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After Hours News

November President's Message
November is Foundation Month!
At the 1917 Rotary Convention in Atlanta, GA, then-Rotary President Arch C. Klumph said: “It seems eminently proper that we should accept endowments for the purpose of doing good in the world.” 103 years later, we recognize Klumph’s idea as not only visionary, but revolutionary. It is impossible to quantify the good that has been done over the last century as a result of The Rotary Foundation. Thank you to all who support the Foundation. I don't want to steal any more of Josh's thunder so please make sure to read his cRAHnicle story below on the impact our giving to the Rotary Foundation has! If you didn't have the opportunity to join the recent Polio webinar that several D6250 Interact Clubs (the High School equivalent of Rotary) held I hope you'll find the time to watch it. They had the honor of hosting Mike McGovern, the Rotary International Polio Plus chair and Randy Sproule, District 6250 Polio Plus Chair. We are THIS close and can't give up the fight! https://youtu.be/5dpKZlbljR4 
 
October was another great month to be a RAHtarian with ten opportunities to partake in. There was something for everyone. It was awesome that so many of you took advantage of one of the many Rotary Opportunities. From cranberry bogs to a virtual run for The Good Fight, picking up trash along our Adopt-a-Highway, the District’s Vibrant Club workshop (with 8 of us in attendance!) to the dark history of downtown La Crosse and food trucks for Polio. A big thank you goes out to all our members who are helping find innovative ways to help us continue to make an IMPACT and keep Rotary FUN during the pandemic. Our hats go off to Service Committee, Programs and Socials Committee and a big shout out to Madeline Behringer for helping us raise $475 for our Polio Plus efforts. A big thank you to all of you RAHtarians who have participated and joined a club event!
 
The next couple of months will be equally as fun with bell ringing, remembering our good friend we lost a year ago, Dave Knutson, with a special trivia night, and our one and only Ugly Sweater 5k fundraiser coming up! And don't forget, our November social will be incorporating being thankful for local businesses that have helped our club over the years. Whether it is a restaurant or business, we have many supporters that have helped us be active in the community and internationally. "Let's Give Thanks" to them by ordering food, take out, a gift card, or any item. Please write a thank you card and include that you are a member of RAH and thanking them for their support to our club. Share a picture on this event so you can earn credit! As the winter months approach us, we are seeking new opportunities to stay connected. If you have an idea for a social, program or volunteer opportunity please let us know!
 
Stay healthy & well, 
Marissa Dickinson
#RotaryOpensOpportunities
Read more...
November is Foundation Month
Every November we celebrate our Rotary Foundation and the good it does around the world. 
The global impact is only part of the picture. The Foundation also supports projects Rotary After Hours and our members do.
 
Projects led by our club that our Foundation has supported with your contributions include:
  • Women's health clinic in partnership with Gundersen Global Partners (Nicaragua)
  • Clean water in schools (Mexico)
  • Transportation for girls to get to school safely (Afghanistan)
  • A van for students at the the Good Fight Community Center (La Crosse)
  • Disaster Response Trailer (La Crosse, Winter 2020-21)
  • sHARk Tank (Spring 2021)
  • St. Clare's Rotary Mobile Medical Clinic (Coulee Region, Spring 2021)
When we reflect back on what we have done, and look forward to what we can do, please remember that our partnership and support of the Foundation makes many great things possible.
 
Josh Mansee
RAH Foundation Committee Chair
D6250 Foundation Committee Chair
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October Rotarian of the Month
We are excited to recognize Katelyn Doyle as our October Rotarian of the Month!
Katelyn is an attorney at Johns, Flaherty & Collins and is a second generation Rotarian. She joined After Hours a little over a year ago and has been a wonderful addition to our club. Passionate about serving others and our community, Katelyn accepted the leadership role of chairing our Service Committee. She has sought out small, safe volunteer activities for our members to be engaged in allowing us to continue to make an impact during the COVID pandemic times. When an unexpected vacancy presented on our board, Katelyn stepped up to fill the need.
 
She is a "Yes" person and we are so grateful for her, her talents and her kind, serving heart. Please join us in congratulating Katelyn as our Rotarian of the Month! Please join us in congratulating him as our Rotarian of the Month.
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Welcome Kristin Swartz!
Please give a warm RAH welcome to one of our newest members, Kristin Swartz!
An avid outdoor sports enthusiast, Kristin earns a living as an Academic Researcher at Gundersen Health System. When not on the job, the La Crosse native said she enjoys hiking, cycling and partaking in water sports.
 
Having studied at the University of Minnesota, Kristin brings a B.A. and Ph.D. from the U of M back to her hometown. As part of her studies, Kristin lived and interned in Ecuador for 9 months. She invites fellow members to ask her about that experience and added that the mission of Rotary aligns with her own.
 
"I am happy to support an organization who is action oriented in supporting the community," said Kristin giving a nod to the Rotary goals to "advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty."
 
Kristin also enjoys art, photography, cooking and catching up with family and friends.
 
Welcome to RAH Kristin!
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Ho Ho Ho! Our Ugly Sweater 5k is Coming to Town!
Rotary After Hours' largest fundraiser, the Ugly Sweater 5k is quickly approaching!
To keep everyone safe, we will be going virtual this year. What that means is that registered participants can run or walk the 5k when it works for them and log their time between Wednesday, December 2 and Saturday, December 12. Gift cards will be sent to 1st and 2nd place in each age group.
 
To keep things fun, we are going to light up the marsh trails from Myrick Park to Riverside park on Friday, December 4th and Saturday, December 5th! We will still have a packet pick up for registrants with a one-of-a-kind Ugly Sweater swag gift and other goodies. Tell everyone to get those ugly sweaters out for our online "Ugly Sweater Contest" on social media. 
 
We need your help!
  • Volunteer - We need help putting up and taking down the holiday lights. Please register here. All volunteers will receive a long-sleeve Ugly Sweater 5k t-shirt. Sign up for your t-shirt here. 
    • We realize that not everyone can take off of work all day Friday to help set the course up. If you can only help out for part of the day, please sign up and meet us when you can. 
  • Promote - Help us spread the word!
    • Our new US5k website is live at oneugly5k.com
    • Registration to run/walk is now open
    • Share our event on social media - Facebook event
    • Forward the Ugly Sweater 5k email on to friends and family (coming soon!)
We need everyone's help for another successful event so that we can continue the good work in our community. If you have any questions or ideas, please reach out to Ashley (asantolin19@gmail.com) or call/text 715-225-7155.
 
Thank you!
Ugly Sweater 5k Committee
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Rising Stars! 
We are extRAH excited that two of our amazing members, Josh Mansee & Nick Ragner were recognized by 7-Rivers Alliance as two of the areas Rising Stars!
The future is bright for Josh Mansee!
“Focus on doing the right thing, for the right reasons while working with good people to help make a difference, no matter how big or small.”
Congrats Josh! Thanks for all you do to make the world a better place. You RAHk!
 
 
 
Anyone who knows Nick Ragner knows how awesome he is! 
“It doesn’t take a lot to make an impact. Everything you do – from a few dollars to a few minutes of time – can be the difference.”
Thanks for all you do to inspire others and make La Crosse a better place Nick.
 
See the full recognition summaries by clicking on their names below: 
 
  
And check out this article from UWL's Campus Connection.
Read more...
October in pictures
Katelyn and Marissa hosted our first meeting of the month live from the Bosshard cranberry bogs with local farmers, Carly, Joe & John!
 
 
The Doyle family hosted us for an outdoor social at their farm where some of us got spit on and others couldn't get enough of our new four-legged friends.
 
 
Final cleaning of our adopted highway for 2020. See ya in 2021 County Highway O!
 
 
Dogs of After Hours. Many were our companions as we supported The Good Fight's virtual run.
 
 
Many thanks to Madeline and all those who helped out at our World Polio Day event at the La Crescent Area Event Center. Raising awareness for Polio Eradication efforts with an food trucks and caterers and Halloween activities for all.
 
Frankie La Salle, the infamous downtown madam led us on a chilling walk through La Crosse's historic red-light district, covering true crime stories from the city's dark history, including murders, brothels, ghost hauntings and more! With generous donations, we raised $250 for the Public Library Archives Department.
 
 
A handful of us warmed up at Big Al's with pizza and a cold beer after our Dark La Crosse meeting. Cheers to good Rotary friends! #supportlocal
 
 
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November Foundation Feature
WHAT IS “EVERY ROTARIAN, EVERY YEAR” ALL ABOUT? WHAT IS A SUSTAINING MEMBER?
"Every Rotarian, Every Year" is an initiative by the Board of Trustees of The Rotary Foundation and encourages “every Rotarian, every year” to:
1. Participate in a Foundation program that is making a difference in the world
2. Contribute to the Foundation’s Annual Fund at a sustainable amount

The Rotary Foundation even has banners for clubs where every member contributes at least US$25 to the Annual Fund with a US$100 per capita during the Rotary year.
Today nearly 1/3 of Rotarians participate in this initiative. In 2019/20 The Rotary Foundation was able to award over 1,300 global grants for large scale sustainable projects due to the generosity of these Rotarians. Think about what Rotary could accomplish in the world if all of our 1.2 million worldwide members each gave at least US$25 to our Foundation’s Annual Fund.
 
A Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member is an individual who personally contributes US$100 or more each Rotary year to the Annual Fund. These contributions also count toward Paul Harris Fellow, Multiple Paul Harris Fellow, Paul Harris Society, EREY, Major Donor, and club recognition.
 
If you are a part of the “Every Rotarian, Every Year” initiative or a Sustaining Member– thank you for your support of The Rotary Foundation and its work.
 
 
Read more...

MEMBERSHIP - November 1, 2020

Active Members: 60 (+2 for the year)

New Members: 0

Rotarians Leaving Us: 

  • Justin Peterson
  • Paul LaCount

Challenge: Invite a friend, co-worker or acquaintance to join a RAH event to check it out! There may be an entire group of individuals in our communities who would make great Rotarians… but could not find a comfortable way to join in person. Perhaps now is the time…

Member Birthdays
Griffin Moe
November 6
 
Taylor Mathy
November 9
 
Jennifer Luedtke
November 13
 
Amy Schmidt
November 29
 
Upcoming Events
STAR Meeting
Capella Performing Arts Center
Nov 10, 2022
 
Youth Exchange Cultural Celebration
The La Crosse Club
Nov 10, 2022
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
 
RAH Friendsgiving
Driftless Axe
Nov 11, 2022
5:30 PM – 9:00 PM
 
RAH Social Event: BACA Chili Cookoff
All Start Lanes
Nov 12, 2022
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
 
BACA Soup Event
All Star Lanes & Banquets
Nov 12, 2022
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
 
RAH Youth Committee Meeting
Zoom
Nov 15, 2022
5:15 PM - 6:00 PM
 
Rotary Leadership Series
Waterfront Cargill Room or Online
Nov 17, 2022
12:05 PM - 12:35 PM
 
RAH 11/22 Meeting: WAFER
The Main- A Event Space
Nov 22, 2022
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
 
Service Committee Meeting
The Main Event Space
Nov 22, 2022 5:45 PM
 
RAH Club Meeting
The Main - an Event Space
Nov 22, 2022
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
 
View entire list
Club Information
Serve to Change Lives
La Crosse-After Hours
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM
The Main
422 Main Street
La Crosse, WI 54601
United States of America
2nd and 4th Tuesday of the Month; 5:30pm- Networking / 6pm- Meeting
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