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Message from DG Vern Henricks

This is the time of year when many of us reflect on the things we are thankful for and reflect on those that have made an impact on our lives throughout the past year.  My thoughts certainly gravitate to Rotary and Rotarians.  As I reach the halfway point of my year as your District Governor, I am very thankful for the support so many of you have given me and the impact that are clubs are making in our District and throughout the world.  I have witnessed many Serving To Change Lives.

I am also thankful for the vision of our RI President, Shekhar Mehta. His initiatives of; Empowering Girls, Growing Rotary, Rotary Days of Service and Presidential Conferences have been very important under our current world environments.

As clubs, we need to continue encouraging projects that improve the health, well-being, education, and economic security of girls in our communities and around the world.  We are encouraged to develop grants that engage members of our communities in a project that will ensure their access to resources that will improve their lives.

To grow Rotary means achieving more from the expansion of our service and increased impact of our projects, resulting in building an awareness and understanding of Rotary in our communities.  Each of us was given an opportunity when we joined Rotary to make a difference.  Extending that opportunity to others will help us increase our impact.  Our district is growing but we must continue our quest for the benefit of our communities and those around the world.

It is important that we continue our hands-on volunteer experiences to bring awareness of Rotary.  We are encouraged to offer meaningful volunteer opportunities to address community challenges that are related to one or more of our areas of focus.  We need to make it easy for community members to see us as people of action, and encourage them to take action with us, regardless of their profession or their affiliation with Rotary.

And lastly, we have a tremendous opportunity to have the full Rotary experience by attending the presidential conference in Houston, Texas on June 3-4.  The 2021-22 presidential conference series will highlight the humanitarian work that Rotary clubs and districts pioneer locally and support globally.

I want to again express my sincere thanks for everyone’s support and wish you many blessings for a safe and joyous holiday season.

 
Vern Henricks
District Governor 2021-2022
 

Club & District News and Events

Rotary and Polio Plus
THE POLIO ERADICATION FIGHT CONTINUES!
 
Dear Polio Eradication Warriors,
 
Two new Wild Polio cases reported this month – bringing total to Four WPV Cases this year! See the “COUNTDOWN TO HISTORY” below to compare to last year!!!
 
I'm sorry to report that after more than ten months, Afghanistan has confirmed two new Wild Polio Type 1 cases. The two affected children are ages 10 months (female) and 25 months (male) and had an onset of paralysis on October 29 and October 20 in the Kunduz Province as reported this month...
 
While this is disappointing, it is not totally unexpected due to the suspension of house-to-house vaccinations in Kunduz since 2019 - until they were restated in mid-November.  
              
The good news is that last week, Afghanistan completed a four day, country-wide Polio Vaccination Campaign targeting ten million children including 3.3 million who were missed since 2019 by the original  house to house vaccination ban. Fortunately, the Taliban have now agreed to support this major effort!
 
Remember - Our Goal is Global Polio Eradication!
And “We are…This Close!
 
A Win Against Polio is a Win for Global Health!
Rotary’s World-wide 2021-22 Rotary Year Polio Fundraising Goal is
 $150 Million – Including the Gates Foundation $2 to $1 Match
District 5710’s Goal is $100,000 – From our 44 Clubs
 
HAS YOUR CLUB SET A DONATION GOAL?
CAN YOUR CLUB GIVE AT LEAST $20.26/MEMBER??
IT’S NOT TOO LATE FOR YOUR POLIO PLUS FUNDRAISER!
NEED A FUNDRAISING IDEA?
Call or email me for ideas or help: Jim Arnett, Polio Plus District Chair
 (913) 200-0514 ~ maajca@gmail.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wild Poliovirus Weekly Update
COUNTDOWN TO HISTORY!
Week Ending 30 Nov 2021
Total number of wild cases in 2018:  33
Total number of wild cases in 2019:  176
Total number of wild poliovirus cases in 2020: 140
     Total # of wild poliovirus cases this week: 0
     Total # of wild poliovirus cases in 2021: 4 (Oct 29, 2021)
      (compared with Total of 135 for the same period in 2020)
Total number of Circulating Vaccine Derived cases - 2021: 466
 (vs. totals in 2019: 378; in 2020: 1112; & 842 by now in 2020)
 
Please Donate @ https://www.myrotary.org 
OR CHECKS TO YOUR CLUB’S CHARITABLE ACCOUNT DIRECTED TO “POLIO PLUS”
December is Disease Prevention and Treatment Month
Rotary believes that good health care is everyone’s right. Yet 400 million people in the world can’t afford or don’t have access to basic health care.

Disease results in misery, pain, and poverty for millions of people worldwide. That’s why treating and preventing disease is so important to us. We lead efforts both large and small. We set up temporary clinics, blood donation centers, and training facilities in underserved communities struggling with outbreaks and health care access. We design and build infrastructure that allows doctors, patients, and governments to work together.

Rotary members combat diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and polio. Prevention is important, which is why we also focus on health education and bringing people routine hearing, vision, and dental care.

Rotary Tree Grove at Johnson County Courthouse
Johnson County Rotary Clubs have come together to sponsor the Tree Grove at the new County Square. A new public space where the old courthouse once stood. The Rotary Tree Grove is part of the first phase of the development of the County Square.  
 
Several Rotarians were involved in the initial development of the new public space. A planning committee from the clubs met virtually during the pandemic to develop a plan to raise more than $31,000. The committee set a goal of $50 per member as of February 2021.  At that time, there were 587 Rotarians in the county clubs. District leadership agreed to support the project with a $4,000 contribution. PDG Faron Barr and DG Vern Henricks encouraged this collaborative effort.
 
The funds will purchase and plant thirty-three "Flash Fire Maple" and "Front Yard Linden" trees. The Maples will be brilliant red in the fall, while the Lindens will show yellow. Lindens are also pollinators, which supports one of Rotary's causes: Protecting the Environment.
 
The county will recognize the 13 Clubs with signage indicating the Tree Grove is a gift to the people of Johnson County from these Rotary Clubs.
 
A Ribbon Cutting scheduled for December 9th at 1:00 p.m. will be live-streamed on the county's website for the public.
District Training
November has been a very busy and productive month!  In our October update we mentioned that District 5710 and 5680 were awarded Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) scholarships. Our district will have 30 scholarships to award. We have attended the KLC Strategy Sessions and will continue to update you as the specific dates and applications are available. We encourage Club Presidents to promote this KLC opportunity to folks in their clubs who might be interested in continuing professional leadership development.  PETS 2022 planning is coming along nicely. We have been meeting on Zoom with our DGE Stephanie Meyer and District 5680’s DGE Ivanhoe Love and their District Trainer, Arlen Honts to design and develop a great program for District’s 5710 and 5680 President Elects.  PETS 2022 will be held in Wichita the weekend of 27 March.  There is still some session planning and scheduling to finalize; we will keep you updated!  Thanks to those of you who completed the Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) survey.  We will collate and trend your responses to capture your preferred emphasis on particular topics, mode of learning, and RLI attendance interest.  
         
We wish you a safe and joyful holiday season,
DeEtte Lombard and Ellen Bogdan
RYLA 2021
RYLA is back as an overnight camp at the University of Kansas from June 12-16! We will start sending out information/applications and post the brochure by the end of the week.
 
We'll also have an FAQ, but for clubs the price will be $350/student with the $25 application fee going to the club.
 
 
Is it Beneficial to All Concerned? The Rotary Foundation Endowment and Planned Giving
The end of the year is a time of giving – thanks, gifts, and charitable donations. I want to give thanks to all who give to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) – in whatever amount – to Polio Plus, the Annual Fund, or the Endowment. The Endowment is perhaps the least known of these three. Formerly called the Permanent Fund, it is an investment in TRF’s long-term future work.
 
Most Rotarians are aware that a gift to the Annual Fund, Polio Plus, or an approved Foundation grant can qualify for a Paul Harris Fellowship. Fewer are aware that a comparable gift to the Endowment, either outright or in estate plans, qualifies for Benefactor recognition – or membership in the Bequest Society for larger gifts. Most people know that charitable donations are tax-deductible, but fewer know about other giving mechanisms that benefit donors: gifts of appreciated securities, donor-advised funds (DAFs), charitable gift annuities (CGAs), charitable remainder unitrusts (CRUTs), qualified charitable distributions (QCDs), and others. Here are just two:
 
Charitable Gift Annuity (CGA): This type of gift to pays the donor(s) an income for life. Payments are fixed and the percentage payout is determined when the gift is made, dependent on the income beneficiary’s age. The payout is higher for one donor than two, and increases with the age(s) of the donor(s). A CGA generates a tax deduction (30-40% or more of the value of the gift, again depending on age) in the year in which the gift is given. Part of the value of the income from the CGA is taxed as ordinary income and part is tax-free. If the gift consists of appreciated assets, part of the income will be taxed as capital gains. For The Rotary Foundation, the minimum donation to establish a CGA is $10,000.
 
Charitable Remainder Unitrust (CRUT): Like a CGA, a CRUT pays the donor(s) an income for life, but the value of the CRUT fluctuates annually with market conditions. The donor(s) receive(s) at least 5% return, but can negotiate higher percentage returns. Taking the minimum 5% payout will likely let the CRUT grow more rapidly, with corresponding increases in annual income. TRF’s minimum donation is $100,000. TRF even permits CRUTs to benefit other family members than the donor(s). CGAs and CRUTs also qualify for Major Donor and Arch Klumph Society recognition.
The last component of Rotary’s 4-way test asks, “Is it Beneficial to All Concerned?” In addition to the intangible benefits we get from doing good in the world through TRF, these giving tools can also benefit the donors’ life income, retirement and/or estate planning.
 
As of 30 June 2021, The Rotary Foundation had roughly $65.7 million in life income agreement assets under management, including 461 active Charitable Gift Annuity agreements and 81 Charitable Remainder Trusts. In district 5710, there were three families with active life income agreements. Rotarians or other potential donors interested in learning more about these opportunities are encouraged to contact Katherine Buggenhagen (Planned Giving Officer, The Rotary Foundation) at 1-847-424-5379 or Katherine.Buggenhagen@rotary.org or Bill Richter at 785-539-6202 or wrichter@ksu.edu, or visit http://rotary.org/plannedgiving.
Learn About Global Grant Scholarships
Steven Graham, Education and Scholarships Chair for Rotary District 5710, worked with Mandy Sheldon, District Executive, to create a new tab on the District 5710 website Rotary5710.org. On the left side of the website’s home page, under Foundation, there is a new tab entitled Global Grant Scholarships. When you click this tab, you will see information about applying for the scholarships, District Scholarship History, and a listing of the Rotary Ambassadorial and Global Grant Scholars since 1974. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with this new District Rotary information. Follow this link to go to this informative page!
Over $10,000 raised for charity
It began as a simple idea that grew to involve the whole community and raised $10,444 for Johnson County, KS’s only homeless shelter.
 
The Lenexa Rotary Club and The Rotary Club of Western Johnson County partnered with Lenexa’s Parks and Recreation Department and the Lenexa Arts Council on a simple idea as a way for The Lenexa Rotary Club to continue their Peace Builder Club status. From there the Community Peace Pole Art Project was born.  
 
The project spanned 19 months culminating in a charity auction to benefit Project1020 https://www.project1020.com/ The power of partnership cannot be overstated. Peace awareness was achieved.  New friendships were forged. A serious community need was addressed.
 
Reach out to Lenet Compton lenetcompton@gmail.com or Jim Houvener jghouv57@gmail.com if you would like project details or information on Positive Peace.
Engineers Without Borders at Kansas State University
The Engineers Without Borders – Kansas State University chapter has three international projects with the goal of building a better world: a potable water system in Nicaragua, an irrigation system in Nicaragua, and a community kitchen in Guatemala. This gives the opportunity for communities to grow and students to become problem solvers, and teams meet at least weekly throughout the school year to design projects. The chapter is also engaged locally, completing Habitat for Humanity projects and participating in outreach events such as the Konza Rotary Club’s Water Matters day. See more here.
 
“This project has taught us many real-life perspectives and leadership skills that we will carry with us into many different areas in our future.” Carley Phelps, Project Lead
 
Help Engineers Without Borders Reach its Goals through Panda Express!
 
Around the world, people in other countries worry about basic needs such as water, food, shelter, and education. Help us share the joy of the Christmas season with them by participating in an end-of-year fundraiser.  
 
On December 20th, 2021, Engineers Without Borders-KSU is partnering with Panda Express Online for an all-day, nationwide fundraiser! 28% of the sales made in EWB’s name will be donated to the KSU chapter. Here’s how you can help: 
 
On the day of the event, order at pandaexpress.com or via the Panda Express App. During check-out, use the coupon code 905706. Then, pick up or have your food delivered. Enjoy! It's that simple.  
 
Want more information?  Just click on this link for more information: Panda Express Fundraiser Information. If you do not have a Panda Express in your area but would still like to give, consider using this link to make a direct donation to KSU-EWB: EWB Donations - Kansas State University
Atchison Rotary
The Rotary Club of Atchison is back to meeting every Thursday; pictured here is AG Tamara Sevcik presenting President Jacque Pregont with a trading banner for the year.
Burlington Rotary
Burlington Rotary Sends High School Student to Tomb of Unknown Soldier
 
Knowing this was the 100th Anniversary of the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,
Knowing the public has not been allowed to approach the TUS for nearly 100 years,             
Knowing this would likely be once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to approach the TUS,
 
And having just had a moderately successful fundraiser, the question was what event could our Rotary Club take on:
1. Do something for our community?
2. Do something to promote the image of Rotary?
3. Capitalize on the happenings surrounding Veterans Day?
 
Our first thought was to send a Rotarian who was also a veteran of the Armed Forces.
 
On reflection, we decided to see about sending a High School senior who had committed to the military. Burlington High School had a couple of boys who were considering the military as an option but neither were committed. MJ Huff had contracted with the United States Marine Corps. Her principal, Stacy Reed highly recommended her. She was excited at the opportunity. We ended up sending MJ and her older sister Mattie (who is in the U.S. Army Reserve). We sent Rotarian Andrea Berryman as a sponsor. (Andrea is also an Army veteran, having served as a medic in Operation Desert Storm.)
De Soto Rotary

The De Soto Rotary held our second annual Oktoberfest at The Barn on Kill Creek Road on October 29th.  After a Covid pause in 2020, it sure was good to be out in the community again. We were very pleased to have around 80 guests come out for a great evening of food, drink, music, and dancing.  Our own Lori Murdock headed up the food preparation team, making and baking 120 stuffed beirocks. Bill Frenzel’s BBQ smoked a hundred brats to fill out the food offering.  Member Mike Rogers, owner of Mike’s Liquor Store, provided the adult beverages. The Merlo’s provided a mix of live country, polka, waltz, and good old slow dancing music that brought out the line dancers and the twirlers.

The Barn At Kill Creek Farm and the De Soto Rotary have worked together for years. The Barn’s founder, Darrel Zimmerman, and his son Barry are both Club members and joined us as an event sponsor. The Oktoberfest Event was actually the kick off of a weekend celebration of the Barn’s 21st year.

A very special thanks to member Shelby Lathrom for bringing the Great American Bank on as our headline sponsor for the event. Her financial commitment made the event possible and enabled us to earn thousands of dollars for Rotary projects. It was also good to see our friend Matt Little from the Great American Bank in Lawrence. Again, thank you Shelby.
 
Gardner Rotary
On Veterans Day, November 11, the traditional meeting program was cancelled and instead members participated in a service project which involved packing hygiene kits for Veterans in need. On Friday November, 19 the kits were dropped off - totaling $2,500 worth of donations - to the Veteran's Community Project. Members donated enough items and money to provide over 60 personal hygiene packages and over 30 boxes of food/snacks for the food pantry at the VCP Commons building. They were ecstatic and recruited volunteers from a local high school to stock the shelves with everything that was provided. 
Johnson County Rotary
Rotary of Johnson County has several initiatives underway including a three-phased plan to provide support for underserved children and youth in K.C., KS.  The initial phase will address the Learning Club’s need for student rewards (i.e., prizes) that are used to shape behavior. Students served by this non-profit organization earn points for positive behavior and these points are used to purchase items for themselves or their family. As stated on the Learning Club website, this reward system encourages academic achievement, personal responsibility, delayed gratification and also helps students experience the joy of giving to others. Rotary of Johnson County donated $1,025 to the Learning Club in this initial phase. Additional phases will address the Learning Club’s need for healthy snacks and books.
 
In addition to the Learning Club, we continue our 25 year tradition of supporting the Salvation Army Christmas Angel project, which provides gifts to disadvantaged children so that they may experience some type of holiday joy. During this holiday season, our club is also scheduled to volunteer at the Johnson County Christmas Bureau Holiday Shop on Friday, December 3rd.
Leavenworth Rotary
Veterans' Day Pancake Breakfast - we served many Veterans and family members; all disabled Veterans ate for free, courtesy of our Caterer, Terry Booker (The Cafe).
Veterans' Day Parade - Major (Retired) John Donovan was recognized this year as our Main Street Veterans' Banner Program Honoree. Rotarian Tim Vandall (pictured with one of his young sons) was one of the Emcees for the parade. Our Rotary Wheel - parade ready! Past District Governor Bill Kromer and Rotarian Caroline Webster taking good care of our banner; they are followed by President Shari Hansen. 
On 13 November members of our club and members of our Interact Club (Leavenworth High School) gathered to work our first-ever Rotary Day of Service. The Leavenworth County Council on Aging identified seven of our local seniors who needed help with yard work. Seven highly motivated teams worked all morning to accomplish the mission of cleaning up yards of these community seniors.
 
President Shari Hansen and past President Rick Hansen enjoyed working at our first annual Rotary Day of Service. This team of workers cleaned up their yard and collected 57 bags of leaves, acorns, trash and sticks! Mission accomplished!

The Interact Club at Leavenworth High School gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving; the students enjoyed a potluck meal to kick off the holiday season.
Manhattan Rotary
The Manhattan Rotary Club continued to enjoy great speakers during the month of November
  • Bruce Weber, KSU Men's Head Basketball Coach
  • Joseph Gruber, Executive Vice President and Director of Research, Federal Reserve Bank of KC
  • Bill Synder, Former KSU Men's Head Football Coach and Scott Fritchen, author
A book was donated each week to a different elementary school in Manhattan in each speaker's honor.
 
A holiday pop-up shop was organized for donations of gifts for children with serious emotional disturbances to select from to re-gift to their family members.
 
Two new members were introduced to the club.
 
One Rotarian and four Interactors spent several hours maintaining trees in Northeast Community Park in Manhattan
 
The club donated weekly cup money to the Mayor's Holiday Parage and Flint Hills Breadbasket.
 
Shortly after the club received the $10,000 "Together We Read-Community Early Learning Grant" the club also received a gift of more than 7000 new books, valued at $125,000, from the Eisenhower Center in Abilene, Kansas. Club members have been busy preparing them for distribution.
Manhattan Rotary Club Awarded Grant from Save the Children to Support Early Childhood Literacy Program in Six Kansas Counties
The $10,000 grant provided by the global humanitarian organization, matched with $1000 from the club, will primarily support early learning and literacy development
 
The Manhattan Rotary Club was recently awarded an Early Childhood Literacy grant from global humanitarian organization Save the Children to support the club’s Rotary Young Learners Partnership. The project benefits six Kansas counties (Clay, Marshall, Pottawatomie, Riley, Washington, Wabaunsee) and includes support to (1) Konza United Way in establishing the Dolly Parton Imagination Library; (2) public library reading programs, led by the North Central Kansas Libraries System (NCKLS); and (3) a used-book gift-certificate program modeled on the recently-established Rotary-USD383 credit at the Dusty Bookshelf book store in Aggieville.
 
The Manhattan Rotary Club (MRC) was one of a handful of U.S. Rotary Clubs selected by Save the Children to support innovative approaches to early childhood literacy. The grants will provide these clubs with up to $10,000 to help fund community-wide initiatives that support Kindergarten readiness and early childhood literacy. MRC is providing a match of $1000 from its endowed fund at the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation. Shortly after the grant was announced, the club also received a gift of more than 7000 new books, valued at $125,000, from the Eisenhower Center in Abilene, Kansas. These books, for all ages from the very young to adults, were originally intended for an Eisenhower Center literacy program that was dropped because of the pandemic.
 
The MRC grant builds upon initiatives in early childhood education and literacy by several partner organizations: Rotary, Konza United Way, NCKLS and its member public libraries, public school educators, Kansas Cooperative Extension, community foundations affiliated with the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, and the Kansas Institute for Early Childhood Education and Research at Kansas State University.
 
Nationally, this community engagement program is a part of Together We READ, a partnership between BELRAG (Basic Education and Literacy Rotary Action Group) and Save the Children that began in 2018.
 
“Basic Education and Literacy Month takes on even greater importance for Rotarians and Rotaractors this year, as we come to see the profound impact of the pandemic on education and literacy. Despite gains made in the last two decades to improve literacy, school closings during the COVID-19 pandemic threaten to reverse positive trends made toward greater school participation,” said Carolyn Johnson, Chair of the Basic Education and Literacy Rotary Action Group. “Thanks to our partnership with Save the Children, clubs in rural communities across the country have the opportunity to address these challenges and provide high-quality early education programs to their communities.”
 
The Together We READ partnership unites Save the Children’s expertise in child literacy programs, data collection and outcome measurement with Rotary’s expertise in advocacy, connecting community leaders, developing and implementing projects and driving public awareness and fundraising efforts – all with the aim of measurably increasing education outcomes for young children living in poverty.
 
“Save the Children is grateful to our partners at BELRAG and to all of the Rotary Clubs who participated in the grant program,” said Lesley Graham, Senior Director of Community Impact at Save the Children. “We are looking forward to supporting all of these innovative projects and seeing them up and running to help young learners grow and develop across rural America.”   
 
Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change - across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.  We provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.  From literacy and peace to water and health, we are always working to better our world, and we stay committed to the end.
 
Save the Children believes child deserves a future. Since our founding more than 100 years ago, we’ve changed the lives of more than 1 billion children. In the United States and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share. Follow us on FacebookInstagramTwitter and YouTube.
Olathe Rotary
Olathe Rotarian Wes McCoy (with Grand Son Aiden) delivered Rotary Nurse Kits to Tomahawk Elementary School ( Nurse Beth Hough), Pioneer Trail Middle School, California Trail Middle School and Olathe East High School.
Oskaloosa Rotary
The Rotary Club of Oskaloosa is happy to be meeting again the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month; our last meeting we prepared for our upcoming cookie sale.
Overbrook Rotary
Overbrook Rotary cleaned and sealed the Overbrook Mural in October pictured from right to left Vic Robbins, Larry Butel, Bob Klingler, Marion Massoth and Jon Wilhite. (pictures are below)
 
Overbrook painting the playground equipment at Overbrook Attendance Center in September. from Left to Right Derrick Dahl, Mike Bronoski, Jon Wilhite, Gerry Coffman and Vic Robbins.
 
Incoming President Randy Durbin congratulating Outgoing President Gerry Coffman and presenting her a certificate of appreciation for her amazing service in a very difficult year. 
Overland Park Rotary
Overland Park Rotary Club hit the road this month!  The November 22nd meeting was held at Medicine’s Hall of Fame and Museum in Shawnee.  Lunch was served while Dr. Bruce E. Hodges gave a fascinating presentation about historical medicine. Club members then went on self-guided tours to view the thousands of medical artifacts displayed at the museum. 
Overland Park South Rotary
Overland Park South Rotary members worked at Uplift, a Kansas City agency that supports homeless individuals by sorting and loading clothing.  OPS Rotary sponsors several small projects that involve 10-12 members each time.  Other recent projects have benefitted Lutheran Ministries with food distribution and The Whole Person.
 
Overland Park South Rotary sponsors frequent social events to increase positive relationships among members.  Each social is sponsored by one of its members at his/her place of business.  This social was held at Avenue 81, a new retirement facility in Overland Park, sponsored by Steve Caldwell, director of Avenue 81.
 
Overland Park South welcomed back to membership Cindy Green, longtime club member and former president who resigned due to job requirements and has returned to the club.  President Pete Belk administers the membership reading.
 
The Club recently presented grant awards to seven community organizations including:
• Golden Scoop – a non-profit ice cream shop that provides employment for developmentally disabled adults
• Geeks for Kids – builds adaptive cars for children who otherwise would not enjoy mobility
• Band of Angels – provides instruments and camps for youth in need
• Camp Quality – a summer camp experience for children with cancer
• Inclusion Connections – supports families with children and youth facing developmental challenges
• Camp ChiMers – a camping experience for youth with kidney ailments
• Growing Futures – a Head Start program for families in financial difficulties
Grants awarded totaled nearly $25,000 from the Club’s Future of Hope Foundation
Shawnee Mission Rotary
The Rotary Club of Shawnee Mission’s events, speakers and/or presentations in November included:
  • November 6: Community Service/Involvement: Some of our members volunteered to assist Growing Futures by raising garden beds for the winter, assembling  giveaway bags with school supplies and food for holiday drive-through and assembling musical equipment.
  • November 10:  We celebrated our 75th Anniversary.
  • November 17: Community Service/Involvement: Some of our members volunteered  for litter clean-up as part of our adopted street program.

 
Russell Hampton
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