiking Fellowship, Hiking Group, Special Events Committee

Tagged Fellowship, Hiking, Rotary, Rotary Club of Madison

“It’s Never Too Late to Change”

Posted on October 16, 2014 by joannamartinez | Leave a comment

–submitted by Mark Stover; photo by Pete Christianson

Keynote speaker Leslie Ann Howard, President and CEO of United Way of Dane County, delivered this message to a full house at the 51^st Annual Madison Area Service Clubs luncheon on Wednesday, October 15, at the Sheraton.

Evidence that Howard’s message of changing the human condition is not only possible but happening today in our community echoed throughout the program.

Bill Battista, winner of this year’s Ruth Gordon Service Award changed the human condition for children in the West Madison Little League. During his involvement, the Little League has grown to encompass participation of over 700 boys and girls in baseball and softball. Giving kids positive encouragement makes a big difference in their lives and the lives of people around them.

Christine Hodge, winner of this year’s Community Youth Volunteer Award is helping to change the human condition by her focus on children’s education. She is founder and Director of the Mt. Zion Academic Learning Center which provides after-school tutorial support for all children in the church community and throughout the Madison Metropolitan School District.

Howard noted that “making change at scale” is often less expensive and creates greater measurable improvements in real people’s lives than many of the traditional ways of addressing social needs. Howard cited data in three areas of the United Way’s recent work.

The initiative called Housing First seeks to insure that homelessness is addressed at its root: keep people in their homes in the first place. Research shows that once a person enters a shelter they only have a 37% chance of leaving it – that is, getting out of a support situation. Instead, a smaller investment providing short term support to keep people in their homes results in an 80% chance of long-term independence.

Similarly with people reintroduced to their neighborhoods from prison there is a 67% recidivism rate without intervention. Journey Home, another United Way initiative, cuts that to less than 5% with an annual investment of $500 per program participant. By comparison it costs $38,000 a year to keep an offender in prison.

Finally, parenting skills are critical to getting children off to a healthy start in life. Low income participants in the Parent Child Home Program with only two years of involvement find their kids graduate from high school at that same rate as middle income kids do.

There’s a lot to be proud of among the service providers and service clubs of the Madison area. CLICK to view Neil Heinen’s recent editorial, “Service Clubs Continue to Thrive in Madison.”

Our thanks to Leslie Howard for her presentation and to Brad Hutter and Kristine Mirelle for providing special music.

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Posted in 2. Meetings, Rotary Weekly Guest Speaker

Tagged Rotary, Rotary Club of Madison, Service Above Self

Mitch Javid Award

Posted on October 6, 2014 by joannamartinez | Leave a comment

The Rotary Club of Madison recently recognized Mitch Javid for bringing so many new members to our Rotary Club. At our meeting on September 24, Mitch was honored by the Member Development Committee. Committee chair Joanna Burish announced the creation of the Mitch Javid Award which will be presented annually to the club member who sponsors the most new members over a three-year period. The first recipient was Mitch Javid.

During his 46 years in Rotary, Mitch has brought more than 200 potential new members to a Rotary luncheon. He has sponsored 56 new members and co-sponsored an additional 10. As Mitch says, “I love Rotary. It is very dear to me. I believe in it and so I want to share it with other good people. Rotarians should look for the top people in every field, get to know them and talk Rotary with them.”

Mitch with Club President Stadelman
President Tim Stadelman presented Mitch with a certificate in recognition of this award. We congratulate Mitch on receiving this award recognition and thank him for his continuing efforts on behalf of Rotary.