President Mitzi's Weekly Update

Dear Fellow Rotarians,

Last Thursday our meeting was opened with a moment of silence to honor the memory of fellow Rotarian Tad Thompson. Tad passed away on April 8 after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.  His services will be held at the First Presbyterian Church at 801 Leavenworth Street on Saturday, April 20th.  The Visitation will be held at 9:30 a.m. and the Funeral at 10:30 a.m.  Please keep Tad's wife, Debra, mother Rosalie and family in your thoughts and prayers.

We had the pleasure of welcoming fellow Rotarians Usha Reddi and Susan Mosier to our meeting.  Bill Muir introduced his guest, Kurt Moldrup, Assistant Director of the Riley County Police Department. 

Daryn Soldan introduced our program speaker and fellow Rotarian, Brian Peete, the Director of the Riley County Police Department. In his inaugural year as Director, Brian has dedicated himself to pioneering and cooperative approaches aimed at ensuring the safety of our community. A paramount objective for him has been fostering a thriving organizational culture within the department, recognizing its direct correlation with personnel costs—the most substantial component of the department budget, sourced from local property taxes.  During his presentation, Brian offered insights into the benefits accrued over fifty years of a unified city and county police force, emphasizing the resultant efficiencies that directly translate into our communities quality of life. Moreover, Brian outlined forthcoming budgetary strategies and unveiled an ambitious training platform project designed to proactively identify, predict, and mitigate mass shooting incidents within our locality and beyond.

Subsequent to Brian's remarks, members asked questions and commended Brian's exemplary leadership, which serves as a beacon of innovation and collaboration in the realm of public safety nationwide. In recognition of his dedication, we will donate the children's book, "Pluto!", to the Woodrow Wilson Elementary School Library as a token of our appreciation.

Please know that the  MANHATTAN ROTARY CLUB SURVEY link remains open as the Board Members and Committee Chairs continue to seek membership input and ideas as we make plans for the new year beginning in July. 

Announcements included that the Community Cares Chest  is likely to resume next week as Gary Fees shared that a truck load of products is expected and when delivered our volunteers will be notified via email.

All golfers are encouraged to mark their calendars for a Day of Golf at Colbert Hills on Wednesday, June 5.

GROW GREEN MATCH DAY on Monday, April 22 will host a Grow Green Donation Station at Meadowlark Hills from 11:00 to 2:00 p.m. Friends and members will be welcomed to make their contributions at the Prairie Star Restaurant.

Next Thursday, our program speaker will be Kathy Ray, Executive Director of The Crisis Center.  April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the Crisis Center is planning several events to end all forms of sexual violence and to support survivors in their healing journeys. 

Wishing you all a productive week ahead, 

Mitzi

P.S. This week's greeters are Michelle Haub and Tom Hawk

1. Mail it to Manhattan Rotary Club, PO Box 331, Manhattan, KS  66505-0331. 
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