Honolulu to host 2027 Rotary International ConventionHONOLULU (Feb. 18, 2021) — Almost one year after canceling its international convention in Honolulu due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Rotary announced it will
Elmbrook Rotary has enjoyed an extremely successful, second online auction fundraiser.
Running from February 12 until February 19, the online auction benefitted The FOOD Pantry of Waukesha County (which is experiencing heightened use because of COVID-19). The Elmbrook Rotary Foundation matched every dollar raised up to $5,000. Thus far, the effort has resulted in nearly $10,000 being raised for The FOOD Pantry. Although the bidding for puzzles ended at noon on Friday, February 19, the online auction site remains open until Friday, February 26, for donations.
The FOOD Pantry has announced that it intends to use the monies received from this fundraiser to help finance a new mobile food pantry at Burleigh Elementary School in the Elmbrook School District.
The Rotary Peace Fellowship is designed for leaders with work experience in peace and development. Our fellows are committed to community and international service and the pursuit of peace. Each year, The Rotary Foundation awards up to 50 fellowships for master’s degrees and 80 for certificate studies at premier universities throughout the world.
Choose the program that's right for you
Master’s degree programs
Accepted candidates study peace and development issues with research-informed teaching and a diverse student body. The programs last 15 to 24 months and include a two- to three-month field study, which participants design themselves.
Professional development certificate program
During the one-year blended learning program, experienced peace and development professionals with diverse backgrounds gain practical skills to promote peace within their communities and across the globe. Fellows complete field studies, and they also design and carry out a social change initiative. This program is intended for working professionals.
Application timeline
The Rotary Foundation is now accepting applications for the 2022-23 Rotary Peace Fellowship program.
Candidates have until 15 May to submit online applications to The Rotary Foundation. Districts must submit their endorsement decisions to The Rotary Foundation by 1 July. Click here for detailed information.
Rotary International (RI) District 6270 is pleased to announce the selection of Alaina Eckert, Sussex, WI, as its Global Grant Scholarship applicant for 2021-2022.
Ms. Eckert is a graduate of Sussex Hamilton H.S. and of The University of Wisconsin—Madison. She has already begun a dual degree, Master of Science/Master of International Nature Conservation, in a cooperative program of the Georg-August Universität in Göttingen, Germany, and Lincoln University in Lincoln, New Zealand.
The amount of the Global Grant Scholarship is U.S. $30,000. RI District 6270 is providing $15,000 of that amount, and The Rotary Foundation is matching it with another $15,000. The Rotary Foundation, RI districts, and Rotary clubs invest in our future leaders and philanthropists by funding scholarships for graduate study through the Global Grant Scholarship program. Information about Rotary’s other scholarship programs can be accessed at: https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/scholarships.
The practical approach of Ms. Eckert's study program is to preserve the integrity of nature, in combination with the assessment of risk management and conservation strategy, and offers an invaluable experience in the education of international conservation. The four-semester program offers new perspectives to maintaining biodiversity and ecosystems that allow local communities to be resilient to future ecological changes, maintain economic stability and growth, use adaptive conservation management strategies for both the betterment of the community and the ecosystem, and preserve critical ecological systems. Thus, Ms. Eckert’s program of studies aligns with RI’s “Community Economic Development” Area of Focus, and it anticipates close alignment with RI’s newest Area of Focus, “Protecting the Environment,” which becomes effective on July 1, 2021.
The Rotary Foundation (TRF) has announced additional changes to its Global Grants program. The first major change occurred last year when TRF decided that World fund resources will be used to match only District Designated Fund (DDF) contributions, and the match remained at 100%. This change was because, due to COVID-19 distributions, TRF fully expended the Global Grant budget.
The most recent change takes effect on July 1, 2021, and includes the following:
1. DDF contributions transferred to Polio Plus will be matched at 50% (instead of 100%) 2. The World Fund match of DDF will be reduced from 100% to 80% when being used for Global Grants. 3. 5% of the current year’s Annual fund-SHARE contributions will be taken equally from the World Fund and DDF to help fund operating expenses. (i.e., for every $100 contribution, $5 will go to operating expenses, $47.50 to DDF, and $47.50 to the World Fund). 4. The ability to roll over unused DDF will be limited to five years. The first DDF rollover redirection will take place on 1 July 2026. Currently there is $48.8 million DDF being carried by various districts throughout the world, and TRF desires to put those monies to work. [NOTE: RI District 6270, in which Elmbrook Rotary is located, does NOT carry over large amounts of DDF from one year to the next. Rather, a rollover occurs only when the amount is already designated for a particular purpose.]
COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on organizations' meetings and activities. Rotary is no exception.
RI District 6270 has been forced to conduct its annual Pre-PETS seminar online (via Zoom). Likewise, the seven-district Midwest PETS (President-Elect Training Seminar) will be conducted via Zoom. The Rotary Midwest President-Elect Training Seminar (PETS) is one of the largest multi-district PETS in the United States. It was formed in 2012 with a view to becoming a premier training event with the atmosphere of a mini Rotary International Convention by leveraging the expertise and buying power of seven Rotary Districts from Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin—Districts 6220, 6250, 6270, 6420, 6440, 6450, 6460.
And, the Rotary International Convention, originally scheduled for Taipei, Taiwan, will likewise be "virtual" again this year. Click here to access detailed information on registrations, refunds, etc.
Elmbrook Rotary Club is not yet "formally" meeting in person, nor does it intend to change the venue for its normal meeting space. However, some members have expressed the desire to try meeting in-person with very limited numbers. ERC Director Jackson Bubolz is organizing the effort.
The plan is to try meeting on Friday mornings at the Sendik's Food Market at The Corners of Brookfield. Address is 20222 Lower, Union Street. The market has a roomy area which accommodates a small group. They will have coffee prepared for sale, and baked goods (or anything else in the grocery store) will be able to be purchased.
Plan to arrive at no later than 6:50 a.m. on Friday mornings to make your purchases and to socialize. The online Zoom meeting will begin at 7:00 a.m., for which purpose you need to bring along a smart phone, laptop, or tablet. The hope is to maintain social distancing, yet interact live once again. Come check it out!
Throughout the year, Common Hope is hosting a series of virtual Zoom Sessions on focused topics from health care to housing. Common Hope wants to bring Guatemala to you with opportunities to dive deeper into culture, context, programs, and more.
Learn about the education system in Guatemala, the challenges of maintaining educational health in a pandemic, and the progress of education in Guatemala.
This session will be 60 minutes and there are two session times to choose from. You will hear from Executive Director, Shari Blindt along with visits from team members in Guatemala.
Even before celebrating Elmbrook Rotary's successful receipt of a $98,000 Global Grant from The Rotary Foundation (TRF), ERC member Jim Dunn continued his ongoing support of Andean Health & Development (AHD) by participating in its annual group bike ride in September 2021.
Because of the global pandemic, this annual fundraiser became "virtual" this year. Some 143 cyclists in 17 different states and four different countries participated. Generosity from 369 donors resulted in net contributions of $634,935 from the annual fundraiser.
Be sure to read the article (p. 6) in the February 2021 edition of Elm Grove News - Independent about ERC's Global Grant from TRF. Click here to access.
And, do join ERC's weekly meeting on Friday, February 19, when Dr. David Gaus (AHD Founder & CEO) will be the featured speaker.
February is "Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution" month for Rotary worldwide.
Forty-two million people are displaced by armed conflict or persecution, and 90 percent of armed-conflict casualties are civilians, half of them children. Through service projects, fellowships, and other Rotary-sponsored campaigns, members train adults and young leaders to prevent and mediate conflict, and aid refugees who have fled dangerous areas. Members also pursue projects to address the underlying structural causes of conflict, including poverty, inequality, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources.
Join Rotary and help spread peace around the world. Give now to promote peace.
In 2020 Elm Grove Fire Chief (Retired) William Selzer was named as the "Business Person of the Year" by Elmbrook Rotary in recognition of his 47 years of service. He recently provided the photo below, displaying the ERC recognition plaque alongside other memorabilia in his home office.
In addition, Chief Selzer sent a letter of gratitude intended for the entire club membership. Click here to read his letter, which also contains fire prevention tips that can be profitably put to use by all of us.
Congratulations again to Fire Chief (Retired) Bill Selzer!
Ana V. Ramirez is the 8th student at the Common Hope School in Guatemala who has been sponsored by the Elmbrook Rotary Foundation.
Ana's family income is U.S. $364/month, and the six-member family lives in a small concrete-block home (10 meters by 10 meters). They obtain water and electricity from neighbors and must use an outhouse for a bathroom.
Ana is an 11th Grade student, enrolled in Marketing and Advertising Certification. Her anticipated graduation date is November 2022. Since 2014, six members of Elmbrook Rotary Club (accompanied by four family members) have made the trip to Guatemala for the graduation exercises, a weekend-long celebration with, and support for, our sponsored student and her/his family. Any club member can volunteer to represent the club. Contact Erik Moeser if interested.
If, on December 8, you missed Kristin Bock's special online presentation, fear not!
Entitled "Keeping Rotarians Connected: Using Nonverbal Communication in a Digital World," the presentation is now available on YouTube. Simply click here or on the image below.
So states the popular song in Hamilton, the broadway musical.
However, it appears that it won't be as quickly as we had hoped. In-person attendance on Friday mornings has not been what was originally projected, and The Western Racquet Club cannot financially justify the low numbers.
In-person meetings for Elmbrook Rotary Club are therefore suspended once again. We return to Zoom only.
Holger Knaack, member of the Rotary Club of Herzogtum-Lauenburg-Möln, Germany, is Rotary International President for 2020-2021.
A Rotary member since 1992, Knaack has served Rotary as treasurer, director, moderator, member and chair of several committees, representative for the Council on Legislation, zone coordinator, training leader, and district governor. He is an endowment/major gifts adviser and was co-chair of the Host Organization Committee for the 2019 Rotary International Convention in Hamburg. Knaack and his wife, Susanne, are Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation and members of the Bequest Society.
Rotary Opens Opportunities is the theme chosen by President Knaack for 2020-2021. At the International Assembly in San Diego in January 2020, he had the following to say about his theme: "So as you can see, Rotary is not just a club that you join. It is an invitation to endless opportunities. It opens opportunities to serve in a project as big and historic as End Polio Now and also in a small community project, where you just plant a tree. And it opens opportunities for you to live a richer, more meaningful life, with friends around the world, based on our core values. As Rotarians, we are very blessed to take on leadership roles at this wonderful moment for our organization. Everything we do opens another opportunity for someone, somewhere. Therefore, the theme for our year is: Rotary Opens Opportunities."
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).
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.
