Joan Squires is the President of the Omaha Performing Arts. A passionate and experienced performing arts executive with the ability to develop and realize a strategic vision through a commitment to artistic excellence, collaborative relationships, and inclusive and diverse alliances, coupled with a consistent record of financial success.
Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa) is dedicated to creating a vibrant arts and entertainment experience in Omaha and the region. Since its inception, O-pa has grown to become the largest arts institution in Nebraska. O-pa had over 5 million visitors to their venues the Holland Performing Arts Center and Orpheum Theater over the past 17 years, and opened our third venue, Steelhouse Omaha, on May 12, 2023. Annually, O-pa hosts more than 500 events in its facilities and presents world-renowned artists and productions in jazz, dance, touring Broadway, concerts, family shows and more. These activities generate $48M in annual economic impact. O-pa’s venues consistently rank among the top venues in the country and world. With a commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA), the organization strives to reach all parts of the community.
The dedicated Board of Directors, led by President Katie Henry, has been diligently working to make the club an even more vibrant and engaging community. With this goal in mind, several important changes have been approved at today's board meeting July 17, 2023, aimed at improving the Rotary experience.
Lunch Cost Update: The Suburban Rotary club is pleased to announce a successful renegotiation of the lunch price with the German American Society. As of this week, the lunch cost will return to $20 per meal. This is good news!
Change of Venue: Attention all Suburban Rotary members! A change of venue will be in effect for the upcoming weeks. On July 27th and August 3rd, the club's weekly meetings will take place at Legends, situated at 6920 Pacific St, suite 100. Lunch cost is $20. This change of location is expected to offer a fresh perspective and elevate the overall meeting experience. Members are encouraged to embrace this change and explore the exciting opportunities it may bring.
The Board of Directors extends its sincere appreciation to all members for their patience and cooperation during these transitions. Their commitment to creating a thriving community is highly valued, and their understanding is crucial as the club aims to provide the best possible Rotary experience for everyone involved.
Suburban Rotary emphasizes the importance of member feedback and encourages individuals to share any questions or concerns they may have. The club recognizes the invaluable role that feedback plays in shaping their initiatives, and they remain receptive to member input.
As the Suburban Rotary family continues to grow, each member is regarded as an essential part of the community. The club expresses gratitude for your continued support and looks forward to creating countless meaningful Rotary moments together. With the dedication of the Board of Directors and the active participation of its members, Suburban Rotary is poised to flourish as an engaging and a fun club providing real value to Rotary membership.
Email your comments and feedback to info@suburbanrotary.org or call/text/voicemail at (402) 397-7335.
R. Gordon R. McInally is president of Rotary International. He was educated at the Royal High School in Edinburgh and at the University of Dundee, where he earned his graduate degree in dental surgery. He operated his own dental practice in Edinburgh until 2016. Gordon was chair of the East of Scotland branch of the British Paedodontic Society and has held various academic positions. He has also served as a presbytery elder, chair of the Queensferry parish congregational board, and commissioner to the general assembly of the Church of Scotland. Read President McInally's biography.
Watch the video below of President McInally's address to the Rotary International Assembly:
Hello District 5650!As we kick off another Rotary year, I want to take this opportunity to thank Barbara Bartle for her great leadership this past year. Her passion and commitment to Rotary is evident in everything she does. On behalf of all our members, thank you, Barbara!
Our theme this year is to Create Hope in the World and we do that every day in our District. We have so many great Rotarians that do so many great projects and I am very much looking forward to meeting everyone. I am VERY EXCITED to visit all the clubs this summer!
This is going to be a fabulous year, let’s work together and make 5650 the Best Rotary District in the Universe!
See the world courtesy of this year’s award-winning photographers
Writing in this magazine in 1946, Paul Harris remarked that “travel is a good corrective for … mental near-sightedness.” The same holds true for photography, especially if, like Rotary itself, the photographer takes a global perspective.
To verify that observation you need look no further than this issue of Rotary magazine, where we reveal the finalists in this year’s Photo Awards. Including the cover, there are a dozen photographs that carry us from Egypt to Idaho, from Nigeria to Taiwan. Along the way we see everything from an intimate moment as a medical team prepares for surgery to a sweeping nightscape illuminated by an aurora borealis.
Though they are shot in different parts of the world, employ distinct palettes, and evoke different emotions, all of these photographs have in common an unseen beauty. These days we’re constantly bombarded with images — and in an era of AI and CGI, it can be difficult to know if what we’re seeing is real. But in these 12 photos we have the privilege of standing in the photographers’ shoes and experiencing an honest understanding of a particular moment.
That generosity of spirit is another Rotary trait.
By sharing their pictures, the photographers enable the rest of us to join them on their journey.
— Jacqueline Cantu, art director, Rotary magazine
In Lagos, Nigeria, I was trying to document the introduction of District 9110’s 2022-23 Rotaract representative. In the thick of the chaos, this happy Rotaractor locked eyes with me, and I captured this celebratory moment in time. Judges say: The photo captures the jubilance of the occasion and the excitement of the crowd of Rotaractors. Technically, the photographer’s command of the image’s sharpness and its excellent monochromatic shades are superb!
Recently, James Reed gave us an overview of the Suburban Rotary Car Show financials. When all revenue is in, we will have raised nearly 44K in proceeds. Expenses were around 11K. The first 10K of profit will go to the Rotary Foundation for Polio Plus, leaving the club Foundation 23K in profits.
Congratulations and thank you to everyone who helped put this on, our sponsors, and our volunteers!
This section of the newsletter is dedicated to club transparency.
Best wishes to Jody-Ann Coore who has served as our a/v technician for two years. She has accepted another position and will be leaving us in July.
Congratulations to John Hoich who was selected by the Trustees to serve as Chair for the 23-24 Rotary year. Kevin Welsh is unable to serve on the Board of Trustees due to regulations by his employer.
Congratulations to John Ferguson who has been selected to serve a one-year term on the Board of Directors as Zach Ziler vacates his seat to serve as President-Elect. Congratulations to Angela Chaney who has been selected to serve a two-year term on the Board of Directors as Sara Huse as resigned her seat.
The Board approved a new Yearlings program at June's Board meeting. Bob Perrin and Rich Rowland will be in charge of this committee and the blue badge program for the 23-24 Rotary year.
In February of this year, the Board of Directors voted to remove the 50% attendance requirement for members to align the club with the requirements of the other metro-area clubs. See an excerpt from RI's website below.
If there is more information you'd like to see in this section, please reach out to Yolanda.
If you'd like to be more social with your fellow Rotarians, please consider Rotary golf (contact Frank Goldberg) Rotary bridge (contact Julie Livingston) or book club (Lisa Neu-info below). You get attendance credit for all these activities.
The next book is: "Bibi: My Story" by Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel. This is a New York Times bestselling autobiography. Benjamin Netanyahu tells the story of his family, his path to leadership, and his unceasing commitment to defending his country and securing its future.
This book is 654 pages. We will split reading it for discussion between July and August. For July, we will read up to Chapter 32 at page 329.
Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, July 18, at Bonefish Grill in Regency.
Considering visiting another Rotary club for a make-up! Rotary.org has a club finder for locations around the world. Please see the District website at rotarydistrict5650.org for details on local clubs. Visit one of the following Metro-Area Clubs!
Monday: Omaha Millard Rotary, 12:00 pm, German American Society, 3717 South 120th St.
Tuesday: Omaha Morning 7:00 am, First Responders Foundation, 10605 Burt Circle, Omaha, NE 68114
Tuesday: Omaha Northwest, 12:00 pm, First Responders Foundation, 10605 Burt Circle, Omaha, NE 68114
*Omaha Morning and Omaha Northwest will continue to merge meetings and will be alternating the meeting time on a monthly basis as follows:
July 2023-Lunch
August 2023-Morning
September 2023- Lunch
October 2023 - Morning November 2023 - Lunch December 2023 - Morning
Wednesday: Omaha Downtown, 12:00 pm, Field Club of Omaha, 3615 Woolworth Ave. Thursday: West Douglas County, 7:00 am, Elkhorn Common Ground Community Center, 1701 Veterans Drive
Thursday: Council Bluffs, 12:00 pm, The Center, 714 Main Street
Friday: Omaha West, 12:00 pm, Biaggi's, 13655 California St.
Email Yolanda for make-up/attendance credit at yolanda@suburbanrotary.org.
Joan Squires
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