Rotary International President John F. Germ has chosen for his theme, “Rotary Serving Humanity.”
Dean McHugh, District 6250 Governor, likes it, he said, because it’s all encompassing.
Dean was the speaker at the Waunakee Rotary Club’s Oct. 20 meeting. He illustrated Rotary’s reach with three different stories.
Dean himself was an exchange student in Bogotá, Columbia, while in college, and he said it changed his world view. He realized that all over the globe, people are basically alike.
“I learned that these people had families they cared about; they had jobs they cared about,” Dean said.
He became a big believer in youth exchange.
“By sending kids out and bringing them in, we are teaching about the world,” he said.
Several times, he was asked to join La Crosse Rotary clubs, but he didn’t know what the clubs did. About 15 years later, he was asked to help charter a club in Holmen, where he lives, and he learned then that Rotary has a youth exchange program.
He became involved in that and in international projects, traveling to Lima, Peru to install water filtration systems. The Holmen club raised $7,000 and with grants from Rotary International, turned that $7,000 to $21,000.
Dean said it took a while to convince his friend, Scott Ryan, to join. He had known Scott since grade school, gone to college and done business with him, but Scott didn’t think he had anything to give to the club.
Dean said Scott had never been out of the United States, and he convinced his old friend to go to Peru to work on the drinking water project.
“You could see the effect of being in a third-world country on him,” Dean said.
Scott’s daughters had given him a number of barrettes to distribute among the young girls in Lima. Dean has a picture of his friend with two little girls who are so thankful for the gifts, they are just clinging to him.
Scott went on to become club president and now is the exchange officer. He’s also revitalized the school’s Interact club in Holmen and helped start other Interact clubs in La Crosse schools.
“The message is, everybody’s got something to give,” Dean said.
Membership is important, he said, as clubs generally lose 10 percent of their members each year, so those members need to be replaced.
“When we talk about membership, don’t think of just filling the chairs,” Dean said. “You can give to a friend what Rotary means to you.”
Dean is planning the 2017 District Conference in La Crosse, and urged club members to attend. It will feature a variety of entertainment venues to choose from in downtown La Crosse.

Other news:
•We got to hear from longtime Club member Rich Murphy. Rich and Donna came to Waunakee when they bought The Waunakee Tribune in 1968. He’s a charter member of Rotary, which began with 25 members altogether. The club has about 90 members today. Rich, affectionately referred to as “Grandpa” by Brent Ziegler, has quite the extended family of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He and Donna winter in Florida, where he volunteers for Habitat for Humanity.

 

Other News:
•Oct. 24 is World Polio Day. Stuff the Polio jar with cash at the next meeting, and the club will match your contribution. It will also match the $1,208 in tips from Wauktoberfest.
•Ken Pesik said the club is working with the Chamber of Commerce to arrange a tour of a local business. It looks like it will be Nord Gear on Nov. 3.

 

Guests: Paula Bobek, guest of John Cullen; Jessica Duren and Nancy Thomas, guests of Patrick Durden; Regina McFarland, guest of Mark McFarland; Zak Koga, guest of Joe Olson.    
Visiting Rotarians: None.