It's that time of year! The Elmbrook Rotary Club's "Spikes for Tikes" annual fundraising drive is in full operational mode. Project coordinator Mike Hogan has sent out all applicable documents (teams, appeal letter, listing of 2020-2021 charitable donations, etc.) to all members of Elmbrook Rotary.

 

"Spikes for Tikes" is the club's largest fundraising event and is the main way the club creates funds to donate into our community. 

 

For the Spikes event, the club is split into different teams with the funny names of minor league baseball teams. Everyone is asked to talk with business owners, family & friends, and anyone else who finds joy in donating back into our community. We compete to determine which team can raise the most.

 

If you wonder about where the money goes, check out this PDF which lists the 2020-2021 charitable donations of Elmbrook Rotary Club and its Foundation. It's impressive! 

 

The June 4th in-person wrap up is a volleyball event to be held at Mitchell Park. We invite teams from the community to play volleyball and learn more about Rotary. Register your team online by clicking here. Or, download the team registration form. There are also lots of opportunities to volunteer for this event. 

 

Please see our fearless Spikes' leader, Mike Hogan (pictured delivering a rousing speech) for more details and sign ups. 

Rotary International's structured programs for youth service are: Interact, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), and Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE).

 

Rotaract, formerly a part of youth service, now enjoys an elevated status within Rotary International. Rotary’s Council on Legislation in 2019 formally approved the expansion of the definition of Rotary membership to include both Rotary and Rotaract.

 

In addition, RI District 6270 has its own special youth program, entitled "World Affairs Seminar." Held this year during June 18-24 at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisc., participants from more than 30 nations will address the topic of "Reimagining Global Health and Wellness." Check it out here.

 

The month of May is designated as “Youth Service Month” to focus on all Rotary activities that support the development of young people.

The Elmbrook Rotary Club (ERC) had a meeting full of introductions on May 13, 2022. 

 

After visiting a few meetings, Emily Jones & William (Bill) Selzer have both decided to join our club. Over the next few months they will hopefully make friends with many Rotarians, as well as better understand the ways they can be involved in local to international efforts. They will have a chance to choose an avenue of service that best fits their interests, and share their classification talks with us later this year. 

 

Part two of our meeting was hearing classification talks from slightly more seasoned members. 

 

Sherry Fontaine shared that she is not a new Rotarian, being active in a club in Onalaska, WI since 2015. She has always been someone who liked adventure. As a college student, her class was only the second to be integrated with men and women. Although there were some challenges with culture shift, she loved being part of something new and big. She went on to travel amid her 30 years in academia, living in London for a stretch that was particularly memorable. She focused on instructing Public Health Administration among other areas. 

 

Lydia Miller was born in New Jersey, went to Penn State to learn to teach in special ed and realized that finance was more her speed. Investment banking allowed her to see most of the world, including S.E. Asia and Africa. 

 

The second stage of Lydia's journey have been focusing on her two almost adult children, 17 & 14. Although they keep her "on her toes", they also have rooted her to the area, allowing our club the benefit of having her as a member. Lydia promises there any many stories she would love to tell in a smaller setting, so look for her at an upcoing social or volunteer event. 

 

Tom Michalski has called this area home for a long time. He graduated from Greenfield, studied at UW-Milwaukee, and took a role at Marquette, which turned out to be a 30 year post. 

 

Tom's experience in life is that things just work out. They might not make sense in the moment, but if we keep showing up, things will work out just as they are supposed to. Tom is leveraging his decades of experience in our community, both as a new Rotarian, and also as a civil servant with hopes of growing positive impact locally. 

Elmbrook Rotary Club members will again travel to Guatemala in February of 2023 to catch up with onsite work related to the two remotely-provided projects, return to the usual home building, and participate in other program elements to aid families. Contact ERC member Erik Moeser for more information and for details on the February 2023 trip.

On April 29 the Elmbrook Rotary Club (ERC) was visited virtually by Marcellus Dawson of Fit Club MKE. 

 

Marcellus shared how their programming teaches children the rules and details of sports like baseball and golf, and to be added soon, soccer and yoga.

 

The players receive a baseball glove when they begin the program together with opportunities to study school and sports on campus. On top of sports training, Fit Club MKE also provides children's books for members to take home, building their literacy along with their home library.

 

Marcellus shared that the best part of the program is seeing kids come in with apprehension and uncertainty and leave knowing they can play a game well and be part of this sports and education club. 

 

Fit Club MKE is currently in a growth and transition stage, adding programming while also seeking out donations to build a new facility. They are wanting to bring these types of education / athletics / community engagement directly to the players' neighborhoods. The link above provides an opportunity to donate to this organization if so moved. 

 

With deep sadness, we feel the plight of Ukraine and its people.  When someone is suffering, we reach out to help. Rotary International, a service organization, is doing just that and is calling us to help those in need. The Rotary Foundation (TRF) is moving quickly to provide grant funds for the relief effort in Ukraine and for those fleeing to other countries.

 

The Rotary Disaster Response Fund has received more than USD $13 million through April 30, 2022. Any contributions made after April 30 will be used by the Disaster Response Fund for disasters throughout the world and not just Ukraine.

 

Thank you!

Last year Elmbrook Rotary Club (ERC) embarked on sponsoring a new local endeavor by providing a Mini-Grant to the "Bikes for Stripes" program of the Milwaukee Homeless Veterans Initiative (MHVI).

 

On Friday, April 25, the club received a briefing about this program by MHVI Executive Director Debbie Buchanan in its Zoom-only meeting (necessitated by installation of a new HVAC system at the Western Racquet Club). She was joined by West Allis Rotarian Dan Kasun, who coordinates the "Bikes for Stripes" effort.

 

Ms. Buchanan also shared the mission and purpose objectives of MHVI, and Dan Kasun not only described the details of "Bikes for Stripes" but also provided information on how to get involved. For example, the Rotary Club of West Allis will hold  a volunteer opportunity on May 7 to support the Bikes for Stripes program.

 

Check out the follow URLs to glean more information and to volunteer:

 

 

 

 

 

Habitat for Humanity is another example of how Elmbrook Rotary Club members give back to the community.

 

On Thursday, April 7, seven ERC Rotarians and one guest Rotarian joined a Habitat for Humanity team to build a new home located at 3466 N. 2nd Street, Milwaukee, WI. 

 

This build entailed framing the home and moving prebuilt walls from ground level to the second story. The volunteers measured, raised, and secured walls on the second story. The home is now ready for trusses and a roof before work on the interior begins. 

 

                         

 

 

 

            

 

 

Thanks to ERC members Mark Thurner, Lucas Severson, Tom Curl, guest Rotarian Paul Turner, John & Pati Allen, Patti Allen Brickman, & Mike Groth for a job well done!

 

If you have interest in participating but haven't yet, please reach out to the ERC Community Service group so that they can determine interest in a third build in as many months. 

Because the Western Racquet Club was under maintenance, the Elmbrook Rotary club visited the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts on Friday March 25. 

 

We heard about the upcoming theater season, including plans for Starry Nights, and we received a tour of the facility.

 

We also received a surprise! The Sharon Lynn Wilson Center wanted to make a special gesture to our club, a driving force in fund raising before, during, and after the Center's 1994 opening. They revealed a large inscription, "Elmbrook Rotary Fireside Lounge," appearing between the northern etched windows in the lobby and honoring the club's efforts in making the Center a reality. 

 

 

Upcoming "Starry Nights" events on the Center's outdoor grounds are sure to be a staple of our club's social events this summer. 

 

 

On March 11th the Elmbrook Rotary Club was joined by Bill Mohr & Mike Pyritz of the Wisconsin DOT I-94 East/West Team to learn more about upcoming improvements to a major interstate in our community.

 

The current I-94 interstate stretch has been in service consistently over the last 60 years and is in need of rehabilitation.

 

While traffic is being re-routed, the team will take this opportunity to also add an additional 2 or 4 lanes (1 or 2 eastbound, 1 or 2 westbound) and will be removing the 175 left handed exit and replacing with an off ramp on the right hand side of the road. This project completes the major I-94 restoration project, as it follows the completion of the Zoo and Marquette interchange. 

 

Summer in Milwaukee has always meant great weather and road construction. There are always short- term sacrifices, but Bill and Mike promise that these changes will create infrastructure we're happy with for decades. 

 

 

Have you heard about all the break-ins related to the entry level models from 2016-2021 Hyundais and Kias?

 

At the March 4th  Rotary meeting, Detective Kelly of the MPD shared some insight.

 

 

The International Service Committee of Elmbrook Rotary Club has recommended the following distribution of funds for international projects:
 
$1,200—Andean Health Development—supporting the physician residency training program at Hesburgh Hospital in Santo Domingo, Ecuador.
$1,280—Common Hope—sponsoring a Common Hope high school student (to be assigned, including funds for gifts as allowed by Common Hope policy and periodic food bags for the student's family) in Guatemala.
$1,200—Friends for Health in Haiti—supporting a new Agriculture Program which will purchase seeds for crops to provide a sustainable food source.
$1,200—Giraffe Children’s Charity—helping some of the poorest children in Nairobi, Kenya, receive an education, thereby continuing ERC sponsorship of two primary school age children per year through eighth grade.
$1,200—Caserio El Tesoro Water Project—helping purchase materials to capture and provide fresh water for El Tesoro, Guatemala, a community of about 324 people located one hour north of the municipality of San Martín Jilotepeque, department of Chimaltenango, Guatemala. This is in connection with TRF Global Grant Application #2232182, in which the Marquette University Chapter, Engineers without Borders USA, is serving as a cooperating organization.
$1,100—Rotary Water Initiative—helping to deliver a minimum of 50 TivaWater filters to families in Chichicastenango, Guatemala. This is an international project of the Rotary Club of Mukwonago, Wisconsin.

The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who make contributions, or who have contributions made in their name, totaling $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation.

 

Last year the Elmbrook Rotary Club's Board of Directors approved a special, limited-time-only program under which the Club would match any  $500 Paul Harris gift. That program, which ended December 31, 2021, was a great success. During the first six months of this current Rotary year, sixteen Rotarians took advantage of the program and earned a total of 21 Paul Harris Fellow recognitions. Their gifts to The Rotary Foundation totaled $9,600!

Even though that special program has ended, opportunities still remain to earn a Paul Harris Fellow recognition with ERC’s assistance.  Two matching programs are currently available.

 

(1) The Board wants to encourage members (especially new members) who are not currently a Paul Harris Fellow to contribute to The Rotary Foundation and receive recognition. For these members only, the Club will continue to match a $500 gift. This effectively gives a member the recognition of being a Paul Harris Fellow at “half price.”

 

(2) Members who already have one or more recognitions will be able to use the Club’s traditional matching program, namely, the Club will add the last $200 after the member has made gifts totaling $800.

 

Anyone who would like more information about Paul Harris Fellows may contact Gordy Miller, Elmbrook Rotary Foundation Treasurer.

Did you know that Elmbrook Rotary Club has a Twitter account? It's true! Become a "Follower" (@ElmbrookRotary).