As a global network that strives to build a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, Rotary values diversity and celebrates the contributions of people of all backgrounds, regardless of their age, ethnicity, race, color, abilities, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Rotary will cultivate a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture in which people from underrepresented groups have greater opportunities to participate as members and leaders.
Club Information
Our club meets Friday mornings from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM at the Mequon Public Market, 6300 W Mequon Rd, Mequon, WI 53092.
When: We meet Friday mornings from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM.
Where: Our next meeting is Friday (8/12) will be at the Mequon Public Market, 6300 W Mequon Rd, Mequon, WI 53092.
Our program this Friday will be Mark Rolison the founder of GloBall Giving.
The greeter will provide either the thought, a Rotary minute, share a family moment or a cultural tradition ... anything they would like to start off the day positive.
Upcoming "It's your Rotary moment" assignees:
- Jennifer Sutherland (8/12)
- Lee Szymborski (8/19)
- Steve Taylor (8/26)
- Jo Ann Vetter (9/2)
Note: If you are unable to act as "It's your Rotary moment" assignee when scheduled please arrange for your replacement.
Club Assemblies have been scheduled for the following dates: 9/16, 10/21, 11/18 and 12/16.
Visit our website at mtsunriserotary.org.
My opinions may have changed, but not the fact that I’m right. - Ashleigh Brilliant
(Top) MT Sunrise Rotary club member Seth Duhnke was our speaker. Seth, who works at Sommer's Automotive, updated us on the state of the auto industry post COVID.
(Lower) Sunrise Rotary club President Cori Guerin accepts the "Azinger Cup" from Sam Azinger of the TM Noon Rotary Club. This traveling trophy is presented annually to the club with the most donations to the Rotary Foundation.
Photos by Dean Johnson.
The nominating committee of Rotary International District 6270 is seeking qualified, enthusiastic candidates to serve as District Governor in the 2025-2026 Rotary year. For complete details, see the District Governor Nomination Notice for 2025 – 2026. Candidate nominations must be received by October 15, 2022.
If you have interest, we encourage you to talk with one of us, or any past district governor to learn about the role.
PDG Craig Burnett & PDG Lisa Werner, Nominating Committee Co-Chairs
By Arnold R. Grahl
In the festive atmosphere of a gala dinner, Rotary members raised glasses in toasts and kindled friendships in Lviv as they welcomed a group of Ukrainians to the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians. The next day, the Ukrainian members showed visitors former Eastern Bloc aircraft at a military base that had become a general aviation field.
Just a few months later, Russian forces invaded Ukraine — and the new friendships became critical connections for support and supplies.
Rotary's global network has sent millions of dollars' worth of relief and medical supplies to help the people of Ukraine. Rotary Fellowships, which bring together members who have a shared interest or hobby, have amplified the impact of these efforts.
Members of the flying fellowship leapt into action to help their fellow pilots as soon as the war began. George Chaffey, then-world president of the fellowship, says he and other members quickly contacted the Ukrainian members, who have been instrumental in identifying the most effective ways to channel the assistance.
One of them has been Olha Paliychuk, a member of the Rotary Club of Cherkasy, Ukraine. Paliychuk, who is a doctor and working toward her pilot's license, has helped coordinate response plans through both the flying fellowship and the International Fellowship of Healthcare Professionals.
"Within a week we raised more than $12,000 and a large volume of medical supplies, all cleared through Olha," Chaffey says. "We collect what the Ukrainians tell us they need and direct it to exactly where it is needed."
Rotary International’s recent member survey reveals where Rotary is today, while suggesting where it needs to go tomorrow
The motive power of Rotary is friendship,” said Paul Harris in his address to the Rotary convention held in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1921. His remarks were greeted with a round of applause — and were endorsed 100 years later by current members of Rotary.
In the most recent annual survey of Rotary members, 45% of respondents cited friendship as the reason they remain in Rotary, and 84% said they were satisfied with their ability to connect with friends through Rotary. Meanwhile, 42% of respondents cited the opportunity to make an impact on their communities as the reason they remained in Rotary — another response that would have delighted Rotary’s founder.
Gathering this kind of information is one of the reasons we survey Rotary members every year. The 2021 all-member survey, which was conducted last fall by Rotary International and drew nearly 70,000 responses from Rotarians and Rotaractors, will contribute to the long-term success of Rotary’s Action Plan and its strategic initiatives. It also ensures that Rotary leadership understands and responds to the expectations and experiences of new and longtime members. On a more local level, clubs and districts can use this information to attract and engage new and current members.
The Rotary Club of Duvall, Washington, celebrated Valentine’s Day by hanging 133 double-sided hearts from light poles along a mile-long stretch of Main Street, where they loomed large from late January through early March. Bearing messages sponsored by residents and businesses at a cost of $50 each, the signs raised about $13,500 for food pantries and other organizations serving youth, seniors, and the needy in the community northeast of Seattle.
The club was inspired by a long-running fundraiser of the Rotary Club of Loveland Thompson Valley, Colorado, whose sign subscriptions routinely sell out within hours.
By Kay Dahlke - Special to the News Graphic
PORT WASHINGTON — It all started in 1991, when a grassroots group in Port Washington decided to protect a parcel of land along Sauk Creek.
“We envisioned the Sauk Creek environmental corridor as a sort of ‘central park’ as Port grew around this environment gem in the midst of our city,” said Joe Dean, who was serving on the Port Washington Parks and Recreation Board the time.
The group petitioned, fundraised and formulated the 501(c)(3) organization, Ozaukee Land Trust, in 1992, which was renamed Ozaukee Washington Land Trust when the group began adding Washington County community members and lands to the organization.
“The Sauk Creek project served as an early example of smart land preservation — promoting blanched growth and economic development — while protecting this unique and precious natural resource,” Dean, one of the organization’s founders, said.
The goal of Ozaukee Washington Land Trust is to amplify the appreciation and preservation of the area’s natural beauty; these land trusts, as they are called, are nonprofit, nongovernmental conservation organizations that, through partnerships with public and private landowners, actively work to protect natural resources for the benefit of all.
These community-based organizations are run by local people having a shared passion for preserving their communities’ natural heritage.
In 30 years, the OWLT has adopted more than 25 nature preserves and three partnership preserves — Highland Woods, Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve and Mequon Nature Preserve.
The trust conserves more than 7,000 acres throughout the two counties it calls home, with more than 2,000 privately held that have been made available to the public.
By Hannah Shaw, Rotary social and digital media specialist
Social media makes expanding your club’s reach easier than ever, but how? There are tips, tricks, and tools for creating content for social platforms, and the goal is simple: connection. A well-built social media presence will help you create connections in your community and beyond, from showcasing your club’s success to building awareness of its presence. To help boost your social media savvy, we’ve put together the following eight tips and tools:
Pick your platform. With so many social media platforms available, getting started can be intimidating. Choose one platform to focus on and grow from there. We recommend starting with Facebook, which has the largest user base.
Assign roles. The first step in creating content is capturing it. Assign a designated photographer to take pictures at club events and service projects. Additionally, pick a point person to manage your club’s social media posts.
Be consistent. Whether you post daily, weekly, or monthly, set a goal to share on social media regularly. Consistent posting helps cultivate followers.
Take photos that tell a story. Opt for images that show action rather than just offering group shots. Show people getting their hands dirty, giving out supplies, or sharing a moment of laughter.
Lead with impact and encourage engagement. When planning an event, project, or fundraiser, think about how you’ll use social media to showcase it. Tell a story by identifying the problem, your solution, and its impact. Or consider what one thing you want someone to know after viewing your post.
Celebrate partnership and participation. Tag participants and community partners in your posts. Avoid Rotary jargon. Not everybody who reads your posts will be familiar with acronyms like PETS or RYLA. Remember that those engaging with your posts are prospective members!
Find inspiration. Examine the content you engage with on social media. What captures your attention and holds your interest? How can you apply that to content you create? Check out Rotary International’s profiles and posts for more inspiration (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
Use the Brand Center. The Brand Center is your one-stop shop for logos, creative assets, guidelines, and more. Be sure to visit often as new materials are added for your use.
It’s the most important communication skill you were probably never taught
By Louis Greenstein
When you’re talking to someone, do you ever get the feeling that they’re busier looking for an opening in the conversation than listening to what’s being said? That if you were to stop and ask, “What was I just saying?” they’d give you a deer-in-the-headlights stare, maybe repeat a few words you spoke, but definitely fail a pop quiz on the content?
Most of us have learned some basics of public speaking: enunciate, make eye contact, repeat the most important points so they stick. But "we haven't had good teachers in terms of listening skills," says Jim Bolton, president of Ridge Training, a company that specializes in teaching communication skills to business leaders and trainers. Bolton makes a distinction between hearing and listening. True listening requires your full attention. You need to make an effort.
Failure to truly listen is a missed opportunity — not just to learn, but to deepen our rapport with others. When people feel heard and can speak without being criticized or interrupted, says Bolton, "they start to feel a deeper sense of relatedness. Even in professional relationships, it's knowing that someone has enough respect for you to set their own agenda aside and learn from you."
When you are actively listening, you get more information than you would otherwise — and not only because you're paying closer attention. "When you listen well, people share more," says Bolton. "People are more open because you are more receptive."
So how can we sharpen our active listening skills?
Combating human trafficking, a scourge which impacts an estimated 40 million people worldwide, is the goal of the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery and several cause-based Rotary clubs.
By Frank Bures
Photo Caption: Students on their way to morning class at Pace Universal, a school for girls in Piyali Junction, outside Kolkata, India, that is funded in part by Rotary clubs and The Rotary Foundation. It was founded by Rotarian Deepa Biswas Willingham to educate girls and protect them from slavery, trafficking, and early childhood marriage in a community where these are common dangers for girls. Anindito Mukherjee / Rotary International
When Dave McCleary first heard about human trafficking, it seemed like something that happened far away, probably overseas. But not in the United States. And certainly not in his hometown.
Then one day he invited a speaker who knew otherwise to talk to his Rotary club in Roswell, Georgia. Her name was Melissa. She was originally from Roswell and had gone to the same high school McCleary’s girls had attended. Melissa dropped out at 16 and was offered a modeling job by a man who turned out to be a sex trafficker. For two years, she was trapped and trafficked in downtown Atlanta before police and a local organization helped her escape.
After the meeting, another Rotarian approached Melissa and gave her a big hug. McCleary asked him how he knew the young woman. He said she used to babysit his kids when she was 12, and he had wondered what had happened to her.
"For me, that was when it became real," says McCleary, who is now chair of the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery. "Now it wasn't someone else's problem. And I remember thinking at the time: Rotary — we're in 200 countries, with 34,000 clubs and 1.2 million Rotarians, and we tackle the tough issues. Why not slavery?"
Of the many global issues, human trafficking (or modern slavery, as it is sometimes called) is one of the toughest to combat. It's estimated that more than 40 million people are trafficked across the world. "It's probably the largest human rights travesty existing today," says Karen Walkowski, founder of the Rotary Club of District 5950 Ending Human Trafficking. "Bigger than all the refugees, all the displaced people. It's one of the three largest illegal industries, bringing in about $150 billion in revenue every year."
By Abdulwahab B Akinlade, past president of the Rotaract Club of Ikorodu Golden, Lagos, Nigeria
Membership is the backbone of organizations like Rotary. My friend Musiliu Babatunde has a favorite song about Rotary, and it is called Wake Up Rotarians. It talks about the importance of membership to a club and how a club will become inactive and die if there are no members.
The song prompted me to think about ways we can attract members. Here are a few thoughts:
- Fun Activities: Rotaract clubs should host activities that attract young people. Socializing and having fun is a good thing and complements service. Picnics, beach parties, and happy hours are just some of the activities you can plan.
- Service Projects: At the same time, service is what draws many people to Rotaract and Rotary — the ability to join together with others to take action and achieve more than you could ever do on your own. We should continue to partner with other Rotaract and Rotary clubs in our communities to improve our neighborhoods. It’s like when you plant a tree and you help the ecosystem. A member who gets involved in service projects becomes an impact maker in their community.
- Print, broadcast, and social media: There is no substitute for publicity. And social media makes it easier than ever. We can attract prospective members, but also people who want to support us and work with us. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp and more should be used for timely updates on our programs and the projects we engage in. But don’t limit your updates to just one or two platforms like WhatsApp and Facebook. Use the full spectrum and don’t forget print media such as newspapers and magazines, or broadcast media.
Attracting members isn’t the end of the story. We must also sustain our clubs and engage our members.
Here are a few thoughts about that:
Public safety in Cali has improved since the mid-1990s, when drug cartels lorded over the city.
The Rotaract Club of Cali-Norte is promoting peace and conflict resolution through its Re-Créate initiative, “a social and psychoeducational intervention project” involving role-playing, discussions, arts and crafts, music, and athletics at a local school, says Diana Rivera, immediate past president of the club. Since 2017, hundreds of children have participated in the program, which covers social topics such as bullying, setting personal boundaries, and team building.
“We make two visits per semester on Saturdays,” Rivera says of the initiative. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has sidelined a popular soccer tournament fundraiser, individual donors, raffle proceeds, and other initiatives have filled the gap as the club works to enhance Re-Créate with digital offerings.
Pardeep Kaleka executive director of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee was our guest speaker on July 15. Photos by Dean Johnson (top) and Bob Blazich (bottom).
Editor's Note: This PSA is in honor of anyone who is experiencing or has experienced cancer or has a loved one who has.
The choices you make about diet, exercise, and other habits can affect your overall health as well as your risk for developing cancer and other serious diseases.
It’s also important to follow recommendations for cancer screening tests. Screening tests are used to find cancer in people who have no symptoms. Regular screening gives you the best chance of finding cancer early when it’s small and before it has spread.
The links below provide information on healthy lifestyle choices that can help lower your cancer risk, and cancer screening test recommendations by age.
Alongside Rotary and the nonprofit DigDeep, the Navajo are bringing a vital commodity to their ancestral homeland
By Geoffrey Johnson Photos by Julia Rendleman
If there were one place on the planet impervious to the ravages of the pandemic, you might have guessed it would be the Navajo Nation. Viewed from a distance, it seems impregnable, a remote, self-contained country spread across three U.S. states — Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah — and encompassing more than 27,000 square miles, its ancient boundaries marked by four sacred mountains: Dibé Ntsaa (Hesperus Mountain) on the north, Tsoodził (Mount Taylor) on the south, Sisnaajiní (Blanca Peak) on the east, and Dook'o'oosłiid (San Francisco Peaks) on the west.
As it turns out, you would have guessed wrong. Terribly wrong. The first cases of COVID-19 in Navajo Nation were diagnosed in March 2020, the outbreak spread by a church gathering in a small town in northeastern Arizona. Two months later, there had been 100 pandemic deaths in Navajo Nation, which reported a higher per capita infection rate than any of the 50 U.S. states. As of mid-May 2022, more than 53,000 COVID cases had been confirmed there — that's a 32 percent infection rate — and 1,770 deaths. With a population of about 165,000, there has been one death for every 93 people living in the Nation.
