Serving One Child at a Time

Here are some meeting notes to show you what a typical weekly meeting is like.  Feel free to browse our site and learn more about us.

Announcements:

1. There are still peanuts available to anyone who can still sell, or for those who wish to make a donation to Operation Homefront.
2. Jim Ruppert is recovering at home from triple by-pass surgery.
3. The Club’s condolences go out to Mike Jorgenson and his family on the recent death of his father.

Program:

Today’s meeting was held at Catholic Charities and featured a ‘spotlight’ on our new President, Rochelle Nicks. Rochelle
came to La Crosse when she was 10 years old. She attended Mt. Calvary – Grace Lutheran grade school and Central high school. Rochelle received her undergraduate education in Sociology and Public Administration from UW-L; and her MBA from the Humphrey Institute in the Twin Cities. She has been married to Aaron for 6 years and they have a beautiful son, Oliver, who is 3 years old.  She is a devoted wife and mother and loves to spend as much time as possible with her immediate and extended families.

Rochelle began her work with Catholic Charities writing grants for the organization and is now the Development Director, still focusing on grant writing. Catholic Charities has 5 offices in 19 counties and provides programs for adoption, immigration, financial counseling, emergency services and disability services, which include
a day school and after school activities. Catholic Charities works with an approximate $3 million budget. Funding comes from the diocese parishes, United Way, grants, foundations, corporate donations and individuals. The building on East Avenue, in which they have their offices, is 100% occupied by themselves and other agencies and/or organizations of the La Crosse Diocese. For those that were interested, Rochelle provided a brief tour of the building
after the meeting.
Anyone wanting to have the ‘spotlight’ shine on them in the upcoming months, please let Pete Rasmussen know so that he can get you on the schedule.

Announcements:

1. The October 19 meeting will be at Catholic Charities.
2. Brian Koopman updated the Club on the application of a 501 (c) (3) designation for our foundation account. The status would allow tax deductible donations to the foundation by individuals, as well as businesses.
3. There are still peanuts available for sale; contact Howard Mills for more information. For those who wish to donate peanuts to Operation Homefront, contact Rochelle.
4. Abbie is still looking for volunteers for Clergy Day on October 16.

Program:

The name AMOS stands for Advocating, Mobilizing, and Organizing in Solidarity. Rev. Curtis Miller joined us to discuss this organization, which is an interfaith, congregation based coalition working for justice in Wisconsin’s Seven Rivers Region. AMOS is a project of WISDOM, a state organization of the Gamaliel Foundation. Their mission is to empower people to act together to build a more just, compassionate and healthy society. This organization, which will soon be celebrating their 3rd anniversary, works together to listen to the community, identify common concerns, analyze causes of poverty and injustice and develop strategies for positive change. Their Circles of Support program is designed to integrate men and women into the community as they transition out of incarceration by offering them a path toward health and stability. Volunteers and Circle members offer support and mutually transformative relationships with these individuals to accomplish this goal. AMOS is financially supported by member congregations, individuals and foundation grants. If you are interested in supporting this program, you can contact Rev. Miller at 608-487-3552 or mail AMOS at PO Box 1211, LaCrosse, WI. You can also e-mail circles.info@gmail.com.

Kiwanis Club of La Crosse Invites You to Clergy Appreciation Day

Featuring Guest Speaker Taylor Haley, Pastor and Ironman Triathlete

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Buffet Lunch Served at Noon with Program following at Radisson Center, Jay and 2^nd Streets, La Crosse

Please RSVP to any Kiwanian or Abbie Leithold-Gerzema, 608-784-7555 or AbbieLeithold@centurytel.net.

The La Crosse Kiwanis Club recognizes the importance of spiritual leadership to the health and well-being of the community and its people.  Please join us for lunch and a program, and let us show our appreciation for your service. If you have questions about our club or about Clergy Appreciation Day, please call Abbie Leithold-Gerzema at 608-784-7555.

Announcements:

1. Dick Mial will be presenting our check for $4,500.00 to the Family Literacy Center on Tuesday, October 19, at 12:30 pm. This amount is the sum of monies received from Hy Kaplan memorials and the 2009-2010 Club special project.
2. Clergy Day is scheduled for October 26. There is a sign-up sheet to let Abbie know which clergy member you will be inviting to the event.
3. Thank you to those who stood outside the Post Office, Village Quillins and LaCrosse Festival with canisters on Peanut Day, September 24. Those canisters raised a record setting $739.30.
4. At their meeting October 4, the Board approved a $1,000.00 donation to the LaCrosse Public Library to be used to help fund their early literacy program, ‘1,000 Books Before Kindergarten’.

Installation: President-Elect Cedric Friesen was installed by District 16 Lt. Governor, Tom Schauer.

Program: Pete introduced Gaston Razafy, Regional Director of the Church World Service/Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty (CWS/CROP) based in Madison, and a fellow Kiwanian from the Madison East Club. Gaston, a native of Madagascar, became a naturalized US citizen in 2000. He has been working with CWS for 42 years in over 13 countries, primarily Africa. He came to Wisconsin from Somalia in November, 1990, and is responsible for the CWS/CROP community education and fundraising program in Wisconsin. Like other organizations whose mission is to provide relief and recovery after a disaster, CWS resources are taking a major hit. It is taking more of those resources to recover from more major disasters such as hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes. There are also many countries
that deal with a much bigger disaster – poverty. Gaston, through his projects in Africa, has developed the concept of “Quality of Life” by setting up development projects in under-developed nations under the responsibility of specialized technicians. Their goal is to give the people of these countries a life that is more humane than just survival. There are 6 priorities to this concept – 1) Shelter; 2) Food; 3) Water; 4) Basic medical care; 5) Settlement; and 6) Training people to grow their own food. Fundraisers like the CROP Hunger Walk are important to keep these projects going. The 2010 CROP Hunger Walk is scheduled for October 10, 2010 at 1:00. Participants, coming from different faiths to work for a common cause, will begin their walk at the Myrick Park shelter and can walk up to 5 kilometers. Funds raised through this walk are used to help people locally and around the world, ie Wisconsin, Haiti, Chili as well as other countries where basic food is scarce. 25% of the monies raised from this walk assist the local food banks, food pantries, community gardens and other hunger fighting initiatives. If you would like to help in this cause, registration for the walk is at 12:45 on Sunday, October 10, at the Myrick Park shelter.

Dick Mial took the podium for the final time tonight. He thought back to last year when he was told that his year as President of the Club would go by quickly. He didn’t see how that would be possible, but had to admit that those who told him so were correct. He took this final opportunity to thank our Club’s committees and their members. Many people believe that an organization’s Board of Directors is the driving force behind its success, when in reality its success is the result of these committees, their members and Club volunteers working together for a cause. Special historical items at the banquet this year included the original Club charter and a guest book from 1947 that lists our most tenured member, Gib Chick, as a guest to the Club. Presentations of the annual awards were made to the following: Pete Rasmussen, Rising Star Award; Dave Curtis, Legion of Honor Award for 35 years as a Kiwanian; and posthumously to Hy Kaplan, the Kiwanian of the Year Award as well as the Legion of Honor Award of 55 years as a Kiwanian before his passing last January. Past Lt. Governor, Forrest Moe, installed the new officers of 2010- 2011: Dick Mial as Past-President, Rochelle Nicks as President, Pete Rasmussen as Vice-President and Dave Curtis as Secretary/Treasurer.
President-Elect Cedric Friesen was not present and will be installed at the next weekly meeting. Board members recognized were Bob Cox, Glenda Lee, Brian Koopman, Abigail Goben, Mike Temp and Chris Sander. President, Rochelle Nicks, spoke a little about her hopes for the coming year. This past year we had 7 new members inducted into the Club. Unfortunately, we had just as many leave. How do we address the benefits of becoming a member and then remaining a member of the club? The goal is to establish a ‘Membership Retention’ committee to help in this cause. There will also be an increased effort to have members really get to know each other. We already have name tags and
the membership booklet, but we will begin to see a ‘Kiwanian Spotlight’ each month where one lucky Kiwanian will be identified and given the opportunity to introduce him/herself in more detail to the Club. Thank you to all who donated items for the silent auction, and to all of you who donated so generously on the items. Working his magic again, Tami’s husband, Woody, put together a video presentation of pictures and music as a reminder of all of the special events and weekly speakers over the past year. The video ended with a special tribute to our friend, Hy Kaplan.

Announcements:

1. Howard Mills announced that Peanut Day will be held on Friday, Sept 24th. He passed out a full listing of who had sold cases, but many of Gib Chick’s customers need to be contacted. A sign-up sheet for “corner sales” will be passed out next week.
2. Contact Rochelle Nicks if you want to order Kiwanis Logo Shirts. Also, the card project for Operation Homefront will be held at Catholic Charities on Wed, Sept 22nd, from 5:00-7:00. A silent auction will be held as part of President’s Banquet: items should be from only Club members and not solicited.
3. Ron Wall announced our slate of officers and board members for 2010-11: President: Rochelle Nicks; President-elect: Cedric Freisen; Vice President: Pete Rasmussen; Secretary/Treasurer: Dave Curtis Board: 1 year: Chris Sander & Glenda Lee; 2 year: Mike Temp & Brian Koopman;3 year: Abigail Goben & Bob Cox; Past President: Dick Mial
4. Lorraine Wilson reminded everyone that “Special Day for Special People” is this coming Sat, Sept 11th, from 11:30-3:00 at Copeland Park.

Program:

Sherry Westby, Corporate Sales & Accounts Mgr for Travel Leaders presented a travel log of her “A & K Kenyan Safari” from Nov 15-25, 2009. Sherry reminded us of the preparations that are needed: passports, visas, and Shots! Sherry landed in Nairobi, Kenya after a 24-hour flight. Her first camp was Sweetwaters Tented Camp (basic accommodations), but with all the “conveniences” – don’t let the monkeys get into your suitcase. This is located on the equator and has 20 tents surrounding the “evening” watering hole. The next location was the Samburu Game Reserve (upscale). This location is near the Somalian border where incursions might occur ( gunfire, but no intruders). Here, elephants, cheetahs, and zebras were seen. Visits with the local population were made including a “house tour” where elephant dung was used for wall insulation. Next – on to Masa Mari near the Tanzanian border via chartered plane. Here, the “Big 5” – lion, leopard, cape buffalo, elephant, and rhino, were all seen. Unusual pictures were three male lions sleeping under a tree, and a lioness with three “playful” cubs. One day was spent in a hot air balloon floating over the terrain and able to view much of the wildlife. At this camp, accommodations can be from basic to deluxe. In all areas,
there are magnificent sunsets and spectacular sunrises – October is the best time to see the migration of the animals. Remarkably, the climate is rather temperate even though you are near the equator, but you can’t
escape the threat of mosquistos.

Announcements:

1. The Special Days for Special People sign up sheet is being passed around. Volunteers are still needed for the event on September 11, from 11:00 – 3:00 at Copeland Park.
2. It is requested that all members bring wrapped candy to the next meeting for use at the Special Days event.
3. Clergy Day is scheduled for Tuesday, October 26. Speaker for the luncheon will be Rev. Taylor Haley from First Presbyterian Church. He will share a message on how weight loss and participation in Ironman competitions has changed his life.
4. Dave Curtis attended the District Convention in Appleton and came back with an award for the Club. The Club was declared the District 16 winner of the Governor’s Cup.

Program:

Cedric introduced Ann Fowler, Board Member of the LaCrosse Public Education Foundation (LPEF). The Foundation is 22 years old and is managed by an 18-member Board of Directors. It relies on individual and business contributions, as well as corporate sponsorships to fund its programs. The purpose of the LPEF is to enhance the quality of public education in the LaCrosse School District by inspiring creativity and innovation in our children, students and community. The funds are used to fill the gap between funding and the needs of the public schools. There are 3
programs which the LPEF supports:

1. Classroom innovation – funding of creative and innovative classroom projects that do not fit into school budgets is done through a Venture Grant. Anyone can apply for a Venture Grant – parent, student, teacher or community member.
2. Essentials for student learning – grant money is awarded for the Foundation’s ‘Random Acts of Kindness’. These funds help children whose families cannot afford field trips, graduation cap and gown, school supplies, hats and gloves and other basic needs. Grants are also awarded for staff development projects within the schools.
3. Teacher excellence – a $1,000 award is given to outstanding teachers in the public school system. To obtain more information on the LPEF, its work and how to make a donation or apply for a grant, you can visit them online at www.lpefonline.org.

The Club met today at the Myrick Hixon EcoPark. The MHEP is a collaboration of the Myrick Park zoo and the Hixon Park nature center. These two destinations are now one organization focused on becoming a community hub for environmental education and outdoor recreation. Items of interest in the EcoPark include:

• The forest and wetland nature preserve;
• An EcoCenter building that is open year round to the public. Stone on the interior of the building was recycled from the Catholic Charities building in downtown LaCrosse. The Center holds a number of educational exhibits such as the one telling the story of the peregrine falcon. More exhibits will be added as funds become available.
• Access to over 20 miles of walking/hiking/biking trails and views of different species of wildlife.
• A 2-3 year fundraising drive is in progress for the formation of the EcoZoo which will showcase local animal habitat such as river otters, cougar, black bear, caribou, bobcats, prairie dogs and wolves.

The question still remains for a lot of people – what happened to the original animals at the Myrick zoo? According
to our program presenter, volunteer Mike Schmitz, all of the animals were moved to other zoos or animal exhibits.
Volunteers and memberships support the work and success of the EcoPark. Membership fees are the sole source of revenue for the organization and provide funds for the day to day operations. There are a number of membership options and volunteer opportunities. To learn more about them, you can visit the website at www.mhecopark.org

Program:

Program: Master Storyteller, Michael Scott, along with other individuals are members of the LaCrosse Storytelling

Guild and active participants in area festivals, including the upcoming Storytelling Festival to be held Friday and Saturday, September 10 & 11 at Myrick Park. This event is the only one in the state of Wisconsin and provides entertainment for the entire family. Michael, who is a free lance advertising copywriter and teacher of drama and performance throughout the region, is the founder of The Old School Variety Show – a live performance featuring actors, storytellers and musicians, along with the occasional magician, puppeteer and mind reader thrown into
the mix. He is also a member of the LACVB Speaker’s Bureau and can be seen at various venues around the city – the Pump House and The Grand Ballroom located above the Pearl Ice Cream Shop, to name a few.