Events

DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

Stephanie Travers, Associate Professor of Psychology at Luther College, will be presenting a talk on new research on cognitive aging. She will discuss what constitutes normal changes in memory and how to maintain mental sharpness as we get older.

Professor Travers has been with the Psychology Department at Luther College since 2006, focusing on memory, executive control processes, and aging and cognitive processes. Her course topics include General Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Cognitive Processes, and Psychology of Aging. During January Term, she leads a course on the study of adult development and aging. The course includes the physical, cognitive, and social changes that effect individuals aged 60 to 95, and examines some current findings in aging research. Professor Travers holds an AA from Bristol Community College, Fall River; a BA in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth; and MA and PhD degrees from the State University of New York, Stony Brook.

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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.

The annual Holiday Lights display at the campground is the largest fundraiser for Helping Services.  Rotarians are assigned to work the event on 11/24/2023 and 12/02/2023.

DRC Sponsor: Alan Lerstrom

70 million Americans now live without access to a local, community news source due to the shuttering of local newsrooms, resulting in a void of critical news and information. Lon Haenel, new owner of the local news website DecorahNews.com, will share the steps that he and his team are taking to sustain local news in and around Decorah.

Lon is a digital-driven publishing executive in the local news media industry. He has done nearly everything in local news, from selling advertising to marketing subscriptions to serving as an executive for metro newspapers, like the Rockford Register Star and Columbus Dispatch. His favorite work is serving as publisher.  Lon and his spouse Sarah purchased DecorahNews.com this past April from a retiring Paul Scott. Their ties to the local community and their fondness for Decorah are through Luther College, where Sarah graduated in 1994. As a new neighbor in the Decorah business community, Lon claims the feedback and warm welcomes they've received have exceeded their expectations.

Lon and Sarah live in Janesville, Wisconsin. They have two daughters: Hannah, 27,  is an executive sales leader in Madison and McKenna, 16, is a high school junior and plays varsity golf.

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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.

We are looking forward to this year's Decorah Rotary Club Christmas Party on Thursday, December 14, at 5:30 PM, at the VFW in Decorah. Please save the date and watch for a RSVP email in a few weeks. In the meantime, our planning committees will be working on food, decorations, entertainment, and more. Everyone is invited, spouse, significant other or friend. Our food, decorating, entertainment, and cleanup committees are working like little elves to make this event spectacular.

 
The club is adding a service component to the party that has been dubbed the Decorah Rotary Bucket Brigade. If you can please bring a bucket or box with any or all of the following items. 
- Larger sized diapers
- Pull ups
- Toilet paper
- Paper towels
- Cleaning supplies
- Dish soap
- Bathroom cleaner
- Laundry detergent
- Gas or grocery cards
 
All of the buckets and their contents will be donated to Helping Services for Youth and Families
 
If you are unable to attend our Christmas party, please bring your buckets to our noon meeting our after hours meeting. Thank you!

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DRC Sponsor: Roger Huinker

Dr Michael D'Netto is the new Allergy Specialist at the WinnMed Decorah clinic. He is looking forward to meeting our members and discussing some of the basics regarding allergic rhinitis, food and drug allergies and asthma.

An allergist helps patients manage allergic and immunologic diseases. As a Mayo Clinic-trained allergist, Dr D’Netto provides testing and treatment options for infants through adults who experience food, environmental, medical, venom (insect bites or stings) and other allergies. He provides skin testing, food and medication challenges, and lung function and immune system testing. all at the WinnMed Decorah clinic. In addition, Dr D’Netto provides care for patients with asthma and skin conditions like eczema and dermatitis.

Dr D'Netto received his undergratuate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his M.D. from the Ohio State University (OSU) College of Medicine. He served his residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic followed by a Mayo Fellowship in Allergy and Immunology. He also holds an M.B.A. from the OSU Fisher College of Business. While at OSU he was awarded a peer-nominated professionalism scholarship to honor his "“exemplary behavior in the areas of altruism, compassion, integrity, honesty and service." He is Bronze Level certified as a Mayo Clinic Quality Fellow. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and a member of both the American Academy and American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

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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.