Erica Scullin: 2009 CF High School Scholarship Winner

Erica Scullin was named the CF High School scholarship winner for 2009.  A valedictorian of her graduating class, she is attending UNI with a medical degree in her future plans.  She is committed to the Cedar Valley and hopes
to contribute her skills and abilities to the area in the future.

Erica is pictured here with the vice-president, Susan Loy.

September Updates

This has been a productive summer and September looks to be just as busy. Here is what is on the docket:

Programs:
9/9 - Designer Genes Down Syndrome Group
9/16 - Betty Zeman, CFU - July storm cleanup and CF Trees Grant Program
9/23 - Doug Christensen - CV Soccer Association
9/30 - Pete Olsen, CFU - Energy incentives and wind turbines.

Kettle Corn Popping Dates:
9/20 - Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, set-up at 12:30p on the grounds
Next Month:
10/9 - Hansen Elementary School PTA
10/10 - Cedar Falls Wal-Mart for Circle K

News:
Cedar Valley Youth Soccer storage building is complete!
Cedar Valley Youth Soccer weather shelter is in progress—still needs some siding, soffit, fascia, ceiling. Check with Marv about work dates, as he has jury duty.

Circle K:
First meeting 9/9 at 5:30. Leigh will attend first meeting.

Coming Up:
Incoming Club President Sue Loy and a work group are examining our committee structure and will recommend some changes. You may be asked to serve on a new committee.

New Member:
Welcome to our new member, Jane Harding.

Thank You:
Thank our departing Board members, Phil Hufferd and Travis Duncan, who just attended their last Board meeting, at least until they get elected again sometime!

Rough Risers Experience Second Life

Our Kiwanis club made a new friend through the Web, Thynka Little (AKA  LuAnn Phillips.) Club member, Member  Leigh Zeitz, a University of Northern Iowa instructional technology professor, introduced Second Life to his fellow Rough Risers Kiwanis Club members. This was an opportunity for our club to enjoy a program that was technically broadcast from Vermont, but was set in the virtual world of Second Life.

Thynka Little took us on a tour of her island where she taught farmers about pesticide and various skills that they would want to learn in her extension courses that she taught through Second Life. She said that some of her farmer students were hesitent about learning in a virtual world at first but most of them found that it was a useful and instructional medium through which to work.

The best part was the thank you gift that we gave Thynka Little at the end. Traditionally, the Kiwanis Rough Risers gives their presenters a Rough Risers coffee mug or golf balls. This time, we gave our presenter a virtual Rough Risers coffee mug for her to use while drinking her virtual coffee on her virtual island. 😉

Click here to read the WHOLE story.

Shelters Going Up at the Soccer Complex

The Kiwanians are at it again. Last Saturday, August 15, the Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers and a team from Cedar Falls Kohl's began building a shelter for the Cedar Valley Soccer Complex. This is the 4th shelter that the club has built for the complex. Unlike the other wall-less weather shelters they built before, this walled shelter was created to house equipment and supplies.

The workers began at 8:00 AM and spent most of the day measuring, cutting, hammering and laughing. This project is the joining together of master craftsmen and those who are less experienced but willing to swing a hammer or carry a board.

This shelter is one of 9 shelters that the club has committed to completing. They built 2 shelters last summer and still have another weather shelter to build this summer. The two shelters that were built this year were funded through two grants: one from John Deere and another through the Blackhawk Gaming Commission.

Enjoy more photos at Michael Davidson's photo site.

Pounding away.

Our craftsman leader, Marv Heller

The shelter after one day of work. The workers continued to build throughout the following week.

Activities for July 2009

July will be filled with interesting programs:

• July 7—Larry Busch, Human Rights Commission
• July 15—Dick Hensley, Radon
• July 22—Dr Schofield, Chiropractic Care
• July 29—Tyler and Paul Greene, unique Eagle Scout project

We will sell Kettle Corn on:

• July 4 - Waterloo Fireworks - 4th St, Waterloo
• July 17-18 College Hill Arts Festival, UNI

Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers Launches Blog

In our on-going effort to stay current and keep the group/public informed, the Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers club has launched a blog. We intend to use this blog to:

• keep you informed of the latest in upcoming events and activities,
• share when and where we will be selling kettle corn,
• feature our speakers and their organizations and
• provide general information that will be useful to our membership.

Kiwanis Rough Risers Donate to "Dollars for Scholars"

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Kiwanis Rough Risers Donate to "Dollars for Scholars" to support student scholarships.

Rough Risers Aid Flood Relief

Rough Risers Help with Sandbagging Against the Cedar River Flood

The river was rising but the people were shoveling.  It was a grueling experience but it demonstrated how people can rally together to confront a shared disaster.  People from all over Cedar Valley, Iowa and even the nation came together to fill sandbags to build walls to protect our city.  Rough Risers could be seen shoveling sand both day and night. Unfortunately, the article below doesn’t mention the Kiwanis Rough Risers specifically, it provides an accurate description of the event.

Click here to read the rest of the story

Hansen School Thanks Rough Risers for Support

Rough Risers Raise 1000s Selling Kettle Corn

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Over 3 years, Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers has contributed more than $30,000 to the CV Community using funds raised by selling kettlecorn.  Read the article for specifics.

Rough Risers Raise $1000s Selling Kettlecorn

This is a second article about how we raised $30,000 in funds.

Rough Risers Raise $30,000 for Programs in 3 Years

WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. Through selling kettlecorn and receiving contributions from businesses throughout the Cedar Valley, we have raised $30,000 over the past 3 years.  This money has been donated to multiple youth organizations or to support our work in building and renovating structures throughout the valley.

Rough Risers Kiwanis host District Governor

Kiwanis Clubs Clean Up Hartman Reserve on the First Kiwanis One Day

Click article to enlarge it.

This year is the first year of Kiwanis One Day.  What do we do on Kiwanis One Day?  - We Serve!

Our Rough Risers president, Leigh Zeitz, contacted local Kiwanis clubs and the Circle K to go to Hartman Reserve to help prepare it for the coming summer.  You can see from the clothes we are wearing in the middle of April that summer hadn't arrived yet, but that didn't slow us down.

Volunteers from Cedar Falls Kiwanis Club, Cedar Falls Rough Risers, Waterloo Noon Club and the UNI Circle K served that day by building huge piles of twigs, brush 

and logs to create refuge where wildlife can build their homes.

A great time was had by all and Kiwanis' One Day was a Success in Cedar Valley.

Rough Risers Support Troops With Boxes for Bagdad

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 - In an effort to support our troops in Bagdad, we collected materials that we mailed to the troops. Among the items sent were books, wool socks, treats, and implements for writing. Lynn Barnes headed the program. Also on the committee were Reece Conrad, Roger Hazen, and Jim Larson. They met at Sams club to purchase the treats and the wool socks. Over eight boxes were mailed before the closing date of Nov. 10th. We have not heard that they have arrived, but we will keep you updated as we receive more information.

Newly-Chartered Circle K Sell Kettlecorn at Walmart

This article indicates that the Kiwanis Circle K was chartered in 2005.  This was the first time that the Circle K service organization popped and sold kettlecorn at the Cedar Falls Walmart store.  Dr. Greg Stefanich was the advisor for the group at this time.

Rough Risers Pop Kettlecorn to Support Jamie and Jim's Kids

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It's KETTLECORN, NOT POPCORN!!!

Yes, the Rough Risers are at it again. We are popping and selling kettlecorn at WalMart to raise funds for Jaimie and Jim's Kids fund. Review this article to see the many projects we have been doing.

Rough Risers Share Kettlecorn Ambrosia Again!

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Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers are sharing the kettlecorn ambrosia with Walmart Shoppers again.  Read the article to see what we were doing in March 2005.

Rough Risers Build Access Ramps for Evil House at Rotary Reserve

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In support of the Rotary Reserve Park, the Cedar Falls Kiwanis Rough Risers built 2 30-foot ramps to provide wheelchair access to the annual haunted house.  Proceeds from the haunted house are used to support county park and recreation programs.

Lincoln Bank VP Provides Financial Advice

 

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John Elgin, VP of Lincoln Savings Bank, shared suggestions on "Outliving Your Money."

Rough Risers Popping Kettle Corn at Walmart

Kiwanis Rough Risers are at it again.  We are popping Kettlecorn at Walmart and planning to donate our proceeds to the Cedar Falls Public Library.  Is that really Steve Harding?

Mayor Jon Crews Visits Us at Joe's Country Grill

Rough Risers Make Money Selling Melons or Recycling Newspaper?

Spring, 1991 - Serving the community is not limited to building shelters or reading books to students in schools. We have always been on the search for ways to raise money that we can then donate to programs/projects in the Cedar Valley.

One of the founders, Lynn Schwandt, always had ideas on fundraising; some good and some a disaster!  One of these ideas involved selling watermelon by the slice during the Sturgis Falls Celebration. This was a good idea on the surface but it took a lot of manpower. Cutting and selling the melons wasn't too difficult, but watermelons were not too portable. Someone had to keep watch over the huge water tank full of melons all night to keep them from being stolen. Even after we figured out how to handle all of the logistical problems, the actual sales of watermelon slices were also in the tank!

The best idea that Lynn Schwandt ever came up for fundraising was recycling newspapers for making attic insulation and at a highly lucrative price of $10 a ton. Fellow members had drawn plan permits and all pitched in to build a newspaper receptacle to gather the forthcoming windfall. 

It garnered much local media attention and was it extremely successful. We even had the newspaper bin as our float at the Sturgis Falls Celebration. We put it on John Deery’s Car Lot on the corner of University and Main in Cedar Falls. It was such a gigantic hit, that we were even considering building another one to double our efforts! 

But, all good things run their course of longevity; the price for used newspaper started to decline in recycled newspapers due to oversupply. We decided to retire newspaper booths and turn our attention towards other fundraisers like selling Kettlecorn. 

C.F. Kiwanis Club Donates Funds for Ice House Lighting

This article is actually about the "Other" Kiwanis Club in Cedar Falls, but Steve Harding soon became an active member in the Rough Risers.

Camp Fire celebrates its 78th birthday with a service project joining our Rough Risers club in collecting newspapers to raise funds for the Camp Fire Bird Summer Camp and donating money to youth activities in the Cedar Valley.

Camp Fire Families Save Papers for Rough Risers

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We are most successful when we work together. Camp Fire girls to the rescue! Recognizing that the Rough Risers suffered a great loss when our newspaper bin was set ablaze last year (September 16, 1986), the Camp Fire families have volunteered to collect newspapers for our Kiwanis club so that we can raise funds to support the youth in Cedar Valley.

Rough Risers Restore Railroad Bridge on South Main

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The Rough Risers contributed 200 hours of volunteer work and a donation of more than $1.700 over three years to restore one of three train bridges on South Main.  This bridge was originally designed for trains to cross the river but now it will be used for walkers and bike riders as part of the El Dorado recreational trail.  The photo above includes Mayor Doug Sharp and Rough Risers President, Dean Primrose. (Unfortunately, this article was not properly scanned by the Courier and some of the text on the right is missing.) 

Rough Risers Complete Bridge Renovation

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The reliable Rough Risers have completed their commitment to renovate the old railroad bridges along the abandoned right of way for the El Dorado Trail. (See the final paragraph.)

Another Kiwanis Newspaper Bin Set Afire

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The Kiwanis paper recycling bin in College Square was set ablaze. This was the final bin for this fundraising program. The junior high students who committed the incident were identified and restitution was made.
NOTE: It should be noted that Nick Teig was misquoted in this article.  Nick said "a Million pounds of newspapers" and the reporter identified it as "a million tons."  This million pounds (only 500 tons) was a "big thing" and buttons were even created to celebrate this benchmark.