3rd Annual Career Day

Friday March 13, 2009 Downtown Rotary held the 3rd Annual Rotary Career Day at Kaw Area Technical School (KATS).

Again this year all six middle schools in USD 501 sent at least a bus load of youth from 6th, 7th and 8th grade. A number of other classes from other USD 501 schools and individuals attended for a total of about 350 youth attended. A number of Rotary members stopped by or assisted with six to ten Rotary members helped for extended time. KATS students and group of young women from Highland Park also assisted.

“Mike Welch’s vision has become a process that can be repeated annually,” said Fred Gatlin, the club’s organizer for the event. “It is our hope that we have touched many middle school youth and broadened their options”.

This year we had a lesser number of exhibitors but more programs from KATS participated and more active involvement from the exhibitors. We feel comfortable that we are now prepared to expand to more schools. We are considering moving to a later date for better weather, if we can find a date that will allow us reach out to more school districts.

“We appreciate the continuing support of the Rotary Club,” Gatlin said.

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New member class helps serve community

Members of the 2007-2008 class of new members of the Topeka Rotary Club took on a class project this year. The goal was to help them get more involved in their club.
That project came to fruition last month when the club held a clothing drive to benefit the Topeka Rescue Mission. Club members brought in dozens of bags of clothing which were loaded onto a truck and taken to the mission.

"The Rotary mission is to help people locally and globally," Kim Gronniger, a new member of the Topeka Rotary Club, told the Topeka Capital-Journal., "This was an opportunity for our new members to participate in a charitable activity that would benefit our community."

Kathleen Williams, member of the Topeka Rotary Club and one of the organizers of the clothing drive, used the club’s new Facebook page to promote the project.

The Editor's Blog

Literacy. It’s something we take for granted. Whether it is reading the morning paper, a book or even this newsletter, reading is something we do everyday. Rotary has taken a positive step by partnering with country music Legend Dolly Parton ‘s Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library which provides a book each month to children from birth until aged five. The program is designed to help in underserved areas. Today, the project which began in 1996, serves 47 states and has provided more than 15 million books.

The Topeka Rotary Club has been involved with promoting literacy on a local scale for years. Each week, we donate a book to Avondale East Elementary School in honor of the week’s speaker. We also donate books through other projects like Ross Elementary School.

When we promote literacy, we promote learning. Preschoolers who are at least exposed to books are far more likely to finish high school and go to college. Reading also promotes family interactivity. District Governor Vickie Randel.

This month we also recognize the work we have done for our youth in our community with the 3rd Annual Rotary Career Day at KATS. Twenty community businesses were on hand to help provide career information to sixth, seventh and eighth graders at Topeka 501 schools.

We also helped our community this month through a clothing drive to benefit the Topeka Rescue Mission. I commend the new member class for working together to make a difference in our community. (see p. 3). Hopefully the idea of the new member classes will continue for years to come.

Have a great month,
Greg Hill,
Editor

Weekly Reminder - March 5, 2009

REMINDER INFO March 5

LOCATION: Shawnee Country Club, 29th & Adams

PROGRAM: “Kansas Bioscience Authority” by Gary Sherrer

INVOCATION: Stan Teeter

GUEST INTRODUCTIONS: Gina Millsap

GREETERS: H.W. Craig, Dick Crawford, Sam Crow, Jamie Dultmeier, Lucky DeFries

CUP MONEY: Benefit Performance for Doorstep & Rescue Mission (Brigham Young University Ballroom Dance Company)

RECEPTION TABLE: Joyce Martin

MENU: Italian Buffet

NEW MEMBER TABLE: Ray Browning, Bob Clawson, Staci Williams

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

New Member Introduction: Mark LeNeave, CEO, Kansas Rehabilitation Hospital
Youth Exchange: We have one host family for a foreign exchange student from France for the school year 2009-2010 and need one or two more. The student’s name is Pauline Vidal, and she is 16 years old. In addition to French she speaks English and Spanish and she is studying Russian. She plays the saxophone and has many other interests including drama, photography, reading, and art history. Host families do not have to be Rotarians but should live in Shawnee Heights school district or be able to transport Pauline to school there. The commitment would be for a 3 – 5 month period, depending on how many host families we can recruit. For more information see David Beck.

GSE Team is coming to Topeka on April 8-12. The team will visit our club on April 9. Volunteers are needed for host families and drivers. Sign-up sheets for the various functions will be on the tables. Contact is Staci Williams
Dictionary Distribution: Volunteers are needed to distribute dictionaries to all 3rd Graders in USD 501. Sign-up sheets will be on the tables. Contact is Glenda DuBoise
Career Day, March 13, 9:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M.: Volunteers are needed. Contact is Fred Gatlin

RYLA is May 31-June 4, 2009 at the University of Kansas Memorial Union
Applications can be downloaded from the district website. Deadline for applications is March 27. Contact is Susan Mauch

2008-09 Club Rosters are available. If you have not picked yours up at a Thursday meeting, top by the office and pick one up.

The February Rotopeka is online. Read it here.

February 19, 2009 Meeting Reminder

LOCATION: Grand Ballroom

PROGRAM: “Behind the Scenes at the Highway Patrol” by Terry Maple, KHP Superintendent

INVOCATION: Webb Garlinghouse

GUEST INTRODUCTIONS: Scott McKenzie

GREETERS: Ted Bryan, Bob Caplinger, Sam Carkhuff, John Christensen, Wayne Christensen, Don Chubb

CUP MONEY: Marian Clinic

RECEPTION TABLE: Jane Mackey

MENU: Unavailable

NEW MEMBER TABLE: Stan Teeter, John Wall, John Hutton

Announcements

New Member Announcement (10-day waiting period – 2nd time): Dean Patel, General Manager, Econo Lodge

Youth Exchange: We have one host family for a foreign exchange student from France for the school year 2009-2010 and need one or two more. The student’s name is Pauline Vidal, and she is 16 years old. In addition to French she speaks English and Spanish and she is studying Russian. She plays the saxophone and has many other interests including drama, photography, reading, and art history. Host families do not have to be Rotarians but should live in Shawnee Heights school district or be able to transport Pauline to school there. The commitment would be for a 3 – 5 month period, depending on how many host families we can recruit. For more information see David Beck.

GSE Team is coming to Topeka on April 8-12. The team will visit our club on April 9. Volunteers are needed for host families and drivers. Sign-up sheets for the various functions will be on the tables. Contact is Staci Williams

Dictionary Distribution: Volunteers are needed to distribute dictionaries to all 3rd Graders in USD 501. Sign-up sheets will be on the tables. Contact is Glenda DuBoise

Career Day, March 13, 9:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M.: Volunteers are needed. Contact is Fred Gatlin

RYLA is May 31-June 4, 2009 at the University of Kansas Memorial Union, Applications can be downloaded from the district website. Deadline for applications is March 27. Contact is Susan Mauch

Clothing Drive is February 26. A truck from the Rescue Mission will be parked just east of the Ramada main entrance from 11:15 A.M. to 12:15 P.M. Do your spring cleaning early and donate your used clothing to this worthwhile community organization. This is a project of the 2007-08 new members. Some of those members will be available to help you unload your donations. Contact is Kathleen Williams2008-09

Club Rosters are available. If you have not picked yours up at a Thursday meeting, top by the office and pick one up.

The February Rotopeka is online. Read it here.

Rotary Meeting Reminder February 12, 2009

LOCATION: Jefferson Ballroom (Lower Level Right)

PROGRAM: T-Town IV Barbershop Quartet

INVOCATION: Dick Ridley

GUEST INTRODUCTIONS: Joe McFarland

GREETERS: Norton Bonaparte, John Brier,m Harry Briscoe, Lawrence Brock, Roy Browning, Larry Brubaker

CUP MONEY: Marian Clinic

RECEPTION TABLE: Jennifer Haller

MENU: Unavailable

NEW MEMBER TABLE: Phil Coolidge, David Beck, Pat Michaelis

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
New Member Announcement (10-day waiting period – 1st time):
Dean Patel, General Manager, Econo Lodge

Youth Exchange: We have one host family for a foreign exchange student from France for the school year 2009-2010 and need one or two more. The student’s name is Pauline Vidal, and she is 16 years old. In addition to French she speaks English and Spanish and she is studying Russian. She plays the saxophone and has many other interests including drama, photography, reading, and art history. Host families do not have to be Rotarians but should live in Shawnee Heights school district or be able to transport Pauline to school there. The commitment would be for a 3 – 5 month period, depending on how many host families we can recruit. For more information see David Beck.

GSE Team is coming to Topeka on April 8-12. The team will visit our club on April 9. Volunteers are needed for host families and drivers . Sign-up sheets for the various functions will be on the tables. Contact is Staci Williams

Dictionary Distribution: Volunteers are needed to distribute dictionaries to all 3rd Graders in USD 501. Sign-up sheets will be on the tables. Contact is Glenda DuBoise

Career Day, March 13, 9:00 A.M.-1:00 P.M.: Volunteers are needed. Contact is Fred Gatlin
2008-09 Club Rosters are available. If you have not picked yours up at a Thursday meeting, top by the office and pick one up.

Korea