The Elmbrook Rotary Club (ERC) enjoys a large number of Paul Harris Fellows in its midst. At its Changing of the Guard ceremony held on June 30, 2021, ERC announced forty-three new Paul Harris Fellow recognitions.  These included six first-time Paul Harris fellows, six presented as gifts from a Rotarian to a spouse or child, and thirty-one additional recognitions of Rotarians who were already Paul Harris Fellows. This number has continued to increase throughout 2021.

The principal reason for the extraordinarily large number is a limited-time Paul Harris matching program instituted by ERC earlier in 2021. Under the club’s matching program, the club matches each donation of $500 to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) with a transfer of 500 Foundation recognition points. The TRF points are provided by the club itself and by members who have accumulated a large number of recognition points.

The matching program runs through the end of the current calendar year. The net result of the matching program has been a substantial increase in contributions to The Rotary Foundation and more engagement by the members of Elmbrook Rotary Club. If you have not already done so, do take advantage of this opportunity before December 31. Donations to the "2021 Ride to End Polio" and Polio Plus also count as credits toward Paul Harris Fellow award recognition.

The December 2021 edition of the Elm Grove News - Independent has been printed and distributed.

 

You'll find the ERC paid ad in the "Business Directory" on p. 3, the ERC Friday meetings information on p. 5., and an article on Elmbrook Rotary's 2021 "Business Person of the Year" award on p. 6.

 

Click here to access and read. Copies are also available for pick up at the Elm Grove and Brookfield libraries, Sendik's, Ace Hardware, etc.

 

The Rotary community showed its collective support for World Polio Day on 24 October by raising funds and advocating for polio eradication. There’s still time to make a contribution to PolioPlus in honor of World Polio Day.

 

If you haven’t watched it yet, don’t miss Rotary’s World Polio Day Global Update, which provides important news about eradication efforts and explains why continued support is critical to protecting our progress toward ending polio forever. New this year: Our Facebook page and YouTube channel feature a World Polio Day video playlist, so you can watch and share individual segments from the Global Update.

 

The world may never have a better chance than now to eradicate polio, according to Aidan O’Leary, polio eradication director for the World Health Organization. Before polio can be considered eradicated, the number of cases must reach zero and no virus can be detected in the environment. During the first nine months of 2021, just two cases of polio caused by the wild virus were recorded — one each in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the two countries where wild polio is still endemic. Environmental testing throughout those countries has also shown significantly less wild poliovirus in water and sewage samples.

O’Leary explains how we can protect our progress against polio and reach more children with a new polio vaccine and a new Global Polio Eradication Initiative strategy. This strategy aims to address our remaining challenges, including vaccine hesitancy, political uncertainty, and the difficulties of continuing vaccinations during a pandemic. Read more from O’Leary about the determination and support it will take to overcome today’s challenges and achieve a polio-free world.

City of Brookfield Mayor Steven Ponto is also a member of the Elmbrook Rotary Club (ERC). On Friday, November 12, he provided an update to ERC concerning the city.

 

Highlighted were the continuing economic developments in the city, lowered property taxes, and the fantastic 54,000 sq. ft. multipurpose Brookfield Conference Center.

 

Being a Rotary Club member and attending frequently is one of the best, and easiest, ways to stay informed about one's community and the world in general. Join Elmbrook Rotary Club for a free breakfast and great program on any Friday morning at 7:00 a.m. at the Western Racquet Club in Elm Grove (1800 Highland Drive). You won't regret that you did. This week's (November 19th) program features Dr. Daniell Bastian, Bürgermeister der Einhardstadt Seligenstadt, Deutschland (Mayor of Einhardstadt Seligenstadt, Germany). Seligenstadt is Brookfield‘s Sister City.

Elmbrook Rotary Club welcomed its newest member on Friday, November 5, with the induction of Yusuf Quereshi.

 

 

Yusuf's Rotary Classification is "Regulatory Reporting." His sponsor is Noaman Sharief.

 

Welcome, Yusuf!

Elmbrook Rotary Club welcomed its newest member on Friday, October 29, with an induction ceremony at its weekly breakfast meeting.

 

 

Julie Couden's membership classification is "Payments Relationship Manager." She was proposed for membership by, and is sponsored by, Jackson Bubolz.

 

A hearty welcome to Rotary's "People of Action" who make a difference around the world!

Rotary District 6270 kicked off Rotary International's newest Area of Focus with its "Environmental Days of Service" during October 4-10. Local clubs were encouraged to do anything they wanted during that week with an environmentally-focused theme.

 

Adding the "Environment" as a new area of focus provides Rotary International with the influence needed to continue sustaining humanitarian projects in the long term while also actively working to make the planet cleaner and safer for the communities it serves. This proactive approach to climate change ensures that Rotary International will be able to handle the inevitable changes arising from a warming planet amid increasing levels of pollution, deforestation, and extinction. Rotary is not alone. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a partner of Rotary, has also added climate change to its top issues. Humanitarian organizations like Rotary have the network and resources necessary to help vulnerable communities adjust to environmental changes that are on the horizon.

 

 

RI District 6270 boasts of having been awarded the first Global Grant Scholarship in the new Area of Focus. Alaina Eckert of Sussex, WI, is the recipient. Working towards completing dual masters degrees simultaneously and currently in Germany, Alaina has been forced to adjust slightly her sequence of program studies. The Government of New Zealand has again delayed the issue of student visas until mid-2022. Alaina has therefore procured a three-six month internship with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Society in Panama, beginning in January 2022, and will hopefully proceed afterwards to New Zealand for a semester of studies at Lincoln University.

Craig Burnett, Past District Governor (PDG) of Rotary International District 6270 during 2020-2021, presented Elmbrook Rotary Club with the distinguished "Rotary Citation" for Rotary Year 2020-2021 at its breakfast meeting on Friday, September 24.

 

Citing the difficulty of receiving such recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic year, PDG Burnett congratulated the club for being among the very few in RI District 6270 who received the recognition.

 

 

Tom Hochuli, Immediate Past President for Elmbrook Rotary, received the citation on behalf of the club. He credited the entire membership for the achievement and offered his personal gratitude for the way(s) in which club members continued to remain active in service during 2020-2021. Congratulations, Elmbrook Rotary!

Brian Sonderman, Executive Director of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, provided an update on the organization and its efforts on Friday, September 24.

 

Mr. Sonderman cited an abundance of data concerning the housing situation in the central city of Milwaukee. That data demonstrates the dire need for the ongoing efforts of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity.

 

ERC President Thom Arndt announced the intention of Elmbrook Rotary Club to engage with the organization and support its efforts, including hands-on participation in building and renovating houses.

The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee (BGCGM) was the featured program of Elmbrook Rotary on Friday, September 17. Presenter was Kathy Thornton-Bias.

 

Kathy Thornton-Bias is the 15th president and CEO of BGCGM and the second female to lead the Clubs since its founding in 1887 by Annabell Cook Whitcomb. She grew up in a Rotarian's family and is currently a member of the downtown Milwaukee Rotary Club.

 

The BGCGM is the largest Boys & Girls Club in the country with 44 locations throughout greater Milwaukee serving approximately 5,000 youth each day. In addition to providing an overview of the BGCGM's mission and purposes, Thornton-Bias also announced the establishment of "The Learning Center," a new program at a new location that is intended to prepare teenagers for college.

The Rotary International President for 2021-2022 is Shekhar Mehta, member (since 1985) of the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar, Calcutta, India. He and spouse Rashi look forward to meeting as many Rotarians as possible during this new Rotary year.

 

 

Shekhar has chosen "Serve to Change Lives" as the theme for 2021-2022. He states the following about the theme:  "Imagine the change we, as Rotary members, can make when there are so many more of us! More people to care for others, more people to Serve to Change Lives. Think of the impact we can have through grow more, do more. More members will enable us to embark on bigger and bolder service projects. And each of us can also continue to serve in our own personal ways, responding to needs in our communities."

 

To read what family and colleagues have to say about him, click here.