Hello Rotarians!
It's been getting warmer and I'm glad to see more members coming to our meetings.
We reward attendance at the meetings with a voucher for Free Lunch at MCC each week. Last week John Walters was the winner, and this week we'll award another Free Lunch voucher. Remember you must be present to win!
Our greeters were Shelley Carver and Jim Wright at MCC, with Bill Muir on Zoom.
Dr. Roger Reitz accompanied us to sing 'My Country Tis of Thee.'
Dr. Roger Reitz accompanied us to sing 'My Country Tis of Thee.'
We started with Shelley and Jim introducing themselves before welcoming our guests. We learned that Shelly has been a member of Rotary since 2018 and works as a financial planner with Edward Jones. She and her husband have 2 grown children living in Washington, DC and Seattle, WA. She enjoys the fellowship and camaraderie of Rotary but even more that she belongs to an organization that's accomplishing important things in the world. A fun fact about Shelley is that she was coerced into transferring to MRC from Konza by Phil Howe and Mike Dodson.
We learned that Jim has been a member of MRC since the 1990's when he was the youngest member of the club. He's retired from the restaurant business and has lived with his significant other at Tuttle Creek Lake for many years. He appreciates the fellowship of Rotary and being connected with the community as a retired person. Some lesser-known facts about Jim are that he previously coached wrestling in Topeka and was once an owner of Brothers' Bar in Aggieville.
Christine Benne was our Rotarian guest. Our co-presenter Joel Moots was member Bill Richter's guest and assistant. Continue to invite your friends to visit Rotary - our goal is 160 members this year, and visitors are the best way to reach that goal.
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March CUP Money goes to Habitat for Humanity ReStores whose mission is to support Habitat for Humanity's broader goal of building strength, stability, and self-reliance through shelter. They sell donated goods at affordable prices.
March's theme is Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.
March's theme is Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.
Last week the Community Cares Chest distributed most of the office supplies we got the week before. We had an unbelievable turnout from the non-profits we serve - 35 groups in total came! Some came both in the morning and the afternoon. They were helped by Paul Bullock, Rebecca Gould, Mike Heylin, Phillip Hill, Felix Jiminez, Tom Phillips and Vernon Turner.
Community Cares Chest will be open again this Wednesday 3/19 from 8:00-10:00 AM and 1:00-3:00 PM with books, office supplies and personal care items.
Community Cares Chest will be open again this Wednesday 3/19 from 8:00-10:00 AM and 1:00-3:00 PM with books, office supplies and personal care items.
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Next, Daryn Soldan introduced Member Bill Richter, and his associate Joel Moots of the Manhattan Juggling Club. Bill and his wife Linda are retired Political Science professors at KSU, and he has served Rotary for years. He is still active in Rotary Foundation and District committees. Bill and Linda have 2 sons and 4 grandchildren, including a fellow juggler daughter-in-law. Bill told us he has been juggling for over 75 years, and has learned more skills since joining the Manhattan Juggling Club.
Joel works as a computer programmer after returning to Manhattan after graduating from KSU and a stint in the Peace Corps. He and his wife have 2 children, including son Noah who introduced him to juggling. They enlisted Daryn Soldan to participate too.
Bill then shared his 7 lessons for juggling, which he also correlates to lessons of Rotary and life itself. The lessons were:
- You can do it.
- Begin with the basics.
- Develop and seek balance; seek ambidexterity - use both hands.
- Timing is important
- Where to look? Get the big picture.
- Add variety.
- Practice, Practice, Practice.
The guys did all sorts of juggling with balls, clubs, hand movements, learning by dropping, clubs, etc. They sure kept everyone's attention!
In Bill and Joel's honor, we will donate the children's book "Ready to Soar" to the Northview Elementary School.
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Thanks to Shelley, Jim and Bill for greeting, Dr. Reitz on piano, and Bill, Joel and Daryn for fun lessons for juggling, Rotary and life. What talents we have in MRC!
Our next meeting will be at the Manhattan Country Club this coming Thursday, March 20, 2025, from 12-1 PM. Chris Culbertson will preside while I am away.
We will have Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce Membership Director Sharla Meisenheimer. She will be telling us all about the upcoming Manhattan Professional Development Day on April 8th.
The Greeters for the next meeting will be Tom Arthur and Chris Bailey.
Please wear your name badge and leave it on the tray as you go. Sign in and be sure to register your guests too. Get a raffle ticket from the greeters or at the sign-in table.
Lunch RSVP: Click https://manhattancc.surveysparrow.com/s/Rotary-Club/tt-deafc2 by midnight, Wednesday 3/19/2025.
The $12 fee may be paid at the door. Lunch begins at 11:30AM.
The $12 fee may be paid at the door. Lunch begins at 11:30AM.
Meeting ID: 873 8749 9653 / Passcode: 280408
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Have a good meeting this Thursday, and I'll see you next week.
Randy
Randy Peterson, President
(cell) 316-213-2252
randallpete54@gmail.com
Opportunities to Participate:
Community CARES Chest - Wednesday volunteer shifts from 8-10 AM and 1-3 PM on March 19, 2025.
The location is at the rear of the AG Press building, 1531 Yuma Street, inside the east-side door.
Please visit Konza United Way website: https://www.konzaunitedway.org/volunteer
District 5710 Gathering for Good - Fundraiser scheduled for Saturday March 29. Silent auction items, including gift baskets, even tickets, travel-related venues and one-of-a-kind items are being sought, as well as wine and liquor for the Stock Your Bar fundraiser.
Vernon Turner will be attending and taking auction items and donated wine bottles with him to the event.
Rotarian Dave Lewis hosts a new series of podcasts on Rotary activities. Listen in at:
APPLE
KSU Rotaract Club
Rotaract meets Wednesday 3/26 at 6:00PM at the Manhattan Emergency Shelter for volunteer activity.
Rotaract's April 9th meeting at 6:00PM in the K-State Student Union #206 will have a guest speaker.
Rotaract's April 9th meeting at 6:00PM in the K-State Student Union #206 will have a guest speaker.
The Konza Club meets at 7-9 AM at Meadowlark Hills on Friday March 21st.
CAAHT (Community Action Again Human Trafficking) Club Meetings - Meetings are monthly at noon on the 1st/3rd Tuesdays by Zoom.
For more info ask Sharon Sullivan or Patti Mellard: sharon.sullivan@washburn.edu / patti@keystaffing.com
For more info ask Sharon Sullivan or Patti Mellard: sharon.sullivan@washburn.edu / patti@keystaffing.com
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March Cup Money - Habitat for Humanity ReStores
Mail it to Manhattan Rotary Club, PO Box 331, Manhattan, KS 66505-0331, or the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation, 555 Poyntz, Suite 269, Manhattan, KS 66502, with the memo saying, ‘Rotary Club Cup Money.’
You may also contribute Cup Money via Venmo, using the QR Code:
Rotary Foundation - To make contributions to the Rotary Foundation:
- Go on-line to www.rotary.org and click Donate and then Annual Fund. You will then sign in and pay.
- Write your check to Rotary Foundation and mail it to Rotary Foundation - 14280 Collections Center Drive, Chicago, IL 60693 or to Manhattan Rotary Club, PO Box 331, Manhattan KS 66505.
- Write your check to Rotary Foundation and give it to Liz Nelson or Janet Lowell at a meeting.
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Opportunities to Show Rotary Pride:
Purchase Rotary Products
You can purchase official Rotary caps or hats, shirts, socks, or even chrome-plated license plate frames at the Russell Hampton website: http://www.bestclubsupplies.com
Document your Profile in My Rotary
You can document your biographical profile in My Rotary. It is a wonderful way to share your contact and background information, information about any Rotary programs and your professional areas of expertise. Go to https://my.rotary.org and click My Profile.
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