We are Popping Again!!

 We are "Back at the Popper Again."

The Popping Season has begun and the Mighty Rough Risers are cooking their Krazy Kettle Korn again to support our schools.  How do we support schools with Kettle Korn? 

We pop 100 bags for each school's annual carnival and donate them to the school to sell for $5 each.  This can yield $500 for the school.

Since we aren't selling the Kettle Korn at the schools, we move our trailer and popper to a warm place where we can pop and then shuttle the bags of Corny Gold to the schools.

This past Friday, Feb 25, 9 members arrived at the Cedar Falls Maintenance Building at 3:30 to begin popping.  A great time was had by all and the kids were a-glee when Jim Larson dropped them off at Peet Middle School.

We will be at the same place at 3:30 next Friday too. 

Join us!

Expect to be Inspired by February's Program

Feb. 8, 2022 – The Cedar Falls “Rough Risers” Kiwanis Club will be addressed this month by three local leaders, who will talk about their years of commitment to kids and what they’ve accomplished beyond the classroom.

Frank Darrah, a former special education administrator at the local area education agency, will join Kiwanians on Wednesday to touch on his past profession, but mostly his four terms on Cedar Falls City Council and a stint on the Planning and Zoning Commission.

        Frank Darrah

His ability to listen to others and remain even-keeled were attributes, Kiwanis program organizer Tony Reid notes, that were evident during his time in education dealing with stressful situations, and ones that transferred over to his past career in public service.

“I have invited him to reflect on his work for the city, especially on aspects of city government that often aren’t apparent to the average citizen,” said Reid. “What wisdom has he gleaned that he would like to share with us that will help us be better citizens, and better understand how city government works?”

“I hope he’ll reflect on how we can all be better citizens,” he added.

            Dave Welter

Dave Welter, a retired Holmes Junior High principal and high school varsity baseball coach, will be the club’s keynote speaker at its Feb. 16 meeting.

Reid said his life is a fascinating one, having beaten cancer, and also spent time as a baseball scout for the Atlanta Braves. He wrote a book, “Staying Positive When Life Throws You a Curve!” which reflects on his cancer experience, “with a baseball twist,” according to Reid.

“It is always rewarding to hear what Dave has to say,” said Reid. “He’d been through the wringer when battling cancer years ago. He’ll bring a nice, inspiring message to the group.”

Jen Sigrist

The Feb. 23 speaker, Jen Sigrist, is the executive director of educational services at Central Rivers Area Education Agency, who Reid says is one of the “brightest young women he’s ever met.”

Before joining CRAEA, she was director of personalized learning and innovation at Van Meter Schools for ten years.

What’s most impressed Reid about Sigrist is her expertise in curriculum and instruction, and her work in helping CRAEA reach its goal of all students being “future ready.”

“Jen will tell us how schools are preparing students to be contributing citizens,” he said.

The local Kiwanis Club meets every Wednesdays at 6:30 a.m. inside Lifestyle Inn at 5826 University Avenue. If interested in attending a meeting, send an email to: leigh.zeitz@gmail.com.

Walk-Through of Robbery Investigation Kicks Off January Program

Cedar Falls -- Local Kiwanians went on a "job shadow" with Special Agent Scott Reger, a 24-year veteran of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI),  at their meeting last Wednesday.

Special Agent Scott Reger speaks last Wednesday.

He led them through a real-life investigation into a 2016 armed robbery of several thousands of dollars from a bank in Hopkinton, and how investigators and law enforcement went about tracking down the "bad guys," and ultimately putting them behind bars.

Reger kicked off Law Enforcement Month for the Cedar Falls Kiwanis “Rough Risers” Club. Two more with public safety expertise will join the group this week and the following one, before the club moves onto its February program, which will include speakers with experience in city government and education.   

Cedar Falls Police Chief Craig Berte will join Kiwanians Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 6:30 a.m. at Lifestyle Inn, 5826 University Avenue, where weekly meetings are held, to talk about the city’s public safety officer (PSO) model, its role in helping protect citizens, and more about his law enforcement background.

The following Wednesday, Jan. 26, Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson will stop by a meeting to also share additional details about what his job involves.

** Click "Read more>>" below to learn about what Special Agent Reger shared with the group. **

The New Cedar River Experience Explained by Gary Kroeger

Gary Kroeger told us that downtown Cedar Falls is trying to create The Cedar River Experience by developing the Cedar River for water sports activity and recreation.  

It’s very swim-ple!  This development will create raging white water rapids for kayaking, calmer pathways for inner tube wading, and a swimmers paradise. They plan that this will create an attraction that will be a huge draw for enthusiasts of all ages.
It will be quite "swim-ressive!"  

This project will cost $4 million. Cedar Falls needs to raise 25% of this total. Gary Kroeger and his Cedar River committee have already raised about 25% of needed funds and the rest will come from donations and grants.  

This project's economic impact will be a boon for the local businesses and markets and enhance our quality of life.

Steve Smith Leads the North Cedar Neighborhood Renovation

North Cedar Neighborhood Association is headed up by a resident of that section of town, Steve Smith, who really cares about his community and the functionality of Cedar Falls.  

Over time, North Cedar Falls has not been maintained and it is long overdue for a serious upgrade and update.  When visitors travel into town from the North, the area really looks neglected and it is a bad reflection on the city as a whole. North Cedar's residents have decided to make a difference in their neighborhood. 

Steve is out gathering financial support to change the direction and make improvements so it gives the city a good first impression and improves the quality of life for all residents.

Chuck Rowe Shares "Nonprofit Giving in a COVID World"

Chuck Rowe - Director

Volunteerism knows there's a silver lining; because they see it happen every day. Chuck Rowe is the Director of the Midwest Study Group in Waterloo, Iowa. His company is a volunteer support company that assists volunteer agencies and non-profits in their endeavors in finding places to secure their financial needs.    

Chuck shared what his company experienced in how nonprofit organizations received funding (or lack of funding) during the COVID experience. This experience required them to find new sources to pursue funds to keep their organizations solvent. New technology and making use of online financial resources all help with day-to-day operations. The Midwest Study Group has been a great service for non-profits.

Cindy Herzmann Dreams of Building an Accessible Park for Kids.

Wednesday, October 13 - I know that this sounds like fowl play, but why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other slide! 

Cedar Falls High School Senior, Cindy Herzmann who is working toward her Girl Scouts highest honor Gold Award, wants to construct an accessible playground at the Soccer Complex. This playground will enable kids of all ages and abilities can burn off energy while their siblings are playing soccer.  She has already collected half of the needed funds and is soliciting for the remainder.  

Ms. Herzmann is a motivated person. She is intending to enroll at Clarke University with a soccer scholarship.  She wants others to have as enjoyable an experience as she has had and wants to leave her legacy with this needed project.   
Written by Lynn Barnes

Hank Jungling Tells Tales of Climbing Mt. Everest

Hank Jungling of Aplington doesn’t shirk when he challenges himself to climb Everest. He made up his mind that no mountain is high enough!  

Hank and his daughter Vicky didn’t sweat the tall stuff for their trek! They climbed for 7 rainy days to the peak of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania along with 9 other hikers. After the climb, they took a wild safari tour ride to take photos afterwards.  Their actions "peak louder than words" and Hank is 74 years young!  What an amazing accomplishment!

Del Carpenter Sails into our Meeting to Tell His Tales.

Wednesday, September 22 - 2010 1^st Place National Class Sports Champion Del Carpenter of Cedar Falls does have a retirement plan…windsurfing!  

Del took up his passion in 1984 and rode the winds ever since.  Del gave the Kiwanians a much folksy and beneficial life lessons on giving and serving during his presentation that he learned first hand over the years.  When asked why he took up this passion of windsurfing; Del said,” It looks cool and difficult and you're too old to be graceful!”

Sea everybody real soon!  

Written by Lynn Barnes

Ron Michaelson Shares his Passion for Rocks

Wednesday, September 8 - Geologist Ron Michaelson, who has a passion for rocks and minerals that span decades; shared several examples of rocks that he has collected throughout the state of Iowa. We did not know that such beauty resides in the soil besides corn! Ron searches for rocks and puts the most interesting specimens in a rock tumbler and gets a fine polish on them for presentation and other rock shows.

Executive Director, Monica Boyer, Updates Us on CF Schools Foundation

College tuition keeps increasing in such large amounts it should be named College three-ition!  

Monica Boyer, the Executive Director of the Cedar Falls Schools Foundation, talked about the classroom excellence grants given to deserving senior students so that they can defray education costs going to institutions of higher learning.  

The foundation also helps with funding things like the new swimming pool going into the new Cedar Falls High School which they contributed $92,000.  Our Kiwanis Club has a self-sustaining scholarship fund with Cedar Falls Schools that provides monies for the High School seniors.

Written by Lynn Barnes

Holly Johnson Shares the Story of Hawkeye Community Scholarship Fund

 

Wednesday, July 14 - High school student track stars looking for scholarships have many hurdles to overcome.  Our Kiwanis Club provide scholarships to deserving students by setting up an Endowment Scholarship with Holly Johnson, who is the Executive Director of the Hawkeye Community Scholarship Fund.  We started the fund in 2010 with monies generated from our famous Kettlecorn sales.  Because of our generous yearly investments, we now have a self-sustaining investment for scholarships to give away to assist Hawkeye student educational needs.

Written by Lynn Barnes

Wartburg College President, Dr. Darrel Colson, Shares his Dreams

Wednesday, June 23 - Wartburg President, Darrel Colson, explained a point of view about private colleges and the advantages they offer to students in financial aid to help eliminate college debt for the 1400 student body in school attendance.  Support for Wartburg comes from the Cares Acy, private donations, and from Iowa Taxpayers.  These sources are helping those who can’t pay all the bills to attend school.  Wartburg is connected with the American Rivers Conference in athletics, within which Wartburg College is a formidable force to reckon with in the sports arena and in the overall conference.  Wartburg college excels in life science, journalism, and our business communities.  We were privileged to have him join us and share their success.   Written by Lynn Barnes

Women "Try Pie" to Learn about Running a Business.

Wednesday, June 16Want to teach young entrepreneurs about business?  "Try Pie."  Area high school women joined the "Try Pie" business to learn the baking aspects because they "kneaded the dough."

According to Directors Megan Tensen and Sara Hellieso, 16 high school students come together to work 8-10 hours a week to make pies and then sell them in grocery stores, for weddings, and other venues where tasty pies are desired.  It helps prepare these hard-working ladies to enter the work field with much-needed job skills and responsibilities.  They make 200 – 300 pies a day which is quite an undertaking for their dedication and enthusiasm.  Written by Lynn Barnes.

4th Street Cruise was a BLAST!!!!

The Cruise is BACK!!!!

We were pleased to enjoy popping Kettle Corn at the 2021 4th Street Cruise. It was good to get back to popping for the public and enjoy the camaraderie of working together to "fill those bags with love - and kettle corn."

Best part was that there were only 7 concession stands serving food along the 4th Street venue.  We couldn't keep up with the demand for our golden nuggets. At times, we had 30+ people lined up for kettle corn.  We even sold 15 bags to people driving by in the parade.

Believe it or not - we raised $2,263.  Not Bad!!

This is a wonderful event because all of our funds will go to youth programs and schools throughout the Cedar Valley.  Keep chomping that kettle corn!!

Tony Reid Shares Stories from Being a Principal

May 26, 2021 - What do you get when you cross an elementary school principal with a high school principal?  I wouldn’t do it.  Principals don’t like to be crossed!  

Tony Reid, retired elementary school principal, talked about his varied experiences with the many students, parents, and staff conflicts that he encountered during his tenure as principal.  Every day was a different experience.  

Tony was there to help make the students become good students and future citizens and therefore, make a greater nation for us by pushing strong education for all.  The best investment is in our children.  Tony was willing to work with teachers that were in need of assistance and guidance within the school district’s policy. 
Written by Lynn Barnes

Rough Risers have a BUSY summer ahead

 It has been a tough year since last March, but our Kiwanis Rough Risers have remained active.  

This coming summer, we will be super careful but we are trying to develop strategies for sharing our kettlecorn while staying safe for the public and our club members.  

Planned Service Projects:

• We will finish the YMCA shelter we built - cement is scheduled to pour in April.
• We plan to help the Y by refurbishing the outside of one of their storage sheds.

School Poppings - we will pop kettlecorn in someone's yard and then give 100 bags to each school to use in their socially-distanced gatherings or how else they can use them to raise funds.  We will be FULLY MASKED while we pop.

• May 7 - Popping for 2 schools
• May 22 - Annual Popper Cleaning

Event Popping - Public events will be different this year.  Some of them have decided to go ahead with their events while others have yet to make a decision or will wait until next year.  We will be FULLY MASKED and careful at these events.

• May 29 - 4th Street Cruise
• June 5 - WalMart Popping
• June 25 - 27 - Sturgis Falls

Store Popping - We are quite successful in popping in front of Walmart and other stores.  We will be FULLY MASKED and careful at these poppings.

• June 5 - Walmart
• TBD - FareWay on Greenhill

We hope to see you soon!!!!

Stay safe and stay masked!

April Programs will be Informative and Inspirational

  Wednesday, April 7 - Business Meeting

Our club members get together to discuss what's happening now and make plans for the future.  We talk about projects, kettle corn, finances, marketing, and a plethora of potential possibilities  

Wednesday, April 14 - Steve Bernard, General Manager, Cedar Falls Utilities.

Steve will discuss the major freeze event of mid-February that caused natural gas supply shortages and extremely high natural gas prices. As a result, CFU customers will see higher utility bills beginning in April.

Wednesday, April 21 - Dr. Mark Nook, President, University of Northern Iowa. 

President Nook will give us an update on the University of Northern Iowa with an emphasis on COVID-19 and the current legislative session. 

Wednesday, April 28 - Eric Hall, Science Consultant, Iowa Department of Education.  

(To be announced)

Matthew Tolan Informs Us about Planning Roads in CF

Our Kiwanis club had a "very polite conversation" with Civil Engineer, Matt Tolan of the Cedar Falls Public Works Department.  Matt had the inside track of the large project taking place on West First Street in Cedar Falls.  They are updating and upgrading the entire roadway to create safer access to the city and to the downtown area.  Many aspects have to be considered in a project of this magnitude for current and future needs.  This construction is not finished yet, so more is still yet to come.  Written by Lynn Barnes

JJ Lillibridge Shares Adventures with CF Park and Recreation Programs

J. J. Lillibridge, Recreation & Community Program Manager of the Cedar Falls Park and Recreation Division, hit it out of the park with his talk about the fun that is afforded to residents in the city.  

His team has put together an awesome lineup of activities from aquatics to athletics just to name a few.  Fitness activities along with personal training programs are there to help combat kid obesity and to improve quality of life.  The director is in charge of the removal of diseased ash trees and golf courses as well.  Written by Lynn Barnes.

UNI Volleyball Coach Bobbi Peterson Spikes it Again!!

Wednesday, February 24 - There are no Cinderellas connected with the UNI Women’s Volleyball Team; because they have the legendary Head Coach Bobbi Peterson. She is not a pumpkin and the players don’t run away from the ball! 

The Coach is the Missouri Valley Conference's winningest volleyball coach ever. Her secret is that she treats her athletes like family to develop their skills both on the court and in the classrooms. Her players have a combined GPA of 3.67 which is a huge accomplishment in its own right. 

It has been a tough COVID-19 year and a building year for the team. We look for a strong team record in the future!  Written by Lynn Barnes

Architect Brian Sanderman Shares the Plans and Visions for Our New Cedar Falls High School

Fellow Kiwanian Brian Sanderman of Invision Architecture shared the vision for the new Cedar Falls High School being developed this Spring just west of the UNI-Dome. Brian and Superintendent Brian Pattee shared insights about the overall aspects, strategy, implementation, safety, learning, and the future plans for the old school. It was amazing to learn about the complex process of designing such a school. The experience and vision of Brian and his team helped alleviate the anxiety and fears on the planning and construction phase.  We look forward to an innovative learning environment to soon emerge on 27th St in Cedar Falls.

The home of the Tigers will last generations of Cedar Falls students and it will be a school of which we will all be proud!   Written by Lynn Barnes

 Wednesday, February 3 - Business Meeting

Our club members get together to discuss what's happening now and make plans for the future.  We talk about projects, kettle corn, finances, marketing, and a plethora of potential possibilities  

Wednesday, February 10 - Let's Talk with Mayor Rob - Mayor Rob Green, Cedar Falls.
Mayor Green is a former US Coast Guard officer and has lived in Cedar Falls since 2004. He was President of the Overman Park Neighborhood Association for several years, then was elected to the City Council in 2017. He has served as Mayor since January 2020. He holds a degree in government/public policy from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, and an M.A. in Instructional Technology from UNI. He will discuss current issues facing Cedar Falls.

Wednesday, February 17 - What's Ahead with the New Cedar Falls High School? Brian Sanderman, Lead Architect, Invision Architecture. 

The Cedar Falls School Board recently accepted bids for the new school, which fortunately came in well under expectations. The Board has also chosen to add a swimming pool to replace the aging pools at Holmes and Peet Junior Highs, to be financed with funds from the city, the school district, and private fundraising. Sanderman, who is also a member of the Waterloo Kiwanis Club, will tell us about the forward-looking features of the new school, including adjustments made after experiencing a pandemic.

Wednesday, February 24 - What's Up with UNI Women's Volleyball?  Bobbi Peterson, Head Coach, UNI Women's Volleyball. Coach Petersen is the coach of the UNI

volleyball team but she was one of the best to ever play at UNI and her name is still among the leaders in several statistical categories. She is in her 21st year as our head coach, and on February 7th became the all-time winningest coach in the Missouri Valley Conference, with her 510th career win.  Volleyball is normally a fall sport but because of the pandemic, it was moved to spring. That move also cost the team several seniors who graduated early, so Coach Petersen this spring has been bringing along an extremely young team. She will tell the Rough Risers about the challenges and potential of this team.

Have a Wonderful Kiwanis New Year!!!

 

In a Zoom World, Rough Risers LAUGH at Snow!!!

 

We are Grateful that Pastor Christine Kaplunas Shared with Us

Wednesday, November 25, 2020 - Pastor Christine Kaplunas of the Unity Presbyterian Church in Waterloo, Iowa, gave a Thanksgiving message to our fellow Kiwanis Club. She has a God-given talented gift for the musical arts and uses it to support children. She gives free lessons to disadvantaged kids called “No Strings Attached” where she teaches violin and other stringed instruments. She wants to spread this special calling to children, so that she can show her gratitude for what God can provide  through her music teaching. God will provide benefits to all that love him.  Written by Lynn Barnes

What did the Kiwanis Rough Risers Do During the 2020 Pandemic?

What does a service club do in a pandemic time when their primary source of funding comes from selling delicious kettle corn at public events? 

The Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers club actively supports youth and community programs in the Cedar Valley through donations and service.  Local commercial sponsors have also provided a significant portion of the funds we donate to our community.  But this year's events have required rethinking our strategies for supporting our community. 

Donating Support: This year has been an eventful year. As people’s needs changed, we decided that it was necessary to revamp our budget to give more money to areas of need. We dedicated our club donations to:

• 
  Food Bank of Northeast Iowa
• Salvation Army
• Several childcare centers

Our club donated to the Cedar Falls Community Schools to purchase books and materials to help teachers meet the extra social and emotional needs of students under stress from Covid-19. 

We opened our own wallets and gave $1,400 in HyVee food cards to the tireless workers in the People’s Clinic for the amazing work they have done fighting Covid-19. 

Working with the Salvation Army, we raised and donated $1,400, plus needed household goods, to support a family that had lost everything.

Service Support: We built an outdoor shelter for the YMCA to provide activity space for kids with healthy fresh air.  This 20' x 20' shelter will be used to protect the many boys and girls who attend the YMCA during the summer.

We repaired a shelter for the Cedar Falls Recreation Department. Repairing this Pfeiffer Park structure is part of our Rough Risers' ongoing program to better the Cedar Valley

Though we were unable to pop much Kettle Corn, we still worked to help our community. When it is safe again, we hope to resume popping. In the meantime, we have a greater appreciation of the help we get from our sponsors, which enables us to Serve the Children of the Cedar Valley!

Thank You!

Josh Sorenson Shares the Status of COVID Vaccines and How Health Insurance Affects Availability.

December 9, 2020 - Many people have the fear that one day they will be stuck on an elevator between floors with an insurance salesman trying to make them commit to buying needless insurance. Oh No! They should rest assured that Josh Sorenson of United Healthcare Insurance in Cedar Falls and his 8 other agents are not ones to be stereotyped as pushy as one would assume.

Mr. Sorenson informed the club of the latest COVID vaccinations and how they will probably be administrated and distributed. He had a personal connection with the pandemic since his grandmother had passed away from the disease. He described how his company offers a plethora of different kinds of policies to the public.
Written by Lynn Barnes

Kiwanis Memes that can Make You Laugh

imgflip.com

 

There's a Difference between Joining and Belonging . . . See How this Applies to Our Club

The IS a big difference between Joining and Belonging to our Rough Risers club.

Was just reviewing a presentation by Brad Boyd of Kiwanis International and found this page.  It is meaningful.

Belonging is an emotional experience and it is up to us to provide that emotional recognition and support that can help someone feel a sense of belonging - to our club, our school, our church, our neighborhood, or ?

Elisa Heying explains how Allen Child Protection Center Saves Kids

Wednesday, November 11, 2020 - Elisa Heying, a nurse practitioner of the Allen Child Protection Center, helps abused children overcome being exploited. She assists with forensic interviews and services to support the mental health and the well-being of area children. She is also a child advocate and collects evidence for the authorities,  Elisa supports children in Northeastern Iowa including the Mason City area. When asked how she copes with job stresses she encounters every day, she said that vigorous workouts at the gym and her new comfort puppy give her needed stress relief.  Written by Lynn Barnes

Chef Wes Zeitz Tells Us What it takes to Run a Restaurant.

What does it take to open and run a restaurant in Indianola, Iowa?  What'smore, how do you confront opening a business 2 weeks before the COVID shut down? Chef Wes Zeitz shared his many adventures at Z's Eatery and Draught.

Chef Z began by sharing his background and what motivated him to get into the restaurant business. He told us about their presence on social media on Facebook and showed one of his videos of his cook trying to eat their Monster burger which was as big as his head. 

Then he educated us about what it takes to run a restaurant.  He said that he was working 80 hours a week but as he has developed his team, he has been able to cut that down to only 55 hours.  The margins in a restaurant are very small and the key is planning. Labor and Food are his greatest expenditure and he works hard to support his employees and "buy the best food he can afford."  It's an on-going educational process. He is proud of their policy to cook fresh - "everything is made by hand from scratch."  Z's Eatery has a delicious menu for us to enjoy.

An exciting part was when he took us on a tour of Z's Eatery and Draught. The restaurant was filled with beautiful wooden handmade tables and the walls were covered by reclaimed wood slats from a barn in South Warren county.  He explained the policies they were using to provide the necessary social distancing to seat their patrons safely.

It was an informative visit and we are looking forward to the time when we can drive down to Indianola to enjoy their savory food.   Written by Leigh Zeitz

Zoom into October's Amazing Roughrisers' Programs

Wednesday, October 7 - Business Meeting
Our club members get together to discuss what's happening now and make plans for the future.  We talk about projects, kettlecorn, finances, marketing and a plethora of potential possibilities  

Wednesday, October 14 - Enter the Kitchen of Z's Eatery in Indianola - Wesley Zeitz, Chef and Owner of Z's Eatery and Draught Haus
Chef Wesley Zeitz has invited us into Z's Eatery and Draught Haus in Indianola. He will share culinary tales from Burgers to Ribeyes and Pesto Alfredo to Planked Mahi Mahi. Beyond this, he will share tales of what it takes to open and operate a restaurant in midst of a pandemic. 

Wednesday, October 21 - Racism in our Own Backyard. Dr. Allen Hays, Iowa Action Justice Network

Dr. Hays will address racial inequality in policing, prosecution, and imprisonment in Iowa. In Iowa's prisons, 23% of the inmates are African American while only 4% of Iowa's population is black. This program will explore the reasons for this disparity and include interviews with leaders in the black community.

Wednesday, October 28 - Novel Ideas for Kiwanians to Serve the Community during a Pandemic.

Brad Boyd, Central USA Area Director, Global Operations for Kiwanis International.

Brad Boyd will join us from Indianapolis to tell us about how Kiwanis clubs are serving their communities around the world and share some ideas for projects in which we can engage to serve the Cedar Valley Community.

Leigh Zeitz Awarded the Hixson Fellowship Award for Service

Leigh Zeitz (with wife Kathy) receiving the award.

Monday, September 14, 2020 - The Cedar Falls Rough Risers Kiwanis Club has given its highest award to Leigh Zeitz, honoring his years of work with Kiwanis helping the children of the Cedar Valley. Zeitz, who is an associate professor of Educational Technology at UNI, was given the George F. Hixson Fellowship award, and the Rough Risers donated $1,000 to Kiwanis International’s Children’s Fund in his honor.

Zeitz has been a member of the Rough Risers Club for 28 years.  He has served as president and built and maintains the club’s website at https://cfkiwanisroughrisers.blogspot.com/.  He fully understands the mission of our club, which is “Serving the Children of the Cedar Valley,”  so he takes the initiative on many other projects.  For years he has raised money for the local Grin and Grow Daycare by riding RAGBRAI; he raised more than $15,000 over the 19 years he has ridden RAGBRAI.

 

Another of Zeitz’ favorites is the annual Gift of Giving, sponsored by the Jaycees and the Rough Risers.  About 100 needy children gather at the UAW hall and ride buses with adults (Jaycees, Rough Risers, and UNI volunteers) to Blain’s to purchase Christmas gifts for their family with money provided by the sponsors.  Then they return to the UAW Hall for pancakes and sausage prepared by the Rough Risers while Santa Claus mixes with the kids.  Santa looks suspiciously like Dr. Zeitz, we think. 

 

When we pop Kettlecorn (and we will again, when normal times return!) you can often find Zeitz as our lead salesman, explaining that the extra special taste of Kettlecorn is charity – the fact that all our profits go to local organizations helping children.  He also helps solicit our wonderful sponsors who double the money we raise. 

 

But during these past six months, Zeitz has been invaluable. When we were forced to cancel our in-person meetings, Zeitz put our meetings on Zoom.  Half of our members had never been on Zoom before but he taught us all.  He even arranged a fun joint meeting with another Kiwanis Club in Nebraska, also on Zoom.

 

Kiwanis Rough Risers meet each Wednesday morning at 6:45 by Zoom.  After a brief fellowship, we have a 30-minute program informing us about something interesting going on locally so we can be better-informed citizens of our community.  If you wish to be our guest at a meeting or join our club, please contact Jim Larson at djlarson@cfu.net.

 

Written by Tony Reid

Kelly Stern Shares Cedar Falls Public Library's Stories

Wednesday, September 16, 2020 - Besides being the tallest building in Cedar Falls since it has the most stories, libraries, in general, are cool places to go and that is non-fiction!  Kelly Stern, the Director of the Cedar Falls Public Library, told us that she has wanted to be a librarian since she was in the 2^nd grade.  

She got the literacy bug.  She has always wanted to share her love of reading with others.

The Cedar Falls Public Library is a busy place. It has had over 399,000 checkouts last year and there are many new services coming this year as well. They are not limited to the resources in the building but share the collections the Waterloo Public Library and other area libraries.  Libraries are the cornerstone of most communities, and we are fortunate to have a forward looking librarian like Kelly running our Cedar Falls Public Library.  Written by Lynn Barnes

Staci Mueller Tells Us Tales of Tall Grasses

Wednesday, August 19, 2020 - When I see tall grass at my home, I’m reminded that I fought the

lawn and the lawn won!  

Staci Mueller Outreach Coordinator of the Tall Grass Prairie Center at UNI explained that’s what Iowa has been for eons;  a virgin tallgrass prairie eco-system with fertile fields that were perfect for growing crops.  As the prairie was converted to agriculture, the farmers were able to feed the world with their produce.

Now there is a movement to return back a portion of the cropland, farmland, and roadway ditches to 75 native grasses.  The Tall Grass Prairie Center is experimenting with different seeds for research and restoration to develop stronger species to grow in harsher environments and show how it use to look in the Midwest hundreds of years ago.  These prairie plants are responsible for the rich cropland that farmers make their living on.  

Thank you Staci for all that you and your Center do to preserve our lands.

Written by Lynn Barnes

Here is a link to an 11-minute virtual tour of the Fall Prairie Walk