Events

DRC After Hours Sponsor: Shannon Duncan

In August of 2022, retired Decorah Police Deputy and Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) instructor Tim Felton completed an eight-day trip to the war-torn country of Ukraine, assisting in the conduct of humanitarian and community relations training for local police and military departments. This was the second such trip for him, having previously traveled there in 2019. He shared his captivating and fascinating experiences at our noon Rotary Club meeting in February and will re-join us at Pulpit Rock for the benefit of our After Hours membership.

The 2022 Ukraine training team was comprised of Felton; Greg Young, Chaplain for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Head Chaplain and Critical Incident Stress Debriefer for the Germantown Police Department in Germantown, Wisconsin; Ukrainian translator Alex Gerasimov from Atlanta, Georgia; and John Sheahan, an educator for DARE America and an ordained Lutheran pastor in Roland, Iowa. Gerasimov fled Ukraine in 2014 and has been back to the country on humanitarian missions three times since the war started. The team traveled around the country and trained with police recruits, officers, civilians, and soldiers on Critical Stress and Moral Injury Debriefing. Moral Injury Debriefing is geared towards combat veterans who have emotional burdens and guilt, and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing focuses on individuals like first responders who saw people get hurt or killed.

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DRC Sponsor: Kim Bonnet

Speakers Julia Schleicher and Abby McCarthy were participants in the 2023 Luther College January Term (J-Term) Paideia 450 course Building Ethical Futures through Architecture, Design, and Narrative in Norway. They will recap their exciting experiences traveling abroad during this J-Term trip to Norway.

The course explores transdisciplinary approaches to imagining, constructing, and communicating about structures and infrastructures in Norway. The participantsl work through ethical values and arguments that shape plans for built dwellings, transportation systems, and public venues and works. Relatedly, they critique how these objects and the stories attached to them concretely realize those ethical foundations. Student work includes active contributions to site visits and events with local experts and a mix of informal journals, a research-informed formal essay, and a creative group collaboration.

The J-Term Program at Luther College is a unique 3.5-week term that provides a break from the fast-paced regular semesters so students can spend time on one topic or experience. Students are able to take classes, study abroad, get internship credit, and perform research in a way that provides the student greater freedom and responsibility for their learning.

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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 advance to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Our speaker on Tuesday will be Decorah Rotary member Roger Huinker.  Roger will be joining us to present information on his new role as a Charitable Advisor for the Winneshiek County Community Foundation (WCCF).

The WCCF was founded in the late 1990's and is now one of 23 regional foundations affiliated with the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa (CFNEIA). Charitable, community-minded people who want to do good in their community to support the causes they care about can do so with the WCCF. Through the endowed funds held by the CFNEIA on behalf of the WCCF, the Community Foundation serves the county's needs by increasing connections between people and the organizations that serve them; and providing grants in the core program areas of arts and culture, community betterment, education and youth development, environment and animal welfare, health, and human service.

Roger Huinker recently retired after having served more than 50 years in the banking industry, the last 18 years as Vice President and Trust Officer at Decorah Bank & Trust. He served for several years as a Governing Committee member for the WCCF. He has recently joined the WCCF again, this time on a part-time basis as a designated Charitable Advisor. His new role will focus on making connections with people and organizations with emphasis on the importance of the local foundation to accomplishing charitable goals. In addition, Roger is active with the local Retired Senior Volunteer Program, St. Benedict's Gift for Tomorrow Committee, and of course Decorah Rotary, and can often be found plying his skills on the local tennis courts.

For more about the WCCF please check out the CFNEIA affiliate page: Winneshiek County Community Foundation

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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 advance to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Our speakers on Tuesday will be Decorah Park & Recreation Board members Brian Fuhrmann and Benji Nichols. They will present what has been happening behind the scenes regarding access and recreational opportunities to Decorah’s newest park -- Carlson Park. They plan to address the history of Carlson Park, existing trails and amenities, and a brief review of the Carlson Park Master Plan. The Plan includes the Carlson Park Trail Development Plan, tie-ins to Miller Park and Minowa Heights, and the budget. The talk will conclude with a Q&A session.

Benji Nichols was born and raised in Decorah, IA  – home to a ridiculous amount of Norwegian American stuff, and a lot of great people. After graduating high school in 1996 he left for music school in Boston (Berklee), and promptly returned 10 years later – with a six-year hiatus in the San Francisco Bay Area. From playing music to baking bread, touring and traveling through 49 states, and working with some of the best in the concert industry, it was a decade well spent. These days you’ll find him working at or on Inspire(d) HQ, out making something noisy, or beating down the single-track just minutes from home.

Brian Fuhrmann grew up in Crawfordsville, IN and then earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology. After many years working in the power generation industry in Mississippi, Alabama, and Iowa, since 2015 he and his spouse Melissa have made Decorah their home. Brian splits his time between construction work, volunteering for Decorah Human Powered Trails, the Decorah Parks and Recreation Board, and traveling to experience adventure trails and endurance mountain bike events.

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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 advance to all members by email.

After Hours meeting at Kozi Pie Shop

Our annual Spring Roadside Cleanup event is scheduled for Saturday, April 15.  Please meet at Whalen Cabin at 8am to pick up bags and safety vests.  A light snack and beverage will be available, and we will take a group photo. If you would like to assist with the project but are unable to participate on the 15th, please sign up for the section of your choice.  You may then pick up bags and safety vests at 702 East Broadway (Ward's house).  Bags and vests will be in the tote by the garage door. If you plan to do clean up on a different day than April 15th, please let me know either via email or at a meeting so that we don't wait for you the day of the event.

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Bruce Arendt presently serves as the Region Five Regional Director for the Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach Program. Many of our members know him as the son of long-time Decorah Rotarian and former Decorah mayor Don Arendt. Bruce will be offer a presention explaining recent activities and available services here in ISU Region Five.

Bruce began his position on February 6, 2023. As a regional director he provides administrative leadership to county extension office staff and guidance to county extension councils. Previously he served as an academic coach and English for speakers of other languages instructor for Northeast Iowa Community College. He owned his own financial coaching business and has worked for the Student Academic Support Center for Luther College. Prior to that, he was an English as a second language instructor at Mount Hood Community College and worked as an instructor for the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, both in Oregon. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Spanish, a Masters Degree in teaching of English as a second language and applied linguistics, and a Masters Degree in family and consumer sciences, all from ISU. His spouse is a management professor at Luther College and they have two children attending high school.

ISU Extension and Outreach engages all Iowans in research, education, and extension experiences to address current and emerging real-life challenges. They provide access to research-based education and information; build capacity for council members, faculty, staff, and volunteers; and enhance efforts in programming, operations, and staffing to reach diverse and underrepresented populations.

For more about ISU Extension and Outreach please visit their website at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/.

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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 advance to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Luther College students Hannah Hoffman and Verena Mueller-Baltes will be with us to talk about Luther's involvement in Model United Nations (UN), a program that gives students an opportunity to experience and practice global diplomacy, collaboration, debate  and problem solving. The Luther contingent is coordinated by Dr. Orçun Selçuk, Assistant Professor of Political Science.

Each year, students from 95 schools across the country gather in Chicago for the conference which simulates the UN General Assembly. Each school team is assigned a country to represent and students act as ambassadors, debating topics such as climate action, global health, and security.

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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 advance to all members by email.

DRC After Hours Sponsor: Shannon Duncan

Francisca Munoz is from Santiago, Chile and is spending the year in Decorah as our Rotary International Exchange Student. Fran will share some of her experiences here thus far as well as her life in Santiago with the After Hours Rotarians.

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DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

Seventh-grade students from Decoran Middle School (DMS) will present information about their upcoming Water Walk and fundraiser. Viewers can expect to hear ways that water impacts health, hunger, education, and poverty. They will see pictures of wells that DMS has built through previous fundraisers with Water to Thrive and they will be invited to participate in our upcoming Water Walk event and fundraiser.

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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 advance to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

After an exceptionally successful season, Decorah Middle School Mock Trial participants Jillian Volz, Noah Potvin, Kinley Leliefeld, Spencer Christensen, Colin Thompson, Naomi Kutz, and Atticus Raabe will attend our noon meeting to explain how the Mock Trial competition works, and how they prepare. One of their coaches, Carole Sand, on the cusp of retirement, will join us as well.

Iowa has the largest middle school Mock Trial program in the country with around 130 teams competing each fall. Decorah sends four teams to the Regional competition in Waterloo, two 7th Grade and two 8th Grade teams. Students work throughout the fall in exploratory classes to analyze a civil or criminal case and learn how to portray a witness and attorney. They collaborate to write scripts of direct and cross examinations for witnesses plus openings and closings. They also learn how to handle themselves in a courtroom, including objections and rules of procedure. Decorah often does well at Regionals and typically sends two teams to the state competition in Des Moines, where Decorah students have won many trophies and awards for outstanding performances. 

Decorah Rotarian Steve Belay was one of the first of many community members who have helped with Mock Trial over the years.

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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 advance to all members by email.

New member orientation is open to all club members as well as perspective members.  Join us to learn more about our club, district and Rotary International.

DRC After Hours Sponsor: Shannon Duncan

Community Heart & Soul is a resident-driven process that engages the entire population of a town in identifying what they love most about their community, what future they want for it, and how to achieve it. Through surveys, interviews and demographic awareness we seek to hear from all of our population, including those that are frequently lacking a voice or power within a community. Crystal Duffy is the Project Coordinator for the Postville Community Heart & Soul Project and will join the After Hours group to provide additional insights into this initiative.

Ms Duffy is a recent transplant from southern California. She was a public school teacher for 15 years and retired at the age of 37. She moved to northeast Iowa after falling in love with the area in 2014 when she attended the Seed Savers Exchange conference and campout. Her goal in retirement was to spend time volunteering for non-profits that were important to her, but somehow she ended up as the library director of Postville Public Library, the Community Developer for the city of Postville and the Project Coordinator for the Postville Community Heart & Soul Project. Through her position at the library she hopes to connect the dots for the city of Postville, make sure new arrivals to town feel welcome and bring financial literacy classes and English as a second language classes to Postville. She also hopes to help the town appeal as a tourist destination to those who value diverse grocery and food items not available in most of northeast Iowa.

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DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

Started in a garage with a friend, Rendered Unique leveraged social media, then mastered popups, to become a mainstay business on the east end of downtown Decorah. Jamie Gavle will tell the story and share lessons learned in the journey as another great example of "organic" startups in the Driftless....with an Airbnb upstairs.

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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 advance to all members by email.

Join our local 7th graders on Wednesday, May 17 as they complete their Walk for Water as a part of the curriculum surrounding the Water to Thrive project.  The students will each carry two ice cream pails or milk jugs from the middle school to the Upper Iowa River where they will fill their containers before returning to the middle school.  Total walk is 3.7 miles. The walk is intended to create empathy and an understanding of what women in Africa face in their daily lives.

Rotarians have been invited to join the students on the walk.  Please bring your own containers.  Attached is a map of the route and below are directions from Carrie Reed:

DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

Scott Helms from Helms Funeral Homes will formally introduce his organization, what is offered, and how the business serves our communities. This will be followed by a question and answer format with our attendees.

The staff of Helms Funeral Home and Cremation Service consider themselves caring and experienced professionals who understand that each family is unique and has personal requests and traditions. These requests and traditions are the highest priority to their cadre of licensed funeral directors.

Scott Helms is a native of Michigan. After high school he attended John A. Gupton College of Mortuary Science in Nashville, TN, graduating in 2002 and moving to Daggett-Gilbert Funeral Home in Big Rapids, MI. In 2007 he moved to Iowa to obtain a Bachelor Degree in Business at Upper Iowa University. In 2013, Scott came to work with Mark Balik and Karen Schluter here at the Schluter-Balik Funeral Home, ultimately purchasing the business in 2017. In March 2022 he and his spouse purchased the Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah, consolidating the two businesses into the current Helms Funeral Homes. Scott and his spouse and business partner, Decorah native Teesha Bappe, have two daughters. He is an avid outdoorsmen and enjoys hunting, fishing, and 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 advance to all members by email.

It is estimated that up to 150 kids – just in Decorah – go without adequate access to meals during the summer months. Last summer we selected Kids Lunch Club as our district grant project to help meet the nutritional needs of those children. District grants also require a hands-on component, so we will be helping Kids Lunch Club start the summer off right by unloading and sorting supplies and packing some lunch materials. Please sign up to join us for our packing event at United Church of Christ (209 W Broadway St. in Decorah) on Thursday, May 25 at 5:30 PM. This event will take the place of our After-Hours meeting.

Decorah Rotary Club will host our annual picnic on Tuesday, May 30 at Whalen Cabin.  Please gather at 5:30 for fellowship followed by a potluck meal at 5:45. 
 
All noon and after hours members and their families are welcome to attend.  Please bring a potluck item based on your birthday month:

    January-April:   something warm

    May-August: something green  

    September-December: something sweet.

Tableware, drinks, pork loin, hot dogs, and veggie burgers will be provided.

Please sign up all members of your family who will be attending so that we have an accurate count for food and tableware. Please note there is no difference in the groups on the signup list.

DRC Sponsor: Alan Lerstrom

Four St. Benedict School Students and their teacher Patty Lein will be attending the National History Day Contest at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland on June 12 and 13. Rotary is providing financial support of their participation. Two students, Rex LaFrentz and Kalin Harman, will present their
projects to the noon Rotary meeting.

The National History Day Contest is the culmination of the annual competition cycle and a celebration of student scholarship. After spending months on project research and preparation, and successfully competing at local and affiliate contests, student scholars are invited to share their work at the National Contest. Each year nearly 3,000 students with their families and teachers gather at the University of Maryland for the week-long National Contest. They come from all fifty United States, the District of Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Department of Defense Schools in the Atlantic, and international schools in China, Korea, and elsewhere.

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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 advance to all members by email.

Rotary After Hours Sponsor: Shannon Duncan

Tina Hall will share some exciting updates and plans for Operation Pollination - a Rotary Initiative.  There is a Global grant and Monarch Challenge in the works for 2024 to raise funds for planting trees.  Tina will also talk about the unique "themed-based" club that she is a member of.  District 5950 has at least three themed based clubs - a Veterans club, a Eco club and a LGBTQ+ club.

After graduating with her doctorate in Environmental Studies from the University of Maryland, Tina has worked over 30 years for The Nature Conservancy directing several state programs in land protection and forestry and now oversees forest certification for The Nature Conservancy.  Throughout her career she has given presentations to Rotary Clubs.  Finally, in 2001 she joined the Marquette, MI breakfast club and began her Rotary journey.  She was Club President in 2008-2009, then an Assistant Governor for 5 years and then District Governor in 2017-2018 for District 6220. She then moved to the SW for a 14^th month period and got many insights into new ways to do things and was her club’s secretary.  She then moved to NE Iowa and has become involved in her local club and District 5970.  She is currently a member of the Twin Cities Eco Club in District 5950, as well as the co-lead for the Environmental and Sustainability Rotary Action Group’s Operation Pollination.

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DRC Sponsor: Alan Lerstrom

Gambling can be an addictive activity in which people between the ages of 20 and 30 have the highest rate of problem gambling. Jen Stolka, the Prevention Services Director at Helping Services for Youth and Families, will discuss education and means of prevention in problem gambling.

Problem gambling is any gambling behavior that disrupts your life. If you're preoccupied with gambling, spending more and more time and money on it, chasing losses, or gambling despite serious consequences in your life, you have a gambling problem. Gambling addiction—also known as pathological gambling, compulsive gambling or gambling disorder—is an impulse-control disorder. If you're a compulsive gambler, you can't control the impulse to gamble, even when it has negative consequences for you or your loved ones. You'll gamble whether you're up or down, broke or flush, and you'll keep gambling regardless of the consequences—even when you know that the odds are against you or you can't afford to lose.

Since 1973, Helping Services for Youth & Families (formerly Helping Services for Northeast Iowa) has been providing children, teens, and adults with the skills and knowledge to bring about positive change in their own lives and in their communities. They provide presentations, programs and trainings in the following areas: domestic violence and child abuse advocacy, family education for new parents, family-friendly activities in the community, educating the public on latest drug trends, providing training to alcohol/tobacco retailers, youth mentoring programs, and participation in local coalition meetings and finding solutions to local concerns.

For more on Helping Services for Youth & Families please visit their website at https://www.helpingservices.org/.

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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 advance to all members by email.

Last year Decorah Rotary Club hosted our first sundae party with Kid's Lunch Club and it was a huge hit! We're continuing the tradition and wrapping up our district grant service with another party this year on Friday, June 16. Rotarians will meet at Freeport Park at noon to distribute lunch and make sundaes before caravaning to John Cline to repeat the party there. We should be done by 1:15 PM at John Cline. Please sign up if you can help! 

DRC Sponsor: Alan Lerstrom

Dr. Herbert Riedel, President of Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), will present “Traveling with the German Army during World War II." His father was drafted into the German army in 1940 as a mechanic. Dr. Riedel will present stories and photographs of his father's experiences during that time.

Prior to his assuming duties as NICC President, Dr. Riedel previously served at President of Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Andalusia, Alabama, where he introduced program offerings in advanced manufacturing, healthcare and short-term skills training, as well as an honor's program and the College's first student housing complex. Prior to that, he served as Vice President for Instruction and Student Development for Northeast Texas Community College in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. Dr. Riedel is internationally educated, having attended six schools on four continents. He earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in Pure Mathematics from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Pretoria, in Pretoria, South Africa. He is knowledgeable in six languages, being fluent in German and conversational in Spanish. Dr. Riedel and his spouse Lisa have two grown children.

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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 advance to all members by email.

Rotary After Hours Sponsor: Shannon Duncan

Dr. Herbert Riedel, President of Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), will present “Traveling with the German Army during World War II" for the Rotary After Hours meeting at Pulpit Rock. His father was drafted into the German army in 1940 as a mechanic. Dr. Riedel will present stories and photographs of his father's experiences during that time.

Prior to his assuming duties as NICC President, Dr. Riedel previously served at President of Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in Andalusia, Alabama, where he introduced program offerings in advanced manufacturing, healthcare and short-term skills training, as well as an honor's program and the College's first student housing complex. Prior to that, he served as Vice President for Instruction and Student Development for Northeast Texas Community College in Mt. Pleasant, Texas. Dr. Riedel is internationally educated, having attended six schools on four continents. He earned an M.S. and Ph.D. in Pure Mathematics from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, and a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Pretoria, in Pretoria, South Africa. He is knowledgeable in six languages, being fluent in German and conversational in Spanish. Dr. Riedel and his spouse Lisa have two grown children.

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DRC Sponsor: Alan Lerstrom

Speakers for the June 27th noon meeting will be fellow Rotarian and Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Volunteer Roger Huinker along with Retired RSVP Director Deana Hageman. The topic will be how to protect your savings from scams and fraud.

The presentation by Roger and Deana will be a shortened version of a one-hour seminar entitled "Iowa Fraud Fighters".  They will discuss tips on recognizing and reporting fraud and share stories of people who have lost some of their life savings to fraud. Northeast Iowa RSVP and the Iowa Insurance Division presents this program with the assistance of local sponsors. Deana will also touch on other services offered thru Northeast Iowa RSVP and ways to sign up to be an active volunteer. 

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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 advance to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: Shannon Duncan

Community Heart & Soul is a resident-driven process that engages the entire population of a town in identifying what they love most about their community, what future they want for it, and how to achieve it. Through surveys, interviews and demographic awareness we seek to hear from all of our population, including those that are frequently lacking a voice or power within a community. Crystal Duffy is the Project Coordinator for the Postville Community Heart & Soul Project and will visit our club to provide additional insights into this initiative.

Ms Duffy is a recent transplant from southern California. She was a public school teacher for 15 years and retired at the age of 37. She moved to northeast Iowa after falling in love with the area in 2014 when she attended the Seed Savers Exchange conference and campout. Her goal in retirement was to spend time volunteering for non-profits that were important to her, but somehow she ended up as the library director of Postville Public Library, the Community Developer for the city of Postville and the Project Coordinator for the Postville Community Heart & Soul Project. Through her position at the library she hopes to connect the dots for the city of Postville, make sure new arrivals to town feel welcome and bring financial literacy classes and English as a second language classes to Postville. She also hopes to help the town appeal as a tourist destination to those who value diverse grocery and food items not available in most of northeast Iowa.

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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 advance to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: Shannon Duncan

GrandPad helps seniors reconnect with their family, friends, and caregivers. GrandPad was founded by Decorah native Scott Lien due to a need for secure, user-friendly communication for his own family. The company is now nine years old and continues to help thousands of families with its innovative and cutting-edge technology in an easy-to-use phone/tablet. Our speaker Paula Merfeld, a local representative for GrandPad, works directly with individuals and families to find solutions that put the seniors they love back in the center of the family circle.

A Dubuque native, Paula moved to Decorah to attend Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar where she graduated Phi Theta Kappa in 2001. The beauty of the Decorah area captured her heart and you will often find her kayaking or fishing with friends along the Upper Iowa River. Passionate about creating and sharing beauty through art, Paula has participated in various art shows for 30 years. In Decorah, Paula served on the Northeast Iowa Studio Art Tour board of directors and participated for many years, creating local art shows to promote fellow artists and keep the local art community alive. Her work with GrandPad is helping hundreds of people combat loneliness and isolation and find renewed joy in their everyday lives and family connections.

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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 advance to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: John Moeller

Our speakers for this day are Rachel Brummel, Environmental Studies professor at Luther College and Cole Barrett, a Luther student. Ms. Brummel has been working with the County Supervisors and the Winneshiek County Planning and Zoning Commission to learn more about citizen attitudes regarding various local resources. In the fall of 2022 she led a series of five open community meetings in which participants identified the natural and historic resources they most valued and wanted to protect. This summer the Planning and Zoning Commission asked residents to evaluate their priorities for key resources, including water, farmland, historic sites, natural areas, and air.  Our speakers will discuss what they are learning from the meetings and surveys.

The members of the Winneshiek County Planning and Zoning Commission include Wendy M. Stevens (Chair), John Berlage, D.J. Friest, Mary Hoffman, David Meyer, Melissa O’Rourke, and Donna Rasmussen.

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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 advance to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: John Moeller

Decorah Rotarian Steve Slessor, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) at WinnMed, will be sharing insights into ongoing planning for growth at our local Decorah hospital.

Steve was appointed to the CAO position on June 1, 2021. He previously served as the chief executive officer for Buchanan County Health Center in Independence, Iowa, and had been in that role since 2013. Prior to serving there, he held various leadership and administrative roles at UnityPoint Health Allen in Waterloo, Iowa, including Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Vice President of Operations, Senior Director of Strategic Development, and Director of Business Planning and Development. He received his Master of Health Administration from University of Iowa, and his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from University of Northern Iowa.

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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 advance to all members by email.

Details TBA

DRC Sponsor: John Moeller

Decorah High School student Nat Roberts, who was one of the Rotary District 5970 Youth Exchange students this past year, will visit our club to discuss the experience of his year spent in high school while in the country of Taiwan.

While residing in Taiwan, Nat lived in Taitung city, a small city off the beaten bath near the southern tip of the island, about the size of Des Moines.The decision to go to Taiwan was long thought out. While he believed in Rotary Youth Exchange as the very best opportunity for a deep and varied program for youth seeking a year abroad, he was undecided even after he had been accepted into the program. After a meeting with the District 5970 Chair, he decided to give Taiwan a try. 

His year in Taiwan was defined by his studies, attending high school, cram school, and even university classes, but was punctuated by many trips around Taiwan, and even a trip with his host family to South Korea! He also spent lots of time in the local Rotary District capital, GaoXiong, and attended additional Rotary activities such as dinners and dance practices.

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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.

DRC After Hours Sponsor: Shannon Duncan

GrandPad helps seniors reconnect with their family, friends, and caregivers. GrandPad was founded by Decorah native Scott Lien due to a need for secure, user-friendly communication for his own family. The company is now nine years old and continues to help thousands of families with its innovative and cutting-edge technology in an easy-to-use phone/tablet. Our speaker Paula Merfeld, a local representative for GrandPad, works directly with individuals and families to find solutions that put the seniors they love back in the center of the family circle.

A Dubuque native, Paula moved to Decorah to attend Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar where she graduated Phi Theta Kappa in 2001. The beauty of the Decorah area captured her heart and you will often find her kayaking or fishing with friends along the Upper Iowa River. Passionate about creating and sharing beauty through art, Paula has participated in various art shows for 30 years. In Decorah, Paula served on the Northeast Iowa Studio Art Tour board of directors and participated for many years, creating local art shows to promote fellow artists and keep the local art community alive. Her work with GrandPad is helping hundreds of people combat loneliness and isolation and find renewed joy in their everyday lives and family connections.

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DRC Sponsor: John Moeller

Decorah Community Schools Superintendent and DRC Member Tim Cronin will talk about his first year as superintendent and plans for the upcoming school year.

Dr. Cronin has served as the district's superintendent since July 1, 2022. Prior to his local appointment, he served as superintendent of the Central City Community School District since 2013 in a “shared superintendent” arrangement with the nearby Dunkerton district. There, he has gained key experience and skills related to school finance, human resources, and providing professional development opportunities to staff. He developed and supervised a $3.5 million track, transportation, and HVAC construction project, along with a $5 million elementary school addition and a $2 million gym rebuild. In addition to his role as superintendent, Dr. Cronin has served as curriculum director, elementary principal, director of human resources, and director of special education. Dr. Cronin is also an adjunct lecturer at the University of Iowa, where he has worked with the Educational Policy and Leadership Studies and Teaching, Leadership, and Cultural Competency programs to develop and teach graduate-level classes. He has served in leadership roles on committees for the Grant Wood and Central Rivers Area Education Associations, and the Superintendent Leadership Team of the Tri-Rivers Conference.

Dr. Cronin holds a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Iowa and took part in graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, and earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Luther College.

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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.

DRC Sponsor: Kim Bonnet

DRC member Tim Cronin waxes elequently on historical records and the interesting ancestry of several of our members.

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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.

DRC Sponsor: Kim Bonnet

Evan Neubauer assumed duties as the Winneshiek County Conservation Board's Waste Reduction and Recycling Educator in May of 2022. His responsibilities include the creation of programming and collaboration with schools and other organizations to promote waste reduction, recycling, and sustainable behaviors. He will be visiting our club to discuss waste reduction and recycling initiatives in Winneshiek County.

Mr. Neubauer has an extensive background in Environmental Science and has experience in helping businesses with waste monitoring and reduction. For several years, he worked as an environmental specialist for West Liberty Foods in the Iowa City area, ensuring that the company remained landfill free.

He is a graduate of Decorah High School and earned his BA in Environmental Science at Luther College. His time at Luther sparked his interest in sustainability.

For more information please visit the Winneshiek County Waste Reduction website at https://www.winneshiekwaste.com/.

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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.

DRC After Hours Sponsor: Shannon Duncan

DRC Sponsor: Kim Bonnet

Luther College President Dr. Jenifer K. Ward will share a preview of the strategic framework guiding the next two years for Luther College, and how that positions the College to be grounded both in Decorah and in a global sense. She will be joined at the meeting by Mary Duvall, Luther College Vice President for Development.

Dr. Ward was elected as Luther College’s 11th President by the Luther College Board of Regents on March 19, 2019. She previously served as Dean of the College, Interim Provost and Associate Provost at the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Washington. She was Chair of the Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures Department at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, where she also taught German. She began her academic career with faculty appointments at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, and The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio. She most recently served as Provost and Dean of the College for Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport, Louisiana prior to her arrival in 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.