Our Kiwanis Rough Risers website has been online since January 2009. It has been a wonderful communication tool for us to share what we have been doing for the past 10 years.
The topics have included a wide variety of content. The most popular topic has involved spotlighting our weekly programs. At the beginning of each month, I post a list of programs that we can expect to enjoy. Weekly, we post a photo and a description of what our presenter shared. I must admit that this has been regularly done only in the past five years with the assistance of Lynn Barnes and Dan Conklin. (Thanks, Guys)
These pages also share an on-going record of periodic events, annual donations to youth organizations, commercial sponsors of our club, kettlecorn poppings, service projects, new member initiations, conference involvement, and remembrances of members who have passed on. (Click each topic to see a collection of postings in that area.)
A Digital Scrapbook
The more that I have developed our website, the more I have realized that it contains the ongoing narrative for our club. These are the stories that give our organization meaning. These tales share our accomplishments and portray our beliefs and vision. The challenge is to capture this characterization as thoroughly as possible.Recently, I have expanded the scope of our website to include postings that include historical events going back to our original charter in 1980. We began by prospecting through physical scrapbooks over the years so that we can scan newspaper articles onto the pages of our chronicle (Thanks, Lynn and Stan).
I wanted to expand our database of history so this summer, I subscribed to newspapers.com to enable me to search the archives of the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier for articles about the famous (sometimes infamous) Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers. I have been fortunate enough to find over 35 articles spanning the past 39 years which I have included in our historical narrative. I learned a great deal in reviewing these historical documents. Here are some of the events I uncovered (along with links to their postings):
- Rough Risers donated Cedar Falls Library's first computer - Apple IIe (1985)
- Our Newspaper Recycling Bins were set Ablaze by Middle School Students (1982 & 1986)
- Camp Fire Members Recycled Paper with Rough Risers (1987)
- Rough Risers were Rechartered in 1984.
- Rough Risers Funded and Rebuilt the Ice House Balcony (1985)
- Rough Risers were the First to Offer $$ and Labor to Renovate the Train Bridge for the El Dorado Trail. (1986)
Along the way, I decided to identify the many historical postings that were uncovered through research with the label, History. Click Here to see most of them.
BUT WAIT A MINUTE!!! The search doesn't end here. The richest source of stories lies within your hearts. You are the living proof that the Rough Risers make a difference in the community and we would love to hear your stories. Here is what YOU can do to expand our historical record:
BUT WAIT A MINUTE!!! The search doesn't end here. The richest source of stories lies within your hearts. You are the living proof that the Rough Risers make a difference in the community and we would love to hear your stories. Here is what YOU can do to expand our historical record:
- Read through our Digital Scrapbook
- If you have more to add to a posting, enter them into the Comments box below. Tell the story as you remember it and add your name at the end.
- If you have further ideas that you want to share, send an email to Leigh Zeitz (zeitz@uni.edu) to tell him of your memories of the event.
This is where we can share our history so people will better know who we are and what we represent. Help tell our story . . .
Leigh Zeitz
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