District 6250 Governor Todd Restel sees a strong correlation between toilets and Rotary. 

As he spoke to the Waunakee Rotary Club at its Oct. 31 meeting, he noted that plumbing is necessary for eradicating disease. And, a big push for Rotary International is promoting sanitation and hygiene. 

Todd is the CFO and Chairman of the board of First Supply, a plumbing supply company. He related a story from his early days with First Supply as he sat through a presentation by the Kohler Corporation about a new innovation in toilets allowing them to flush with less water. His co-workers were enthusiastic about it, but at the time, it struck him as humorous.

Today, Todd said realizes that the history of civilization and plumbing are interconnected. 

Todd also has a great appreciation for art, and he was captivated in his high school art history class by Marcel du Champ piece called “The Fountain.” It is basically a urinal laid horizontally. Todd attempted to create his own cubist work by taking hundreds of photographs of “The Fountain”  and reassembling them. 

“While I have a love and deep appreciation for art, I am not an artist,” he acknowledged. 

But his wife, whom he has known since the fifth grade, is. She is a ceramicist with a master’s of fine arts degree. 

Todd noted some other connections between toilets and Rotary. The Rotary Club’s first service project in Chicago was a public toilet. Chicago, where the first Rotary Club began, also had the first real sewerage system in the United States. 

Nov. 19 is World Toilet Day, and Todd urged the club to consider a sanitation or sanitation education project that day. 

Clean and safe toilets help keep girls in school, he said, and there is a connection between sanitation and education and productivity. 

Todd also would like Rotary Clubs to promote peace, he said, noting there are wars now in nearly every continent in the world. Rotary’s Partnership with the Institute for Economics and Peace offers a peace academy.

Todd urged Rotarians to become peacebuilders and participate in a Rotary Positive Peace Academy, a free course, then present what they learned from the course to the club. 

Rotary has many programs that promote peace, such as Youth Exchange, World Affairs Seminar and RYLA, he said.

But, Todd noted, peace is not easy work, and Rotary has had a seat at the United Nations since its beginnings. 

He urged each Rotarian to spread the word.

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Other News: 

-The club raised $400 for Polio Plus at last week’s meeting with a raffle and sale of the game “Marbles,” Lori Derauf announced. 

- A sign-up sheet for a bowling outing was passed around. 

-Club members are invited to watch Fran Alvarez, our exchange student, play soccer on Friday evenings at Keva. The games are at 5:30 p.m. and club members can car pool.

Guests: District Governor Todd Restel, guest of the club; Leah Abeyta, guest of Ellen Schaaf; Jim O’Brien, guest of Mark McFarland.

Visiting Rotarians: Todd Restel, District 6250 Governor, LaCrosse. 

Birthdays: Nov. 10, Troy Salisbury; Nov. 10, Liz Mueller.

Anniversaries: None.

Greeters: Nov. 7, Tracey Graber and Shauna Hughey; Nov. 14, Corey Randl and Paul Knutson; Nov. 21, David Kennedy and John Reuter. 

To sign up to greet or to find out if you are greeting, visit: 

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805054CAAAA2CA7F85-44320149-2023#/