Last week Dan Lupardus and Nate Schwalb were our greeters. Alan Stanek gave the invocation. We had several announcements and presentations as well as a new member introduction. Terry Ferguson introduced Larry Roots who talked about the Omaha arts scene. The RISK bag was at $480 and Dick Caulk won a free lunch!
Last week Angeline Larson introduced us to new member Tiffany White-Welchen. Tiffany is the Director of Behavioral Health Services at Charles Drew and a member of the Executive Leadership Team. Tiffany holds a degree in Theater Arts from Drake University and a Master's of Human Services from Bellevue university.
Tiffany has appeared in many productions in Omaha including as Tina Turner in Beehive. She is currently starring in a one-woman production called "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill" where she has received rave reviews from the Omaha World Herald for her portrayal of Billie Holiday. Click here to learn more about the show.
Tiffany also sings with the Confidentials in Omaha. She has been married to Tony for 22 years and they have two children. Tiffany is also a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the Omaha Chapter of the Links. She operates an unofficial foundation, called Daddyz Girl, in memory of her father. She has collected Christmas presents for the homeless, young teens, and students at Kellom elementary.
Many thanks to the many volunteers and participants who helped make this year's Monster Mash a big success for Children's Hospital's obesity prevention programs! Please go on Facebook and like and share the many, many photos from the event. Click here.
We will have an update on totals raised at an upcoming meeting. Congratulations and thank you to David Kutler and the Monster Mash Committee for all their hard work on this great event.
Please mark your calendars to attend our Thursday meeting on October 29th when we will hear from Rotary International Director Mary Beth Growney Selene.
Mary Beth Growney Selene
Rotary International Director, 2013-2015
Mary Beth is the founder and President of Ryan Signs, Inc., in Madison. She is a non-lawyer Fee Arbitrator and a (past) non-lawyer member of the Client Security Fund of the State Bar of Wisconsin. Mary Beth is a former member of the Board of Directors and ongoing supporter of the What If? Foundation, which works to feed and educate children in Haiti.
Personal time is shared with her husband Alan Selene (PDG, District 5970) and daughter Bridget.
Mary Beth Growney Selene has been a member of the Rotary Club of Madison West Towne-Middleton since 1987 and she served her club as President in 1993-1994. She has been a host parent to four Rotary Youth Exchange students.
In her District 6250 she served as Governor in 2000-2001; District Membership Chair and District Rotary Foundation Chair.
Mary Beth has had the opportunity to serve as the Rotary International President’s Representative to several District Conferences. She served as a Training Leader at the International Assembly in San Diego in 2008 and 2009 and was the District 6250 Representative to the Council on Legislation in 2004, 2007 and 2010.
She served as the General Chair for the (then) Zones 27 & 28 Institute and was a Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator for Zone 27, the Public Image Resource Coordinator for Zone 28, and as Zone 28 Rotary Coordinator. Mary Beth is served as Rotary International Director in 2013-2015.
She has received Rotary International’s Service Above Self Award and The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service.
Mary Beth and Alan are Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation. They are currently Sustaining Members to the Annual Fund of The Rotary Foundation and Bequest Society members to The Rotary Foundation Endowment Fund.
Downtown Rotary is sponsoring a Live Feed event for World Polio Day at the Fox and the Hound at 120th and Dodge.
Get ready for World Polio Day
Join us at 5:30 PM on October 23 for our End Polio Now: Make History Today event.
We will take advantage of the AV equipment at Fox and Hound to show the live stream event to watch a global update on the status of the fight to eradicate polio, and take part in the conversation. Guests will include representatives from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, celebrity polio ambassadors, and polio survivors.
I started attending Tatebayashi Boys High School on the 7th of September. The school is a preparatory high-school for college, so its curriculum is more difficult than a typical highschool in Japan. However everyone at the school is very friendly, and the teachers are very patient with me if I don't understand something.... or if I if don't understand anything. My class' homeroom teacher is Mr. Arai, who speaks English particularly well, loves The Red Hot Chili Peppers and studied at the prestigious Waseda University. Although the courses are rigorous and its hard to hold a conversation with anyone beyond "The weather is good today", I'm finding ways to make i t work and am satisfied with my school placement!
Towards the beginning of September I went to Maebashi (Gunmas capital) and met with the four other exchange students who are staying in Gunma prefecture. They're all from America, but from completely different parts (Oregon, Texas and up-state New York!). We gave presentations about our home towns and states to dozens of rotary members (Including the Youth Exchange President for Gunma). We also met with Japanese Rotex who were exchange students to different countries through Rotary in previous years.
Later this month we all went on a wonderful day trip through Gunma prefecture. We went to see well-known mountains and rivers in Gunma and were able to participate in a pottery lesson and make traditional Japanese Soba noodles. Being able to spend time with other exchange students is great, since we're all from America we can relate to any problems we may be having and can work through them together!
On Sundays my host family likes to go to the mall... and when they say mall they aren't kidding. There's a famous mall chain in Japan called "Aeon", and most of them are about four times the size of Von Maur. It seems like the entire prefecture spends their time at the mall because it's so cram packed full of people everywhere you turn you're stepping on someones shoes. Japanese malls are insane! (In a good way).
The other day my host mother took me to meet with her friends son to hang out for a day. I was a little worried having to suddenly hang out all day with a stranger, but thankfully we became fast friends. Keito was very welcoming and introduced me to all of his friends. They all took me to a Japanese Denny's (waaaaay different menu than America), and later to bowling and karaoke. It was only a day, and I was skeptical at first but I am extremely happy I went. Even being on exchange for this short amount of time has taught me that you have to take every opportunity you get!
Thank you again Rotary! I'm living every day to the fullest!
-Drew
From Stephanie Devillier in Taiwan:
Hi everyone! Well so much has happened already so i'm not quite sure where to begin. My first night here was amazing, and just a bit intense. So after a very very long plane ride and trying to navigate around the huge airport I finally go through the doors to meet my host family. Little did I know almost the whole district was there, screaming my name. Now as you can imagine I was tired and a bit worn looking but none the less I loved every minute of it. Everyone was so nice and happy. One of them had a previous exchange student from Nebraska and was very very excited to hear that it was my home state. That night my host family thought it appropriate to take me to McDonald's as my first meal in Taiwan.
Well I apparently arrived on a holiday, called yi bi (?). I'm not entirely sure what it is but I think its a month where you light paper money in the streets and leave food and drinks as offerings to those dead? They handed me incense and told me to make a wish while holding it over the offerings. Its not just homes that do it either. Businesses like grocery stores and even Forever 21 had the employees outside.
I went to a huge dragon and tiger statue! It was so cool!!! I loved all the colors and the patterns. They said that you could only go in through the dragon and out through the tiger otherwise it's very bad.
Driving here is SCARY. Like they are so horrible (by USA definition) Yet there are little no accidents. Not one
The weather here is super hot and humid. Also no corn. Like I can not find one cornfield. But they do have many many other good crops/fruit here. Like the mangoes! They are so good!!!
Next month I start Chinese lessons, school, and so many more adventures! I promise the next one will be longer.
Pictured below is the inside of my school and the dragon and tiger statue.
Condolences to Blane and Marie McCann. Their brother-in-law recently passed away. Please keep their family in your thoughts and prayers. Their address is 2908 99th Ave., Omaha, NE 68124.
Sign up at the back table at Rotary!-Double attendance credit! Cost $30
Metro Area Rotary Luncheon
Thursday, November 5, 2015
INSIDE UNO’S ALL NEW
Baxter Arena in Aksarben Village
2425 West 67th Street
Omaha, NE 68106
Featuring Mike Kemp
Associate Athletic Director
University of Nebraska Omaha Athletics
11:30am registration desk open, Noon-1:00pm – program
MIKE KEMP
Mike Kemp was elevated to the position of Associate Athletic Director for Omaha Athletics in May 2009. He has primary oversight of UNO hockey and men's and women's soccer as well as facilities and game management.
During his 12-year tenure as head coach, Kemp guided UNO hockey from a fledgling independent to an established program with one of the best followings in college hockey. UNO has ranked among the nation’s college hockey elite in attendance from the start and boasts college hockey’s largest booster club. He concluded his career with a record of 201-220-53.
As the head coach of a start-up program, Kemp built a team that was a model of consistency in the always-tough Central Collegiate Hockey Association. In only 10 years of play, UNO had an average finish of sixth place in the league and earned CCHA home playoff games in eight of those ten years. Kemp also placed players on one of the CCHA all-league teams in eight of ten years. Both of those accomplishments are surpassed only by the University of Michigan.
Kemp may be best remembered for his commitment to community service. Under his guidance, the UNO hockey team was widely recognized for its contributions to the quality of life in greater Omaha. The highlight came during the 2008-09 season when the team held its “Leap for a Cure” fundraiser which raised $44,000 for brain cancer research at the Estabrook Cancer Center.
Kemp coached five All-Americans while at Omaha and had a total of twelve all-CCHA players in ten years.
Off the ice, Kemp is an avid runner and has competed in the Boston Marathon.
Kemp and his wife, Julie, have two daughters; Emily and Sarah.
DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO PREVIEW THE NEW VENUE WHILE HEARING A GREAT SPEAKER!
"The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah. We will discuss this book on Tuesday, October 13 at the Bookworm at 5:30pm
New members welcome- join us!
Participation counts as an attendance credit, the books are great "reads", and it is fun to get together to discuss our various opinions on the books at the meetings!
ATTENDANCE at Suburban Rotary needs to be at 50% of the meetings. Make-ups also count.
ONLINE MAKE-UPS Have you checked this out? If you sometimes find it hard to attend a make-up meeting locally or while out of town, check out the option and opportunity of making up a Rotary meeting 24/7 via the internet. You will find this information at http://www.rotaryeclubone.org for more information. Check your attendance status anytime on our website.
Millard Monday Noon, German American Society located at 3717 South 120th Street
North, Monday Noon at Eppley
TUESDAYS
Omaha Morning Tues., 7 a.m., Happy Hollow CC
Omaha Northwest , Tues. Noon, Champions Run
Omaha Southwest , Tues., 5:15 p.m : DJ's Dugout at 17666 Welch Plaza, on the northeast corner of 180th & Q streets. The meeting room is located down the hallway at the southeast corner of the building
WEDNESDAYS
Council Bluffs Centennial Wednesday morning at 7 a.m. HyVee in the Mall of the Bluffs
Downtown -Wednesday Noon, Field Club
Western Douglas County 7 a.m., Elkhorn Common Ground Community Center, 1701 Veterans Drive (l block north of Elkhorn H. S.)
Council Bluffs Thursday Noon, Council Bluffs Senior Center
