The Westward Ho 12/13/19 (Dec 09, 2019)

Coming up 12/13/19

Bob Cryne

Omaha Crimestoppers

Chair of the Day: Jim Gerner

Invocator: Gunner Kennedy

Greeters: Don Otis and Starla Waite

Cashier: Jill Slupe

Sgt. At Arms: Carl Greiner

A/V: Maryssa Brown

Last Week at Rotary

Last week Bruce Cramer gave the invocation. Deirdre Milobar and Brett Wawers served as Greeters. John Massih was Cashier and Carl Greiner was Sgt. at Arms. Maryssa Brown took care of a/v for us. Committee Chairs gave us updates on the progress of each committee so far and plans for the rest of the Rotary year.

Welcome Matthew Merwald!

Last week Warren Whitted III introduced us to new member Matthew Merwald. Matt Merwald was born and raised in Omaha, graduated from Creighton Prep, and studied biology and chemistry at UNL prior to working for Mutual of Omaha. Matt has been with Mutual of Omaha for the last 12 years and is a Financial Advisor.

His wife, Christin, is a farm girl from western Kansas that was brought to Omaha by Creighton U. They have two boys, Frank (5) and James (2). His favorite things to do are spend time with my family, BBQ smoke meat, and play golf. Matt and his family belong to St. Robert's Catholic Church and are active in the parish community.

The things that attracted Matt to Rotary were the sense of community, camaraderie, and service to others. He looks forward to being part of this group. Welcome, Matt!

Annual Holiday Luncheon

Join us and bring a guest to our Annual Holiday Luncheon. It will be at Anthony's Restaurant on Friday, December 20th and will feature a special lunch and dessert with entertainment by the "Piano Man" David Gerard. You must be pre-registered and pre-paid to attend. Cost is $20 pp. You can sign up at a Friday meeting or online by CLICKING HERE.

Mitten Tree Collection

Friendly elves will be collecting cash for the next two meetings for the Skinner Mitten Tree. This tradition allows us to meet special needs at the school and in the past has been used for warm clothing, laundry supplies, or support of a family who lost their home in a fire. Thanks for your generosity!

100%ers

Congratulations to Dwayne Brown who was recognized by Dan Lassek last week for 8 years of perfect attendance.

Make your Donation to the Rotary Foundation before the end of the Year!

Our goal is for 100% of our members to make a donation to the International Rotary Foundation this year. The easiest way is to go to the Rotary website at myrotary.org and create an account to give online. A $100 donation makes you a 19-20 Sustaining Member. Cumulative donations of $1000 make you a Paul Harris Fellow.

The Rotary Foundation money we give comes back to us in the form of District and Global grants allowing to us to support local projects like the meal packaging, care packages for the homeless, and a new laundry room for Skinner Magnet School.

You can also bring a check made out to the Rotary Foundation to the meeting on Friday and Jennifer will send it in for you.

"Game Changer" Award

Last week Engagement Chair Dan Lassek introduced us to the new "Game Changer" award that he will be giving out quarterly during this Rotary year.

It is based off 4 categories, each weighted 25%
- 1. Attendance
- 2. Recruitment
- 3. Community Service Project/Social Events
- 4. Club Meeting Service (Greeter, Cashier, Invocation, Vocational, Sgt at Arms, Chair of the Day)
The First Quarter Winners (TIE – each won a gift card to Hy-Vee) were:
- Jill Slupe
- Deirdre Milobar
- Mark Ellsworth
Congratulations!

RYLA Deadline

December 30, 2019 is the updated deadline for children and grandchildren of Rotarians to be submitted for the April 17-19, 2020 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards camp. Applications can follow, the need right now is headcount to determine how many more “at-large” sophomore and junior high school students can be accepted to bring us to the 50-student limit. (Rotarian family receive priority.) Please submit your child or grandchild student's name(s) that will attend RYLA to Lori Benton, RYLA Chair, at lorijobenton@gmail.com. Information on at-large student recruitment will be shared in due time.

Service Above Self

We are participating in Christmas Tree Recycling out at Tranquility Park on December 28/29 and Jan 4/5. Looking for volunteers to help people unload their cars on these days. Come get to know your fellow Rotarians better while helping out the community.

The below spots are still open- let Jennifer know if you would like one:

Dec 28- 10am-noon (1)

Dec 28 2-4 (1)

Dec 29 10am-noon (1)

Dec 29 2-4 (1)

Jan 4 12-2 (1)

Jan 5 10am-noon (1)

Jan 5 12-2 (2)

Jan 5 2-4 (1)

Slate of Officers

Last week Martie Cordaro announced the Slate of Officers as selected by the Nominating Committee. Additional nominations can be made in writing with 10 signatures through 12/31. The club will vote on the Officers on January 17th.

President Designee: Michelle Schrage (to serve 21-22)
To serve with President Dwayne Brown (20-21):
Treasurer: Mark Ellsworth
Secretary: Warren Whitted III
Board-2020-2023
Dan Lassek, Jim Gerner, Ken Thomason

Club Vision Statement

We are a service organization with projects that support education and building understanding locally, nationally and globally.

Announcements from Other Clubs

Click here to see what is going on around the District

Check Out Other Rotary Club's Weekly Speakers

To find out about speakers at other Rotary Clubs in the area, you can conveniently see the list of Club websites here. Then click on the home icon to the left of the club name. The list of speakers are listed on their Homepage.

https://www.rotarydistrict5650.org/page/club-spotlight

Need a Make-up?

MONDAY
BELLEVUE 12:00 PM (DJ's Dugout, 10308 S. 23rd St.)
MILLARD 12:00 PM (German American Society, 3717 South 120th Street)

TUESDAY
MORNING 7:00 AM (Happy Hollow Country Club, 1701 S. 105th St.)

NORTHWEST 12:00 PM (Jerico's, 11732 W Dodge Rd, Omaha, NE 68154)

OMAHA NIGHT 5:30 PM on first, third, and fifth Tuesdays of the month, Vincenzo's, 15701 Pacific St.

WEDNESDAY
COUNCIL BLUFFS CENTENNIAL 1st Wed 7:00 AM; 3rd Wed floating event; no meeting other weeks (Hy-Vee in Mall of the Bluffs, I-80 Exit 5)
DOWNTOWN 12:00 PM (Field Club, 3615 Woolworth Ave.)

THURSDAY
COUNCIL BLUFFS NOON 12:00 PM (The Center, 714 S. Main St.)

SUBURBAN 12:00 PM (Anthony's, 7220 F St.)

WESTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY 7:00 AM (Elkhorn Common Ground Community Center, 1701 Veteran's Drive)

FRIDAY
WEST 12:00 PM (Champions Run, 13800 Eagle Run Drive)