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Upcoming Events
Meal Packaging - Rotary District 5650 Grant
Heavy Duty Specialist, Inc.
Feb 20, 2016
8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
 
News
West 'DRAW'' for Foundation Programs
$352.00  Friday, January 22, 2016.
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Speakers
Feb 19, 2016
 
Feb 26, 2016
 
Mar 04, 2016
 
Mar 11, 2016
 
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Bulletin Editor
Vickie Backman
Russell Hampton
National Awards Services Inc.
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OMAHA WEST ROTARY OFFICE

Rotary Club of Omaha West
4205 North 101st Street
Omaha, NE 68134
402.937.8654

info@omahawestrotary.org

Weekly Meetings: Friday at noon at Champions Run, 13800 Eagle Run Drive, Omaha, Nebraska.

WINTER WEATHER MEETING CANCELLATION POLICY
 
Omaha West Rotary will cancel the noon Rotary luncheon meeting when the Omaha Public School District cancels school due to weather conditions. 
This policy has been implemented for your safety and early notification. 
Note:  If you plan to attend another club for a make-up the following clubs have cancellation policies as noted:  Northwest, Downtown, North and Morning will cancel if Omaha Public Schools cancel;  Millard will cancel if Millard Public Schools cancel; and Suburban cancels if the University of Nebraska Omaha cancels.
WEEKLY PROGRAMS
February 12, 2016
Mike Kelly, Columnist
Omaha World-Herald
 
CLUB SERVICE
Invocation: Steve Redler
Greeters: Brett Wawers & Rich Secor
Cashier: Bruce Cramer
Sgt. at Arms: Gail Veitzer
February 19, 2016
Laura Stastny, Executive Director
Nebraska Wildlife Rehab, Inc.
CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to BRAD WILLADSEN who received his permanent blue badge at the Friday, February 5th, Rotary meeting.  

Corporate & Family Membership Program
The West Rotary Board approved a Corporate & Family Membership program.  An Active Primary club member can propose a qualified family member or a qualified business co-worker for membership.  The membership proposal has information in regard to membership qualifications on the form. The new corporate or family member joining will pay dues of $125 with no admission fee. If the primary member resigns one of the corporate or family members will become the primary member and  pay the appropriate primary membership fee.  The reduced dues rate of $125.00 will be effective the first three years of membership. Click here to see the membership proposal form and flyer for the new program.  The information can also be found on the  left side of the club website homepage under Site Pages/Joining Rotary.  Members, if you have a qualified family member or co-worker please invite them to Rotary for lunch so they can consider joining West Rotary.
Rotary Grant Packaging Meals - Volunteers Needed
Rotarians from West, Suburban and Southwest Night will be packaging 30-40 thousand meals for local food pantries using a matching grant from District 5650.  Approximately 80 volunteers are needed from 8:00-9:00 a.m. and 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.  People of all ages are welcome.  If you sign up kids please note their ages (kids under 12 will work with their parents).  Also, if a volunteer needs seating please note that as a comment.  Volunteers of all ages and abilities can be accommodated.  Meals will be picked up at the end of the 2nd shift by local food pantries. West Rotary will be donating their portion of the meals packaged to  the Siena Francis House.  At this time volunteers are only needed for the 8-9 a.m. shifts.
 
The meal packaging will take place at Heavy Duty Specialist, Inc, 11357 South 146th Street, Omaha, NE 68138.
Other Club Events
COUNCIL BLUFFS ROTARY
Chili Luncheon
Thursday, February 18, 2016
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Masonic Temple
130 S. 6th Street
Council Bluffs
Cost:  $5 for Chili, salad & dessert
(Proceeds for the 5th Grade Career Fair)
Rotary Readers - Volunteer Opportunity
The Club’s award-winning Rotary Readers program is in action again.  That’s the program where members give an hour a week to help develop reading skills with grade school students one-on-one.  You are invited to become a Rotary Reader. Why? Three quick reasons: you will enjoy meeting and working with a couple of kids who need your help; studies show children who can’t read well in second grade will almost certainly drop out of school and cost you a lot of tax dollars, and Skinner Magnet Center is our adopt-a-school partner and they are looking for help and support from our club.
Interested? Contact Bob Fell (robertfell68@gmail.com) or Vickie Backman (vbackman@cox.net) and we will set up contact with the school.  Typically, readers spend an hour and work with two students each visit.  The visits can be weekly or bi-weekly (or whatever your schedule allows), typically on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays during school hours.
 
Reading with the 2nd and 3rd students is a great volunteer opportunity.  Don Otis is reading at the school twice a week and would be happy to introduce a new volunteer to the project and the teachers at the school.

Don Otis and students in the Rotary Reader's program.
Rotary Leadership Institute - April 23, 2016

Rotary Leadership Institute

Next Session:
Saturday, April 23, 2016
8:00 – 3:30 PM
Dundee Presbyterian Church – Omaha, Nebraska

Cost: $85

For details about RLI and to register, visit www.rli-heartland.org or click here.  

A change to note - the Heartland USA Division is now going to serve District 5650 and District 6000 in Iowa.  Additional dates and locations will be added to the schedule of sessions - Feb. 27, 2016 Iowa City, IA; Apr. 23, 201 Omaha; June 11, 2016 Des Moines, IA.  The March 12, 2016 RLI session previously scheduled has been cancelled with this change.  Check the RLI Heartland website (see link above) for more information.

How to engage members . . .
Making our projects more successful . . .
Understanding the value of The Rotary Foundation . . .
 
When asked what participants want to get out of Rotary training and meetings, we hear things like the statements above.
 
Meeting all of those needs is a challenge - but there is an answer – the Rotary Leadership Institute.
 
Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) was designed to provide discussion and activity-based programs. There is time to go into detail on many topics. It is not focused on a particular Rotary position but allows an opportunity for participants to truly discover Rotary.
 
RLI is a three-part program. Each RLI participant attends three one-day sessions. Sessions are offered a number of times during the year.
 
All Rotary members benefit from the RLI experience. Rotary Club leadership can be more effective because of their expanded knowledge and connections made during RLI sessions.

 

West Rotary Wingding
A family fun event will be held on Thursday, June 9th at Jim Bachman's business location.  A baseball field is available on site and other fun, games, etc. will be planned.  Mark you calendars now.  Additional details will be published when available.
 
The next Wingding will be held July 7th at the home of Trudy Bredthauer.
Schedule A Vocational Talk

Gretchen Radler, Vocational Service Committee Chair, will be contacting members to schedule a vocational talk.  We would like to schedule two vocational talks each month.  Your talk should be 2-3 minutes in length and will give you an opportunity to share information about your profession, yourself and your family.  Please say yes when asked to schedule your vocational talk.  We look forward to learning more about our fellow Rotarians.

Kent Templien    February 19, 2016

FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS

Image               
Happy Birthday!


   

2/1 WAYNE LALLMAN, GAIL VEITZER; 2/3 LARRY MCCHESNEY; 2/4 BONNIE GILL; 2/12 JIM COE; 2/17 JOE FINNEGAN; 2/25 DEB NEARY

POLIO ERADICATION – We are asking you to donate $32 during the month your birthday is recognized.  The District has set $32 per person as a giving goal for PolioPlus.  Your donation will be given to The Rotary Foundation in your name for PolioPlus.  Rotary has led the private sector in the global effort to rid the world of polio for over 30 years. The PolioPlus program helps Rotary fund operational costs, such as transportation, vaccine delivery, social mobilization, and training of health workers, and support surveillance activities.  Your donation can help "End Polio Now."

 
 
 
AMONG OURSELVES

Please notify the office if you have news to share with club members.

DISTRICT WEBSITE

To see what's happening in the District and what other clubs are doing click here  for the District website.

MAKE-UPS RECEIVED

MILLARD - 2/8Jim Hedgpeth; SUBURBAN 2/4 Mike Shrier; MORNING 2/9 Jim Hedgpeth; NORTHWEST 2/9 Jim Bachman

NEED A MAKE-UP?

Metro Area Rotary Club weekly programs available are listed here. 

MONDAY
BELLEVUE (DJ's Dugout, 10308 S. 23rd St.)
NORTH (Omaha Eppley Airport Conference Room)  

MILLARD (German American Society, 3717 South 120th Street)  2/15 No Meeting, President's Day

TUESDAY
MORNING (Happy Hollow Country Club, 1701 S. 105th St.) 2/16 Linda Dueling, Radio Talking Book

NORTHWEST (Champions Run, 13800 Eagle Run Drive)  2/16 Mary Gene Wepfer and John Glen, Madonna Rehabilitation Center; 2/23 John Oakley, KETV
SOUTHWEST NIGHT (DJ's Dugout at 17666 Welch Plaza, northeast corner of 180th & Q streets) 

WEDNESDAY
COUNCIL BLUFFS CENTENNIAL (Hy-Vee in Mall of the Bluffs, I-80 Exit 5)

DOWNTOWN (Field Club, 3615 Woolworth Ave.)  2/17 Creighton Athletics, Coach Steve Merfeld and Mark Burgers; 2/24 Club Assembly 

THURSDAY
COUNCIL BLUFFS NOON (The Center, 714 S. Main St.)  
SUBURBAN (Anthony's, 7220 F St.)
 2/11 Brook Hudson-Omaha Fashion Week; 2/18 Stacy DeMuth- Youth Emergency Services (YES)
 

WESTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY (Elkhorn Common Ground Community Center, 1701 Veteran's Drive)
 
FRIDAY
WEST (Champions Run, 13800 Eagle Run Drive)  2/12 Mike Kelly, Columnist Omaha World-Herald; 2/19 Laura Stastny, E.D. NE Wildlife Rehab; 2/26 Regan Anson, Executive Director of Nebraska 150

Programs available have been listed