Rotary Club of Waterloo: 100 years

Rotary Club of Waterloo 100 years

Centennial Celebration A view of Rotary Reserve, site for club events, as well as public and private gatherings.

JUNE 25, 2015 5:30 p.m. social hour 6:30 p.m. dinner 7:15 p.m. featured speaker, Thomas Winninger

Monday, June 22, 2015

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MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2015

‘Service Above Self’

Waterloo Rotary Club launches 100th anniversary service project CJ HINES newsroom@wcfcourier.com

T

he Rotary Club of Waterloo has a lot to celebrate.

One hundred years ago, on July 1, 1915, the club received its charter from Rotary International.

Of course, there will be a Centennial Celebration, with a dinner at the Elks Club and program featuring former Waterloo resident Thomas W i n n i n ge r.

O t h e r special guests will be director of Rotary International, Mary Beth Growney Selene, as well as several current and previous district leaders.

But the club will also do what it is known for: “Service Above Self” with a 100th anniversary service project, benefiting Hartman Reserve Nature Center, a 340-acre wooded area in Cedar Falls.

“We will be working with Hartman Reserve on its project to remodel the lodge. We have postponed this for a year until fundraising is completed,” said Dave Buck, former Rotary president. “Hopefully, next spring we will be moving plants out of the way and working on building the deck. Our goal is more ‘sweat equity’ rather than fundraising.”

No one is still alive to attest to it, but it was perhaps Waterloo’s population growth in 1915 that propelled 10 men from diverse backgrounds to form the club.

In 1885, Waterloo’s population was almost 8,500 people; 20 years later in 1915, it quadrupled to almost 34,000. This growth brought manufacturing —The Waterloo Gasoline Engine Company (prior to being sold to Deere & Co.) for one, well as rail trans-

Join the Centennial Celebration The Waterloo Rotary Club will celebrate its 100th anniversary June 25 with a centennial dinner at the Elks Club, beginning at 5:30 p.m. with social hour, followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Former Waterloo resident Thomas Winninger will speak at 7:15 p.m. on his book, “Landing Up! Where Do We Go From Here? Sustaining the Legacy of Growth.” Winninger founded Winninger Resources Companies Inc., a Minneapolis-based group, providing products, services and technologies that drive market leadership.

Thomas He is author of “Price Wars,” “Full Price, “Sell Easy,” and Winninger his latest book, “Bullseye: Thinking Smart!”

Other special guests include Mary Beth Growney Selene from Madison, Wis., director of Rotary International, and several current and previous district leaders. portation and wholesale operations.

Those charter members were: Fred Northey, the club’s first president, Northey Manufacturing Co.; Almon Gates, Waterloo Business College; John W. Rath, Rath Packing Co.; W.J. Pedicord, Union Manufacturing Co.; Charles Simmons, Stewart Simmons Press; George Huntley, Cutler Hardware; Ralph Hoxie, Waterloo Fruit and Commercial; Dr. Fred Powers; George Lichty, Smith, Hillman and Lichty; and Clinton Holden, East Waterloo Hotel.

Buck provided background of some of the men: “John Rath, along with his cousin, Edward, established the Rath Packing Co. George Lichty, whose first job was delivering mail by horseback in the Allegheny Mountains, entered the wholesale grocery business in Waterloo and was president of the National Wholesale Grocers Association in 1912.” said Buck.

“At the time of Fred Adams’ death, he had been a member for 72 years. Fred Northey was

“Although Rotary’s motto is ‘Service Above Self,’ it could also be ‘Building Community through Action.’ Most people know of our fight to end polio, or developing Chinandega, Nicaragua, after the devastation of Hurricane Mitch.”

Beth McCrindle,

Rotarian and former West High teacher

worked together to provide service to the community in a variety of ways, whether it’s scholarships, charitable projects or involved in the purchase of the “In the past 100 years, the big- community betterment projects; Rotary Reserve.” gest impact has been that Rotary first to this community and then Before 1915 ended, more than brings together a diverse group 50 men became members of the of community leaders who have See ROTARY, page 4 Rotary Club.

According to the Historical Review of the Waterloo Rotary Club: “What has been accomplished has not been because of the action of any one man or a small group of men. The spirit of Rotary, which has been the development of acquaintance and an opportunity for service, has played an important role in the process and development of Waterloo-Cedar Falls and Black Hawk County.”

Now 100 years later, Rotary is the second largest club in the district and fourth oldest in Iowa, and has been instrumental in starting clubs in Ackley, Cedar Falls, Waterloo Crossroads, Grundy Center, Independence, Manchester, Oelwein, Sumner and Waverly. Eight members have served as district governors: Fred Northey, Bruce Gates, D.D. 722 Water Street, Waterloo, IA • 319.232.3701 Bernbrock, Joe Sage, Paul Barger, www.schmitthouse.com Ed Wilson, Dave Buck and Steve Thorpe.

Congratulations

on 100 Years in the Cedar Valley!

Monday, June 22, 2015

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Rotary Club of Waterloo membership

Members of the Rotary Club of Waterloo.

COURTESY PHOTO By WALDEN PHOTO

There are nearly 150 active members in the Rotary Club of Waterloo, and about 80 members meet at noon Mondays for lunch and a program.

The regular agenda includes a patriotic song, pledge of allegiance, invocation, welcoming guests and visiting Rotarians, announcements of news and upcoming events, and a featured speaker on a different topic of local relevance.

The Rotary Club also sponsors a variety of philanthropic projects, including the Shoebox Project, worldwide polio inoculations and Operation Warm. In previous years, the club has hosted events such as the 2009 concert by famed violinist Itzhak Perlman.

Anyone interested in membership may contact club secretary Kelli McCarthy at 234-1440 or visit www.waterloorotary.org.

#IDIGWATERLOO BECAUSE OF GREAT ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE ROTARY CLUB OF WATERLOO.

The Waterloo Convention & Visitors Bureau would like to congratulate and thank you for 100 years of service to our community.

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PAGE 4

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From page 2 to the international community.

It’s been a method of bringing together leaders, and over the years to better this community and the world beyond,” said Harrison Cass, current president.

Notable milestones have included purchasing land to construct the Rotary Reserve in 1923; the project to eradicate polio throughout the world, the Shoebox project in Nicaragua to benefit needy children, admitting women in 1990 and the international youth exchange.

“Although Rotary’s motto is ‘Service Above Self,’ it could also be ‘Building Community through Action.’ Most people know of our fight to end polio, or developing Chinandega, Nicaragua, after the devastation of Hurricane Mitch,” said Beth McCrindle, Rotarian and former West High teacher.

“But ‘global community’ includes the homefront as well.

I used to have a poster in my classroom that said ‘Working together Works!’ That’s Rotary.

We work with the Boys and Girls Club, the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, with sports programs for youth and with community

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Monday, June 22, 2015

“In the past 100 years, the biggest impact has been that Rotary brings together a diverse group of community leaders who have worked together to provide service to the community in a variety of ways, whether it’s scholarships, charitable projects or community betterment projects; first to this community and then to the international community.”

Harrison Cass, current president festivals like My Waterloo Days minds to make a difference in the up,” said former president Steve Where there’s a need, you will lives of those who need a hand- Thorpe. find Rotarians in action,” she said.

“That is what builds a true sense of community; we’re all in this together.”

According to Rotary International, Rotary’s objective is to encourage and foster service and the develop acquaintance as an opportunity to service; high ethical standards in business and professions; application of service in each Rotarians’ personal, business and community life; and advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace through a world fellowship of business and profession people.

“The impact has come from member’s ideas and concerns as to what we could accomplish in our community and around the world by joining hands and

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Waterloo Rotary Club Officers for 2015-2016 Chris Hurley, president Lauren Finke, president-elect Harrison Cass, immediate past president Bill Roberts, sergeant-at-arms Julie Hayes, treasurer Directors elected for second year (elected last year): Gail Callahan, Wade Itzen, Phil Nash and Laura Stammler.

Directors elected to serve two years: Dave Buck, Marcella Ericson, Randy Johnson, Jennifer Lightbody, Katelyn Pedersen.

The Waterloo Rotary Club meets at noon each Monday at the Five Sullivan Brothers Convention Center. For membership information, contact contact Kelli McCarthy at (319) 234-1440 or email waterloorotary@waterloorotary.com. Anyone interested may also download a membership application at www. waterloorotary.org

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Happy Anniversary!

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Waterloo Schools Educating Our Community Since 1858

Monday, June 22, 2015

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Student projects earn club’s prestigious service awards CJ HINES newsroom@wcfcourier.com‌

There is a saying, if you want something done, ask a busy person.

J’ Kalein Madison knows how to get things done. While a student at West High School, he participated in the Northeast Iowa Food Bank’s annual student food drive, belonged to the Choral Reading Group and West High Choir and was a conducting fellow under the tutelage of Jason Weinberger, the wcfsymphony’s artistic director and chief executive officer.

He also participated in theater, orchestra and Spanish Club and served on the Student Council, both as president and treasurer.

Now a freshman at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Madison also coordinated the mini-dance marathon for three years, raising more money than all other high schools in the area.

“We held a mini-dance marathon in conjunction with UNI’s dance marathon, starting my sophomore year. Every year we had it, I was the student adviser and head of planning the entire event. After three years or running the event, West High raised over $10,000 to be donated to the University of Iowa’s Children’s Hospital,” said Madison, among the honorees at last year’s Rotary Club’s Service Above Self Awards.

For years, the Rotary Club felt high school students deserved recognition for such projects, honoring them with Student of the Month Awards. However, they discontinued the award program because of transportation issues.

“For the students’ safety, we had two students with two adults. The vast majority of club members are employed so it was difficult, almost impossible, to get the two adults to accompany the students. It was a major problem. We knew there had to be a way to recognize our

COURIER FILE PHOTO

J’Kalein Madison students,” said Beth McCrindle, Rotary Club member.

“We tried to think of other recognition programs that met with success. Bruce Strom

from Maple Lanes did the Turnaround Awards with students, talking about how their lives had changed. It was a good program, and people loved that the

LAW OFFICES OF

C. KEVIN MCCRINDLE Serving the Cedar Valley and supporting Rotary since 1975

students spoke about someone who made a difference in their lives.”

McCrindle approached fellow board members about

having one annual banquet to recognize students. In 2012, the club initiated the Service Above Self Awards. Eligible students are seniors from West, East, Columbus, Expo and Waterloo Christian in Waterloo and Valley Lutheran in Cedar Falls.

Each school can select up to five students.

“It’s our way to say ‘thank you’ and hear what students are doing. We give each student a one-minute time limit to talk.

We’ve had some great stories.

Students have done some wonderful, selfless actions.

“When we give the kids a chance to verbalize why they’re doing what they’ve done, it gives the audience a chance to think, ‘This is a huge deal.’

While some of the activities or projects may seem small, they can lead to bigger things and do make an impact,” McCrindle said.

Award qualifications include maturity with interaction with family, peers and community; selflessness; taking initiative; humility; assumption of personal responsibility and servant leadership.

Parade & 365 & Counting: Iowans in the Vietnam War Exhibit details available on our website.

The Grout Museum District would like to

THANK

the Waterloo Downtown Rotary for supporting and sponsoring the Welcome Home Parade, honoring Vietnam Era Veterans on July 17 at 6 PM, downtown Waterloo.

Kevin McCrindle (member, President 2000-01) John W. Harris Henry Edsill (member) Eric Miller, of counsel (past member)

319-234-0535

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www.GroutMuseumDistrict.org

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Monday, June 22, 2015

Scenic Rotary Reserve is popular for club events, wedding receptions

Outdoor grills are just one feature at Rotary Reserve.

This piece of property has been part of the Rotary Club since 1915, when the club was founded.

Area Cadillac dealer and Rotarian C.A. Morris owned land where the Cedar and Shell Rock rivers converged. He frequently invited Rotarians to picnics and outdoor meetings.

Morris decided to find land for the club to own and use as a meeting place. In 1922, the Rotary Club purchased 33 acres on the Cedar River. In 1927, members built a lodge, cookhouse and bingo, mostly with donated materials and labor.

Since then the club has hosted regular meetings and districtwide events, as well as numerous family picnics and fish and steak fries. In 1989, club members negotiated a lease with the Black Hawk County Conservation Board and Family YMCA for improvements and public access to the Reserve.

The Reserve’s use increased significantly after that, hosting wedding receptions, anniversary parties and business retreats, as well as other community events.

To celebrate the club’s 75th anniversary in 1990, it initiated a campaign to raise $75,000 to construct a new, all-season facility at the Reserve. Construction began in 1991. John Beecher, Rotary president at the time, presided over the dedication ceremony in 1992.

By 1994, the All-Seasons Activity Center was completed.

“That was a busy project. Larry Wie was president when it started.

The Conservsation Board did all the labor, and the Rotary Club furnished the materials. The bingo stand and cookhouse have been torn down. Before then the cookstoves had old plumbing pipes, and we had a number of grease fires. It needed updating,” recalled Photos by COURTNEY COLLINS / Courier Staff Photographer Beecher.

The renovated facility included The deck and gazebo are often used for wedding photography and receptions. a 3,600-square foot multipurpose room with a seating capacity of 300, including an expanded “The bingo stand and cookhouse have been torn down. Before then the kitchen with banquet style and cookstoves had old plumbing pipes, and we had a number of grease fires. It round tables, changing rooms, fireplace and 15-feet high win-

See RESERVE, page 7

100

happy

CJ HINES newsroom@wcfcourier.com‌

needed updating.” John Beecher, former Rotary president

years to the

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“The most important would be our family picnic, our steak fry and pork chop dinner, all prepared by Rotary members, many who have been cooking for years.”

John Beecher,

who was Rotary president when a successful campaign raised funds to build the new facility, dedicated in 1994.

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COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

d.

of Northeast Iowa Established in Waterloo/Cedar Falls in 1956

319.287.9106 www.cfneia.org

1O 1 Proud Rotary Member for over 50 Years

INVISI

Congratulations Rotary Club of Waterloo on 100 years of service. We are honored to be your partner in creating a stronger Cedar Valley, and in helping you carry out and manage your philanthropic initiatives for our community.

Starting our Second Centuries

1914–2015

Partners in Community Leadership

re

From page 6 dows, providing a view of the Cedar River. A two-level deck, gazebo and pavilion were completed in 1999.

The pavilion includes barbecue grills, serving/prep counter and sink. Rental includes use of the surrounding grounds and 100-car parking lot.

The Conservation Board maintains the property, and annual club events still take place here.

“The most important would be our family picnic, our steak fry and pork chop dinner, all prepared by Rotary members, many who have been cooking for years,” Beecher said.

The Rotary Reserve is located on the west side of the Cedar River, northwest of Cedar Falls. The entrance is opposite the corner of Mark and North Union roads.

To view the facility, call (319) 4337275.

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RESERVE

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Photos by COURTNEY COLLINS/Courier Staff Photographer

Views of Rotary Reserve.

Rotary Club designed

by INVISION in 1991.

invisionarch.com

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Monday, June 22, 2015

Operation Warm among numerous local Rotary Club service projects CJ HINES newsroom@wcfcourier.com‌

Operation Warm started in 1998 as a service project of the Rotary Club of Longwood in Kennett Square, Pa., when one member bought and distributed 58 coats for children in a nearby school. The organization incorporated in 2002 to provide new coats to impoverished children.

Since then, the foundation has distributed coats to children in 49 states and the District of Columbia and has provided nearly 1.7 million coats. The foundation works with community-based organizations, including more than 160 Rotary Clubs.

Rotarian Steve Thorpe and his wife, Liz, first learned about Operation Warm when attending a 2010 Minnesota Rotary meeting. They brought the idea back to the Waterloo club.

“When a new idea is presented for a project for the club, the board of directors discusses whether to Steve Thorpe helps a Waterloo grade school student try on a warm be involved, then it goes to the winter coat, one of hundreds the club distributes every fall. club for a vote,” Steve said.

In its first year, the club raised enough money to purchase 300 coats. In 2012, it provided 700 coats; in 2013, 1,000 coats and last year 850 coats. The Rotary Club also received support from The Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa, the McElroy Trust and the Rotary Foundation.

“The student receiving the coats are picked by the family RotaRian Women support worker or school administrator as a child of need. There in PubliC SeRviCe are 24 colors and designs for both boys and girls. It doesn’t make Holly JoHnSon the recipients stand out as ‘one of Hawkeye Community College Foundation Director those kids’ who got a new winter coat,” said Steve. “Our members linda laylin Black Hawk County Supervisor have been supportive financially and in helping us measure and CatHeRine niCHolaS fits students for the coats.”

Black Hawk County Engineer Anyone interested in participating in Operation Warm may miCHelle WeidneR call Steve or Liz Thorpe at (319)

HaPPy 100tH anniveRSaRy RotaRy Club of WateRloo!

See WARM, page 9

City of Waterloo Chief Financial Officer

COURIER FILE PHOTO

Courier earns Rotary award

Courier publisher David Braton, and editor Nancy Newhoff, at front, were honored in March with the Waterloo Downtown Rotary Club’s Service Above Self award for their work on the Cedar Valley Business Monthly’s 20 under 40 and Eight over 80 awards. Rotary’s highest honor recognizes up to Rotarians each year who demonstrate their commitment to helping others through their time and talents. With them are Mason Fromm, center, and Bryan Burton, both members of Rotary.

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Monday, June 22, 2015

WARM

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From page 8 235-3352 or (319)984-9139.

Other service projects include volleyball and football luncheons honoring senior players from West, East and Columbus schools in Waterloo, Don Bosco in Gilbertville and Cedar Falls’ Valley Lutheran.

“The school gets a traveling trophy with the players name on it and the Metro MVP gets a plaque. All MVPs gets a certificate,” said Kelli McCarthy, executive administrator. Top students in academics from each high school are also recognized annually with an honor luncheon.

The Rotary Club also sponsors three $1,000 scholarships to the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls and Allen College of Nursing in Waterloo. Also, the Salvation Army receives funds each year from the club’s annual Christmas fundraiser.

“At our holiday luncheon, we have people from the Salvation Army stand at the door with the kettle as our members and guests arrive. We also take collections for about two weeks after the holiday luncheon. Every year it is a different amount, but has been between $10,000 and $12,000 for the past

“The student receiving the coats are picked by the family support worker or school administrator as a child of need. There are 24 colors and designs for both boys and girls. It doesn’t make the recipients stand out as ‘one of those kids’ who got a new winter coat.”

Steve Thorpe, Rotarian

several years,” said McCarthy.

Another major fundraiser is Hops & Grapes, with proceeds split between two local nonprofit organizations. Proceeds have benefited the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, ASPIRE Therapeutic Riding Program, the Boys & Girls Club of the Cedar Valley and the Boy Scouts of America Winnebago Council.

There will be no Hops & Grapes event this year because of the centennial celebration.

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Rotary Club’s 2015 All City Academic Awards Luncheon

Through this recognition, the plishments, commitment to Waterloo Rotary Club annually recognizes senior honor students Waterloo Rotary Club congratu- excellence, and dedication to of the Waterloo high schools and lates its outstanding students developing leaders of the future. and schools for their accomtheir principals.

Rotary Club of Waterloo was chartered July 1, 1915 by Rotary International.

on your

100 anniversary! th

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COURTESY PHOTOS

Senior honor students receive Rotary academic awards

Congratulations rotary Club of Waterloo

319-233-6103

PAGE 9

319-296-HAWK • www.hawkeyecollege.edu

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Monday, June 22, 2015

Impoverished children inspire Rotary involvement in Shoebox Project CJ HINES newsroom@wcfcourier.com‌

Steve and Liz Thorpe still remember the moment at the 2001 Rotary International Convention when they first learned about the Children of the Dump.

“It was the faces of children looking for a morsel of garbage that could sustain them for one more day. Father Dessey insisted if we could educate these children, we could change their lives.

The philosophy that education can break the cycle of poverty has sustained Rotary’s efforts after 14 years,” said Steve Thorpe, who was club president-elect at the time.

Marco Dessey, an Italian missionary, and Frank Huezo, a native Nicaraguan living in Houston, explained how Hurricane Mitch left 2,000 people homeless in Chinandega, Nicaragua, in 1998.

People scavenged for food in the town dump. Dessey and other partners opened a school next to the dump, promising children a hot meal.

That was enough for the Thorpes to organize the Shoebox Project. They enlisted churches, schools, businesses and 20 Iowa Rotaries to fill shoeboxes with toys, clothing, toiletries and other items. The project now also includes bicycles, dehydrated food, sewing machines and layette supplies.

Help from Rotary Clubs in the United States and Ontario, Canada, have not only sustained the project but helped it grow. Mission Headquarters at Chinandega include a school, “next to new” store and vocational classrooms in wood and metal-working, sewing, computer training and candy making.

A women’s shelter for pregnant and new mothers opened in 2003. The club began providing layettes, which include cloth diapers, towels, shampoo and other baby items.

Now the site also houses a school for blind children, fine arts academy, 20-bed hospital with two operating rooms and dialysis unit and an auditorium and museum.

Shoeboxes are filled with toiletries, clothing, toys and other items.

The Rotary Club’s Shoebox Project provides layettes to pregnant women in Nicaragua.

Since 2002, more than 500 ton of shoeboxes, bikes and other supplies have shipped from Waterloo to Chinandega.

“God has had His hand on our

COURTESY PHOTOS

shoulder throughout this proj- which began by Rotary Internaect,” Steve Thorpe said. “This tional in 1985, was the fight to work has changed thousands of eradicate polio, still prevalent in lives as well as our own.”

See PROJECT, page 11 Another influential project,

“God has had His hand on our shoulder throughout this project. This work has changed thousands of lives as well as our own.”

Steve Thorpe,

former club president-elect

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Women make strides in Rotary leadership roles CJ HINES newsroom@wcfcourier.com‌

To receive a shoebox, students must attend school 80 percent of the time and score at least 75 percent on final exams.

PROJECT

From page 10 125 countries. In Waterloo, attorney Chuck Swisher, Rotarian and partner in Swisher & Cohrt law firm, agreed to lead the campaign to raise money. Swisher, a polio survivor, died before fundraising began. Another partner at the firm, Doug Oberman, also a polio survivor, took over.

“Our goal was to raise $24,000 to help with inoculations,” Thorpe said. “At the end of May, Doug announced we had raised $48,000. What a feat!”

Oberman who uses the equivalent of an iron lung every day to stay alive, speaks throughout the country and around the world about the importance of eradicating polio.

Polio now exists in only three countries.

“In the past seven years, the Bill and Melinda Gates Founda-

“The philosophy that education can break the cycle of poverty has sustained Rotary’s efforts after 14 years.”

Steve Thorpe,

former club president-elect

tion teamed up with Rotary to match everything we raise each year. In 30 years, Rotary International has raised $2 billion to eradicate polio. We are so close,” Thorpe added.

“The movement is a sort of mosaic. Each of us puts in one little stone and then you get a great mosaic at the end.”

— Alice Paul 1977 Paul was speaking of the Equal Rights Amendment, but she easily could have been referring to Rotary International, when it first admitted female members.

Prior to 1989, club membership in both the U.S. and Canada was 100 percent male. By the 1960s, pressure was mounting to admit women, said Dave Buck, former Waterloo Rotary Club president.

In 1977, the Rotary Club of Duarte, Calif., admitted three women. Rotary International responded by suspending the club. The case went before California’s Supreme Court in 1983, with the court ruling in favor of Rotary International. But the fight wasn’t over. In 1986, the California Court of Appeals reversed the lower court’s decision. When the California Supreme Court refused to hear the case, it went to the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court upheld the California appeals court ruling, Buck said.

T hankYou Rotarians for supporting the Cedar Valley

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Doug Oberman is a polio survivor who leads the campaign to raise funds for polio inoculations.

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“Admitting women has made a big difference because more women have gotten involved, which has broadened the scope of everything we do.”

Harrison Cass, current president

“Membership in Rotary clubs was not a ‘continuous, personal and social’ relationship taking place primarily in private, and the admission of women would not interfere with the organization’s purposes. It also found the organization’s exclusion of women was not protected by the First Amendment. Shortly thereafter clubs began admitting women,”he explained.

Kathleen Wernimont, Betty Steege and Jean Klingaman were among the first women to join.

Klingaman invited Kathy Braun to join in 1992, and by 1999, Braun had becomethe club’s first female president. Michelle Weidner followed in 2003, and Lauren Finke assumes the office in July.

“I was president during our 85th anniversary and also named assistant district governor, a position I held until this January,” said Braun.

She has served on the club’s board of directors and golf fundraising committee, chaired the

Rotary Foundation and volleyball awards committee and has served on other community boards.

Weidner, who joined Rotary in 1990, also served as club treasurer for 10 years. In addition to computerizing club billing and bookkeeping, Weidner said, “We also expanded the number of Shoeboxes our club took in and brought the Character Counts program to the Waterloo schools.”

She also hired Kelli McCarthy as executive administrator.

Now more than 40 percent of the club’s members are women, McCarthy said. They have served at every level in the club and district.

Current president Harrison Cass reiterated women’s impact.

“Rotary specifically subscribes to leaders in a variety of professions, and what has changed is our viewpoint. Admitting women has made a big difference because more women have gotten involved, which has broadened the scope of everything we do.”

Congratulations Congratulations Waterloo Rotary!

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