South Dakota State Representative and Brookings Rotarian Roger DeGroot was the guest speaker at today's meeting, providing Club members and guests with a recap of recent legislative activity. Thank you, Rotarian Roger!
"Brew For Stew!" was the theme for the January Thirsty Thursday event at Eponymous Brewing Co., where Rotarians gathered for a social hour and to donate canned goods for the Brookings Food Pantry. Those who were not able to attend are invited to bring cans of stew or cash donations to the meeting on Tuesday, January 10. Cheers!
A great group of Rotarians and guests gathered for the December Thirsty Thursday event, and raised more than $300 for the Brookings Salvation Army! The January Thirsty Thursday event, "BREW FOR STEW," will be held at Eponymous Brewery (126 Main Avenue South) at 5 p.m. January 5. Bring cans of stew (or cash donations!) for the Brookings Food Pantry. See you there!
Happy New Year!
In hindsight I think many of us would just as soon say good riddance to 2022! A major war in Europe, the highest inflation in 40 years, significant losses in both the stock and bond markets (while stock market declines are routine, to see both stocks and bonds down significantly at the same time is a very rare occurrence that had only happened twice before - in 1931 and 1969), another polarizing election cycle, and a devastating storm last spring that did damage to many of our homes and properties.
But there were bright spots in 2022 as well, and one of them was your Brookings Rotary Club. Thanks to Don’s leadership in the first half of the year, combined with Gregg’s hard work, we have been having regular in-person meeting with both speakers and food, just like in the pre-pandemic days. Furthermore, the amount of service projects we have been involved in as a club has been amazing. Thank you to Michael Gonda for your leadership! The Hope & Healing fundraiser for Ukraine was a success with a $50,0000 impact made to support the refugee situation, but also the resources and compassion of Rotary were demonstrated to many in our community. Thanks to all the many volunteers from our club who pitched in and made this something much bigger than our routine service projects.
Lastly, we as a club received the Rotary Citation award!
Looking ahead to 2023 we will certainly have another great year. Because regardless of economic conditions, the weather, or politics we are the Brookings Rotary Club, and we will find new ways to make an impact and help others.
Darla has lined up a great set of speakers for January. Please invite your friends to one or more of these meetings and expose them to Brookings Rotary.
President Erich
With a capacity dinner crowd of 250 at Peace Lutheran Church, and generous donations from even more supporters, the Brookings Rotary Club’s “Hope & Healing” fundraiser exceeded its goal by $10,000, raising a total of $50,000 for Ukrainian relief and medical supplies.
Seeded with a private gift of $10,000 from Rotarian supporter Keith Kerruish, of Isle of Man, and a $25,000 disaster grant from The Rotary Foundation, the local club raised another $15,000 from ticket sales, private and corporate donations, and a Dessert Silent Auction that alone raised more than $3,200.
Keynote speaker VJ Smith drew a standing ovation for his inspirational and personal comments supportive of the cause, and Ukrainian native Polina Helder, of Volga, spoke eloquently and passionately about her homeland’s history and current situation. Helder, who provided authentic Ukrainian recipes for preparation by Midwest Fresh Catering, noted her father is a retired general in the Ukrainian army, but has been recalled to active duty in his war-torn country.
More than 30 desserts were donated for the Silent Auction, several selling for hundreds of dollars each.
“We are overwhelmed by the support we received from our community for this fundraiser,” said Rotary Club President Erich Olson, who noted that the proceeds will be used to distribute needed medical supplies in Ukraine through the connection the local club has with a Rotary Club in Barlad, Romania. “Thank you to everyone who donated, attended, or otherwise supported this critically important effort.”
A big Thank You to everyone who helped plan, host, invited their friends, or simply attended the Hope and Healing Ukraine Fundraiser last month. It was a great way to not only show Rotary cares but to share the power of Rotary International with our friends and neighbors. The net funds raised from Hope and Healing ticket sales, the dessert auction, gifts, and the Rotary Disaster Grant exceeded $49,000. These dollars have been and will be used to make a difference in some of the many lives affected by this war, the largest war in Europe in nearly 80 years.
While our club is doing great things both locally and globally and will continue to do so based upon the quality of our members, we are none-the-less facing some challenges. The first and primary challenge is membership; we are simply losing ground on membership as people take on new careers, move away or simply retire from Rotary. If you were one of those many Rotarians who invited friends and family to the Ukraine fundraiser, invite those same people to a regular Rotary meeting some Tuesday. The people who supported that fundraiser are just the sort of people who have Rotary DNA - they just don’t know it yet!
Other challenges are the Student of the Month program and Rotary Youth Exchanges. These programs got off track with Covid in 2020 and have not gotten back on track since. If anybody would like to help out or has some new ideas, I am sure Ben (Student of the Month program chair), and Toby (Youth Exchange chair) would welcome the help.
Invite your friends to the programs in December as David Reynolds has a great slate of programs (see Page 1 of the Cog). Thanks for your continued support and for making Rotary part of your day!
President Erich
“Hope & Healing” proceeds will provide medical supplies to Ukraine
Tickets are selling quickly but are still available for the “Hope & Healing” Benefit Dinner hosted by the Brookings Rotary Club on Sunday, Nov. 13, as final preparations for the meal are underway.
The event will begin at 5 p.m. at Peace Lutheran Church, 1104 22nd Avenue South. Tickets are available on the event website, www.RotaryHope.com, or by contacting Brookings Rotary Club President Erich Olson, 605-999-1200. Individual tickets are $50 per person, and a table that seats eight is available for only $320 ($40 per person).
“Hope & Healing” will feature an authentic Ukrainian meal, prepared by Midwest Fresh Catering with recipes provided by Ukrainian native Polina Helder, of Volga. Helder recently met with Midwest Fresh owner Mike Siegel to sample the tasting menu, including tefteli (meatballs made with buckwheat), served over mashed potatoes with gravy, borscht, homemade rye bread, European Napoleon cake, and beverages. Upon tasting Siegel’s sample dishes, Helder proclaimed it the “best Ukrainian food I’ve had in the United States. It tastes like it came from my mother’s kitchen.”
In addition to dinner, the evening also will include a silent auction featuring desserts from some of Brookings’ best bakers, and a keynote presentation from noted speaker VJ Smith.
All proceeds will go towards providing medical supplies for Ukraine, to be distributed by the Barlad Rotary Club located just across the border in Romania. The Brookings Rotary Club already has received a $25,000 Disaster Grant from The Rotary Foundation, and another $10,000 gift from Keith Kerruish, a former Brookings resident and SDSU student who now lives in Isle of Man, in support of the project.
“We welcome the community to join us for this wonderful evening of ‘Hope & Healing’ for the people of Ukraine,” said Club President Olson. “This is one way we can participate locally in a project that has an impact around the world.”
The war in Ukraine, “Europe’s Breadbasket,” goes on with no end in sight. Meanwhile at home the cost of living continues to run hot and at levels not seen in two generations. These issues have already and will continue to cause food insecurity for people both locally and globally for the foreseeable future.
Locally, Feeding Brookings, a ministry of Ascension Lutheran Church, distributes food to hundreds of Brookings households each week. As the cost of food has climbed, they have seen a four-fold increase in the number of family’s needing assistance. This past month the Brookings Rotary club raised over $2,000 to support their efforts. Many thanks to Larry Fjeldos who stimulated our giving to Feeding Brookings with his promised match of $1000. Thanks also to Mary Kidwiler who made sure the target amount was hit and even exceeded!
Since Thanksgiving is this month Feeding Brookings will be distributing boxes with traditional Thanksgiving items such as turkey, cranberries, and the like. The service clubs in town have been asked to collect 100 boxes each of instant mashed potatoes. Please pick up a couple boxes and bring to the next meeting or even to Thirsty Thursday at Wooden Legs on November 3rd at 5 PM.
Many thank to Dr. Dan Little who facilitated the $25,000 Rotary Disaster Grant for humanitarian aid to Ukraine via the Barlad, Romania club. This is a great example of Brookings Rotary making an impact globally. My goal is to have some of the members of this club be one of our programs via Zoom in early 2023.
Last, but not least, if you have not already purchased tickets or RSVP’d with me, please consider attending the Hope and Healing benefit on November 13th. Many of your fellow Rotarians have put a lot of effort into planning this event that will include great food, desserts, music, and special guest speaker VJ Smith. In addition to being a fundraiser for a worthy cause it will be a great way for Brookings Rotary to showcase what we are all about, a local service club working in conjunction with over a million other Rotarians around the world to make an impact. The best way to share information about our event with your friends is to send them the link www.RotaryHope.com via email or text. More information on this event appears elsewhere in the COG. Hope to see you at Peace Lutheran on November 13th.
President Erich
Brookings Rotarians and their guests are warmly invited to attend "HOPE & HEALING," a fundraiser to provide medical supplies in war-torn Ukraine. The event will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13 at Peace Lutheran Church in Brookings, and will feature an authentic Ukrainian meal, speaker V.J. Smith, and a silent auction of wonderful fancy desserts.
Tickets are $50 per person, or a table for 8 is available for only $320. Please purchase your tickets by Nov. 7 by visiting www.RotaryHope.com, or calling Club President Erich Olson at 605-999-1200.
The Brookings Club has received a $25,000 Rotary International Disaster Grant in support of this fundraiser, and also was gifted $10,000 by a friend of the Club. Club leaders hope this event will push the proceeds to at least $40,000, which will be distributed to Ukraine through the Rotary Club in Burlad, Romania.
Please get your tickets today and join your fellow Rotarians in providing "HOPE & HEALING" to this great humanitarian need in Ukraine.
Great food, desserts, music, and special guest speaker VJ Smith! The committee tasked with planning the Ukraine Medical Supplies Fundraiser has been working hard and has a great program planned. I encourage you support this Brookings Rotary Club event and fundraiser by placing orders for your own tickets and sharing the information about our event with your friends, associates, co-workers, and other people you interact with. The best way to share information about our event is to send them the link www.RotaryHope.com via email or text.
Thank you so much to Ginger for developing this website. It looks sharp and will be able to be repurposed for other such Brookings Rotary Club events in the future. Ginger, along with Kay, was also instrumental in developing a marketing plan for our event. More information on this event appears on page 4 of The COG.
As I mentioned last month a friend of our club had given $10,000 with the desire that we use this money to help with the situation in Ukraine. That person is Keith Kurrish from the Isle of Man, Great Britain. He has visited our club off and on through the years and I believe is a friend of Rick Wahlstrom.
On top of all this, Dr. Dan Little has helped us to secure a $25,000 Disaster Grant from the Rotary Foundation! Thank you, Dan, for all your work on this grant. The fundraiser along with the gift from Keith and this disaster grant should allow us to make greater than a $40,000 impact for Ukrainians suffering from the war and war related conditions via our partner club in Barlad, Romania. Hope to see you on November 13th.
Many thanks to Wes Tschetter who stimulated scholar dollar giving to the tune of over $1100 during the month of September.
Many thanks to Past President Don Norton and his team who helped the club earn the 2021-22 Rotary Citation award – see award on page 3 of The COG.
President Erich
Brookings Rotarian Della Tschetter recently received the Paul Harris Plus-3 pin from Club President Erich Olson. A Paul Harris Fellow is one who has donated at least $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation (TRF), or for whom someone else has donated $1,000 in his or her name. Those who have achieved “Paul Harris Plus” status reflect the $1,000 donation repeated in subsequent years. Donations to TRF go to help with projects in one of seven areas of global and community service: Promoting Peace; Fighting Disease; Providing Clean Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene; Savings Mothers and Children; Supporting Education; Growing Local Economies; and Protecting the Environment.
Please donate generously as we partner with other service clubs in our community!
A Very Busy, but Potentially Fruitful Fall Awaits Us
Because of all the planning that has been recently done by your board the months of September, October, and November will be busy, but also potentially very bountiful.
To kick things off from Sunday September 11th until Monday September 19th Rotary, in conjunction with Kiwanis, Optimist, and Lions will be collecting items for the Salvation Army, the Harvest Table, and the Brookings Food Pantry. The drop off point for donations will be a Century 21 truck in the parking lot of Brookings Radio. A list of desired donations can be found elsewhere in the COG.
It has been brought to our attention by members of this club that Feeding Brookings (located at Ascension Lutheran) has seen the numbers in need of food assistance nearly quadruple this year. At our weekly meetings for the month of October we will be collecting money for Feeding Brookings. Larry Fjeldos has generously agreed to match your donations to Feeding Brookings $1 for $1 up to $1,000. Larry, thank you not only for your generosity but also your example!
On the evening of Sunday November 13th this club will be holding a fundraiser to raise money for the purpose of procuring medical supplies for Ukraine via the Barlad Romania Rotary Club. We have already received a generous $10,000 gift from a friend our club to help kick off this project. More details will surely follow in the October COG, however based upon the proposed menu and speakers you will not want to miss this event. Mark this evening on your calendar and stay tuned for more details!
That’s three fundraisers for three worthwhile projects, two local and one global, in three months! The harvest has the potential to be plentiful, but will the workers also be plentiful? I challenge you to step up and either donate your time and / or your resources to these projects.
Let’s not forget the District Convention in Sioux City from September 23-24. The LeMars club has put a great program with great speakers to educate and excite you about Rotary. I for one am looking forward to hearing their keynote speaker, former Navy SEAL Boyd Renner.
Lastly, Mylo has arranged a great line up of speakers for September. If you are a Jackrabbit fan you won’t want to miss single a meeting in September. And if you know any Jackrabbit fans what better way to introduce them to Rotary than bringing them to a meeting this September!
The Brookings Club extended a warm - and busy! - welcome to District Governor John Schneider and his wife Carol, both members of the Le Mars, Iowa, Rotary Club. The Schneiders arrived in Brookings Monday, July 25, and enjoyed a tour around town with guide Past President Don Norton showing them several Rotary-sponsored projects. That evening, they were joined by several Club leaders for dinner at Craft. On Tuesday morning, DJ John was a guest on the Bob Wayne Show on KBRK radio, and then the Schneiders toured the Swine Unit at SDSU with a special presentation by Animal Science Interim Department Chair Dr. Bob Thaler. Also present at the tour were Dr. Michael Gonda, Brookings Rotarian and professor in the Animal Science Department, and Tina Erickson, Director of Membership, Outreach, & Engagement for the South Dakota Pork Producers Council. At noon, the Schneiders were welcomed to the weekly Club meeting by an enthusiastic membership, and enjoyed - what else? - a pulled pork sandwich lunch! DG John's presentation was full of encouraging comments about his goals for District 5610 and the Brookings Club. He presented a banner with the 2022-23 Rotary International theme ("Imagine Rotary") to Don, who was filling in for President Erich Olson. Following the meeting, DG John met with the Board and declared the Club thriving and successful. Thank you for your visit, DG John, and you and Carol come visit again soon!
President-Elect Yvette Campbell presented a Rotary briefcase to Past President Don Norton for his service during the 2021-22 year. Don stepped up to a second year of presidency after having serving a term in 2022-21, when Darla Biel became unable to serve out her term due to new work commitments. Thank you, Don, for your Service Above Self!
Two more members of the Brookings Rotary Club were honored as Paul Harris Fellows at the club’s recent meeting. Pictured receiving recognition from Club President Erich Olson are Ann Volin (at top) and Yvette Campbell (at bottom.) A person is named a Paul Harris Fellow in acknowledgement of at least a $1,000 gift to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) in that person’s name.
Don Goff, left, IT Manager for the City of Brookings, was welcomed into membership of the Brookings Rotary Club by President Erich Olson. Goff was relatively new to his city position in 2021 when Rotarians resumed in-person meetings after COVID restrictions were lifted, and he was instrumental in helping to upgrade internet access to the city-operated Brookings Activity Center. This enabled the Club to continue to offer meetings in a hybrid format, using Zoom as an option for members who chose to participate virtually instead of in-person.
Erich Olson, left, newly installed 2022-23 President of the Brookings Rotary Club, receives the gavel from outgoing president Don Norton, who was thanked for his 2020-22 leadership.
Below, President Olson’s first order of business was installing board members and officers. Pictured from left are Secretary Del Johnson; Treasurer Chad Vilhauer; President-Elect Yvette Campbell; Administration Chair and Sergeant-at-Arms Gregg Jongeling; Director Michael Gonda; Director Jennifer Olson; Past President Don Norton. Not available for the photo was Director Ann Volin.
Congratulations to Don Norton for being selected by District Governor Doug Lind as District 5610’s Rotarian of the Year. When I was asked to be the 2022-23 President over a year ago, I really wanted to say no - could I possibly have bigger shoes to fill than Don Norton’s? What a tremendous job Don has done the past two years. Like Moses in the desert, he held the club together and led us through the pandemic. Despite all the challenges, because of his leadership the club is better today than it was two years ago. Hybrid meetings and various lunch options are just a couple of improvements that come to mind. Many thanks to Sergeant-at-Arms Gregg Jongeling for their actual implementation.
But Don can’t get all the credit, because behind every good man is a good woman! How lucky we are to have Kay as a fellow member as well. What she brings to the club in terms of music, charm, and all her work as Public Image Chair is priceless. She also does a lot of great work for District 5610 that most of us seldom see or hear about.
We still have our challenges, first and foremost membership is down. COVID was and remains an impediment for many of our elderly members; indeed, many have resigned from the club. Please invite a friend, co-worker, or acquaintance to a Rotary meeting. I’m a member because Della Tschetter invited me to a meeting nine years ago and I appreciated the opportunity to learn about things going on in our community.
While the club does a lot of good work in the community (a special thanks to Michael Gonda, our Club Service Coordinator for finding lots of opportunities), I feel the club needs to find a big project to rally behind. More on this in August.
I have coordinated programs for 8 of my 9 years and have decided to retain my role as Program Chair largely because my committee is the best I have ever had and because of them the workload is light. If you have ideas for programs or speakers, please send me an email or visit with me on Tuesday. Good programs are going to be key for attracting and retaining new members.
As Past President Don Norton would say, “Thanks for making Rotary part of your day.”
-President Erich
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Brookings, SD
United States of America