Speaker Date Topic
Philip Iversen Apr 02, 2024 12:00 PM
Mathematics and Democracy

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Luther College Professor of Mathematics and fellow Decorah Rotarian Phil Iversen will be offering information on a new class he is teaching at Luther College called "Mathematics and Democracy." The class provides another option for students to satisfy the Data Literacy requirement in the new Core Curriculum. A key premise for the class is that understanding basic but important mathematical concepts and calculations can help a person become a more engaged and effective citizen in a democracy. Topics include (1) measuring how democratic different countries are, (2) preference ballots and ranked choice voting, (3) weighted voting (e.g., the Electoral College), (4) voting districts, (5) gerrymandering, and (6) economic indicators.

Phil joined the mathematics faculty at Luther in 2017 after a previous career as an applied statistician in the pharmaceutical industry. His professional interests include statistical education, multi-factor design of experiments, data visualization, Bayesian methods, and statistical applications in the physical sciences. His hobbies include carpentry and home remodeling, trumpet, bicycling, and knitting. His spouse Sarah is owner and operator of Blue Heron Knittery in downtown Decorah.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.

Raechel Miller Apr 09, 2024 12:00 PM
The Riverview Center

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Raechel Miller, volunteer coordinator at the Riverview Center, spoke to the Rotary After Hours group about the services Riverview Center offers to the community and possible volunteer opportunities for our club. By popular demand, Raechel is returning to provide her insights for our noon Rotary meeting attendees.

Riverview Center offers counseling and therapy to survivors of sexual violence in Iowa and to survivors of sexual and/or domestic violence in Illinois. When a survivor decides that counseling or therapy is part of their healing journey, they are given choices. Riverview Center therapists create service plans based on the needs and wishes of the client, including treatment goals that the therapist and survivor agree on. Therapists will never force a survivor to discuss experiences that they are not ready to talk about; instead, therapists guide the survivor toward their picture of healing at the survivor’s pace. Therapy and counseling services are available for child, teen and adult survivors, and for friends and family of the survivor. Sessions can be one-on-one, with family or in a group setting, depending on the client’s preference and comfort level. Therapy and counseling take place within the privacy of our offices or in an agreed upon, confidential location in the community that is convenient and comfortable for the survivor.

Each session is centered by the needs and wishes of the client, including goals, types of therapy methods, and timeline. While one survivor may need a place to discuss their experience in a safe environment, another may benefit from using art or sand tray therapy to process the abuse. This service may last weeks, months, or years, depending on the survivor’s needs. The path to healing is not linear; rather, it takes a unique shape for each survivor.

For more information, please visist https://riverviewcenter.org/about/.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.

Travis Goedken Apr 16, 2024 12:00 PM
City of Decorah Plans and Projects for 2024

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Decorah City Manager Travis Goedken will be visiting our club to share information on the various projects and plans in store for the city of Decorah during the 2024 calendar year.

Mr. Goedken assumed the duties as Decorah City Manager on September 9, 2021. He previously served as City Administrator of Humboldt, where he served for nearly six years. Prior to that, he served in diverse roles as a Deputy City Clerk, underground utilities heavy equipment operator, and firefighter/EMT. He is a two-time graduate of the University of Iowa in Political Science and Economics and obtained his master’s degree in Public Administration from Drake University. He was born and raised in the Dyersville area. While in Humboldt, he oversaw several major projects including a five block downtown streetscape project, construction of a community daycare facility (of which he served as President), and the construction and donation of a 71,000 square foot recreation center.

Travis and his spouse Tara have four children. In his limited spare time he enjoys fly fishing or ice fishing depending on the season.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.

Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels Apr 23, 2024 12:00 PM
A Recap of the Around-The-World Flight to End Polio

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Our club has the pleasure and honor of hosting Rotarian pilots Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels. They will visit our club to provide a detailed recap of their history-making, around-the-world, single engine aircraft flight to raise funds for the fight against polio.

On November 1, 2022 Peter and John flew into the Decorah Municipal Airport, where our club hosted them while conducting our regular noon meeting. Their purpose was to describe plans for what seemed like a daunting challenge--a seven week, 20,000 mile around-the-world flight to raise awareness for Rotary International's polio eradication campaign. We were able to view their custom Cessna 210 (N732WP) on the airport tarmac and hear more about their goal of raising $1 million, with 100% of the proceeds going toward Rotary International's Polio Plus Program. Thanks to the 2-for-1 Rotary match from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, they hit the million-dollar mark even before they took off from the Eastern Iowa Airport on May 5, 2023. On July 30th around 9 am, they landed back at the airport after 90 days and 25,323 miles during their circumnavigation of the globe. N732WP had made 37 stops in 19 countries. There were unexpected challenges: John flying solo while Peter completd a short hospital stay; an electrical failure over the Pacific (repaired after a 90-minute detour to Brisbane, Australia); and an encounter with a squadron of armed soldiers in Karachi, Pakistan.

Peter is President of Teahen Funeral Home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, an author, and a mental health professional. He serves on the faculty at the University of Iowa and is the founder of the Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival. He has served in leadership roles on 67 major disasters throughout the world. He is recognized for his work on aviation disasters and is internationally known for his work in critical incident stress management and the psycho-social impact of disasters. He has served for 19 years as a national media spokesperson for the American Red Cross.

John maintains World War II aircraft, including his own North American Aviation T-6, a Boeing Stearman, and a Cessna 182 Skylane. Prior to his retirement, he served as the chief executive officer of City Carton Recycling, based in Iowa City, Iowa. He attended the University of Iowa and served in the United States Air Force from 1972 to 1976. For two of his four years in the Air Force, he was a crewmember onboard an AC-130 Hercules in Thailand.

For more information on the flight please visit https://www.flighttoendpolio.com/home.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.

Shirley Vermace Apr 30, 2024 12:00 PM
An Update on Winneshiek County Plans and Programs

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Winneshiek County District 3 Supervisor Shirley Vermace will be honoring our club with her presence and will discuss ongoing plans and programs in Winneshiek County of interest to its citizens and our members.

Ms. Vermace is a strong proponent of local control of policies and regulations in Winneshiek County. She serves on several regional boards including the Iowa RC&D, the Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission, the Northeast Iowa Community Action Corporation, the Northeast Iowa Rural Housing Trust Fund, Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health, the Winneshiek County Opioid Settlement Task Force, and the county safety committee. She represents Winneshiek County in collective bargaining negotiations with the three unions represented in the county. She has volunteered over the last two decades in several areas including Parent-Teacher Organization President for Decorah Schools, the Decorah Parks and Recreation Board, Decorah Community Meals, and the Winneshiek County Habitat for Humanity.

She is a graduate of Decorah High School and earned her B.A. from the University of Iowa in 1988. She and her spouse Mike returned to Decorah in 2000 to put down permanent roots. She is an avid hiker and can be frequently found with her dog Chop on one of the many trails around Decorah.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.