Rotarians donned some truly ugly Christmas sweaters and other garb for the yuletide meeting. With a contest to see which was the ugliest and a round of holiday trivia, the Dec. 18 meeting offered a bit of fun.
It was also club assembly, and the members gave the following reports:
Community service - Ken Pesik said the club has received a request from Crossroads United Methodist Church to extend Rotary Lights to Jan. 3 when the members will celebrate Three Kings Day. Usually the club begins removing the lights right around Jan. 1, and has found that first week of January can turn much colder. Ken asked what the club thought about keeping the lights up to honor the request. It was decided they should be taken down as usual, starting New Year’s Day and continuing Jan. 2. The plan is to pack them into the trailers on Jan. 3.
Membership - Five new members have joined the club, and it has a nice diversity in terms of age, John Cullen said. He’d like to help new members get their “blue” badges and get to the next level of membership.
International - That committee is wrapping up the grant project in Kenya where greenhouses are now online, Linda Olson said. The club may be asked to partner with the Madison Club to build a library in Guatemala. Also, a friendship exchange is coming up if members are interested.
Fundraising - Phil Willems recommends no new fundraisers.
Programs and Meetings - There is one speaker opening between now and January. Kylie West said the committee needs suggestions, and the club may implement a new policy requesting at least one speaker suggestion from each member per year.
Youth - The High School Interact Club is requesting can tabs as a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House, Bob Arntz said. Small empty containers from, say, nuts or cottage cheese are requested. These can be placed at local bars where customers can provide their can tabs. Members can bring the canisters to the next meeting on Jan. 8. Also, the High School Scholarship Application is beginning. And, the Reading Buddies program at Heritage Elementary School is going well. RYLA is May 8-10 and the World Affairs Seminar is June 20-26.
Fellowship - Trivia is going well. There are requests to get together at Drumlin Ridge and J. Henry Farms, Bob Klostermann said. The Lamphouse has also offered its rooftop community room for the Kentucky Derby Party again in 2026.
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Other News
Rotary Lights are up through Dec. 31
Trivia is at Octopi on Tuesdays and at Waun-A-Bowl on Thursdays.
Jim Oughton from DeForest Rotary Club thanked the members for their orders of cheese boxes.
Guests: June Ganser, guest of Ellen Schaaf; Danae Marsh, guest of Andrew Hovde; Max Lenz, guest of Austin Maly.
Visiting Rotarian: Jim Oughton.
Greeters: Jan. 1, Happy New Year; Jan. 8, Shelley Moffatt and David May; Jan. 15, Shauna Hughey and Kylie West; Jan. 22, David Rupp and ??; Jan. 29, ??
To sign up to greet or to find out when you are greeting, visit:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805054CAAAA2CA7F85-44320149-2023#/
