Danielle Breidung grew up in Waunakee, but she began exploring the world as a youngster when she was selected as a student Ambassador for the People to People Exchange. Much to her mother’s chagrin, she raised the funds to spend three weeks in Australia then.
Danielle explained the work she’s done since learning the world is much larger than Waunakee at the March 29 Rotary meeting. She is the president-elect for the Bluffton, South Carolina, Rotary Club.
Danielle attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, near Roanoke, where she studied Portuguese. That university had a partnership with the Federal University of the Amazon, and so she decided to study in Manaus, Brazil, which she described as the largest city in the Amazon. At one time, it was the major exporter of rubber, Danielle said, but rubber plant seeds were extracted and now South East Asia is the largest exporter, leaving Manaus with an industrial hole.
Danielle partnered with an environmental economist to export freshwater fish for tanks from the area, but the market went down for these. So, she began working to identify other ways to generate income.
She worked to evolve an industry exporting the Acumen fruit. It was not approved by the Federal Drug Administration, so she began a company in Florida and worked in Manaus. It was discovered the fruit had antioxidant agents, and the company seemed to be doing well until the business selling the fruit in the United States collapsed, she said.
She was half way through her master’s degree at Loyola University by this time and moved to South Carolina. She then applied to AmeriCorps VISTA, and joined the Rotary Club there, where she is the youngest and first woman president elect.
One of her most exciting experiences as a consultant who can work from anywhere was traveling to Bangladesh. There she worked with a micro lending organization that helps women and children out of poverty. She saw first-hand how these loans were used. Women would buy a cow, then sell the milk, making enough money to repay the loan and buy another cow for greater production. Others would buy a rickshaw and grow that business.
It’s improved the quality of life in these villages, Danielle said, adding that micro lending is “one of the most empowering things I’ve seen.”
Life in the villages is more upbeat and the people are more self-driven than in the cities, she said.
Danielle continues to work with nonprofits and now that she’s about to be the president of her Rotary Club, she’s rooted in the United States, she said.

 

Other news:

–The Waunakee Rotary Club received its $780 share from the Super Raffle proceeds. Contributions went to the Village Center and Senior Center.
–Phil Willems reported that the new chair of the Easter Egg Hunt did a great job. It was well attended by hundreds of Waunakee families.
–Club members voted on the Business Person of the Year, who will be honored at the Community Awards Banquet in April.
 
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Guests: Dave Margala, guest of Rich Wipperfurth; Margie Blau, guest of Connie Blau; Karen Kolarsky, guest of Connie Blau; Arne King, guest of Dave Weishoff.  

 

Visiting Rotarians: Alex Tyms, Madison South.

 

Birthdays: April 7, Connie Blau.

 

Anniversaries: None.

 

Greeters: April 5, Pat Durden and Fritz Durst; April 12, Taylor Endres and Gary Epping; April 19, Bill Erickson and Dan Evans; April 26, Allison Feldbruegge and Jim Fitzpatrick.