With a new president at the Waunakee Rotary Club’s helm, some changes have been made to the committee structures. For the benefit of new members, representatives from each of the committees shared their duties and missions. 

Fundraising has three big projects each year – the WaunaFest booth, the Wauktoberfest beer tent and the Rotary Lights display. 

Fellowship’s mission is to plan events to get people together, such as the weekly happy hours at establishments throughout the area. Bob Klostermann asked the club about possibly attending the Packer-Patriot scrimmage on Aug. 16. Other possible outings include a Betty Lou Cruise this fall or a cookout at Drumlin Ridge. 

John Cullen has joined the membership committee, which functions to recruit new members and engage the current members. Currently, Ellen Schaaf is the Sunshine committee sole member and could use some help. That committee sends cards or flowers to members after a death or other tragic event. 

The Youth Committee oversees coordinating students to attend the World Affairs Seminar and Rotary Youth Leadership Academy. It also coordinates the Youth Exchange Program. This year, Brisa is coming from Mexico, and the Schmidt family will pick her up at the airport on Aug. 24. 

The International Committee has no chair. In October, it plans to promote awareness of the Rotary International Foundation and provide education at meetings. It also offers updates on Polio Plus, will host Rotary members from Croatia during an exchange that Linda Olson will travel on, and organizes the Food for Kidz event. That committee would like to lead a district grant project in 2024 and is looking for ideas. 

The Service Projects committee “Gets S___t done.” In addition to the Rotary Lights, the committee is working on repairing the fishing dock at the Village Center Pond and building a new bar for the Wauktoberfest beer tent. 

The club is raising funds for an arch planned for Village Center Park. Previous projects have included the solar lights installation at the Waunakee Dog Park, building bridges at Castle Creek Conservancy and building an accessible pier at Village Center Pond. They’re always looking for help because they get a lot of S___t done and there’s always more to do. 

A new marketing committee has also been formed and will be working on projects. 

The meetings committee has in the past been responsible for coordinating speakers and programs to make the meetings relevant to members. Its list of responsibilities will be expanded to include: setting up flags, etc. at the meeting space and taking them down; scheduling volunteers to lead a moment of reflection, thanks and prayer; scheduling greeters; ensuring a microphone is available. 

******

Other News:

-Students who attended the World Affairs Seminar shared their experience with the club. They met other students from throughout the world to learn about how their communities are affected by climate change and what steps they can take. They plan to bring this back to the Waunakee High School Eco Club and to help expand the scope of knowledge and awareness, they said. 

-Aug. 9 is National Night Out at Waunakee Village Park. Rotarians will be grilling hot dogs, brats and burgers. 

-Volunteers are needed for WaunaFest this weekend. 

Guests: World Affairs Seminar attendees from Waunakee High School. ???

Visiting Rotarians: ?

Birthdays: Aug. 3, Drew Lawrence; Aug. 4, Jon Townley; Aug. 5, Tracey Graber.

Anniversaries: Aug. 4, Rich and Carolyn Harris; Aug. 8, Tony and Lorie Burns.

Greeters: Aug. 3, Rich Wipperfurth and Chris Zellner; Aug. 10, Peggy Acker Farber and Leonard Allen; Aug. 17, Joseph Baer and Kenneth Ballweg; Aug. 24, Roberta Baumann and Conrad Blau; Aug 31, Sarah Bonk and Tony Burns.