December 13, 2022 Meeting Report

At the Rotary Club of Two Rivers, special guests Erin Gonnerman and Paula Fox shared about 100+ Women Who Care Manitowoc County, a giving circle that has grown to include 200 members in 130 teams and has donated over $75,000 to local non-profit organizations.

December is Disease Prevention and Treatment Month

This week’s greeter was Dan Gray.

Patti Kakes, a Junior Rotarian and Rising Phoenix student, had a busy week leading up to mid-term break. She spent her time preparing for mid-term tests and playing basketball. Her favorite classes are gym, advanced chemistry and psychology, and she will have an Associate Degree when she graduates high school.

100+ Women Who Care of Manitowoc County

Erin Gonnerman, this week's program chair, invited Paula Fox to provide an overview of 100+ Women Who Care Manitowoc County, a group of women with a shared desire to be philanthropic and make a positive impact in their community. Paula is a co-founder of the local chapter, part of the over 900 "100 Who Care Alliance across North America.
 
Established in early 2020, the local chapter has grown to 200 members in 130 teams and has donated over $75,000 to local non-profit organizations. The goal is to donate $10,000+ to a local non-profit in one hour, achieved by members donating $100 each ($50 each for teams of 2 or $25 each for teams of 4). 
 
 
The group meets quarterly at Sepia Chapel and functions as a giving circle. Members are asked to nominate a non-profit organization, with three (3) groups chosen to give a five minute pitch for their cause followed by a vote for support. This local expression of giving back to the community continues to grow and connect women who care.

Club Operations

Programming. See the schedule for your next chance to contribute to meeting programming. Wendy will send out monthly reminders about chair responsibilities and will collect information about technology requirements and login information for presenters.
 
Committee Opportunities. Please consider serving as a chair on a Rotary Club of Two Rivers Committee. Opportunities will be distributed at each meeting.  We need everyone to take an active role to complete our many projects. Openings include chair positions for the New Membership and RI Foundation committees.
 
At the Board of Directors meeting on November 23rd, it was decided to support the Central Park 365 project as the primary recipient of 2023 Dinner/Auction proceeds, completing our pledge of $65,000 for the skating loop. Plans for a joint meeting with the Club’s Foundation Board and leadership recruitment plans, including a proposed co-presidency in 2023-24, were discussed. Donations of $1000 to Lakeshore Foster Friends/Families, $500 to The Haven, and $500 to Hope House were approved. Going forward, requests for donations will be organized in a more formal budgeting process.

The Foundation Board meeting was held this Wednesday, December 14th 4pm

Club Events and Service Opportunities

Meals on Wheels. The next opportunity to participate is for January 16th to 20th. Look for a signup sheet soon.
 
Salvation Army Bell Ringing will take place at the Piggly Wiggly on Friday, December 16 from 9am - 7pm.  A sign up list is prepared and posted.  Kim is the chair for that event. Historically, our Club is a top performer, both in garnering dollars and in sharing cheer!  
 
Adopt-a-Family. Diane is spearheading the project and has identified a family in need of support - a single mom and her three (3) children. You can sign up to provide specific gifts for them (or make a cash donation) online or at our meetings. For those who choose to give gifts, please be sure to remember the mom needs gifts too - gift cards would be great for her! Your generosity is much appreciated and we'll be wrapping up the project at the TRHS wrapping party on Tuesday, December 20th. If you have any questions or would like to sign up, please contact Diane directly. Thank you for supporting this great cause!
 
Our Club has responded overwhelmingly to the Ukrainian Project, which builds on the remarkable story of Rotarian Barry Nelson and plans to bring awareness and support to the Ukrainian people through a community storytelling initiative. This includes a February presentation to the community to mark the one year anniversary of the war as well as the “Create a Card” project, which seeks to bring hope to 250 orphans at the Polish/Ukrainian border. Tomorrow, Colleen I. will take a package to the post office that contains over 450 Christmas cards, some with messages written in Ukraine, Christmas stationary/coloring sheets, Christmas stickers, and small journals. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this project and put hope in the hearts of the orphans!
 
 
The Holiday concerts are in full swing, providing music at all levels and giving our Club an opportunity to build student connections by getting the Community back in our Schools.

Word on the street is that the Cool City Brewing Company will be open before Christmas (actually 12/18), truly a special gift to the city!
 
Speaking of which, starting January 3rd, 2023, our Rotary Club will be meeting at the newly opened Cool City Brewing Company. Zoom options will still be available for those not able to attend in person. 
 
We are now beginning to think about the 2023 Annual Fundraising Dinner. This event will be our support for the Central Park 365 project and is tentatively scheduled for March 26th, 2023.
 
The idea of a Rotary Float in the 2023 Christmas Parade has been raised as a highlight for our Club’s Centennial Year. Concepts such as “promoting peace on earth” and “making a difference in Two Rivers for 100 years” were discussed and an exploratory committee is being formed.
 
November Club Member Birthdays

Ned Jacquart (12/15) 🎂
Jeff Zimmerlee (12/15) 🎂
Wendy Brandt (12/26) 🎂

Rotary Anniversaries

Ned Jacquart (29 years) ⚙️
Betty Bittner (17 years) ⚙️
Tim Wester (8 years) ⚙️

  Next Week: Dan is the designated program chair.