Value of Rotary volunteeringA special report prepared for Rotary International by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies estimated the value of Rotary member volunteer
Patrick Kris Klepacz, an Elmbrook Rotary Club member since June 2019, died suddenly on Sunday, December 8, 2019.
Born in Poland, Patrick was brought to the United States as an immigrant at the age of six months. A graduate of Franklin H.S. and UW-Milwaukee, he met his spouse Weronika (also from Poland) in Sheboygan. For the past number of years the couple had been living in Milwaukee, where Patrick engaged in nonprofit work.
Visitation is at the Prasser-Kleczka Funeral Home - So. Suburban Chapel, 6080 South 27th Street, Milwaukee, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 15. Mass of Christian Burial will occur on Monday, December 16, 1:00 p.m., at Ss. Cyril and Methodius Parish, 2427 S. 15th St., Milwaukee.
The annual meetings of both Elmbrook Rotary Club (ERC) and the Elmbrook Rotary Foundation (ERF) occurred on Friday morning, December 6, 2019, at the Western Racket Club in Elm Grove, WI.
All active members of the ERC are automatically members of the ERF. In addition to approving minutes of last year’s annual meeting, the members of the ERC took the following election actions pertaining to its Board of Directors and Officers (effective July 1, 2020):
Jackson Bubolz, Director, Three-Year Term, Class of 2023 Jim Dunn, Director, Two-Year Term, Class of 2022 Tom Curl, Director-Past President, One-Year Term, Class of 2021 Mark Zalewski, Treasurer, Three-Year Term Christine Spresser, Sergeant-at-Arms, One-Year Term (succeeding to Secretary, Vice President, and President in successive years).
Convening as the ERF, members also approved last year’s annual meeting minutes and took the following election actions pertaining to ERF Board of Directors and Officers (effective July 1, 2020):
Jackson Bubolz, Director, Three-Year Term, Class of 2023 Jim Dunn, Director, Two-Year Term, Class of 2022 Tom Curl, Director-Past President, One-Year Term, Class of 2021 Gordy Miller, Treasurer, Three-Year Term.
December is Rotary Disease Prevention and Treatment month. Rotary is dedicated to fighting and preventing disease. Disease Prevention and Treatment is one of Rotary’s Six Area of Focus. Disease and illness result in pain and injury. Prolonged severe illness may result in loss of employment and income. It affects families. It affects quality of life.
Rotary and Rotarians are committed to helping people to live healthy lives. Our signature project in this area is Polio Eradication. But polio is not the only disease or aspect of healthy living on which Rotarians have expended energies.
One way in which Rotarians have elected to provide attention to an area of concern is through a Rotarian Action Group (RAG). A Rotary Action Group (RAG) is a voluntary organization that functions independently of Rotary International. Each RAG establishes its own rules, dues requirements, and administrative structure. RAGs are composed of Rotarians, family members, program participants, and alumni who are experts in a particular field. Group members share their expertise by collaborating with clubs and districts on service projects.
Do you have a passion in one of these areas? Can you contribute you knowledge, skills and expertise to one of these RAGs? Check it out today. This is another way in which we can serve as Rotarians in the focused area of Disease Prevention and Treatment.
Elmbrook Rotary Club has been awarded a 2018-2019 Rotary Citation with Presidential Distinction. Award of the basic citation required meeting at least nine (9) goals established by Rotary International. However, ERC went above and beyond by accomplishing 2/3 goals established by the 2018-2019 RI President. This resulted in a "Gold Distinction" in addition to the basic citation. Congratulations to all!
RI District 6270 Assistant Governor Larry Myers
presents a "2018-2019 Rotary Citation with Gold Distinction"
We welcome Karyn Gimbel Youso as the newest member of Elmbrook Rotary Club. Karyn lives in Elm Grove and is a divorce attorney and mediator. She owns and operates First Look Family Law in Brookfield.
ERC President Michael Schmeling and sponsor, Pati Allen Brickman,
The Rotary Foundation (TRF) has received the highest rating - four stars - from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S. More Rotarians, and others, see the wonderful results of our projects and scholarships worldwide, and they are using TRF as their “Charity of Choice” in their annual giving and their estate plans.
So, in cooperation with District 6220 to our North, District 6270 has decided to have a little fun and, together, we have set out on a Million Dollar Journey. The goal for our two districts together is to find and recognize NEW Major gifts to the Foundation.
The goal is to raise at least $1,000,000 via the following gift types during this campaign period which will wrap up in late October 2020:
1. Outright gifts – funded with cash or appreciated securities
2. 3-year pledge funded with cash or appreciated securities
3. Life Income agreement funded with cash, appreciated securities or real estate – this can include
a charitable gift annuity, a charitable remainder trust, or a pooled income fund
4. Bequest commitment via a will, life insurance policy, revocable trust, or retirement plan.
The minimum gift amount for each of the above gift types is $10,000 to qualify for a Rotary Legacy Million Dollar Dinner to be held in November 2020.
Of course, there is another goal: to educate all Rotarians and their family members about the Foundation’s programs and benefits and communicate the good work and generosity of Rotarians in Districts 6270 and 6220.
District 6270 a team of Rotarians who would be happy to discuss this campaign, give a presentation to local clubs, or meet with you personally to answer questions. Please contact Endowment/Major Gifts Advisor Nancy Rhodes at nancyrhodes1@outlook.com or District 6270Rotary Foundation Committee Chair Mary Beth Seiser at mary.seiser@rotary6270.org for more information.
What do you want your Rotary Legacy to be? Can you name our Rotary Foundation as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy, or mention it in your estate plan? This is an excellent way to ensure that your good works and generosity will live on long after you are gone. Think about it - talk to your family, and your attorney or financial advisor – then let Rotary know your plans and be part of this Journey.
Thank you for everything you already do through Rotary – it is appreciated!
ERC Rotarians Mark Zalewski (& spouse Evonne) and Larry Winkelhake (& spouse Jean Guzetta) proudly represented the club at the November graduation ceremonies of Common Hope's New Hope School in Antigua, Guatemala. They report that there were 155 graduates. Some 80 financial sponsors were also present, including the Winkelhake's & Zalewski's.
The Zalewski's were privileged to celebrate with their sponsored graduate, Monica Esquival Rivera, whom they supported for six years. Pictured with Monica, in addition to Mark & Evonne Zalewski, are her proud mother and sister. Larry Winkelhake and his spouse Jean were also able to celebrate with their sponsored graduate, Carlos de Leon.
In addition to celebrating graduation with the students whom they have financially sponsored, the ERC Rotarians also report that they had a great visit with Sergio Cuc, the student being financially sponsored by ERC itself. Sergio has successfully passed his exams and is on to his senior year in school. His major is automotive technology, and he therefore greatly appreciated the gift of a Harley-Davidson T-shirt from the club. The Zalewski's and Winkelhake's were joined by Sergio's mother, father, and abuela (grandmother). Sergio is one of her 45 grandchildren.
District 6270 currently has two Global Grant Scholars who continue to excel in the pursuit of their graduate programs of study.
Ciara J. McHugh is in her second year of a Ph.D. research program at the Senator George J Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen's University, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Her Global Grant Scholarship award, initially awarded in 2018, has been stretched over two years to assist in funding. Earlier this year she learned that she had earned the “Alan Graham Fund Travel Scholarship” from Queens University to undertake fieldwork in the United States during this academic year. She is exploring how police and communities interact around the world, looking at tensions between minority groups and police forces and how we might rethink relationships between the two. You can follow her studies and adventures at her blog site: https://ciarajmchugh.weebly.com.
W. Leif Van Grinsven is District 6270’s Global Grant Scholarship recipient for 2019-2020. A native of Franklin, Wisconsin, and graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran H.S., Van Grinsven graduated from Wheaton College this year with a 3.98 cumulative grade-point average in Interdisciplinary Studies. He was a three-time Division III Google Cloud Academic All-American and a four-time all-American in men's track & field, including two times this past season. This summer he engaged in a United Nations internship in the Netherlands. As a Development Studies Masters student at the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex in the United Kingdom (the #1 Development Studies program in the world), he has been diving into development, reading hundreds of pages, attending dozens of lectures, and meeting with professors and students who have researched and worked around the world. You can follow his progress and dreams for the future at his blog site: https://betterworldbetteryou.blog/hello-world. You can even join his email list to be alerted each time he updates his blog.
It is now possible for members of Elmbrook Rotary Club (ERC) to make online payments and donations both to ERC and to the Elmbrook Rotary Foundation (ERF).
Two separate commercial merchant accounts have been activated which intend to keep transactions separated between ERC and ERF.
To make payments to ERC, simply follow the link provided in one's individual club account (and quarterly statements). A surcharge of 5% is billed to one's club account when utilizing a credit card or debit card.
To make donations or payments to ERF, simply click the "Donate" or "Donate Now" button that can be found on multiple pages on the ERC web site. Or, one can click the URL link that will be provided in ERF invoices to club members. Please ensure that donations or payments intended for the ERF account are not made to the ERC account. The opposite is also true. And, please remember that not all payments to the Foundation [a 501(c)(3) entity] are tax-deductible. IRS rules and policies must be followed.
Finally, one can always use the old-fashioned (and least expensive) way of payment/donation with an individual check or bank check via "Bill Pay" at one's bank.
The ClubRunner Mobile App is your key to connect to your club on the go!
Completely free to download and use, this app will let you access the key info you need while you're on the go. Password protected just like the ERC website, the ClubRunner Mobile app allows you to to view the ERC member directory, contact your members and executives, read the latest articles posted to the ERC website, learn more about ERC upcoming events and speakers, view ERC meeting details, and track your attendance statistics—right from your smartphone or tablet! Download the ClubRunner Mobile App either from the App Store (for Apple products) or from Google Play (for Android devices).
A new Rotary year began on July 1. The Rotary International Presidential Theme for 2019-2020 is "Rotary Connects the World."
Mark Daniel Maloney (Rotary Club of Decatur, Alabama, USA) is RI President for 2019-2020 and believes that connection is at the heart of the Rotary experience. “(Rotary) allows us to connect with each other, in deep and meaningful ways, across our differences,” Maloney says. “It connects us to people we would never otherwise have met, who are more like us than we ever could have known. It connects us to our communities, to professional opportunities, and to the people who need our help.”
Rotarians in RI District 3350 (Thailand) have produced an interesting song & video that connects the 2019-2020 Presidential Theme with the work and impact of Rotary worldwide. Click here or on the image below to view and hear the production. It is only 3 min. 29 sec. in length.
When we say "WE RISE & SHINE” to others, it means:
WE RISE to meet early every Friday.
WE RISE to the occasion by helping those in need.
WE RISE to make a difference in our community and the world.
WE SHINE by living the Rotary 4-way Test.
WE SHINE by staying positive and encouraging others.
WE SHINE by lighting the way for service above self in Brookfield, Elm Grove, and beyond.
The tagline appears on our Coffee Mugs, on our Web site, on club emails, and on other communications going out. Try using the tagline the next time you’re talking to someone about Elmbrook Rotary or Rotary in general. In fact, consider purchasing an Elmbrook Rotary Coffee Mug for $7.
Enjoy this humorous video about what Rotary really is. Click me to view!
Filmed in 2017 in the Fargo-Moorhead area (North Dakota Minnesota border region), where there are five Rotary Clubs. Video was supported by Rotary District 5580.