July 2024 cRAHnicle (Jul 18, 2024)

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Welcome to our new Rotary Year and the Magic of Rotary!

This year brings many new things in store- are you ready!?

The Magic of Rotary is a fun Presidential theme that is perfect to help spread the magic of Rotary all around us. Whether it is volunteering at a service event, or attending one of our club meetings, I hope that you feel the energy and enthusiasm of our members.

This year is all about the member experience. We want to make sure that each member is getting what they want out of their membership- whether it is serving others in the community or helping with local projects or networking at a social event, what is your purpose of being a member of RAH? How can our club help each member have the best experience this year and beyond?

We hope that newer members will take time to join a RAH committee and share new ideas and help share the magic of Rotary. We have many upcoming meetings, socials and service events that should appeal to all members. Please update your calendars from our club website so you don’t miss out!

When at our club meetings, my ASK is that you welcome new faces. Please go up and introduce yourself and get to know those attending for the first time. We all have been there before and attending our first meeting not knowing anyone or maybe a few can be intimidating. We want everyone that comes to RAH to feel welcome by our positivity and energy. Our new member mentor program is a great way for club members to help introduce a new member to the Rotary experience. Please consider being a mentor and sharing your knowledge of Rotary.

RI President Stephanie Urchick reminds us that you create the magic with every project completed, every dollar donated and every new member.

This year, my hope is that our club continues to grow in membership, serve others in the community and globally and spreads the love of Rotary in the La Crosse area. In an ever-changing world, we need Rotary to be Irresistible. How can you help RAH to RAHk and be simply Irresistible?

See you soon to spread more Magic!

Stefanie Kline

RAH President 2024-2025

President Stef's Magic Hat is here!

You’ve heard of Christmas in July, but what about New Year in July? Well that’s just how we roll here at Rotary! We welcomed Stefanie Kline in as our new fearless leader for the coming Rotary Year! Kicking off the celebration of the Magic of Rotary, Stef has already made her stamp on her year as president while also embracing the spirit of Rotary by selecting a club member every meeting to highlight. If that isn’t magical enough for you, the member is pulled out of a hat!

In July, the King of Clubs surfaced, showcasing Mr. Bill Pritchard!

Get to know Bill and celebrate his invaluable contributions.

Through the Magic of Rotary, he has changed countless lives of Rotary Youth Exchange kids. We’re so grateful to have you a part of our RAH family, Bill! (Jackie too!)

July 1st marked the start of our new Rotary year, and we felt the magic from the get go!

The sun was out and the air was refreshing. It was a typical evening for July as rain was nowhere in sight. Slowly, one by one, the members of RAH came together to volunteer, putting up the safety fences for one of La Cross’s largest events as a fundraiser for the coming year – Riverfest 2024. Over 20 members put on gloves, banged in posts, and tied together the orange fences following the morning adventure.

The morning consisted of delivering the delicious snacks purchased by several RAH members with two grants. The snacks went to New Horizon’s shelter. What an honor it was to serve at two incredible service events on July 1st.

After a day filled with hard work and camaraderie, we gathered at The Crow to bid a fond farewell to Ida and her family. It was an incredible year watching Ida grow and become part of our community. ach family member received a Rotary After-Hours shirt and was able to share stories of their homeland. We give thanks to Ida for letting us experience who she is and is going to be. The family later took off for some great adventures on the east coast, and then later home.

In sum, July 1, 2024, was a remarkable day for Rotary After-Hours, filled with service, laughter, and heartfelt farewells. Here’s to many more memorable moments ahead!

Avenues of Service 2024

Come together with your friends from Rotary After Hours and fellow Rotarians from the Coulee Region Rotary Clubs for a night of celebration at the 34th Annual Rotary Avenues of Service dinner on Wednesday, August 21st. We'll be honoring club projects, Rising Stars, and Rotarians of the Year. It will be a relaxing evening filled with a delicious meal, engaging conversations and the chance to meet amazing new friends who are making a difference in our community.

This year's event will be held at The Waterfront's Cargill Room, Downtown La Crosse-

5:30pm - Social & Basket Raffle - Bring a $20 bill for your chance to win a great raffle basket put together by each of the clubs!
6:30pm - Dinner & program emceed by our very own, Dustin Luecke!

Please RSVP by Monday, August 5th with your dinner selection. (There are no walk-up tickets available night of.)

Payment is not required at the time of sign-up. Anyone signed up as of 8/5/2024 will be billed by RAH
Cost is $40 a member (RAH is contributing $10 per member to offset the $50 cost); Significant others/guests are welcome!
Click here for Registration Link
New this year - register for 25 raffle tickets for $20 at time of registration

Choose from:

Parmesan Crusted Chicken OR an 8 oz. Center Cut Sirloin Steak OR Salmon; Vegetarian entree will be Chef's Choice

All Choices Include: House salad, fresh garlic haricot verts, whipped yukon gold potatoes and dinner rolls; Dessert: Brownies & Lemon Bars

After Hours will be celebrated for several projects and extRAHordinary individuals including:

Club Service Award: Alpaca Pancakes for Polio Breakfast

New Generations Service Award: Seeding a Legacy with the Northside Elementary/Coulee Montessori Greenhouse

Bradley Burke was chosen as one of two Rising Stars among all of the clubs

Ashley Santolin will be recognized as RAH's Rotarian of the Year 2023-24

Again, please RSVP by Monday, August 5th with your dinner selection here. Let's have a strong showing as we celebrate great people and accept the many awards we were selected for! (RAH once again is taking home the most hardware! Go us!)

Thank you for considering attending Avenues of Service 2024! It will be a fun night!

If you have any questions, please contact RAH's Avenues of Service representative, Marissa Dickinson.

(Throwback Thursday to RAHtarians at the 2023 Avenues of Service banquet - what a good looking group!)

As the days get longer and the temperature gets hotter, there’s no doubt that summer is in full swing.

Along with flip-flops and watersports, another hallmark of summer is the return of La Crosse’s beloved Moon Tunes! There’s something for everyone; food, swag, and, of course, tunes! Looking for something to do on a Thursday, head on down to Riverside park and enjoy some fun in the sun and some amazing tunes!

Join your After Hours friends at Moon Tunes on Thursday, August 22nd where we'll also welcome all the incoming Youth Exchange students to the Coulee Region!

Arch Klumph And His Dream of the Rotary Foundation

Arch C. Klumph was virtually a one-man cheering section for the formation of the fund that we know today as the Rotary International Foundation. For ten long years Arch Klumph made the case for the formation of a funding mechanism for service projects in furtherance of the moto, “He profits most who serves the best” the predicate of our current motto, “Service Above Self.”

It wasn’t until 1928, at the International Conference in Minneapolis that our Foundation was made a part of Rotary International. Rotary had it’s foundation but world events, the aftermath of WW1 and the ongoing impact of the Great Depression, almost scuttled the fledgling Foundation. When Paul Harris was contemplating his death, he expressed that he neither expected nor desired much attention upon his passing. He suggested that anyone inclined could consider a donation to the Foundation of Rotary International. After Paul Harris died in 1947, over two million dollars in memorial donations came to the foundation within the next year. In both life and death, Paul Harris served Rotary.

Rotary District 6250 District Dispatch

Check out what's happening in Rotary Clubs around the district in the monthly District Dispatch newsletter.

After Hours Membership

Active Members: 49

Welcome to our Newest Members:

None at this time

Members leaving us:

Griffin Moe
Macy Fitzgerald (relocating)

Rotary Attendance:

June 35.7%

New Member Information

Member Birthdays

Aaron Miller

December 5

Kelly Kroner

December 8

Shane Stuhr

December 11

Justin Garvey

December 25

Join Date

Ashley Wenger

December 19, 2023

1 year

Board Minutes

May 2024 Board Meeting Minutes

Read Me!