Saturday, November 26, 2011

Meeting Minutes for November 29


Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone !!!


Members:
  • Greg, hope you heal quickly from your eye surgery.  Greg had
    surgery for a detached retina.
  • Happy birthday to Gene.
Projects: 
  • We had a sign up for our Christmas family and also for contributions. We should be able to spend $50 - $60 for each of the 7 members of the our family. There will be an opportunity to contribute next week. December 14 will be present wrapping day.
  • There is a possibilty of a Spring project at the Women's Club.  Our project committee will investigate.
Circle K:
  • Circle "K" continues to be active with a good sign up for the Kids Christmas Gift and providing packages for "foster" students at UNI.
Programs:
  • Our speaker was one of our own - Pastor Bob Ericson who presented us with an inspiring Thanksgiving message. Thank you Bob! 
  • Our speaker next week is JoAnn Van Gruper - the greeter is Reece Conrad.
  • A sign up sheet for members who want to schedule programs for each month was passed around.  There is still opportunity to sign up for a month.
Have your best week ever !

Jim Larson

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

30 Cedar Valley Organizations Benefit from Kiwanis Hard Work

During the 2010-2011 year, the Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers assisted 30 organizations through monetary donations. These organizations were primarily education and/or youth-oriented. 

They included:

  • Boys and Girls Club
  • Dollars for Scholars
  • Junior Achievement
  • Hartman Reserve
  • Kiwanis International Fund
  • NE Iowa Food Bank
  • Circle-K UNI
  • CFHS Scholarship
  • NUHS Scholarship
  • HCC Scholarship
  • CV Soccer Association
  • Harbaugh-Williams Fund
  • Quakerdale Organization
  • Quakerdale Mobile Camp
  • Kiwanis International Skip-a-Meal
  • NE-IA Kiwanis Foundation
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Hartman Summer Camp
  • Family and Children's Council
  • Children's Miracle Network
  • UNI Wheelchair Sports
  • DEsigner Genes
  • Young Leaders in Action
  • Grin & Grow Preschool
  • Boy Scouts
  • Girl Scouts
  • Special Olympics
  • Cedar Valley Preschool
  • Self Help International Nutrition
  • Sanctuary Trust (Mama Lumka)

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Our Small Group Makes a BIG Difference.

How DO we do it?

2010 - 2011 was a GOLDEN YEAR for the Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers. Believe it or not, our small club of 34 men and women raised $36,900.

Yes, you read that right. We raised almost $37,000.

How did we do it?  Most of it was through selling our Koveted Kiwanis Kettlecorn.  We popped corn for 17 events throughout the spring, summer and fall months of 2011.  For 23 days we stood beneath our blue tent and sang the praises of  our famous Kettlecorn. We sold $13,152 of corn and donated $8,367 of kettlecorn to Cedar Falls elementary schools to sell on their own.

A strong reason for our success was the terrific support from local businesses. Twenty local businesses donated $500, $1,000, or even $4,410 to our cause so that we could donate this money back into 30 organizations in the Cedar Valley.

Thank you all.  Together we are making a difference.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Meeting Minutes for October 12

The last couple of weeks have been of completion:

The Bridge work is completed.  I was wondering if our crew could work on the Seerley bridge by Peet?  That is the only way it will get done.


The Habitat House has a roof thanks to some dedicated workers last Friday.
Thanks to Marv Heller who had the lead on these projects.

We will be popping Kettle Corn this Saturday at HyVee and Scheels.  There are a lot of openings including the need for a popper for the first shift.  Contact Steve if you can help.

A big thank you to Lynn and Dennis who brought a guest (possible new member).
A warm welcome to Nathan Link.  Hope to see him next week.

Benie Spann from the Black Hawk VA gave an interesting talk on what that department does, how it works and the challenges they face.  Thanks to Reece for scheduling this program.

Next week will feature Bill Hartley coordinator for NE Iowa Operation Christmas Child.

Our greeter next week is Dale Waack.


Have your best week ever !!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Thunder in the Valley brings Gold to Our Coffers.

Faster than a Speeding Bullet . . .
   More powerful than a locomotive . . .
        Able to sells huge boxes of it with a single sale . . .

It's SUPER KETTLE CORN!

Yes ladies and gentlemen, at the Waterloo Air Show Kiwanis Rough Risers experienced Thunder in the Valley like never before. Kettlecorn couldn't be popped quickly enough to satisfy the insatiable hunger for these sweetened kernels. Customers sometimes stood in lines 60 people long just to have the opportunity to share the famous Kiwanis Rough Riser kettlecorn with their family members.

At the end of the two days, over 2600 bags of kettle corn were sold for a gross income of $13,180. While four different Kiwanis clubs worked at the booth, our Rough Risers worked 223 hours. Our net income for the air show was $4,773.

We will DEFINITELY sell at the Waterloo Air Show next year . . . only next time we will have two poppers.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Sturgis Falls is a HUGE Success!!!!

We have been selling kettle corn at Sturgis Falls for decades. Rough Risers kettle corn has become a Cedar Valley tradition of this celebration. Local residents look forward to enjoying bags of kettle corn.

This year we reached a new all-time record this year!!!

In these 3-days, we sold over $7200 worth of kettle corn. This is an increase of $600 over our previous record.

This was an event that required a great deal of dedication from the group. We had over 300 member-hours of labor.  Beyond that, we even had the wonderful team of workers from Kohl's who provided over 36 hours of assistance. 

It was a productive day. We had two hours of down time Saturday afternoon while it rained.  At the rate we were going we had missed sales of more than $700.  David Loy reported that we popped 21 50-pound bags of popcorn.  At 25 bushels of popped popcorn per 50-pound bag, this means that we popped 525 bushels.  Not a bad day of selling.

"A lot of work went into making this happen.  As always this was a TEAM 
effort - a super job by everyone," says club president, Jim Larson. 

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Meeting Minutes from Prez Jim - 7/6/11

We had an important meeting with decisions made that will have
a positive impact on the future of our Club.

First of all condolences to the Teig family on the passing of 
Marilyn's Mother.

Congratulations to the Hardings on their anniversary - today.  Steve, the big spender, did buy Jane breakfast.

A thank you to the Loy's for once again hosting a 4th of July  "fireworks watch" party.

Gil presented the financial report.  We are in good shape after some very good work by the Rough Risers at Sturgis and the Waterloo fireworks.

Jane announced there are at least 35 signed up for the get together at Gateway Park on the
12th.  The time is 6:00 - it will be catered - bring lawn chairs and a beverage.

Jane has also set up an interclub with the Waterloo morning club on the 13th.  If you would like to attend please let her know.

A big thanks to Jane for her work in the Club Admin area.

Steve announced the shirts will be $ 20 each.  Most of them have been distributed.

Our next Kettle Corn popping is at the College Arts Festival on July 15 and 16.  Sign up has
started please contact Steve if you can work.  The signup sheet will be at next Wednesday's meeting also.

Steve suggested that members finding it difficult to handle the popping chores at events could make a valuable contribution by putting stickers on bags.  This would smooth out the whole popping operation.

Dave presented a proposal whereby we could meet the requirements set by Kohl's that they can only contribute to a 501c3 organization.  We will set up a fund with the COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, a 501c3, that will allow Kohl's to contribute dollars to the Foundation.   The 
dollars would go into a fund under our name and be distributed per our wishes.  (I am simplifying this).  There are some requirements and fees but the end result is we are eligible for Kohl's contribution and would also make us eligible for other grants.

The Board on Tuesday was unanimous in presenting this proposal to the Rough Risers on Wednesday and the vote by the club was unanimous by a show of hands.

Thanks to Dave for a lot of work in putting this together as well as a lot of work in researching other alternatives.

Reece passed out a Club Excellence Form to be filled out by the members.  It will help give directionto the present and future leadership.

Next week a representative from CFU will discuss the burying of lines currently under way.

The greeter is David Loy.

Have your best week ever !!

JIm

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Meeting Minutes from Prez Jim - 6/29/11

WE SET A RECORD !!!!

$ 7,200 worth of Kettle Corn was sold during the three-day Sturgis Celebration! 
That set a record - increasing our previous high by $ 600.

A lot of work went into making this happen.  As always this was a TEAM effort - a super job by everyone.

Congratulations to the Bergeson's and the Dreyer's on their anniversaries.

Greg announced that UNI Circle "K" member Nicole Wilson is the Area 4 Lt. Governor. Congratulations and best wishes to Nicole.

Jane announced preparations are being finalized for our social on the 12th.  If you have not yet signed up, give her a call.

The Loy's are once again opening their home for the Rough Risers to enjoy the fireworks from their location.  Everyone is welcome !!  Please bring snacks and beverages (more on this later).

Steve still has a few shirts to distribute.  Please contact him for yours.

There are still opportunities for helping out with the Waterloo fireworks popping on the 2nd.  Contact Steve if you can help.  We need workers for the 2nd shift especially.

Rod Hamer stepped in and gave an excellent presentation on the American Red Cross and their work both locally and nationwide.  Thanks to Rod for a great job !

Reece suggested we spend some time at our business meetings labeling bags for Kettle Corn. After last Sunday that suggestion definitely deserves serious consideration.

Next week will be our business meeting - our greeter is the one and only Larry Loenser !

Have your best week ever and enjoy a safe and happy holiday !!

Jim

Reminder to Board Members - Board meeting at J's at 6:30 on the 5th.

A final thought - "if you take a 5th on the 4th you may not come 4th on the 5th". 
(Don't blame me - I heard it on WHO radio.)

Kiwanis, UNICEF Team Up on Tetanus Project

We made it into the Courier on July 3, 2011. Last Wednesday Karyn Spory, a Courier reporter, had breakfast with us so that she could learn about the Rough Risers. Here is the article that reflects her findings:

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- After more than 30 years of service, the Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers are probably best known for their kettle corn.

But a new national project with UNICEF getting under way soon likely will shed light on some of the Rough Risers' other projects.

Kiwanis International and UNICEF are teaming up to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus, a disease that kills nearly 60,000 infants each year, according to the organization's website. The goal is to wipe out the problem by 2015, an initiative that will require $110 million.

Rough Risers President Jim Larson said the group will begin their Eliminate Project later this summer once the new administration takes over. For now the club will focus on local service projects.

Cindy Hahn, one of the directors, said "Rough Risers are doers. This club is hands-on rather than just donation. Our motto is, 'We build,'" she said.

Recent projects included shelters for the Cedar Valley Youth Soccer Complex, picnic tables at George Wyth State Park, renovations at the Cedar Falls Ice House and Habitat For Humanity building projects.

"Not only did we build shelters at the soccer complex, but we also built shelters at the Hartman Reserve Nature Center," Secretary Treasurer Gil Hewett said.

She favors the construction efforts but other initiatives are important, too.
 "I don't think it makes much difference which it is because people are working together and I think that's what's important," she said.


The club is always receptive to adding members. The Rough Risers meet at 6:30 a.m. every Wednesday at the Clarion Motel on University Avenue for a buffet style breakfast and a little work.

"It's a great organization," Larson said. "You get to know each other and get to do things within the community."

Enhanced by Zemanta

Rough Risers Donate to UNICEF to Fight Tetanus

Click article to enlarge
Rough Risers fight maternal and neonatal tetanus through donations.

Kiwanis and UNICEF team up on an International Tetanus Project.

Click the article to enlarge it.

Friday, June 3, 2011

My Waterloo Days Changing Venue

My Waterloo Days are an important part of our popping schedule.  This article talks about how they are experimenting with a new location. 

Look at the last word in the article to see how engrained Kiwanis has become in this event.

Click on the article to enlarge it.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Meeting Minutes from Prez Jim - 6/1/11


We had another excellent turnout - I counted 27 plus 1 guest.

A welcome to Doug Nefzer a guest and prospective member.  Doug was a guest of Dean Dryer. Doug is married with 2 children and is the Business Director for CF  Schools.

Congratulations to the Jerry and Jane Slykhuis and to Ned and Ruth  Ratekin on their anniversary's.

Happy Birthday to Roger and Michael.

Gil reported the 4th Street Cruise popping contributed $ 1,300 to the Savings Account.

He also reported 19 Rough Risers were there working.

We need participation from ALL to meet our manpower needs for Waterloo  
Days.  We will pop our Kettlecorn in Waterloo Expo Park on 
  • Thursday 10 - midnight
  • Friday      10 - midnight
  • Saturday  10 - midnight
  • Sunday    10 - 5:00
If you have some time please give Steve a call.

The Board, at yesterdays meeting, agreed to contribute $ 100 to the Back to 
the School project and $ 200 to The Healthy Cedar Valley Coalition.  These 
donations had not been previously budgeted.

Jane requested that when you schedule a speaker you give her the mailing 
address so she can send a Thank You card.

Sue discussed the Kiwanis International Eliminate project that will be  
kicked off next month.  The objective of this project is to eliminate 
maternal  and neonatal tetanus. For more on this go to   

We will no doubt be involved with this project in the coming year(s).

Our greeter next week is Marv Heller and our program will focus on the  
Waterloo Market.

By the way, Rod has put together and impressive line-up for June: 
  • CF Lutheran Home on the 15th 
  • The Girl Scouts on the 22nd 
  • Strengthening Families (an Extension Program) on the 29th.
Have Your Best Week Ever - see you at the Rough Risers' kettlecorn tent in Waterloo.

Jim

Monday, May 30, 2011

Meeting Notes - May 25, 2011


I can not believe any club has the quality of programs that we do.  Today was no exception with a presentation regarding the Bashay School in Tanzania.  Our presenters were Donna Baumgartner and Idrissah Mshana.

This Saturday we will be popping for the 4th Street Cruise.  We start  at 10:30 in front of the Blacks Building.

Thank You's were received from Habitat for our work on the house on Lane Street and from Elizabeth Wilson recipient of our John Scott  Scholarship.

Sign Up has started for My Waterloo Days Kettle Corn popping.  We have  our work cut out for us as we will be in operation Thursday (2nd) through Sunday (5th). Thursday, Friday and Saturday are 12 hour days (11:00 - 11:00) 
so  there will be 4 shifts on those days.  We need everyone to participate !

Next week will be our business meeting - our greeter is Roger Hazen.

Have Your Best Week Ever !!

Jim

REMINDER - Board meeting at J's on May 31 - 6:30.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

To Write Love on Her Arms at Kiwanis

We were fortunate to have Jamie Harthoor and Keegan Strabala come to breakfast this morning to share their group, To Write Love on Her Arms UNI (TWLOHA-UNI). TWLOHA is a non-profit organization dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.

Jamie Harthoorn is the president of the UNI TWLOHA organization and she told us of their weekly meetings on Mondays at 9:00 PM. They are trying to build a support community for people who have problems with their lives. They aren't doctors or certified counselors, but they work to be available to talk with people and refer them to counseling and support resources as they need them.

The reason that I invited TWLOHA to share in our meeting was because this is an organization that works with life-changing problems. While they meet face-to-face weekly, one of the organization's strengths is that it available on-line, face-to-face, over the phone or any way that they need to connect with people who need help. This group is making a difference in the world (or at least the worlds of those in need of help) and they work to support organizations who provide support.  They say that when they sell t-shirts, their proceeds all go to the Pathways Behavioral Services counseling center in Waterloo.

They shared a video newscast that explained the background of TWLOHA.


To Write Love On Her Arms UNI has their own FaceBook group. If you are interested in getting involved, check their group to get the latest information about the group.

What do you think?

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Meeting Minutes from Prez Jim - 4/6/11

Activity is really ramping up:

Workers are needed for the Kiwanis Evening Club Waffle Day on the 16th. We are working on the Habitat House - April 6 and 9/May 13 and 14. Follow up is being done to wrap up the Kettle Corn Sponsor Project - need dollars and logos

We will be popping for Price Lab and Southdale on the 29th (only the Rough Risers can be in two places at one time)

We are coordinating with the Circle "K" Club to provide final week gift packages for 18 "aged out" foster students at Wartburg, Hawkeye and UNI. Note: we may be taking a collection for this at our next meeting.

Shirts have been ordered - thanks to Steve for his work.

A proposal is being put together and will be presented at the Council Meeting at Friendship Village on the 12th regarding our Kettle Corn participation in the August Air Show.

The membership committee is working on a brochure for recruitment.

The Kettle Corn Committee is investigating the purchase of a trailer for storing our supplies.

The Scholarship Committee has a Cedar Falls High recipient for our scholarship. That will be presented on May 17.

There will be an Inter-Club visit to Waverly on the 11th.

As you can see we have a lot of items on our plate - we need everyone to step forward and participate to make all of this work.

Congratulations to Gery Deaver and Tony Reid - elected to serve on the 2011/2012 Board and thereafter until "death do they part".

We have an individual who has expressed interest in the President- Elect position. Reece has indicated he would be willing to serve if needed.

As you will note the April 6 meeting was a business meeting. I feel a lot of progress was made in getting projects either off the ground or completed.

Mary Schlicher from the evening club was in attendance and asked for our help with their project.

A warm welcome back to Michael Davidson !

Reece is our greeter for the April 13 meeting.

Jim

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Meeting Minutes from Prez Jim - 3/30/11

Marv reminded everyone of our work project at the Habitat House on the 9th. We will be working on the roof.

There will be a signup at our next meeting relative to that work day as well as one on the 6th.

If you can help with the evening club Waffle Day on the 16th please contact Mary Schlicher (277-7708). I know it would be appreciated.

A warm welcome to Michael Davidson who was a "guest" of Marion's.

Congratulation to Jim and Martha Paprocki on their 25th anniversary.

WE NEED to find a place to store Kettle Corn supplies. Please give this serious thought.

Thanks to Dennis - Witham Auto is a Kettle Corn sponsor !

Our program was presented by three Presidential Scholars from UNI. Their special project was raising funds for the purchase of books for a 4th grade class room at Edison School. I noted that several Rough Risers added to their fund raising efforts on a personal basis.

If you would like to participate please go to UBS and ask about the "Opportunity to Achieve" project.

Next week will be our business meeting as well as elections. Remember we will be electing two board members and a President-Elect.

Our greeter is Dennis Bergeson.

Have your best week ever !

Jim

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Meeting Minutes from Prez Jim - 3/23/11

Numbers were down - but everything else was great.

We had an interesting program presented by Wendy Knapp from Goodwill.

Goodwill is short on product so if you are doing some Spring cleaning or even if you are not they would be grateful for any and all donations.

Marv requested that those of us who can reserve April 6 for some work on our Habitat project. This work would be done prior to our roofing work on the 9th.

If you have not given Steve your shirt size please get in touch with him.

Elections are coming up April 6 - two board members and a President-Elect.

The CF Evening Club needs help for their Waffle Day fundraiser. If you have some time on the 16th please contact Mary Schlicher (277-7708).

A reminder the 4-H breakfast is this Saturday at the UAW Hall. This is an excellent breakfast and for a very worthy cause (I am a former 4-H member so I can attest to their work).

Our program next Wednesday will feature Brittney Betzer from Team TLC. Our greeter is Lynn Barnes.

Have your best week!!

Jim

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Meeting Minutes from Prez Jim - 3/16/11

Things are really picking up!

April 9 we will be roofing the Habitat house. There will be work to do a day or so prior to that date and probably after.

May 14 we will installing siding. This will also require some work prior to and after. Please reserve these dates.

The CF evening club needs help for their Waffle Day project on April 16. If you can help please contact Mary Schlicher.

On April 2 we will be electing two Board members and hopefully a President-Elect (we need a volunteer). If you do not want to serve on the Board please contact Susan Loy.

Larry announced the 4-H breakfast will be March 26 at the UAW Hall - tickets are only $ 6.00. Please try to support if you can.

Speaking of Larry we wish him a happy birthday (18th).

As mentioned before the directories are available and can be picked up at a meeting.

Leigh recommended the Rough Risers consider a donation to the KI International Japanese Relief Fund. The board will consider at our meeting on April 5.

Christine Carpenter, Chair of the Healthy CV Coalition, gave a presentation on the work their group is involved with. A project she would like our participation in is to provide funds for stickers for children attending the weekly Farmers Market in Waterloo. The HCVC is coordinating programs for children at the Market site.

This will also be a board agenda item.

Our program next week will feature Wendy Knapp from Goodwill. Our greeter will need some help in being enthusiastic - Leigh Zeitz.

Have your best week ever!

Jim

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Meeting Minutes from Prez Jim - 3/9/11

We certainly had a room full today!

There were 25/26 attending from the Rough Risers, 4 from Circle "K" and 3 from the Waterloo Easy Risers Club.

A welcome back to Ned and Leigh.

The buffet was exceptionally good - this feature has been a real plus to our meetings.

The Easy Risers had tickets available for their pancake breakfast on the 26th. Their event is from 6:30 to 11:00 at the Central Christian Church -3475 Kimball. I would assume most Rough Risers will be there at 6:30 since we are used to that hour.

They are also very interested in working with us on the Air Show Kettle Corn project.

Happy anniversary to the Schillings on their anniversary (9th).

Steve indicated the b-calm units had been delivered. We will be getting a report back sometime in late May or early June.

Jerry reported we were at the $ 15,000 mark in sponsorships. Work is continuing on a proposal for the Air Show.

Phil passed out the 2011 directory. It looks great! Thanks to Cindy, Phil and the PR Committee on an excellent job.

Marv has been working with Habitat on updating a home. Please mark your calendar for April 7, 8 and 9 for the roofing portion and May 13 and 14 for the siding portion.

Steve presented samples of shirts with the objective of taking orders as well as picking the color. The color chosen by a large majority was blue. If you have not already done so please email Steve with your shirt size, as we need to get the order in so as to lock in a very good price. Steve's email is hardst@hotmail.com

Our program was presented by Kathy Berns/DHS Transition Planning Specialist and Janessa Lee a UNI Student who was in the foster program.

Our board will consider preparing finals week care packages for the UNI students who were in foster care. This may be a project we can do jointly with Circle "K".

We have an exciting line up of programs for the rest of March: 16th Christine Carpenter with the Healthy Cedar Valley Coalition 23rd, Wendy Knapp with Goodwill 30th Brittney Betzer with Team TLC (Brittney is a UNI Presidential Scholar)

Our greeter next week is Jeff Wollum.

One of the real assets of the Rough Risers is that so many pitch in so the work is evenly distributed. This strength will be much needed as we move into April and beyond.

Have your best week ever!!

Jim

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Meeting Minutes from Prez Jim - 3/2/11

Finally we had time for committee meetings. It appeared there were a lot of plans being discussed involving the future of the club.

Looking forward to reports on progress made at our meeting next week.

A happy birthday to Dean.

We had a lot of workers for the Lincoln School popping. A thank you to Jeff for allowing us to use his garage even though he would not allow us to cut a vent in his ceiling.

Jane is putting together plans for an inter-club in Waverly. This will be sometime in April.

Tim's committee is working on a project for Kiwanis One Day. It most likely will not be on April 2 but it is a very worthwhile project. More on this next week.

Circle "K" is involved with several projects and though small is very active. We appreciate the work Greg and Alan Carnetzki are doing with Circle "K".

Steve reported that the Cedar Falls Schools will gladly utilize the b- calm units we purchased.

Steve also presented some choices for Rough Riser's shirts we can purchase from Kohl's.

We had an excellent turn out with once again a great buffet.

Next weeks program will feature Kathy Barrons who will be discussing college age foster children and how we can help.

Our greeter is no stranger to the role of greeting - Stan Whelchel.

Have your best week ever!

Jim

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Meeting Minutes from Prez Jim - 2/10/11

Business is picking up - we will be popping for Lincoln School - probably on the 25th at the Cattle Congress.

An application is being submitted for My Waterloo Days, this year it will be a four day event for us.

We will be filing an application to appear in the Sturgis Parade - thank you Jeff.

Thanks to an excellent program from representatives from Habitat we may have a project we can center around the Kiwanis One Day program.

We, again, had an excellent buffet breakfast. Our turn out was very good - especially considering the sub-zero weather and the program was excellent and informative.

Those working on Kettle Corn sponsorships need to be winding up their work. We will need to update our advertising so as to be ready for the popping season.

We wish Greg a Happy Birthday (9th) and a Happy Anniversary to the Wollum's (8th).

Next week's program will feature David Loy discussing everyone's favorite topic - taxes. Our greeter will be Marion Thompson.

Have your best week ever!

Jim

Monday, February 7, 2011

Up with Families Weekend Needs Volunteers.

Looking for a way to serve the community?

Up with Families is looking for volunteers to help run their annual weekend event.  This event will happen on April 9 and 10. It is a retreat for familise who have a child or children with disabilities to get away together as a family.  It is a time to have fun and relax.

They need 150 volunteers.

Assignments:
Set-Up: Friday April 8 from 3:30 - 7:00 PM
Saturday Shifts:  8:00 - 4:00 (High Need and Free Lunch); 5:00 - 11:00 pm
Sunday Shifts: 9:00 - noon
Tear Down: Noon - 2:30 pm

Interested? Contact Ronda Eick at iaeick5@yahoo.com or 319-404-5943. 
Monetary donations are welcomed and can be sent to: Exceptional Persons Inc, CARE-Up With Families, 760 Ansborough Avenue, PO Box 4090, Waterloo, IA 50704-4090. 

See you there!!!!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Creating a Kiwanis Blog/Website Workshop

The Nebrasks-Iowa Kiwanis District is celebrating the 2011 Midyear Conference in Ankeny, IA. This event will be held at the FFA (Future Farmers of America) Enrichment Center. It is unique that this site has a number of computer labs and which will enable us to have a variety of computer-based presentations.

Leigh Zeitz will be teaching a workshop on how Kiwanis clubs can use Blogger to create their websites.


Blogger is an online blog-publishing service owned by Google. A blog is used to easily post information on the Internet. It is usually used for creating a blog, but there is so much more information that can be arranged along with the blog postings to make a useful and professional-looking club website. This Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers website that you are viewing now, has been created using Blogger.


This posting is designed to provide a series of resources that you can use to create your own club website:

These resources should provide you with a good foundation for your website. If you use these resources to create your club's website, please post the URL for it as a comment below.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Using Tech Tools to Enhance Your Club's Connections

Leigh Zeitz presents a social technologies session at the Nebrasks-Iowa Kiwanis District is celebrating the 2011 Midyear Conference in Ankeny, IA. 
Here is an overview of the topics discussed as well as links to the slideshow and an article about the topic.
Your club's communication can be enhanced using the today's technology. All of these solutions are free and relatively simple to use:
  • Email - This connection can be as simple as using email to distribute minutes from each meeting. It's simple and efficient.
  • Google Groups - Create a distribution list for your club that all of the members can use.
  • Blog - You can make a professional-looking club website using an online blog-hosting website.
  • Club Calendar - You can use Google Calendar to manage the calendar on your website's calendar. You can add a meeting on your personal calendar on your computer and it will appear on your website.
  • Google Docs - Work collaboratively with your committee members. Four members can all work on the same document because it is posted on the web for all to see and use.
  • Watch Google Docs in Plain English to learn the concept in 3 minutes.
  • Google Forms - Use Google Docs to create online forms that make it easy to add information in an online spreadsheet. 
  • Twitter - Here is a handy way to communicate with your club quickly and easily. It will only work if your members follow each others' tweets, but it can be a way to learn more about your Kiwanis friends.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Meeting Minutes from Prez Jim - 1/26/11

We had a great turn out for our meeting with a very timely and informative program.

The buffet we had for breakfast was great. We hope this can continue.

We had two guests from the CF School Board - Susan Lantz (sp) and Jim Kenyon.

Leigh and Kathy will be celebrating their 30th on January 31.

Lincoln School has asked us to provide Kettle Corn for their Fun Day on February 26.

The directory for 2011 is nearly ready for printing.

We received Thank You's from Quakerdale and the Boys and Girls Club.

Our program was conducted by Dr. Davis Stoakes, Superintendent of the CF Schools. The topic focused on the February 1 Option Tax vote. There was a lot of interest and several good questions were presented and answered.

Programs like this make our Kiwanis meetings the best. Thanks to Steve for setting this up.

Steve, Tim, Jim and Stan attended the Waterloo noon club meeting on the 25th. We were certainly made to feel welcome. Additional contacts were made as it relates to our participating in the August Air Show.

Jane is planning more inter-club visits. When possible please try to attend.

February 2 will be our business meeting. Our greeter will be Greg Stefanich.

See you then and have your best week ever!

Jim

Reminder - Board Meeting on Feb. 1 at J's - 6:30

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Meeting Minutes from Prez Jim - 1/12/11

We had a great meeting, attendance and program. The breakfast wasn't bad except (where's the hash ?).

We agreed to send $200 to the Boys/Girls Club earlier than our normal dates for making contributions.

Jane passed around a sign-up sheet for an inter-club at the Elk's Club on the 25th. We need at least four to make it official. This is the Club sponsoring the Air Show. It would be a good opportunity to gain some additional information on this project.

Thanks to Jane for putting this together.

A brief discussion was held relative to putting together a proposal for our Kettle Corn participation at this event. The K"corn committee is meeting on the 13th to start the process.

It is possible this could be a joint venture with other Kiwanis Clubs.

We had an interesting program presented by representatives from Quakerdale.

Our next meeting will feature Dean Dwight Watson from the UNI College of Education. Our greeter is Neal Schilling.

I will be out of town - Steve Harding will be presiding.

Have your best week !

Jim

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Meeting Minutes from Prez Jim - 1/5/11

We had quite a meeting !

Tim Jones has a birthday on the 7th.

Gil gave the Treasurer's report. The report was so positive Gov. Branstad is looking to the Rough Riser's for budgetary advice.

Dean reported that Simpson Furniture has agreed to a $1,500 sponsorship. We will popping Kettle Corn for their Sidewalk days on June 11.

We still have names to contact for sponsorships. If you are willing contact Dean or Jerry. Last reminder, you have an opportunity to go to a Kiwanis Council meeting on the 11th. Give me a call if you are interested.

Also, MidYear Conference on the 29th.

Bruce Clark and Roger Pease from the Waterloo Kiwanis Club made a presentation regarding their upcoming project - "Thunder in the Valley Air Show". This will be quite an event - anticipated attendance is in the 70,000 range. The dates are August 28 and 29.

We are hoping to sell Kettle Corn and provide other help as is needed.

Our program schedule for January is as follows:

January 11 Tim Lyon/Lalaine Rabary from Quakerdale
January 19 Dean Dwight Watson College of Education, UNI
January 26 Leigh Zeitz "How to Work Your Phone"

Thanks to Leigh for setting this up and also, a special thanks for setting up the Power Point for the "Air Show" presentation.

Our greeter next week is Mr. Dalton Plumbing - Tom Reisetter.

Have your best week ever !

Jim

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Notes from the Prez - 1/1/2011

Happy New Year to all Rough Risers !!

It is hard to believe we are already three months into our Kiwanis year.

Sponsorships for Kettle Corn are moving forward very well - over $ 11,000 in or committed.

Plans are being put together for interclub visits during the next few months.

Our Rough Riser's directory is scheduled for the end of the month.

One area we have not touched on is mentoring.  This is one of the focus areas for Kiwanis this year.  I would strongly encourage you to volunteer in this important project.  I have had that opportunity for a little over a year.  I hope my young man has benefited half as much as I have.

An area we need to continually focus on is getting new members.  Our objective for this year is 5 new members. Through the first 3 months we have not added anyone and in fact, I believe, we have only had one visitor.  We have a lot to sell - but, as Dean stated in relating to  Sponsorships if we don't ask we will not get the order.

Remember the MidYear Council Conference in Ankeny on January 29.

Have your best month ever !!

Jim