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Rotarians are people from all walks of life who want to make positive changes in their community and the world. Our Club members are dedicated people who share a passion for community service and friendship, and also enjoy being a part of global initiatives like the eradication of polio, clean water resources, and education - local projects and a global impact. Becoming a Rotarian connects you with a diverse group of folks who share your desire to give back.

Our motto is SERVICE ABOVE SELF!

ROTARIANS RECOGNIZED FOR PAUL HARRIS FELLOWSHIP GIFTS

Two Brookings Rotarians received their Paul Harris-Plus pins from President Michael Gonda at the November 15 meeting. Pictured from left are Ruth Dickinson (PH+2) and Brad Blaha (PH+6), recognized by President Michael. Congratulations, Ruth and Brad, and thank you for your continued support of The Rotary Foundation!

SPEAKER ADDRESSES HUMAN TRAFFICKING CRISIS

Brookings Rotarians heard an excellent presentation this week about a difficult but critical topic. Becky Rasmussen, CEO of Call to Freedom, discussed human trafficking and the work of her organization to rescue victims and share information on how to address this crisis. Thank you for your program, Becky, and for your work with and passion for survivors.

PRESIDENT MICHAEL WINS USDA AWARD

The recipient of the 2023 National USDA Award for Excellence in Teaching is Dr. Michael Gonda, Professor of Animal Science at SDSU. (Or, as the Brookings Rotary Club calls him, “PRESIDENT MICHAEL!”) We are so proud of you for receiving this well-deserved honor!

Superintendent Dr. Summer Schultz Addresses Rotarians

Dr. Summer Schultz, Brookings School District Superintendent, gave a very informative program to the Brookings Rotary Club today, emphasizing the importance she is placing on removing barriers and creating opportunities for student success. Thank you for your presentation, Dr. Schultz, and please come back soon!

THIRSTY THURSDAY BENEFITS VETERANS

With banners overhead representing the branches of the armed services, Brookings Rotarians and guests gathered at Ray’s Corner for Thirsty Thursday this month. The collection for November benefits Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in honor of Veterans Day this month. Thanks for your service, Veterans!

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE NOVEMBER 2023

Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away and I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what I am thankful for in the Brookings Rotary Club. At a time when many Rotary Clubs are struggling with membership, we are still thriving. Our membership may have dropped since before the pandemic but we are still a healthy, vibrant club. It’s our membership that is the heart of this club. I am thankful for each and every one of you, even if you aren’t able to attend meetings in person. Even if I can’t see you in person, I greatly appreciate your support of our club and the Rotary mission of “service above self”. If you find yourself in a position to attend our weekly meetings once again, please know you will be welcomed! If you are able to attend our weekly meetings, then thank you! Our weekly meetings are the foundation of our club and your continued attendance is recognized and greatly appreciated. I hope you will continue to attend and I know our Program Committee, led by Erich Olson, is continuously working to invite interesting and engaging speakers. The quality of speakers we successfully recruit is a testament to the welcoming atmosphere created by all of you.

Of course, Rotary is more than just weekly meetings. Our list of accomplishments as a club over these past few months is quite impressive. We have written a strategic plan, created a new corporate membership category, hosted two international Rotary exchange groups (Denmark and Australia), “bowled to fight Polio”, convinced the City of Brookings to write a World Polio Day proclamation, hosted SDSU students for a meal during homecoming week, marched in the Hobo Day Parade, helped repaint the Born Learning Trails, helped the Brookings School District address mental illness, and served food for people in need at the Harvest Table. Our Membership Committee has hit the ground running to recruit new members and educate new and existing membership. (Thank you Jen Olson and the Membership Committee!) Finally, we’ve continued to raise money for scholarships and causes for the good of the local community. We can’t forget this important part of our service to others. (Thank you to the anonymous Scholar Dollar donor as well!) We have lots to be thankful for, Rotarians.

We aren’t done yet! Over the next several months we will have more opportunities to serve the community (e.g., Feeding Brookings, Salvation Army). One of the goals of our strategic plan is to create service “themes” that we can build around. I plan to work with Steve Sewell and the Service Committee on this goal in the coming months. I am thankful that the Brookings Rotary Club continues to carry out the mission of Rotary International and that’s because of YOU, the members of this club. We truly are blessed.

Yours in Rotary,

Michael Gonda

TWO GREAT SPEAKERS AT OCTOBER CLUB ASSEMBLY

Our October Club Assembly included not one, but TWO great presentations! First, educator, author, and polio survivor Mark Sternhagen shared some of the interesting history of the development of the polio vaccine, which has enabled the almost total global eradication of this devastating disease. Thank you, Mark, for helping us learn more about the background of this fascinating story - it strengthened our resolve as Rotarians to continue fighting until this battle is won! Next, our own Rotarian and Past Club President Mary Kidwiler premiered the newly produced "New Member Orientation" PowerPoint, which was just as interesting to long-time Rotarians as to those new to the organization. Great job, Mary! You reminded us that often some of our best programs come from within our own membership.

BROOKINGS CLUB RECEIVES RECOGNITION AT DISTRICT CONFERENCE

The Brookings Rotary Club was one of only four clubs in District 5610 to receive the 2022-23 Rotary Citation at the recent District Conference. The Brookings Club also was recognized by the District for exceptional giving to The Rotary Foundation: 2nd place -Total Giving; 1st place -Total Annual Fund Giving; and 2nd place - per capita total giving and per capita annual fund giving. Pictured here, Assistant District Governor Don Norton, center, presents the certificates to last year’s Club President Erich Olson, left, and current President Dr. Michael Gonda, right.

BROOKINGS ROTARIANS OBSERVE WORLD POLIO DAY

Celebrating the progress made toward the eradication of polio, but acknowledging that there is still work to do, Brookings Rotarians observed World Polio Day 2023 with a Mayoral Proclamation and a "fun"raiser to raise awareness and support. Brookings Mayor Ope Niemeyer was a special guest at the October 24 meeting to read and present to Club President Michael Gonda a proclamation declaring it "World Polio Day" in Brookings. Later in the afternoon, Rotarians gathered at The Lanes for the Club's first "BOWLIO AGAINST POLIO." Organizers are already making plans for next year's event, working toward the day when polio is completely eradicated from the planet. 'WE'RE THIS CLOSE!"

Mayor Ope with President Michael

Thanks for your support of Bowlio Against Polio, Rotarians!

Nice form, Darrell!

WONDERFUL SPEAKERS IN OCTOBER!

Brookings Rotarians and guests had wonderful speakers presenting very diverse topics during the month of October! We began by hosting District 5610 Governor Rich Burns, who spoke about his goals for his administration. The following week we heard from Buck Burdick about the seasonal "Fear Asylum" haunted house. Next, Jim Berman brought us updates from Dakota News Now. And last week we heard from Dr. Daniel Scholl, SDSU's Vice President for Research and Economic Development. Dr. Scholl informed the Club about the university's "Pursuit of Carnegie 1 Research Status." We look forward to our Club Assembly tomorrow!

DG Rich Burns

Buck Burdick

Jim Berman

Dr. Daniel Scholl

BROOKINGS ROTARIANS JOIN IN THE HOBO DAY PARADE FUN!

Brookings Rotarians - including the "First Dog" Doc! - joined in the fun of SDSU's 2023 Hobo Day by participating in the parade. What a great time, and a wonderful opportunity to remind the community about Rotary's important role in Service Above Self. Thanks, President Michael, for arranging our participation!

ROTARY SPONSORS SUICIDE AWARENESS TRAINING FOR BROOKINGS EDUCATORS

Suicide – especially as it devastates young people and their families – has been identified as an epidemic in the United States, and South Dakota and the local area are not immune to the emergency. The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide more than 264 million people are affected by depression, and according to the South Dakota Department of Health, one in five teens and young adults lives with a mental health issue.

In an effort to recognize and address this health crisis, the Brookings Rotary Club sponsored two half-day training workshops for Brookings School District faculty and staff to help educators identify signs and learn response techniques. Nearly 60 educators participated.

The “safeTALK” training was presented by Minneapolis-based Glen Bloomstrom, Director of Faith Community Engagement at Living Works Education, Inc. The two workshops were offered to Brookings teachers and staff – about 30 participants in each session - during their Professional Development Day on October 6.

“The safeTALK presentation is a skill-based session, designed to teach people to recognize that thoughts of suicide might be present, and how to refer them to those who can help prevent a tragedy,” said Bloomstrom, who customized the October 6 workshops specifically to educators. He also has trained agriculturalists, clergy, and military. The goal of safeTALK is not to train all educators as mental health professionals, but rather outline how to recognize a vulnerable child. “Safety is our focus. We outline how to get help, have a plan, and get other people involved. Participants practice skills before they leave the room.”

Brookings School Superintendent Dr. Summer Schultz is grateful for the opportunity for her faculty and staff and appreciates the collaboration with Rotary. “We are committed to enhancing our ability to recognize and address mental health emergencies within our district, and these safeTALK workshops are another important piece of the education our educators can use to help keep our students safe,” said Schultz. “We thank the Rotary Club for selecting us as the recipient of this granted project and appreciate our partnership with them.”

Half of the $5,000 training was funded by the Brookings Rotary Club, matched by Rotary District 5610 grant monies. Local Club President Dr. Michael Gonda noted that this was an opportunity for a local Rotary club to address, on a local level, two of the seven pillars of international Rotary focus: saving mothers and children, and supporting education.

“Our local Rotary club is noted for its community service, but we also are quite active in global initiatives supported by Rotary International (RI), such as the continued goal of polio eradication, emergency support for Ukrainian war victims, and tuition support for a student in Africa.” In addition, Rotary International President R. Gordon R. McInally, of Scotland, has identified mental health as another priority for his 2023-24 term in office.

“This is another way we can tie together our passion for local ‘Service Above Self” through a project that clearly is important to our community and also fits in well with RI’s mission,” said Gonda. “It is an honor for our club to have sponsored these workshops in support of our local school district and the children it serves.”

Trainer Glen Bloomstrom, of Minneapolis, with Living Works Education, presented two half-day “safeTALK” suicide awareness and prevention training sessions to faculty and staff at the Brookings School District Professional Development Day. The training sessions were funded by the Brookings Rotary Club and a grant from Rotary District 5610.

Two packed training sessions on suicide awareness and prevention were part of last Friday’s Brookings School District Professional Development Day. Nearly sixty educators participated in the “safeTALK” training, sponsored by the Brookings Rotary Club.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE OCTOBER 2023

Dear Rotarians,

We had quite the busy month! We welcomed two Rotary exchange groups to Brookings. The first group of Rotarians included 5 indigenous Australians; their main interest in coming to Brookings was visiting with faculty and staff directly involved with the SDSU Wokini Initiative. Our visitors (and myself!) learned quite a bit about Native American culture in South Dakota as well as the purpose and activities of the Wokini Initiative and American Indian Student Center. (For example, in Lakota, Wokini means a “new beginning”.) Afterwards, we toured the Oscar Howe exhibit at the SD Art Museum, rested at the Dakota Nature Park, and then ate supper at Cubby’s before returning to our homes. We also hosted 12 Rotarians from Denmark for two nights. After picking them up from Huron, we convened to Steve Sewell’s home for a reception before heading to our host homes for supper. The next day, each host took their visitors to places in Brookings they were interested in. That evening, we all went to the Brookings Country Club for an excellent prime rib meal along with dessert provided by Kay Norton. The next morning, we drove our guests to Sioux Falls where they met up with Rotarians from the Vermillion club. It was a fun-filled week and all of us learned much about indigenous Australian and Danish culture. Many thanks to Larry and Marcia Janssen, Ron Tesch, Cathy Voelzke, and Steve Sewell for hosting our visitors.

On the business side of Rotary, we are proposing an update to our by-laws that would add a category for “corporate” membership. Corporate members would be sponsored by a business in Brookings County but otherwise would be treated identically to other Rotarians, with full voting privileges and no difference in dues paid for each member. The only difference is that the business would pay their club dues and thus receive opportunities to promote their company through Rotary functions. Our main goal is to open up our club to more members who otherwise may not consider joining Rotary. Thanks again to Don Norton, Steve Carnes, and Don Goff for agreeing to help recruit corporate members.

For the month of October, Thirsty Thursday (10/5) will be at 5 PM at Jim’s Tap and will benefit the Brookings Backpack Project. We also will participate in Hobo Week this year! We’re planning on hosting a meal for college students (“Bum-A-Meal”) on Monday October 9^th at 6:00 PM at the Rotary President’s House (910 Broken Bow Trail) and have a parade float on Hobo Day itself (Saturday October 14^th)! We will need volunteers to bring a dish for Bum-A-Meal (e.g., soup, casserole, side, dessert) and to walk in the Hobo Day Parade. Please let me know if you can volunteer for these activities. I think it will be an excellent way to get the word out about Rotary to the Brookings community.

Yours in Rotary,

Michael Gonda

ROTARIANS JOIN IN "CELEBRATE COMMUNITY!"

Representatives of the Brookings Rotary, Kiwanis, Optimist and Lions Clubs gathered Monday morning to sort and distribute hundreds of food, household, hygiene and baby care items that were donated during the third annual “Celebrate Community!” Club members delivered donations to the Brookings Food Pantry, Salvation Army and Harvest Table. Organizers said plans already are in place for next year’s collaborative event.

DANISH FRIENDSHIP EXCHANGE TEAM MEMBERS ENJOY THEIR TIME IN BROOKINGS

A 12-member Rotary Friendship Exchange spent a few fun days in Brookings during their recent trip to District 5610, and Brookings Rotarians were so happy to welcome them! Hosted by local families, the Danes toured local business and agricultural interests as well as enjoyed plenty of social time with local Rotarians. The visit culminated with a dinner at the Brookings Country Club and the traditional exchange of flags, along with their presentation about their homeland...and an open invitation from our new friends to visit Denmark! Come back soon, friends!

Group Study Exchange from Australia Visits Brookings

Members of the Rotary 2023 GSE from Australia visited Brookings during their whirlwind tour of South Dakota, touring the area and learning about the industry, education, and history of the area. Members of the Brookings Rotary Club helped host our guests from down under, and joined other Rotarians for a fun evening at Cubby's. We hope our new friends will come back very soon!

FULL HOUSE ENJOYS PRESENTATION FROM COACH AJ

A packed room filled with Rotarians and guests gathered to enjoy today's program presented by SDSU Head Women's Basketball Coach Aaron "A.J." Johnston. Coach AJ, who is in his 23rd year and has an impressive 75.2% winning record, outlined the team's strengths this year, as he continues to focus on providing resources for a positive student-athlete experience for his team. Thanks for visiting us, Coach...GO, JACKS!

WELCOME TO TWO NEW MEMBERS!

Brookings Rotary Club President Dr. Michael Gonda, center, officially welcomed two new members to the Club at a meeting earlier this month. At left is Lisa Roker, Academic Advisor for the SDSU Animal Science Department. "I am excited to be part of Rotary because it will allow me to meet others, learn about the community, and create a positive impact in the Brookings area,” said Roker. “Many people have supported me throughout my life, and Rotary is a great way to pay their support forward to others." At right is Devan Schaefer, Wealth Management Officer at First Bank & Trust. “I decided to join the Brookings Rotary Club to serve and integrate myself in the wonderful community of Brookings. I eagerly look forward to connecting with other individuals in Brookings and learning more about the community I call home.”

JEFF HOLM UPDATES CLUB ON SDSU FACILITIES

Our September programming focusing on SDSU Athletics continued this week with a great program presented by Jeff Holm, Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Services. Jeff updated the Club on the in-progress construction at the newly named First Bank & Trust Arena (originally Frost Arena). The renovated facility will be unveiled next fall and will seat approximately 5,000 enthusiastic fans. Thanks for a great program, Jeff! (And thanks to Mylo for scheduling another great speaker!)

COACH ROGERS ADDRESSES ENTHUSIASTIC CROWD AT ROTARY

SDSU Head Football Coach Jimmy Rogers addressed a full house crowd at Tuesday's Rotary Club meeting. Coach discussed the discipline and integrity that are part of the team's culture, reflected on the players' helmets with the words "LAST PLAY." He noted the entire university takes pride in the success of its student-athletes. "Our work ethic separates this football program from others," he said. Thanks for joining us, Coach, and GO JACKS!

Welcome to our Club!

We meet In Person & Online

Tuesdays at 12:00 PM

Brookings Activity Center

320 Fifth Ave
Brookings, SD
United States of America

RSVP by emailing Club President Michael Gonda at michael.gonda@sdstate.edu. Our meetings and programs are currently being conducted via a hybrid system in person and via Zoom. Access opens 15 minutes early for a social time of sharing.

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