Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert is in her third term as Mayor of Omaha. First elected in 2013, and re-elected in 2017 and 2021, she is the 51st mayor of Omaha and the city's first woman to be elected to the office.

 

"Thank you for electing me to a third term. To serve as our city’s first female mayor, and to begin an unprecedented third term in office, are both incredibly special and very humbling. It is an honor that I will live up to, and one I am very excited to begin. I will work hard every day to earn your trust, make you proud of our work, and even more proud of our city."

Mayor Stothert's priorities are public safety, managing the city budget, job growth and economic development, and improving the taxpayer experience., so every citizen receives excellent customer service when they interact with city government.

 

Mayor Stothert has reduced the property tax rate three times, improved city services, worked with the Omaha City Council to grow the city's population and tax base through annexation, and increased funding for the police department to increase the number of officers to 906, a record high number. This historic high number of officers is helping to make Omaha safer and establishing one of the best large-city police departments in the country. 

The Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) camp will be November 3-5, 2023 at Camp Kitaki near Louisville, NE. RYLA camp is an intensive 3-day training program for High School Sophomores and Juniors that helps participants think critically about important issues; share ideas with talented peers; learn how to coordinate and lead community service projects; discuss the importance of good governance and civil society to the world; and learn to think globally and explore issues that transcend national borders.  

The camp focuses on youth leadership development. Participants will learn about Rotary International and what clubs do to make our world a better place. They will participate in small groups and will work together to hone their leadership skills and learn more about the 7 Areas of Focus of Rotary International. Participants also will have the opportunity to build their leadership skills with several outdoor team building activities that the YMCA staff facilitate. There is also time for fun and fellowship with many opportunities to get to know fellow campers.
 
One of the projects of the weekend will be the “Initiative Challenge” where groups will be selecting an aspect of protecting the environment and develop ways to act and minimize how our world can work toward saving our planet from the radical changes in our climate, our ecosystems, and the health of every living thing in the world. Participants will learn about how to make a positive impact as emerging leaders in their communities, as well as a knowledge of our impact on the world and how impact can be changed by the choices we make.
 
PLEASE NOTE THIS FORM MUST BE FILLED OUT IN PRESENCE OF PARENT/GUARDIAN!

DEADLINE TO APPLY ONLINE OCTOBER 15, 2023!

Contact: ryla@rotarydistrict5650.org

 

Do you have a powerful Suburban Rotary Impact Story that you'd like to share with fellow members? We believe that every project, every effort, and every initiative holds immense value, and we want to hear about yours! Whether it's an uplifting anecdote about transforming a local neighborhood, supporting a worthy cause, or positively influencing a young person's life, your stories contribute to the fabric of our shared success.

Your Impact Story will not only be acknowledged during our weekly meetings but it will also be featured on our website and social media platforms. By doing so, we hope to spread the ripple effect of your actions and inspire others to take part in the transformative power of Rotary. Please take a moment to compose your Impact Story and email it to the ever-enthusiastic and dedicated President Katie Henry at khenry@accessbank.com.

As Ukraine struggles against the current Russian invasion, it may seem strange to spend time remembering the collapse of the USSR in 1991. And yet I find it useful to reflect on that event. New, unexpected thoughts appear that provoke a shift in my attitudes, allowing me to reassess the past from the point of view of today’s tragedy.

In 1991, the USSR was physically disintegrating, crumbling like an old, abandoned building. Now Russian President Vladimir Putin’s dream of restoring the USSR is crumbling, and nostalgia for the Soviet past is dying.
 

I have always believed that the most important thing in life is to have a choice. This is the essence of freedom. Choice gives the opportunity to better understand yourself, the purpose of life, and your own role in it. In Soviet society, I could not choose a role that would suit both me and the Soviet system.
 

In my student years, I was an anti-Soviet Soviet person, as were many of my peers. I disliked many things about the USSR. I often argued with my communist father about the wrongness of the Soviet regime. And yet, I did not believe that this regime could be changed, that it could be made “correct.”
 

My father did not like to argue, although he always defended the Soviet system, in his calm, lazy manner. His positive attitude toward it grew from his belief that the Soviet system had allowed him to realize his dream. Since childhood, he had wanted to become a military pilot and he became one. He rose to the rank of captain, spending several years in Germany with the Soviet occupying forces after World War II. He returned to the USSR, and had it not been for the Cuban missile crisis and Nikita Khrushchev’s unilateral disarmament policy, he would have risen to the rank of colonel. Having faced the threat of a third world war, Khrushchev wanted to demonstrate that the USSR was a peace-loving state. This meant that my father, along with tens of thousands of other military men, was sent into the reserve army and a peaceful life. I am still grateful to Khrushchev for this beautiful peacekeeping gesture. Without it, I would not be a Ukrainian today.