Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Coach Peterson Aces her Presentation for the Rough Risers

Wednesday, September 27, 2017 - The Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers had the honor of a visit from UNI's Women's Volleyball leader, Coach Bobbi Peterson. Coach Peterson is nationally-ranked in the NCAA Top 25. The Iconic Coach Peterson told us about their grueling 2017 season and talked about her roster of players who really step up to the challenge.  

Coach Bobbi put her team's best feat forward by sharing that her players were not only successful on the court but they are to be "reckoned with" in the classroom as well. They boast an average GPA of 3.4.

Bobbi said that 14 of her 15 players come from the great state of Iowa and she has welded the Panthers into a well-oiled machine. She mentioned a Panther player from Sumner, Iowa, Jadlin Seehase, whose hard hitting heavy arm, has spiked many an opponent team into their own “ARMageddon!” 

Having a Top 25 nationally-ranked court prowess is one thing, but Coach Peterson made it clear that she wants her players to succeed off the court as well. She encourages them to give back to the community through volunteering and engaging in service projects to help kids such as Special Olympics, Boys & Girls Clubs and the like.  Earlier this year, the team went on a NCAA-sanctioned mission trip to Nicaragua to do volunteer work and to learn from a different culture.  They also played against an international team on a concrete court in front of international fans.  This was an opportunity to experience some unique situations.  

This presentation brought new perspectives to the Lady Panthers.  Thank you, Coach Bobbi.  Written by Lynn Barnes

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Our Rough Risers Honors Banquet is Thursday, Oct 5 @ 6:00


Don't miss our OUT with the OLD and IN with the NEW 2017 Honors Banquet next week.

We will be thanking our esteemed leader for the 2016-2017 Kiwanis year, Alan Czarnetzki.  Thank you, Alan for your leadership and guidance as our Kiwanis club has had an extremely successful year.

We will also be welcoming our new president, Tim Jones.  Tim has been an active vice-president who has lead our Kettlecorn activities along with many other projects throughout the year.

When: Thursday, October 5 @ 6:00
Where: Clarion Hotel


NO - Kiwanis Meeting on Wed, October 4.

YES - Kiwanis Board Meeting on Tuesday, October 3

See You at the Banquet!!

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Coach Green Shares the Latest from the UNI Gridiron

Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - Coach Kyle Green, the Associate Head Coach of the UNI Men’s Basketball team, joined us to share stories about the UNI Men's Basketball program - past, present and future. He gave us insight on how they prepare for games - physically and mentally. 

Coach Green emphasized that basketball isn't the only game in town.  They stress  academics first and basketball second.  This resulted in a league topper overall player average of 3.0 GPA. 

Another way that they unify the team is to work together to develop leadership and collaboration skills.  Last season they required each team member to read and discuss a sports book, Legacy. This book is about how a New Zealand Rugby Team developed a winning culture and leadership both on and off the game floor.  These are the philosophies that they wanted the team to exhibit.

The mindset involved taking responsibility for their surroundings and to leave it better than they found it.  Taking such responsibility paid dividends better in hustle up the floor, rebounding skills, nutrition, free throws, stronger physically and mental capacity.

Coach Green talked about how he scouts future Panther Ballplayers and what talents he especially looks for to enhance the team. He looks for potential players who they can develop to for future successful seasons.  The NCAA rules only allow each school to offer 13 full time scholarships each year, so he has to very selective to whom he offers them too.  Written by Lynn Barnes and Leigh Zeitz

It was an interesting presentation and we are glad that Coach Green joined us. 

BTW, Why are Panther Athletics so cool?  😎😎    
            Because they have so many fans.     


OUCH!! 😏

Sunday, September 17, 2017

Improving Cedar Valley's Students' Financial Skills through the Job Foundation


Jennifer  Corey-Brost
Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - The entire world is a business and one of the areas where many students are lacking is the understanding of the complexities of consumerism and personal finances.  We must all be wise stewards of our accumulation of personal wealth and how to handle it properly to prevent foolish aforethought.  Money is usually the culprit of most in-family stress when there is a shortage crisis.  Where do young people get that first-hand information on business and personal finances and get the expertise prior to entering the real world of macro and micro economics?  
Darvel  Givens

One answer to that question came to our last Kiwanis meeting to explain the JOB Foundation. Jennifer Corey- Brost, founder and executive director of the foundation began by providing the history and organization of the program. Darvel Givens, program coordinator, shared some of the specifics about the program and its impact on Cedar Valley children. Each of these leaders has earned a Masters of Business Administration and it has been useful as they work with young people and teach them how they can avoid money pitfalls and achieve lifetime financial success. They also concentrate on how they can become contributing citizens who improve their respective communities. Many of our club members wished a similar student organization was available when they were young; since they had to learn it from the school of hard knocks.  Written by Lynn Barnes

It was an enlightening experience to learn about the JOB Foundation and we wish them the best fortune in working with local children.

Monday, September 11, 2017

When is it YOUR Time to Greet?

shaking hands image

Every Wednesday morning you are greeted with a grinning Kiwanian shaking your hand as you enter our Kiwanian Cove in preparation for another wonderful breakfast with friends.

The question is "When is it My Turn?"

Here is Duty Roster for the rest of 2017.  You will notice that there is no meeting on October 4 but we have identified our hosts for the rest of the meetings.

Saturday, September 9, 2017

September Sports Some Real Winners!

September will be another exciting month of programs for the Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers.  We will hear from two UNI coaches and one financial coach.  It should be a month-long motivating experience.

September 6 - Club Business Meeting



September 13 - Jennifer Brost, Founder of The Job Foundation, will share how their program is teaching financial responsibility to under-privileged children in the Cedar Valley.








September 20 - Kyle Green, Associate Head Coach for the UNI Men's Basketball team, will give us his outlook for this year's UNI basketball team and discuss future recruits.




September 27 - Bobbi Petersen, Head Coach for the UNI Volleyball team, will share her unique perspective on leading the winning volleyball team for 18 seasons.  Having spurred her players to win seven Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles, eight MVC tournament crowns and make two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances, she should have an interesting story to tell. 






Here's How Kiwanians Can and Do Help Hurricane Relief

Kiwanians Help!

Here is information about how you can donate to the Hurricane Relief cause:


Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Our Sponsors Make Us Stronger

Our Kiwanis Rough Risers are making a difference in the Cedar Valley.  We sell kettle corn to support our donations, but we also have the support of our 23 incredible sponsors this year.

This past year, we were proud to have received almost $14,000 in cash and in-kind donations.

Show your support of our sponsors by frequenting their businesses. Thank them for their sponsorship to enable our donations to benefit the community.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Steven Dust Tells Us What's Happening in Cedar Valley

Wednesday, August 30, 2017 - Steve Dust, the CEO of the Greater Cedar Valley Alliance and Chamber was our speaker at our last Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers Club meeting held at the Clarion Inn here in Cedar Falls. Steve gave an excellent presentation on how he and the other business/education/ technology/industry leaders promote the Cedar Valley to welcome more economic growth and development to settle their business here.  

An interesting aspect of Steve's presentation was his ability to share how their approach has evolved over the years. For generations, the emphasis has been on
 Tractors – Teachers – Technology 
to lure new facilities to locate in this rich marketplace.  However a new paradigm has emerged for new wave thinking that is now 
Talent – Technology – Transformation 
to fulfill business needs in the future to promote job growth and economic development.  

Our Cedar Valley area is rich with amenities, talent, and schools of higher learning to prepare students to fill jobs today for new industry.  Repurposed and transformed buildings will still hold onto our past; but they can be refurbished for more modern utility for our modern needs.  Our fiber optic broadband network is an excellent selling point for digitized companies to settle here.  

We will invite Steve to come back again in the near future and give us another talk on more advanced areas of his experience.  Written by Lynn Barnes

Friday, September 1, 2017

September Programs are Bodacious!!

September 6 - Club Business Meeting

September 13 - Abby TurpinKWWL News Anchor, will discuss her background and explore her ideas about the role of news in today's world.







September 20- Vickie Robinson, Associate Provost for Educator Preparation, will discuss the direction of UNI's Educator Preparation program. 










Bobbi Peterson, UNI Volleyball Head Coach, will talk bout the upcoming volleyball season. Should be a challenging one.